The Employee Development Task Force, composed of UT Southwestern faculty physicians, departmental administrators, administration staff, UT Southwestern Health Systems and UMC administrators will develop and review recommendations, policies and standards in the following areas:

1. A   patient-customer service mission statement or “credo” derived from the patient care philosophy designed to promote excellence in patient service and patient satisfaction.
2. Create a general policy statement regarding the locus of authority for human resources management in the clinics, allocating appropriate roles to central clinic administration and to department staff.
3. Establish consistent employee dress and behavior standards for individuals with patient contact in Southwestern Medical Center clinical areas after having appointed a committee of employees to recommend these standards.
4. An employee training program, tailored to different job descriptions, designed to promote excellence in patient service. This program should articulate mandatory training requirements for all employees with patient contact and should identify standards for competency testing upon completion of the training.
5. Create a plan to rewrite job descriptions and performance review criteria aligned with service and productivity goals for all clinic personnel.
6. Outline preferred procedures for hiring decisions designed to empower individuals with a vested interest in the success of the practice.
7. Create a plan for a training center for clinic personnel, including recommendations concerning curricula, staffing of the center, and facilities.

First steps.

1. Develop a patient service mission statement or “credo”.
2. Establish consistent employee dress and behavior standards for individuals with patient contact in Southwestern Medical Center clinical areas after having appointed a committee of employees to recommend these standards.
3. Create employee training programs and/or recommend the hiring of outside vendors to emphasize patient service particularly for employees with heavy patient contact. Examples:  receptionists, phlebotomists, radiographers etc.
4. Create job descriptions, and training programs for Clinic Managers which will empower them and emphasize patient care and service.
5. Create job descriptions, and training programs for Medical Directors which will empower them and emphasize patient care and service.

Conclusion.

The Task Force will report its recommendations to the Executive Committee of the Clinical Department Chairs for approval and implementation across the practice. The initial focus will be on ambulatory patient care and service but subsequently hospital patient care and service will be incorporated into the activities of the Task Force. The plan for improving the clinical services at Southwestern Medical Center represents a commitment by the Clinical Department Chairs and Administration to implement major changes that will impact the entire culture of the institution.  These changes are not aimed at making marginal incremental improvements, but rather at producing a fundamental transformation of the quality of patient care and service. The work of Employee Development and Service Standards Task Force will be central to this initiative.