Ascension Health: Enabling Strengths

Enabling Strengths

Inspired People
We will become a Model Community of Mission-centered associates led by leaders with an understanding of and commitment to the foundations of the ministry. Our associates will find their work to be life-giving and satisfying in an environment that supports them in optimizing their health status through appropriate access, prevention, wellness and care. We will enable our associates to best use their gifts in service and serve as an example for the community.

Trusted Partnerships
We will create an Alliance Network of values-compatible partners that offer capabilities complementary to our own and who can be entrusted with the relationships we have established over time. In addition, we will establish alliances with those we rely on to be able to deliver our own core competencies, such as suppliers.

Empowering Knowledge
As a Connected Ministry, we will partner to deploy an information technology network that connects Ascension Health with individuals, affiliated clinicians, and our trusted partners. This network will enable us to bring to the point of service the knowledge of Ascension Health and its partners, and will support the development of lifetime electronic health records. Having this information available quickly and in a consistent format will help clinicians in decision-making, sharply reduce duplication and waste, and support continuous improvement as well as patient care quality and satisfaction.

Ascension Health Information Services (AHIS) Annual Report

The development of Empowering Knowledge within our national health ministry is directly linked to our ability to provide a Connected Ministry – bringing together information and expertise to improve care for those we serve.

One of the ways we are advancing this important work is through AHIS, our IT shared services organization. AHIS has made tremendous progress in its first two years. We are pleased to provide this FY07 annual report detailing their journey.

Vital Presence
Ascension Health will have Presence as Needed at full potential - we will be where we are needed, how we are needed to be there. We will engage with our communities to assess what is needed and then determine the most appropriate presence for Ascension Health. We will seek to develop new ways of working with others in the community, including Catholic health systems, to improve access to care and strengthen the Catholic health ministry. We will also selectively consider the role of Ascension Health in expanding into new markets with unmet needs where Ascension Health could make a vital contribution. All such activities will be considered using a rigorous set of criteria that appropriately balances the need to strengthen Ascension Health with the need to strengthen the broader Catholic health ministry.