Crystal Arthur, MD, has a one-word goal for 2025: communicate.
Dr. Arthur was named inaugural chief medical director of emergency services for Grand Blanc, Mich.-based McLaren Health Care Dec. 4. She oversees patient care, patient experience, clinical outcomes and operational efficiency at emergency departments in 11 inpatient hospitals and four freestanding EDs.
As the systemwide leader, she has a few priorities: reestablishing trust and rebuilding the team after the system restructured its staffing and compensation models; focusing on staffing analysis to ensure the right people are in the right places at the right time; and fostering greater communication and integration across the system.
Rebuilding trust
Communication is vital to Dr. Arthur's aim of rebuilding trust within the team.
"Emergency physicians can sometimes feel isolated from the broader medical staff," she told Becker's. "By involving more clinicians in hospital committees and decision-making, we can strengthen connections between the ED and the rest of the organization. Ultimately, I want to create an environment where emergency physicians feel fully integrated into the hospital system, not just as service providers but as essential contributors to the hospital's mission and culture."
Dr. Arthur is also working to open emergency medicine residencies at two hospitals to help retain talent in the state and system.
Integration across the system
A part of Dr. Arthur's communication focus is helping establish a systemwide peer review process and build collaboration between hospitals.
"The more transparent and informed our teams are, the better equipped they are to succeed," she said. "If one site excels in sepsis compliance or patient throughput, I want to share those best practices system-wide. Historically, our hospitals have operated somewhat independently, but there's tremendous value in collaboration."