UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL CELEBRATES TRIUMPH AND ACHIEVEMENT FOLLOWING SUCCESSFUL CONCLUSION OF 2019-2022 STRATEGIC PLAN

Hospital Leadership Outlines Major Accomplishments During September 29th Annual Meeting of the Board of Directors

The leadership of University Hospital (UH), New Jersey’s public acute care hospital and the principal teaching hospital for Rutgers New Jersey Medical School (NJMS) and Rutgers School of Dental Medicine (RSDM), celebrated today the triumphant conclusion of its 2019-2022 Strategic Plan, the first since the Hospital’s recreation under the New Jersey Medical and Health Sciences Education Restructuring Act. The update on the Strategic Plan was provided to Hospital stakeholders and the public during the 2022 Annual Meeting of the University Hospital Board of Directors on September 29.

“We started this Strategic Plan when the world looked very different, and the progress we made over the last three years in achieving the goals set for us by the Board, in the midst of a global pandemic, is nothing short of amazing,” said Mary K. E. Maples, Interim President and CEO of University Hospital. “These achievements are the result of hard work by the entire UH team, grounded in our enduring commitment to meeting the needs of our patients and community fueled by our core values: respect, reliability, teamwork, integrity and stewardship. Whether expanding our community health programs, delivering cutting edge clinical services, or advancing innovation, we remain rooted in our foundation of quality and safety with leadership that keeps that mission in focus.”

When launched in July 2019, the Strategic Plan set a refreshed vision for University Hospital rooted in six core strategies, from which grew 106 individual initiatives across 26 objectives. Since that time, University Hospital has made drastic advances to improve patient access, safety and care, made measurable advancements in the area of diversity, equity and inclusion, ensured the financial sustainability of the organization, and made major investments in upgrading treatment and diagnostic equipment and information technology. Among the achievements as part of this Strategic Plan are:

Quality, Safety & Reliability

• Measurable improvement in patient health outcomes, as evidenced by consistently higher performance in safety and quality reports by The Leapfrog Group^© and Vizient^®.
• Improvement of the human experience that acknowledges the foundational elements of the institution, the history of the Hospital and the community, and recognizes the diversity of the people it serves.

Leadership & Workforce

• Development and implementation of a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Score Card, which assesses the organization’s cultural competency and its commitment to a culture of health equity.
• Enhanced engagement between leadership and managers with the workforce, and the creation of a Leadership Academy to identify and develop future UH leaders from within, a direct result of employee feedback and continued DEI efforts.

Community Health Improvement

• Development of a number of community health programs that have improved access to care, including the Care Around the Clock telehealth initiative and supportive housing development in Newark, to help manage chronic conditions and address the social determinants of health.
• Completion of an extensive Community Health Needs Assessment, which will be a guide for development of the next strategic planning effort.

Financial Sustainability

• Ongoing upward financial trajectory, allowing the institution to meet community health needs now and in the future.
• Reinvestment in the resources of the Hospital to deliver leading-edge care, including over $135M in new capital, all of which enhance the delivery of patient care.

Primary & Specialized Clinical Services

• Expansion of primary care and clinical programs, such as the Weight Management Center and leading robotic surgery program in the region.
• Recommitment to the partnership with Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and the Rutgers School of Dental Medicine, as the principal teaching hospital for all Newark-based medical education.

Innovation, Research and Education

• 89% growth in annual donor and grant funding to UH and the UH Foundation – $17.4 million to $33 million – between Fiscal Year 2019 and Fiscal Year 2021. Combined grant and donor funding for Fiscal Year 2022 was $52.4 million.
• Development of a long-range information technology plan to optimize the efficiency, accessibility, and delivery of care across all hospital operations.

“We are grateful for the dedication of all members of our University Hospital family that were involved in the implementation of the Strategic Plan and the successful execution of these strategies. To do this during the COVID-19 pandemic, and one of the largest challenges to hospitals and the modern healthcare industry, is heroic,” said University Hospital Board of Directors Chair Tanya L. Freeman. “The work completed, and the new strategies implemented over the past three years, was truly a monumental task and it has been transformational for the Hospital. We know the remaining initiatives of this Strategic Plan will be completed soon, and we look forward to working with leadership and employees on the next Strategic Plan, all as we continue to meet our mission and aspire to be the region’s premier academic health center.”

An overview of the 2019-2022 Strategic Plan can be found by clicking here. The update provided at the September 29 meeting can be found by clicking here.