Actively Engaging Physicians in the
Planetree Philosophy
Robert Devermann, M.D.
Aurora System Planetree Physician Champion
Cindy Pfaff, Director,
Employee & Organizational Development
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Objectives- Participants will:
• Learn of various strategies used by Aurora Health Care
to engage physicians in Planetree.
• Learn how to develop a successful Physician Advisory
Council composed of Physician Planetree advocates.
• Review our charter for Physician Advisory Council.
• Learn additional strategies for engaging physicians as
developed by this Physician Advisory.
• Query a panel of Aurora Planetree Physician
Champions.
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About Aurora Health Care
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13 Hospitals (building 2)
100+ Clinic locations
10 Dialysis Centers
10 Vision Centers
140 Retail Pharmacies
13 Quick Cares
Home Care/Hospice
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1200 employed physicians
3,385 physicians on staff
141 Residents & Fellows
4620 RNs
28,000 + care givers
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Aurora’s #1 Priority
Our patients deserve the best care. When
we achieve top performance in our
clinical quality, patient satisfaction and
caregiver engagement, patients receive
a better care experience than they can
get anywhere else.
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Aurora’s Planetree History
2001
 Opened first hospital
2003 - 2006
 Begin conversion of clinics
 Opened 2 & transformed 6 hospitals
2007
 Complete implementation of journey throughout system
 Clinics
 Hospitals
 Pharmacies
 VNA
 Business Units
 System Departments
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Aurora Health Care
is committed to creating an ubiquitous
culture of patient centered care.
So – here is how we started
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The beginning . . .
• Physician CME
• Identified Physician Champions at all
sites – clinics, hospitals, & home health
• Created physician web-site
• Create an 5 part educational module
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Establishing Planetree Physician
Advisory Council
• Sought Physician Champions Support
• Modified name from Champions to Advisors
• Developed a Charter
• Agreed to Meeting Frequency
– Phone conference every other month
– Face to face meetings once or twice/year
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January 2008, revised 1/23/08
Planetree Physician Advisory Council
Council Structure:
Council Leader:
Dr. Robert Devermann
Members:
North:
Dr. Susan Moore
Dr. Paul Summerside
Dr. Scott Voskuil
Lori Pollard
Central:
Dr. Robert Devermann
Dr. Andrea Gavin
Dr. Kevin Green
Dr. Julie Henry
Dr. Robert Holly
Dr. Pamela House
Cindy Pfaff
Kettle Moraine:
Dr. Michael Marshall
Kari Schmidt
Metro:
Dr. Scott Hardin
Dr. Fred DeBoe
Dr. Anthony Meyer
Dr. Jeffrey Jordan
Dr. Kayt Havens
Dr. Marv Kolb
Dr. Dan Miota
Dr. Raj Nijhawan
Dr. John Whitcomb
Kari Schmidt
South:
Dr. Bob Wolter
Dr. Joon Park
Dr. Katarzyna Zaremba
Shelley Smith
System:
Dr. Bruce Van Cleave
Wendy Peche,
James Katz
Linda Dirksmeyer
Facilitator:
Cindy Pfaff
Purpose:
 To share experiences and stories
 Act as mentors to new physicians
 Provide support & guidance to each
other
 Role model patient-centered behaviors
for physician partners and employees
 Act as a resource to employees as they
implement initiatives at site in areas of
clinical implications of the initiative.
Previous work to be referenced:
 Education created:
o CME
o 5 part series education modules
 Institute of Medicine – “Crossing the
Quality Chasm”, 2001.
o Patient Centered Care is one of
six domains of clinical quality
 Putting Patients First, Susan
Frampton
Deliverables:
 For new physicians:
o Patient-centered philosophy
introduction on hire
o Patient-centered philosophy at
annual orientation
 Identify strategies to engage physicians
in the patient-centered philosophy
 Identify physician actions that enhance
the patient-centered experience.
Target/objectives:
 Create a Planetree physician
introduction for all new physicians on
hire.
 Create a Planetree physician orientation
for annual new physician orientation.
 Help physicians understand and develop
an active role in patient centered care.
 Improve Quality of Care through patient
centered care initiatives
 Increase physician patient satisfaction
score for question – “Likelihood to
Recommend”
 Increase physician Pulse score for “I
believe that successfully implementing
the Planetree model. . .”
Linkages to other resources:
 Planetree Organizational Developmental
Directors
 Planetree National Organization
 Picker Institute
Council Purpose
• Share experiences and stories.
• Act as mentors to new physicians.
• Provide support & guidance to each other.
• Role model patient-centered behaviors.
• Act as a resource to employees.
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Deliverables
• For new physicians
– Patient-centered philosophy orientation
at time of hire
– Patient-centered philosophy at annual
new physician orientation
• Identify strategies to engage physicians in
the patient-centered philosophy
• Identify physician actions that enhance
the patient-centered experience
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Target/Objectives
• Help other physicians to understand & develop
an active role in patient centered care.
• Improve Quality of Care through patient
centered care initiatives
• Increase physician patient satisfaction score for
question – “Likelihood to Recommend”
• Increase physician Pulse score for “I believe
that successfully implementing the Planetree
model. . .”
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Highlights of Council’s Agenda
• Develop charter
• Develop Physician Advisor Role Description
• Shared advisor’s best practices at individual
sites
• 5-part physician education video modules
• Enhancing patient education on web site
• Open medical record pilot
• Update on Patient-Centered Medical Home
• Physician Wellness Activities Committee
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Council’s Workshop Agenda
• Update on recent activities
• Patient-Centered Care – It’s role in AMG
by Dr Bailet, MD, President, AMG
• Work Out Sessions
• Physician – Patient Relationships by Dr
Mike Marshall, VP of Medical
Operations
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Work Out Session
1. Identify strategies to engage physicians
in the patient-center philosophy.
2. Identify strategies to train physicians on
ideal behaviors and activities that
enhance the patient-centered
experience.
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Strategies to engage physicians
• Use evidence-based articles.
• Enhance & encourage the use of the Planetree
website resource.
• Implement “Adopt a Doc” program.
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Strategies to engage physicians
• Build features of patient-centered care
into our re-credentialing process at the
hospital.
• Conduct studies to show that patientcentered care results in better
outcomes.
• Demonstrate, through story telling, that
we have opportunities to improve
patient-centered care.
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Strategies to engage physicians
• Suggest that physicians see the movie, or
clips of, “The Doctor”.
• Physician Planetree Advisors need to role
model.
• Find ways to allow patients to be more active
participants in their care.
• Patient-centered care should not take more
time.
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Strategies to Train Physicians
• How to give patients options, when
possible, & getting the patient buy-in to
the treatment plan.
• How to do more shared decision
making between the physician and the
patient.
• Provide a few key specific behavior
skill sets for patient interactions.
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Strategies to Train Physicians
• If you can’t be empathetic, be polite
and courteous
• Teach physicians to ask their patients
for feedback.
• Videotape physicians with patients and
provide feedback to them on ways they
can improve.
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Strategies to Train Physicians
• Look at satisfaction data & identify high
performers.
• Be aware of patients’, staff, & physician
partners’ generational differences.
• System Physician leadership
development program.
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Strategies to Train Physicians
• Develop a standard whereby
physicians routinely schedule a
meeting with the patient, nurse, and
family members within the first 24
hours of admission to review the care
plan for the patient.
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Advisory Council’s Next Steps
• Physician Orientation – develop a
toolkit of 3-5 concepts
• Adopt – A – Doc Program
• Implement 5 Quick Wins
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Quick Wins
• Encourage physicians to welcome family
members or friends to join conversations
about their care if desired by the patient.
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• Physician provides patients with written key
points of their visit.
• Provide paper at the front desk for patients
to make a list of questions or to take notes.
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Quick Wins
• Increase the utilization of patient
educational material provided by
physicians
• Physician should communicate with
their hospital patients when they
expect to make rounds, and when they
are available for questions.
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Key to Our Success
Find Physicians who are leaders
Find Passionate Physician Leaders
(who are both)
Find Physicians who are passionate
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Physician Panel
• Robert Devermann, MD
– Vice President, Medical Operations
– Family Physician
• Andrea Gavin, MD
– President of Aurora Sheboygan Clinic
– President of Wisconsin Chapter of AAFP
– Family Physician
• Jeffrey Jordan, MD
– Program Director, Aurora Health Care Internal Medicine Residency
Program
– Internal Medicine Physician
• Michael Post, MD
– Member of Marinette Clinic Management Committee, Planetree
Steering Committee
– Internal Medicine Physician
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Contact Information
Robert Devermann, MD
System Planetree Physician Champion
Vice President, Medical Operations
robert.devermann@Aurora.org
Cindy Pfaff, Director
Employee & Organizational Development
cindy.pfaff@Aurora.org
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