Glenn Sisk talks about what this organization has done to make a new hospital feel like home to staff members, patients, and family members.

Sylacauga Hospital opened its doors in 1945 and holds the distinction of being one of the only nonmilitary hospitals to open during WWII. “It’s an interesting piece of history,” said Glenn Sisk, CEO of the hospital, which has since been renamed Coosa Valley Medical Center. “But we always believed our patients, who were being cared for in a more than 60-year-old hospital, were less impressed with that bit of trivia.”

Glenn Sisk

 
Positive steps
In 1945, when hospitals were built, private rooms weren’t something that the healthcare consumer expected. The majority of rooms were semi-private rooms that were extremely small. Coosa Valley Medical Center’s old facility had a number of rooms that didn’t have private showers. “That’s just the way hospitals were constructed in the ’40s,” explained Sisk. “We believe that in today’s healthcare environment, consumers expect much larger rooms that are private, with private bath facilities.”

Sisk and his team were proud to offer community members’ private rooms in the new facility. “We’re confident we’ve now been able to meet, and we hope exceed, the expectations of healthcare consumers in this region.”

Sisk’s next move was taking away the institutional effect most hospitals possess. “Hospitals feel like a big institution, especially with their color selections,” he said. The chief executive made a conscious effort to choose colors for the new facility that were soothing and relaxing to patients, such as earth tones. “Within the first two weeks of our opening, we received a number of positive comments from patients.” To accompany the décor, Sisk and his team made sure patients could easily find their way around the new facility, adding well-designed signage in corridors.

Dining destination
Another part of Sisk’s strategy was the elimination of the typical hospital cafeteria and the addition of a café. Historically, hospital food has had a stigma attached to it that Sisk and his team were not willing to accept. “One of the things we wanted to accomplish was to build a dining destination in this community. Rather than eating in the hospital cafeteria, meals are now served in The Hickory Street Café. When the public now enters, our guests enjoy a true dining experience,” Sisk said.

The cafe´ serves patients as well as team members. The hospital also encourages members of the community to dine at the café. “The after-church crowds have grown dramatically on Sundays,” Sisk said. “We’re also working with local clubs to host civic meetings. If we can get people on our campus when they are feeling well, we’re building a relationship with them and have the opportunity to gain their confidence.”

The right tools
To complement its new additions, Sisk and his team made sure to upgrade to all-digital equipment in every modality—a 64-slice CT, a digital mammography in a newly created women’s imaging center, and an EMR. Physicians now have the capability to view their patients charts in real time over a secured site from anywhere in the world. Nurses also chart patient care activities on computers versus traditional paper and pencil charting. “We feel confident that we’ve provided the tools and resources necessary for our physicians, nurses, and technicians to adequately diagnose and provide care for patients using our facility,” Sisk said.

The chief executive also changed the hospital’s registration process. Historically, the old hospital’s processes had been quite complicated in terms of the number of stops patients were required to go through. In the new facility, guests can go directly to the registration area housed in the imaging center, have their exams done, and leave from that same area.

“Our goal was to improve patient convenience, requiring less time for someone to complete outpatient testing. The early results are favorable,” Sisk said.

Unchanging approach
Sisk and his team are proud of the new facility. In fact, Coosa Valley Medical Center has had its highest patient satisfaction scores in recorded history. While Sisk admits the hospital isn’t perfect, he continually strives to mitigate negative experiences and ensure that patient stays are as positive as possible.

“Over time, our technology and equipment will age. What won’t change is the approach we take in delivering care characterized by guest excellence. We’re very fortunate to have a governance group that challenges us month after month. In the long run, it’s the people in this organization that will ensure success, not the fact that we have a new building,” Sisk concluded.