In a new book on Saint Luke’s Health System’s quality journey, CEO G. Richard Hastings presents his organization’s case for using the Baldrige Criteria:

Using the Baldrige Criteria is just one way to improve and create sustainability in an organization. But for Saint Luke’s Health System, the Baldrige model was the best choice.

The criteria provided Saint Luke’s leaders with common language we could use with the Health System’s 8,000 employees. As a result, we can communicate consistently, achieve cooperation, and discuss our progress and failures. The criteria also created standards and benchmarks that we use to evaluate our performance and plan for the future.

Because the criteria are adaptable to individual circumstances, we can keep the diverse cultures of our small physician offices, more rural regional hospitals, and larger urban hospitals vibrant and alive, without stifling innovation and creativity. At the same time, we’re able to maintain a consistent approach and linked and aligned processes within our large system of care.

Using the Baldrige criteria requires Saint Luke’s to focus on results and then continually compare these results with the best organizations. For an organization that strives to be “The Best Place to Get Care and the Best Place to Give Care,” it’s a natural fit.

To learn more about how Saint Luke’s achieves world-class clinical and operational results, read Our Journey to Performance Excellence by Richard G. Hastings. You can order it through ASQ here.

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