Living our values; serving our communities

Sisters of St. Francis Health Services Northern Indiana Region answers the call

Sisters of St. Francis Health Services Northern Indiana Region hospitals answer the call when it comes to providing services for area communities and benefits for the less fortunate in Northwest Indiana.

The hospitals in the Northern Indiana Region, including Saint Anthony Medical Center in Crown Point, Saint Anthony Memorial in Michigan City, Saint Margaret Mercy in Hammond and in Dyer and Franciscan Physicians Hospital in Munster, combined provided approximately $150 million in Social Accountability Benefits to the Northwest Indiana community in 2007.

A breakdown of the benefits includes:

Saint Anthony Medical Center

More than $29 million in programs and services, which included St. Clare Clinic (which offers free primary health care for uninsured residents in a six-county area), along with Saint Anthony’s Prenatal Assistance program, the American Heart Association, health screenings and numerous other mission/community-related offerings, were provided. Benefits for the Poor included $4.7 million for charity care; $6.2 million in unpaid Medicaid costs; nearly $400,000 for other public programs; more than $20,000 for community services. Benefits for the Community included $16.6 million for unpaid Medicare costs, $14.4 million

for community services.

Saint Margaret Mercy

More than $79 million in combined Social Accountability Benefits was provided by the Hammond and Dyer campuses. Among services were free health screenings, caring for working uninsured residents at Catherine McAuley Clinic, helping mothers and babies who live in St. Monica Home, or helping troubled adolescents at the St. Francis Center. Saint Margaret Mercy also provides sexual abstinence programs for teens and a Volunteer Advocates for Seniors program. Benefits for the Poor included more than $13 million for charity care, nearly $31 million in unpaid costs of public aid, $127,500 in cash and in-kind donations. Benefits for the Community included more than $32 million in unpaid costs of Medicare; $3 million for community support and services.

Saint Anthony Memorial

More than $39 million in Social and Accountability Benefits was provided by the hospital, which offers an integrated health care network that includes The Women’ Comprehensive Health Center, Duneland Health and Wellness Institute, The Indiana Sleep Disorders Center, The Vascular Center of the Great Lakes and Woodland Healthcare SurgiCenter. Benefits for the Poor included $6.5 million in charity care, nearly $11 million in unpaid Medicaid costs. Benefits for the Community included more than $20 million in unpaid Medicare costs; nearly $250,000 in other community services.

Franciscan Physicians Hospital LLC

was acquired by Sisters of St. Francis Health Services in 2006. In a unique partnership with area physicians, it is building centers of excellence in the foundational areas of cardiovascular and orthopedic services. The hospital provided more than $900,000 in Social Accountability Benefits during a partial period of 2007, including $26,606 in charity care, $215,000 in unpaid Medicaid costs. Benefits for the community included $716,000 in unpaid Medicare costs, $3,000 for other services.

BKD Excellence Award honors Sisters of St. Francis Northern Indiana Region

Sisters of St. Francis Health Services Northern Indiana Region is the recipient

of a BKD Excellence Award in the Health Care category for 2008.

The 13th annual awards recognize business excellence, rewarding organizations that demonstrate a commitment through improvement of products, services or business practices.

The health care honor recently was presented to Sisters of St. Francis by BKD LLP, a nationally known, Indianapolis-based CPA and advisory firm, along with Indiana Business magazine and National City Corp., based in Cleveland.

Chris Vanni, Northern Indiana Region administrator of patient quality, said the award was the result of a nomination submitted for local development of a Lean Six Sigma program to improve quality of services. The honor recognizes the influence of Lean Six Sigma culture at the five Northern Indiana Region facilities.

“We developed a curriculum, with help from IUPUI (Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis) to teach employees to learn the tools to accomplish a performance improvement project,” Vanni said, adding it involved case studies in areas such as emergency department turnaround time.

Site visits were conducted to determine five finalists in each award

category, that also included manufacturing and distribution, not-for-profit and

government, and service.

Lean and Six Sigma are process improvement methodologies developed

in the 1980s.

The Sisters of St. Francis Northern Indiana Region is being featured in the January edition of Indiana Business in an article recognizing business excellence in the state.

The article says the decision to move all of the hospitals to a new quality improvement model “was no small task.”

“The hospitals had been following the PDSA model (plan, do, study and act) … Since the initial 2005 project to improve turnaround time in the emergency department, roughly five dozen Lean Six Sigma improvement projects have been successfully implemented and more are at some stage of implementation.

“Projects are both clinical and nonclinical, reducing the incidence of ventilator-acquired pneumonia, providing public MRSA education and increasing employee satisfaction,’’ Indiana Business reports.

When it comes to quality healthcare in the region, don’t wish upon a star

Wish for Five Stars

The four hospitals that make up the Northern Indiana Region of the Sisters of

St. Francis Health Services Inc. are five-star rated in several service areas, according to HealthGrades®, the leading independent health care ratings company in the country. The breakdown includes:

Saint Anthony Medical Center — www.stanthonymedicalcenter.com

• Five-star rated for treatment of stroke – seven consecutive years.

• Ranked among the top 15 percent nationwide for stroke treatment – seven consecutive years.

• Five-star rated for hip fracture repair – two consecutive years.

• Ranked among the top 15 percent nationwide for hip fracture repair – two consecutive years.

Saint Margaret Mercy Healthcare Centers — www.smmhc.com

• Five-star rated for heart failure treatment – three consecutive years.

• Ranked among the top 15 percent nationwide for heart failure treatment –

three consecutive years.

• Ranked in the top 10 in Indiana for overall cardiac, heart surgery and cardiology services.

• Ranked in the top 10 in Indiana for spine surgery.

• Five-star rated for hip fracture repair – four consecutive years.

• Ranked among the top 15 percent nationwide for hip fracture repair – four straight years.

Saint Anthony Memorial — www.saintanthonymemorial.org

• Five-star rated for heart failure treatment and total hip replacement.

• Ranked among in the top 15 percent nationwide for treatment of heart failure

and total hip replacement.

• One of two five-star-rated heart failure treatment programs in the South Bend area.

Franciscan Physicians Hospital — www.franciscanphysicianshospital.com

• Five-star rated for heart failure treatment.

• Ranked in the top 15 percent nationally for heart failure treatment.

SSFHS Northern Indiana Region hospitals net national occ med recognition

Local WorkingWell program first in Indiana to achieve NAOHP certification

The Occupational Health program of Sisters of St. Francis Health Services Northern Indiana Region reached a milestone recently when it became the first in the state to achieve a notable national certification.

The California-based National Association of Occupational Health Professions awarded WorkingWell, SSFHS’s Northern Indiana Region program, a 97.1 percent compliance rating, the second-highest achieved since the certification process began in October 2005. The only score higher since that time is 98 percent.

“Of all the programs reviewed, only six have achieved three-year certification, and WorkingWell is the second program to achieve the 97 percent compliance to standard rating,’’ said Donna Lee Gardner, NAOHP reviewer, adding WorkingWell is the first Indiana program to receive the Quality Certification Award.

Gardner conducted a two-day survey of the program’s main site at Saint Anthony Memorial Hospital in Michigan City. The certification also includes Working Well locations in Crown Point, Valparaiso, Hammond and Munster.

Gardner called the WorkingWell effort, “one of the most comprehensive I have seen nationally.’’

“The program’s total health management focus is the health care management system of the future for business and industry. WorkingWell is exceptional in all areas,’’ Gardner said.

Certification is based on compliance scores in categories of Administration and Organization, Operational Framework, Occupational Health Professional Staffing Resources, Quality Management, Product Lines, Sales and Marketing.

Gene Diamond, SSFHS Northern Region CEO since 2004, established WorkingWell region-wide in 2005.

“It’s wonderful. I am happy we achieved this certification. We have an excellent program that shows we can meet needs as they are expected to be met. The score reflects the high level of preparation invested in this effort,’’ Diamond said.

Diamond credits Tim Ross, regional director of Occupational/Employee health, who is based at Saint Anthony Memorial, for the high marks on the WorkingWell report card.

“Tim is responsible for regionalizing the program. I was happy to encourage him to pursue certification,’’ Diamond said.

Ross, who has been with the program since its inception, said he requested the review because “we were confident enough to be judged.’’

“It solidified that we’re providing quality policies and procedures at national-standard levels. It sets us apart from the competition. It can help us recruit the highest-quality providers and staff.’’

WorkingWell serves Northwest Indiana, southeast Chicago area and southwest Michigan area employers, offering services ranging from wellness and education to rehabilitation.

For more information on WorkingWell, call 866.552.9355

or visit its Web site: www.Workingwellsite.org.

Franciscan EXPRESSCare is on the fast track

SSFHS Northern Indiana Region offers convenient, immediate care

Franciscan EXPRESSCare provides convenient and fast attention for patients at locations in Crown Point, Michigan City, Munster and a fourth site opening in February in Griffith.

Immediate care for non-life-threatening cases is offered, which includes treatment for colds, flu, cuts, sprains and strains, bee stings and minor asthma problems.

No appointment is needed and most insurance plans are accepted. EXPRESSCare also treats patients who are unable to get an appointment with their regular doctor.

Franciscan EXPRESSCare locations include:

• 12800 Mississippi Parkway, Crown Point, (along U.S. 231, just east of Interstate 65). Hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Call 219.662.5700.

• 1573 N. Cline Ave., Griffith. Hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday;

10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday; 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. Call 219.972.7179.

• 1225 E. Coolspring Ave., Michigan City. Hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday. Call 219.873.2919.

• 701 Superior Ave., Munster. Hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday;

10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday; 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. Call 219.922.4001.