Greater Baltimore Medical Center (GBMC) - Baltimore, Maryland

GBMC's Vision for the Future

Strategic Plan Summary Statement

GBMC HealthCare, Inc. is poised to dramatically transform healthcare delivery as the organization restructures to a patient-centered care model emphasizing continuity of care and evidence-based medicine.  Our intent is to provide better care at a lower cost and in a manner consistent with how we would want our loved ones to be taken care of. We recognize that the practice of medicine as it used to be is ending. We are moving toward a new era in healthcare and will be part of the national solution by building continuous, reliable, integrated, caring and connected care. We are moving into the future with renewed energy and increasing insight and have adopted a new vision:  "To every patient, every time, we will provide the care that we would want for our own loved ones." This transformation will include building relationships between patients and their healthcare team, comprised of physicians, nurse practitioners and healthcare navigators. This team will focus on a patient's wellness and long term care, rather than the traditional model of episodic care (i.e. waiting until an individual has a problem and then "fixing" that problem).  In order to help us meet these objectives, we will implement the latest healthcare information technology tools such as Electronic Medical Records (EMR) and Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE); reduce waste and improve operational performance utilizing LEAN tools; promote improved clinical outcomes through evidence-based medicine and continue educating system leaders; develop a network of community-based and GBMC employed clinical providers - Greater Baltimore Health Alliance (GBHA) - that will offer high quality and convenient healthcare. The future of healthcare is about integrating care and access and addressing the overall wellness of the community. GBMC looks forward to embarking on this momentous opportunity.

GBMC HealthCare Vision Statement

As our national healthcare system evolves, for GBMC to maintain its status as a provider of the highest quality medical care to our community, we must transform our philosophy and organizational structure, and develop a model system for delivering patient-centered care. We define patient-centered care as care that manages the patient's health effectively and efficiently while respecting the perspective and experience of the patient and the patient's family. Continuity of care and ease of navigation through a full array of services will be the rule. Our professional staff will be able to say with confidence that the guidance and medical care they are providing mirrors what they would want for their own family. We will create the organizational and economic infrastructure required to deliver evidence-based, patient-centered care and for holding ourselves accountable for that care. This new organization will be defined by collaboration and improvement. Physicians will lead teams that will manage patient care. We are moving into the future with renewed energy and increasing insight. We look forward to building relationships with both community-based and employed physicians that will form the foundation of Greater Baltimore Health Alliance. We welcome all those who share our vision of health care as it is transformed to meet the needs of our community and nation in the 21st century. Vision Statement: "To every patient, every time, we will provide the care that we would want for our own loved ones."

Introduction to the Strategic Plan

The American health care system, which has not undergone major change since the inception of Medicare in 1966, is poised to transform into a system that will provide better health and better care at a lower cost through either a government mandate or continued market pressures, or both.  This new system of care looks to reward organizations that promote healthy communities, while optimizing the care provided to individuals. There is an anticipated transition period of perhaps 10-15 years from the current fee-for-service system to payments to care for populations.  The GBMC strategic planning process began in the summer of 2010 with the formation of the Strategic Planning Sub-Committee of the Board of Directors comprised of board members, medical staff and management.  This group has engaged in an inclusive and transparent process that has involved members of all entities of GBMC HealthCare, along with the medical staff leadership and membership.  The first milestone in this process occurred in October 2010 with a planning retreat, which resulted in a vision statement for GBMC HealthCare that affirmed the provision of the highest quality medical care to our community, while embracing health care reform.  This vision is one of patient-centered care provided in partnership with our medical staff who shares to meet the needs of our community and nation in the 21st century. In order to achieve this vision, a plan with 5 specific areas of focus that we are calling Pillars has been developed.  Each pillar has underlying tactics to achieve measurable and sustainable results.  The context for this plan was based on several structural, operational, market and financial assumptions detailed in Appendix C. Our strategic plan is the starting point for the creation of the annual operating plans and budgets. As we begin the journey to transform our health care system, we must recognize that the current fee-for-service system of payment will be in effect for several years, and we must continue to optimize our performance under this system through revenue enhancement initiatives, while providing care in a cost effective manner.

Strategic Plan Pillars

The vision of GBMC HealthCare states that "we will provide the care that we would want for our own loved ones to every patient, every time."  In order to achieve this vision, we must implement five (5) strategies that will support this vision, while creating the organizational and economic infrastructure required to deliver evidence-based, patient-centered care and for holding ourselves accountable for that care. I. GBMC aims to create an enterprise-wide IT solution to support the transformation of clinical and operational processes.  This strategy will be enveloped in a comprehensive information system strategic plan that will support the clinical, operational and financial reporting needs of the system.    Rationale: Information Technology will support the implementation of several initiatives such as Electronic Medical Records (EMR), which will be integrated with the hospital's clinical information system to build a seamless information network that marries the outpatient and inpatient records. Examples: EMR has been implemented in GBMA practices and will also be provided for GBHA members; CPOE implementation is well underway hospital-wide. Click here to download the GBHA FAQ sheet. II. GBMC aims to improve operational performance and to reduce unwanted variation by utilizing LEAN tools and rapid cycle improvement across the enterprise. Rationale: We will execute opportunities for cost reduction that are critical to maintain financial viability during this transition period from fee-for-service payments to full risk capitation. Examples: Expand the LEAN and rapid cycle improvement activities that will result in enterprise-wide savings; reduce the artificial variability in surgical scheduling to optimize the occupancy on surgical inpatient units and increase the utilization of our operating rooms (surgical smoothing initiative). III. GBMC aims to build a system to continually improve clinical outcomes and the patient experience. Our goal to improve clinical outcomes will be accomplished through the implementation of an enterprise-wide education program and the development of an infrastructure that will support system leaders as they strive to meet the enterprise-wide goals. Rationale: Commit to providing better health and better care at a lower cost by improving care coordination across the system. Examples: Build an integrated quality and safety infrastructure; expand data collection and reporting; and strengthen and foster a culture of safety through the organization. IV. GBMC aims to build a provider network to achieve its vision of developing a model system for delivering patient-centered care.  We will accomplish this goal in partnership with our family of physicians as we provide accountable care to our multi-cultural community. Rationale: We will form Greater Baltimore Health Alliance (GBHA) as a physician-governed organization populated by employed and aligned community physicians tied together with a common electronic health record to facilitate exchange of information and improve care. Examples: Continuing to expand the GBMA network of physicians in the community with an emphasis on adding primary care physicians as well as building the GBHA network of providers. V. GBMC aims to create new organizational capabilities to support our new strategies. Rationale: The movement to a patient-centered care model will bring significant change throughout the organization. GBMC will initiate a patient-centered medical home model for care with our employees and dependents that promotes wellness and more effective utilization of health care services. Examples: Improve our employee medical care plan design, and implement disease management strategies to more effectively manage costs; expand the training and development infrastructure to support the needs of the organization.