What are some reasons why you won the Baldrige award?
Jim Nolan: The award process helped us learn to focus management and staff on factors critical to our success and not be distracted by other issues. The entire organization aimed not just to be in the top decile of hospitals but to be simply the best. To win the award, you have to excel in five areas: quality, customer service, people and workplace, financial performance and growth. The premise is that if we can achieve a high level of operating performance in those areas, much of the rest will take care of itself. It makes for a very simple message to everyone in the organization that doesn’t change from month to month. While we still have room for improvement, services like our ASCs are very far along on the Baldrige journey to being the best. Q: How have you been growing your market? JN: AtlantiCare has a 73 percent “local” market share in its primary service area. (Note: The term “local” market excludes patients who migrate out of the area for services — in Atlanticare’s case, main
