Improving patients’ access to providers, aiming for precision by using data in innovative ways and finding ways to make employees happier, healthier and more productive are among the goals of “Innovation 2023,” the new Strategic Plan for Johns Hopkins Medicine.

The five-year blueprint, recently approved by the board of trustees, was developed under the leadership of Paul B. Rothman, dean of the medical faculty and CEO of Johns Hopkins Medicine, Kevin W. Sowers, president of the Johns Hopkins Health System and executive vice president of Johns Hopkins Medicine, and the Department of Health Care Transformation and Strategic Planning. The plan will ensure the institution continues to maintain excellence in patient care, education and research despite the uncertainties of health care reform and reductions in research funding.

“Innovation 2023” will steer decisions and business strategies in six critical areas: making Johns Hopkins Medicine easy; supporting the well-being of JHM employees as well as of people in surrounding communities; pushing the boundaries of science and education; improving the quality and affordability of health care; working like one organization; and aiming for precision in all aspects of work across the enterprise.

The plan will help to guide JHM during a time of rapid change in health care nationally and locally, says John Colmers, senior vice president for health care transformation and strategic planning.

“‘Innovation 2023’ remains faithful to all parts of our tripartite mission,” Colmers says. “One important advance over our last plan is simplifying the goals to make them more understandable to our patients and to our faculty and staff. This is essential to success over the next five years, which will continue to see serious challenges to academic medical systems.”

In recent town meetings, Rothman and Sowers have discussed some of the plan’s initial steps as well as what lies ahead. Some steps already in place include:

• Simplifying the job application process.
• Creating a wayfinding app to help patients and visitors better navigate The Johns Hopkins Hospital.
• Producing a single billing statement for patients.
• Implementing Dragon, speech recognition software available to any prescribing Epic user across Johns Hopkins Medicine.
• Using data to expand and improve precision in clinical decision-making as well as in medical education and in the hiring and retention of employees.

The plan also calls for integrating services so that patients can move more smoothly throughout the system and for simplifying the process of interfacility credentialing for clinicians.

Other areas of concentration include developing and implementing a health care delivery system road map; harmonizing policies across JHM; increasing the emphasis on delivering health care in ambulatory settings and steering patients to them; making strategic decisions about how to position JHM services in the National Capital region, and aiming for precision with better use of big data and analysis.

These are the strategic goals:

Make Johns Hopkins Medicine easy.

Enhance the patient experience by improving access, navigation, communication and care transitions.

Support the well-being of our people and our communities.

Foster an organizational culture that is supportive, diverse and inclusive, while enhancing joy at JHM. Grow our local community-engagement efforts to address identified needs to improve health.

Push the boundaries of science and education.

Enrich the environment for discovery and learning through continuous innovation. Invest in fundamental science and create new models of teaching, training and clinical care delivery.

Improve the quality and affordability of health care.

Maximize value for the patients we serve with an intense focus on quality, safety and efficiency. Strive for continuous performance improvement. Lead the national conversation and exchange of ideas around high-value care.

Work like one organization.

Continue our tradition of leadership by becoming the model of an integrated health care delivery system. Share best practices and extend research and education across JHM venues.

Aim for precision in everything we do.

Use data in new and innovative ways to guide decision-making in every corner of our organization, from patient care and education to finance and administration.

To learn more and access tools and resources, visit the Strategic Plan website.