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Northern NSW Local Health District used a Commissioning for Better Value approach for their medical imaging services. Their strong focus on collaboration and value throughout the commissioning cycle is showing great results so far.
Wayne Jones, Chief Executive: So we needed a service for medical imaging. We needed a system that met the patient needs, provided timely, efficient, effective care, met the demand across the breadth of our organisation, which is fairly big, and also met the clinician needs in a timely and technically sophisticated way. Because we had a very historical old contract model for services that to me were operational. So, it was a real opportunity for us to commission on value not on volume.
Dr. Tim Williams, Executive Director Medical Services: The Commissioning for Better Value embraces those value based healthcare principles. So, making sure that you're producing outcomes that the patient values, that's a good patient experience, a good provider experience. But still with the responsibility of providing an effective and efficient outcome as well.
Susie Malady, Manager Health Support Services: My directive is to find out how we can support you in your work. It was a really powerful, positive exchange to be a part of.
Wayne Jones: It builds that relationship. So, the co-design to me is the fundamental core of commissioning, 'cause you get people around the table to talk and you nut out what are the issues going forward.
Susie Malady: We had executive committees that would endorse the time that staff needed to be a part of our processes. We got in the car and drove all over the district and spoke with people. We spoke with them one-on-one if that's what they preferred, we met with them in groups, if that's what they wanted.
Patricia Simpson, Deputy Chief Radiographer, Lismore Base Hospital: When people feel included in collaboration, they feel valued, they feel like they've got worth, you get better responses.
Wayne Jones: To me, co-design, communication, collaboration, and a willingness to compromise by all parties, you end up with a far better result.
Dr. Tim Williams: Clinicians who have been able to be engaged with the value based healthcare type project, get very excited about how they can replicate that or adapt that to other services.
Susie Malady: We've put those service goals into our tender specs, and also into our contract. Because we are constantly measuring experience and outcomes, we maintain an ongoing focus on those things that our people decided mattered.
Patricia Simpson: From the radiographers and referrers it's been great feedback, because they can see there's these trackable pathways and processes they've got to use now, where they didn't have that before.
Wayne Jones: I think the best quote comes from the director of ED at Maclean Hospital after it was set up, and he contacted us and said, "I've never seen clearer images in my life since I've been here at Maclean." So he can make determinations on a clinical basis, on quality of film and imaging that he hadn't had in the past. Grafton now have an on-site radiologist, they've never had that before. So what they're seeing is an advantage to their clinical acumen, their timeliness, the skills of reporting. They're seeing an overall uplift in the quality of medical imaging services. Not only for them as clinicians, but ultimately most importantly to the patients.
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