Kootenai | Kootenai Health | Issue 4, 2017

KellyWolfinger Cataldo Mission at Sunset Kootenai Health 2003 Kootenai Health Way Coeur d’Alene, Idaho 83814 KH.org (208) 625-4000 Kootenai Hospital District Board of Trustees Liese Razzeto, Chair Terence Neff, M.D., Vice Chair Neil Nemec, M.D., Secretary/Treasurer Mic Armon, Trustee Katie Brodie, Trustee Robert Colvin, Trustee Thomas deTar, M.D., Trustee James Eisses, Trustee Teri Farr, Trustee Administration Jon Ness, Chief Executive Officer Karen Cabell, D.O., Chief Quality Officer Jeremy Evans, Executive Vice President of Operations Walter Fairfax, M.D., Chief Medical Officer Daniel Klocko, Executive Vice President of Human Resources Ron Lahner, General Counsel Kirk Mahlen, Interim Chief Information Office Joan Simon, Chief Nursing Officer Kim Webb, Chief Financial Officer Executive Regional Editor Kim Anderson Regional Editor Andrea Nagel Cover photo Andrea Nagel Published as a courtesy of Kootenai Health four times a year. Models may be used in photos and illustrations. If you have any concerns or ques- tions about specific content that may affect your health, please contact your health care provider. Kootenai Health complies with applicable fed- eral civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex. Translation assistance services, free of charge, are available to you. Please call (877) 746-4674 . Si habla español, tiene a su disposición servicios gratuitos de asistencia lingüística. Llame al (877) 746-4674 . Ako govorite srpsko-hrvatski, usluge jezicke pomoci dostupne su vam besplatno. Nazovite (877) 746-4674 . 2017 © Coffey Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. Health Jon Ness, CEO November 2017 Surprising Success Stories At Kootenai Health we have the opportunity to witness the miracles of medicine and healing every day. It is both inspiring and humbling. Sometimes, however, it is the small, unassuming changes that make the biggest difference. Recently I was asked what Kootenai Health’s most surprising successes have been. The question prompted me to look beyond milestones like the hospital expan- sion, growth of our neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and new clinical programs. Many of our surprise success stories are the result of staff members exercising their ingenuity to make things better for everyone we serve. Here are just three examples. When Kootenai Health staff realized many patients were having trouble getting to and from their medical appointments, our transportation services department was born. Today we provide patients 22,800 rides a year—for free. This department ensures that patients can be seen when they need to be seen, and doctors’ time is spent caring for patients instead of waiting for someone who isn’t coming. A nationwide shortage of primary care physicians has made it challenging to find a provider who is accepting new patients. As Kootenai Clinic has worked to recruit new primary care providers to northern Idaho, we realized we also needed one telephone number people could call to schedule an appointment. Every month, the Kootenai Clinic Appointment Center receives over 2,000 calls and helps 400 new patients schedule an appointment with one easy call. No matter how much thoughtful planning goes into signs and designs, noth- ing compares to a friendly, knowledgeable person when you need help. With the opening of the hospital expansion last year, we introduced our new Guest Services team. Today they help more than 400 patients and visitors every day by giving directions, answering questions and so much more. Henry Ford famously said, “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.” That same spirit of innovation, fueled by a desire to always give our patients our best, is ensuring your community hospital’s successes—great and small. Wishing you good health, Jon Ness 4