Situation
Located between Boston and New York, an NCI-designated and AMC-affiliated cancer center experiences significant outmigration to nationally prominent centers in those metropolitan markets.
As a new cancer hospital is designed and built, the challenge remains how to accelerate a competitive launch.
Background
The elements of a comprehensive cancer enterprise are complex and broad scale.
They include breadth and depth of clinical programs based on disease categories, ease of access and community-based facilities, and robust infrastructure including research, clinical trials and investigational therapies.
The challenge remains how to identify and benchmark these characteristics and execute with precision and accuracy.
Execution
• Benchmark research: Major cancer centers across the country were identified and studied for approximately 70 characteristics of a “great” cancer center.
• Included was the entire range of clinical programs, research and ambulatory strategies.
• Also included were a number of “best practices” that included patient education, outreach and support groups, patient-centered facilities and decor, and a marketing strategy that portrayed patients positively, focusing on AMC advancement
• These characteristics were selected and developed into a 36-month launch plan with responsibility focused to each member of the leadership team.
Results
• Increased volume. A statewide ambulatory presence. Patient experience, staff morale, financial performance and statewide/regional prominence soared.
• Outmigration has been reversed to a small fraction of its historical base and the cancer service line has become the cornerstone a system-to-system relationships across the state.