Michelle Dorsey, MD, the chief of radiology at the Phoenix VA Health System in Arizona, has been awarded a White House Leadership Fellowship. Dorsey is the first Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) physician and radiologist to earn the fellowship. She will join the White House Office of Management and Budget for the Customer Experience Cross-Agency Priority (CAP) Goal.
“This fellowship will prepare me to develop transformative, collaborative programs that can make genuine difference in the lives of veterans,” Dorsey told the American College of Radiology in a prepared statement. “In particular, I anticipate that my work in ‘customer experience’ will translate into actionable initiatives here in Phoenix to enhance veterans’ satisfaction with the delivery of care.”
Specifically, Dorsey will assist in the development of customer service improvement initiatives to areas like Medicare, veterans’ healthcare services, airport security screening, emergency and disaster relief and federal student aid.
“Cross-Agency Priority (CAP) Goals are a tool used by leadership to accelerate progress on a limited number of Presidential priority areas where implementation requires active collaboration among multiple agencies,” according to a federal government website. “Long-term in nature, CAP Goals drive cross-government collaboration to tackle government-wide management challenges affecting most agencies. As a subset of Presidential priorities, CAP Goals are used to implement the President’s Management Agenda and are complemented by other cross-agency coordination and goal-setting efforts.”
The ACR noted under Dorsey’s direction at the Phoenix VA, the department performed 150,000 exams in 2017 and had a 95 percent completion rate within 30 days. Measured rates of employee and patient satisfaction also increased under her leadership.
Dorsey believes radiologists can contribute a unique skill set to customer experience-related tasks as are able to solve problems using analytical thinking, where they detect and analyze abnormalities, can develop a differential diagnosis and can also consult and communicate with patients and referring physicians.
Dorsey noted “cross-agency initiatives can and should be approached in a similar fashion.”
“Ultimately everyone has their own path, and we must all find ways to advance the practice of medicine and improve the overall human condition,” Dorsey said. “As physicians, that is truly our highest calling.”
As a senior news writer for TriMed, Subrata covers cardiology, clinical innovation and healthcare business. She has a master’s degree in communication management and 12 years of experience in journalism and public relations.