Abundance mindset: four questions with Sheralee Petersen, AVP of Clinical Programs

During her job interview with Intermountain Health, Sheralee Petersen still remembers the interviewer reading her the values – worded differently now, 14 years later, but in the same spirit they are today – and thinking, “Wow, this is the culture I’ve been looking for.”

Here, she reflects on what makes that culture so special and how it’s reflected in the Clinical Programs she currently serves as assistant vice president.??

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How did you come to be Assistant Vice President over the Clinical Programs??

I’ve been with Intermountain for about 14 years, and 19 if you include my time as an affiliate provider. From the start, I saw that Intermountain was different — not just focused on volumes and dollars. I began as a clinical physician assistant in cardiology and have since held various leadership roles, internally and externally. My interest in healthcare delivery and closing care gaps led me to complete a Master of Business Administration degree with an emphasis in Healthcare Management. Prior to this role I served as the executive clinical director for the Cardiology Clinical Program. Being part of the Clinical Programs team aligns with my core mission and has been deeply fulfilling. I went into medicine to make a positive impact and to partner with patients in enhancing their health and quality of life. The Clinical Programs' commitment to spreading clinical best practice and innovating care delivery models resonates with my professional values. It’s invigorating to be part of such a talented and impactful team!?

“That’s one of the reasons I love Intermountain: Even if it means we’re losing money versus saving money on value, it’s the right thing for patients.” - Sheralee Petersen, AVP, Clinical Programs

What do you think stands out about how Intermountain does business??

Intermountain has many strategic differentiators, including our integrated care model, our commitment to proactive care and innovation, and our robust data. The Clinical Programs and Healthcare Delivery Institute have spent nearly 30 years dedicated to delivering on these differentiators.??

We stand on the shoulders of giants who built the Clinical Programs in 1996 to drive providers toward evidence-based clinical practice with a focus on reducing unwarranted variation. The Healthcare Delivery Institute was built in 1992 to accelerate implementation of clinical best practices.?

When we restructured the Clinical Programs in November, we combined these two teams to extend evidence-based best practices across our new six-state footprint. Combining the clinical expertise and connections of the Clinical Programs with the implementation science rigor of the Healthcare Delivery Institute has been very productive.?

What does that look like in practice??

It looks like identifying care gaps and methodically closing them through team-based care. We have nine Clinical Programs spanning the spectrum of health, all of which are actively running initiatives to sustainably improve patient outcomes.? ? One example that models this concept is the work being done in ICU patients and Low Tidal Volume Ventilation (LTVV) led by the Acute and Ambulatory Medical Specialties Clinical Program. It’s a strategy that uses lower tidal volumes to prevent ventilator-associated lung injury. If you adjust the volumes and the ventilator settings to an evidence-based level, you reduce mortality and length of stay.??

When you look at the positive impact this makes across all the ICUs in the enterprise, it’s impressive. Depending on the strategy of the healthcare organization, it could also be perceived as “losing money,” because patients are spending less time in the ICU. That’s one of the reasons I love Intermountain: Even if it means we’re losing money versus saving money on value, it’s the right thing for patients. And we remain committed to that.?

Sure, because proactive care is risk, right? When patients are sick, hospitals make money.?

Yeah, it’s interesting. It depends on the way you define success. In the Clinical Programs, we believe at the end of the day, when you do the right thing for the patient, you’re doing the right thing.?

We live in an era where there are commonly more patients to be seen than there are providers, caregivers, and time to take care of them. If you approach initiatives like LTVV with a scarcity mindset, you could say, oh wait, that’s a risk to our balance sheet. But if you use an abundance mindset, then when you do the right thing for the patient, you know you will always be rewarded in the long run.??