Dr. Deborah Riley was named President of the Medical and Dental Staff at Lancaster General Hospital in Fall 2007. She recently offered her thoughts on her new role.
Q. Tell us about your journey to this key leadership position.
A. It has been an interesting transition from practicing physician to Vice President and now President of the Medical and Dental Staff at Lancaster General Hospital. I have the daily work experience as a physician, and now it’s interesting and rewarding to be in an administrative position and see how that role impacts the status of the hospital — from bed control and hospital capacity to quality of care and standards of excellence. I am happy and honored to serve as a physician representative to the hospital administration and board of directors.
Q. What are your goals for your new position?
A. My goals as president of the Medical and Dental Staff include:
1. Increasing physician participation at the Medical and Dental Staff meetings.
This is a critical time for Staff members to become informed about our new initiatives and to initiate discussions with their colleagues from the diverse specialties represented on the LGH Medical Staff. To achieve this goal, we are changing the format of the meeting.
We have secured CME credits, in the form of Patient Safety hours, for physicians who attend the meetings. We will be discussing important issues regarding patient safety and how this topic impacts our office and inpatient practices.
Our first presentation was on MRSA and the prevention and control measures being implemented at LGH. Our upcoming meeting topics will include the introduction of a Physician Code of Conduct and how it impacts patient safety; influenza/pneumonia and CHF/AMI initiatives at LGH. Improved physician attendance at meetings will help to achieve my second goal:
2. Increasing physician awareness of patient safety and outcomes measurement.
The hospital tracks our performance in treating patients with illnesses that are monitored by the state and regulatory commissions. At some point, in the not to distant future, this data will become public knowledge so we need to take ownership of the data we can control.
3. Improving physician communication with the Medical Executive Committee.
The department chairs meet monthly and many vital issues are discussed, including daily operations at the hospital as well as initiatives related to patient care, patient safety and patient quality.
Our hospital administration is comprised of vibrant and hard-working individuals, and our collaboration with them ensures that the decisions they make will enhance a physicians’ ability to care for patients.
4. Assisting in implementation of the Physician Code of Conduct.
We are now practicing in the 21st century, and with this, different expectations are placed on us. Physicians must earn the respect that is given to them. How we deal with others plays a major role in the respect we garner. We must treat each other and hospital personnel with the same dignity we expect from others.
5. Assisting with the implementation of the electronic medical record.
The hospital is working to have a completely computerized record system. This is a long-term project that will be implemented in a step-by-step process.
Q. What are the organization’s strengths and how do you plan to build on them in the future?
A. LGH’s strengths lie in its people — the physicians, administration, nurses and ancillary-services staff members. Everyone is extremely committed to quality, and that dedication to excellence naturally leads to better outcomes for our patients. If we lead by example and pursue Lancaster General’s Journey Toward Greatness, we help to strengthen our roles in the hospital and insure that the community receives excellent healthcare for many years to come.
Q. What are the challenges the organization faces?
A. The major challenge is to remain an excellent healthcare facility. Medicine continues to change, as do the expectations of the community and the innovations of our times. Within this environment come major hurdles for healthcare, including the implementation of an electronic medical record and the possible impact a federally directed “ universal healthcare” program would have on our delivery system. Reimbursement issues, physician shortages and malpractice concerns pose challenges as well.
Q. What experience do you bring to the position that will influence your work?
A. For the past eight years, as Chairman of Infection Control I’ve helped to maintain a stringent Infection Control policy on patient isolation and monitor infection-related complications in the hospital. Now, as “pay for performance” becomes a reality, Infection Control is one of the key mechanism for helping physicians minimize complications and maximize payments. Physicians from all venues are involved in the effort. I have worked closely with so many departments over the years that bringing them together under the Medical Staff umbrella makes my job easier. I am committed to ensuring that all medical staff policies will be considered based on what is best for both patients and my LGH colleagues. With that as my modus operandi, I hope to offer well-balanced and insightful guidance that enhances both healthcare and the working environment for physicians within the Lancaster General system..