Thanks to Methodist's strong strategic plan, we're poised for further success in 2024 and beyond

This message from Josie Abboud, FACHE, president and CEO of Methodist Hospital and Methodist Women's Hospital, is the first in a series of Leadership Updates that will profile the strategic plans for each of Methodist Health System's clinical affiliates. 

Methodist Health System’s strategic plan is extremely important to all of our affiliate locations. It’s our guide to ensure that we’re all headed in the same direction and toward that same North Star. The strategic plans for Methodist Hospital and Methodist Women’s Hospital are designed to grow our services, serve our community and support our people and the health system.

We’re coming off a very successful 2023. We did such incredible work in so many areas that it would be difficult to list all of our accomplishments. There are, however, some specific achievements I’d like to highlight: 

• Earning a five-star rating by CMS for the past three years in a row and being the only hospital in Omaha with this achievement
• U.S. News & World Report recognizes Methodist Women’s Hospital as a high-performing hospital for maternity care for the second year in a row and as the only hospital in Omaha with this achievement
• Completing the Emergency Department, 4North/5North and OR #19 projects to increase overall access, bed and surgical capacity 
• Launching the Resilience in Stressful Events (RISE) program to support our staff and physicians

With the successes also come some challenges. Among them is attracting a talented workforce, and that challenge is not unique to Methodist, our region or the health care industry. We continue to work closely with Human Resources and our Talent Acquisition team on many different strategies to support operations, such as compensation, targeted recruiting and partnerships with Nebraska Methodist College, paid internship opportunities, modified care models, and hiring bonuses to recruit workers into hard-to-fill positions. 

The plan 

Our strategic plan is a living document that we commit to following every day. Our approach to planning is a well-oiled process involving our physician and leadership teams with a strong service line focus. 

As we look to 2024-2026, we will remain committed to our mission, vision and values. We will be focused on our patients, people and community. We will be strategic in our growth and smart with our initiatives. We will continue our relentless focus on quality of care, patient and staff safety, and patient experience. Our pursuit of numerous accreditations and certifications will continue, as they are achievements that reinforce and reflect the high level of care we provide. 

With the continued growth and success of our service lines and overall services, we have several space evaluations and projects that will be done. As an example, work is currently underway to create an educational center/simulation lab at Methodist Hospital that will allow us to meet the growing educational and supportive needs of both our patients and staff. In addition, we will soon launch several new programs such as CAR T-cell therapy for select oncology patients and mechanical thrombectomy procedures for specific stroke patients. We are excited for what is coming in our future!

The people

All of our planning and goals wouldn’t be possible without our people. Every person who works at Methodist plays an important part in fulfilling our mission and our strategic plan. I am inspired when I see our staff going above and beyond, like escorting a patient to an appointment, listening intently to a patient or a family member, or providing that caring embrace in a time of need. Moreover, I also see this level of care extend staff-to-staff when someone picks up a shift for their team member or someone comes from another area to help out. The examples are numerous, and they take place each and every day. This is The Meaning of Care and our culture. This is Methodist.

The Meaning of Care and staying true to our mission and culture elevates and differentiates us from all others. We have reached this high level of care and excellence because of the dedication of the people who demonstrate this every single day. We live The Meaning of Care with our patients, our families and each other. I thank you for your engagement and doing your part to help Methodist be the place for exceptional care. Our future is bright because of you!