Becoming the West's best place to receive care

December 6, 2016 Michael Connors
December 06, 2016

It’s one thing to be big, and another to be world-class. Our network of providers – known as the Providence St. Joseph Health Employed Provider Network – is on a journey to be the best place to receive care for as many people possible. 

Eight years ago, our organization partnered with 763 providers to deliver care. Today, our provider network is one of the largest medical groups in the country with more than 6,500 employed providers. Together, we serve communities at over 850 sites in seven states. Collectively, our employed providers conduct 8 million visits annually. 

“When primary care becomes the medical “home” for patients, it acts as a big front door to specialty care and acute care,” says Doug Koekkoek, M.D., chief executive of clinical services for Providence Health and Services in Oregon. “Our medical groups are adopting a team-based care model that embeds behavioral health providers, clinical pharmacists, and case managers on the care team for each patient. When you do team-based care, you can keep people healthy and lower the total cost of care.”

The Providence St. Joseph Health Employed Provider Network 2020 Vision

Together, we are working towards a vision in 2020 that will make our medical groups the best place to get care.

  • 10,000,000 meaningful encounters
  • 10,000 engaged providers
  • 1,000 access points
  • 1 coordinated experience for every patient

To achieve this we are focused on patient experience, provider engagement – listening to them and creating a loving environment where it is a joy to practice medicine - and performance. We have principles we follow that align with Providence’s strategic objectives. To reach the vision, we will:

  • Create a sustainable healthcare delivery model
  • Recruit and retain the best providers
  • Become the place caregivers differentially chose to work
  • Provide access to a remarkable consumer experience
  • Deliver the best quality and value everywhere every time – we will measure quality by being in the top 25 percent of medical groups in the nation on our quality metrics
  • Deliver excellent business performance and affordability

Strengthening our core

This means the work we’ve done together, and what we’ll continue to do, is really about strengthening the core. We are rewriting the playbook for American health care through:

  1. On-demand retail clinics
  2. Delivering on the promise of population health
  3. Innovating clinical services
  4. Aligning with our institutes
  5. Giving our patients more and better access to care when, where and how they want it

We know inspiring our caregivers and providers drives better quality outcomes for our patients in both chronic diseases by monitoring diabetes and screening for cancer appropriately. It’s also about transforming how we deliver care, through digital channels and population health, responding to consumer expectations with offerings such as on demand care and a more personalized patient experience. 

We plan to continue to grow and serve new communities, improving both the quality of care and availability of that care through a network of access services. 

Providence St. Joseph Health providers are among the country’s leading experts in heart services, cancer care, brain and spine treatment, and other specialties. Our providers support community health education, participate in clinical research and serve at-risk populations of uninsured and underinsured individuals. In short, our providers answer the call of our communities for greater access to affordable high quality care while providing an outstanding patient experience.

Previous Article
The Medical Group of the Future: Our Digital Front Door
The Medical Group of the Future: Our Digital Front Door

As health care continues to evolve to meet the needs of consumers, Providence is using technology to invite...

Next Article
Recipe: Roasted Winter Squash Soup
Recipe: Roasted Winter Squash Soup

This rich and savory squash soup on a cold winter day is medicine for the soul.