Managing Sepsis – Digital Transformation and Workflow Integration at St. Luke’s University Hospital Network

This case follows the decision-making process of protagonist Walt Langley, Chief Quality Officer at St. Luke’s University Hospital Network (St. Luke’s), as he weighs the advantages and disadvantages of adding a new hospital, St Anne’s, to St. Luke’s. The protagonist, circumstances and decision facing the protagonist are fictional, and used to facilitate an effective case discussion. St. Luke’s is a prominent hospital system, consisting of 15 campuses, spread across 11 counties in Pennsylvania (mainly) and New Jersey. Founded more than a century ago, St. Luke’s has experienced significant growth, established a reputation for clinical excellence, and is recognized as a digital leader. Driven by purpose to serve its communities, St. Luke’s is also differentiated by having one of the longest-tenured CEOs in the healthcare industry at the time the case is written. St. Luke’s performance earned it US News Top 100 Hospitals status, and the system repeatedly was rated an A grade hospital by Leapfrog. The case establishes these organizational dynamics as the context for the St. Anne’s acquisition decision. The protagonist acknowledges the value that St. Anne’s will add to St. Luke’s, but is uncertain whether St. Anne’s can successfully assimilate into the culture of excellence fostered at St. Luke’s. To guide his decision, the protagonist explores the implementation and performance of a quality improvement project to improve the management of sepsis. Using sepsis management as an example, the protagonist examines whether the cultural, organization, technological and system factors that drive innovation at St. Luke’s are transferable to new hospitals joining St. Luke’s.