After several months of careful review and planning made necessary by a rapidly changing health-care landscape, UAB Medicine launched Foundation for the Future, an initiative dedicated to strengthen and reposition UAB Medicine to remain operationally and financially stable.
The Foundation for the Future initiative includes a focus on the best possible patient outcomes and satisfaction, as well as growth strategies, expense-reduction and revenue-enhancement initiatives based on a comprehensive productivity and efficiency review across the organization’s entities — all to position UAB Medicine to meet the health-care delivery, educational and financial demands it faces.
“UAB Medicine is stable and is delivering access to world-class patient care while we advance medical knowledge, but we must adapt to the rapidly changing health-care landscape to maintain positive momentum,” said UAB Health System CEO Will Ferniany, Ph.D.
Academic medical centers nationwide, including Vanderbilt, Duke, Emory, Johns Hopkins, Cleveland Clinic, Mass General Hospital and others, are facing unprecedented funding cuts in patient care, research and education, and have been implementing similar strategies to prepare for the future.
“UAB Medicine’s Foundation for the Future will position us to remain successful and advance our mission to be the preferred academic medical center of the 21st century,” Ferniany said.
Over several months, UAB Medicine conducted a review of all entities within the organization to increase alignment, optimize efficiency and productivity and emphasize quality outcomes and the patient and family experience. Many successful Foundation for the Future initiatives have already been implemented that are estimated to save roughly $30 million.
| UAB Medicine developed UAB Care to establish standardized clinical best practices that support the greatest possible experience and clinical outcomes for patients. UAB Medicine also implemented a hospital-based model for The Kirklin Clinic of UAB Hospital, aligning operations and creating efficiencies. Other programs were implemented that better utilize operating rooms and enhance patient satisfaction. |
UAB Medicine developed UAB Care to establish standardized clinical best practices that support the greatest possible experience and clinical outcomes for patients. UAB Medicine also implemented a hospital-based model for The Kirklin Clinic of UAB Hospital, aligning operations and creating efficiencies. Other programs were implemented that better utilize operating rooms and enhance patient satisfaction.
Another vital piece of Foundation for the Future, Ferniany says, is the necessary decision to restructure the workforce and take steps to optimize staffing levels based on proven industry benchmarks and best practices.
As a result of its thorough review and projections, shifts were made to reassign some of UAB Medicine’s more than 16,300 employees; some positions were created, and some positions were eliminated. In order to minimize the impact of position reductions on staff with the anticipated workforce restructure, positions voluntarily vacated over several months had been left open. Seventeen of those vacant positions have now been eliminated. Other changes did affect current employees: Approximately 23 people were notified Nov. 5 that their positions had been eliminated, although some will have the opportunity to apply for open positions with UAB Medicine.
“As a result of careful planning, many of the positions eliminated did not result in someone losing a job, and some whose positions were eliminated have the opportunity to apply for a vacant position,” Ferniany said. “Our staff make great contributions to serving our patients, and the commitment and efforts of those who are leaving UAB should not in any way be diminished by the necessary decisions we have made.”
Assistance provided for displaced staff may include severance packages, outplacement assistance and extended access to the Resource Center, as appropriate for the position.
Within the framework of Foundation for the Future, Ferniany says, UAB Medicine maintains growth strategies.
“UAB Medicine continues to hire an average of more than 130 employees per month,” he said. “Our goal is to ensure we have a well-balanced staff to meet our missions of patient-centered clinical care, education and research. The modern health-care system requires constant evaluation and planning. We will continue to be thoughtful in our review of all areas within UAB Medicine and assure we make decisions that place the needs of our patients as our top priority.”
