Better Patient Outcomes, Not Cost Reduction, Top Priority for Provider Execs

The Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices Companies survey is the latest indication of what issues healthcare leaders are focused on addressing.

Almost 60% of health system executives ranked improving patient outcomes as the most critical priority for their respective organization, according to a Johnson & Johnson (J&J) Medical Devices Companies survey released Monday morning.

Cost reduction, last year's top choice, dropped to a second place tie with enhancing quality of care, garnering 55% of responses, a decrease of 20% year-over-year.

The top five responses were rounded out with improving patient experience at 51% and improving staff satisfaction at 33%.

Similar to an Advisory Board survey of hospital CEOs earlier this summer, the J&J report is yet another glimpse into what issues provider executives are most focused on addressing and how leaders are interested in strategies beyond traditional cost control.

"We are seeing a trend among health systems toward more holistic solutions that can truly impact the patient experience, strengthen the wellbeing of healthcare professionals and ultimately improve the bottom line," Melinda Thiel, vice president of health system value transformation at J&J Medical Devices Companies, said in a statement.

Improving operational efficiency was ranked as a major priority by both clinicians and executives, with both seeing ramifications that can positively impact the organization.

Almost 60% of provider executives responded that an optimized supply chain lowers costs and nearly half responded that it "drives overall operational efficiency."

This in turn allows clinicians more time with their patients, as both the clinical and executive teams pointed to administrative burdens that impede focus on patient care as a major factor for burnout.

Seventy-five percent of clinicians and nearly all executives responded that there were protocols in place at their respective organizations to curb burnout and promote employee wellness.

Jack O'Brien is the Content Team Lead and Finance Editor at HealthLeaders, an HCPro brand.