Looking forward to a successful new year
By Jamie Smith, Saint Joseph Hospital President
As 2023 comes to a close, I would like to share my thoughts on the year and look forward to what is to come in 2024. In the spirit of full transparency, I will say that 2023 was the most challenging year I have ever experienced in my 25-year career in healthcare. While the Covid years of 2020-2022 were certainly difficult in many ways, 2023 is in a category of its own. Dealing with financial pressure, integration work, tremendous change, and industry headwinds (not to mention the post-Covid environment with all its implications) all at the same time is a tall order for any organization. It has been a very intense year and I know each of you have felt that in some way.
However, it is in the toughest of times that a strong and resilient culture matters most. It is also during such experiences that you realize how blessed we are to have such an amazing team and a commitment to mission that buoys us. I am so proud of our team of caregivers at Saint Joseph Hospital for successfully navigating through all the various twists and turns this year.
Thank you for your hard work, dedication to excellence, and commitment to our mission! Furthermore, it must have been meant to be…in the midst of our challenging year, we had the once in a lifetime opportunity to celebrate Saint Joseph Hospital’s 150th Anniversary as a Catholic healthcare ministry in Denver, Colorado! Celebrating this incredible milestone together provided renewed energy and inspiration for us so that we can carry forward into the New Year and beyond.
Despite these challenges, we continued to demonstrate our clinical and operational excellence highlighted by earning a five-star rating from the Centers of Medicare & Medicaid, the Leapfrog Group’s “A” grade for patient safety, and multiple 3-star ratings from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, making our heart surgery program one of the best in the country. Additionally, we were honored with a 2022 Human Experience (HX) Guardian of Excellence Award® winner by Press Ganey marking the fourth year in a row that Saint Joseph is in the top 5 percent of healthcare providers in the nation at delivering the best experiences for patients under our care.
We are entering a new era with a solid plan for financial stability and strategic growth. I am blessed to work with our incredible Senior Leadership team who will help us continue our momentum increasing patient volumes, optimizing productivity and staffing, enhancing key service lines, and continued focus on quality, safety and best in class experiences for our patients. Most importantly, my desire for 2024 is that we focus on you, our caregivers. You are what makes Saint Joe’s such a special place!
What makes me most excited and optimistic that we will have a successful 2024, is that we are all in this together. Our shared commitment to excellence and dedication toward providing the best care for our patients and each other is what makes me so proud to be a part of Saint Joe’s family.
With gratitude and best wishes for a Happy New Year,
Jamie