Southeast Texas Medical Associates, LLP James L. Holly, M.D. Southeast Texas Medical Associates, LLP


Letters - September 22, 2015 note from Amy Townsend and letter to her
View in PDF Format Print this page

From: James L. Holly
Sent: Tuesday, September 22, 2015 2:40 PM
To: 'Townsend, Amy'; Paris Bransford
Cc: David Parmer; Tyler, Rick; Guidroz, Paul; Rawls, Jane; Trevino, Paul; Bryan Chandler; Bryant, Gerald; David Parmer; Gary Troutman; Nicholas Crafts; William Toon
Subject: RE: response to Christus -- RN meeting

I would hope that someone such as myself would be invited to sit in on this kind of meeting.  I think to have physician input from a practice with depth and breadth in quality and safety as SETMA would be helpful.  SETMA is accredited by URAC, NCQA, AAAHC and The Joint Commission.  The Joint Commission is heavily weighted toward safety and quality.   The following statement about SETMA, the first from The Joint Commission and the second from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, demonstrates, I think, our qualification for being involved in such a discussion:

The Joint Commission Accreditation for Ambulatory Care and PC-MH Conclusion about SETMA

Both the surveyors and one of the executives at The Joint Commission commented about the philosophical foundation of SETMA’s work.  Wednesday afternoon (March 5, 2014) I called my executive contact at The Joint Commission. He said “I was just talking to one of my colleagues and showing him SETMA’s notebook which was prepared in response to The Joint Commission’s Standards and Requirements Chapter Seven on leadership.”  The executive said, “Look at this; everything they do is founded upon a philosophical foundation.  They know ‘what they are doing,’ but more importantly, they know why they are doing it.(emphasis added)’”  SETMA is not the result of random efforts but of innovations and advances which are consistent with a structured set of ideals, principles and goals.  (the Joint Commission asked permission to post our Leadership Book on their website as an example to others.)

It is helpful that The Joint Commission recognized this and commented upon it.  It is one of the strengths of SETMA and it is one of the principle guides to SETMA’s development history, i.e., what caused SETMA to become what it is.

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation LEAP Study conducted by the MacColl Institute

The fifth area of uniqueness of SETMA identified by the RWJF team was a surprise to them; it was SETMA’s IT Department.  The RWJF team felt that SETMA has approached healthcare transformation differently than anyone they have seen.  They related that uniqueness to the decision we made in 1999 to morph from the pursuit of “electronic patient records” to the pursuit of “electronic patient management.”  They were surprised to see how centrally and essentially electronics are positioned into SETMA and how all other things are driven by the power of electronics.  They marveled at the wedding of the technology of IT with clinical excellence and knowledge.  The communication and integration of the healthcare team through the power of IT is novel, they concluded.(emphasis added)

Look forward to your visit to SETMA - we’re just across the street.

James (Larry) Holly, M.D.
C.E.O. SETMA
www.jameslhollymd.com

Adjunct Professor
Family & Community Medicine
University of Texas Health Science Center
San Antonio School of Medicine 

Clinical Associate Professor
Department of Internal Medicine
School of Medicine
Texas A&M Health Science Center 


From: Townsend, Amy
Sent: Tuesday, September 22, 2015 2:24 PM
To: James L. Holly; Paris Bransford
Cc: David Parmer; Tyler, Rick; Guidroz, Paul; Rawls, Jane; Trevino, Paul
Subject: RE: response to Christus -- RN meeting

Dr. Holly,

Thank you very much for the links that you have provided below.  I look forward to reviewing the material.  I did speak with Dr. Kumar last week about arranging a meeting with leadership from both Baptist and Christus so that we can coordinate efforts to promote quality and safety at both of our facilities.  Dr. Kumar, myself, and Baptist quality and nursing leadership will be meeting next week.  Thank you for your input on this matter.  I look forward to visiting with you soon.

Amy Townsend, MD
Vice President of Medical Affairs
Christus Health – Southeast Texas

Related Letters