Vim & Vigor - Spring 2010 - Community Healthcare - (Page 2)

community message message from john gorski finding value in healthcare community healthcare system President and ceo, Vice chairman of the Board Donald S. Powers Board of Directors Frankie L. Fesko, chairman of the board; James J. Richards, secretary; David E. Wickland, treasurer; Steven Beering, M.D.; David Bochnowski; Joseph E. Costanza; Albert J. Costello, M.D.; Richard S. McClaughry; Joseph T. Morrow; Sister Kathleen Quinn; Donald F. Sands; William K. Schenck; Monsignor Joseph Semancik; M. Nabil Shabeeb, M.D.; Donald Torrenga; Robert J. Welsh; Edward L. Williams, Ph.D.; Joe Williamson a executive staff John Gorski, chief operating officer; Carole Bezat, senior vice president of administration; Mary Ann Shacklett, senior vice president of finance and CFO; Donald P. Fesko, O.D., CEO, Community Hospital; JoAnn Birdzell, CEO, St. Catherine Hospital; Janice Ryba, CEO, St. Mary Medical Center As we look to transform the nation’s healthcare system, hospitals will be among those providers challenged to provide higher quality and efficiency. Quite simply, John Gorski everyone is demanding more value for the dollars spent Chief Operating Officer on healthcare. Community Healthcare System So what exactly is quality and efficiency? What targets for performance improvement should our local healthcare leaders aim to achieve? These are a few of the questions addressed in a recent study by Thomson Reuters that examined the value multi-hospital healthcare systems bring to their communities. The study also set out to establish national benchmarks for quality and efficiency. How do we measure up to these standards? Community Healthcare System— Community Hospital in Munster, St. Catherine Hospital in East Chicago and St. Mary Medical Center in Hobart—actually set the national benchmarks for quality and efficiency. I am proud to say we’re part of the Top 50 performing hospital systems in the country for quality and efficiency, according to this study. What is important to note is that the healthcare systems identified as part of the Top 50 outperformed their peers by a wide margin—they provided better care, followed standards of care more closely, saved more lives, had fewer patient complications and made fewer patient safety errors. The study concluded that top performing healthcare systems focused on excellent communication, unrelenting performance measurement and insistence on performance improvement. Read more about this study on page 3. Based on the results of the study, Thomson Reuters estimated that if all Medicare inpatients received the same level of care as provided by Community Healthcare System: • More than 47,000 additional patients would survive each year • Nearly 92,000 patient complications would be avoided annually • The average patient stay would decrease by more than half a day The results of this study say a lot about our doctors, nurses, support staff and administration of Community Healthcare System. It says a lot about the strength of our team as we move forward into uncharted territory to find new solutions to put yet more value into the system, to make healthcare more affordable and more accessible. As we look ahead to the challenges of transforming our national healthcare system, rest assured that the hospitals of the Community Healthcare System will continue to draw on our strengths to chart a new course for excellence, and provide the best value possible for your healthcare dollars. John Gorski Chief Operating Officer Community Healthcare System regional editors Mylinda Cane, regional director marketing and corporate communications Elise Sims, public relations and publication specialist ProDuction editorial V.P./Creative Director: Beth Tomkiw Editor-in-Chief: Shelley Flannery Editors: Sam Mittelsteadt, Matt Morgan, Amanda Myers, Kari Redfield, Jill Schildhouse, Tom Weede, Julie Wlodychak Copy Editor: Cindy Hutchinson Design Creative Director: Lisa Altomare Art Directors: Laura Butler, Erica Brooks, Maggie Conners, Monya Mollohan, Kay Morrow, Adele Mulford, Tami Rodgers, Keith Whitney Production Senior Production Manager: Laura Marlowe Ancillary Production Manager: Angela Liedtke Imaging Specialist: Dane Nordine Prep Specialists: Julie Fong, Sonia Washington circulation V.P./Business Intelligence Group: Patrick Kehoe Postal Affairs & Logistics Director: Joseph Abeyta client serVices V.P./Sales and Product Development: Chad Rose, 888-626-8779 V.P./Strategic Marketing: Heather Burgett Strategic Marketing Team: Robyn LaMont, Barbara Mohr, Andrea Parsons, Paul Peterson, Todd Speranzo aDVertising sales advertising sales representatives New York: Phil Titolo, Publisher, 212-626-6835 Phoenix: Soliteir Jaeger, Associate Publisher, 888-626-8779 Mail Order: Bernbach Advertising Reps, 914-769-0051 aDministration Vim & Vigor Founder: J. Barry Johnson Chairman: Preston V. McMurry Jr. President/Chief Executive Officer: Christopher McMurry Chief Operating Officer/Financial Officer: Audra L. Taylor President/Content Marketing: Fred Petrovsky Attention: Marketing, 901 MacArthur Blvd., Munster, IN 46321 If you prefer not to receive our magazine or other health and wellness information from Community Healthcare System, please call us at 219-836-4582 or write to Community Healthcare System, 905 Ridge Road, Munster, IN 46321. Vim & Vigor,TM Spring 2010, Volume 26, Number 1, Indiana Region 2 is published quarterly by McMurry, McMurry Campus Center, 1010 E. Missouri Ave., Phoenix, Arizona 85014, 602-395-5850. Vim & Vigor TM is published for the purpose of disseminating health-related information for the well-being of the general public and its subscribers. The information contained in Vim & Vigor TM is not intended for the purpose of diagnosing or prescribing. Please consult your physician before undertaking any form of medical treatment and/or adopting any exercise program or dietary guidelines. Vim & Vigor TM does not accept advertising promoting the consumption of alcohol or tobacco. Copyright © 2010 by McMurry. All rights reserved. Subscriptions in U.S.: $4 for one year (4 issues). Single copies: $2.95. For subscriptions and address changes, write: Circulation Manager, Vim & Vigor,TM McMurry Campus Center, 1010 E. Missouri Ave., Phoenix, Arizona 85014. 2 vim & vigor • sp rin g 2 010 http://www.comhs.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vim & Vigor - Spring 2010 - Community Healthcare

Vim & Vigor - Spring 2010 - Community Healthcare
Contents
Community Message
Award-Winning Care
Get Well Sooner!
Band of Gold
Confirming the Count
Excuses, Excuses
Easing the Pressure
Prostate Predicament
On Mended Knees
Imaging IQ
Caregiving: A Survival Guide
Form Factors
Wake-Up Call
Getting to the Bottom of Back Pain
From Growing Pains to Patient Gains
To Clot or Not to Clot

Vim & Vigor - Spring 2010 - Community Healthcare