Respectful Caring: Demonstrating compassion toward all stakeholders.

• Listen and act on physician feedback in a constructive and honest manner.
• Act on results of all patient satisfaction surveys.
• Speak to and approach others in a friendly and compassionate way.
• Provide regular communication and feedback with respect for others.
• Act in a way that demonstrates our responsibility to be reliable and prompt.
• Demonstrate openness to employee complaints and act on them appropriately with advice from peers and supervisors.

Case in point:

For Debbie Rosenwinkel and Sharon Jeziorski, two nurses at Surgical Hospital of Munster, respectful caring means being there when it counts the most. One evening the nurses received a message that one of their patients was experiencing post-surgery complications and needed additional surgery. Without hesitating, they returned to the hospital (each lived 45 minutes away) so they could be there during this critical time. As one explained, “I promise my patients I’ll be with them when they need me.”

In the case of Lori Postma, a nurse at Surgical Hospital of Munster, respectful caring means being committed to her patients and her colleagues. When a staff member became ill, Lori was quick to fill-in on an evening shift despite having worked earlier that morning. Lori went home to rest and returned later that day, eager to help.

At Regent Surgical Health, we promise to deliver the utmost care and respect to our patients – and each other. That’s Respectful Caring.

Integrity: Being true to what we believe in, doing what we say we will do and adhering to our commitments.

• Be accountable for what we do and what we fail to do.
• Exceed the components of our job description in a reliable manner.
• Practice clear, honest and open communications – no matter how difficult.
• Abide by company policies as well as state and federal regulations.
• Provide a work environment that fairly takes into account all participants’ collective views.

Case in point:

Denise Cheek, the longtime administrator at Calumet Surgery Center, never imagined herself managing a multi-million dollar construction site. However, when the center began its conversion to the Surgical Hospital of Munster, she jumped at the opportunity to do just that.

Overseeing a two-year, $3.2 million construction project – and balancing her current responsibilities – was no easy task. Yet Denise went above and beyond, managing everything from the construction process to accreditation, Medicare certification and licensing, as well as selecting such patient-friendly details as sconce lighting and paint colors.

When Surgical Hospital of Munster opened its doors in Spring 2008, it was clear that no one embodied the ideals of Integrity more than Denise.

Stewardship: Responsibility to properly utilize and develop our people, property and assets while fostering a safe and secure environment.

• Mentor others to promote personal and professional growth.
• Regularly provide information to create enterprise understanding around the clinical and economic performance of our business.
• Communicate difficult information in any direction to improve our business.
• Comply with both regulatory requirements and institutional policies and procedures.
• Promote and participate in quality improvement initiatives.

Case in point:

When management of Palos SurgiCenter in south suburban Chicago sought to implement an electronic inventory system, it struggled with the sheer magnitude of the task to create hundreds of specific lists of items. April Woodward of Surgery Center of Reno knew how to set it up and get it done.

“She shared her experience and went beyond teaching and also helped input many items as she advised us how to prepare for the next steps of inventory control process. She was extremely helpful and patient during this tedious and stressful process and we are very grateful,” says Tom Holecek, Palos SurgiCenter administrator.

April mentored staff at Palos SurgiCenter, clearly communicating difficult information to institute new procedures to improve the performance of the business. That’s Stewardship.

Efficiency: Appropriate identification, selection and management of all resources to ensure excellent clinical and financial outcomes.

• Effective utilization of staff resources.
• Cost effective utilization of supplies and equipment.
• Demonstrate proactive approach to problem identification and solutions.
• Demonstrate appropriate time management skills, prioritization and task completion.
• Utilize technology to improve processes while reducing costs.
• Optimize the use of available resources through corporate partnership.

Case in point:

Heidi VanGundy, materials manager at Knightsbridge Surgery Center, is very effective at getting the best prices for equipment. “She looks at the big picture and does a great job,” notes David Moody, administrator. “She recently got bids for two items, which totaled $16,000, but her persistence got one vendor to sell both items to us for $12,000.”

This example of Efficiency shows how Heidi demonstrated initiative to obtain new technology while keeping costs down.