Achieving 5-star Patient Satisfaction ratings 14 quarters in a row… and counting!

“We knew we needed help mending that disconnect between leadership & employee-driven teams. We searched and looked at several companies that offered transformational services but were drawn to Capstone’s Framework – we believed that Framework would allow us to build a better organization, an employee engaged and employee-driven organization.” –Dave Smith

What does it take for an organization to not just be good – but to be GREAT? Dave Smith, CEO of Grant Regional Health Center, is at the helm of an organization with leaders, providers and employees that are united in their focus on achieving greatness by advancing their strategies and accomplishing their top priority goals.

Grant Regional, like many organizations, has experienced a lot of change. When Dave Smith came into the CEO position he could tell employees loved their patients but there was a disconnect between leadership & employee-driven teams. They were looking for a platform to build & strengthen employee engagement. This prompted the start their Rise Up Together journey in the spring of 2019.

“We knew we needed help mending that disconnect between leadership & employee-driven teams. We searched & looked at several companies that offered transformational services but were drawn to Capstone’s Framework for Achieving Results© – we believed that Framework would allow us to build a better organization, an employee engaged & employee-driven organization.” –Dave Smith, CEO, Grant Regional Health Center

Fast forward from 3 years ago to today… There is a major shift in the culture of the organization; employees & team members are practicing high performing behavior standards that have created an elevated culture in the organization.

“We have hired several new physicians recently that have stated to me the reason they chose to work at Grant Regional is because “It’s different – you have a culture where everybody works for everyone else – they take care of the patient & take care of each other.” I have also had new employees tell me “This is where I want to be – because of the culture.”” –Dave Smith

This is a testament to the growth the organization has experienced through the employee-driven culture they have created.

They have also successfully created a culture of accountability to empower leaders.

It is not a permission based culture, it is one that leaders are empowered to have the ability to manage their departments/team in real time so any patient care issues can be resolved at the lowest level, with the least amount of bureaucracy & paperwork – quickly & efficiently.

Another indicator of Grant Regional’s success is their achievement of 5-star Patient Satisfaction rating, quarter after quarter, 14 quarters in a row & counting.

“I am so impressed with the quality & dedication from the entire organization in striving for excellence in caring for our community.

The behavior standards implemented set the stage for resilience – people know their voices are heard, opinions are valued & I feel this really equipped our organization to weather the pandemic.” –Dave Smith

Some parting words from Dave to other healthcare senior leaders looking to elevate their organization & create a culture where employees & patients thrive…

First – be transparent & visible as a leader. Make sure everyone in your organization understands why decisions are made. You HAVE to explain the WHY . . . & the what.

Second – find something where you can measure your progress to reflect & look back & celebrate what you have accomplished.

Watch the full interview here.

“Working with Capstone has allowed us to work toward meeting 3 key organizational goals – increase staff engagement, increase patient satisfaction, and increase quality scores.”

There is something happening at Sullivan County Community Hospital. You can feel it as soon as you walk through the doors.

Creating a culture of teamwork, compassion, and pride didn’t happen overnight – Sullivan County Community Hospital did it by committing to elevating their culture and engaging employees to contribute to the organization’s top strategies and goals.

SCCH had a goal of moving from good to Great to even GREATER – that’s what lead this organization to start on a cultural transformation journey.

3 members of SCCH senior leadership team – the CEO, CNO & HR Director – attended a Capstone Leadership Summit. When they returned they came back fired up and excited to start implemented the tactics learned.

They quickly realized greater action needed to be taken in order to move the organization forward – and they couldn’t do it alone.

Through implementing the tactics presented in the Capstone Framework – the organization started creating an environment where patients and visitors felt welcome.

And that is not the only improvement that came from embarking upon a cultural transformation journey:

• Increased Physician recruitment
• Increased HCAHPS scores
• Awarded the Press Ganey Guardian of Excellence in Staff Engagement
• Improved financial performance:
  • Within the first year there was a 2 million dollar positive swing in profit
  • And even through the pandemic the organization has ended up with a positive bottom line
• Recruitment is skyrocketing – employees are now the organizations top recruiters because they love where they work.

“Everyone moves that needle closer to the goals when everyone is working toward the same thing.” –Denise Hart, HR Director

Employees effect department goals — employees own goals — employees are empowered to hit goals.

Creating alignment and synergy between teams and departments to work toward an organizations key strategies and goals is key – and the key to Sullivan County Community Hospital’s continued success.

Watch the full interview here.

“I can honestly say we would not be winning today without the assessment, planning, and execution support provided by Capstone.”

Dan Rohrbach, CEO at Southwest Health in Platteville, WI – talks about how his organization went from struggling with morale problems to achieving top ranking, award winning results – by using their strongest asset… their employees!

Upon stepping into his role as CEO, Dan immediately recognized that there were opportunities to elevate the culture, improve employee engagement, and to grow to meet the needs of the community – and he knew he couldn’t do it alone.

A baseline survey of employee engagement showed employee engagement was ranked in the 38th percentile; and added to that, overall patient satisfaction was ranked at the 17th percentile.

As Dan sat in the audience at an AHA conference where Capstone was presenting, he knew immediately that Capstone’s Framework for Achieving Great Results© would provide exactly what his organization needed.

• Within the first year of Southwest Health’s transformational journey – Employee Engagement scores jumped to the 79th percentile – and it continues to climb year after year into the 90s.
• Patient Satisfaction scores have increased from an average mean score of 51% in 2011 to 94% by 2018!
• Financial and Growth results have also skyrocketed – Southwest Health doubled revenue in 4 years with no price increases.
• Over the last 7 years they have experienced over 165% growth.

All of these results are amazing but Dan shares his best way to measure the organization’s success – how does it feel?

“I’m a feel guy – you can feel it.”

When you walk through the doors of Southwest Health there is something in the air, you feel the warmth, positivity, and care in every interaction.

Watch the full interview here.

We worked with other well-known professional development consultants, who delivered great insights and had wonderful customer service. But they had no experience in patient care. So for us, it was essential to choose Capstone. In fact, I read Jane and Sue’s book prior to working with them and was thoroughly impressed with their distinct approach and genuine familiarity with rural healthcare.

“Capstone Leadership Solutions far exceeded our expectations. Prior to bringing them in, we had low patient satisfaction scores. And within 2 years of our journey, we became #1 in the state of Michigan. At the time, were only looking to raise our scores—but we went straight to the top.”