Baylor Embraces Quality Improvement Initiatives

The framework for this kind of improvement is being built by many healthcare systems, done best through teambuilding and a multidisciplinary approach for improved patient care.

That certainly was evident at a HealthLeaders Media Rounds panel discussion this week, focusing on cardiac care leadership for improved alignment and outcomes, and held at the Baylor Health Systems in Dallas, TX. Three top officials of Baylor discussed the shared vision for physicians and administration as partners, and the vital need for transparency and data collection as the process evolved.

Specifically, their talk focused on the Baylor Heart and Vascular Hospital (BHVH), which is part of the Baylor Health Care System. The BHVH opened in 2002 as the first joint venture hospital within Baylor Health Care System with, its officials say, the purpose of aligning physicians and hospital administration for heart and vascular patients. The hospital is 49 % owned by physician partnership and 51% by Baylor University Medical Center.

While it’s important to “facilitate the economic model,” says Kevin Wheelan, MD, chief of staff at BHVH and co-medical director of cardiology, a desire of physicians and administration is to “solve a common goal of providing excellent patient care.”