Congratulations to those organizations chosen as this year's
Best Places to Work in Healthcare—and those on the journey to win that recognition.
Such employers tend to provide better clinical quality. A 2002 study by VHA showed that hospitals with lower turnover experienced a lower adjusted mortality index than those with turnover rates of more than 12%—and a significantly lower one than organizations with turnover of 24% or more.
Clearly, best places to work save lives.
The same research shows that severity-adjusted length of stay coincides with employee turnover: The lower the turnover, the lower the stay. This yields many benefits in clinical quality and financial results.
What creates best places to work? It's not location, compensation or benefits. It's leadership. The Studer Group's Work-Life Blend study from spring 2008 showed that the No. 1 factor determining employee satisfaction is the supervisor relationship. Employees don't leave their vocation, they leave their boss.
A Best Places to Work in Healthcare designation also means committed employees who believe their input is valued; systems, tools and equipment that make their jobs easier; an emphasis on personal development and on reward and recognition. All these attributes flow from great leadership.
And here's another quality that defines these organizations: values.
When people in healthcare learn a better way to do something, they don't go back to the old way. Their values won't let them.
This year's honorees have executed those better ways. They are well-positioned to succeed in an ever-changing external environment. They are what the healthcare industry needs.
Quint StuderFounder and CEO,
Studer Group
