Innovative thinking and the future of health care!

In a world where it sometimes feels better to “stay the course,” it’s both exciting and refreshing to watch a new process unfold.


Led by Winjie Miao, President of Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Azle, and supported by a strong cast from the Center for Learning at Texas Health Resources, a small group of intrepid explorers are about to embark on a virtual journey to the future.

This dozen or so employees, representing a wide spectrum of experiences and skills are charged with “future thinking” their way to a new vision of health care delivery by Texas Health. To what model will health care morph, five, ten, twenty years from now? What should it look like? These employees hope to create a vision that will help us get to that reality.

Make no mistake. The future of health care will look much different that it does today, regardless of what is accomplished in the US Congress. As the demographics evolve, we will need to look ahead and be ready for an aging population. Bricks and mortar alone will not get the job done. New structures in health care delivery will need to be created to meet the growing needs of our communities. New ways to enhance disease prevention and disease management will be mandated – failure to do so will result in health care drowning in a sea of acute care needs with no lifeboat in sight.

Starting at the end of this month, this group will begin working on what the next generation of health care delivery will look like. Congratulations to all the members of the team for their willingness to think outside the box. Congratulations to Texas Health for its willingness to support and nurture such innovation.

Now, we would like to hear from you. What do you think the next generation of health care delivery looks like? Leave us a comment!

- Dr. Joe Prosser, chief quality officer

Texas Health Fort Worth

Texas Health Azle

A little bit about the recent loss of water in Azle!

If you are a resident in the City of Azle, you are coping with our recent loss of water. Thank goodness water has now been restored and we are waiting on the boiling order to be lifted.


I have had several people inquire about how the water outage affects hospital operations. I wanted to address this briefly:
- The patients currently in the hospital at Texas Health Azle are being well taken care of during this brief water outage. The hospital has more than a week supply of water on back-up reserve in the event of an emergency.
- Our patient’s safety and health is most important to us at this time.
- We have brought in bottled water and fresh ice for our patients and their family members.
- As of this morning, the city of Azle has restored water to the area. The hospital is following the city’s recommendations to boil any water before use for the next 24 hours.
- Elective surgeries have been cancelled for today.
- Patients who need to be admitted to the hospital in Azle have been diverted to Texas Health Fort Worth for the next 24 hours.

We are constantly evaluating the situation and making the most prudent decisions with our patient’s health and well-being in mind. If you have questions, please feel free to leave me a comment and we will respond!

 - Winjie Tang Miao, president