As you have just read, the Alliance Board of Managers’ “baton” has been passed from Dr. Janus to Dr. McManus. We have all benefitted from Dr. Janus’ valuable leadership which began way back when a clinically integrated network (CIN) in Fredericksburg was only a glint in the eyes of some forward-thinking physicians and administrators. Dr. McManus was also part of the group that ultimately formed the Alliance and we look forward to his continued leadership. Dr. Janus led us through a time when it was uncertain whether or not such a CIN could succeed in Fredericksburg. At this point, that question has been answered in the affirmative with documented success in government contracts, commercial contracts, bundled payment programs, QuE programs and population health management (Million Hearts). Dr. McManus (and the Alliance) face new challenges as we will continue to accept risk in the setting of tougher benchmarks and tighter margins. But, regardless of the changing nature of the healthcare landscape, the need for effective physician leadership is a constant.

Regardless of the programs we choose to participate in, the Alliance leadership will continue to focus on the following:

1) Teamwork – the success of a clinically integrated network depends on all the components (providers, practices, administrators, facilities) working together and supporting each other

2) Technology – effective population health management relies on processing large amounts of data and identifying the most appropriate targets for enhanced care and then assessing the outcomes of our interventions

3) Purpose – to effectively and efficiently provide superior healthcare through integrated partnerships with our patients, our providers and our community resources.

3) Feedback – in order to continually improve, we need to recognize and reward good performance and identify opportunities and provide resources to constructively address underperformance.

We look forward to all the Alliance providers actively supporting their leaders and working in their day-to-day practices to achieve the “Quadruple Aim”: Better care, better health, smarter spending and enhanced professional well-being.

Rick Lewis, MD