Why the new Sonoma West Hospital Will Thrive article in the Sonoma Independent
West County's new hospital, renamed The Sonoma West Medical Center, will probably open the middle of next week (after a hopefully final inspection on Aug 31), making it the first small hospital in the USA to close and then reopen. There has been a lot said, and written, about the challenges it faces, and little about the opportunity that the new SWMC is pursuing to deliver humanistic, innovative care to our community. My new article in the Sonoma Independent explores its business strategies, and its high likelihood for success:
Excerpt: The most successful business turnarounds recognize past weaknesses and build them into operational strengths. The new Sonoma West Medical Center does just this.Conventional wisdom says that a small local hospital cannot survive in an age of institutionalized health care, as economic “efficiencies” are sought through the creation of mega-hospitals, by mega-insurance companies like Kaiser and Sutter.
The past majority of the Palm Drive Hospital District Board’s elected representatives believed that that the proximity of a major 155,000-person city like Santa Rosa, with three such mega-hospital corporations, presented insurmountable competition by drawing patients from the small hospital’s West County community.Before new Board members were voted in during a hotly contested election last November, the past Board believed that there could be no solution to Palm Drive’s economic challenges. Despite being rated by Consumer Reports as the number one safest hospital for health outcomes out of 350 hospitals in California, Palm Drive was closed by a 4 to 1 vote, effective April 29, 2014, for the first time since its opening 75 years earlier.
With the support of a newly-elected District Board majority, the new Sonoma West Medical Center (“SWMC”) turns conventional wisdom on its head by transforming the liability of proximity to Santa Rosa and the Highway 101 corridor into an asset.
The new hospital’s strategic plan is to attract business from across the North Bay by providing exemplary patient service, competitively distinctive specialty institutes, and superior outcomes.
Five Reasons Why the New Hospital Will Thrive
The five reasons why the SWMC will succeed are:
- A “No-wait” Emergency Room will attract patients from the nearby population hubs of Santa Rosa and Rohnert Park.
- SWMC’s patient-centered approach is what human beings want from our health care providers. We are people, not numbers, and want to be treated adeptly—and with compassion.
- Top Tier Specialty Institutes, combined with proactive outreach, will draw patients from all over Northern California and beyond.
- SWMC’s strong fiscal management and oversight will make it better equipped for survival than its predecessor.
- Heal Local is a winning recipe that will attract loyal patients and philanthropic support.
