When you stop to think about it, we live in an amazing place, indeed.  Consider for a moment the caliber of entertainment that graces the Morrison Center, the Boise Philharmonic and Idaho Performing Arts.  We have five schools of higher learning within easy driving, and two major hospitals.  That is truly stunning for a population center such as we enjoy.  Eagle is fortunate to have both hospitals represented.

Recently, I’ve become more intimate with both St. Alphonsus and St. Luke’s; and from the inside, as many of us who have reached this stage of life have also experienced.  Some of you may recall the miraculous healing I experienced with my cancer.   My experiences with both hospitals have been extremely positive.   That said, St Luke’s is addressing the challenge that all hospitals are facing today; namely, current healthcare is unsustainable.

At a recent St. Luke’s Advisory Council Meeting, Dr. Bart Hill gave an insightful presentation on the course the hospital has set from the perspective of patient experience and overall improvement.   Surgeries and procedures will be measured by results of value-based outcomes.  They are looking for root problems in their established systems.  Healthcare providers will put their name beside their outcomes with an eye to improving performance. 

Accountability will become the driving force in evaluating their culture.  They will challenge their physicians to engage in working groups seeking better results.  Dr. Hill noted that hospitals are somewhat late embracing “best practices,” a concept familiar to many of us with a business background.  Where it was once hospital-oriented, it has become patient-oriented.  In seeking greater patient-satisfaction, St. Luke’s has created hospital scorecards, where patient input is included, especially with regard to the post procedural and recovery period.

The use of checklists was a mainstay of military aviation long before I first strapped into a high-performance aircraft.  Checklists tend to prevent mistakes which lead to aircraft accidents and often fatalities.

St Luke’s use of checklists has generated significant positive results.  Patient lives have been saved, new procedures approved and executed with improved efficiency and safety.  Negative incidents have been reduced and patients are enjoying a better hospital experience.  Is it any wonder that people want to live, work and play in Eagle?

Jim Reynolds
Mayor of Eagle