Welcome to Our Blog
The Healthcare Transformation Project extends Cornell University's commitment to public engagement by addressing the quality and cost of healthcare in our country, which are among the great and ongoing challenges of our time. The project's teaching, research and technical assistance are making a difference in New York State and beyond."
–David J. Skorton, Cornell University President
The Healthcare Transformation Project was established by Cornell University in 1997 to create educational opportunities for union and management healthcare leaders to learn how to adapt leading practices to improve patient care and reduce costs. Our consulting and coaching activities establish strategic partnerships between labor and management to ensure that hospitals can be effective in engaging their workforce in change and quality improvement activities and preparing their workers for new job responsibilities. Through this blog, our team will share insights on relevant news in the healthcare industry, labor-management partnerships, and updates on our work and speaking engagements.
Healthcare expenditures are at a record high in the United States. We are spending more per person and witnessing a decline in overall health outcomes. There is a clear need for significant systemic changes in order to provide quality and affordable healthcare in the US.
The Healthcare Transformation Project at Cornell University takes an innovative approach to industry change though research, consulting, and education by focusing on three major areas:
- Bridging the gap between delivery system transformation research and its implementation by educating practitioners in current findings
- Engaging frontline staff to drive change and improvement processes by leveraging their knowledge and gaining their commitment to sustain these changes
- Developing labor-management partnerships and creating strategic alignment.
Our initiatives have resulted in significant outcomes including:
- Workforce retraining
- Labor-management partnership structures
- Improved patient satisfaction scores and hospital cleanliness
- Reduced wait times and call bell response times, medication errors, patient falls and post-op returns
Ultimately, we seek to create a culture of continuous quality and system improvement to achieve improved patient outcomes, more efficient patient flows, and sustainable engagement of frontline staff. With the strategic involvement of all employees, healthcare organizations can transform into more efficient, integrated and patient-centered systems.
The ILR School
Cornell University's mission is to discover, preserve, and disseminate knowledge; produce creative work; and promote a culture of broad inquiry throughout and beyond the Cornell community. Cornell's School of Industrial and Labor Relations (ILR School) is advancing the world of work through teaching, research and outreach. ILR's mission is to prepare leaders, inform national and international employment and labor policy, and improve working lives.
The Healthcare Transformation Project is part of the Scheinman Institute on Conflict Resolution at Cornell University's ILR School.