Mission Forward Key Results
Workstream Progress
Teams have reached the halfway mark in 84% of their metrics across all Mission Forward workstreams.
Registered Nurse Vacancies Declined
RN vacancy rate fell to 3.4% in July, marking three months in a row of steady declines.
Case Counts Reached Goal
Half of our operating rooms met or exceeded their case count goals in August.
Cash Collection Increased
Monthly cash collection was 2.4% higher in August 2024 than in August 2023, setting a new all-time high.
Metrics as of Oct. 4, 2024.
About Mission Forward
Mission Forward is a systemwide initiative to ensure a future for UW Medicine that is financially stable, operationally efficient, and promotes the well-being of our staff, faculty and trainees so we can continue providing high-quality, equitable patient care to our community.
Spotlight on Mission Forward
Learn more about the programs and people advancing UW Medicine’s Mission Forward.
Read More
Mission Forward Workstreams
Mission Forward has operational workstreams underway. Each has a charter, success metrics and cadence for reporting progress to ensure we meet our fiscal year objectives.
OPERATIONAL
Featured Questions
Have a Question? Email ideas4mf@uw.edu
Q: How are you coordinating and managing all this work simultaneously?
A: Each workstream has been specifically designed to support key priority areas identified in the assessment. Leaders of those workstreams have written charters for their teams, defined their success metrics and are reporting regularly on their progress.
Key strategic workstreams that were previously part of Mission Forward, such as our systemwide financial alignment, strategic partnerships, access and capacity, additional funding sources and service line growth, are now part of our ongoing strategic work for UW Medicine.
Q: Who is involved in the workstreams?
A: Most workstreams are being overseen by UW Medicine leaders with strategic input and guidance from Huron consultants. The number of people involved in each workstream will vary depending on the stage and scope of that workstream.
Q: How long will Mission Forward last?
A: We know it will take time to make meaningful, long-term changes to our operations, structures, and ways we approach our work. Mission Forward will be a multi-year initiative and will require continued support from the University of Washington, the State, and King County to ensure UW Medicine is positioned to deliver on its mission.
Q: How can I contribute?
A: Our strength as an integrated clinical, research and learning health system comes from the contributions of each person who is part of UW Medicine, and we will need everyone’s help to ensure UW Medicine is positioned for future success. If you have feedback on Mission Forward, please send it to ideas4mf@uw.edu.
History of Mission Forward
Mission Forward was launched in 2022 to identify, design and implement changes that improve our financial stability, increase operational efficiency, promote the well-being of our staff, faculty and trainees, and ensure we can continue providing high-quality, equitable patient care to our community.
Learn More About Mission Forward
While all healthcare systems across the country have faced challenges, UW Medicine’s financial situation is exacerbated by our unique role within the state and region:
- Our mission is to provide care for all people, including the most vulnerable and most complex patients. This results in over $800 million in under compensated care per year.
- We train over 65% of the residents in Washington state. However, the Federal reimbursement for resident education has been capped since 1996.
- We have continued to invest in temporary labor to meet the clinical needs of our state while other healthcare systems have reduced their staffing and are not using all their physical beds.
- We have over 175 patients in our system on any given day that medically are ready to be discharged to the next level of care but remain in our hospitals due to the lack of post-acute care availability; reimbursement covers only about 17% of the cost of their hospital care.
Mission Forward has three distinct phases. Phases 1 and 2 are complete and we are now fully engaged in Phase 3, Implementation.
Phase 1: Assess & Identify
Gathered information, analyzed data, conducted
stakeholder interviews and established benchmarks to inform the short- , mid- and long-term opportunities that were outlined in a comprehensive assessment report (read the summary here). Completed in May 2023.
Phase 2: Decide & Design
Validated the assessment report, briefed key stakeholders to ensure alignment, designed improvement programs and identified teams to implement plans. Completed in June 2023.
90-Day Action Plan. Bridged the first and second phases of Mission Forward, to make immediate improvements in key areas of operations. Nearly a dozen teams were involved in the work, which paved the way for longer-term improvements. Completed in March 2023
Phase 3: Implement & Achieve
Implementing workstreams and process solutions. Approximately two dozen work streams are now active with teams making progress in priority areas such as care delivery and revenue cycle. Each team has defined targets and success metrics and is delivering regular progress reports.
A note on Mission Forward
Mission Forward is about our future. UW Medicine has long played a special role in our community and region. We care for the most vulnerable patients, and take the most complex cases, often at great financial cost. We do so because that is our mission and our privilege to serve.
So, while many of the updates shared here will highlight how we’ve become more efficient or addressed operational challenges in various aspects of our business, let’s not forget what Mission Forward is really about. That is, finding a sustainable path forward for UW Medicine so that we can continue to advance our mission and caring for our community for years to come.
Nothing could be more important to our future. Thank you for your support in this effort and for always putting our patients first.
Sincerely,
Cynthia Dold
Executive Sponsor for Mission Forward
Chief Operating Officer, UW Medicine Hospitals & Clinics
Associate Vice President for Medical Affairs, University of Washington
Brad Simmons
President, UW Medicine Hospitals & Clinics
Senior Vice President for Medical Affairs, University of Washington
Timothy H. Dellit, MD
Chief Executive Officer, UW Medicine
Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs and
Paul G. Ramsey Endowed Dean of the School of Medicine, University of Washington