Projects

The Plan for Excellence charts a 10-year vision for the School of Medicine.

Goals

• Establish a bold and exciting long-term vision for the school.
• Position the school as a leader in specific areas.
• Embrace “advancing human health” as a key component of future activities.
• Provide the foundation for future philanthropy.

Focus Areas

• Research
• Education
• Clinical
• Community

Goals

• Develop a plan to accommodate the 10-year growth of the BJH, SLCH and WUSM ambulatory space.
• Maximize use of existing space and assess future space options to preserve key adjacencies, while providing the best patient experience and improved physician and staff efficiency.

Process

• Work with WUSM departments to develop ten-year growth projections for on-campus locations.
• Assess utilization of clinics and identify clinics with space needs over the next ten years.
• Develop space options for adults (i.e., restack the Center for Advanced Medicine) and pediatrics (i.e., right size and expand St. Louis Children’s clinics).
• Balance on and off-campus space options.

Goals

• Develop plans for strategic placement of geographically attractive off-campus satellite facilities to:
  • Improve access and customer service (e.g., ease of scheduling, parking, extended hours, proximity to home or work, etc.).
  • Improve care in the region by bringing adult and pediatric specialties out to the community.

Process

• Work with WUSM departments to assess markets, identify regional gaps in specialty services and develop ten-year growth projections.

Goal

Identify three-year goals, associated resources and financial forecasts for each of the School of Medicine’s departments and programs and assess their ongoing successes and challenges.

Process

• Each department and program has an annual strategic and financial planning meeting with the Dean in either the fall or spring.
• In preparation for this meeting, each department and program submits a three-year plan outlining successes and challenges, strategic goals, and a financial forecast.
• The Finance office and JOSP support and facilitate this process.

The Faculty Practice Plan (FPP) oversees the medical school’s clinical mission to improve the health of our community through excellence in patient care and medical discovery.

Goal

Provide FPP leadership with an assessment of the health of WUSM clinical practice and a review of performance and strategy.

Process

• Create a detailed, trended report that includes metrics for clinical volume, growth, quality, patient safety, patient access, patient satisfaction, faculty productivity, financial wellbeing, etc.
• Present and review strategic implications at the FPP Board meeting each December.
• The information captured in this report is used for other projects and presentations throughout the year.

As members of one community aimed at the goal of advancing human health through education, research and clinical care, we are on a mission to deepen our understanding of and commitment to diversity and inclusion at Washington University School of Medicine.

Goal

• Support and facilitate the development of goals and strategies to improve diversity and inclusion for faculty, staff, students, trainees, patients and visitors at WUSM.

Process

Develop specific goals and strategies to improve diversity and inclusion around:

• Campus Climate
• Faculty Hiring and Employment Culture
• Staff Hiring and Employment Culture
• Clinical & Research Faculty and Staff
• Curriculum Design and Delivery for Students and Trainees

Goal

Develop shared goals and strategies between WUSM, BJH and BJWCH to monitor and achieve growth and/or improvement in:

• Clinical Quality and Patient Safety
• Service Excellence
• Volume and Market Position
• Operational Excellence
• Financial Strength

Process

• The BJH/BJWCH/WUSM Joint Clinical Strategic Plan is renewed every five years.
• The BJH/BJWCH/WUSM Joint Oversight Committee consists of school and hospital senior leadership who are responsible for oversight of the plan. The committee meets quarterly to review plan progress.

The Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine is one of the largest clinical programs in the country, treating patients with virtually every type of cancer for both children and adults.

Goal

Develop goals and strategies to differentiate Siteman as a leading cancer center in the nation and the world, driven by discovery and innovation.

Process

Develop specific strategies to support the mission and vision and achieve the following goals:

• Provide an exceptional patient experience.
• Establish satellites and affiliate locations.
• Increase clinical trials accruals.
• Enhance opportunities for translational research.
• Focus on providing high quality, multidisciplinary care.
• Strengthen Siteman’s impact on population health indicators and cancer outcomes.
• Build on existing research strengths in genomics, immunotherapy and imaging.
• Improve and leverage information technology.

Goal

Achieve excellence in patient care, research and education through seamless integration of heart and vascular care. The Washington University and Barnes-Jewish Heart & Vascular Center is committed to promoting heart and vascular health through education, prevention and treatment of heart and vascular disease.

Process

Develop strategies and volume targets for heart and vascular services to achieve the following goals:

• Integrate heart and vascular services to streamline delivery of care.
• Improve quality to ensure we are consistently meeting/exceeding national benchmarks.
• Improve access to heart and vascular services.
• Differentiate heart and vascular services in the local, regional and national markets.
• Foster a culture of clinical innovation that is high quality and cost effective.
• Coordinate research efforts leading to a better understanding of heart and vascular diseases and their prevention and cure.

Vision

Be a comprehensive clinical center for Neurology and Neurosurgery focusing on strategic growth, quality and service excellence, offering value, efficiency and cost management.

Process

Develop specific strategies to support the mission and vision and achieve the following goals:

• Provide clinical and research expertise across all disciplines.
• Offer innovation, cutting edge technology and newest therapies available for medical and surgical interventions and treatments.
• Provide value and excellent patient care and service.
• Offer multidisciplinary care.
  • Be the highest volume provider offering Academic differentiation within the region.
  • Offer access and capacity.

Goal

Be a national leader in solid organ transplantation through exceptional care, patient-focused and quality service, excellence in research, innovative therapies, and robust training programs.

Process

Develop strategies and volume targets for solid organs (kidney, heart, lung, liver, kidney and pancreas) to achieve goals of:

• Sustain current transplant volumes, while continuing incremental growth in selected areas of opportunity:
  • XVIVO program in support of lung transplant
  • Living donor kidney program
  • LVAD program
  • Liver Cancer
  • Interstitial Lung Disease
• Provide exceptional service to pre-transplant, transplant and post-transplant populations.
• Provide effective and high-value clinical care to patients in an environment where attention to safety and outcomes is paramount.
• Further differentiate the BJH/WUSM Solid Organ Transplant Program by enhancing transplantation academic programs.
• Demonstrate financial stewardship to sustain the Transplant Program and allow for innovation and reinvestment in the future.

Goal

Develop shared goals and strategies between WUSM and SLCH to monitor and achieve growth and/or improvement in:

• Achieve five-year volume and financial results.
• Continue to differentiate tertiary and quaternary clinical services through focus areas: Heart Center, Hematology/Oncology, Women & Infants and Neurosciences.
• Grow and align a primary care referral base through Washington University Clinical Associates (WUCA) and Outreach.
• Assess off-campus opportunities to capture market share and alleviate capacity constraints on WUMC campus:
  • Geographic Outreach (i.e., strategic affiliations)
  • Geographic Expansion (i.e., strategic satellite locations)
• Enhance clinical excellence.

Process

• The SLCH/WUSM Joint Clinical Strategic Plan is renewed every five years.
• The SLCH/WUSM Oversight Committee is responsible for oversight of the plan and meets quarterly to review plan progress.

Vision

Improve the health of women and infants regionally and nationally by advancing the care, science, and education of obstetric, gynecologic, perinatal, and pediatric medicine.

Process

Identify strategies to achieve the following goals:

• Activate facility building and expansion/relocation and integrate the NICU/SCN including development of standard medical care models.
• Strengthen and build programs and services:
  • Develop a fertility preservation program to expand infertility services.
  • Build a multi-disciplinary fetal surgery program within the Fetal Care Center.
  • Strategically place transport teams and enhance triage deployment processes to improve Maternal Fetal Transport.
  • Expand Neonatology Neurology to support NICU growth.
  • Develop a comprehensive, multidisciplinary Maternal Mental Health / Perinatal Behavioral program.
• Strengthen Gynecologic Oncology’s primary care and gynecologist referral base.
• Engage BJC Center for Clinical Excellence to assemble a system-wide expert council to review, screen and assess potential metrics.
• Provide an excellent inpatient and outpatient experience for patients and families.
• Attain national recognition through innovative research and by educating the leaders of tomorrow.

Vision

We will be a premiere Heart Center, a destination of choice, that defines the future of pediatric cardiac care.

Process

Develop strategies to achieve the following goals:

• Grow volumes and develop infrastructure to increase breadth of services and improve regional and national reputation.
• Provide effective and high-value clinical care to our patients in an environment where attention to safety and outcomes is paramount.
• Provide an unparalleled patient and family experience through consistent and exceptional service.
• Enhance academic programs to further differentiate and increase visibility of the Heart Center by leveraging WUSM’s strengths in scientific research and training.
• Demonstrate financial stewardship to sustain the Heart Center and allow for innovation and reinvestment in the future.

Vision

Pediatric Hematology and Oncology at St. Louis Children’s Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine will establish itself as a regional and national leader.

Process

Develop strategies to achieve the following goals:

• Grow through enhanced programs and services:
  • Advance the neuro-oncology program, optimizing our unique strengths to extend our reputation regionally and nationally.
  • Become the regional and national destination center for stem cell transplantation for Sickle Cell Anemia (SCA) patients.
  • Collaborate with adult providers to:
    • Create an innovative multidisciplinary, comprehensive program for adolescence and young adults.
    • Advance a premier program in survivorship, spanning from childhood to adulthood, providing multidisciplinary care and transforming the field through the study of survivors and their families.
• Position SLCH/WUSM’s pediatric hematology and oncology program as the leader regionally with a significant national presence and partner with the Siteman Cancer Center to synergize the brand name power of SLCH, WUSM & SCC.
• Enhance the patient experience and achieve the highest levels of quality through coordinated, multi-disciplinary care delivered by expert teams.
• Drive hypothesis driven discovery to the clinical arena and utilize the latest technologies in genomic medicine to attack specific therapeutic targets for patients with refractory disease.
• Foster programs that develop future investigators and clinicians to sustain the advancement of the program.

Vision

SLCH/WUSM will be the premier pediatric Neurosciences program with nationally recognized centers of excellence providing comprehensive, coordinated, innovative and patient-centered care that spans the course of care from infancy to adulthood and achieves superior patient outcomes.

Process

Develop strategies to achieve the following goals to:

• Utilize advanced technology and expertise in medical and surgical treatment for refractory epilepsy to achieve outstanding outcomes and elevate our national and international reputation.
• Achieve the best possible cognitive and functional outcomes through the provision of comprehensive, integrated, consistent and exceptional neurocritical and neurorehabilitation care across the treatment and service continuum.
• Develop a comprehensive program that improves the function and advances the potential of patients with genetic and acquired movement and neuromuscular disorders.
• Develop a niche, multi-disciplinary approach that expedites diagnosis and enhances treatment of children with nervous system developmental conditions.
• Provide comprehensive services for congenital anomalies of the central nervous system that encompass the full continuum of care (i.e., pre-natal, NICU and post-natal follow-up care).
• Strive to be the top regional brain and spinal cord tumor program by having the best possible outcomes through tumor-directed therapy delivered in a holistic way.

Vision

Strengthen primary care by:

• Securing and expanding the current primary care referral base including pediatricians, obstetricians and emergency services.
• Increasing referrals among PCPs in the MSA characterized as splitters.
• Positioning SLCH and WUSM to be responsive to market dynamics and the implications of healthcare reform.

Process

Develop strategies to achieve the following goals:

• Improve access through enhancements to the doctor’s access line, streamlining the referral process, initiating performance improvement projects to improve scheduling/registration and decrease wait times, establishing convenient care sites and developing protocols for PCP management of common complaints.
• Enhance communication and follow up through correct capture of PCP data, simplifying referring physician access to their patients’ information, distribution of the WUSM physician directories with scheduling phone numbers, and identifying follow up communication best practices for OP specialty consultations, hospital admissions, hospital discharges, same-day surgeries and emergency/urgent visits.
• Conduct physician outreach (i.e., physician office visits, networking events, CME events, new faculty events, etc.).
• Consider more closely aligning physician groups through an employment model.
• Employ consumer strategies to increase awareness of the importance of seeing a pediatrician for childhood diseases.