3rd Quarter Strategic Initiatives Update Presented at CCH Board Meeting

Cook County Health Board of Director's Meeting
September 29, 2023             Virtual and In-person Meeting

CEO Israel Rocha, Chief Operating Officer, and staff presented departmental metrics and a third quarter update to Strategic Initiatives for the Cook County Department of Public Health.  The Strategic Plan for 2023-2025 was introduced in April 2023 and critical ones were included in each area’s Metrics Review.  

Highlighted in CEO Rocha’s presentation to the Board was an update by Dr. Urjeet Patel, Interim Medical Director of the CCH Cancer Center, on the Cancer Center Service Line.  The presentation reflected incorporation of the Strategic Initiatives introduced earlier in the year.   With a Mission to provide the highest quality, integrated care across the cancer care continuum for the community served; to create a comprehensive cancer institute through clinical and operational leadership alignment to serve as a fundamental pillar of the Change Institute of Cook County Health with health equity, state of the art care, patient safety, clinical excellence, and patient-centered experience.  The six areas identified to incorporate the Cancer Care Continuum were:

• Preventing/Risk Reduction
• Screening
• Diagnosis
• Treatment
• Survivorship
• End of Life/Palliative Care.

Dr. Patel outlined the 5-year plan begun in 2021 and the holistic approach being taken, including primary physicians, social work, genetic testing, affected families, and the modernization of mammography to be welcoming and informative with wrap-around services.  The target completion date for all elements of the transformation is 2025. 

Committee Reports:

• Human Resources reported improvements in all metrics including a reduction in the number of days to hire to 91, one above the goal of 90.  Valerie Amos attributed this to a successful trial to reduce the time to offer employment after receipt of a minimally qualified applicant (now implemented as standard operating procedure), along with an increase in the number of job fairs and recruiting efforts. Turnover has been reduced to 2.9% from 3.4% last year.   
• CountyCare continues to hold the lead in Cook County market share at 32.4% in a field of 6 other managed care organizations.  CountyCare exceeded its initial retention goal with 90% of members responding to their redetermination notice and had the highest response rate out of the HealthChoice MCOs.  Covid vaccination rates remain steady and claims over 60-90 days minimal.  Beginning January 1, 2024, Healthcare and Family Services will be transitioning the Health Benefits for Immigrant Adults(HBIA) and Health Benefits(HBIS) for Immigrant Seniors programs from fee for service into managed care.  Additionally, members in both programs residing in Cook County will be auto assigned to CountyCare.  As of August 2023, almost 45,000 HBIA/HBIS members were residing in Cok County
• Finance presented 23 contract and procurement items, all of which were approved.  Of interest are the following:
  • Contract for $831,079 (ARPA Funds) to the Kennedy Forum for the countywide behavioral health summit which will facilitate the development of a Cook County Behavior Health Authority Strategic Plan and Implementation Workplan. 
  • Contract for $16 million to LanguageLine Solutions 10/23 to 9/26 to provide telephone and video interpretation and document translation services for CCH, ACHN clinics, Cook County Dept of Public Health, and CountyCare. 
  • Six-month (10/1/23 to 3/24) contract extension for $9 million to Deloitte Consulting to continue initiative to transform CCH Human Resources. A lengthy discussion took place regarding this extension.  Currently there are a total of 3 consulting contracts, including Deloitte, working with CCH HR in their transformation.  The original contract with Deloitte was initiated in 8/2022. 
    • Questions from the members of Finance Committee focused on the HR organizational structure and where they were in the “rebuilding” as these contracts are ending. 

Ms. Amos, Director of Human Resources, stated that they are in the process of now looking at their organization structure and currently not sure of the positions needed. Their rebuilding is not done yet and not sure of the # for FTE needed for the HR Department. 
Director Reiter talked of a future plan for a master RFP process where all 3 contracts will be consolidated into one contract. Ms. Amos expressed concern that without this plan, CCH Human Resources will be unable to maintain the recruiting activity needed for the Health System. 

CEO Rocha also noted that CCH’s Stroger Hospital has been named the #1 most racially inclusive hospital in Illinois and #2 most racially inclusive hospital in the nation by the Lown Institute Hospitals Index. Cermak Health Services earned accreditation by the National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC).

What to Watch for in the Future:
A description of how the plan mentioned by Director Reiter for a master RFP process would work and whether it would address the issue of multiple contracts targeting one initiative.  

Observers: Peg Moster and Susan Avila – Finance Report