Introduction
This paper presents an assessment of Trinity Health, a major American healthcare system that provides its services for elderly people and underserved groups of the population. It addresses the mission of the organization, produces its leadership chart, and discusses its programs and services. The paper also considers the contribution Trinity Health has made to individuals’ health and suggests the change that can promote its valuable impact.
Trinity Health
Trinity Health is one of the largest healthcare delivery systems in the United States. It is a multi-institutional organization that encompasses 94 hospitals in 22 states in addition to more than 100 continuing care locations, such as hospices, home care, senior living facilities, and programs of all-inclusive care for elderly (PACE) (Trinity Health, 2018a). The organization can be defined as Catholic as it was formed in collaboration between Trinity Health and Catholic Health East.
There are more than 130,000 employees involved in the healthcare system, 7,500 of which are clinicians and physicians (Trinity Health, 2018a). It is necessary to mention that the organization is non-profit; it focuses on elderly patients, as well as poor and underserved groups of individuals. Moreover, this healthcare system was the first to establish senior emergency departments. It invests more than $1 billion of its revenue annually in charity care and other programs that are beneficial to the community (Trinity Health, 2018a).
The mission of the organization is to serve as a source for compassion for its communities (Trinity Health, n.d.). Trinity Health is committed to assisting all individuals that need help, especially those who represent the valuable groups of the society. Its mission statement also shows that the healthcare system aims to provide ethnic and spiritual care, foster a diverse global community, and advocate for the improvement of individuals’ social status (Trinity Health, n.d.).
Organizational Leadership Chart
The executive team of leaders presents the leadership chart of the organization. The members of the team are Richard J. Gilfillan, John A. Capasso, Benjamin Carter, Cynthia A. Clemence, Mary Ann Dillon, Lou Fierens, Edmund F. Hodge, Sally Jeffcoat, Gay Landstrom, Linda Ross, Daniel J. Roth, and Michael A. Slubowski (Trinity Health, 2018b). Each of the leaders has specific responsibilities and roles determined by them.
The analysis of the leaders’ activities may provide a better understanding of the organization’s services and values. For example, Capasso manages hospices and home care agencies, as well as senior living facilities, PACE programs, and nursing homes. Carter and Clemence, the chief financial officers, are responsible for the issues associated with finance, revenue excellence, treasury, integration of new ministries, and payer strategies. Dillon, the executive vice president of mission integration and sponsorship, manages the integration of the organization’s values, mission, and Catholic identity into its operations, as well as develops the standards for their implementation.
Fierens, the executive vice president of administrative services, develops strategic plans aimed to improve organizational performance in the areas of healthcare supply chains and fixed assets, as well as works on their implementation. He also manages the issues related to procure-to-pay operations, real estate, major capital project, laboratory and food services, and clinical engineering within the healthcare system. Other leaders are responsible for diversity and inclusion management, the creation of partnerships with other care delivery systems, issues associated with zero-harm policies, legal matters and law, improvement of the quality of care and patients’ safety, and system operations.
Trinity Health seems to choose the members of the executive leadership team based on their previous contribution to the field of healthcare. Many of them have been working with for-profit and non-profit healthcare delivery systems for several decades and have shown outstanding results. The organization does not establish their term of office and does not refer to the measurements of their accountability and productivity. However, it is possible to assume that their contribution can be measured based on their current achievements addressed in annual and quarterly reports.
Components, Programs, and Services of the Organization
The programs established by the organization include, besides health services, the Unified Clinical Organization (UCO), Global Health Volunteers, Military and Veterans Health Program, and the Senior Services Management initiative. The UCO presents a separate clinical team, through which Trinity Health ensures the highest quality of care for every patient receiving treatment in ambulatory and acute care units in hospitals, as well as those involved in home care.
Within the Global Health Volunteers program, Trinity Health provides services to patients living in rural locations and distressed urban areas that lack access to health care. Military and Veterans Health Program is designed to meet the specific needs of military service members and their families.
Finally, within the framework of the Senior Services Management initiative, the organization provides person-centered services to elderly people, including clinical interventions, financial planning, and culture- and religion-oriented practices. The leadership of these units is managed by the members of the executive leadership team. For example, Dr. Roth is responsible for the issues associated with acute and continuing care activities, and Jeffcoat manages consumer engagement.
There are several health services that Trinity Health provides; they can be divided into several subgroups. The first category is services related to behavioral health, which involves management of individuals’ mental health problems, alcohol and drug treatment, and other psychiatric services (Trinity Health, 2018c). The next subgroup is orthopedic services including performing surgeries and providing rehabilitation. The third category presents oncological services related to screening, treatment, and follow-up supervision. Another category is presented by the operations associated with patients’ hearing and smelling abilities, as well as sleep disorders, and head and neck injuries.
The fifth subgroup is heart-related operations, including cardiac surgeries, preventive measures, outpatient procedures, and rehabilitation. Trinity Health also performs neurologic interventions that consider individuals’ brains, spines, and central nervous systems. Another subgroup of services is those related to labor and delivery. The organization also provides services for women, that include gynecologic ones and those that consider various types of cancer, usually found in women, such as breast cancer. Finally, the last group of healthcare services is children’s specialty services.
Measurement of Performance
The performance of Trinity Health is measured in the annual and quarterly reports that present clinical data for all of the hospitals that are part of this healthcare system. The assessed categories of performance may include patients’ and caregivers’ experiences, care coordination, patient safety, preventive measures, and statistics related to the at-risk population. For example, in 2016, the levels of communication of care providers received the maximum points, while ambulatory admissions for heart value showed a low performance rate (“Quality performance results,” 2016).
Moreover, the reported data also includes financial summaries that indicate the effectiveness of the use of financial assets and primary sources for their creation (CHE Trinity Health, 2014). It is necessary to mention that Trinity Health makes the data available publically, which provides their patients with the opportunity to estimate the potential benefits and drawbacks of its services and make good healthcare decisions.
Organization’s Impact
Trinity Health has been contributing to the healthcare industry since the time of its establishment. The organization, as a union of two Catholic healthcare systems, was only formed in 2013 but its impact can already be considered significant (Trinity Health, 2018a). For example, this year, it launched the Military and Veterans Health Program, aimed to support members of the military, veterans, and their families. The program is expected to be implemented in 22 states and more than 90 healthcare facilities (“Trinity health launches,” 2018).
The aim of the program is to provide culturally sensitive and people-centered services that meet the specific demands of this group of the population. The initiative is designed to help care providers to gain an understanding of the military culture, the challenges its members may encounter, as well as their lives and needs with the help of military-related cultural competency training (“Trinity Health launches,” 2018). Such program may increase positive health outcomes of military and veteran patients and improve their involvement in care, as well as establish trust-based relationships between this group of the population and medical workers.
Another significant contribution to public health care is the establishment of Civica RX. The goal of the new company is to address the unavailability of generic medicine supplies by focusing on 14 types of medications that individuals do not have access to due to their shortages (“Trinity Health and partners,” 2018). It is notable that Civica RX is an FDA-approved, not-for-profit initiative. The primary expected result of the company’s establishment is lower costs of essential medications, which is possible because Civica RX will either serve as a direct drug manufacturer or work with reputable producing enterprises. Therefore, by creating this initiative, Trinity Health may save patients’ lives and reduce their and hospitals’ expenses on medications significantly.
Personal Critique and Commentary
In my opinion, it is debatable whether the organization has affected the field of healthcare significantly or has made crucial changes in it that led to the improvement of existing policies. However, it is necessary to mention that Trinity Health is still at the stage of development and growth, and has already created several large projects that have improved individuals’ health outcomes. I believe that Trinity Health considers the issues that often lack public attention, such as the challenges military workers may encounter, the health problems of elderly people, the inaccessibility of vital medications, and the role of faith in individuals’ well-being.
From my point of view, the organization and its activities do not require significant developments. However, I believe that it would be reasonable for Trinity Health to concentrate on minorities’ health issues more, and develop a program that may consider their needs.
Currently, the primary focus of the organization is elderly people, which reflects its goal to assist underserved groups of the population. However, as Trinity Health is concerned about cultural and diversity issues, it would have been beneficial to focus on other groups of individuals that need care as well. For example, the organization can develop healthcare programs that consider the needs of immigrants and cultural minorities, as these populations often lack access to medical services.
There are several steps I would take to accomplish the change. First, I would consider the challenges minority population faces and the health risks associated with them. For example, many representatives of the diverse population may not have full access to healthcare services due to their financial disadvantages or discrimination. Second, I would create a committee within Trinity Health that would be responsible for the development of the program aimed to improve minorities’ health outcomes.
I also believe that it would be necessary to perform surveys among the population to ensure that all vital issues will be addressed within the initiative. The final step would be the launch of the program and control of its benefits for patients.
To measure the impact of change, I would use the methods of data collection and report that have already been utilized by Trinity Health. I would make annual and quarterly reports on the number of patients involved in the program and the interventions performed to improve their health. I would also compare the level of their physical and mental state before and after interventions to analyze the identified dynamics. Finally, I would perform personal interviews with individuals and personnel to learn about the perceived challenges to care and the impact of the program on patients’ health.
Conclusion
Trinity Health is one of the greatest American healthcare systems that provides a broad variety of services to elderly people, as well as poor and underserved groups of individuals. Its current projects include the Unified Clinical Organization, Global Health Volunteers, Military and Veterans Health Program, and Senior Services Management initiative, as well as Civica RX initiative. The recommendation for change and improvement of the organization’s services is the establishment of a program that would concentrate on minorities’ needs.
References
CHE Trinity Health. (2014). Stronger together: 2013 annual report. Web.
Trinity Health and partners take next step establishing Civica Rx, a not-for-profit generic drug company and industry disruptor. (2018). Web.
Trinity Health launches military and veterans health program to support better care, better health for military and military families. (2018). Web.
Trinity Health. (2018a). About us. Web.
Trinity Health. (2018b). Executive leadership team. Web.
Trinity Health. (2018c). Health services. Web.
Trinity Health. (n.d.). Essential elements for the work of mission. Web.
Quality performance results, continued. (2016). Web.