Becoming the Best: A Vision for UNT Health
By Dr. Kathleen Forbes, president of UNT Health and executive vice president of Clinical Affairs and Business Development, and Dr. Scott Ransom, president of the UNT Health Science Center

Several months ago, we developed the mission statement for UNT Health to include "becoming Tarrant County's leading multi-specialty provider of choice."  To actually accomplish that mission, we will lead UNT Health to:

1. Achieve excellence in service, quality and access for our patients
2. Assure the use of evidence-based care for every patient
3. Support whole-person care for every patient, their families, and the community

We must strive to become known as the best clinical provider in Tarrant County.  If a family member visits Fort Worth and needs care, the first and only choice for that family should be to seek care at one of our outstanding facilities and be cared for by our outstanding clinicians.

Service, Quality and Access
For us to be the best, the patient's visit must be outstanding, supportive, caring, and timely.  This requires that our staff and providers welcome and care for each and every patient just as they would their favorite relative. 

For us to become the best, we need a simple and easy way for patients to access our clinics.  The patient needs a single phone number to make a single call for any and all of their care needs.  Better yet, the patient should be able to schedule a visit to any of our providers and any of our locations through the Internet.  A single contact (phone or Web) will allow scheduling a visit at any clinic location and with any provider.  This requires a centralized scheduling center.

For us to become the best, our patients must be able to make an appointment at their convenience and at a location of their choosing.  If a child is sick with a 103-degree temperature, the visit must be available today.  Certainly, a routine primary care visit should be available within a week at a convenient time for the patient.  This requires extended hours of care availability from at least 7 am to 9 pm for primary care.  It will also require that we have walk-in availability for patients who need us now. It also requires clinic locations that are convenient.  We must develop clinic sites within 10 minutes of anywhere in Tarrant County.

For us to become the best, our physicians must be connected and the patient must be the center of our care team.  Whether a patient is seen by Family Medicine or Orthopedic Surgery at the PCC or at Eagle Ranch, our physicians need immediate access to all medical records, lab tests, radiology evaluations etc.  This connectivity requires an Electronic Medical Record to support better care for our patients.

Evidence-based Care
For us to become the best, we must assure that every patient receives the evidence-based care that they deserve.  If the patient should get a beta-blocker, the process should ensure that it is done 100 percent of the time.  This will require us to utilize care paths, pathways, electronic reminders and other tools to assure that we do the right thing for our patients, every time.

Whole-person Care
For us to become the best, we must be concerned with whole-person care and well-being, which means being concerned about the patient’s family and career needs.  For example, if a mother works 8 to 5 and needs to get her 3-year-old child to the physician, the provider must be available at times that will not conflict with her livelihood.

For us to become the best, our providers must be connected to assure that all medical information is known by all members of the team to make certain that we provide comprehensive care that connects the orthopedic surgeon to the family physician to the cardiologist.  For more complicated problems, our providers must coordinate diagnostic and treatment plans together and for the benefit of the patient and family.

To Be the Best
UNT Health has the potential to be not only the biggest, but also the undisputable best in providing outstanding care to the citizens of Tarrant County.  A common vision of providing care that includes immediate access, first-class service, and state-of-the-art quality must be shared by all of our chairs, faculty, and staff.  Please join us in creating Tarrant County’s leading multi-specialty provider of choice.