Mercy Hospital Mt. Airy - Cincinnati, Ohio

Compass Award Winner: Inpatient Services 100 - 299 Beds

Mercy Hospital Mt. Airy is a 220-bed, suburban, not-for-profit hospital located in Cincinnati, Ohio. The hospital currently has 5,071 annual inpatient visits.

The most significant action items were hourly rounding and bedside shift reports.

• In July 2007, the COO led four hours of offsite training with all customer service staff.
• A new CNO was hired in May 2008 as a result of increased turnover in nursing management due to a failure to buy into the organization’s service initiatives.
• A Leadership Academy was developed in June 2008 for all RNs and LPNs. The Academy focused on expectations for hourly rounding, handing off reports at bedside, and modeling scripts for nursing staff. A focus on the RN role as leader of the patient care team was emphasized, using real-life examples and stories that connect to the heart.
• All staff members were asked to acknowledge that they understood the service expectations and would participate and be accountable.

The changes are recent and the situation is improving. However, during the implementation of the initiatives outlined above, we have decreased staff by 50 FTEs. We have experienced an increase in patient satisfaction along with a decline in falls to well below the benchmark.