Hospital System Model

In 2017, Dr Hodge completed his Masters Degree in Business Administration (MBA) in Healthcare Policy and Management in Boston at Brandeis University. This program was headed by well-known healthcare economist, Dr. Stuart Altman and MIT’s Sloan School medical business leader, Dr. Jon Chilingerian. Dr Altman had been the lead economist during President Lydon Johnson administration who wrote the basic Medicare Insurance package for the US government in 1965. Dr Altman had worked with every administration, both Democratic and Republican since that time. The MBA students were all physicians from around the country and included all the surgery specialties and anesthesia specialist. This educational platform covered healthcare systems throughout the world.

Dr Hodge worked to develop a specialty hospital within a major hospital during his decade at MGH in the Harvard system. He developed ‘single reporting structure’ that simplified staff ‘accountability.’ He also implemented ‘Relational Coordination’ (RC) between the various departments that will touch a patient’s pathway from pre-op education, admitting, operating room, patient recovery in Post Acute Care Unit (PACU), physical Therapy, Home Health, and surgeon’s outpatient office. These programs manage the joint replacement product line (service lines) which come with metrics that track everything from patient satisfaction, patient outcomes/recovery rates, hospital efficiencies and costs. These centers inside the hospital become ‘hospitals within hospitals’ and use these standardized process to accomplish excellent results for the patient, hospital/ambulatory surgery center (ASC), and the surgeon.

Surgical service lines within the hospital are directed by a leadership ‘diad’ composed of a surgeon working with a hospital administrator. Relational coordination (RC) is begun by having all the providers who are part of the clinical care pathway develop clear, effective and considerate communication with one another. With this method, patient-centered care is developed.

Developing policy for all hospital procedures and services is essential for managing quality and safety within the hospital. With a policy in place, then it becomes easier to measure staff compliance with the policy. This also creates standardization and better communication and fewer medical errors.

System Efficiency raises quality and lowers costs to create real value.
Understanding the actual cost of running these hospital programs is key to managing the capital budget and sustainability of the program. Keeping track of monthly performance measures is crucial to financial solvency.

Dr. Hodge has spent most of his career learning and teaching standardized process to avoid surgical errors. He is a firm believer in the power of the surgical team and striving for ‘Zero Defects.’ This process involves teaching the ‘Time-out’ and ‘Debrief’ techniques in high risk procedures such as surgery. Dr. Hodge teaches the benefits of ‘check-lists’ and extolls the value and essence of such books as: Atul Gawande’s book ‘The Check-list Manifesto.’ Dr. Hodge has written articles and speaks on how to minimize the errors propagated by surgical instruments by using simple ‘validation’ techniques in surgery. He is also a graduate and advocate of the ‘Lifewings’ process for safer patients which involves all aspects of patient care and safety.