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Appalachian Regional Healthcare System Wins a Studer Group Excellence in Patient Care Award for Employee Engagement

Pictured above, left to right: Colleen McCrory, Studer Coach, Amy Crabbe, Sr. VP of People Services at ARHS, Chuck Mantooth, President & CEO of ARHS, Kim Bianca, Sr. VP of Hospitals/CNO at ARHS and Faye Sullivan, Studer Coach.
Boone, NC (August 17, 2017) – Healthcare organizations today are tasked with constantly providing higher quality care at a lower cost. Every aspect of the patient experience must be approached with a passion for excellence and an eye toward efficiency and effectiveness. It’s not easy. That’s why receiving an Excellence in Patient Care Award-presented by Studer Group®, a Huron solution-is considered an honor in the industry.

 

Appalachian Regional Healthcare System (ARHS) was awarded that honor on August 3rd. Specifically, ARHS is being recognized for excellence in employee engagement. This category awards those who sustain high employee engagement scores or demonstrate significant improvements in the area of employee engagement. These scores matter because employee engagement-along with leader, physician, and patient engagement-is linked to clinical quality, the patient experience, and various aspects of organizational performance. 

 
 

“Creating an environment that encourages employees to connect to their purpose, perform worthwhile work and make a difference in our community is vital to our success,” says Chuck Mantooth, President & CEO of Appalachian Regional Healthcare System. “We are committed to providing opportunities for our employees to excel in their respective fields, enhance patient satisfaction and make life better for our community.”

 

Excellence in Patient Care Awards are presented annually to a select group of organizations from Studer Group’s partner base of hospitals, health systems, and physician organizations. To be eligible for an award, an organization must demonstrate outstanding performance and achievement in patient care, employee engagement, or physician engagement.
 
The awards was presented at the 15th annual What’s Right in Health Care® best practices conference, which took place Aug. 1-3, 2017, in Chicago, Illinois. The conference attracts administrative and clinical healthcare professionals from the U.S., Canada, Australia, and beyond.
 
What’s Right in Health Care aims to improve healthcare for patients, physicians, and staff through peer-to-peer sharing of leading practices. Presenters will share the strategies and tactics contributing to their top results in areas such as patient safety, emergency department wait times, and employee satisfaction.
 
“A big part of what we do is helping our partner organizations create cultures of high engagement,” says Debbie Ritchie, president of Studer Group. “This really is a fundamental part of being able to provide high-quality care. Engaged employees are employees who do the right thing for patients, even when no one is watching. We’re so proud of our award winners in this area and of all healthcare organizations that make engagement the priority it deserves to be.”
 
About Appalachian Regional Healthcare System: 
About Appalachian Regional Healthcare System: Appalachian Regional Healthcare System (ARHS), located in the NC High Country, is comprised of two hospitals – Charles A. Cannon, Jr. Memorial Hospital in Linville and Watauga Medical Center in Boone – a physician practice management group – Appalachian Regional Medical Associates (ARMA) – The Foley Center at Chestnut Ridge in Blowing Rock – and Appalachian Regional Healthcare Foundation.
 
Every member of our staff plays a role in delivering revolutionary patient-focused care for heart disease, cancer, orthopaedics, rehabilitation, obstetrics, emergency medicine, women’s health and more. We’re committed to bringing you the complete spectrum of healthcare – preventing illness, educating the healthcare professionals of tomorrow, enhancing treatment options and partnering with our community to build a healthier High Country.
 
Watauga Medical Center has been named a finalist for the 2017 QUEST Award for High-value Healthcare  from Premier Inc., a leading healthcare improvement company, for providing outstanding patient care. Only 21 hospitals received finalist recognition for achieving top performance in any five of the six areas measured in Premier’sQUEST collaborative, including cost and efficiency, evidence-based care, mortality, safety, patient and family engagement and appropriate hospital use.
 
In January 2017, Appalachian Regional Healthcare System became the first healthcare system in North Carolina to implement the American Heart Association’s Resuscitation Quality Improvement® Program (AHA RQI® Program).
 
Appalachian Regional Healthcare System stays committed to promoting health in the High Country, enhancing quality of life and simply “making life better.” For more information, visit www.apprhs.org.
 
About Studer Group®, a Huron solution: 
Studer Group is an outcomes-based healthcare performance improvement firm that works with healthcare organizations in the United States, Canada, and beyond, teaching them how to achieve, sustain, and accelerate exceptional clinical, operational, and financial results. To learn more about Studer Group, a Huron solution, visit studergroup.com.