Nov. 21, 2014: Strategic Plan Update on the Performance Priority

Dear Colleagues,

Johns Hopkins Medicine's performance priority is focused on identifying new streams of revenue while expanding on those that are already in place. It aims to improve operating efficiencies with a commitment to reducing health care costs, all while strengthening our mission of research, education and patient care.

To achieve this goal, we must establish smart processes, efficient systems and controls that reduce expenses and increase revenue. We will balance this effort with the absolute necessity of providing the safest and highest quality patient care.

Over the course of the past year, several systemwide, collaborative projects have produced real results. Here are several examples of how we are delivering on the goals of the performance priority.

• Supply chain initiative. This effort to reduce and control expenses for supplies and purchased services across Johns Hopkins Medicine has already saved $13 million—$3 million more than our initial target. Savings came from price renegotiations for cardiac supplies, office supplies, total joint implants, the reference laboratory, linen and pediatric nutrition.
• Keeping our patients in the Johns Hopkins family. Working strategically with Access Services and departments throughout Johns Hopkins Medicine, we are capturing new and lost opportunities for patient referrals to our providers both domestically and internationally. As a result, referrals have increased for both Johns Hopkins Medicine International and Employer Health Programs.
• Ensuring access for patients when they need us. Patients who have difficulty scheduling an appointment or accessing our care represent lost revenue. We are making improvements in this area across The Johns Hopkins Hospital and Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. This has resulted in an increase of 34,000 visits from May to September 2014, compared with the same time period in 2013. The rate at which patients who are on hold and hang up before an appointment is made has dropped to 6 percent from 11 percent.
• Establishing best practices and clinical communities to enhance patient- and family-centered care. Led by the Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality, we are working closely with patients and families to continuously improve patient safety, outcomes and experiences. These clinical communities—peer-driven networks organized by discipline or medical setting—are providing valuable expertise and insight in the development of systemwide best practices for our safety and quality priorities.

The performance priority also seeks to establish a transparent financial reporting system available to all Johns Hopkins Medicine employees. In the next few weeks, we will provide more details about our performance for fiscal year 2014 as well as budget and progress updates for fiscal year 2015.

To learn more about the goals of the performance strategic priority, visit hopkinsmedicine.org/strategic_plan/performance.html.

Sincerely,

Paul B. Rothman, M.D.
Dean of the Medical Faculty
CEO, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Ronald R. Peterson
President
The Johns Hopkins Hospital and Health System
EVP, Johns Hopkins Medicine