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Triple Aim Book Launch: Highlights from Ted Eytan, MD

KP IHI Triple Aim Launch  | 2012-06-22  09-07-31 Book authors Charles Kenney and Maureen Bisognano (photo courtesy of Ted Eytan)

Friday’s book launch brought together thought leaders and experts from across the health care sector to discuss the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s Triple Aim goals for optimizing health system performance: Improving the patient experience of care (including quality and satisfaction), improving health of the populations, and reducing the per capita cost of health care. Convening passionate people and sharp minds to talk about health—when the nation is holding its collective breath for the Supreme Court’s decision on the Affordable Care Act—it was an ideal event to be held at the Center for Total Health. Kaiser Permanente’s Ted Eytan, MD, was on site and has written about it on his own blog. With his permission, we feature excerpts from his account below.

The Flow of the Day

To watch Pat McDonald, a technology executive, describe dramatic changes in health care as part of marketplace collaborative to a room of health care experts was something to behold.  She was joined by 7 other presenters, who agreed to whet the appetite of the audience in 6-minute increments, with 6 slides each (the “6 x 6″), timed, with each 6 minute block ended with a hug or a handshake (thanks for the inspiration, Laurie Ostrofsky @simplyleap / that’s how things happen at Center for Total Health).

These were followed with a facilitated discussion with the whole room, and then deeper dives in the afternoon with 4 smaller groups. There was a session of concentric conversations in the middle of the day.

A few words: first, the T word = transformation

There’s no question about it, these innovators are interested in no less than changing all of health care, not just their piece of it. From the book chapter covering Intel/Virginia Mason:

They now declare that they are on a mission to “transform health care in the United States.”

Each presenter made clear both the learning and the higher purpose that brought them to Washington, DC that day. When people are on a mission, they are close to unstoppable, no 6 minute slide deck with hug at the end is going to be a hurdle, and it wasn’t. Which brings me to the next word…

second, the H word = humility

When Tony DiGioia, MD told me the night before the event that he was practicing his presentation to the audience in between patients in surgical practice. I was floored. When we went around the room in the facilitated session that included Bellin Health and Virginia Mason/Intel and I asked everyone to rate their community on a scale of 1-10 on being able to transform health care and our innovators rated themselves a 4-7/10, I was again floored. Charlie Kenney was in that room and insisted that they upgrade their score.

Regina Holliday (@ReginaHolliday ) wanted the room to know that Bellin Health was “way more cool than their video showed” (which I will track down and post here) and told the story of how they named their electronic health record system after a patient who had a bad experience.

third, the R word = resolve

Part of the Virginia Mason / Intel story includes the story of Mary McClinton, who Bob Mecklenburg, MD told me Virginia Mason killed. It’s actually hard to even type that word in relation to health care, but it is the word that Bob uses. He told us how Ms. McClinton was injected with chlorhexidine, an antiseptic, which was confused with another agent. This caused her organs to shut down, one after another, until Bob disconnected her ventilator, and she died, devastating her family and an entire community who depended on her leadership.

He told us how this was defining for him and for Virginia Mason, and of the resolve it created among the medical staff to be a leader in safety and transparency, which they renew in an award ceremony performed each year in Ms. McClinton’s honor every year.

I think the flow brought out resolve quite well on the part of all of the participants, which includes the resolve to try something new, to learn something new, and to work for the betterment of the people we serve.

Last word, the P word = patient (they were included)

We continue to earn the badge, thanks to the participation of Regina Holliday ( @ReginaHolliday ) and Kait Roe ( @Kaitbr ). We know two are not enough, and also that any patient is better than no patients. Me = choir.

What’s next? I think there’s room to expose more of health care to the possibilities and people here. The Center for Total Health turned out, again, to be a great place to have this discussion and learn about the qualities of the people and organizations who pursue the Triple Aim with such dedication.

Thanks Maureen, Charlie, and all who attended for allowing us to see this first hand.

See more photos of the event and read the post in its entirety here. Also, check out Ted’s thoughtful post dedicated entirely to the book, Pursuing the Triple Aim: Seven Innovators Show the Way to Better Care, Better Health, and Lower Costs.

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