Care area initiatives

Supporting excellence across primary care, urgent care and specialty services

Primary care

• Streamlining your technology and workflows
• Accelerating AI tools and efficiency improvements to streamline documentation and inbox management
• Supporting site leads through leadership education and Listen/Sort/Empower initiative
• Evaluating care models to reduce primary care physician workload volume
• Expanding teams and support roles
• Expanding roles for RNs and pharmacy technicians
• Implementing Clinical Access Team program
• Forming an APP task force to address engagement concerns
• Recognizing excellence and engaging leadership
• Launching more recognition initiatives such as Women Physicians Day, Doctors’ Day, APP Week and You Rocks
• Starting an executive shadowing program with primary care physicians

Urgent care

• Optimizing staffing with data insights
• Building staffing foundation using 2024 visit volume and average wait time data
• Converting PRN hires to full-time positions
• Building transparent communication and compensation
• Partnering with APP and urgent care leads to improve engagement and communication
• Enhancing communication about our competitive compensation and benefits program
• Organizing detailed role and compensation breakdowns with experience-based tiering

Specialty care

• Developing leadership and strengthening structure
• Welcoming CMO Specialty Leader Anthony Avellino, MD
• Establishing the Network Director of APPs role to define APP leadership structure
• Enhancing benefits and expanding support
• Implementing enhanced benefits: 22 PTO days, five CME days and five professional development days
• Developing RN roles for message, refill and inbox management (including proposed expansion to cardiology)
• Celebrating achievements and recognizing excellence
• Honoring Women Physicians Day with leadership appreciation cards and Women Physicians Leadership Council recognition

Campus initiatives

Shea Medical Center

• Increased awareness: Sharing updates on the Evolve system, parking and construction
• Infrastructure: Completing the physician lounge outdoor space
• Targeted feedback: Providing feedback to department chairs on engagement plans and next steps for Department Executive Committee reporting (starting with anesthesia, ED and OB)
• Surgery support: Addressing anesthesia coverage and OR availability for on-call cases
• Specialty programs: Launching OB and pediatrics-specific plans — including parking throughout the OB unit, addressing night issues — and onboarding new Phoenix Children’s Hospital physicians in pediatrics and NICU
• Recognition: Recognizing Medical Staff through written notes, patient HCAHPS survey feedback, Doctors’ Day celebration and Physician Recognition Awards
• Professional development: Facilitating collaboration between Allied Health and Andrew Sheppard on a leadership academy for the second half of 2025

Osborn, Thompson Peak and Tempe Medical Centers

• Hospitalists: CMO and Associate Chief Nursing Officer weekly huddle attendance, improving discharge planning partnerships and encouraging communication exclusively using HonorHealth email
• Emergency Department: Addressing Epic inefficiencies while keeping providers informed of progress and implementing Evolve safety system
• Anesthesia: Sending collegial events invitations to anesthesia providers to raise awareness of our commitment to work-life balance
• Surgeons: Creating a quieter space in the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit for patient communication
• All campuses: Updating and modernizing signage

Deer Valley Medical Center

• Wellness focus: Partnering with the Department Leadership Council and Sadaf Jamil, MD, on wellness initiatives
• Enhanced spaces: Creating quiet OR areas, building temporary OR lounge and upgrading physician lounge (with more dictation stations and a women’s wellness room)
• Stronger communication: Daily CMO check-ins with Medical Staff leaders, enhanced direct physician and APP communication and engagement-focused committee collaboration

John C. Lincoln Medical Center

• Digital updates: Weekly physician lounge slide desks on monitors with targeted updates, data and messages — as well as exploring additional monitor locations
• Feedback systems: Installing suggestion boxes in physician lounge, conducting specialty leader meetings and engaging the Department Executive Committee on communication and burnout monthly
• Community building: Establishing regular physician and APP socials with leadership engagement

Four Peaks Medical Center

• Communication upgrades: Updating monitor in physician lounge for enhanced communication
• Community building: Establishing regular physician and APP socials with leadership engagement
• Feedback systems: Installing suggestion boxes in physician lounge, conducting specialty leader meetings and engaging the Department Executive Committee on communication and burnout monthly

Sonoran Crossing Medical Center

• Communication upgrades: Installing a monitor in the physician lounge for data highlights and site-specific communication
• Feedback systems: Engaging the Department Executive Committee monthly on communication and burnout, encouraging discussion between Medical Staff leadership and colleagues and tracking input and actions

Your voice is shaping real change — and we’re just getting started.