Special to UM News

From left are Drs. David Johnson, Thinh Tran, and Michael Barron and Joshua Boxer.

MIAMI, Fla. (July 21, 2017)–As part of the project to harmonize policy among UHealth’s three affiliated hospitals, the University of Miami Health System has established the UHealth Policy Steering Committee (UPSC).

Chaired by Dr. Thinh Tran, UHealth chief clinical officer and chief operating officer, the UPSC will be responsible for guiding the policy process at Anne Bates Leach Eye Hospital (ABLEH), University of Miami Hospital (UMH), and University of Miami Hospital and Clinics (UMHC).

In addition to Dr. Tran, UPSC members include Dr. Edward Abraham, dean of the Miller School of Medicine and physician executive of the University of Miami Medical Group; Dr. Tanira Ferreira, CMO of UMH; Dr. Jarrard Goodwin, CMO of UMHC; Dr. Eduardo Alfonso, CMO of ABLEH; Dr. Elizabeth Smith, CNO of UMHC; Joanne Martin, CNO of ABLEH; Clemencia Silk, CNO of UMH; Dr. David Sinclair, UHealth chief quality and patient safety officer; Dr. Michael Barron, CMO of UHealth; Richard R. Ballard, chief administrative officer of UHealth Corporate Services; Michael B. Gittelman, CEO of ABLEH and interim CEO of UMH and UMHC; Dr. Joan St. Onge, senior associate dean for graduate medical education, and Dr. Dushyantha T. Jayaweera, executive dean for research and research education, both for the Miller School of Medicine.

Joshua Boxer, UHealth executive director of regulatory compliance and his team, in collaboration with Dr. Barron, Dr. David Johnson, senior project manager of regulatory compliance, as well as external resources, numerous physician and administrative leaders and staff, have undertaken the task of harmonizing key operational documents for the UHealth affiliated hospitals.

This includes the creation of the new Medical Staff Bylaws, Medical Staff Rules and Regulations, and the harmonization of policies, procedures, and guidelines among the three hospitals.

The UPSC and its subcommittees and groups will meet regularly to oversee the design, implementation and management of policies, procedures, and guidelines throughout the health system. The processes established by the committee during this transformation will serve the goal of achieving a high rate of consistency for years to come.

The UPSC will carry out its mission by defining and reinforcing the distinction between policies, procedures, and guidelines and establishing and maintaining a policy, procedure, and guideline-approval process for every facet of the health system.

UHealth also has selected and will be deploying over the coming weeks a content management system (policy management database) called Policy Stat. The system will allow access to only approved policies, procedures, and guidelines; enable the tracking of policies, procedures, and guidelines that are under development or modification; and enable leaders to regularly view these documents to assure their current relevance.

Lastly, the UPSC also will plan and implement training required for each new or modified policy and procedure, and will ensure that education associated with the new or modified policies and procedures has been carried out. The committee also will ensure that, when indicated, new or modified expectations are monitored and reinforced.

The committee looks forward to an ongoing collaboration with our UHealth physician leaders and our talented and dedicated administrative and clinical staff.

Any questions about the policy harmonization can be directed to Dr. David Johnson at [email protected].