WorkingWell on Journey to Baldrige Quality Award

WorkingWell, Franciscan Alliance's Northern Indiana Region network of occupational health care providers, recently received a High Level Bronze-Indiana State Malcolm Baldrige Award, which is a step toward qualifying to achieve the highly coveted Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.

The Bronze award recently was announced by The Partnership for Excellence, the Baldrige-based awards program for Indiana, Ohio and West Virginia. The group partners with organizations using the internationally based Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence.

Applicants are evaluated by an independent board of examiners in areas of work force focus, operations focus, leadership, strategic planning, customer focus, measurement, analysis and knowledge management, and results.

Tim Ross, WorkingWell regional administrative director, said the honor resulted from a team effort.

"I was humbled by how Franciscan Alliance Northern Indiana Region leaders pulled together to support WorkingWell staff to achieve this prestige award. This was a team effort by all."

He added, "The journey started with WorkingWell's National Association of Healthcare Providers certification, which laid the foundation to achieve our International Organization for Standardization certification for all five WorkingWell clinics. The Baldrige award is the latest in achievements that WorkingWell has accomplished in our quest for high quality standards."

Ross said the next step in the journey for the ultimate Baldrige award will be earning the tri-state-level honor, which is the next goal.

"We will utilize Baldrige criteria to continuously improve quality objectives to become the best occupational health clinics."

Ross also credited Moulay Alaoui, regional business transformation specialist, for providing information that matched WorkingWell processes to Baldrige criteria.

WorkingWell clinics are located in Crown Point, Hammond, Michigan City, Munster and Valparaiso. To learn more, visit workingwell.org.

About the Award
The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award recognizes U.S. organizations in the business, health care, education, and nonprofit sectors for performance excellence. The Baldrige Award is the only formal recognition of the performance excellence of both public and private U.S. organizations given by the U.S. president. It is administered by the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program, which is based at and managed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce. Up to 18 awards may be given annually across six eligibility categories -- manufacturing, service, small business, education, health care, and nonprofit. As of 2010, 91 organizations had received the award.

The Baldrige National Quality Program and the associated award were established by the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Improvement Act of 1987. The program and award were named for Malcolm Baldrige, who served as United States Secretary of Commerce during the Reagan administration, from 1981 until Baldrige’s 1987 death in a rodeo accident.

Franciscan Alliance Appoints New Director of Imaging Services

Michael Budimir's interest in his future career began when he needed an ultrasound as a high school student.

Today, Budimir, a Chicago native who resides in Dyer, brings 24 years of experience in the radiology field to Franciscan Alliance's four Northern Indiana Region hospitals, where, since mid-September, he has served as director of imaging (diagnostic) services.

He also is glad to be headquartered at Franciscan St. Anthony Health-Crown Point.

"I once had a very pleasant and positive experience with the emergency room there, which made a statement about the hospital's quality of services," he said.

Soon, in addition to other duties, he will preside over the hospital's newly revamped $6 million Radiology Oncology Department, which is expected to be completed in December, and will be home of a Trilogy Linear Accelerator. The device, which utilizes microwave technology, will make cancer treatment more efficient and more effective, with fewer side effects for patients.

"This new equipment makes a statement to the area that we offer complete care for all patients – oncology cases in addition to providing diagnostic imaging."

An open magnetic resonance imaging unit also is on the horizon for Franciscan Point, St. Anthony-Crown Point's outpatient treatment center, which, he said, "will be very beneficial for patients who may be  claustrophobic," while providing state-of-art imaging to help diagnose problems.

In addition, a new Cancer Treatment Center of Franciscan St. Anthony Health-Michigan City is scheduled to open in April 2012. 

The 20,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility will combine the most advanced technologies available to fight more forms of cancer with the latest treatments available and access to clinical trials.

Services will include a state-of-the-art Linear Accelerator and PET/CT Scan, along with 14 infusion bays, lab and pharmacy.    

There likewise will be a patient and family education center and a community room. Treatment of all types of cancer will be consolidated into the facility, making the process more accessible and comfortable for patients and their families.

Budimir said one of his goals to is coordinate the services and equipment use for all of the region's hospitals, which also include  Franciscan St. Margaret Health-Dyer and Hammond and Franciscan Physicians Hospital in Munster, "so that no matter where a patient goes, there will be a positive experience."

"We want to streamline services and provide the highest-quality imaging available so our patients will be happy. Patients are number-one to us; they're why we're here," he added.