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Health Network outlines strategic plan progress and True North metrics; EPIC decision due
Summary
Director Roland Pickens told the Health Commission that two of five Phase 1 A3 charters are complete, an EPIC EHR go/no-go decision with UCSF is imminent, and commissioners pressed for narrative context on True North metrics and faster progress on emergency department wait times.
Roland Pickens, director of the San Francisco Health Network, briefed the Health Commission on the network'level strategic plan and the status of the network's True North metrics, saying the department is applying lean/A3 methods to coordinate improvement work across the system.
Pickens reported that two of five Phase 1 A3 team charters ("Right Information Every Time, Anywhere" and "Stabilize Finances") have moved into implementation and monitoring, with the remaining three moving toward completion. He said the department is establishing an EHR governance structure and a project management office to manage the work and that a go/no-go decision on EPIC with UCSF Medical Center "is expected to be reached and communicated within the next week or 2 at the latest," with critical-path risks identified and mitigation activities underway.
On performance measures, Pickens presented 55 True North metrics across six dimensions: 16 are on target, 11 are off target, and the majority remain in development for data validation and reporting. Commissioners pressed staff for clearer narrative interpretation of the scorecard and asked for focused reporting on significant red and green areas instead of a point-by-point recitation of all metrics.
Several commissioners highlighted early successes and concerns. One commissioner praised reductions in staff injuries for Laguna Honda and Health at Home (from about 11.6 to 2.8 in the cited interval) and revenue improvements from timely documentation, but asked for narrative context on quality measures. Commissioner Pating and others recommended sharing salient findings with state stakeholders. Pickens acknowledged data challenges, noting divergent numerators and denominators between the department's measures and CMS reports for readmissions and said the Joint Conference Committee will review True North metrics on Nov. 8.
On operational urgency, commissioners focused on emergency department (ED) wait times after the new ED opened. Pickens described ongoing root-cause analyses and pod optimization work and said the network is debating redeploying resources from other initiatives to prioritize ED improvements. "That's the work that they're doing now," Pickens said about ED redesign and flow improvements, adding that he believes the network will be closer to its targeted wait-time goals by the following June if current efforts continue.
Commissioners asked staff to provide more narrative explanations for metrics labeled "in progress" and for timelines where feasible. Pickens agreed to provide clearer contextual statements on measures that are still being validated and to present a more focused narrative when the package returns for review.
The commission thanked Pickens and asked for periodic updates on the EPIC decision, True North metric maturity, and targeted interventions for the highest-priority performance gaps.
