With more than 415 rural hospitals on the brink of closure in 2024, Bradford Regional Medical Center (BRMC) used 2023 to be a year of progress, growth and repositioning to ensure that the Bradford community and beyond has access to quality healthcare. The vision of leadership to create a financially sustainable healthcare system is to improve efficiency, enhance quality and execute growth opportunity initiatives. Leadership paved the way by creating annual benchmarks to address these initiatives.
Behind every initiative is a work plan that will help drive BRMC to financial sustainability, officials said. Staffing shortages continue to impact many workforces, especially nurses in healthcare. Through various recruitment and retention efforts, Upper Allegheny Health System (UAHS) recruited 25 graduate nurses and more than 30 experienced nurses throughout 2023, surpassing the goal created at the beginning of the year. Through recruitment efforts, the nurses displaced costly agency nurses throughout the organization reducing expenses, but also put the lives of our community members back in the hands of nurses who live in the community. The effort was equally focused on retention with UAHS’ turnover rate reaching record lows last year.
“We’re starting to see a cultural shift in our organization. This isn’t by chance, but by choice. We’re creating a work environment where our staff wants to be,” said Dr. Jill Owens, president, UAHS.
With more-invested staff comes better quality, they reasoned. BRMC maintained a hospital consumer assessment of healthcare providers and systems (HCAHPS) in responsiveness, a focus for 2023, at the 77th percentile throughout 2023 ¾ higher than three quarters of all hospitals nationwide. Finally, through developing efficiencies, advocacy work, and focusing on areas of growth, UAHS made a $40 million turnaround in a one years’ time.
The financial turnaround is partly attributed to growth at BRMC. The leadership at the Pavilion worked diligently to increase the census, improve quality, retain staff, and create an improved culture for both residents and staff. This turnaround has made the Pavilion, once a loss leader for BRMC, margins of profit. As one of the only sleep centers in the region, The Sleep Disorders Center is another service at BRMC that underwent growth opportunities. In 2023, the Sleep Disorders Center, which is accredited by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, expanded by adding two additional rooms for sleep studies as well as purchased equipment that extended reach into other regions for home studies.
“With the additional resources of adding two sleep study rooms within our hospital, we’ve been able to increase testing by over 75%. The team has been able to not only accept more patients for studies but have enhanced the efficiency of processes,” added Dr. Owens.
In 2023, UAHS continued to prioritize recruitment of new providers to the healthcare system. New physicians and advanced practice providers have joined service lines that are currently offered, but UAHS has added physicians that will be introducing new services. This includes new vascular services with the recruitment of Dr. Thomas Langan, vascular surgery, who will open a vascular clinic at BRMC once credentialed in Pennsylvania. In 2023 other providers that were onboarded include Dr. Robert Jones, general surgery, Dr. Dana Dunleavy, vascular and interventional radiology, Dr. Ian Wilson, vascular and interventional radiology, Dr. Charles Patterson, dentistry, physician assistant McKenzie Kaplan, general surgery, nurse practitioner Phylicia Patterson, oncology, and physician assistant Michael Hickey, orthopedics and sports medicine. UAHS continues to out recruit other rural healthcare systems due to the resources and wide breadth of services available in the region.
Owens continues to be a dominant force in advocating for rural healthcare on both sides of the border, representatives said. In Pennsylvania, Owens has participated in various healthcare summits with the most recent being with Gov. Shapiro, and is an active member of the governor’s rural health task force. This task force is designed to tackle the issues facing rural hospitals in Pennsylvania with the goal of ensuring that all Pennsylvania residents have access to essential healthcare services. The advocacy work is important for political leaders to understand the perfect storm that healthcare organizations across the nation are currently facing ¾ lower reimbursement rates, higher costs, and staffing shortages. Through her and other healthcare leaders across the state’s work, Pennsylvania leaders are developing ways to help struggling hospitals whether with financial relief efforts or improved reimbursements. Without these hospitals, communities will be isolated in regions without healthcare and having to travel far distances to receive basic care.
As an organization, BRMC has a long and current history of supporting its local neighbors and showing the care provided is not only in the four walls of the hospital, but in the community as well. Throughout the last year BRMC gave back to Bradford through various outreach opportunities. This included hosting a chicken BBQ that raised over $19,000 for local fire victims in May. BRMC also began participating in the Second Harvest food distribution every other month helping to combat food insecurity in the region as well as coordinating an annual food drive, Knock Out Hunger, with all items being donated to the local food pantry. The team at BRMC also donated backpacks filled with school supplies to local schools for students in need showing that BRMC will continue to be an integral part in the Bradford community.
“The work that’s been accomplished is only the beginning and there is still more to be done. However, I stand behind the effort that our workforce of 1,300 provide to our region. We’re in this together,” said Dr. Owens.
