As Duke University Health System begins a new year of health care, research and education, Molly O’Neill, chief strategic planning officer, vice president for business development and vice chancellor for Medical Center integrated planning, will work to streamline the future vision of DUHS by combining roles previously held by several people.
O’Neill is the first administrator to be hired by Dr. Victor Dzau, who assumed the role of chancellor for health affairs and president and CEO of DUHS in July. In her newly created position, O’Neill will focus on strategic planning, business development and network strategy for all components of the Health System. O’Neill began her duties June 28 and has been working to understand the breadth and depth of the medical facilities as well as the culture of the local community.
“Duke has a rich history to build on,” she said. “We need to improve the synergy of all the different pieces and create a culture that will foster innovation.”
O’Neill’s responsibilities had previously been fulfilled by approximately six other officials, but the administration felt it was time for DUHS to create a more unified vision for the future.
“With an organization as large and varied as Duke, you really need structure in the planning process,” said William Donelan, chief operating officer of DUHS and vice chancellor for health affairs. “We have lots of ideas, but they need to be evaluated in the context of an overarching strategic director.”
The last strategic plan for DUHS was completed in 2000, and Donelan noted that there has been a need for someone with O’Neill’s strengths and capabilities for years—and O’Neill is ready for the job.
“We need to make sure all the best pieces fit together in the best way possible—especially since there are limitless opportunities here at Duke,” she said.
O’Neill will be a key figure in designing the new strategic planning initiative DUHS will launch this October. In the initiative she hopes to include improving ambulatory care and community hospitals and extending Duke’s influence to other facilities.
She also aims to expand outpatient services such as diagnostic testing and cancer treatment, which she hopes will encourage patients to choose Duke University Hospital instead of competing medical facilities. “It is important not to dilute the brand but ensure Duke-level care throughout our neighboring counties,” she said.
O’Neill wants to establish a network of cancer and heart treatment centers with hospitals in elsewhere in North Carolina and in other states, including Virginia and Florida. This will require extensive financial planning, since DUHS would support these facilities. Another hurdle that O’Neill may face is potential restrictions on funding distributed by the National Institutes of Health, as the government may tighten support for health care programs like Medicare and Medicaid.
“There is an insatiable need for capital here,” she said. “We need to ensure the best technology for patients to keep up with the technology arms race.”
O’Neill said she hopes to comprehend the basic sciences in more detail while adjusting to her new role, and her energy and past experiences will certainly aid her. Before arriving at Duke, she spent six years working in Boston for Partners Healthcare System, which includes Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
“Molly is a very creative thinker who has the capacity to envision the future,” said Peter Markell, vice president for finance at Partners. “She is very good at understanding the physicians’ perspectives, needs and how to build collaborations among physicians.”
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