About Us

Care Transformation Model

Our mission, "To Serve Humanity by Improving Health," defines our core purpose and why we exist. This drives our promise of quality service to the community we serve, and our Care Transformation Model is fundamental to delivering on that promise. This model is an approach to transforming care that aims to redefine and continuously improve the experience of our patients, their families, visitors, and staff.

Below are the five cultural attributes the define our Care Transformation Model. Click the links below to navigate to an area and learn more.

Patient and Family Advisors 

Another strong component of our care philosophy is our Patient and Family Advisor Program (PFA). 

• VIEW PFA PROGRAM
  

---

Patient- and Family-Centered Care

Core Concepts & Principles

Dignity and Respect – Health care practitioners listen to and honor patient and family perspectives and choices. Patient and family knowledge, values, beliefs, and cultural backgrounds are incorporated into the planning and delivery of care.

Information Sharing – Health care practitioners communicate and share complete and unbiased information with patients and families in ways that are affirming and useful. Patients and families receive timely, complete, and accurate information in order to effectively participate in care and decision-making.

Participation – Patients and families are encouraged and supported in participating in care and decision-making at the level they choose.

Collaboration – Patients, families, health care practitioners, and health care leaders collaborate in policy and program development, implementation, and evaluation; in facility design; and in professional education, as well as in the delivery of care.

---

Shared Decision Making

"A company will get nowhere if all of the thinking is left to management." 
Akio Morita, Co-Founder and former Chairman, Sony Corporation

Why Shared Decision Making?

The Purpose

To make the best, most well-informed decisions possible, towards the goal of:

• Improving the care and treatment offered across EHC

• Accelerating our progress toward achieving our vision

To cultivate, among all staff:

• A spirit of pride in, and ownership of, the work they do to advance EHC's mission and vision

• An understanding of how their work either directly or indirectly serves our patients and families

• Enthusiasm for, and investment in, measuring, assessing and improving the care and service we offer patients, families and each other

Core Principles of Shared Decision-Making

• Clarity regarding how the final decision(s) will be made, and who will make it

• Identification and involvement of key stakeholders

• Empowerment of staff and individuals involved

• Follow-up once the decision has been made

---

Cultural Competency and Diversity

Emory Healthcare's vision, to be recognized as the leading health care system in Atlanta and the Southeast, differentiated by discovery, innovation, and compassionate, patient-focused care, cannot be accomplished without full engagement from every member of our Emory Healthcare community. Together, we must ensure Emory Healthcare offers an environment that is inclusive and sensitive to the needs of our patients, families and our employees and provider teams without regard to race, color, gender, religion or sexual/gender orientations and expressions. By fostering a culture that embraces diversity and cultural competence, Emory Healthcare will dramatically improve the care we offer while further enhancing our commitment to our employees and provider teams.

From the Emory Healthcare Vision for Cultural Competency and Diversity

Core Principles of Cultural Competency and Diversity

Respect and Dignity – We recognize and honor differences between ourselves, patients, families and our co-workers. We accept and understand differences in customs, values, beliefs, ethnicity, and patterns of thinking of our employees, provider teams, and patient population; as they relate to race, gender, age, class, sexuality, culture, nationality, disability, religion, and region.

Inclusion – We encourage and compel the inclusion of diverse patients, families, employees and provider teams in policy and program development. We strive to provide equal opportunity for all, removing institutional barriers of exclusion and taking affirmative measures to include persons who might otherwise be excluded.

Collaboration – We are sensitive to and knowledgeable about the diverse needs of our patients, families, employees and provider teams. We will enhance the delivery of care by being perceptive of the needs of our patients and families across social and cultural dimensions.

Celebration – Integration of cultural competency and diversity leads to a positive work environment by fostering an atmosphere that recognizes and appreciates the differences in peoples, cultures, and beliefs. We will acknowledge and embrace these differences.

---

Fair and Just Culture

In embracing the concept of a fair and just culture, Emory Healthcare leadership is embracing an opportunity to bring our core values into expression and to help us keep our promise to our patients. We know that in order for staff, physicians and leaders to have the greatest impact on patient care and achieve the highest level of excellence possible, they must feel compelled and supported to speak about problems, errors, conflicts and misunderstandings in an environment where to do so with curiosity, honesty and respect is both a shared goal and a shared responsibility.

From the Emory Healthcare Vision for a Fair and Just Culture

Fair and Just Culture Core Beliefs

• To err is human
• To drift is human
• Risk is everywhere in much of what we do
• We are all accountable

---

Transparency

"Total transparency breeds self-correcting behavior." –Admiral Thad Allen, Coast Guard Commandant

Lessons We Have Learned About Transparency

• We must have the will to be transparent.
• Transparency does not just happen but requires intent, planning, and infrastructure.
• Where there are barriers to transparency, we have to learn why they exist and address them directly.
• Shared Decision Making teaches us how to be transparent.

Features of Our Commitment to Transparency

• Posting data about our clinical, safety and patient satisfaction outcomes on the Emory Healthcare website. 
• Having a disclosure policy in place to ensure prompt disclosure to patients and families of any adverse outcomes or unintended occurrences associated with treatment, and to provide caring and compassionate follow-up assistance when needed.

• View Quality Reports