In the fall of 2023, Atlanta-based Emory Healthcare eliminated campus-level CEO roles to become a "true system" that's well-integrated, cohesive and accessible.
Now the approach has paid off in terms of propelling the 11-hospital health system in a positive direction to operate more seamlessly, Emory CEO Joon Lee, MD, told Becker's.
Emory has created two hospital divisions: one for regional hospitals, one for university hospitals. One regional president helms each division, reporting directly to Dr. Lee. At each campus, the hospital's COO helms the facility, reporting to their regional president.
"This gave us a structure of how we [as a health system] would operate together," said Dr. Lee.
He specifically gave the example of Emory's busiest emergency department, which is at Emory University Hospital Midtown in Atlanta, a facility with more than 500 beds. This Midtown campus has added transfer liaisons to help identify potential open beds at one of Midtown's sister campuses, and offers this option to patients to reduce wait times.
The goal is to prevent overcrowding in the Midtown ED. And with the new chain of command and structure, this process has gone more smoothly, Dr. Lee said.
He also said campus COOs are empowered to shift personnel as needed and as it best fits their operational needs.
Additionally, the new approach is a fit for Emory in that "complexities of a health system require maximized communication," which the new structure allows, and patients can visit one facility and know they have access to all resources at the health system, Dr. Lee said.
"I've gotten questions, and [the new structure has] hit a nerve in a positive way [with peers]," he said. "Many other systems have inquired about [it]. Once again, this is not a panacea, but one of the things we can do to accelerate the journey to functioning as a truly integrated system."
Still, he acknowledged the approach is not without challenges, such as "CEO sounds better than a COO title on the surface." However, "improved performance has created acceptance."
Moving forward, Emory continues to seek an optimal structure and "focused oneness," according to Dr. Lee.
"Enhancing teamwork will continue to be our focus, and we will iteratively look at how structures and titles can facilitate this journey."