who is also looking at innovative ways to deliver care more efficiently and effectively. Dr. Sam Skootsky, our chief medical officer for the UCLA Medical Group, is consistently implementing novel strategies to improve the health of our patient population. We also look outside of our own organization; if there are others who are implementing unique strategies, we spend time learning about those organizations and try to replicate some of those initiatives here. Is it more difficult to maintain high quality at a time when there is such a strong mandate to reduce costs? Dr. Cherry: The key is to use evidence-based practice and make sure that physicians, as best they can, reduce the day-to-day clinical-practice variations in their approach to patients. The more that physicians and surgeons collaborate as a team, and come up with consensus opinion after reviewing the literature, the better off we’ll be in terms of managing our limited resources while improving the care that is delivered. You find that the cost of care becomes much-more expensive when we’re not all on the same page regarding optimal treatment. The outcomes may be the same, but one physician may be using more- expensive treatment options than another. Getting the same, or better, outcomes by using our resources more wisely is part of the task ahead. Do you see any tension between quality and cost constraint? As we try to reduce costs, does that necessitate trade-offs in quality? Dr. Cherry: Not at all. When we’re able to provide improved care with reduced cost, we can take that savings and reinvest it in ways that will allow for better care over time. As an academic research institution, we must continue to invest in cutting-edge technology to care for patients. To do that in this era, we have to make sure we manage our resources well. In the past, we didn’t have to think about that as much. Now, it’s imperative that we provide care that is as efficient and lean as possible and then use the savings to invest in new technology, supplies and pharmaceuticals for the betterment of our patient population. How has your background as a trauma surgeon influenced your thinking in more executive-focused roles? Dr. Cherry: I always received a great deal of satisfaction from taking care of the individual patient, but I’ve also found extraordinary satisfaction from managing clinical systems and contributing to the delivery of optimal care at a macro level. In trauma surgery, it is tremendously rewarding to rescue a patient from the brink after he or she has gone through a life-threatening or limb-threatening emergency. Now, there is a tremendous reward from watching mortality rates decrease, infection rates decrease, and fewer adverse events occurring within a facility because of creative teamwork, as well as the collaborative implementation of new and creative ways of delivering care. “The more that physicians and surgeons collaborate as a team, and come up with consensus opinion after reviewing the literature, the better off we’ll be in terms of managing our limited resources while improving the care that is delivered.” U MAGAZINE 17