Executive Perspective

Providing outstanding patient care is what we do every day at HCA Healthcare – but some of our methods are more visible than others. In this issue of YOU magazine, we wanted to pull the curtain back on some of our behind-the-scenes initiatives.

As an extension of our mission to care for and improve human life, one of our most important goals is to continually work to enhance our patients’ care and experience. Across HCA Healthcare, our facilities have developed a wide variety of patient navigation strategies to help us achieve this goal. From Sarah Cannon’s nurse navigators who guide cancer patients through treatment, to our contact center staff who facilitate physician appointments with our patients after urgent care and emergency department discharges, to a variety of care coordination strategies across the company, assisting patients in their time of need is the focus. These and other strategies designed to help shepherd patients through the many touch points in healthcare are an important part of improving their overall experience.

This issue’s cover story highlights one of these patient-centered navigation programs, called Care Assure. We have piloted Care Assure in the East Florida and West Florida divisions, are deploying it across other divisions and are excited about the results we have achieved. Thanks to major investments in IT and the hard work of our IT&S department to build a learning healthcare system, we are able to identify “red flags” when patients have certain tests done. Skilled nurse navigators then work to track and interpret these red flags, and use their findings to schedule doctor’s appointments or further testing for patients at risk. Like other navigation programs across HCA Healthcare, Care Assure is a huge endeavor with many moving parts, all operating behind the scenes to improve our patients’ health and experience. We know it will save lives, and are eager for you to learn more about it on page 6.

In addition to leading in our clinical initiatives like Care Assure, HCA Healthcare is also a recognized national leader in research and development. On page 18, find out how our collaboration with the University of Iowa in the STOP-SSI study has led to procedures that greatly reduce infections in patients undergoing cardiac or joint-replacement surgery.

Another advantage to HCA Healthcare’s scale is our ability to make a meaningful difference when it comes to taking care of the environment. Read about a few of HCA Healthcare’s comprehensive sustainability programs on page 14.

And finally, have you ever wondered what HCA Healthcare’s London hospitals are like? As the story beginning on page 16 explains, healthcare in the United Kingdom is very different than it is in the United States. But there are many similarities as well, and just like in the U.S., our British counterparts are focused on, and succeeding in, providing the best patient care possible.

All our initiatives to improve the health of our patients and communities are enabled by you: our employees. Without your hard work and willingness to go the extra mile, our innovations and advances wouldn’t make that final leap from idea to implementation. Thank you for your tireless dedication to improving the care experience for our patients.

Best regards,

A. Bruce Moore Jr.
President, Service Line and Operations Integration