The Texas Medical Center (TMC) hosts the most concentrated population of talented physicians in the country, if not the world. In contrast, HCA Houston Healthcare’s access points have long sprawled across the greater Houston area through a tightly connected system that drives efficiencies for staff, physicians, and, of course, patients.
While both are esteemed healthcare forces providing high acuity and specialty care, among other key services, the models differ. Traditionally focused on developing the TMC facilities first, some hospital systems have only recently expanded into the suburban areas where HCA Houston hospitals have maintained decades-long relationships. Through methodical investments in partnership, physical and virtual points of care, and enhanced training for nurses and physicians, HCA Houston helps sustain the social, economic, and health profile of the region.
Globally connected through HCA Healthcare, the network includes the largest clinical data management system in the healthcare field, used in part to find ways to reduce infection, improve pregnancy outcomes, and further cancer research. As part of that network, the communities of Clear Lake, Conroe, Pasadena, west Houston, Tomball, and other high-growth areas have long benefited from medical expertise beyond Houston, as have recognized specialty care facilities for women’s health and orthopedic care, both located in central Houston just outside the TMC area.
A part of the HCA Houston family of hospitals, The Woman’s Hospital of Texas delivers approximately 11,000 babies annually, and is a pioneer in the care of moms and babies, particularly related to high risk pregnancy and NICU care. Texas Orthopedic Hospital is an international destination hospital for patients seeking specialty orthopedic care, including joint replacement, spine surgery, and orthopedic trauma. And HCA Houston Healthcare Medical Center rounds out the vision for specialty care hospitals as it is on a journey to become the first destination specialty surgical hospital in Houston.
The city’s most elite physicians are finally meeting face to face with the resources that we believe change the trajectory of not only their individual influence, but the health of Houston and beyond.
Access to a Healthier Tomorrow
A cohesive access point strategy helps satisfy the modern patient’s increasingly self-driven care journey, from digital appointment and record management to virtual care options and back to the network of brick and mortar facilities. If done right, all points work in concert to meet consumers wherever they live, work, and travel. But the epitome of an accessible care model is one that also prioritizes better access for physicians.
That means access to patients, quality nurses, research, technology, short- and long-term professional development opportunities, and—maybe most importantly—a network of talented colleagues furthering the dialogue around achieving a healthier tomorrow.
A deeper provider-physician model is key to achieve that kind of access. Options plus infrastructure allow for more flexibility for both parties, and the HCA Houston Healthcare model is a differentiator even within the healthcare capital of the world. It’s a system that equally celebrates legacy and entrepreneurship.
This fluidity begets more access. As partnerships, data, and expertise move across the system, the more frequently our teams establish best practices and share them back into the hospitals more efficiently. It’s a system that nourishes itself, turning encounter data into a nationally developed specialty that benefits the community, and goes back again for continued improvement.
The healthcare industry sometimes has a reputation for being too complex to innovate quickly. But the value of an expansive, globally connected system is operational efficiencies in many areas, including innovation. Best practices are disseminated faster, physicians have expedient access to millions of data points, and ultimately, the potential for improved patient outcomes is not just possible, but plausible.
