December 2011 From the CEO

After reflecting on another successful year, we turn to the question of what the future holds. In the healthcare industry, this is never easy to predict. While the ultimate fate of the healthcare reform legislation is not yet decided, it appears that certain components are here to stay. One of the most significant is Value Based Purchasing, which ties hospital reimbursement directly to hospital performance. VBP has changed the way our customers have to think about their finances, and we must always provide value that responds to their challenges.

This issue of Celebrations attempts to give a clear explanation of the basics of VBP, including how scores are calculated and how reimbursement is determined. Where Crothall can make an impact, and where we continue to make investments, is in helping our customers improve patient experience, which contributes 30% of a hospital’s total performance score.

I am very excited about an innovation our team at Mobile Infirmary developed along with Morrison, our sister company for food service. Together with our client, Joe Stough, and Nursing leadership, they have created a truly unique organizational approach to patient experience. It blends our proven specialist approach to operations with a cross-functional Synergy team focused squarely on patient needs. We are hopeful that once perfected, this model could make a huge impact for our other customers.

Continuing the patient experience theme, we are working through our Diversity and Inclusion Action Council to better understand how we can serve a rapidly changing demographic mix. The hospital experience is unique to each patient, so we have to continually examine the changing needs of the patients we serve. Creating personalized, high-touch programs catered to individual patients is the only way to ensure ongoing success.

Despite our best efforts to devise great programs, patient experience really comes down to the interactions between patients and caregivers. Compassionate people make the difference, and all we can do as a company is celebrate their amazing examples and create a culture in which they are rewarded and encouraged.

Thank you for allowing us to continue to make a difference for your patients each day.

All the best,