First few Article Sentences
“We can stand still and fall behind, we can move forward and stay even, or we can choose to lead and define the future.”
These words by Dr. Arthur Dugoni served as a wake-up call and challenge to Enloe Medical Center in 2009. In 2006, Enloe’s administration received a no-confidence vote from its medical staff. The following three years were marked by four different acting hospital administrators, several tragic surgical services outcomes and three Immediate Jeopardy determinations. In addition, regulatory agencies were on-site nearly two-thirds of the time for months on end. This drama was played out in the local press and in coffee shops and businesses. The status quo had to change, and it had to change immediately.
In January 2009, the Board, hospital leadership, and medical staff leaders recognized we had to change in order to survive. We had an enviable representation of medical staff specialties, dedicated nursing and other staff but we needed to communicate a burning platform for change and create a vision that people felt passionate about. We needed to be deliberate and explicit in forming a roadmap for success. Mandated data reporting was not producing the momentum needed for this kind of change. We needed something else.