DIG Insurance & Business Magazine Spring 2019 | Page 6

BE INTENTIONAL
> CARING FOR THE COMMUNITY
Franklin relates, “and to appropriately
engage in the healthcare system?”
Franklin emphasizes the importance
of developing relationships with
primary care physicians who partner
with patients to manage healthcare
proactively. The Atlantic General
team is focused on making health
information accessible—for example,
through its weight-loss blog.
The view of the healthcare industry
has shifted from an expectation that
human error exists in our hospitals—
there is some risk to receiving care—to
today’s zero-harm mission that calls for
fine-tuning operations, infrastructure,
and messaging to the community.
“The language is intentionally being
changed to ‘zero harm,’ and we
recognize we need to change the way
we operate,” says Michael Franklin,
CEO of Atlantic General Hospital.
These intentional changes include
analyzing facilities design to reduce
exposures for spreading infection and
focusing on health literacy to educate
the public about the importance of
wellness. “How do we teach people to
embrace good health and make healthy
behaviors a part of their daily lives,”
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“Nationally, health literacy is emerging
as a priority, and for us, we have been
engaged in educational efforts with
local school systems and churches for
the last 10 years,” Franklin reports.
Responding directly to needs in
the community, Franklin and his
team opened the Atlantic General
Pulmonary Clinic and Pain Center and
expanded the provider network for
women’s healthcare.
Atlantic General Hospital partners
with Deeley Insurance Group to make
intentional decisions that improve
the safety of its properties. “We work
together to create an environment
for patients that reduces the risk of
accidents, and that goes back to being
focused on the language of being error-
free and doing no harm,” Franklin says.
The Hospital’s 2020 Vision—The Right
Path to Good Health—embraces the
need to be intentional. Goals include
improving the population’s health,
enhancing patient care, and reducing
the cost of care.
“We want to be the leader in
promoting our region’s good
health and prevention of
disease,” Franklin says.