Methodist Fremont Health's strategic plan has ambitious goals, relies on teamwork

This message from Brett Richmond, president and CEO of Methodist Fremont Health, is the second in a series of Leadership Updates that will profile the strategic plans for each of Methodist Health System’s clinical affiliates. 

One exciting aspect of being an affiliate of Methodist Health System is the strategic planning process and how we at Methodist Fremont Health fit into that larger picture. We have a seat at the table as the health system plan is shaped. It’s important that we have a voice, and I’m grateful that our voice is heard. The health system plan provides the framework and support for what we do locally; in turn, our plan aligns with and supports the larger organization.

A quick look at 2023

Before I talk about where we’re headed, let’s look at where we’ve been. We’ve experienced significant growth across Methodist Fremont Health, including in discharges, surgeries, cath lab procedures, lab tests and outpatient visits. We’re grateful for our partnerships with Methodist Physicians Clinic and Methodist Hospital that have allowed us to grow our primary care base while expanding the specialty services we offer to our community.

We also earned a 4-star rating from CMS and a 5-star rating for Dunklau Gardens; we were designated an Acute Stroke Ready Hospital by The Joint Commission; and we earned first-time recognition by the American Heart Association’s Get With the Guidelines program.

We partnered with Human Resources and Talent Acquisition to make significant progress in attracting and hiring new team members, allowing us to significantly reduce our reliance on contract labor. That said, we’ll remain focused on the workforce challenges facing our organization and industry by concentrating on compensation, recruitment, culture and retention.

Planning for 2024-2026

The process to develop Fremont’s strategic plan began in late 2023, when we took an in-depth look at data and analytics in a number of areas. This was followed by input from our staff, physician leaders and board members. A collective voice of ideas is much stronger than a single voice. This is our plan.

Here are some key objectives we’ll focus on:

• Implementing the Press Ganey Compassionate Connected Care program to support our caregivers and patients 
• Pursuing the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Pathway to Excellence designation
• Continuing to grow our services, including women’s health, cardiology, oncology and orthopedics
• Developing a plan to renovate our Emergency Department in 2025 or 2026, as it serves nearly 20,000 patients each year

Team sport

Those of you who know me know that I love a good sports analogy, so I’ll close with one: Health care is truly the ultimate team sport. It takes all of us across the system working together to be successful. Everyone has a different role but is striving for the same goals. Everyone in our health system matters.  

One thing I know for sure is that being part of Methodist has made us a better and stronger organization. And I believe that Methodist Fremont Health has strengthened the health system, as well. I’m excited to see our work come to life, and I believe we’re well positioned to serve Fremont and our surrounding communities for many decades to come.