Hill Country Memorial Hospital Case Study

Running head: WHAT MAKES A TOP 100 HOSPITAL? 1

What Makes a Top 100 Hospital?
A Review of Hill Country Memorial Hospital
Jane Doe
DeVry University

Author Note
This paper was prepared for HSM 310, Introduction to Health Services Management, taught by Professor Klense.
WHAT MAKES A TOP 100 HOSPITAL? 2

Abstract
The competition in healthcare is growing, and with good reason. There is a greater demand as our population ages, and patients want to find the best bang for their buck. Healthcare facilities are striving to be the best at what they do, and one ideal motivator is Truven Health Analytics’ annual study as they use certain key performance measures to analyze
our nation’s hospitals. This paper reviews one hospital, Hill Country Memorial Hospital, in Fredericksburg, Texas to show how the various aspects of their hospital have helped them become one of the top 100 hospitals in the United States.

WHAT MAKES A TOP 100 HOSPITAL? 3

What Makes a Top 100 Hospital?
A Review of Hill Country Memorial Hospital
As our nation continues to have a growing, aging population, our need for affordable, quality healthcare has risen. There are so many choices out there, but how do you know which one to choose? Everyone wants the best that they can afford. One way to encourage medical facilities to improve is to have patients rate their services. A company called Truven Health has an annual program to rate hospitals to find the top 100 in our nation. They use an independent and objective approach to evaluate their performance. The reasoning behind this is simple. As stated in Truven Health Analytics’ website, “Award-winning hospitals and health systems prove that better care is possible and provide an example for other organizations to follow across the industry. The 100 Top Hospitals award winners demonstrate top performance on both how patients are cared for through clinical measures and how the hospital performs as an efficient business” (Truven, 2013).
Truven Health Analytics separates the hospitals they evaluate into five hospital comparison groups, based on the size and type of hospital it is. They ranked hospitals on how well they performed independently. The hospitals’ total scores on each performance measure were tallied, and the ones with the best overall rankings in each comparison group were the chosen winners. According to Truven Health Analytics, “The Top 100 Hospitals have better survival rates and fewer patient complications. They closely follow safety standards and
WHAT MAKES A TOP 100 HOSPITAL? 4 accepted care protocols, have better long-term outcomes, keep their expenses lower, have patients that return home sooner, and have a better overall hospital experience compared to their peer hospitals” (Truven, 2013, p. 15-17).
Within the Small Community Hospitals category there were 20 winners out of 943 total participants(Truven, p.
43). Hill Country Memorial Hospital in Fredericksburg, Texas has won this honor in 2003, 2012, and 2013(Truven, p. 52). Hill Country Memorial Hospital is a voluntary, non-profit private acute care hospital set in the picturesque town of Fredericksburg, Texas. Although it is considered a small community hospital, it has taken great measures to ensure that it is one of the best hospitals in the area. Hill Country Memorial Hospital’s vision is to empower others, and to create healthy individuals. Their mission is to be remarkable always. They hold values that commit to remarkable care with each life they touch, to care for others with a kind heart, to integrate new ideas with courage, to be responsible for their actions, and to uphold their responsibility for lives and resources(Hill Country, 2012). These statements show a clear picture of what they stand for, their goals, and their expectations of their staff. In a sense, these statements have helped to shape a collective understanding by creating an interpretive schema outlining their goals. It is extremely important for members of an organization to have the same way of thinking. By setting clear and concise standards, it lets everyone know where they expect to stand in the eyes of
their patrons. This simple outline has helped Hill Country Memorial to become one of the top 100 hospitals in our nation.
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The original hospital came about because of a need within the community, and a group of determined volunteers dedicated to making it happen. “One of the foundation’s chief resources continues to be the very people who built the original hospital in 1971: area residents. Years before the foundation’s doors opened, volunteers began raising funds to build the original hospital. Hailed as the greatest community effort in the history of Gillespie County, the vision for great health care in the Texas Hill Country remains strong today. Over the years, the foundation has developed exceptional patient care programs, provided state-of-the-art equipment and has embarked on several major expansion projects which have allowed the hospital to meet the needs of a growing community”(Hill Country, 2012). This explains how the community as a whole is more or less vested in this hospital that is meeting some pretty outstanding expectations. The foundation raises money for the hospital. One approach is to hold Gala events, where participants can purchase seats or tickets to a certain event. The funds are then rolled into their foundation, and the hospital uses the funds to make improvements, purchase new equipment, and so on. They also offer online giving, or making a donation online for those that are passionate about the work of Hill Country Memorial. The fact that it is non-profit and has a fundraising committee could allow the hospital to keep its costs down. This is one of the criteria of being in the top brackets with Truven Health Analytics.
Hill Country Memorial Hospital also accepts volunteers to help. This, in turn, offsets the cost of healthcare since it frees up funds to pay someone to perform the task, helps to meet the patient’s needs, and also poses to increase the customer satisfaction rating of their overall visit.
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Those who are willing and able are welcomed to volunteer their time to help others. “There are many opportunities to make a difference at HCM for those who feel called to serve. Whether enhancing a patient’s stay as a hospital volunteer, raising funds for hospital projects through the HCMH Foundation Friends of the Hospital Gala, serving HCM Hospice patients, helping at the HCM Cancer Resource Center or volunteering at the HCM Thrift Shop, volunteers help provide Remarkable Health Care!”(Hill Country, 2012).
Their organizational structure is functional, with the adoption of a matrix style administration. Each specialty area has a manager, and all staff that falls under that specialty area will report to their specific manager. Advantages of this structure include improved lateral communication and coordination of services, as well as pooled knowledge(Buchbinder & Shanks, 2012, p. 7). The functional structure is common in healthcare settings, and provides for better communication. The matrix allows for each area to have someone to report to. This helps keep people accountable, thus leading the way to a great healthcare
facility.
Hill Country Memorial Hospital offers a variety of services to meet the community healthcare demands. These services include emergency room, cancer resources, breast center, baby and women’s services, cardiac rehabilitation, community health clinics, home health care, hospice care, radiographic imaging, occupational rehabilitation, orthopedic services, patient services, physical rehabilitation, pulmonary rehabilitation, restorative services, sleep lab, speech rehabilitation, wellness center, wound healing, lifeline coaching, and thrift shop. The

WHAT MAKES A TOP 100 HOSPITAL? 7 fact that they offer a vast array of services and have continued to expand and improve their hospital has helped them become one of the top hospitals in our nation.

J. Hardin Perry, M.D., co-founder of Hill Country Memorial states, "A hospital 's work is never done; its equipment is never complete; it is always in need of new means of diagnoses, of new instruments and medicines; it is to try all things and to hold fast to that which is good." (Hill Country, 2012). This is so true; a hospital’s work is never done, and the healthcare field is forever changing, always advancing, and should continue to find ways to deliver cost effective, quality healthcare to as many people as possible so that they, too, can be a top 100 hospital. Every facility should strive for healthcare excellence!

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References

Buchbinder, S.B. & Shanks, N. (2012). Introduction to healthcare management (2nd ed.).
Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett, 7.
Hill Country Memorial (2012). HCM Truven Health Analytics 100 Top Hospitals – 2013.
Retrieved September 20, 2013 from http://www.hillcountrymemorial.org/ Main/News/325.aspx
Truven Health Analytics (2013). 100 Top Hospitals: Study Overview (20th ed.). Ann Arbor, MI: Truven Health Analytics, Inc.