A Q&A on Quality
Featuring Acute Care Division Chief Medical Officer Dr. David Rice
Dr. David Rice, Chief Medical Officer, Acute Care Division, meets Northern Nevada Medical Center team members.
Our commitment to providing superior quality healthcare is core to UHS’ mission and differentiates us in our served communities. In the Acute Care Division, Quality & Service, along with Operational Efficiency and Physician Alignment, is among the Division’s top priorities.
In September, UHS welcomed David Rice, MD, MHL, FACHE, as Chief Medical Officer, Acute Care Division. With clinical oversight for Acute Care quality and patient safety programs, Dr. Rice is partnering with Acute Care leaders to enhance the quality of care and patient outcomes delivered in Acute Care hospitals and ambulatory care access points. Dr. Rice has dedicated more than 20 years to championing improvements in quality, safety and efficiency of patient services through innovative models of care, education and the institution of key performance metrics across multi-site healthcare systems.
Here, Dr. Rice shares his perspective on Quality, including his vision for helping Acute Care enhance quality of care across the organization.
Q: First, what attracted you to UHS?
A: UHS is a highly regarded leader in healthcare. Quality and prioritizing the safety and wellbeing of patients is core to UHS’ mission and values, setting a strong foundation for trust and ensuring that every action revolves around delivering the best care possible. I was honored to join an organization that is so passionate about transforming healthcare, improving and saving the lives of patients.
“Quality and prioritizing the safety and wellbeing of patients is core to UHS’ mission and values.”
Dr. David Rice
Chief Medical Officer, Acute Care Division
Additionally, the commitment to continually raise the bar on quality of care is at the forefront of the entire organization. The expectation is that we consistently deliver exceptional quality care without any room for exceptions.
Q: What are your initial observations?
A: There are several principles of a strong Quality program and culture, which include patient focus, leadership endorsement and advocacy, people involvement and engagement, continual improvement and decision-making guided by data, among others. I see Corporate, hospital and physician leadership, as well as Corporate and front-line team members embracing these tenets; we take the responsibility of protecting the health, wellbeing and safety of our patients to heart. We have a strong foundation to build on.
We have hospitals that are consistently recognized for delivering high-quality care, most recently those that earned an “A” Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit organization that sets standards for excellence in patient care. For example, Henderson Hospital recently earned its 11th consecutive “A” grade, which sets a precedent for us all. Every Acute Care hospital is working to receive and sustain an “A” rating.
Q: How can we move the needle on quality of care and safety moving forward?
A: Honing and leveraging best practices and using data to guide our decisions is one way. This involves Quality, Division and hospital leaders meeting regularly to share data and insights, as well as industry and facility best practices that potentially can be implemented or expanded across the Acute Care network. Additionally, sharing a collective focus on quality and asking what is best for our patients with every action and decision lays the groundwork for continual improvement. I look forward to partnering with our facilities to further evolve and execute against our high standards for quality and safety.
