The Christ Hospital is a 555-bed facility in Cincinnati that has a proud 120-year history. In addition to a medical staff of more than 900 physicians, the hospital has 4,300 employees and more than 200 volunteers.
Major concentrations
While The Christ Hospital is a full-service acute care hospital, recognized in a wide variety of clinical areas, it focuses on three areas: heart & vascular, spine & orthopedics and women's health. The hospital is in the process of assigning an executive director to each of these areas, with one already assigned to heart & vascular. It also has a strong interest in oncology, geriatrics and transplantation.
* Heart and vascular. In Dec. 2008, the hospital acquired the prestigious Lindner Clinical Trial Center, following up on longstanding collaboration with it. The acquisition of the Lindner Center made the hospital one of the few community hospitals in the country associated with a top-ranking research center. The center, renamed the Carl & Edyth Lindner Center for Research & Education at the Christ Hospital, is currently engaged in about 130 active trials, with 60 enrolling patients and about 70 in the follow-up phase. In the past, Lindner/Christ researchers developed the first Medtronic 4194 left ventricular pacing lead implantation and the Chronicle ICD implant, a defibrillator to prevent sudden cardiac arrest by regulating heart rate and monitoring congestive heart failure.
* Spine surgery. The Spine Institute at The Christ Hospital uses an integrative approach to ensure the most appropriate care. The institute's armamentarium includes minimally-invasive techniques and it conducts a number of clinical trials to develop new spine surgery technology. The hospital recently installed the region's first O-arm Multidimensional Imaging System, which makes 3-D images for spine surgery.
* Women's health. The Christ Hospital has fully upgraded some operating rooms for gynecologic surgery. It is a training center for certain gynecological procedures, including robotic surgery.
Close collaboration with physicians
The Christ Hospital has the region's largest medical staff, with more than 900 physicians, and it is beginning to build a network of employed physicians.
In Sept. 2008, the hospital acquired Ohio Heart and Vascular, the region's largest cardiology group, with 32 physicians, complementing cardiovascular research at the Lindner Clincial Trial Center.
The hospital also founded a new primary care network, The Christ Hospital Medical Associates, with 35 primary care physicians in several offices throughout the Greater Cincinnati area.
Cutting-edge healthcare IT
The Christ Hospital installed computerized physician order entry in June 2008. The CPOE system from Epic Clinical Systems, which went live in less than nine months, deals with admissions, scheduling, medical records management, patient accounting, billing, pharmacy, bar code medication administration, clinical documentation, ED, surgery and radiology.
On Sept. 1, The Christ Hospital installed an electronic medical record, the EpicCare Ambulatory EMR, for its employed physicians and its physical and occupational therapy centers. Community physicians in private practice will soon be able to purchase EpicCare Ambulatory EMR through the hospital.
Transition to an independent organization
Less than four years ago, The Christ Hospital board of directors voted to separate from the Health Alliance of Greater Cincinnati. Since the Alliance handled much of the hospital's administration in a shared-services operating model for more than 10 years, the hospital had to rebuild its administrative structure from the ground up. This meant creating departmental processes and systems for IT, finance, revenue cycle, supply chain, purchasing, human resources, marketing and planning and payroll.
The alliance challenged the hospital's exit, setting off a three-year legal battle. The case was finally settled in January, when the alliance recognized the full independence of The Christ Hospital.
New strategic plan
Following up on its newly recognized independence, The Christ Hospital recently completed a 10-year strategic plan, involving input from more than 200 stakeholders, including board members, physicians and executives. They identified five issues:
1. Clinical service portfolio. This covered five areas: cardiology, spine, women's health, oncology and geriatrics.
2. Medical staff development. In the future, we expect fewer physicians per population. The hospital will need to consider how to align more effectively with the medical staff.
3. Existing facility and neighborhood redevelopment. The process paid attention to the development of the campus and its neighborhood.
4. Outreach and regional network development. The plan answers how the hospital is going to meet the needs of growing populations in suburban and rural areas. The Christ Hospital serves 14 counties.
5. Quality and outcomes. The hospital must focus on continued quality and how to provide the most efficient product. Quality is a clear focus for the organization and the strategic plan evaluates how it will continually implement using principles from the Malcolm Baldrige Award and other sources.
Awards and other distinctions
The Christ Hospital is one of the most awarded hospital in the Cincinnati area, boasting a variety of recent achievements.
* Top 100 Hospitals listings. This will be the 10th consecutive year that the hospital has ranked in U.S. News & World Report's Top 50 Hospitals listings. Six patient care programs at The Christ Hospital placed in U.S. News' 2009 guide of America's Best Hospitals: diabetes & endocrine disorders (where the hospital ranked 26th); heart & heart surgery (33rd); neurology & neurosurgery (35th); respiratory disorders (35th); geriatric care (46th); and orthopedics (48th).
* Patient safety winner. The Leapfrog Group has named The Christ Hospital one of the 25 top hospitals for patient safety. Factors include use of computer physician order entry (CPOE) systems; meeting performance standards for at last one complex, high-risk procedure; staff ICUs with qualified specialists; and demonstrate substantial progress on 13 nationally recognized safe practice.
* Heart failure services accreditation. The hospital's heart failure services were the first in the area to earn recognition from the Healthcare Accreditation Colloquium, which uses improvement-based continuous accreditation. The colloquium offers a focused, organized and systematic approach to heart failure that encompasses the entire continuum of care.
* Customer-friendly recognition. The hospital has ranked as the most preferred by consumers in the Cincinnati area by the National Research Corp. for 13 years in a row. The company's Healthcare Market Guide is based on an annual study of consumers' attitudes to hospitals. Altogether, the company rates 3,200 hospitals in 190 markets.
* Best Places to Work contest. The hospital was one of 25 finalists for the Cincinnati Business Courier’s Best Places to Work contest.
* Fit-Friendly award. The American Heart Association has recognized The Christ Hospital as a Platinum-level "Start! Fit-Friendly" organization, meaning that it offers employees physical activity options, increases healthy eating options, promotes a wellness culture, implements the association's criteria for physical activity, nutrition and culture, and demonstrates measurable outcomes in workplace wellness.
In addition, The Christ Hospital is in the process of applying for the Ohio Partnership for Excellence Award, which is the state level of the Malcolm Baldrige Award.
Other recent achievements
In existence for more than 100 years, the Christ College of Nursing was granted accreditation by the Higher Learning Commission in Feb. 2009, applied retroactively to its first graduating class of 139 newly minted nurses in 2008.
In Jan. 2009, the hospital opened a new medical intensive care unit that puts a greater emphasis on family-centered patient care. The 20-bed MICU features a shower, lockers and a nutrition area for families and visitors, a family resource room with computers, internet access and health literature and a quiet zone and family conference room.
Learn more about The Christ Hospital.
Major concentrations
While The Christ Hospital is a full-service acute care hospital, recognized in a wide variety of clinical areas, it focuses on three areas: heart & vascular, spine & orthopedics and women's health. The hospital is in the process of assigning an executive director to each of these areas, with one already assigned to heart & vascular. It also has a strong interest in oncology, geriatrics and transplantation.
* Heart and vascular. In Dec. 2008, the hospital acquired the prestigious Lindner Clinical Trial Center, following up on longstanding collaboration with it. The acquisition of the Lindner Center made the hospital one of the few community hospitals in the country associated with a top-ranking research center. The center, renamed the Carl & Edyth Lindner Center for Research & Education at the Christ Hospital, is currently engaged in about 130 active trials, with 60 enrolling patients and about 70 in the follow-up phase. In the past, Lindner/Christ researchers developed the first Medtronic 4194 left ventricular pacing lead implantation and the Chronicle ICD implant, a defibrillator to prevent sudden cardiac arrest by regulating heart rate and monitoring congestive heart failure.
* Spine surgery. The Spine Institute at The Christ Hospital uses an integrative approach to ensure the most appropriate care. The institute's armamentarium includes minimally-invasive techniques and it conducts a number of clinical trials to develop new spine surgery technology. The hospital recently installed the region's first O-arm Multidimensional Imaging System, which makes 3-D images for spine surgery.
* Women's health. The Christ Hospital has fully upgraded some operating rooms for gynecologic surgery. It is a training center for certain gynecological procedures, including robotic surgery.
Close collaboration with physicians
The Christ Hospital has the region's largest medical staff, with more than 900 physicians, and it is beginning to build a network of employed physicians.
In Sept. 2008, the hospital acquired Ohio Heart and Vascular, the region's largest cardiology group, with 32 physicians, complementing cardiovascular research at the Lindner Clincial Trial Center.
The hospital also founded a new primary care network, The Christ Hospital Medical Associates, with 35 primary care physicians in several offices throughout the Greater Cincinnati area.
Cutting-edge healthcare IT
The Christ Hospital installed computerized physician order entry in June 2008. The CPOE system from Epic Clinical Systems, which went live in less than nine months, deals with admissions, scheduling, medical records management, patient accounting, billing, pharmacy, bar code medication administration, clinical documentation, ED, surgery and radiology.
On Sept. 1, The Christ Hospital installed an electronic medical record, the EpicCare Ambulatory EMR, for its employed physicians and its physical and occupational therapy centers. Community physicians in private practice will soon be able to purchase EpicCare Ambulatory EMR through the hospital.
Transition to an independent organization
Less than four years ago, The Christ Hospital board of directors voted to separate from the Health Alliance of Greater Cincinnati. Since the Alliance handled much of the hospital's administration in a shared-services operating model for more than 10 years, the hospital had to rebuild its administrative structure from the ground up. This meant creating departmental processes and systems for IT, finance, revenue cycle, supply chain, purchasing, human resources, marketing and planning and payroll.
The alliance challenged the hospital's exit, setting off a three-year legal battle. The case was finally settled in January, when the alliance recognized the full independence of The Christ Hospital.
New strategic plan
Following up on its newly recognized independence, The Christ Hospital recently completed a 10-year strategic plan, involving input from more than 200 stakeholders, including board members, physicians and executives. They identified five issues:
1. Clinical service portfolio. This covered five areas: cardiology, spine, women's health, oncology and geriatrics.
2. Medical staff development. In the future, we expect fewer physicians per population. The hospital will need to consider how to align more effectively with the medical staff.
3. Existing facility and neighborhood redevelopment. The process paid attention to the development of the campus and its neighborhood.
4. Outreach and regional network development. The plan answers how the hospital is going to meet the needs of growing populations in suburban and rural areas. The Christ Hospital serves 14 counties.
5. Quality and outcomes. The hospital must focus on continued quality and how to provide the most efficient product. Quality is a clear focus for the organization and the strategic plan evaluates how it will continually implement using principles from the Malcolm Baldrige Award and other sources.
Awards and other distinctions
The Christ Hospital is one of the most awarded hospital in the Cincinnati area, boasting a variety of recent achievements.
* Top 100 Hospitals listings. This will be the 10th consecutive year that the hospital has ranked in U.S. News & World Report's Top 50 Hospitals listings. Six patient care programs at The Christ Hospital placed in U.S. News' 2009 guide of America's Best Hospitals: diabetes & endocrine disorders (where the hospital ranked 26th); heart & heart surgery (33rd); neurology & neurosurgery (35th); respiratory disorders (35th); geriatric care (46th); and orthopedics (48th).
* Patient safety winner. The Leapfrog Group has named The Christ Hospital one of the 25 top hospitals for patient safety. Factors include use of computer physician order entry (CPOE) systems; meeting performance standards for at last one complex, high-risk procedure; staff ICUs with qualified specialists; and demonstrate substantial progress on 13 nationally recognized safe practice.
* Heart failure services accreditation. The hospital's heart failure services were the first in the area to earn recognition from the Healthcare Accreditation Colloquium, which uses improvement-based continuous accreditation. The colloquium offers a focused, organized and systematic approach to heart failure that encompasses the entire continuum of care.
* Customer-friendly recognition. The hospital has ranked as the most preferred by consumers in the Cincinnati area by the National Research Corp. for 13 years in a row. The company's Healthcare Market Guide is based on an annual study of consumers' attitudes to hospitals. Altogether, the company rates 3,200 hospitals in 190 markets.
* Best Places to Work contest. The hospital was one of 25 finalists for the Cincinnati Business Courier’s Best Places to Work contest.
* Fit-Friendly award. The American Heart Association has recognized The Christ Hospital as a Platinum-level "Start! Fit-Friendly" organization, meaning that it offers employees physical activity options, increases healthy eating options, promotes a wellness culture, implements the association's criteria for physical activity, nutrition and culture, and demonstrates measurable outcomes in workplace wellness.
In addition, The Christ Hospital is in the process of applying for the Ohio Partnership for Excellence Award, which is the state level of the Malcolm Baldrige Award.
Other recent achievements
In existence for more than 100 years, the Christ College of Nursing was granted accreditation by the Higher Learning Commission in Feb. 2009, applied retroactively to its first graduating class of 139 newly minted nurses in 2008.
In Jan. 2009, the hospital opened a new medical intensive care unit that puts a greater emphasis on family-centered patient care. The 20-bed MICU features a shower, lockers and a nutrition area for families and visitors, a family resource room with computers, internet access and health literature and a quiet zone and family conference room.
Learn more about The Christ Hospital.