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For many, 2009 will forever be remembered as the year of the 'Great Recession'—one marked by record unemployment, financial scandal, corporate greed and significant personal loss, particularly with respect to retirement funds. It was also the year of the "TARP" program, corporate bailouts, bank failures and Ponzi-scheme scandals. Yet despite last year’s numerous misgivings, 2009 likewise taught us—businesses and individuals alike—an invaluable lesson: that the era of excess was over, in turn signaling the emergence of a time in which all must exhibit greater fiscal discipline.
 Said another way, the nation’s collective 'reset button' had finally been pushed. Indeed, the halcyon days, which characterized much of the 80s and 90s—and the lavishness that had typified much of the past decade—had come to an end.
This sort of change, I think, can be good. It also seems appropriate. Government, business and individuals must now, perhaps more so than ever before, demonstrate greater rigor and patience in their dealings. These can be times of opportunity, provided we approach these possibilities by thinking differently and thinking more precisely.
Consequently, it is in Saint Francis’ best interest to re-evaluate its own strategies, to re-think its own objectives and to re-prioritize its own goals to assure that as we navigate these whitewater times successfully and maintain our position as this community’s—and this region’s—most prominent healthcare provider.
Accomplishment of these challenges calls into question three strategic propositions for us as an organization to consider and likewise work toward:
- targeted programmatic growth based on community need and long-term sustainability;
- attainment of greater clinical efficiencies across multiple treatment sites and levels of care; and
- prudent cost management.
These propositions will likely be influenced by national health reform that will likely cause far reaching changes to this nation’s healthcare delivery system. The implications of these changes seem to point to a future whereby all providers will see fundamental changes in the payment for healthcare services—a model less concerned with how frequently certain things are done and more focused on the effectiveness of the care delivered.
It is likely a future that will reward integration of hospitals and physicians and in turn penalize fragmentation across providers; it will be a future where payment for services is likely to be 'bundled' into one lump-sum, and not divided, across multiple practitioners. It will be a future distinguished by its reliance on information technology, use of electronic medical records and dependence upon evidence-based data to assure care delivered is effective, safe and non-duplicative.
I think the Saint Francis Health System is well positioned to confront these opportunities, in large measure due to the fact that we posses many of the foundational elements necessary to succeed in tomorrow’s healthcare milieu. Saint Francis is likewise blessed with abundant clinical and administrative talent and lots of smart and industrious people throughout.
How we ultimately accomplish these three central strategic propositions will not be easy and may indeed compel us to examine long-standing, well-established systems, structures and processes that for many years have served the organization well. Accomplishment of these aims may also dictate that difficult decisions be made to assure that this organization’s faith-based mission, first articulated 50 years ago, continues to achieve the founders’ aspirations.
Whatever might occur, I remain confident that Saint Francis can and will succeed in this new environment. My confidence stems from my steadfast belief that we individually and collectively will continue to manage for the hard times, remain anticipatory in our thinking, prudent in our dealings with others and most importantly, being about Christ’s healing ministry.
Thank you for all you do for Saint Francis.
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