Healthcare Organizations Success Stories

Everything was not quite so hot a few years ago. Under financial and growth pressures that were typical of the last two decades, Centegra Health System’s collection of community health care facilities merged and grew until it had become the largest healthcare provider in McHenry County, Illinois.

There is something to be said about the excitement one feels when getting a personal phone call from the guru of health care himself. That feeling soars to a whole different level when Quint Studer is then telling you that you have been selected to receive the Fire Starter Award courtesy of the Studer Group.

Rewind four years...to a time when the senior leaders at Wright Medical Center attended Quint’s "Taking You and Your Organization to the Next Level with Quint Studer (Nine Principles® to Service and Operational Excellence)" institute in Pensacola, there was excitement and an overwhelming feeling at the thought of changing the culture in our small, rural hospital.

Since implementing the Studer Group’s blueprint for success, Southern Regional is reporting its highest patient satisfaction and quality of care scores. In addition, Southern Regional was recently named by the Atlanta Business Chronicle as one of its’ "A+ Employers", for the second year. "Our goal is to be the employer of choice and remain the health care provider of choice within the Southern Crescent.

All Saints Healthcare of Racine, Wisconsin, is Studer Group’s Fire Starter of the Month for December 2004. A partner of Studer Group since the beginning of 2002, this system was selected because of the significant strides it has made in creating a culture of excellence across all Pillars.

Palmetto Health Baptist Easley (PHBE) is a 109-bed general acute care facility located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the Upstate region of northwestern South Carolina. Founded in 1958, our community-based hospital is part of the state's largest integrated healthcare system - Palmetto Health. In 1996, through the leadership of our chief administrator, Roddey E. Gettys, III, we transitioned from a traditional healthcare organizational structure to self-directed management teams.

This five-hospital system was selected because of significant strides it has made in improving patient satisfaction, employee satisfaction and market share in the past 20 months. Among the achievements noted as reasons for selecting BHS as the October Fire Starter are: inpatient satisfaction rating at the 90th percentile, outpatient satisfaction rating at the 82nd percentile, and emergency department patient satisfaction at the 99th percentile - all higher than the Vanguard Health Systems’ ratings and the national ratings.

We were a system that operated in silos with relatively high turnover, lack of employee pride, minimal communication, bleak financials, and very low patient satisfaction. With these barriers it is apparent why we were struggling to live our mission (Provena Health, a Catholic health system, builds communities of healing and hope by compassionately responding to human need in the spirit of Jesus Christ), our vision (Provena Health providers are known for clinical and service excellence, and are the preferred provider of choice based on responsiveness to community needs, quality, value, and innovation) and our values (Respect, Integrity, Stewardship, Excellence).

With dynamic leadership, clear vision and a vibrant and positive working environment, Memorial Healthcare System continues to meet challenges and build on its strength as a healthcare leader.

Serving many growing rural communities in Northern California for nearly 100 years, the outstanding staff at St. Elizabeth Community Hospital has been dedicated to providing the best care possible, with the efforts of everyone in all areas of the hospital. With new focus employee satisfaction increased, patient satisfaction increased and physician satisfaction scores were addressed and showed impressive improvements.

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.

St. Mary’s view this designation as an acknowledgement of our determination to make a true cultural change in our organization. While special thanks goes to Sr. Diane Bushee, S.A.C., St. Mary’s Vice President of Mission Integration, for her unwavering commitment to building service excellence at St. Mary’s, we dedicate this Fire Starter Award to each and every employee, physician and volunteer who has joined us on this journey.

Over the past year, Pekin has achieved results. As all great success stories go, it all started with a commitment at the top. Pekin’s Board of Directors and CEO, Doug Wilson, made a commitment in 2002 to focus on customer service and quality. That commitment paid off and has had some very impressive results. Press Ganey patient satisfaction had soared, employee opinion survey results have a very high baseline to start form, and a physician CME on communication and customer service has been outstanding.

Frye Regional Medical Center in Hickory, North Carolina, earned the highest patient satisfaction scores in 2003 out of 117 hospitals in Tenet, HealthCare, the second largest healthcare organization in America. This solidified Frye as a Five Star hospital, one of only three in Tenet and a national leader in the area of patient satisfaction. "This is a tremendous honor for our dedicated staff and shows our commitment to patient satisfaction," said Frye CEO Dennis Phillips. "We do not just talk about patient satisfaction at Frye, we live it every day."