Page 3 - USAP Connected_WINTER 2017

KRIS BRATBERG Chief Executive O cer US Anesthesia Partners
Welcome to the rst issue of Connected, a magazine designed for US Anesthesia Partners and its stakeholders. While USAP uses a variety of communications channels to stay engaged with its various audiences, Connected is designed to provide you with a broader sense of USAP’s mission, perspective on important issues and its culture.
While there are many forces impacting and changing health care these days, an important constant is that the patient experience is determined by people. People who are skilled and have tremendous expertise. People who are committed to quality and positive outcomes. People who see patients with empathy, as human beings who have fears, concerns and hopes similar to their own. People who understand the physical, mental, emotional and nancial strains that come with navigating and being a patient within our health care system.
These people include surgeons, hospital executives, nurses, nurse anesthetists, anesthesiologists, radiologists, billing and customer service team members, legislators and many others who directly and indirectly create the overall patient experience.
Quoted in a book several years ago, a moving van driver emphatically stated his job was not “moving people’s stu from one place to another.” Instead, he said he viewed his role as helping people get through a momentous change in their life (new job, divorce, death, job loss, new family) with as little stress as possible.
He looked beyond the task of his job to see the human value his work could provide to others.
While those of us in health care can clearly see the human value in what we are providing, at times we may get xed on the task at hand and lose sight of the larger human impact we can make in our everyday jobs. Maybe we don’t often enough consider the unique story behind each patient and what brought them into our care. If we do our job correctly, task-wise, and we do it within the larger context of what that enables for the patient (living longer to see a child’s wedding, getting back to work quickly, a successful start on their journey as parents, etc.), we cannot only enhance the experience of the patient, but we can also bring more meaning to our work and give us greater satisfaction / enjoyment in what can sometimes be a grueling routine.
While we undoubtedly have many important issues to address in health care—from balanced billing, to the A ordable Care Act, to physician burnout—let’s not lose sight of the fact that we are fortunate to be part of the most comprehensive and highest quality health care system in the world. As a part of this system, we are in a position to truly impact the physical and emotional well-being of millions of our neighbors. What a duty and what a privilege.
I am proud to be a part of USAP and proud that you—whether a colleague, surgeon, patient or facility leader—have allowed USAP to be a part of your life.
We hope you enjoy the rst issue of Connected, particularly the clinician and sta pro les, which allow you to meet a few of our team members on a more personal level. Please stay in contact with us on all things, including your suggestions for topics to cover in future issues.
Respectfully,
Kris Bratberg | Chief Executive O cer US Anesthesia Partners
ISSUE ONE | CONNECTED