ALTON - While national projections indicate a 4%-6% decline in inpatient admission volumes for hospitals during the next 10 years, OSF Saint Anthony’s Health Center experienced the opposite in 2023 by realizing an increase in inpatient admissions.
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In fact, going back to 2021, OSF Saint Anthony’s has seen its market share increase by 15% overall with year-to-year increases from 2021-2022 and 2022-2023.
“Our diligent and hyper-focused work is to make OSF Saint Anthony’s a full-service community hospital with all of the necessary primary and specialty care services needed to provide a comprehensive platform for patients here in the Riverbend region,” says Jerry Rumph, president, OSF Saint Anthony’s. “Our overall goal is to keep care close to home while minimizing the need to send patients to St. Louis for care.”
And it’s not only in the inpatient acute care area that OSF Saint Anthony’s witnessed increased patient volumes. Some of the most significant increases came from outpatient surgery activity where the hospital documented 15% growth. “One of the biggest trends in health care for years has been the ability to provide more care in an outpatient setting because of technology and best-practice utilization,” says Rumph. “Additionally, outpatient diagnostic services such as MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) and ultra-sound procedures saw a big uptick in 2023.”
Community hospitals like OSF Saint Anthony’s realize that its front door to local residents is the Emergency Department (ED) – and in 2023, more patients entered OSF Saint Anthony’s through the ED than in 2022. “Whether a patient’s need is more acute in nature or serious, maybe even traumatic, hospitals are judged by the care that has been and can be provided in the ED,” says Rumph.
One very specific example of the advancement of ED care at OSF Saint Anthony’s in 2023 was the implementation of its tele-medicine program in partnership with SSM Health – most specifically when it comes to stroke care and pediatric medicine. Telemedicine, or telehealth as it’s interchangeably called at times, is the distribution of health-related services and information via electronic information and telecommunication technologies. It allows long-distance patient and clinician contact, care, advice, reminders, education, intervention, monitoring, and remote admissions. “Our partnership with SSM Health allows our Mission Partners here in the ED in Alton to bring specialty physician services from SSM Health in St. Louis to the bedside locally thereby minimizing needs for transfer across the river,” says Rumph.
“Our tele-stroke service has already seen significant outcomes from stroke transfers to SSM Health with impressive outcomes and benefits for stroke patients. Similarly, we’ve seen a decrease in the number of pediatric patients we’re transferring to St Louis with the addition of the tele-peds service,” Rumph states.
Rumph and other members of the OSF Saint Anthony’s leadership team look at more than just year-over-year increased patient volumes as one measure of success – patient satisfaction ratings are just as if not more important. “Almost if not every hospital, no matter the size or location, conducts patient satisfaction surveys to gauge the level of customer service that’s being provided,” Rumph explains. “Plus, patient satisfaction scores are utilized by the federal government when it comes to determining financial reimbursement and analyzing the level of care provided to patients.”
Again going back to 2021, OSF Saint Anthony’s has only increased its patient satisfaction scores each year leading up to a cumulative 7% increase through 2023. “Increases in patient satisfaction, inpatient and outpatient volumes, and market share are tangible demonstrations that OSF Saint Anthony’s is a true community resource to residents of the Riverbend region,” Rumph says.
The clinical side of success of OSF Saint Anthony’s also extends to the number of new and renewal of accreditations that the hospital received during 2023 – those include:
- The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (required)
- Primary Stroke Accreditation – The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations
- American Heart Association-Get with the Guidelines (stroke care)
- College of American Pathology – Laboratory Accreditation
- American College of Surgeons-Commission On Cancer
- American College of Radiology (MRI, CT, Ultra-sound, mammography)
- American Academy of Sleep Medicine (Sleep Lab)
- American Nurses Association- Magnet Recognition (in progress)
- Emergency Department Approved for Pediatrics (EDAP)
“OSF Saint Anthony’s follows industry best practices to advance the quality and safety of the care we provide to the community,” Rumph says. “Each of these are voluntary and require a financial investment and time to achieve.”
But if you ask Rumph, none of the growth trends are possible without the hospital’s greatest assets: it’s more than 780+ employees, also called Mission Partners. “Health care is one of if not the most personalized service that’s provided to anyone, anywhere. Health care is a fundamental right and our Mission of ‘serving with the greatest care and love’ is demonstrated impeccably every day by every one of our Mission Partners.”
Just as patient satisfaction is measured and analyzed, so is Mission Partner satisfaction. “Throughout the entire OSF HealthCare ministry, we annually conduct our Mission Partner Opinion Survey (MPOS) to gauge the level of engagement our Mission Partners have with us,” says Rumph. “At OSF Saint Anthony’s, for every year during the past four years (2020-2023), our MPOS score has increased from the 65th percentile to the 88thpercentile. I am proud of the fact out of all the hospitals across the country we rank in the 88th percentile out of 100%. This level of engagement comes from a high level of trust and respect and leaders listening to what our Mission Partners are saying and being proactive to maintain their level of positive engagement.”
According to Rumph, there’s another important indicator to gauging Mission Partner satisfaction: the employment turnover rate, the level to which the hospital must fill open positions.
“Looking at our Mission Partner turnover rate back in 2021, it stood at 25.4%. Fast-forward to the end of 2023, we’ve been successful in dropping it to 9.9% - that’s a 61% reduction in having to fill open positions in just two years’ time,” Rumph exclaims. “From 2021 to 2022, it dropped from 25.4% to 23.3%, or an 8.27% decrease, which is good. However, from 2022 to 2023, it went from 23.3% to 9.9%, or a 57.51% decrease which is amazing! Any employer would be ecstatic to have that kind of employee satisfaction.”
What does Rumph attribute such employee success to? “We’ve established a culture and environment here at OSF Saint Anthony’s that people want to be part of every day, plain and simple.”
Learn more about OSF Saint Anthony’s – and OSF HealthCare – by visiting www.osfsaintanthonys.org.
AboutOSF HealthCare Saint Anthony’s Health Center
A 49-bed Rural Health designated acute care hospital in Alton, Illinois, OSF Saint Anthony’s serves the residents of Madison, Jersey and Macoupin counties. It is home to OSF Moeller Cancer Center, which provides the latest diagnostic tools and treatment for patients in a relaxing environment. OSF Saint Anthony’s also provides 24-hour access to a physician-staffed emergency department, in addition to cardiovascular, neurology, pulmonology, surgical, rehabilitation services and more. OSF Saint Anthony’s is fully accredited by the Joint Commission for Healthcare Facilities, American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer, American College of Radiology, American Heart Association, IDPH and TJC Primary Stroke Center. OSF Saint Anthony’s is part of OSF HealthCare – an integrated health system with 15 hospitals in Illinois and Michigan and robust Innovation and Digital Health divisions that provide access to specialty care and remote monitoring, helping people receive the care they need close to home. OSF HealthCare is operated by The Sisters of the Third Order of Saint Francis.
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