by Nick Jacobs

Okay, so here's the list: The infection rate at our hospital dropped to 1% or below seven years ago and has never risen significantly since then. Even with an acuity rate that hits 1.7 and above periodically, our length of stay hangs in at around 3.4 to 3.5 days per patient. Mortality rates for adjusted acuity is below many peer hospitals. The very unique thing that is going on at our facility is an openness to creating a healing environment that is sometimes against conventional wisdom. It's a philosophy of care.

It's not about too many FTE's for adjusted occupied bed or spending too much money on decorative wood or fountains, live plants or skylights. It's about creating a healing environment that embraces family and friends as visitors 24 hours a day seven days a week. It's about music, aroma, massage, reiki and pet therapy. It's about double beds in the OB department, complimentary access to the work out center for patient families in hospice and OB, bread breaking in the hallways, popcorn in the lobbies and staff members that demonstrate their genuine love for the families and visitors in hallways. It's about dinner buffets in the hallways, live music, beautiful environmental design and live plants from our greenhouse.

This is not brain surgery. It is not overspending or creating the Taj Mahal. It's a philosophy of loving, caring, nurturing and respecting people as fellow human beings and, as leaders, it's about understanding that you can improve your bottom line by improving your commitment to what you know is correct. "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you."

For more on Planetree, see Nick's previous posts:
No one is a number
Now that I'm a hospital CEO, time to pursue my dream
Planetree - touchy feely or just good common sense
What happened in 1974 that makes me so passionate about Planetree
Implementing Planetree
Implementing Planetree II: Demystifying healthcare