Setting the Stage

James B. Conway, MS
Senior Vice President, Institute for Healthcare Improvement

The call for relentless leadership in healthcare reform is a common thread in the words of Jim Conway, Senior Vice President of IHI. Methods for constructing a leadership system for improvement are a central theme of today’s meeting. With the official bankruptcy of GM taking place in the past 24 hours, the economic downturn is imaginably at the front of the minds of the 100 leaders present. Acknowledging that this is obviously a very hard time for the Detroit community, Conway reiterates that it has held a very important role in the history of both IHI and the US. In this respect, it is difficult to disagree that the economic climate is rampant with opportunity for increased participation and engagement in leadership programs.

IHI is finding that while organizations effectively engage participants to make improvements, transparency is critical to improvements in safety. Organizations that participate in the IMPACT network are rated on their level of intended and actual participation in leadership programming. This scale ranges from .5 (intent to participate) to 5.0 (Outstanding). Conway graphically demonstrates to the group that although increases in progress have occurred, both IHI and the IMPACT community are not satisfied and will strive for sustained results.

Since leadership is a system made up of a series of processes, the emphasis in completing these aims will be on building capability. The aim is for IMPACT network leaders to achieve their well-defined and thoughtful annual aims within one year and IHI can be used for assistance accomplishing goals. IMPACT leadership will be able to access an ongoing reserve of integrated curriculum and resources and will have the opportunity to gather and collect numerous tools throughout the next two days to assist with planning for improvement.

The themes of technology, community and social change are interwoven throughout both Berwick’s and Conway’s opening remarks and have undoubtedly set the stage for the day’s events.