Phoebe is planning to invest a quarter-billion dollars in capital improvements over the next five years to transform the delivery of healthcare throughout southwest Georgia and better meet the health needs of people in the region.  Phoebe President & CEO Scott Steiner announced the investment at a news conference Tuesday morning unveiling Phoebe Focus, the health system’s new strategy, philosophy, plan and approach that will guide Phoebe into the future.

“The most important element of Phoebe Focus is our commitment to patient safety by becoming a High Reliability Organization (HRO),” Steiner said.  An HRO is an organization that operates in a highly-complex, elevated-risk environment and embraces a deliberate, structured and programmatic approach to safety.  Successful HROs are guided by and committed to a goal of zero accidents or adverse incidents.  “Before I came to Albany, Phoebe truly committed itself to patient safety and created work groups to focus on specific areas of patient harm.  In the last three years, our teams have reduced those incidents by an amazing 61%.  Our goal is zero patient harm, and we are determined to ensure that patient safety is always at the very core of our culture,” Steiner said.

Phoebe’s commitment to quality and patient safety also includes plans for major expansions and upgrades to facilities and services.  “During my first six months in southwest Georgia I have met with hundreds of community and business leaders, elected officials, healthcare industry colleagues, physicians, patients and Phoebe employees to learn more about the needs of the communities we serve,” Steiner said.  “A couple of months ago, we also began working with a team of independent experts who conducted interviews with 100 stakeholders and analyzed regional healthcare data and industry trends to help us develop a new strategic plan.  While that plan is not finalized, we feel now is the right time to share where we are in the process as we continue to seek input.”

Phoebe’s $250 million investment will focus on six key areas.

Private Patient Rooms – ensuring all inpatients in all Phoebe hospitals are cared for in private rooms.

Emergency Care – transforming emergency care across the region through a new and expanded emergency center at Phoebe’s main campus and creating a state-certified Level II Trauma Center.

Ambulatory Care – expanding Phoebe’s network of community care, urgent care, primary care and specialty care health centers by opening at least five new centers to take healthcare beyond the walls of the hospital and offer lower cost options for patients.

NICU and Women & Children’s Services – renovating and expanding NICU space and services, improving access to pediatric specialty care and enhancing obstetrics and gynecological services across the health system.

Phoebe North – creating a post-acute care campus to provide greater continuum of care through services such as expanded rehabilitation, behavioral health, long-term and transitional care.

Operating Rooms – ensuring all operating suites at the main hospital are upgraded to elevate care delivery and help ensure the best outcomes for patients.

“It is clear our six core priorities are areas that need and deserve our focus and solutions.  As we continue through our strategic planning process, we may add other key areas of investment, and we will certainly continue to support and invest in services and departments that may not specifically be mentioned in our current five-year plan,” Steiner said.

Phoebe Focus will also include a renewed commitment to customer service.  “I often say our patients ask three things of us:  to keep them safe, heal them and be nice to them.  Our journey to become an HRO will help us keep them safe.  Our investment in new and upgraded facilities and more staff will help us heal them.  We also have to be nice to them, and ensure that every member of the Phoebe Family treats every patient and visitor with the warmth and respect they deserve,” Steiner said.

Phoebe created a new webpage, www.phoebefocus.com, where people can go to learn more about Phoebe Focus and get updates on the progress of various initiatives.  They can also give input and suggestions.  “We are looking for input from our community.  Particularly as we develop our new emergency center, we will need to hear from patients.  We invite patients interested in taking part in a focus group to help us with that project to leave us a message at PhoebeFocus.com,” Steiner said.

As Phoebe’s strategic planning continues, leaders will develop more specific timelines, and they look forward to sharing those details and developments with the Phoebe Family and the communities they serve as Phoebe focuses on building the future of healthcare in southwest Georgia.