Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/100910
Donna Katen-Bahensky: Ushering health care into a new era Photo by Shanna Wolf With the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in place, hospitals will soon be graded on patient health outcomes and their scores will dictate the compensation providers receive. But Donna KatenBahensky, UW Hospitals and Clinics top dog, isn���t backing away from this challenge. In fact, the CEO is running toward it, seeing it as both daunting and exciting, and admitting she���s waited for it her entire career. Katen-Bahensky stresses hospitals face an uphill climb as they navigate this legislation. They must drive down their costs while boosting their quality. With Katen-Bahensky playing the lead role, UW is well poised to act through preventative health care initiatives that include a pediatric obesity clinic and weight management program, a wellness and fitness center, and a demonstration kitchen to showcase healthy cooking. ���The majority of my time will be spent working ��� to go from a place that takes care of sick people to an organization that helps people stay well,��� she says. Katen-Bahensky is also keeping a watchful eye on hospital costs. Though the facility is well positioned financially (its costs have risen just 1 percent a year over the last five), she continually seeks out new tools and practices to keep it that way. ���We have to keep an eye on costs because we���re going to have more people to take care of,��� she says. ���But if we can keep people out of the hospital, and offer them good coordination of care, we can keep costs down.��� ���RG January 2013 bravamagazine.com 45