Guess who gets it?? Ellis Medicine gets it. Big time. I stumbled on a little best kept secret last week that has had me smiling and believing in the power of going the extra mile for days. I was running for a meeting over there about a month ago and noticed for the second or third time, that every time, I walk in the place the Ellis Medicine staff are always….’smiling’. They smile and make eye contact and then they do the unthinkable…..they say, “How are you?” in a very sincere way. Like they MEAN it. 
What is that about? I didn’t give it too much notice until this past visit. I’m thinking, “What’s in the Kool-Aid?” So when I entered my meeting I mentioned it and they all gave each other these knowing looks and then told me it’s part of their business model. Whoa!
That’s right. Make eye contact, smile and extend a greeting. If anyone is looking lost or confused, the staff is strongly encouraged to walk people to where they need to go. All part of the Ellis culture. They told me that hospitals are places where a lot of serious things happen. When people are in crisis, they need support on many different levels. The ability for staff to be approachable and friendly becomes a foundation in which their constituency can find support and get what they need.
And…. this mission is from the top –down. A program called ‘Manager on Duty’ exemplifies the commitment of Ellis Medicine’s leadership to this ideal. Affectionately known as the M.O.D. Squad, senior leadership including the CEO are on the schedule approximately once a month to not only welcome people who enter the hospital, but to walk them to their destination and answer questions. The concept was taken from the old McClellan hospital philosophy and reinvented after the merger of the three hospitals (St. Clare’s, Bellevue and Ellis). Tracy Blowers, Director of Service Excellence said, “That’s why my position exists – strictly to look at ways to improve people’s perception of how we care for patients. How are we talking to them? Do we send the message we intend? This is why people become loyal to Ellis.”
Blowers explains, “Senior leadership rarely get to actually ‘see’ patients as they are focused on running the hospital. This initiative gives them the opportunity to really experience the importance and the impact of their work. “
“Hospitals can be confusing,” says Matt Van Pelt, Communication Director at Ellis, “especially in an emergency.” Yeah, okay..so why not an information desk? Why the leadership? Here’s a thought.. because it’s a statement that instills confidence in patients who may have very real concerns about their current circumstances. It relays to people that Ellis really does care about what happens to you and they are willing to walk the talk. In a world where attending to your health gets more and more anonymous, with the feeling that no one professional really knows the whole picture, where it has become more common place for details to slip through the cracks – how gratifying it was to see a hospital step up with their leaders in such a tangible way. In a way that kind of says, “Hey…no one is falling through the cracks on my watch.” Getting people through the maze of new construction or to a department where their appointment is, can and does make the difference for people. But getting there with someone who is “in charge,” gets everyone into the right head space to attend to the seriousness of their situation.
Blowers said, “We are driven by what’s best for the patient and we don’t want to lose sight of that. So when they get a chance to do MOD squad duty, they get to help patients in real time. The managers really do love it. No one wants to give up their two hours.”
Now, if that doesn’t lead to customer loyalty…. I’m not sure what does! Tech Valley Connect prides itself on being associated with quality employers who care about their employees and the constituency they serve. Employers who can show creativity and caring in the workplace, certainly will attract and retain professionals who want to thrive in the environment they work in.
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To learn more unique ways to address employee retention click on…Tech Valley Connect or contact the author at [email protected] . Angela McNerney is President of Tech Valley Connect, an organization assisting newly relocating professionals and their families to assimilate into the Capital Region.
