At its core, Remaking American Medicine is a glimpse into the type of health care we can all have. It is about the pioneering work of providers, patients and their families, private purchasers, government agencies and others committed to making health care in America safe, evidence-based, efficient and effective. We call these people and organizations Champions of Change. Because there are many more stories about these groups and individuals than can be told in a four hour television series we’ll be featuring them here and in other areas of the Web site. Learning from others is an important aspect in the drive to remake American medicine. At the conclusion of each Champion of Change story is contact information provided for follow up.
Sac-Osage Hospital located in Osceola, Missouri, a small rural town of 800 citizens, had been a facility in decline for years. The community had lost confidence in its services and the hospital was on the verge of closing its doors.
John Moran had previous experience turning health care facilities around and when he took over Sac-Osage as CEO two years ago, good things began to happen. First, he knew that improving care and services for patients would also advance a positive community perception of the hospital and signal that providers cared about the health of patients and the community.
Mr. Moran also knew that filling hospital beds regularly was a challenge for a small community. To build greater community awareness, he started by opening an outpatient clinic that brought in patients regularly for the kinds of health care services they needed. He then began to increase technology use and acquire state of the art equipment to provide better diagnostic services. This allowed for better quality health in the areas of nuclear medicine, orthopedics and oncology.
As is often the case, success breeds success. The institutional change within the hospital then attracted more qualified doctors to the area. This included adding more specialists and making it possible for residents to have treatment at home rather than traveling to Kansas City or St. Louis.
The hospital was also very concerned about hospital-acquired infections. They participate in the Federal Quality Initiatives for the provision of care and patient outcomes in order to track and review patient safety. John Moran has set quality health care as his primary goal and it has now become the primary goal of hospital staff. Sac-Osage Hospital is focusing on the future and committed to continue quality health care for area residents.
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