Like many Americans, Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. It’s a time to take stock of the year that’s almost past and reflect on everything I’m grateful for (the fact that there’s usually great food involved is always an added plus).

As I think back, I’m especially grateful to our 14,000 caregivers across central Massachusetts. We’ve had some significant accomplishments over the past year:

• The successful launch of Epic and the work we’ve begun to optimize it to meet the needs of our patients and caregivers. Our investment in Epic is already paying dividends in improved clinical quality and caregiver satisfaction. Thank you for all your work to make this project successful.
• The UMass Memorial Accountable Care Organization (ACO) successfully improved quality and lowered the cost of care for the thousands of patients we serve through enhanced care management. Our ACO was the top performer in New England and ranked among the top 15 ACOs nationally. These results are exceptional and speak to our ability to come together with one goal in mind: doing what is best for patients.
• We’ve made a commitment to positively refine our culture through improved respect for all caregivers. To date, close to 25% of caregivers have completed training on our Standards of Respect, which were developed based on input from thousands of caregivers. Job aids and other tools have been developed by HR to help leadership and people managers foster a respect-based working environment within their own teams – and there’s much more to come in 2019 as the program takes root.

Of course, we’ve also had our share of challenges this year, including financial pressures resulting from a significant drop in reimbursement to managed care organizations. I’m thankful that our caregivers have continued to provide top-notch, innovative care to patients despite these challenges, while staying true to our vision to become the best place to give care and get care. I am grateful and honored to be able to work alongside you and call myself a fellow caregiver.

Happy Thanksgiving to one and all as you celebrate with family and friends. And a very special thanks to those caregivers who’ll be working on Thanksgiving Day to provide exceptional care and support to our patients and each other.

Sincerely,

Eric