8 D


LIVING WELL • SMOKE SIGNALS SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT


APRIL 2012


APRIL 2012


LIVING WELL • SMOKE SIGNALS SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT


9D


“While we are meeting the needs with regard to the numbers, we are absolutely dedicated and committed to maintaining the high level of service we are known for.”


Rising to meet the challenges of healthcare today while keeping patient satisfaction first P I E D M O N T M O U N T A I N S I D E H O S P I T A L


S


triking a positive balance between the delivery of top-quality healthcare services while also


meeting the demands of a rapidly changing healthcare environment is a daunting challenge. Jasper’s Piedmont Mountainside


Hospital has faced the challenge and is on a winning track, much to the benefit of area residents, including those in nearby Big Canoe. “Healthcare and the way we


deliver services are under the public microscope like never before,” says Mike Robertson, President and CEO of the hospital. “As demands on the Medicare system increase, and the government estimating 76 million baby boomers in all will enroll in Medicare, it is no surprise that we have to get smarter, more efficient and more cost effective.” Robertson goes on to say that


the challenges continue a long way beyond the growth in the number of patients to be served and the containment of costs. “While we are meeting the needs with regard to the numbers, we are absolutely dedicated and committed to maintaining the high level of service we are known for, including our quality of patient care, our nationally recognized level of patient satisfaction and the all- important measurement of positive outcomes of care and procedures,” he says.


Robertson has plenty of


ammunition to back up his claims. Piedmont Mountainside has been awarded multiple honors over the past few years, recently being named one of three hospitals


recent award received by Piedmont Mountainside was one that resulted from surveys reviewing more than 10,000 facilities throughout the United States. Being known for high quality


hospitalizations or treatments will be asked to rate their satisfaction with their experience, placing an onus for the delivery of quality care on to the provider. “We welcome this initiative


because we are already in the top tier of providers, and we understand and are committed to providing the best care possible,” says Robertson. Maintaining a high level of


“As part of the expansion plans,


Piedmont Mountainside will become a Certified Chest Pain Center,


the only such facility north of the Metro Atlanta area.”


satisfaction in the delivery of care is the job of every physician and every employee associated with the hospital. “It’s in our culture to strive for excellence in everything we do,” says Robertson. While hospital personnel,


Mike Robertson, President, CEO Piedmont Mountainside Hospital


the best possible level of care for our


patients — now and into


the future.”


The prestigious 2011 Press Ganey Award received by Piedmont Mountainside is based on customer satisfaction


nationwide to receive the Press Ganey Partner of Choice award for patient satisfaction. Press Ganey is a national consumer satisfaction review organization that routinely measures performance of operators of healthcare facilities. The most


“We’ll do what it takes to provide


service leading to top marks for customer satisfaction is a lot more than bragging rights. Robertson is also looking at a new initiative from CMS, the Medicare administration, that will actually affect the amount of reimbursements hospitals and other providers will be paid for many procedures. The new plan, known by the acronym HCAHPS, will be based on constant monitoring of patient satisfaction that will result in higher or lower payments to doctors and hospitals to reflect the quality of treatment and service. Medicare In-Patients who have had procedures such as surgeries,


including associate physicians, are the first line of service providers, they are backed up by Piedmont’s commitment to technology and capital improvements to the facilities. System-wide, Piedmont is investing $200 million in an advanced electronic patient records system that will allow patient data to be available to all service providers associated with the network. The new system, called EPIC, will save time and money and provide more accurate information quickly and with less duplication. The hospital is also scheduled


to grow in the very near future with $11 million earmarked for redevelopment of the Emergency Department into a 15-bed unit from the current eight-bed facility. Further, the total beds available for care in the main hospital will expand from 48 to 58 to accommodate growing patient demand. As part of the expansion plans,


Piedmont Mountainside will become a Certified Chest Pain Center, the only such facility north of the Metro Atlanta area. The center will include advanced CT scanning technology


A major expansion will add 10 new beds as well as a new, larger emergency facility at Piedmont Mountainside Hospital in Jasper


that will enable state-of-the-art diagnosis capabilities for cardiac care and treatment. The hospital has set a goal


of 12 months to accomplish the development and certification process and to put the new center into service. Robertson is enthusiastic, while


also remarkably calm, about both the daunting challenges facing him at Piedmont Mountainside and the ambitious plans he has to make the changes needed to face those challenges. Not surprisingly, he has been tagged as one of a few up-and-coming hospital executives under the age of 40 by “Modern Healthcare”, a leading industry publication.


While being nationally recognized,


Robertson is fully vested in North Georgia with local roots that include Woodstock as his home town, an all-Georgia education from undergraduate to masters in business administration degrees, and his residency now in Ball Ground. As president/CEO of Piedmont Mountainside since 2008,


New expansion plans.


Robertson has set lofty goals for himself and his staff, such as ensuring that the regional market


“Healthcare


and the way we deliver services are under


the public microscope like never before.”


the hospital serves is getting much more than a “sleepy, country hospital.” With a market area that includes Pickens, Cherokee, Gilmer and Fannin counties in North


Georgia—as well as Murphy county in North Carolina, he recognizes a significant responsibility on the part of the hospital to meet the medical needs of a growing and changing population. On the positive side, Robertson


is looking at, and acting on, opportunities for more advanced medical treatment technologies and methodologies, including an emphasis on attracting the “best and the brightest” in physicians and support personnel to Piedmont Mountainside. In facing the realities of today’s healthcare environment, he says,


“It’s changing, and it will continue to change—and we’ll change with it. We have to. We’ll do what it takes to provide the best possible level of care for our patients—now and into the future.”


Piedmont Mountainside


Hospital Services: Hospital and Health Care Address: 1266 Hwy 515 S. Jasper, GA 30143 Phone: 706-692-2441 Website: piedmontmountainsidehospital.org


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