Beyond the Bedside: A Look at Spartans in Nursing | Page 25

Off and Running
from the Dashboard
Barbara Hertzler’s work day always started at
the “iDashboard,” reviewing up-to-the-minute
operational metrics on the healthcare system
which consists of five hospitals, five outpatient
health centers, six urgent care facilities, and
25+ specialty centers in the Southeast Michigan
St. Joseph Mercy System.
From the “iDashboard,” she assessed
information, such as the number of patients/
wait time in the EDs; patient volume, discharges,
and lengths of stay; and resource availability.
She identified the issues needing immediate
attention and gathered data for long-term
strategies to improve clinical outcomes, patient
satisfaction, and economic viability.
Deploying technologies at the forefront of
healthcare information, she worked diligently to
improve patient safety while improving service
delivery and resource utilization.

Influencing Innovation at the
Bedside and Across the Region
When Trinity Health embarked on a regional
approach to healthcare delivery, Hertzler was
chosen to oversee the integration of their
St. Joseph Mercy services in a seven-county area.
Having spent 10 years crisscrossing the U.S. as
Chief Nurse for Trinity Health’s 45 hospitals and
12 years as Chief Operating Officer (COO) at St.
Joseph Mercy Hospital, she brought an important
combination of nursing, business perspectives,
and experience to the job.

She created a structure which breaks down silos,
allows resources to move more freely from site
to site, standardizes practice, and creates access
to expertise for patients and staff. Practicing
“high visibility” as an executive, she kept a foot
in operations, the clinical world, innovations,
program development, and service development.
“When it comes to nursing practice,” Hertzler
says, “nurses closest to the bedside understand
it best. I’ve put decision-making models in
place so they feel they have control over their
practice, see outcomes, and understand the
impact of their work on their patients and
patient process.”
She adds that, “A multidisciplinary approach
builds a collaborative spirit and helps people
become much more aware of each other and
each other’s contribution to patient care. This
translates to higher patient satisfaction, assuring
them that care from the different disciplines
is well connected. It also improves patient
safety and results in a more satisfying work
environment for nurse ˸