Leveraging Leadership and Data to Guide Our Mission

With the start of 2025, we have an opportunity to reflect on our mission, renew our focus, and explore how we can better serve our community. At GBMC HealthCare, our vision to provide the care we would want for our own loved ones continues to guide our work. Achieving this vision, however, requires more than good intentions—it depends on thoughtful leadership and informed decision-making.

Defining the "Why" and Engaging Stakeholders

Every decision we make should begin with asking, “Why are we doing this?” For GBMC, the answer lies in our commitment to meet the needs of our community while ensuring the sustainability of our organization.

Our leadership system helps us answer this question by encouraging us to consider the perspectives of our key stakeholders—patients, families, other members of the GBMC team, and community partners. By understanding their needs, we can better prioritize initiatives and align our efforts with both care quality and financial responsibility.

Using Data to Make Better Decisions

Data is an invaluable resource that helps us move from purpose to action. Through tools and reports available to us in Epic (our electronic health record system), we can access critical insights to inform decisions. For example, physician referral reports allow practice managers to identify stakeholders such as their top referral sources, better understand their business, foster collaboration, and improve continuity of care.

We also recognize that not everyone has access to the same reports or knows how to use them effectively. The Analytics Catalog in Epic is a good place to start, allowing users to find available reports relevant to their role. Leaders and staff are encouraged to reach out to their Epic reporting contacts for guidance. Whether through department analysts or Epic’s training resources, there are many ways to access support. These tools are here to help us work smarter and to ultimately improve outcomes and experience for the people we serve.

Integrating data into our leadership practices is key to driving progress. When leaders use these insights to set goals, cascade information to their teams, and connect their work to our broader vision, we create a culture of improvement that benefits everyone. Whether we’re improving access to care, managing chronic conditions, or making care more convenient and equitable, the intersection of leadership and data drives better decisions.

To our GBMC leaders and staff: As we enter this new year, I encourage you to focus on the "why" behind your work and on the resources available to help you achieve it. Together, we can make 2025 a year of growth, collaboration, and impact!