SUPERIOR SAFETY
& QUALITY
Transition to DNV
In October of 2013, Kootenai Health changed
accrediting bodies from the Joint Commission
to DNV.
DNV helps many different
industries, including hospitals,
improve the way they do things
to create a safer more efficient
environment.
By working with DNV, Kootenai Health plans to not
only meet requirements outlined by the Centers for
Medicare and Medicaid Services, CMS, but addi-
tional higher standards known as ISO 9001:2008.
For patients, this means health care that is continu-
ally improving.
Patient Transfer Center
Kootenai Health’s Patient Transfer Center marked
its first year in 2013. It was created to make it safer
and easier for regional hospitals and physicians to
connect with specialists at Kootenai Health.
This center provides a single telephone number
that can be called 24-hours a day for physician-to-
physician consultations or to make arrangements
to transfer a patient to a higher level of care. By
streamlining consultations and transfers, Kootenai
Health is improving patient safety throughout
the region.
HEALTHY CULTURE
The Kootenai Health Spark
In July 2013, Kootenai Health introduced a new logo
to represent its new vision to provide comprehensive
regional medical care to patients throughout northern
Idaho. With the announcement, Kootenai Medical Center
formally changed its name to Kootenai Health. Addition-
ally, Kootenai’s physician practices all moved under the
name Kootenai Clinic, marking the beginning of a more
cohesive, collaborative clinic structure.
Kootenai’s new logo, the “spark”
was designed to visually
represent its vision of
reaching out to others
and working together for
the benefit of patients.
Visually, the spark incorporates a stylized “K” and “H”,
Kootenai’s signature blue color, and the addition of fresh
greens to represent healing and growth.
MyHealth
The research is in. Healthier employees have more
energy, tend to enjoy their work more, and provide better
service. For several years, Kootenai Health has taken its
own advice for good health by dedicating resources to
improve the health of its employees. In 2013, Kootenai
expanded its employee wellness program, MyHealth,
with the addition of health coaches. Whether an employ-
ee is working to lose weight, exercise more, or control
a nagging health issue, a health coach can work with
him or her to create a plan that gets results. It’s good for
staff, and ultimately, every patient they serve.
STEWARDSHIP
Standard & Poor’s A Rating
Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services gave Kootenai
Health an ‘A’ rating for 2013. The rating is based on
an evaluation of Kootenai’s business plan, credit, cash
on hand and decision to not use its ability to levy taxes
for funding. The rating is a strong affirmation that Koo-
tenai’s business model is stable and seeing positive
growth in patient trends.
COMMUNITY REPORT
