Written By: Khrista Boster, MBA, Chief Marketing Officer, Woodlawn Health
In 2022, Woodlawn Health underwent an external marketing effort to increase volumes from the outside. In October 2023, the organization started phase two with an internal review to identify any outmigration issues. The clinic visits increased, but the hospital volumes stayed stagnant. The team contacted the office managers, who were unaware of what had happened. The organization did not think it had the capabilities to track referrals. So, beyond the state hospital association's data, they had no idea who was going out of the health system for services.
One challenge was that the health system was using two different EMR’s with no way to track a patient’s journey. There were no easy referral reports to see what patients were doing. Woodlawn was planning an EMR transition, but that was 18 months away, and the rural health system could not stay stagnant with volumes and thrive.
The Marketing and Patient Experience Departments were tasked with finding a way to fix the outmigration issue that seemed to be system wide. According to the Indiana Hospital Association data, over 40% of those living in the county were leaving for health services outside the organization. Thus, the Close the Gap Campaign and Strategic Initiative were born.
Working on Getting a Report
Marketing reached out to understand the reporting process with the health informatics team, who shared one report that might work. After an interdisciplinary team meeting, it was decided that the clinic workflow would change, and the new referrals would be trackable. But there was another part: why were people leaving the system?
Listening Sessions
Through initial listening, it was discovered that Woodlawn providers had no idea of all the services offered throughout their organization. A new provider was unaware that her fellow provider performed this procedure, thus sending the patient out of the system. There were no resources for her to check besides calling all her colleagues. An internal service guide was suggested and created to reflect all the services offered within the health system. It is now given to new providers as part of the orientation process.
That sparked a thought: if the providers had no idea about the services offered within the health system, how would the community know? A community service guide highlighting basic services provided throughout the health system was compiled and mailed to everyone in the county through the weekly paper. The same communication piece was used at all community events, such as the County and Health Fairs.
That simple listening session showed that there were more gaps and barriers that needed to be identified. The Chief Marketing Officer and Patient Experience Director went to every department meeting and explained the initiative. They asked what the organization was doing well to get patients in, what it was not doing well, and creating a safe space for employees from the front line to providers to give insight. The C-suite also held virtual town hall meetings with the entire organization, using them as an opportunity to answer questions and listen to feedback about the barriers preventing patients from accessing care. A report was compiled, and an action plan was developed with steps to break down the barriers. After the action items were implemented, the team rounded again, shared the progress, and again asked for feedback. This is scheduled to be an annual process in the future.
Going for the Green
After resources were given to help the community and team understand the services provided, it was time for accountability. A stoplight report was put out for the following month, measuring individual clinics and the overall organization. The green zone was where clinics and the organization were placed when they met their goal. In January 2024, less than 30% of all referrals within the health system stayed. Thus, the goal of 40% staying within the health system was established. The team did amazingly and surpassed the goal by March. In July, the goal was moved to 60%, and ever since then, the organization has exceeded the goal by over 10%.
This report is referenced at every provider and board meeting and sent to the entire organization each month.
What are the results?
After the Close the Gap initiative’s first year, Woodlawn saw its best financial month in the organization's history. It was hailed a success due to the positive economic reports and the ability to keep community members close to home, allowing them to receive services. It continues to be a program overseen by the marketing team with no end date.