Vying for Market Leadership

“PacMed is working to position itself over others in the marketplace,” says Jim Gore, PMC’s chief administrative officer. “In terms of the number of doctors and sites we have, PMC/SPMG ranks third behind Virginia Mason/Group Health and Medalia/Providence. But that’s not the only measurement that counts.”

Gore reports that PMC clinics have done an outstanding job in terms of reducing excess clinical capacity and increasing patient volume. “Last year, each of our primary care providers averaged 2,867 patient visits,” explains Gore. “If we continue on the course we’ve set for ourselves this year, on average each doc will complete 2,993 patient visits. The 4.4 percent gain in visits is remarkable during a time when PMC is opening, relocating, remodeling and realigning many clinics.”

PMC is handling the aggressive growth in its clinics at the same time it’s developing coordinated training for all staff (see related story on page ____) and introducing new technologies. The new tools and programs are designed to help PMC distinguish itself from its main competitors. It’s been a significant investment in time and money.

“The PMC goal is to have the best possible health outcomes and high patient satisfaction while keeping costs low,” Gore explains. He lists the strategies to gain marketplace dominance:

• Distributed network of medical offices in communities and neighborhoods.

• Clinics located to be geographically convenient to patients.

• Clinics that are staffed by professionals who are known and trusted by our patients.

• Providers who use the best technology available and are backed up by highly trained and specialists.

• Providers assisted by well trained and effective support staff who are focused on patient service.

With this strategy, Gore has no doubt that PMC is going to be sought after as a premier health care provider in the communities it enters.

“Virginia Mason/Group Health focuses on larger clinics,” Gore says. “Their operations are more bureaucratic than anything we envision for PMC. Their size and structure alone means they are less in touch with their communities and neighborhoods — and their patients.

“Medalia Health Care, on the other hand, understands the importance of smaller clinics, but the network model it has adopted doesn’t have system integration,” Gore explains. “Without coordinated support systems, they aren’t able to provide the level of professional service PMC gives its patients.”

The underpinning of PMC’s competitive strategy is to give its providers the best tools available in terms of technology, telecommunications, and administrative and clinical support.

“Personalized health care with transparent processes and systems so staff can focus on patients — delivered with a reasonable profit; that’s my vision for PMC,” Gore concludes. “With new technologies, increased access to high-level training and a staff that embraces the vision for outstanding patient care, our network of clinics can’t help but grow into the most outstanding health-care delivery system in the Puget Sound region.”