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AHS organizational changes supportpatient care
September 10, 2013 Media inquiries
Alberta Health Services (AHS) needs to streamline itssenior
management structure to better support patientsand front-line
staff, a report by its Official Administratorhas determined.
The report was drafted by AHS Official Administrator Janet
Davidson and highlights
a number of changes that should be made to better support
health-care providers,
including moving from 80 senior executives to 10. The majority
of these senior
executive positions will be reprofiled to support front-line
staff; five positions are
being eliminated.
One of the most important findings of this report is the need
for a structure where
patients and people are the top priority.
I agree with the Official Administrator, and want AHS to begin
implementing this
work immediately.
- Fred Horne, Minister of Health
While moving to a central health authority has brought with it
many benefits,
including approximately $700 million in cost savings and
standardization of service,
more work needs to be done in several areas including
consultation and support for
health care providers.
- Janet Davidson, AHS Administrator
I understand and support the findings laid out in the
Administrators report and willwork with those closest to the
patient to ensure any further changes to AHS consider
their needs first and foremost.
- Dr. Chris Eagle, AHS CEO
http://bit.ly/15O97UXhttp://bit.ly/15O97UXhttp://bit.ly/15O97UX
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Horne directed Davidson to begin reviewing the AHS structure in
June when she
was appointed as the organizations Official Administrator.
Summary of Report
Mandate from the Minister of Health:
Conduct a review of the AHS structure to ensure Albertans
receive top-
quality medical care and value for taxpayers dollars;
Ensure that AHS is organized in a way that focuses on patient
care and
quality of service; and
Ensure that AHS is positioned to work meaningfully with
stakeholders in
the decision-making process.
Process followed by Administrator:
Reviewed the existing structure and job descriptions of
executive team;
Meetings with AHS staff;
Meetings with outside stakeholders;
Review of feedback received by Administrators office; and
Review of literature review of best practices.
Findings:
Current AHS structure is top-heavy and not the best model to
support
front-line staff;
Structure is confusing to navigate;
Community leaders unsure of how to interface with AHS;
Current reporting structure causes confusion;
Unclear whether AHS vision is aligned with the vision of Alberta
Health
and other service delivery agents;
Extent to which stakeholder engagement is meaningful is
questionable;
Greater overall performance should be expected given the
substantial
health expenditures made by the Government of Alberta; and
The organizational structure should have the province divided
into north
and south, with each portion led by a vice-president, a chief
operating
officer and a medical director. Physicians will continue to have
key roles on
the Executive Team and throughout the organization.
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Plan of Action:
Senior management layers of AHS to be restructured to better
support
front-line staff with a clear focus on quality of care;
Stakeholder collaboration mechanisms to be imbedded into AHS
structureto ensure meaningful consultation;
Corporate functions such as Finance, HR, Engagement and IT to
work in
service delivery areas as a matrix with strong reporting
relationships to the
Chief Operating Officers with the support of the VPs;
IT Strategy, People Strategy, Research Strategy, and
Patient-centered
Care Strategy to be developed and implemented;
Clear definition of VP roles developed and communicated;
Greater structural linkages with Alberta Health developed;
and
Robust performance targets established and communicated.
Our government was elected to keep building Alberta, to live
within its means and to
fight to open new markets for Albertas resources. We will
continue to deliver the
responsible change Albertans voted for.
