Top 100 Hospital, Essay Example

Healthcare sector has changed dramatically over the last few decades, with greater emphasis on customer service and operating efficiency. In addition, private sector has become an important component of the overall healthcare industry and has helped raise the performance benchmarks. Like any top-performing organization, top-20 hospitals do not achieve their rank on the shoulders of only one strength but by doing multiple things right. Northshore University HealthSystem (Northshore) is one of the finest examples of how success in the healthcare sector is an outcome of continuous pursuit of excellence in multiple areas over the long term.

Northshore is the only 16-time recipient of the 100 Top Hospital Awards in the nation (Truven Health Analytics). This means Northshore doesn’t see commitment to quality as merely a stated goal but an integral part of its overall operations. Many organizations pay lip service to quality and excellence but only those organizations achieve reputation for excellence where everyone from the top management to the field employees maintains the highest performance standards. The fact that Northshore continues to be a top-ranked hospital system year after year shows that excellence is a cultural norm at the organization.

Northshore’s high ranking is also due to the fact that it contributes towards improving the healthcare standards in multiple ways. First of all, the hospital is one of the top-ranked organizations in several specialties including cancer, diabetes & endocrinology, gynecology, orthopedics, urology, cardiology & heart surgery, geriatrics, nephrology, and pulmonology (U.S. News & World Report). Second, the organization doesn’t only engage in provision of healthcare services but also contributes towards academia and research by serving as a teaching affiliate of the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine (Northshore University Healthsystem).

Northshore’s success has also been due to its operating efficiencies. Healthcare organizations have quite limited resources in comparison to the demand for their services as well as their goals. The organization is committed to raising public healthcare standards in the country but at the same time, it is also committed to operating excellence which is the hallmark of for-profit organizations. No matter how noble the intentions may be, it is difficult to achieve goals without efficient management of limited resources. Northshore’s President and CEO Michael Dowling doesn’t come from strictly medical background. He served as a Commissioner at New York’s State Department of Social Services and often worked with private corporations such as GE (American Irish Historical Society), thus, he has the expertise to manage complex organizations with vast resources. So one of the keys to Northshore’s success is a delicate balance between efficient management of limited resources and quality healthcare.

Employees and management are not the only stakeholders an organization has and Northshore is no different. A little research on the web reveals that the organization does a great job of keeping other stakeholders such as customers satisfied as well. The customers rave about the professionalism of staff on review websites such as Yelp (Yelp) which probably also indicates that staff members are treated well by their seniors. Thus, Northshore’s success is also due to its fair treatment of various stakeholders who are all loyal to the organization and committed to its long-term success.

Northshore’s reputation as a top-ranked healthcare organization is the outcome of organization-wide commitment to excellence which is now a cultural norm. The organization also understands the importance of efficiently managing limited human and financial resources while maintaining high performance standards. In addition, the organization does a good job of taking care of its various stakeholders.

References

American Irish Historical Society. (n.d.). Michael J. Dowling. Retrieved April 5, 2013, from http://www.aihs.org/American_Irish_Historical_Society/Michael_J._Dowling.html

Northshore University Healthsystem. (n.d.). Retrieved April 5, 2013, from http://www.northshore.org/medical-group/

Truven Health Analytics. (n.d.). Top 100 Hospitals. Retrieved April 5, 2013, from http://www.100tophospitals.com/

U.S. News & World Report. (n.d.). North Shore University Hospital. Retrieved April 5, 2013, from http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/area/ny/north-shore-university-hospital-6212357/rankings

Yelp. (n.d.). North Shore University Hospital. Retrieved April 5, 2013, from http://www.yelp.com/biz/north-shore-university-hospital-manhasset