Blogs

October 7, 2011 - Emergency Room Physician Change

Oct 07, 2011 by Mark Strode, CEO
Folks,
I want to report to you that today we gave our 90-day notice to EmCare, who currently staffs our emergency room.  Beginning January 6, 2012 we will be staffed by Level 5.  Level 5 is a local company that staffs EDs across Texas in both urban and rural markets.  I have a little over 4 years experience with these guys and am excited with what they will bring to the table to VVRMC.

We will have a new Medical Director at the onset of the new relationship.  The new Medical Director will be Board Certifed in Emergency Medicine and will be a permanent resident of Del Rio and an active member of our local community as well as medical staff community.  Our Medical Director will be a voting Board member within Level 5, assuring us a voice at the table where clinical, operational and financial decisions are made that will effect us over time.  We are currently recruting nationally for this very important medical staff leader position.  Your senior leadership team and members of our Medical Executive Committee will have some say in who this person is.

At the time we engage Level 5, we will move to a different staffing model in the ED.  We will staff 2 MDs during peak times.  We will also stagger shifts to better assure a strong handoff and continuity of care.  We will consider additional mid-levels but in January will still staff Fast Track with just one. 

Level 5 is a strong proponent of a significant case management presence in the ED.  To that end, we will staff the ED with case management moving forward by January, if not sooner.

Level 5 shares my passion for service.  They incent their doctors on throughput, Core Measure Performace, patient satisfaction and community medical staff satisfaction.  Much like us, they are big on accountability and have appropriate metrics in place to help align behaviors with organizational goals.

Dr. Gutierrez and Dr. Locket will have the opportunity to join Level 5 and remain as part of the team.  Beyond these two providers, no decisions have been made as to whom else that currently works in our ED might stay on past January. 

We will discuss this strategy in greater detail in November at our Town Hall Meetings.  I am excited about the direction we are headed with this move and think it positions us further to continue to make a strong impact on how care is delivered in our community.

If you have any questions about this update, please respond and we'll take our best shot at answering them.

Keep the Spirit,
Marc