Excellence. Excellence is one of the core values at Harrison. It is partnered with Compassion and Innovation, which I have talked about previously. Like innovation, excellence is a somewhat vague term. To one organization it may mean continuous improvement or a dedication to meet client needs with a sense of urgency. To another organization it may mean constantly raising the bar of the quality of their services. Interestingly, some consider excellence to be synonymous with innovation.
Regardless, most scholars would agree that if a word is going to be a “core value” it should be describing exceptional attitudes, actions, or outcomes. At Harrison, it is about all three. This might be challenging for some organizations, but because the “mother” of our values is compassion, we can achieve this very naturally. By simply caring for clients (or co-workers) in a heartfelt way through genuine empathy, staff can achieve excellence across this spectrum almost effortlessly. It is well documented that in clinical settings, compassion breeds excellence.
Having said the above, our focus is on excellence in outcomes. We are a healthcare organization after all, and our mission is to “optimize the health and well-being of our clients.”
I have written before about how scientific studies have shown that compassion alone can have a profound impact on a client’s health – how a simple acknowledgment of a patient’s concern can result in an 80% improvement in cholesterol and blood sugar levels, and 40% less severe complications with metabolic diseases. But we want to optimize outcomes by going beyond compassion. We want to innovate ourselves and create new ways of improving the well-being of our clients, and we also want to pay close attention to scientific research and development and take full advantage of the innovation of others.
One of the most important movements in modern medical science is “precision medicine” also referred to as “personalized medicine.” In the simplest terms this means going beyond “one-size-fits-all” traditional models of prevention and care. We must look very deeply at each client’s health history, metabolic factors, genetic traits, family history, lifestyle, social, and demographic factors before we create a health plan for them. We must understand the complete context of their life as well as their “molecular” uniqueness. We call this their Precision Medicine Profile (PMP).
At Harrison we are attaching our own innovation to others to create a unique “precision” model. It has 5 primary elements within a lifespan:
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- Prediction: Identify genetic and other risks for disease and planning for the effects of illnesses in advance.
- Prevention: Ensure that preventive action is taken to intervene well before the onset of symptoms, let alone illness.
- Early Detection: Detect the presence of disease at the earliest possible stage, when treatment is most effective.
- Reaction: Treat an established disease or condition, fully understanding genetic and other factors that may affect the efficacy of treatment.
- Participation: Ensure that the client is well educated and fully participating in their ongoing care or prevention.
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Whether a Harrison client has come to us early or later in life will determine their health plan, but regardless of the stage of intervention, all preventive or care measures are completely personalized based on their unique Precision Medicine Profile.
We are very fortunate to have Dr. Bernard Esquivel leading our team of medical advisors in this area. He is the former Chief Medical Officer of the Mayo Clinic’s pharmacogenetic program and a globally renowned leader in the field.
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