UM system consolidates health care, research
The University of Missouri’s consolidation of its medical schools and health care services goes into effect on Sept. 8, and the reorganized health sciences center will be directed by the vice chancellor for health sciences, a new position.
UM System President Gary Forsee and MU Chancellor Brady Deaton announced the changes Aug. 18 and said their goal is to create a “culture of collaboration” among the university’s research and health care branches. The School of Medicine, School of Nursing and School of Health Professions, as well as University of Missouri Health Care and University Physicians, will be part of the new health sciences center.
Forsee and Deaton said they hope the move will create new opportunities for research and collaboration among the schools that will in turn lead to more research funding and economic growth for the state. The University Hospital and clinics employ more than 4,000 people in Columbia, and MU is by far the city’s largest employer, so the changes could have a significant impact on the local economy if their goals are realized.
Consistent with Missouri’s economic growth requirement, the two said the new vice-chancellor position will help direct the university’s research in a way that provides more opportunities for commercialization of new technologies and intellectual property.
The plan will also create a University of Missouri Health Care Advisory Board chaired by the UM System president. The board will make recommendations regarding budgets, health care policies and government regulations.
Q&A from MU administrators
Why does the university need to make these organizational changes?
The health care environment is increasingly complex and unstable. Competition from other health care providers, changes and reductions in reimbursement for health care services and new regulatory issues, including compliance with state and federal laws and physician referral policies, all contribute to the need for tighter integration and a centralized authority. Similar structures have been successful at many other medical centers in the United States.
In addition, the consolidated structure will help resolve potential disputes among the five organizational entities that comprise the health sciences.
How is this organizational structure different from what the university has had in the past?
The vice chancellor represents a unified voice for the health sciences center to multiple constituencies, such as the state legislature, curators, health care professionals and the community. Based on observations from earlier interviews with faculty and staff, there is a desire to create greater cohesion and improve performance among the five entities that comprise the health sciences.
Significant differences in the management processes will drive the new structure, including joint development of strategic plans, joint process in allocating resources and budgeting and full participation of all units in deliberations and decisions affecting the total enterprise.
“This is a huge opportunity we have because of our capability as a university to cross those disciplines but also to have our researchers have the opportunity to develop that intellectual property to be commercialized and to do that in a way that benefits the state nd benefits the university as an economic growth engine of our state. I think it’s onsistent with our increased emphasis, starting with the board of curators, as well as cross all four of our campuses, on economic development as a growth engine for our state”
-Gary Forsee
“There are many areas of clinical research and outreach right now that the nation is looking for health affairs centers to focus on. We’ve been doing a lot of work in this area-picking pieces here and there. This enables us to gain focus and more efficiently address some of the important challenges we face to generate even greater external funding for research”
-Brady Deaton
“We’re positioned to take major steps forward in using the multiple disciplines that we ave on this campus to achieve even higher levels of research and to become known as one of the great research-oriented health centers in America”
-Brady Deaton