In the current environment, surgeries and procedures are Trinity Health's "revenue engine," chief transformation officer Ray Anderson, PhD, said on the Livonia, Mich.-based system's Oct. 16 investor call.
"We need to drive strong surgical growth as a strong medical group and a referral system," he said. "We can capture those procedures so that we can reinvest in our people, programs and communities we serve. This is critical for financial sustainability. It is also important to understand the growth of robotics and the shift toward robotic assisted surgeries."
He said that the system has to "embrace the duality of acute and ambulatory services" as care shifts outside the hospital setting.
"We need to invest in our community division in order to serve patients and families outside the four walls of the hospital, while also continuing to strengthen the depth and breadth of our clinical programs to do higher acuity cases within our acute care facilities," he said.
Dr. Anderson said Trinity looks at its employee providers as a "key part to drive growth into our system of care."
"Does it mean we're only going to lean on the medical group? No, we need to have a pluralistic approach."
Trinity reported a $68.4 million operating income (0.3% margin) in the fiscal year ending June 30, compared to a $288 million operating loss (-1.3% margin) in the previous fiscal year. The system saw operating revenue increase 10.5% year over year to $23.86 billion while expenses grew by 8.8% to $23.79 billion.