Mary Greeley has worked with Studer Group since 2006. From the introduction of Hourly Rounding® and AIDET® to the 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, MS, BSN, RN, NEA-BC, vice president and chief nursing officer.
“First, Studer has provided us with a Standard Work approach that has become a valuable part of our efforts to educate and coach staff, 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 patient experience is so important and why 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. For the past four years, Mary Greeley’s patient satisfaction has been above the 80th percentile.
“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.”
About Mary Greeley
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.
The hospital is now licensed for 220 beds and employs more than 1,300 people. The majority of the staff are nurses. Mary Greeley requires nurses to be BSN-prepared within six years of hire to support the national effort of increasing the percentage of BSNs. Nearly 50 percent of the medical center’s nurses are now baccalaureate prepared.
Mary Greeley constantly strives to improve its processes for patient care. This is done through Rapid Improvement Events, as well as a program that incentivizes employees to submit ideas for improvement. No idea is too small. These efforts provide opportunities for those closest to the work to design and re-design their processes, further supporting a culture of quality and engagement. Hundreds of ideas have resulted from these efforts, generating tens of thousands of dollars in savings and revenue.
The medical center’s facilities have expanded over the years. Most recently, a $130 capital project resulted in a new six-story patient tower and an expanded emergency department. The hospital is now actively pursuing an expansion of its inpatient adult behavioral health services.
Major medical equipment supporting healthcare delivery include a cardiac CT, 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 has two surgical robots to support its busy 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 strong partnerships with other central Iowa healthcare organizations, including area hospitals and McFarland Clinic. While separate organizations, Mary Greeley is a municipal non-profit and 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 are 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:
- Five-star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid’s (CMS) Hospital Compare website. Mary Greeley was one of only four hospitals in Iowa to receive a 5-star rating. The rating is based on quality measures in seven key areas: Mortality, Safety of Care, Readmission, Patient Experience, Effectiveness of Care, Timeliness of Care and Efficient Use of Medical Imaging. Mary Greeley routinely reports data related to these areas to CMS.
- Most Wired Hospital status, four years in a row.
- Iowa Recognition for Performance Excellence (IRPE) Gold Recognition, which recognizes achievements in systematic processes and results in several areas, including leadership, strategic planning and customer focus. Mary Greeley is the first two-time Gold recipient in the IRPE program.
- Top Performer on Key Quality Measures from The Joint Commission.
- Baby-Friendly Designation by Baby Friendly USA, Inc. Mary Greeley is the second and largest hospital in Iowa to earn this distinction.