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While many medical chief executive officers attend non-stop meetings and sequester themselves in their executive suites, protected from daily inquisition, UCLA Hospital System CEO, Dr. David T. Feinberg, spends 40 percent of his time sitting on the edge of patients’ beds listening to how they feel.

For Feinberg, a psychiatrist by training and past Director of the UCLA Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital, medicine is all about people. His 'people first' philosophy has filtered through the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and the UCLA Health System since he took over the CEO post a year ago. His emphasis on communication has also set an example for all the employees.

UCLA’s Hospital Operations Team of nearly 100 department heads, visit patients several times a month and take time to interact with patients and staff, listening to their concerns.

'Our rounds inform our performance improvement initiatives,' says COO Amir Rubin. 'They can highlight issues with caregiver/patient communication, challenge the system and help identify facility improvement.'

'Not only does Dr. Feinberg do rounds, he responds to emails, letters, visits and solicits feedback on if we’re meeting our expectations,' says Heidi Crooks, the hospital’s senior associate director of Operations and Patient Care Services. 'He’s the first CEO I’ve ever encountered who welcomes visits from staff to discuss patient care issues and takes an active role in problem solving.'

Since Dr. Feinberg has taken charge, the percentage of patients willing to recommend UCLA Health System has skyrocketed. A survey of patients’ willingness to recommend UCLA rose from a 70-percentile rating in July 2007 to a 93rd percentile in October 2008. These statistics represent a significant improvement for the UCLA Health System (which includes UCLA Ronald Reagan Hospital, Santa Monica UCLA Medical Center & Orthopedic Hospital/Emergency Department/Maternity Services).

But besides implementing confidence and concern for patients, Feinberg’s program requires a supportive, employee-trained environment.  This includes town hall style breakfast and nighttime meetings. He clearly recognizes there is a different correlation between staff satisfaction and patient satisfaction and that one cannot work well without the other.

His quest for quality does not stop there. Dr. Feinberg and his team concentrate on how all the pieces work together to assure rapid responses to life-threatening conditions, avoidance of medical mistakes, all while making sure patients smoothly transition from their UCLA primary care physician to a specialist.

'I believe in the servant model, where in our business the patient at the bedside is the top of the organizational chart. The doctors, nurses, and support staff are the ones providing that care. This team makes up the second level,' says Feinberg. 'I’m at the bottom of the chart. My job is to support those who are taking care of our patients. Nothing else really matters.'

Dr. Feinberg’s approach to changing the culture at UCLA’s health system is giving respect back where it belongs — to the people who put their trust, and lives, in the hands of others.

For further information, visit www.uclahealth.org

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