Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/144069
Focus On Community Hospitals 26 which has successfully driven waste from the healthcare delivery system. We have also created alliances with other organizations to increase our purchasing power and control the cost of services and supplies. Martin Health System is working with its medical staff to align interests and use data from its new electronic medical record system to improve patient satisfaction, quality and efficiency. We are also working collaboratively with the medical staff to establish evidence-based practice protocols and standardization of supplies and standard work processes. We have implemented several strategic initiatives that have expanded our service capability and helped us better meet the needs of our growing market. These initiatives include the development of a new hospital campus, a new rehabilitation hospital on the campus of an existing hospital, affiliations with internationally recognized research organizations, the development of a freestanding emergency department and the diversification of our employed physician practice. Mr. Cheney: Banner Health has implemented innovative solutions like electronic medical records and Banner iCare, which provides 24/7 monitoring of patients in hospital intensive care units. These solutions have resulted in consistently higher quality across so many hospitals, large and small. At Banner Boswell, innovative solutions like the EMR play a vital role in assisting with the coordination of care for the elderly population that we serve in our community. Banner Boswell is one of 21 Banner Health facilities that has achieved stage 7, the final stage in the adoption of EMR as acknowledged by Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society Analytics, a wholly owned nonprofit subsidiary of HIMSS. More and more, Banner Health — through Banner Health Network — is placing focus on the risk-based, value-enhanced market. Through our physician network, population health management technology and case management strategy, we are able to tightly coordinate care and deliver on the triple aim. Our capabilities in this area have been attractive to both government and commercial payors giving us greater overall market share potential. Q. What are some recruitment strategies employed by your organization? Mr. Lord: Obviously, being located in one of the most beautiful places on the planet doesn't hurt. The quality of life Martin Health System is able to offer its associates is a great recruiting benefit. Within the organization, we have a culture of professionalism that is dedicated to our mission of providing exceptional care to the community. It is also critical to maintain salaries and benefits that are competitive. Martin Health System has partnered with local colleges and universities to assist in the education of the community's young people, with the hope that they will "stay home" and become a locally grown workforce for the future. This is permitting us to better grow our workforce organically. The organization also invests in its current workforce by assisting with educational opportunities, including internal programs designed to develop future leaders. Finally, shared governance models and a "bottom up" approach to continuous quality improvement through our performance excellence program serves us well in recruitment efforts. Mr. Cheney: For Banner Boswell, it is important that we recruit a workforce that is passionate about gerontology. This ensures that we will hire employees who are passionate about providing care to the population that we serve. We do this by identifying top national geriatric hospital markets and direct recruitment marketing efforts appropriately. We promote Banner's highly regarded orientation program throughout sourcing and interview conversations, as it is known across the region for the unmatched support provided to new graduate employees. New graduates receive training at the Banner Simulation Center, which is the largest simulation center in the country. Once at the hospital, novice nurses are introduced to inpatient nursing care expectations through the Nurse Education Transition Unit. Each new nurse is assigned one experienced RN preceptor who mentors the new RN for his or her first six months of work. Banner Boswell has diligently reviewed staffing ratios to assess where and how many new graduates the hospital can absorb. We do this in an effort to fully engage in growing our own talent. Banner Boswell has been successful in bringing in a high volume of new graduates through the Progressive Care Units, which has turned into a feeder department for the Intensive Care Unit. Mr. Fitzgerald: We spend a lot of time trying to make sure that we hire the right people. We have a system of values called "shared beliefs" and we try to hire with regard to those beliefs — compassion, respect, excellence, dedication, innovation and trust. Since we are a service organization, we want our employees to be a living brand, that is, their word of mouth should bring people into the organization. People come to us because they want to work with us. Q. What are some initiatives your organization is planning to implement in the near future? Mr. Lord: Later this year, we will be opening a new hospital campus to be known as Tradition Medical Center, located in the Tradition Center for Innovation in Port St. Lucie, Fla. Tradition Center for Innovation is a medical research park currently housing facilities for the Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute (affiliated with the University of Oregon) and the Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies. We enjoy excellent relationships with those life sciences organizations and are expanding our clinical research activities to meet their needs. We have a long-standing clinical research program and have enjoyed an affiliation with Moffitt Cancer Center that has provided access to numerous treatment options for patients that may not otherwise be available. Due to the success of our affiliation with Moffitt, we are looking to expand that relationship. This summer, we are opening with HealthSouth our community's first ever comprehensive rehabilitation hospital. The new facility is located on the campus of one of our existing hospitals, which will allow us to provide a full range of acute and longer-term care to residents close to home. We expect the two new hospitals and new clinical research opportunities to lead to exciting times for our organization. Mr. Fitzgerald: As part of our challenge to reinvent hospital-based care by increasing value for our patients, we are really excited about our cancer center. It has been in the works for the last five years. Not only will patients not have to leave the campus for any cancer services, but they are assured the highest quality and safety as well as an integrated care network of professionals dedicated to their success. Opening in early 2014, it will be tremendous for the community who has supported us in terms of philanthropy and volunteer hours. n NEW! CFO E-Weekly Report Current news, analysis and best practices on hospital revenue cycle issues, including coding, billing and collections, the transition to ICD-10 and Recovery Audit Contractors To sign up for the FREE E-Weekly, visit www.BeckersHospitalReview.com or call (800) 417-2035