Saint Barnabas Medical Center (SBMC), an RWJBarnabas Health facility and New Jersey’s oldest nonprofit, nonsectarian hospital, has worked to bring to life its mission of compassionate care, healthcare excellence and superior service (CCHESS). Our award-winning, 597-bed institution is committed to exceeding its community’s highest expectations. Saint Barnabas Medical Center is home to New Jersey’s only certified burn center; one of the largest kidney transplant programs in the nation, performing 351 transplants in 2019; and a neonatal intensive care unit with outstanding outcomes that lead the nation.
Since 2013, SBMC has been on our journey to excellence and high reliability, incorporating the foundational elements and processes of the Huron | Studer Group framework into the organization. This commitment to excellence is illustrated by our designation from many national organizations for being a provider of quality care. Saint Barnabas Medical Center received Magnet recognition from the American Nurses Credentialing Center for nursing excellence. The Leapfrog Group named Saint Barnabas to its annual list of Top Teaching Hospitals, an elite national distinction conferred to 55 teaching hospitals last year, signifying excellence in patient safety and quality. SBMC has received a Grade “A” for patient safety from The Leapfrog Group in 17 consecutive surveys, making it the only hospital in the tri-state area and one of 32 in the U.S. to have achieved straight A's since the survey began. Each year, hundreds of our doctors are named to “top doctor” lists by a variety of sources, including New Jersey Monthly, New York Magazine and others.
Saint Barnabas Medical Center was recognized for improvements within The Breast Center, MRI and perioperative/ambulatory services. The MRI and The Breast Center are outpatient services located approximately 4 miles from Saint Barnabas Medical Center in an ambulatory care center. The perioperative/ambulatory services are physically located within the hospital.
The perioperative/ambulatory services suffered from low communication and discharge education scores. Leadership engagement coupled with the commitment to improve the experience resulted in rapid cycle change, improving scores by 80% for communication around the procedure and 90% for discharge education. This was accomplished through a surgeon-hospital partnership along with enhanced communication with the patient and their family throughout the hospital experience.
The Breast Center is an extremely busy outpatient screening and diagnostic imaging center conducting over 60,000 tests annually. The Center struggled with timely registration, resulting in 2018 fourth-quarter rankings in the fourth percentile. An in-depth analysis was completed, which identified the need for additional staffing along with reinforcement of AIDET®, daily huddles and rounding. Staff members were provided scripts to help facilitate consistent communication, and validation rounding was implemented. As a result of this multipronged approach, registration scores in the first quarter of 2020 were in the 71st percentile with a volume increase of 8% to budget.
Within the MRI department, the likelihood of recommending rankings for the facility hovered in the single digits in the fourth quarter of 2018 through the second quarter of 2019. The department utilized patient comments and identified cleanliness and safety as areas for improvement. The team developed a scripting process to ensure patients were aware of the extensive cleaning procedures. They invested a significant amount of time coaching and reinforcing Must Haves®, specifically hardwiring AIDET, daily huddles and managing up. By the first quarter of 2020, the likelihood of recommending had significantly improved.
Our success within these three areas has centered on the engagement, dedication and commitment of our team in hardwiring the Must Haves in all areas.
Saint Barnabas Medical Center is accredited by the Joint Commission and the American Medical Association Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. The medical center is a major teaching affiliate of Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. SBMC is also a clinical site for both of New Jersey’s physician assistant training schools. The medical staff of approximately 1,900 represents more than 100 medical and surgical specialty and subspecialty services. The 4,000-member diverse workforce is focused on providing a culture of safety and service. Through its journey to excellence and high reliability, the organization is poised to hold its gain and continue to seek opportunities to better serve its patients.