Organizational Overhaul at an Academic Medical Center

This client, one of the nation’s preeminent academic health centers, is jointly operated by a university medical school and a independently-owned hospital. Its integrated healthcare system operates 1,200 acute care, rehabilitation, and long-term care beds; outpatient services; and community health and information centers. The health center has 20 subsidiary or affiliate hospitals and provides a continuum of care that includes primary care centers, outpatient rehabilitation, dialysis centers, home health care, and long-term nursing centers

The Challenge:

Because the organizational designs of the two main entities – the medical school and the hospital -- were not well aligned, the center was hampered in its ability to develop and carry out a uniform strategic plan.

The boards on both sides recognized that this translated into missed opportunities and detracted from the health center’s market success, clinical and academic performance, and national reputation, and asked The Bard Group to assist them in forming a more functional organization.

The Solution:

Based on our assessment of both organizational structures, processes, systems and culture – and our best intelligence about the future of academic health centers – we presented an analysis of the gap between this client’s current performance and the optimal plan for going forward.

We presented the client with several prospective organizational options, based on successful academic health systems, to serve as a starting point for designing a solution.

The committee selected a functionally-integrated model to enhance clinical integration and academic performance. We then collaborated to adapt it to the client’s specific needs and circumstances. The final blueprint incorporated a strong medical center board, a CEO for the joint enterprise, and co-equal presidents for the university medical school, the faculty practice, and the hospital. This framework also included a careful system of checks and balances to address concerns about potential conflicts between the interests of the component entities.

The model was unanimously adopted and the client is in the process of implementing it.

The Impact:

The boards have successfully managed a leadership transition, authorized interim leaders, and have begun the search for the new enterprise CEO.

We are now working with the faculty practice with a strategic voice inside the new medical center.