Mary Greeley began working with the Studer Group in 2006. From the introduction of AIDET to implementation of leadership rounding, the relationship has impacted patient care and workplace culture in a variety of ways. "The impact can be seen in three overall areas," says Neal Loes, RN, BSN, MS, vice president and chief nursing officer.
See a Mary Greeley produced video on nurse leader rounding
“First, Studer has provided us with a Standard Work approach that has become a valuable part of our efforts to educate staff, hold people accountable and develop a truly service-oriented culture,” says Loes. “Second, they’ve helped us be more data driven, as opposed to simply relying on perceptions or anecdotal information, in our search for improvement opportunities and strategies. Finally, they’ve helped our staff develop a deeper understanding of why our patient experience is so important and why their care delivery is so critical to the mission of the medical center.”
As a result, Loes says, Mary Greeley Medical Center has seen steady improvement in patient care scores as measured by the hospital’s patient experience survey vendor.
“We work hard to maintain a culture that is focused on patient care and patient experience. This applies to direct patient care staff and to staff who support them,” Loes says. “Studer has helped all our staff feel valued and understand the important roles they play here.”
Mary Greeley Overview
Mary Greeley was founded in 1916 with a gift to the city of Ames, Iowa, from Captain Wallace Greeley in memory of his wife, Mary.
Mary Greeley has grown with the region it serves. The hospital is now licensed for 220 beds and employees approximately 1,300 people. The majority of the staff are nurses. In 2011, Mary Greeley began requiring nurses to be BSN prepared within 10 years of hire to support the national effort of increasing the percentage of BSNs. In support of continued emphasis of this goal, the requirement was changed for new hires to be BSN prepared in six years. Forty-four percent of nurses are now baccalaureate prepared.
Employees are encouraged to identify opportunities to continuously improve their work through submission of ideas through a program called Daily Improvements, as well as participation on improvement teams. To date, employees have submitted approximately 1,400 ideas for improving their work and more than 1,000 of those ideas have been implemented. Additionally, Rapid Improvement Events and Value Stream Mapping events all provide opportunities for those closest to the work to design and re-design their work processes, further supporting a culture of engagement.
The medical center’s facilities have expanded over the years. In 2013, a $130 million capital project was launched, resulting in a new six-story patient tower offering larger rooms and a number of other amenities; an expanded emergency department; and a new main entrance featuring a skywalk entrance that will come in handy during Iowa’s often harsh winters.
The hospital has also provided central Iowans with access to advance medical technologies. Major medical equipment supporting health care delivery include a 1.5 tesla MRI, High Dose Rate (HDR) radiation therapy, TruBeam linear accelerator technology, large bore CT simulator with respiratory gaiting treatment planning, operating room navigation systems for ENT, neurosurgical and orthopedics, two interventional cardiac catheterization labs, and an electrophysiology lab. The hospital recently added a second robot to its growing robotic-assisted surgery program. Mary Greeley was one of the first hospitals in Iowa to offer single-site general surgery and thoracic surgery in its robotic-assisted surgery program.
The hospital’s success can, in part, be credited to the strong partnerships it has developed, in particular with McFarland Clinic. While separate organizations — Mary Greeley is a municipal non-profit, McFarland is physician-owned— the hospital and clinic have a highly effective relationship that is built on patient-centered care. McFarland medical staff contribute input into clinical operations at Mary Greeley through consensus-based decision making.
McFarland and Mary Greeley’s main facilities are located in Ames and literally connected by a hallway. This proximity creates a convenient environment for patients, families and visitors, and contributes to the effective coordination of care. This coordination is further enhanced by an electronic medical records system shared by Mary Greeley and McFarland. The hospital and clinic also partner on the William R. Bliss Cancer Center, which provides a variety of advanced treatment and support services for cancer patients, and a cardiology program, which provides a range of heart care services.
McFarland Clinic offers primary care as well as 35 medical specialties. Mary Greeley services include obstetrics, cardiac care, diabetes care, physical therapy, mental health, home medical and surgery. Mary Greeley also offers home hospice services and the Israel Family Hospice House, which provides compassionate end-of-life care.
Mary Greeley also partners with a number of other nearby providers, including the Doran Clinic for Women, Iowa Heart Center, Wolfe Eye Clinic, Iowa State University Student Health, Primary Health Care, and Ames Foot Clinic.
Honors and Recognition
Mary Greeley consistently earns recognition for the quality of its care, including:
- Grade “A” for Patient Safety from the Leapfrog Group. Mary Greeley has received an “A” grade eight consecutive times, more than any other hospital in Iowa.
- 2013, 2104, 2015 Top Performer on Key Quality Measures from the Joint Commission.
- 2013, 2014, 2015 Top Iowa Workplace by Des Moines (Iowa) Register
- 2014, 2015 Most Wired Hospital. Mary Greeley had to meet rigorous requirements in several information technology areas.
- 2014 Iowa Recognition for Performance Excellence Gold Recognition, which recognizes achievements in systematic processes and results in several areas, including leadership, strategic planning and customer focus.
- 2014 “Excellence in Patient Care” Award from the Studer Group
- The 2015 Iowa Healthcare Collaborative Patient Safety Award for Safety/Safety Across the Board for staffing pharmacists on the Oncology unit.
- 2015 Baby-Friendly Designation by Baby Friendly USA, Inc. Mary Greeley is the second and largest hospital in Iowa to earn this distinction. Baby-Friendly focuses on the benefits of breast milk feeding for moms and babies. The Baby-Friendly initiative was a multi-year effort that involved both Mary Greeley’s Birthways unit staff, hospital administration, obstetricians and pediatricians.