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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Quality

IHS 2023 Agency Work Plan

Summary

The Indian Health Service (IHS) is developing and implementing a work plan to identify, assess, report, and manage enterprise-level risks that impact the IHS environment. In support of the agency’s enterprise risk management efforts, the goal of the 2023 Agency Work Plan is to make an immediate impact on the Indian health system in alignment with the IHS mission and Strategic Plan.

2023 Agency Work Plan priorities

The 2023 Agency Work Plan is a living document that outlines critical actions the IHS is taking over the next year to address risk priorities identified by IHS leadership. A workgroup will lead each activity to identify root causes and design an implementation and monitoring plan to demonstrate a measurable impact on the agency. The IHS remains committed to mitigating programmatic and operational risks before they arise. IHS Leadership is focused on increased and effective communication with Tribal and Urban Indian Organization (UIO) partners on this work while developing sustainable actions.

Overview

The IHS Leadership Team is developing and implementing an Agency Work Plan. This plan details critical actions that address priorities that directly impact IHS operations, improve communication, and ensure safe, quality, patient-centered care.

To address agency priorities, the IHS will provide rigorous management and oversight of resources to ensure the health care needs of American Indians and Alaska Natives are met.

The work plan outlines critical priorities that will guide agency improvements over the next year and complements ongoing activities to improve patient safety and provide critical oversight of our programs. In 2021, the IHS developed an action plan to meet the U.S. Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) criteria for being removed from their high-risk list. That effort provides a foundation upon which the agency will move forward with implementing the 2023 Agency Work Plan.

Agency Priorities Aligned with IHS 2019-2023 Strategic Plan Goals and Objectives

IHS Strategic Plan Goal 1: To ensure that comprehensive, culturally appropriate personal and public health services are available and accessible to American Indian and Alaska Native people.

  • Objective 1.1: Recruit, develop, and retain a dedicated, competent, and caring workforce.
    • Patient Safety
      • Enhance standardization of the credentialing system.
        • Work Group Lead: Chief Medical Officer
    • Human Capital
      • Improve personnel security operations.
        • Work Group Lead: Director, Office of Human Resources
      • Further develop the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility program.
        • Work Group Lead: Director, Diversity Management and Equal Employment Opportunity Staff
      • Implement a workforce development plan.
        • Work Group Leads: Director, Office of Human Resources; and, Director, Office of Clinical and Preventive Services
      • Implement a workforce wellness plan that aligns with retention efforts.
        • Work Group Lead: Director, Office of Human Resources
    • Operational
      • Assess for the most effective human resources structure.
        • Work Group Lead: Deputy Director for Management Operations

IHS Strategic Plan Goal 2: To promote excellence and quality through innovation of the Indian health system into an optimally performing organization.

  • Objective 2.2: Provide care to better meet the health care needs of American Indian and Alaska Native communities.
    • Patient Safety
      • Standardize patient safety and adverse event policies.
        • Work Group Lead: Director, Office of Quality
      • Enhance facility manager and safety officer training agency-wide.
        • Work Group Lead: Director, Office of Environmental Health and Engineering
    • Operational
      • Improve the policy clearance process.
        • Work Group Lead: Chief of Staff
    • Compliance/Regulatory
      • Implement governance standardization across the agency.
        • Work Group Lead: Director, Office of Quality
      • Ensure a foundation of enterprise risk management.
        • Work Group Lead: Chief Medical Officer
    • Strategic
      • Manage an adaptable strategy and long-term plan.
        • Work Group Lead: Director, Office of Public Health Support

IHS Strategic Plan Goal 3: To strengthen IHS program management and operations.

  • Objective 3.1: Improve communication within the organization with Tribes, Urban Indian Organizations, and other stakeholders, and with the general public.
    • Operational
      • Expand Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act training.
        • Work Group Leads: Director, Office of Tribal Self-Governance; and, Director, Office of Direct Service and Contracting Tribes
      • Improve internal agency communication.
        • Work Group Lead: Director, Nashville Area
      • Improve external agency communication.
        • Work Group Lead: Deputy Director for Intergovernmental Affairs
    • Strategic
      • Enhance partnerships with tribes and urban Indian organizations.
        • Work Group Lead: Deputy Director for Intergovernmental Affairs
  • Objective 3.2: Objective 3.2: Secure and effectively manage the assets and resources.
    • Operational
      • Improve the acquisition planning process.
        • Work Group Lead: Director, Office of Management Services
    • Financial
      • Further develop a national 105(l) lease program.
        • Work Group Lead: Director, Office of Finance and Accounting
      • Improve Purchased/Referred Care financial process.
        • Work Group Lead: Director, Office of Resource Access and Partnerships
  • Objective 3.3: Modernize information technology and information systems to support data driven decisions.
    • Strategic
      • Enhance the sharing of data across the Indian health system.
        • Work Group Lead: Director, Office of Information Technology

2023 Agency Work Plan Implementation and Monitoring

The IHS has instituted effective systems and processes to mitigate risk by increased IHS leadership awareness and input for organizational change and improvement. The IHS aims to fully implement processes to monitor and validate the effectiveness and sustainability of corrective measures. The IHS actions in the 2023 Agency Work Plan will continue to develop and demonstrate sustainable improvements through clearly defined monitoring functions.

Agency actions to address priority areas included in the 2023 Agency Work Plan will be led by workgroups. Each Work Group is responsible for identifying the problem and its root cause, developing an action plan to address the problem that includes identifying resources needed, identifying measures to show improvement and impact, and monitoring efforts over time for sustained progress.

Communications about the 2023 Agency Work Plan will include progress, barriers encountered, resources needed, next steps, specific timelines, and accomplishments. The IHS leadership will track progress for each activity and look for sustained progress over time. Results of the work will be made public for our partners and stakeholders’ awareness. The goal is to complete the actions in the 2023 Agency Work Plan by December 31, 2023.