Over the years, Neosho Memorial Regional Medical Center, Chanute, Kansas has earned regional and national recognition for patient satisfaction, physician satisfaction and improvement in delivery of care. The staff of Neosho Memorial works hard to respond to a changing healthcare environment while maintaining and improving satisfaction among employees, physicians and patients.
“Our goal is quite simple. Focus. Focus on the patient and then use that momentum to focus all of our efforts on providing the best care to our patients, the best place for our physicians to practice medicine and the best place for our employees to work,” Dennis Franks, CEO said.
“We use the phrase “the B.E.S.T.” which means Bringing Excellence and Service Together,” he added.
But don’t take our word for it, just check out www.hospitalcompare.com. In April, Neosho Memorial was one of only 251 hospitals out of 3500 U.S. facilities to receive a 5-star rating by CMS.
“My staff has worked very hard in in a continually changing environment. We were honored to receive a 5-star rating and equally motivated to receive this Studer award. It means a great deal to us,” Franks said.
Studer tools and techniques have helped make a significant difference in moving patient scores to the “Always” category. AIDETS, hourly rounding, peer interviewing and SEM/LEM are used effectively and daily in this small rural facility.
“We use follow-up phone calls very effectively. They are a wonderful way to reconnect with your patients and to make sure that they are getting the care they need. This tool combines positive feedback with customer input to make our hospital one of the best.”
Since 2009, some of Neosho Memorial’s achievements have included:
- 2015 5-Star Rating – designated by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and represents the highest rating based upon patient survey results. In Kansas, five facilities received this distinction. Nationwide, only 251 out of 3,500 U.S. hospitals received the highest score on a new five-star rating system.
- 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010 and 2009 Best Places to Work in Healthcare Award – presented by Modern Healthcare magazine.
- 2014, 2013 Press Ganey Guardian of Excellence Award Physician Partnership– for reaching the 95th percentile in the nation on the physician partnership survey.
- 2014, 2013 Press Ganey Guardian of Excellence Award Employee Partnership– for reaching the 95th percentile in the nation on the employee partnership surveys.
- 2014 – 2011 Partnership for Patients Campaign- recognized by the Kansas Hospital Engagement Network for commitment to improving patient safety through the KHEN 2011-2014.
Education of Staff and Providers
Management at Neosho Memorial is a strong proponent of education. Upon hiring, each new employee receives a copy of Quint Studer’s Hardwiring Excellence and after his or her 90 day evaluation; the new hire receives a copy of The Great Employee Handbook by Studer Group.
When new managers join the hospital, they are sent within the year to Studer Group’s Taking You and Your Organization to the Next Level conference. Physicians and board members can choose between attending TYYONL or another Studer conference. This practice has proven to be an efficient and effective way to bring new managers and practitioners up to speed.
In addition, all employees are trained in LEAN methodologies during their first year. LEAN provides tools to standardize daily work and make work processes easier for patients, physicians and staff. “LEAN is a structured way to continuously expose opportunities and refine process to deliver value to patients,” Franks explained.
“Our goal is to give our patients hospital visits that incorporate the highest quality of care as efficiently and effectively as possible. At the same time, we want our employees and physicians to have the best foundation to help us meet this goal,” Franks added.
###
NEOSHO MEMORIAL REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER, Chanute, Kansas - Neosho Memorial Regional Medical Center is the largest Critical Access Hospital in Kansas and provides service to 33,000 patients in a four county area. The medical center provides emergency service to over 10,000 patients annually and is ranked in the 97th percentile in the nation for emergency patient satisfaction 1Q15. The medical center is accredited by DNV.
Neosho Memorial has been recognized as a 5-Star hospital by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on April 16, 2015. It has also been ranked as a Top 100 Critical Access Hospital, a Top 100 Best Places to Work in Healthcare by Modern Healthcare magazine and ranked in the 95th percentile in the nation for physician satisfaction as measured by Press Ganey & Associates in 2013 and 2014. www.neoshomemorial.com