The Power of Systemness: Why Penn State Health Is All-In on Driving Integration

CEO Michael Kupferman explains how translating the health system's growth into something patients can better access and navigate is key to its next phase.

Penn State Health has spent the past several years growing its presence across central Pennsylvania. Now, the leader at the helm of the integrated academic health system is focused on making that growth function as cohesively as possible.

CEO Michael Kupferman, who stepped into the role less than a year ago, believes the priority is straightforward.

“What we've been focusing on has been patient access. That's our North Star,” he told HealthLeaders.

That focus is driving a push to bring more “systemness” to the organization. After building two hospitals and acquiring a local health system this decade, as well as expanding its physician base and building out both community and academic practices, Penn State Health is now working to connect those pieces in a way that improves how patients move through the system.

“That all stems from our focus on integration, on becoming a health system, bringing more systemness to our care delivery model,” Kupferman said.

Integration as the foundation

Central to that effort is Penn State Health’s transition to Epic as its electronic health record, which Kupferman described as core to how the organization will operate going forward.

The rollout of Epic at the end of the fall is expected to serve as a unifying platform, connecting clinical, operational, and administrative functions that have historically operated more independently.

Kupferman also highlighted work to better align medical groups, bringing together community physicians and academic specialists under a more unified model.

“It’s really bringing that best-in-class evidence-based care delivery to the people and communities of central Pennsylvania,” he said.

The aim is to create a more consistent experience across the system, independent of where patients enter care.

Pictured: Michael Kupferman, CEO, Penn State Health.

Another goal is to improve access in practical ways, with Kupferman noting the importance of maximizing existing capacity across the system.

“We focus on making sure that we are utilizing our imaging centers, our operating rooms, as efficiently as possible so that we provide that outstanding patient access that we know patients in our community want,” he said.

Additionally, Penn State Health is expanding services across the region so patients can access care closer to home, whether that’s in Reading, Lancaster, Hershey, or other communities that it serves.

“We continue to double down on bringing that expert-driven care in and across the region, and do that in an efficient manner so that patients, when they call us, they can be seen either that day or the next day,” Kupferman said.

The emphasis is on making the system easier to navigate, not just larger.

Supporting the experience

Naturally, technology investments are supporting those endeavors, particularly in how patients interact with the system and how clinicians deliver care.

Kupferman stressed that Penn State Health has been building out virtual care capabilities to reach patients in more rural areas, while using automation to improve communication and scheduling.

“We use technology to bring patients closer to the health system, either through next day appointment capabilities or using automation to connect with patients for messaging,” he said.

Within clinics, the organization is introducing tools designed to improve patient encounters.

“We're utilizing ambient tools in the clinic space so that we create a much more effective, a much more patient-centered experience between that doctor-patient relationship,” he said.

Those changes extend to the workforce, where Kupferman is prioritizing reducing administrative burden and improving the day-to-day experience for clinicians as part of the integration strategy.

“As we go through this Epic transformation, we're going to be bringing incredible tools to be used at the bedside, put them in the hands of our physicians, bring back the joy in medicine so that our physicians are doing less and less of the documentation, administrative work,” he said.

Kupferman’s approach to leading as a CEO is shaped by his background as a physician, which influences how he evaluates decisions across the organization.

“I think about my role as a physician,” he said. “Putting the patients first in every aspect of what we do here, creating an incredible patient experience so that when patients walk in the door, no matter where they come into the system, they're going to get that Penn State Health experience.”

Regardless of when or how Penn State Health pursues expansion next, for Kupferman, the immediate future is all about making sure the system operates as one.

In that sense, integration is the main mechanism for sustaining long-lasting growth.