MARIETTA, GA, August 08, 2009
/24-7PressRelease/ -- In less than one year, WellStar Health System, an award-winning five-hospital metro Atlanta health system, is pleased to announce they have exceeded operational improvement goals. The Marietta-based integrated healthcare system has improved its overall operating margin by more than 40 percent through an internal strategic initiative - Opportunities 2010 - a unique operations improvement program designed by employees for employees and guided by WellStar's senior leadership.
Opportunities 2010 resulted from a strategic planning process that launched in summer 2008, and has achieved remarkable results. Not only was the operating margin improvement target met, but it was exceeded ahead of schedule. This goal was reached through:
• Process improvement that reduced waste and duplication of efforts
• Vendor supply cost renegotiation
• Information technology investments, which reduced annual operating expenses
• Green initiative investments, for a more energy responsible organization
• Revenue cycle improvements
• Labor expense reduction
The labor expense reduction had a minimal impact to WellStar's 11,000-plus employee team and focused on:
• Vacant position elimination made possible by enhanced efficiencies
• Overtime and contract labor reduction
• Vacancy and turnover rate reduction
"Opportunities 2010 has been an example of what a forward-thinking health system can accomplish, especially when it involves team members at all levels," said WellStar president and CEO Gregory L. Simone, M.D.
"It was amazing to see the initiative fall into place, and we involved clinical and non-clinical staff from all departments within the organization," continued Dr. Simone. "We were able to manage our team members' concerns regarding the 'human toll' factor that generally accompanies a project like this. We reassured them that one of our core commitments had always been and continued to be to our team members."
This commitment was confirmed by a recent employee engagement survey in which nine out of every 10 team members participated. The survey highlighted an increase in employee engagement during this same time period, and WellStar is now ranked in the top third of healthcare organizations nationwide. This improved team member engagement has led to significantly improved patient satisfaction scores as well.
The entire WellStar organization worked together to identify efficiencies in key areas that would result in overall cost savings, while keeping safety and quality foremost. This teamwork approach allowed employees, management and leadership at every level to feel ownership of the solutions. Employees were encouraged to share ideas within their own departments that would assist in improving processes and reducing expenses without compromising care. In fact, during this period, quality and patient safety indicators improved while costs were being reduced.
"Since launching Opportunities 2010, WellStar has seen a revitalization of our culture and a strong commitment to being the employer of choice for our team members," commented Dr. Simone. "One of the more unexpected outcomes of Opportunities 2010 is that we're now getting calls from other health facilities asking us, 'How did you do it?'"
To learn more about WellStar Health System, visit http://www.wellstar.org or call (770) 956-STAR.
About WellStar Health System
Headquartered in Cobb County, Georgia, the vision of WellStar Health System is to deliver world-class healthcare. An award-winning, integrated not-for-profit health system with five hospitals and 11,000+ employees, WellStar Health System includes Cobb, Douglas, Kennestone, Paulding and Windy Hill hospitals; WellStar Physicians Group; Urgent Care Centers; Health Place; Homecare; Hospice; Atherton Place; Paulding Nursing Center; and WellStar Foundation. For more information, call 770-956-STAR or visit http://www.wellstar.org.
About Marketing Expectations, Inc.
Marketing Expectations, Inc. is an award-winning boutique PR firm led by Lynne Andrews, a seasoned, consumer PR strategist with more than 21 years experience. Founded in 1998 and headquartered in Cumming, GA, the firm specializes in strategic PR counsel, crisis communications, marketing and special events for clients in healthcare, retail, logistics and sports marketing industries. For more information on Marketing Expectations, Inc., visit http://www.marketingexpectations.com.
---
Press release service and press release distribution provided by http://www.24-7pressrelease.com# # #
Read more Press Releases from Lynne Andrews:Other Press Release Headlines:
