Escondido, Calif.-based Palomar Health has had a challenging few years, President and CEO Diane Hansen told Becker's. But there are exciting plans ahead with the opportunity for new and unique partnerships.
"This year we had to take a step back because we haven't seen the financial performance that we hoped," she said. "Some initiatives were delayed and a variety of projects slowed growth. But in the coming year, we do have some significant growth strategies still in play, even if they had been delayed, and a lot of what we are looking at is centered around finding the right partners. We are looking at alignment strategies that help us, and our partners, grow."
The health system's executive team is approaching partnerships now with a regional perspective, aligning with hospitals that may have been competitors in the past to truly care for the community. Palomar is also outsourcing some functions, including its home health program, to focus on internal strengths. The decision to outsource has had a few unexpected benefits so far; Palomar's home health partners uncovered efficiencies that improved the program while allowing the health system to still provide the continuum of care.
"The last thing you want to do is have skilled nursing patients sitting in the hospital waiting for some place to go," she said. "Now we're thinking through how, on a regional basis, do we create a skilled nursing network so patients that can utilize home health and skilled nursing and can have the right services when they exit the hospital."
Palomar has also been tackling challenges related to the clinical workforce shortages, including for anesthesiology and radiology coverage.
"Everyone is struggling to have the right number of providers either reading diagnostic imaging tests or providing anesthesiology coverage through different health systems," she said. "We are all talking about how we can come together and collaborate on those kinds of things that provide benefits to the health system and community."
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