2025 Annual Report

PROGRAMS NEW PROGRAMS The program was developed in response to recognized gaps in the prior leadership structure. Before its implementation, responsibilities and reporting relationships were less formally defined, which at times hindered communication, diluted accountability, and slowed decision making. The new dyad model was designed to strengthen clinical governance by clarifying leadership roles, standardizing reporting pathways, and creating a reliable forum for strategic planning and problem-solving. Through regular meetings and shared improvement goals, medical and nursing directors now work in closer partnership to ensure that operational decisions remain aligned with patient-centered priorities. Working Better Together

Shared Responsibility for improvement efforts in clinical quality, patient safety, and operational performance

Since its launch in July 2024, the Excellence Through Partnership program has demonstrated meaningful early impact. During its first year, dyad pairs established and achieved strategic improvement aims, supported by leadership development and communication training. Regularly scheduled meetings enhanced collaboration across inpatient and outpatient settings, enabling leaders to address operational challenges more effectively and proactively. Notable examples include efforts within the endocrinology clinic to reduce disparities in diabetes care led by Jessica Schmitt, M.D., and Jamelle Maxwell, RN, as well as an initiative by the heart transplant team, including Wally F. Carlo, M.D., and Meloneysa Hubbard, CRNP, to improve organ acceptance rates for patients awaiting transplantation. In addition, inpatient medical and nursing directors collaborated to ensure the successful rollout of new monitoring capabilities in the acute care units in spring 2025. This coordinated initiative has led directly to improving throughput in the hospital while maintaining patient safety. In its second year, the program has expanded to include formal quality-improvement training in partnership with the Pediatric Office of Improvement Science. While individual clinical areas continue to pursue locally defined improvement targets, dyad pairs are increasingly working in tandem toward broader organizational goals. A major current initiative supported by the program focuses on optimizing automated scheduling systems to improve patient access to pediatric subspecialty clinics, reflecting the model’s growing emphasis on system-level improvement.

Consistent Communication

through structured dialogue to ensure operational decisions remain aligned with patient-centered priorities

Strengthened Governance by clarifying leadership roles,

standardizing reporting pathways, and creating a reliable forum for strategic planning and problem-solving

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