Ronald L. Copeland, MD, FACS assumed leadership of the Ohio Permanente
Medical Group (OPMG) on January 13 of this year. Dr. Copeland is determined
to build upon the organization's current strengths in order to secure
its continued viability. His aggressive strategy calls for reorganization
of OPMG as well as for restructuring the delivery system. According
to Dr. Copeland, the upcoming year will challenge the organization's
"will." However, he is determined to lead the Medical Group
into a professionally superior and financially sound new century.
OPMG's New Head Seeks "Will"
to Secure KP-Ohio Future
With a determination to build upon the strengths that the
Ohio Permanente Medical Group (OPMG) has established, Ronald L. Copeland,
MD, FACS assumes leadership of the nearly 35-year-old organization as
its new President and Medical Director. Stepping up from his previous
position as Vice President and Associate Medical Director, Dr. Copeland
is focused on making the Kaiser Permanente model work in the 21st century.
Diversity and Opportunity
As the first African-American medical director in the history
of Kaiser Permanente, Dr. Copeland is a key player in the organization's
commitment to embrace diversity. While businesses and governments nationwide
are reexamining affirmative action policies, Dr. Copeland says the ideal
approach would be a new system that "creates opportunities based
on talent, character, and performance, while eliminating barriers to
success for women and minorities." He is a member of the Kaiser
Permanente National Diversity Council, which authored the "Strategic
Plan for Diversity." The Council spells out the bottom-line benefits
and competitive advantages to be gained from diversity management. In
order to be effective, Dr. Copeland advises that diversity management
must pervade every level of the organization, even reaching senior management.
Current Strengths
In order to maintain viability and competitiveness, Kaiser Permanente
must build upon its strengths as a pioneer in the area of managed care
in Northeast Ohio. Serving over 200,000 members in the Region, Kaiser
Permanente has positioned itself as a nearly unparalleled leader in
the area of organized health care. Reinforcing its commitment to quality
care,
the organization acted jointly with the Ohio State Medical Association
to propose an unprecedented piece of legislation. The Physician-Health
Plan Partnership Act, passed in November of 1997, will standardize health
plan practices across Ohio. The partnership marks the first time in
the nation that organized medicine has collaborated with managed care
to effect reform and exemplifies the proactive response to marketplace
changes Kaiser Permanente must incorporate into its future business
plans.
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| Ronald L. Copeland, MD, FACS |
Current Challenges
Although the current model is responsible for making OPMG
a leader in the area, Dr. Copeland warns, "In order to ensure our
success in the future, we can not continue to operate in the same manner
as we have for 30 years." He prescribes a commitment toward active
integration between the Health Plan and the Medical Group in the upcoming
year. In addition, he is challenging the Medical Group to rise to the
occasion and demonstrate true ownership of the delivery system. He is
committed to maintaining the Health Plan's nonprofit status, an interest
aligned with the social purpose of the organization.
Currently, HMO's are challenged with questions of ethics
and interference with the traditionally inviolable patient-doctor relationship.
Dr. Copeland wants to improve pervading public misconceptions about
managed care by emphasizing and demonstrating that OPMG physicians'
primary commitment is to quality of care, not to cutting costs. Furthermore,
Dr. Copeland notes the current nature of the health care industry sometimes
sets up a nearly impermeable relationship between the patient, insurers/health
plans, and employers to the exclusion of practitioners. He feels that
publicly advancing the Medical Group's meaningful contributions may
be one significant way in which to gain entry into that relationship.
Kaiser Permanente's size--about 29% of the managed care
market in Northeast Ohio--makes it the largest in the region, next to
Medical Mutual of Ohio (formerly Blue Cross-Blue Shield of Ohio).
Dr. Copeland feels that Kaiser Permanente's size is a significant asset
in an environment in which health care organizations will have to be
part of an extensive network.
Prescription for Turnaround
By working in partnership with Health Plan leadership, Dr.
Copeland's two-part strategy calls for reorganization of OPMG and restructuring
the health care delivery model, including facility-level modifications
to reduce fixed costs and rapidly return the group to financial viability.
Another prospective goal of the partnership is to challenge
the fee-for-service predominance in the local market through creation
of a new value proposition focusing on quality.
One illustration of this would be integration of information
technology into the care experience at levels that are palpable for
physicians and patients. Information technology is clearly part of our
future and has the potential to add significant value in the areas of
quality care, patient education, and outcome-based performance.
The Year Ahead
Dr. Copeland joined OPMG in 1988, and his position as an
insider may serve as one of his greatest assets. He says the past 30
years have been less than maximally progressive because of the Medical
Group's tendency to look inward for solutions. His extended tenure in
the organization sustains his belief that in 1998 and beyond, some solutions
may lie outside the organization, and OPMG must have the courage to
pursue them.
Like the physicians he will be overseeing, he sees the
challenges that lie ahead as a glass half full. He asserts, "There
is a solution in Ohio. In 1998, we need to find it, frame it, and execute
it. As far as I am concerned, failure is not an option."
