CentraCare Benson: Improving Patient and Staff Engagement in Its Transition to Value-Based Care

CentraCare Benson, a 21-bed critical access hospital located in Benson, Minnesota was one of six organizations selected to participate in the 2022-2023 Rural Healthcare Provider Transition Project.

During its year-long engagement in RHPTP, CentraCare Benson worked with RHPTP’s technical assistance (TA) consultants on financial and operational improvements, and on developing a strategy and infrastructure to support quality initiatives. The hospital focused its work on improving patient experience and safety in preparation for participation in alternative payment and care delivery models. 

Below are some of CentraCare Benson’s top accomplishments and early outcomes made possible through its RHPTP participation.

Top Accomplishments:

• Engaged a new patient experience consultant
• Began promoting its swing bed program, educating patients on preferred provider lists and tracking patients that go elsewhere for care
• Initiated stay interviews with current staff
• Transitioned to Press Ganey for patient surveys, and are currently meeting or exceeding national average scores 
• Implemented “Our Best Begins with Me”, a culture building program that helps new hires and frontline staff develop the tools and resources needed to improve conversations, listening skills and adaptability to change
• Implemented huddle boards in each department to discuss hospital updates and new areas of focus during structured, bi-monthly rounding 
• Adopted 24/7 telehospitalist services for inpatient, transitional (swing bed) and observational care 
• Initiated telehealth consultations for inpatient, swing bed and observational care in four areas of behavioral health: psychotherapy, substance abuse, psychiatry and behavioral dysregulation/withdrawal 
• Implemented active daily management, including daily huddles and safety check-ins to ensure leaders are remaining consistent
• Implemented CentraCare’s primary care transformation model and introduced a support liaison for their electronic health record (EHR) to educate staff on model material 

In the hospital's work with the RHPTP team and consultants from Stratis Health and Stroudwater Associates, goals were developed to engage staff, improve workforce standardization, increase swing bed growth, and improve patient survey and data utilization. The CentraCare Benson team was guided in implementing their priorities for the year that focused on safety and quality, chronic disease, employee and patient experience, and operational excellence. The hospital is currently meeting all areas of its patient experience goals and sharing that data through dashboards, reports, patient comments and live data within its EHR system. This data is shared and discussed during staff meetings for awareness and growth. The hospital has also improved efficiencies when addressing patient concerns and brainstorming possible improvements.  

CentraCare Benson plans to continue its work toward improved engagement for their staff. With a new employee survey, the hospital is asking current staff about team collaboration and areas of improvement to reduce turnover. The often daunting task of increasing EHR utilization is being supported for their team as well, with guidance from an EHR liaison to help encourage its use and transition to electronic physician certification statement and ambulatory forms. Planning groups are also in-progress and will focus on pre-visits and prior authorizations, as well as nurse-led visits to help manage outpatients. With the strong support from Melissa McGinty-Thompson, the hospital's President and Director of Patient Care, CentraCare Benson plans to focus on chronic disease prevention by driving early intervention and increased follow-up with high-risk patients. Being part of a larger health care organization (HCO), the hospital aims to be included in its system’s plan to roll out telehealth to nine different specialty services for patients in coming years. 

The year of RHPTP participation can go by very quickly for HCO teams, especially considering the day-to-day demands of maintaining their current roles and processes. Despite this, CentraCare Benson reached so many of its RHPTP goals within a short timeframe and deserves celebration for its dedication throughout the project. Their team has positioned the rest of the organization for a smooth transition into value-based care, with improvements moving them closer to joining an accountable care organization in the next 18 months. We hope to hear more from this hospital and are excited to share unique ideas and lessons learned from this team with the upcoming 2024-25 cohort. Congratulations to the CentraCare Benson Team!