| Carle Comes Together for Patients |
| Healthcare Facility | |
| By Hanna Aronovich | |
| Wednesday, 18 July 2007 | |
 Through its multispecialty structure, Carle Clinic serves patients at Carle Foundation Hospital. More than 300 physicians at Carle Clinic Association’s regional network provide a wide range of primary and specialty care. Carle Foundation Hospital, a not-for-profit organization operated by The Carle Foundation, is a regional referral center for downstate Illinois providing specialty services largely unavailable outside metropolitan areas. Partnering for decades, the two facilities now face a challenging healthcare climate. Dr. James C. Leonard sums it up in one word: access. “Trying to decide how everybody can have access to care is the biggest challenge,” the president and CEO of The Carle Foundation says. “All of society is wrestling with that, and we haven’t come up with an answer yet.” Dr. R. Bruce Wellman, president and CEO of Carle Clinic Association, notes, “We’re trying to solve healthcare problems on the back of an archaic system. I think we’re at the point where something really has to change.” The Urbana, Ill.-based hospital and clinic are working together to bring higher-quality healthcare to local residents. Carle Foundation Hospital is a 305-bed regional care hospital and the primary teaching hospital for the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Urbana-Champaign. The hospital has the area’s only Level I trauma center and co-perinatal center offering Level III perinatal services. Carle Clinic and Carle Foundation Hospital jointly provide services through the Carle Heart Center, Carle Cancer Center and the Carle Spine Institute, which opened in 2006. The hospital is also working with Carle Clinic physicians and University of Illinois scientists on translational research. Making Breakthroughs The hospital says the goal is to translate laboratory research into breakthroughs in patient care. In the future, the hospital hopes to conduct 200 to 300 projects at a time to develop more advanced treatments, technology and, possibly, cures. Carle Clinic physicians also participate in more than 200 clinical trials, offering advanced options to patients. Group Effort Carle Clinic Association provides outpatient services through 10 regional clinics. Carle Clinic consistently scores in the top percentile of Health Plan Employer Data and Information Set scores for its patient-focused quality and disease management. “In a multi-specialty group practice, physicians can provide a whole range of services to patients in one structure,” Wellman explains. “Medicine – although typically viewed as the interaction between a doctor and the patient – is really a complex, team sport,” Wellman continues. “It’s important to evaluate the care a patient receives in the context of the team. “Only by the coordination of multiple areas of specialty that addresses the needs of the whole patient, do you get a comprehensive, quality health outcome,” according to Wellman. Carle Clinic works with Carle Foundation Hospital and other hospital partners to create an effective system to deliver quality care, Wellman explains. “I’m confident that this is the right model for care,” he states. “We continue to build on our investments to determine the best way to meet patients’ needs in our region. We’re a resource for the community, but we’re also a business. “Planning and determining where to allocate resources is critical.” Carle Clinic and Carle Foundation are in their 76th year, and Wellman emphasizes that the group’s funding is separate from the hospitals in which it practices. “Carle Clinic makes up the majority of Carle Foundation Hospital’s medical staff, but we are physician owned, where the hospital is community owned,” he says. “We might have slightly different interests, but we do align on major areas and initiatives." Delivering Care Growing to serve the population is a major initiative for both the clinic and the hospital. This year, the clinic will expand its presence in Danville, Ill., adding a large second location, more hours and physicians. In 2008, two new primary care facilities will open in Urbana-Champaign along with the addition of a large, new building for the Carle Cancer Center. “We believe that everybody deserves the highest level of care, and our goal is to deliver that,” Leonard states. “There are a lot of quality measures out there, but from our perspective, the No. 1 quality measure is the mortality rate. “Our mortality statistics are some of the top in the country, and we plan to stay there.” Leonard points to several recent hospital expansions and developments. With a five-floor expansion of its North Tower for primarily women and children’s services recently completed, Carle Foundation Hospital now plans to build the Carle Rehabilitation Institute pending state approval. Construction has begun on the Mills Breast Cancer Institute, which is scheduled to open in 2008. The institute is a partnership among the hospital, Carle Clinic and the University of Illinois. The facility will house nearly all of the components of breast cancer care, as well as research. “You get national recognition like we have – being one of the top-100 hospitals in cardiology and one of the country’s top-three sleep labs – but the real highlight is how doctors, nurses and other medical professionals want to be here,” Leonard notes. “This is an exciting place with a championship team. Things are moving in the right direction, and we’re on a great trajectory going forward.” |
|
| < Previous Story | Next Story > |
|---|
