ProMedica Health System: INSIDE

Our CEO Focuses on Quality

Why is ProMedica’s president and chief executive officer choosing to focus on quality? That’s what Inside recently asked Randy Oostra, DM, FACHE. As we all know, quality is important to the success of most businesses, but Randy shared with us some of the less obvious reasons why he’s focusing on quality … and why you should be, too.

“Quality is a basic principle of health care,” explains Randy. “People count on hospitals and health care providers to do everything in their power to protect the health of their patients. They expect to receive safe, effective treatment whenever they’re in our care.”

Recently, health care consumers have rightfully demanded more access than ever to information about quality,” Randy continues. “They want to be assured they’re going to receive excellent care when they choose a hospital for treatment.”

As of January 2010, the Ohio Department of Health makes it easy for health care consumers to compare quality ratings among hospitals on the Ohio Hospital Compare web site. The online quality ratings help consumers compare measures of care specific to certain conditions, treatments and procedures, as well as how safe the hospital is and what patients thought of the care they received.

“In addition to public reporting, quality of care measures can also be linked to reimbursement from insurance companies and Medicare/Medicaid for certain services,” says Randy. “All of this factors into the effect our performance has on the future of our health care system and why we need to always be aware of how we’re rating.

“Transparency in quality of care isn’t new to ProMedica, though. We aim to continually improve patient-desired outcomes for all quality measures,” Randy continues. “Consumers can view quality information on our own web site, and employees should be looking at this information, too.”

In last month’s Inside, ProMedica Clinical Outcomes & Resource Management (CORM) shared links to their public “Quality Reports” section of www.promedica.org and employee “CORM (Corporate Quality)” department page on myProMedica (http://my.promedica.org). Visit the Inside Archive, select February 2010, and scroll down to “ProMedica’s Quality of Care Compared to National Averages” for the full story.

“Quality is everyone’s job at ProMedica. It’s part of the Mission and Values that define us,” states Randy. “The value of Excellence, or superior performance and outcomes, clearly states this. But read on and you’ll see that all of our values are tied to the quality of care we provide to our patients and the community.

“A positive clinical outcome is the patient’s expectation,” Randy explains. “We have to go above and beyond that to make each patient’s experience with us a truly good one. That’s what makes ProMedica a place that patients will come back to repeatedly and recommend to their family and friends.”

How does Randy suggest we do this? “We should all strive to give the type of customer service we would want to receive as consumers,” says Randy. “Even if we’re not involved in direct patient care, how each one of us performs our job affects the image we project as an organization and the overall effectiveness of the system.

“When we see opportunities for improvement, we can take the appropriate action to make change,” Randy continues. “There are more opportunities than ever to do this, including the Got Ideas? Employee Involvement Program. Take part in department initiatives to improve quality, and share constructive feedback with your supervisor.”

Randy leaves us on a positive note about celebrating our quality accomplishments. “We can also give ourselves credit for the many things we’re doing well,” Randy notes. “We can all be advocates for ProMedica in our community. Don’t be shy about letting your friends and neighbors know why you’re proud to work here.”

Randy encourages you to contact him directly with your questions at randy.oostra@promedica.org. Answers will be included in upcoming Inside issues.

Editor’s Note: If you have suggestions for relevant topics you would like to see Randy address in future issues of Inside, please send them to inside@promedica.org. We value your input.

Staying Fit with Our CEO

Randy Oostra enjoys running and working out to stay in shape. ProMedica Health System’s president and chief executive officer also tells Inside that exercise is essential to his routine and he finds it to be a great stress-reliever. Randy enjoys activities that get him outside with family, friends and colleagues. As a “sporadic” golfer, he hit a hole-in-one in 2009—“proof that there’s hope for every golfer,” according to Randy.

So, what does this mean for ProMedica employees? “My personal commitment to staying fit motivates me to promote ProMedica’s mission to improve the health of the patients and communities we serve,” states Randy. “Exercising and taking other steps to lead a healthy life, like eating right, have done so much for me. In turn, I’m proud to be part of an organization that helps others achieve their own personal wellness goals.”

Randy cites Fields of Green, ProMedica’s signature initiative to combat obesity, as an example of what ProMedica is doing to encourage wellness on a broad scale throughout our system. Fields of Green is an umbrella for a variety of education, health and nutrition programs developed by ProMedica. These programs include the Fields of Green high school scholarship competition, with finalist teams from each of ProMedica’s five regions, and the 1, 2, 3, and ½ Keys to Good Health Conversation Map^® education program for children in grades four – six and their parents, with facilitators trained to present the program to faith-based groups, schools, 4-H groups, and community organizations in every region.

“Our partnerships with local organizations, such as the Mud Hens and Walleye sports teams, and local venues, like Westfield Franklin Park shopping mall and regional farmers markets, also give us opportunities to present health and wellness information to the public in a fun, interactive way,” notes Randy. “This supports our mission to promote healthy living.

“ProMedica is also proud to be the northwest Ohio sponsor of the American Heart Association’s Start! Movement throughout 2010,” Randy continues. “This program encourages participants to walk more, eat well and ultimately live longer.”

With the Start! sponsorship comes an added opportunity for ProMedica employees to participate in an individual walking challenge. The ProMedica Employee Wellness Program will help promote this challenge during the second quarter of 2010. For more information about the Start! Movement, visit http://www.startwalkingnow.org.

“We believe in making plenty of opportunities available for employees to maintain or improve their health, which is why ProMedica supports the efforts of the Employee Wellness Program,” says Randy. “We hope everyone takes advantage of the wellness activities and events that this growing program offers.”

Information and resources from the Employee Wellness Program are available in the “Employee Wellness” section of myProMedica (http://my.promedica.org).

Randy encourages you to contact him directly with your questions at randy.oostra@promedica.org. Answers will be included in upcoming Inside issues.

Editor’s Note: If you have suggestions for relevant topics you would like to see Randy address in future issues of Inside, please send them to inside@promedica.org. We value your input.

Our CEO Reflects on 2009, Looks Forward to 2010

Even with change on the horizon for the future of health care, ProMedica Health System’s dedication to its mission will remain steadfast in 2010 according to our president and chief executive officer, Randy Oostra, DM, FACHE. In this issue, Randy tells Inside more about what made 2009 a good year for ProMedica and how he plans to lead us to even better outcomes in 2010.

“This past year, ProMedica was able to prove its strength amid a difficult economy because our employees, leadership, physicians, and volunteers pulled together to streamline operations and deliver on our mission,” notes Randy. “I commend everyone for the many accomplishments we achieved across a wide variety of areas.”

Among the top accomplishments Randy mentions from 2009 are:

• Continued growth as a system, including partnering with The Pharmacy Counter to enhance home medical equipment services; strengthening academic relationships with The University of Toledo Medical College; and increasing the number of specialists working with ProMedica Physician Group, including Northwest Ohio Cardiology Consultants and Cardiothoracic Surgeons for Northwest Ohio.

• Excelling in quality and customer satisfaction, with the National Research Corporation awarding The Toledo Hospital the Greater Toledo Consumer Choice Award for the 14^th consecutive year, Toledo Children’s Hospital achieving zero patient line infections, Bay Park Community Hospital earning the Ohio Partnership for Excellence’s Gold Level Award, and Bixby Medical Center’s designation by The Joint Commission with the Gold Seal of Approval for Primary Stroke Centers.

• Sound stewardship of resources and giving back to the community, including nearly $5 million raised by ProMedica Foundations for programs and services to benefit patients and their families; awarding $42,000 in scholarships and school funding to winners of the Lunch 101: Food for Thought scholarship competition; and maintaining an Aa3/AA- credit rating, an indicator of financial stability.

• Making ProMedica an even better place to work, with Fostoria Community Hospital ranking among the top 10% nationally of our employee opinion survey vendor’s database for employee satisfaction; more than $500,000 in savings generated and 2,410 suggestions received through the Got Ideas? Employee Involvement Program; and designation of several ProMedica hospitals, including Defiance Regional Medical Center, as Fit Friendly by the American Heart Association.

• Advances in technology and services for our patients and communities, including Flower Hospital leading implementation of electronic documentation and charting at the bedside to improve patient safety; the Institutional Review Board’s approval of 55 new studies for a total of 235 active research studies being conducted within ProMedica; and a new joint venture with Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Center and Mercy Memorial Hospital System of Monroe to expand the reach of our cancer care.

“This is only a snapshot of what we accomplished in 2009,” explains Randy. “I could continue with a list a mile long recognizing all of the outstanding achievements that our employees and physicians were responsible for over the course of the past year.

“As we move ahead in 2010 more committed than ever to our patients and community, the dedicated service that each and every one of us gives to the organization will be even more vital,” he adds. “As an organization, we identified six pillars to meet our mission. They are our core values of collaboration, community-based, compassion, excellence, integrity, and stewardship, which will continue to be our focus as we move forward.”

Randy identifies the following ways in which ProMedica will strengthen the six pillars in 2010:

• Community-based: ProMedica will expand our Fields of Green signature initiative to combat the rising obesity epidemic in our communities.

• Excellence: Clinical best practice initiatives and infection prevention and control efforts will remain a priority, and we’ll continue to pursue recognition for superior quality through award programs such as Ohio Partnership for Excellence and Consumer Choice.

• Collaboration: We’ll continue to grow partnerships through ProMedica Physician Group, ProMedica Institutes and Lake Erie Regional Cooperative in order to maximize resources and expand access for our patients.

• Integrity: ProMedica will ask for continued feedback to make sure we’re doing the right thing for our patients and their families and the communities we serve, as well as for our dedicated employees and physicians who work with us.

• Stewardship: As the economy restabilizes, maintaining a strong financial profile through the sound use of financial resources will be key. The role of philanthropy will also be essential to enhancing the programs and services we offer patients.

• Compassion: As always, showing compassionate care for our patients and their families will be of utmost importance, as will demonstrating compassion for those less fortunate in our community through charity care and participation in programs such as the nationally recognized Toledo Lucas County CareNet.

“I’m confident about the year ahead and achieving these goals to support our mission,” concludes Randy. “ProMedica is a strong organization with a dedicated workforce, distinguished medical staff and excellent volunteers and community partners who can make this happen.”

Randy encourages you to contact him directly with your questions at randy.oostra@promedica.org. Answers will be included in upcoming Inside issues.

Editor’s Note: If you have suggestions for relevant topics you would like to see Randy address in future issues of Inside, please send them to inside@promedica.org. We value your input.

Why Stewardship Matters to Our CEO

When Inside first interviewed Randy Oostra, DM, FACHE, he said he plans to focus on stewardship, one of ProMedica Health System’s core values. Now we’ve asked our president and chief executive officer to tell us why he thinks this type of service is so important for our organization.

“ProMedica does a lot of great things for the community—as a system and through the many ways our employees and physicians give back,” states Randy. “ProMedica exists not only to meet the health and wellness needs of the community, but also to serve the community in a larger sense. I can see that our employees at every level understand this.”

“Traditionally, people look to hospitals—along with schools and churches—as cornerstones of their communities,” he continues. “This role comes with a serious responsibility—how we help meet the needs of the communities and people we serve, whenever possible.”

Many of us think of the Circle of Care employee giving campaign when we think of making a philanthropic gift, or donating money to support a cause. To date, 100% of Management Town Hall—a first for ProMedica—and more than 1,100 employees have pledged almost $300,000 to the 2010 campaign.

“I think it’s important for everyone to understand the magnitude of their gifts to the ProMedica Foundations through Circle of Care,” Randy stresses. “These funds go directly to support patient care and community health services, with a focus on indigent care for 2010. In these tough economic times, these dollars are critical.”

“Stewardship is about more than financial contributions, though,” he continues. “It can be respectfully using resources—within the organization or the environment. We also work in health care because we value helping others, whether it’s on the hospital floor, in a physician’s office, at a business office, in the cafeteria, on the phone, or at a computer.”

ProMedica reaches out to others through health education and screenings, and support for programs and activities to benefit the community. Randy cites ProMedica’s Fields of Green signature initiative to combat the obesity epidemic in our region as an example of how he sees our community outreach presence continuing to grow.

“I have great appreciation for everyone who supports our outreach efforts—whether it’s part of your job duties or something you’ve stepped up to do,” comments Randy. “I also commend our employees and physicians for their community involvement outside of work. Volunteering on boards for several local nonprofit organizations is very rewarding for me personally. And, I know many of you choose to volunteer your personal time, as well.”

“Especially at this time of year, I offer my sincere thanks to each of you for dedicating your time and talent to advancing ProMedica’s mission to improve the health of the patients and communities we serve. Together, we are making a difference.”

Randy encourages you to contact him directly with your questions and feedback at randy.oostra@promedica.org.

Editor’s Note: Randy will continue to address relevant topics in Inside. If you have suggestions for future topics, please send them to inside@promedica.org. We value your input.

Your Results Are In

Results from the 2009 System-wide Employee Opinion Survey are in, and overall employee satisfaction scores are up since the first survey conducted in 2007. Our scores for the system compare favorably with norms from the survey vendor’s (Newmeasures, Inc.) database of more than 1 million employees from other health care systems across the nation.

The majority of business unit scores went up, too. Fostoria Community Hospital stood out, with business unit scores in the top 10% nationally of the survey vendor’s database. Supervisors are sharing survey results with employees at department meetings.

More than 7,615 employees took the survey in September. ProMedica Health System will use the group survey data as a measuring stick to set goals to make this an even better place to work. Driving factors have been identified for business units and some departments to work on between now and the next survey in 2011.

Progress reports from these business units and departments will be posted quarterly on the same quality dashboard that ProMedica uses to measure patient satisfaction scores. Employees will be randomly invited to take brief online surveys to help measure progress, too.

Our CEO Wants To Hear from You

Since taking office as ProMedica Health System’s (PHS) president and chief executive officer on Oct. 1, Randy Oostra, DM, FACHE, has been asking leadership and employees what direction they think our organization should take on various issues.

“ProMedica is a solid organization with a history of strong performance in the health care market, so I’m not talking about making radical changes,” states Randy. “But, I do believe that we have a very talented team of  leadership and employees who have valuable input to share about how we can do some things better.”

Randy formally began this initiative with an online questionnaire sent to PHS Management Town Hall members in mid-October. The results of this survey, shared in person at the Oct. 29 Management Town Hall meeting, included responses to three simple questions:

• What are we doing that we should keep doing?
• What should we be doing that we currently are not?
• What are we doing that we should stop?

The results varied, with input about company strategies and partnerships to the movement to a stronger online/web presence to an increase in overall company flexibility with market dynamics. Randy discussed his approach to creating a more open dialogue with employees and refocusing on ProMedica’s mission and values.

“What this survey tells us is that we are a strong organization, but leadership is ready to continue adapting to the changing market dynamics,” Randy explains. “Although we are a large organization, we can still be agile, flexible and smart as we move ahead.”

This survey is the first of many tools opening a two-way dialogue between employees and our CEO. Randy also plans to implement electronic mechanisms for all employees and the public to ask him questions about relevant workplace and health care topics, and schedule visits with groups of employees to ask for their input in person.

“All of this is in addition to the opportunities already available for employees to share feedback with the organization,” reminds Randy. “The Got Ideas? Employee Involvement Program and system-wide employee opinion survey are two excellent examples of how we’re currently asking you to tell us what you think.”

Supervisors will share results from the second annual system-wide employee opinion survey with employees later this year, and you can visit the “Got Ideas?” department page on myProMedica (http://my.promedica.org) to learn more about this program. Watch for more information about new initiatives in the coming months.

Editor’s Note: Randy will also continue to use Inside as a forum to discuss various topics, such as local health care amid reform, living a legacy through philanthropy, and more. If you have suggestions for future topics, please send them to inside@promedica.org. We value your input.

Meet Randy Oostra, Our New President and CEO

As of Oct. 1, 2009, Randy Oostra, DM, FACHE, took over the reins from Alan W. Brass, who has been chief executive officer of PHS since 1998. For a recent Inside interview, Randy was asked quite simply, “Who are you … and how did you become our CEO?”

In his usual, affable manner, Randy, 54, briefly discussed his upbringing. “I’m originally from a small farming community in northwest Iowa—Sioux Center—which had a population of 3,000. The highest structure in town was for grain storage!”

He proudly notes that he is of Dutch descent. “My mom was born in The Netherlands. She and Dad immigrated to America to live with relatives in Iowa,” he says. “They established roots in that particular location because they shared a rich heritage and unique family traditions with other Dutch immigrants who also were faith-based and had a strong work ethic.”

Randy was the youngest of three children. His sister is 13 years older and married to a pastor; due to his profession, they’ve lived throughout the U.S. over the years. Randy’s brother and sister-in-law both became teachers. “The paths chosen by my siblings clearly reflect the strong emphasis our parents placed on both faith and education.”

How did these same ideals shape Randy’s career in health care? “Like my siblings, and out of respect for my parents’ sacrifices, I set high expectations for myself. We all yearned for a life better than the previous generation’s. Health care was a natural calling, because we valued working together to help others.”

He further recalls, “Growing up with Depression-era parents, we understood at an early age that the road to our future would be paved by hard work and getting a good education.”

Randy’s own children—three sons, ages 23, 22 and 20—carry on the family commitment to education. His two older boys are in medical school, and his youngest son attends Bowling Green State University. His wife, Barb, who grew up on a farm, is the development director of Toledo Christian School.

Outside work, Randy enjoys golfing and staying active with his family. “Exercise is an essential part of my routine. It’s a good stress-reliever,” he says. He also is a strong community advocate, serving on several boards for nonprofit organizations such as the Cherry Street Mission and United Way of Greater Toledo.

Where will our new president and CEO lead us? “We’ve been a very successful organization over the past decade. So I don’t see any immediate, radical changes,” Randy forecasts. “However, ProMedica will need to change in response to the current health care climate. I also envision strengthening our service to the community in very tangible ways.”

When asked what ProMedica’s greatest strength is, without hesitation he replies, “Our employees … the people who have chosen to commit their life’s work to our patients.”

Editor’s Note: Each month Inside will feature Randy discussing various topics, such as local health care amid reform, living a legacy through philanthropy, and more. If you have suggestions for these topics, please send them to inside@promedica.org. We value your input.

Welcome to New Inside Format

Beginning with this October issue, we’re using a new format for Inside, based on feedback from you, our ProMedica Health System (PHS) employees.

Not only should you find this newsletter easier to navigate than the previous Inside format, but you also will receive it directly through e-mail at the beginning of every month so it’s right at your fingertips. Furthermore, because this online newsletter is replacing multiple business unit newsletters, we’re conserving precious environmental resources.

Each issue will contain key announcements and feature stories relative to employees throughout PHS, regardless of your worksite location. Additionally, this new format contains a Classifieds advertising section, thanks to human resources.

In addition to this system-wide news, you’ll receive news specific to your worksite and day-to-day operations from your manager/supervisor and via department postings, as well through myProMedica announcements and e-mails from your business unit’s leadership. We hope that, combined, all of these resources will help you stay better informed about your department, your business unit and ProMedica.

Please let us know if you have any ideas for a heartwarming story about a special patient or employee, and give us feedback about our new format! Send suggestions to inside@promedica.org.

—Corporate Communications

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