Martin Guthmiller tells Michelle Rivera that this critical access hospital relocated to offer patients additional privacy, services, and features.

Orange City Area Health System has grown significantly over the past decade, to the point where its hospital could no longer continue the growth pattern in its location.

Martin Guthmiller

The organization, located in Orange City, Iowa, is a comprehensive health system made up of medical clinics, medical specialists, a hospital, a retirement community, and nursing homes. Because the hospital’s facility was nearly 50 years old, it lacked the means to take care of patients in a confidential manner. All rooms were semi-private, registration counters were open to the hallway, and physician clinics were designed in such a way that physicians had to dictate in an open area.

To alleviate the problem and rectify privacy issues, the hospital relocated to a new facility in May and has since added many state-of-the-art services and features to its delivery plan. “Our registration areas are like bank teller windows with privacy stations, and inpatient admissions are done in a private office,” explained Guthmiller. All patient rooms in the new hospital are private, and family areas and computer kiosks are located throughout the building, enabling patients to communicate privately and conduct research on their medical condition.

The integration of the outside and inside environments is an important element of the new 128,000-square-foot structure, said Guthmiller. The front lobby features a waterfall, allowing patients to hear the soothing sound of running water. Large windows allow for natural light to permeate the building, and a fitness trail starts from an outdoor patient area and leads to a healing garden and pond.

Patients don’t hear the disruptive noise of overhead paging unless there’s an emergency, and the menu was adjusted to enable patients to choose from within the confines of their dietary restrictions. “They can order what they want, when they want it,” said the CEO. “All of these changes have been a positive experience for our patients.”

New culture
After the relocation, one of Guthmiller’s first steps was to redefine the culture. “We knew that when we moved to the new building, we’d have a tremendous opportunity to redefine the culture to the extent we wanted. We seized the opportunity and have been reasonably successful,” he said.

The chief executive and his team developed a set of core values and presented them to the staff as part of the orientation for the new building. “We try to live those values out on a daily basis and provide accountability to our staff and patients. If we live those values, the patients receive better care.”

Because many of the hospital’s processes are different from the ones in its former location, Guthmiller is currently working to refine the new procedures. “We’re now finding out if they are working the way we thought they would and analyzing, endorsing, embracing, and affirming them when we are doing them correctly,” he said.

Community ownership
According to Guthmiller, Orange City Area’s patient survey results reflect a community that is grateful for the new facility and takes ownership of the new structure through tax dollars and philanthropic contributions. From the early stages of planning the relocation to the ribbon cutting, he felt it was important to heavily engage the community in the project.

Through a community study commission, the hospital developed its vision statement for its board to endorse. The community was invited to numerous luncheons and forums, and a vast majority (88%) voted for property tax dollars to go to the new facility. “Our meetings and informational sessions created awareness for the community and, ultimately, created ownership,” Guthmiller said. “We received nearly $5 million in philanthropic contributions.”
Located in a spacious facility, Orange City Area Health System has the ability to offer many new patient services. In response to the community need, the organization is now offering total hip- and knee-replacement surgery.

The organization is also in the process of implementing a fixed MRI. “We were not allowed to add new services until after we completed the construction of the building, due to the certificate of need requirements. We’ll eventually be adding many more surgery procedures. So far, our mantra has been to do everything we can that is medically safe and economically feasible,” Guthmiller concluded.