May 7, 2010

Over the past three years, Polk County's under-appreciated public hospital has been transformed into one of the finest public hospitals of its size and category in the nation.   A Cornerstone of this transformation lies in the committed leadership of Jody Jenner, president and CEO of Broadlawns Medical Center, and the senior leadership team who continue to move Broadlawns toward greater transparency and accountability to the citizens of Polk County.  The outcome of this focus is high-quality, cost-effective care for its constituents.

"We believe we have a community obligation and responsibility to deliver health care services that improve the health and well-being of our population, while operating with fiscal reliability," explains Jenner.  "We have implemented a scorecard that we call 'Vital Signs' to measure the organization's results in key business and quality indicators on a quarterly basis.  This scorecard is posted on our web site for all to review."

Broadlawns has achieved a posititve bottom line for three consecutive years and well on their way to a fourth consecutive year -- a rare accomplishment for this facility.  They exceeded the fiscal benchmarks that were established at the beginning of the 2008-2009 fiscal years.  Additionally, according to data provided by the Iowa Hospital Association, Broadlawns Medical Center is showing results that exceed state and national averages.

1. Statewide, year-to-date operating revenues in Iowa's hospitals are up by 3.6 percent and expenses are also up 3.6 percent.  Broadlawns Medical Center is recording year-to-date operating revenue increases of 4.5 percent, while its expenses are up by just 2.5 percent.
    
2. Statewide, average daily census in hospitals is down by 6.3 percent, while census at Broadlawns Medical Center is up by 3 percent.
    
3. Statewide, total patient days in hospitals is down by 6 percent and Broadlawns Medical Center is seeing an 18 percent increase in total patient days.  The increase at Broadlawns is due to a 40 percent increase in inpatient days in the psychiatric unit.
    
4. Statewide, hospital outpatient visits are up by 3.8 percent; outpatient visits are up by 7.4 percent at Broadlawns.
    
5. Utilizing the Iowa Hospital Association "Cost Compare" website, if you compare the Broadlawns Medical Center charges of providing primary health care services, Broadlawns' charges are lower than the overall state averages of the other hospitals and health care center in our state.
    
6. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) established quality indicators to compare our services to like hospitals across the state and nation.  Broadlawns Medical Center scored higher than the national average on 11 out of 14 of these indicators for the quarter ending June 30, 2009.  This is very impressive as they are also working to provide care cost effectively, while maintaining the highest quality in care.
    
7. The Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Provider and Systems (HCAHPS) compares Broadlawns Medical Center with over 5,000 hospitals nationally.  Overall Broadlawns Medical Center exceeds the national averages in two-thirds of all these categories.
    
8. Press Ganey standards are utilized to monitor patient satisfaction.  When Broadlawns began utilizing Press Ganey, the hospital ranked in the seventh percentile for inpatient satisfaction among all hospitals in the nation.  For Fiscal Year-end 2009, Broadlawns improved 30 percentile points to the 37th percentile.
    
9. Turnover rate is the standard measurement for employee satisfaction.  Broadlawns' 14.3 percent turnover rate is well below the national average of 16.5 percent.

 

	IHA Hospitals Statewide	Broadlawns Medical Center
1- Year-to-date Fiscal Operating Margin	+2.0%	+4.0%
1- Year-to-date Operating Revenues	+3.6%	+4.5%
1- Year-to-date Operating Expenses	+3.6%	+2.5%
2- Average Daily Census	-6.3%	+3.0%
3- Total Patient Days	-6.0%	+18%
4- Hospital Outpatient Visits	+3.8	+7.4%
5- IHA "Cost Compare" - Primary Care	Average	Lower than State Average
6- CMS Indicators	Average	Exceed National Average
7- HCAHPS Ratings	Average	Exceed National Average
8- Press Ganey Inpatient Satisfaction		+30th Percentile
9- Employee Turnover Rate	16.5%	14.3%

 

Broadlawns Medical Center has also undertaken one of the largest site and facilities modernization projects of recent years.  Its fiscal and quality successes were key to the hospital's ability to secure the funds needed for this project.  Under Jenner's leadership, the hospital is also nurturing a strong community presence to increase awareness of the vital role Broadlawns plays in the community as it works to secure public and private support for the second and third phases of its capital campaign.

The unexpected turnover of three of the Broadlawns Medical Center Board of Trustees presented additional challenges in sustaining the aggressive progress made in the first half of 2009.  Jean Logan, R.N, Ph.D., chair of Broadlawns Medical Center Board of Trustees, implemented a transparent process of recruiting new trustees to ensure qualified candidates who could continue the momentum.  Several candidates presented themselves for the open positions, and three new trustees were appointed to fill the board by the end of the year, setting the stage for a productive year in 2010.

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