Peter Broderick: Golden Valley Health Centers had to prepare for the future

For more than four decades, the medical staff and other employees of Golden Valley Health Centers have been committed to providing quality, affordable, compassionate health care to patients with few other medical choices.

That we have succeeded in that important mission is a testament to the hundreds of men and women who have been on the front lines to deliver that care. Today, our 800 employees and network of 21 health clinics and nine dental sites provide comprehensive primary care to more than 103,000 people in Stanislaus and Merced counties.

To put that patient number in context, the two counties have about 790,000 residents – meaning Golden Valley serves about 1 in 8 residents. Unlike most medical groups, we are a not-for-profit organization. No patient ever is turned away for an inability to pay.

GVHC occupies a vital niche in our health care community. We proudly and humbly provide essential medical services, with great respect for all our patients and their needs. I have enthusiastically served on the GVHC board of directors since 2005 because I see the crisis in unmet needs every day in our communities.

All of which is background to why the unfair, inaccurate and inflammatory allegations directed at Golden Valley in the past month are so troubling.

Over the last two years, our board consulted experts to prepare the organization for the future of quality-measured health care. This effort culminated in the hiring of an experienced health care leader from outside our system to craft an effective response to Golden Valley’s need to evolve.

One obvious issue we recognized was the significant number of citizens who could not even begin to see one of our doctors, sometimes waiting up to four months for a first visit. This delay was unacceptable if we are to be part of the solution.

The board discovered that many of our clinicians had unfilled appointment times dedicated to established patients, but very few assigned to new patients. Further, our internal research demonstrated that our clinicians were seeing on average fewer than 20 patients in a full clinic day, while federal and industry standards recognize 24 patients as an appropriate target.

A simple solution – made after discussions with our medical and nursing leadership teams – was to dedicate some of these unfilled appointments so new patients could access our high-quality clinicians. There was never a directive to exceed industry standards.

I have been very disappointed in the recent characterization of the goal to expand access as a plan to overwork clinicians and compromise care. For some of our current and former staff to suggest patient safety was at risk is irresponsible and intentionally misleading.

A second unfair and inaccurate allegation regards morale and our workplace environment. Our board and management team takes those concerns seriously, as any responsible employer must.

Our patients place their trust in us to help them overcome sickness, injury and chronic disease; to support and nurture them during a pregnancy; to care for their loved ones from infancy through old age.

That work can be stressful. Easy answers aren’t always available. Diagnoses and tests can take time. Seeing up to two dozen people in a single day requires skill, dedication and devotion to the spirit of our mission – to improve the health and lives of our patients.

As in many workplaces, staffing changes can be difficult. So, too, can legitimate differences of opinion about how best to responsibly accomplish our task in today’s complex health care environment.

We value our employees – and their input. That is why we announced in December that we will add an ombudsman to our staff to maintain and increase trust across our entire organization.

The efforts by a small group to undermine needed progress demonstrate a level of unprofessionalism inconsistent with our ethical commitment to put patients’ needs ahead of our own.

The Golden Valley board welcomes constructive dialogue about moving our organization toward a future that measures quality care, but let’s start with facts and respectful engagement to show patients they come first. Lives depend on this.

This story was originally published January 22, 2015 at 2:12 PM with the headline "Peter Broderick: Golden Valley Health Centers had to prepare for the future."