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Million Dollar Treatmentby Jenny Vacca 
Harold and Pat Korell Harold M. Korell wants you to imagine a clinic where you have access to not only the best medical minds in the world, but also the best service... service you might not expect from the usual health care facility. He has given a million dollars to make it happen. Korell, who is president and CEO of Houston-based Southwestern Energy Company, and his wife Pat recently presented a check for $1 million to Baylor College of Medicine President Dr. Peter G. Traber, to advance the College's efforts in creating a patient-friendly, patient-first, comprehensive care clinic. "The Baylor Clinic is about the patient," said Traber. "We have outstanding clinicians backed by one of the nation's top-rated research programs. Our patients should receive that kind of quality medicine in an equally great atmosphere that is comfortable, convenient and attentive to our patients' needs. Mr. Korell's generous gift allows us to continually move forward in that direction." Korell has been an enthusiastic supporter of the Baylor Clinic since the first phase opened in July 2005. He is most impressed with the College's endeavor to bring together many medical disciplines in one clinic. "The whole concept is timely and forward-thinking," said Korell. "The Baylor Clinic is what people need; this is modern medicine. Health care will become convenient, progressive and exceptional through the Clinic. I am honored to contribute to its success in any way," he added. Korell's gift will be used to implement what the College has dubbed an "Academic Model of Care," a program geared toward fostering a culture of service within the Clinic. While customer service is not an alien concept to academic health centers, it isn't a fully developed one either. A stereotype has permeated much of the health profession that academic medical facilities cannot achieve the same level of service as private practices because they haven't nurtured a culture of service. However, Dr. Jeff Steinbauer, medical director at Baylor Clinic, doesn't believe this is the case with BCM. Steinbauer is excited about the potential for implementing a new model of customer care with the help of the Korell gift. "Our mission is to achieve state-of-the-art medical care and customer service in an environment dedicated to teaching these principles and discovering new ways to achieve them. Outstanding customer service is key to the success of the Baylor Clinic experience. A physician's office should offer nothing less," said Steinbauer. Staff will be trained at every level on how to provide superior service. The second half of the initiative will focus on acknowledging and rewarding staff who consistently provide top customer service. "If we want our patients to receive excellent customer care, then our employees need to be treated with equal attention. Great service is about meeting the needs of both patients and our staff," said Steinbauer. The new plan will tackle many aspects of service including responding rapidly to patient needs, learning to coordinate care between departments, maintaining effective communication among a large group of specialties and medical services, and of course, seeking ways to minimize wait times. Careful training of clinic staff will enhance their job satisfaction, as well as patient satisfaction. Down the road, the program Korell has funded will support other elements of the vision for the Baylor Clinic, such as seamlessly incorporating the electronic medical record into customer care. "Mr. Korell's gift is not only a step forward to the Clinic fulfilling its mission, but also to the world of medicine becoming much more accessible and pleasant for future patients," said Steinbauer. Korell said he has always led his company by "choosing the right people, and doing the right things." He definitely is doing something right: Southwestern Energy was ranked as one of the top five best-performing companies in the United States by the Wall Street Journal's annual Shareholder Scoreboard. "A medical clinic is a business. What we remember from any given experience, whether as a patient or even an investor, is how we were treated as people. You can have a great medical facility and great doctors, but if you can't deliver attention to a patient with the best professional practices, people will go elsewhere," he said. "I believe Baylor Clinic is taking an extraordinary step in the right direction, and this gift is a way of ensuring that every person who walks through the Clinic's doors immediately feels the difference." Korell joined Southwestern Energy in 1997 as executive vice president and chief operating officer after having held executive positions with American Exploration Company, McCormick Resources and Tenneco Oil Company. He is a graduate of the Colorado School of Mines and serves on the Walton College Dean's Executive Advisory Board and is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, the American Gas Association and the Independent Petroleum Association of America. |
Patient CareResearchTrekking Into New Territory: Translational Biology and Molecular Medicine Closing the Gap Between Lab and Clinic EducationTulane's Journey Back to New Orleans Community ServiceAlumni & DevelopmentCollege News
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Volume 2, Issue 2, Summer 2006 |
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