It’s likely that every medical center claims to put patients first. Those that actually put patients first can back up their claims with tangible results.

Schneck Medical Center, a 2011 Baldrige Award winner, is a 93-bed nonprofit hospital in southern Indiana. “At the forefront of Schneck’s commitment to excellence,” it states on its website, “is the Patient First Culture.” That culture has enabled Schneck to score 100% on 17 of 22 core measures reported for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Its patient satisfaction scores meet or exceed the top 10% or top 25% levels on nine of ten Press Ganey measures. Its hospital-acquired infection rate has been at or below 1% since 2008. It ranks second among 94 hospitals in its geographic region in value-based purchasing, which holds healthcare providers accountable for the quality and cost of their services.

An organization’s culture shapes its decisions. Schneck had limited treatment options for patients suffering myocardial infarctions, taking 120 minutes from the time a heart attack was diagnosed to the first intervention. To put these patients first, it collaborated with its largest competitor, located 25 miles away, to coordinate handing off patients who needed emergency cardiac catheterizations. The initiative has reduced the time between diagnosis and intervention to as low as 60 minutes.

A patient first culture does not mean that nothing else matters. Schneck also values workforce satisfaction: It has consistently been named one of Indiana’s Best Places to Work and recognized nationally as a “Best Place to Work” by Modern Healthcare magazine. Staff turnover dropped by 26% from 2007 to 2011. It values financial wellness: It has improved its bond rating and operating margin and exceeds S&P’s “A-” rated benchmark for five key financial metrics. It values good citizenship: Schneck performs health screenings at no charge to local residents and serves as a major source of health information through regularly scheduled educational programs and health fairs.

The three healthcare organizations that received 2011 Baldrige Awards could not be more different in size and services, from Detroit’s Henry Ford Health System’s 140 sites to Schneck and its single 93-bed hospital to Southcentral Foundation serving Alaska natives in 55 remote villages. Yet all integrated the Baldrige model to achieve excellence in patient and workforce satisfaction, quality outcomes, and financial results. They are roles models for any healthcare organization , of any size, in any situation, that is committed to providing world-class care.

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