Launches Service Excellence Model; Board Eyes Revenue Cycle Overhaul/ CEO Search Firm Confirmed
McDonough District Hospital rolled out a new service excellence framework Monday and launched a focused effort to overhaul its revenue cycle operations—two initiatives which Interim CEO Wanda Foster is focusing on: improving patient satisfaction and financial performance, The hospital introduced the H.E.A.R.T.S. Service Excellence Model built on the organization's core values: High Reliability, Empowerment, Accountability, Respect, Teamwork, and Stewardship. Patient Advocate Emily Alden said the model is designed to give staff a common language and actionable guide for improving patient experience across all departments.
'It's not one person that owns the patient experience. It's not one department that owns the patient experience,' Alden said. 'It is every single team member in this organization with every single patient, every single time we interact with someone.'
The model will roll out to department directors this week and move into a broader education and recognition program in coming months.
Eight of 25 departments have already met or exceeded patient satisfaction benchmarks set earlier this year, with 12 additional departments within 5 percentage points of their goals.
Revenue Cycle Committee Tackles $20 Million Gap In a parallel effort, the MDH Board approved formation of a revenue cycle improvement committee led by Laboratory Director Brittany Doll. The committee held its first meeting Monday and has already mapped the entire revenue cycle process—a complex chain involving charge capture, billing, claims submission, and insurance follow-up.
MDH
Continued from page 3 The urgency is clear: RSM, a consulting firm hired by MDH, found that poor revenue cycle management is costing the hospital roughly $16-$20 million a year—money that should be collected from insurance companies and patients but instead is being lost to manual processes, weak controls and leadership gaps.
RSM Consultants presented the assessment to the board in June, recommending outsourcing most billing and collections functions. The hospital currently collects only 36 percent of gross revenue when it should be collecting 43 percent, according to contract modeling done by RSM. But that 43 percent figure is conservative. The actual potential is likely higher.
The committee will spend the next 30 to 60 days building a comprehensive data dashboard to identify strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities. The dashboard will inform decisions and provide ongoing real data / benchmarks regarding the revenue cycle. The group is also compiling the RFP (request for proposal) for outsourcing the revenue cycle, so vendors may be clearly evaluated on the component( s) of the process they propose to provide.
'We want to make sure we're comparing apples to apples,' Doll said. 'If we do outsource all or part of that, we know exactly what we're getting.'
Foster said the hospital first needs to understand its own operations before deciding on outsourcing. 'We're trying to get a grasp on our strengths and weaknesses before knowing the extent of outsourcing or extra help we need,” she said.
The committee has already identified one problem: charge collection practices vary significantly from department to department, creating inconsistencies in what gets billed. This aspect of the charge capture was not included in the RSM review.
Ryan Riggins, board member and finance committee chair, said the effort is critical: 'If you can't see the scoreboard, you don't know if you're winning.'
OB Program Wins National Recognition
MDH's obstetrics unit was selected as one of only three pilot sites nationwide for the American Hospital Association (AHA) and Laerdal's maternal rural simulation pilot, a recognition of the program's training and simulation work, according to Chief Nursing Officer Melissa Onion.
The unit is also presenting at the Rural Health Conference in Kansas City in September, discussing its regional training partnership with Laerdal and ICAHN (Illinois Central Access Hospital Network), organizations that specialize in simulation and training for healthcare providers.
Last year, the hospital delivered 260 babies. With the recent addition of Dr. Christopher Jones, MD, OB/GYN, FACOG, who will split his time between Carthage and Macomb, officials project births could reach the 300 range—a level not seen in years.
Jones will split clinic time 50/50 between the two hospitals, take approximately 8 to 10 call days monthly, and perform gynecological procedures. He was already contracted to work a few weekends per month; this arrangement expands his role significantly and strengthens the regional healthcare picture for patients.
MDH is also working with local Amish midwives to provide emergency training and supplies, part of a proactive effort to improve outcomes in the community. The program includes training for the community's lay midwife and her three trainees.f
CEO Search Moves Forward
Search Committee Chair and Board Member JoEllen Pensinger reported that the contract with search firm Buffkin/Baker has been revised and is ready for Board Chair Dan O'Neill to sign. The revised agreement addresses concerns raised by the board and includes competitive adjustments to fees.
Buffkin/Baker, a Kansas City-based firm that specializes in searches for small hospitals, will conduct two full days of on-site interviews with the search committee and hospital staff to understand MDH's needs and culture before presenting candidates.
The Board then voted to enter executive session. After reconvening into open session, the Board voted on two motions; to keep closed executive session minutes confidential from the time period of October 16, 2025 through May 18, 2026 and approved the destruction of the particular digital recordings of executive session meetings of the MDH Board of Directors and committees of the board held from April 15, 2024 through June 15 of 2024, because no less than 18 months have passed since the approval of the minutes of each meeting recorded, and the Board has all approved written minutes for those closed sessions on file.
The next board meeting will be moved from its regular monthly schedule to Monday, August 24.
