As the quality, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness of healthcare delivery in the U.S. continues to be in the national spotlight, the importance of care coordination increasingly is being recognized. More than ever, effective coordination is required to identify patient and family needs and preferences, to ensure collaboration and cooperation among several providers, and to establish accountability for communication and integration of a comprehensive care plan.
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When the ProCure Treatment Center of Oklahoma City opened its doors in August of 2009, it became the first cancer center in the country to provide proton therapy without being part of a large academic medical center. What makes the center even more of a standout is that it was formed as a joint venture between a not-for-profit health system and a for-profit company. So how did this unique joint venture come to fruition?
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The recent revelations about patients receiving unnecessary doses of radiation offer a sobering reminder. The very ingredient responsible for the medical miracles made commonplace by diagnostic and therapeutic imaging must be carefully managed, monitored, tracked and double-checked.
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Examples of health systems acquiring, relocating and building satellite hospitals abound. These measures require intensive capital expenditure—often demanding a combination of philanthropic benefaction, debt financing, community support, use of precious capital reserves and federally backed stimulus programs.
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For decades, those of us involved in improving patient safety looked to Toyota Motor Corp. for guidance and inspiration in improving quality in healthcare. The Toyota Production System has been touted as the key to error reduction and consistency in product quality. Given Toyota's recent quality issues, these are tough days for admirers of the company.
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