The Journey Begins
Redding Medical Center began its journey towards excellence as part of Tenet Healthcare System’s Target 100 initiative in July of 2001. The facility embraced the tools of the Studer Group. These aids helped the hospital create a results-oriented culture. The hospital’s overarching goal was to be the hospital of choice for employees, patients and physicians in far Northern California.
Geographically, Redding sits at the tip of the Sacramento River Valley, surrounded on three-sides by majestic mountain ranges. The Sacramento River weaves throughout the city’s downtown. The hospital is an adult-oriented medical center, offering major specialty services to approximately 20percent of the geographic region of California or about 500,000 people.
One Year’s Progress
Within one year of establishing eight employee-driven teams who focused on the service basics, developing concrete measures and strategies to improve patient satisfaction; physician satisfaction; leadership development; employee communication, the hospital emerged as a four-star facility within Tenet. This meant that the patients surveyed about their care rated the hospital as a "9" or "10" on a 10-point scale for being "very satisfied" with their care and service. In addition, the employees’ level of satisfaction improved as did the satisfaction level of physicians on the Medical Staff. The cultural change initiative appeared to have taken root and was gaining momentum.
The Perfect Storm
Then, in late October of 2002, an issue arose that struck the organization at its core, representing one of the most significant challenges ever faced by the hospital. Elements of the challenge included severe allegations, legal wrangling, a national and local media barrage that continues to this day.
As the picture of what the hospital was facing emerged, COMMUNICATION became vital. Through the following turbulent 13 months, 4-star patient satisfaction was maintained; employee and physician satisfaction increased and employee turnover went to a record low at a time of a great national nursing shortage in California and the U.S. The hospital believes the Target 100 program, in large part, helped save the hospital and its staff from imploding during times of such high public scrutiny.
Leadership set the course. There was a top-down commitment to honest, real and frequent communication through employee forums and leadership talking points. Employees focused on the things that they could control: their attitude, conduct and service delivered to patients, physicians and guests. Target 100 teams became involved in creating value-added service measures for patients and physicians.
Everyone continued to place emphasis on their core responsibilities, including rounding on patients, physicians and staff; daily huddles of the leadership team to address rumors and fix any service difficulties; discharge calls made by the nurses from the patient’s area of discharge for patients who had gone home from the hospital; celebrations of every achievement or milestone reached.
Measured Results Tell the Story
In calendar year 2003, the hospital experienced 14 percent RN turnover; 82 percent employee satisfaction; 86 percent overall patient satisfaction; 95 percent overall outpatient satisfaction; and 89 percent physician satisfaction.
The Studer Group dedicates the June 2004 Fire Starter Award to every staff member of Redding Medical Center for their fortitude to persevere during difficult times and to maintain their focus on doing the right thing: deliver a high level of care and service to their patients.