Straight talk--new approaches in healthcare. The best starting point for performance improvement: a healthy bottom line. Panel discussion.

Bon Secours Health System's South Division launched a multitude of performance-improvement projects in 2004 even though it boasted a 9% margin. Why? Officials at the Catholic healthcare system wanted to increase the amount of money available for its nation-wide charitable commitments as well as to invest in capital projects critical to its mission. In this installment of Straight Talk, we look at the performance-improvement initiatives of the South Division of Bon Secours Health System, Inc.