This is the time of year that allows us to reflect on the past year and recall the many blessings in our lives. In addition to thankfulness for family, friends, and health, I have been able to reflect upon the many accomplishments for ThedaCare and the communities we serve. 2020 remains a blur but reflection of 2021 reveals progress in many “non-COVID” related initiatives. One of the greatest accomplishments is growing physician engagement and leadership.
I am passionate about physician engagement and leadership and believe it is key to the success of ThedaCare. A health system can only achieve an average level of safety and quality with average clinician engagement but commitment to a high level of engagement, partnership, and leadership allows us to reach exceptional levels of performance. We are well on our way in our journey of success with the addition of Dr. Ike as Chief Quality Officer and Dr. Kumprey as our System ED Medical Director. In addition, we have several young physicians stepping into leadership roles within the organization.
I have tried to attend every systemwide monthly MEC. It has been a pleasure getting to know the active physician leaders throughout ThedaCare. As I look forward to 2022, I am excited to work with the new physician leaders who will be starting their terms this January. I intend to refine the onboarding process and enhance training for these new leaders over time.
I am proud that at TCA and TCN, all Departments have met regularly in 2021. I will not be so bold as to claim every meeting went perfectly or that every department member was present—but every Department met with a regular cadence and the meetings ran more smoothly throughout the year. Please continue to support your Department meeting and medical staff meetings. The more involvement of the medical staff the better!
ThedaCare has 6 CAH site Medical Directors covering our 5 Critical Access Hospitals. These medical directors have been instrumental in collaborating and coordinating system initiatives. A week does not pass where I am not in contact with these medical directors and I truly value their dedication to supporting their hospitals and medical staff. We are lucky to have them!
Finally, I have to recognize our administrative colleagues. It takes a community to support patient care. The hospital VPs, DONs, quality staff, managers and many others are integral to the great work we are achieving. The Medical Staff Services Department, under the leadership of Robin Mitchell, supports all of the acute care providers assuring the medical staffs have everything they need for success. We couldn’t do it without them all!
I appreciate the blessings around me and I truly hope you can take the time to reflect to do the same. As we are now well into the holiday season, I encourage everyone to share your appreciation and offer encouragement to your physician leaders and those that support them. A simple “thank you” can be a wonderful gift!
Michael Hooker, DO