RESUMEN
Sponsorship of a healthcare organization by a religious community requires sponsors to maintain significant influence and ultimate control over mission, quality of services, and assets. To ensure the mission of its sponsor (the Religious Sisters of Mercy) permeated all its operations, St. Edward Mercy Medical Center, Fort Smith, AR, incorporated the nine Mercy values into the organization's core documents in the mid-1980s. As St. Edward's services and service area grew, the program approach to mission effectiveness appeared inadequate. St. Edward implemented a mission integration plan to ensure the inclusion of Christian values in decision making, direction setting, and strategic planning. The Mission Integration Council provides the forum and authority for planning and implementing the mission integration strategies and provides a formal process for evaluating those actions in light of the mission statement and core Mercy values.
Asunto(s)
Catolicismo , Hospitales Religiosos/organización & administración , Cultura Organizacional , Valores Sociales , Arkansas , Toma de Decisiones en la Organización , Documentación , Hospitales con 300 a 499 Camas , Comercialización de los Servicios de Salud , Modelos Organizacionales , Objetivos Organizacionales , Filosofía , Relaciones PúblicasRESUMEN
In 1978 the Board of Trustees at St. Edward Mercy Medical Center, Fort Smith, AR, adopted a policy that the center would increase its bed size only to meet community needs or to offer needed services. The policy choice was the first step in the development of a regional network that now serves five rural communities. Although there was some resistance to the move at first, when management formalized some of its basic assumptions and values, it became clear that establishing a regional network was right for St. Edward. It would provide economic benefits to the communities in which facilities were acquired or constructed; it would give rural residents better access to primary healthcare; and it would provide the Religious Sisters of Mercy an opportunity to extend their ministry. Networking has also allowed the facilities involved to develop economies of scale and to avoid costly duplication of certain basic services. In addition, primary care physicians in rural communities served by the network have been an important source of referrals to specialists who utilize St. Edward.
Asunto(s)
Hospitales Privados/organización & administración , Hospitales Satélites/organización & administración , Regionalización/organización & administración , Salud Rural , Arkansas , Catolicismo , Relaciones Comunidad-Institución , Accesibilidad a los Servicios de Salud , Hospitales con 300 a 499 Camas , Hospitales con menos de 100 Camas , Valores SocialesRESUMEN
Today physicians and hospitals are in competition. To ensure consistent physician input and a forum for two-way communication, St. Edward Mercy Medical Center, Fort Smith, AR, has established a medical staff board. The medical staff board was organized so physicians could formally address managers' concerns without duplicating work done by other medical staff committees (e.g., executive committee, medical staff sections, hospital committees). Membership on the 24-member board was limited to the active staff. A two-year term was established, allowing for two consecutive terms to ensure continuity. The chief of staff and chief executive officer (CEO) are ex-officio members. Some of the issues of interest to physicians include how well informed operating room personnel were on current technology and procedures, how effective the emergency department could be, having been designed almost 20 years ago, and how volume purchasing affects physician familiarity with certain products. St. Edward's medical staff board has the potential to enhance the physician-hospital relationship and to serve as an effective tool in building commitment to the medical center.