Centura Health Overview

Centura Health is considered Colorado’s largest healthcare organization, inclusive of a 12-hospital system. The company’s mission includes celebrating the value inherent in each individual’s life and working collaboratively to “lift the burdens of others” by offering comprehensive and loving care to all customers and patients served by Centura (Centura, 2005). The mission statement of the organization is to “extend the healing ministry of Christ by caring for those who are ill and nurturing the health of people in our communities” (Centura, 2005).
The vision includes fulfilling the organization’s covenant that guarantees excellence and integrity of service, creating partnerships with community members and patients for life (Centura, 2005). The organization has identified multiple core values which include: integrity, stewardship, spirituality, imagination, respect, excellence and compassion” (Centura, 2005).

Corporate Structure Centura.

Current Centura operates as a non-profit agency and structures key decision making using what they refer to as a “Values Impact Analysis” (Centura, 2005). This tool helps organizational representatives weight the costs to benefits of selected decisions as applied to the organization’s core values. The process adopted by the organization is considered “dynamic and rigorous” with the intent of enabling “conscientious decisions respectful of stakeholders needs” but also in line with the values and needs of patients (Centura, 2005). The organizational model includes a hierarchical system with the following: President/CEO, Executive Vice President, and COO, Sr. Vice President, CFO, Chief Medical Officer and supporting management staff (Centura, 2005).

Key to the governance model includes collaboration with other medical providers and health agencies throughout the state of Colorado. The decision-making model adopted by Centura involves the use of the Values Impact Analysis process that helps key management staff make decisions that are not only fiscally sound but also reflect the organization’s core values and perspectives of patients that may be impacted by decisions. The organization makes use of an on-site Mission and Ministry whose role includes providing “reflections, a prayer chain” and various other resources for employees and associates of the organization (Centura, 2005).

In addition, the organization utilizes a SHARE program that resembles a rewards and recognition program to highlight outstanding achievements among employees, customers, and co-workers (Centura, 2005). Centura has also adopted a collaborative environment where communication is promoted through a “Mastery Development Plan” (Centura, 2005). This plan provides team members within the organization a method of facilitating personal and professional development and communication by providing training for technical and support staff and providing communications training to all staff to encourage greater collaboration and community connections among employees (Centura, 2005).

Centura has also adopted quality improvement measures focusing on patient populations, physician and clinician teams to help promote “excellence in care” (Centura, 2005). The organization to this effect has created what they refer to as a “Quality, Safety and Outcomes Management department” whose sole role includes supporting a solid communications infrastructure and commitment to quality improvement (Centura, 2005).

Quality of Organization Analysis.

Centura’s approach to quality involves defining ‘value directed’ services and providing value directed management to customers both internal and external. This is a solid approach to instilling quality within the organization. Arogyaswamy & Simmons (1993) point to the importance of using value-directed management approaches to ensure the best possible service to customers. Further, the authors suggest that organizations must approach total quality and empowerment of staff through articulated measures to achieve “stronger market positions” by establishing “an unquenchable thirst for improvement” (Arogyaswamy & Simmons, 3).