Award-winning physicians, world-class partnerships and innovative techniques and technology enable Jupiter to provide a broad range of services with specialty concentrations in cardiology, oncology, pediatrics, orthopedics and spine, imaging, digestive health, emergency services, urgent care, women’s and men’s health.

 

“We have a team of men and women here that I believe is the hardest working team in healthcare,” says John Couris, president and CEO. “I’m proud of the team but what I am most proud about is seeing the impact on the people we care for. We are making a measurable and sustainable difference in the lives of people in our community.”

 

Couris notes that there is one shared purpose in the organization—to care for the health and wellness of the community. It all starts with the culture of Jupiter Medical Center which Couris describes as transparent, authentic, and genuine.

 

“We don’t do anything that isn’t done in a transparent way,” he says. “We collaborate and innovate with our physicians, team members and everyone in the community when it comes to building programs, new services or implementing new technologies.”

 

Culture trumps strategy every day of the week, he adds. If your organization does not have a strong culture, then you cannot deliver on your strategies.

 

One way it bolsters its culture is by requiring every team member to participate in its Reigniting the Spirit of Caring retreats, three-day seminars that ground, renew, and unify staff from all disciplines at the medical center. The seminars provide an immediate infusion of empathy, compassion, and mutual respect throughout the organization as they immerse direct care providers, service support personnel, managers, and leaders in the foundational principles of Relationship-Based Care. The focus of the program is caring across three vital relationships: the clinician’s relationship with self, with colleagues, and with patients and their families.

 

Creating an enriching team member experience, says Couris, motivates people to embrace its culture and positively impacts patient care.

 

Healthcare continues to be in the midst of dramatic change. Whether it is new medications or new technologies, treating patients today has evolved over the past decade. Inpatient stays in hospitals across the nation are dropping while outpatient visits are on the rise. This is due to a multitude of factors, including medical advances, new reimbursement rules and payment models.

 

This is good news, according to Couris, because outpatient care is being provided more efficiently, economically, and thanks to new technology, safely. To thrive amidst all this change providers must innovate and evolve.

 

For the last six years, Couris and his team have worked to reimagine the way they deliver health care – evolving from a hospital-centric model to a modern, patient-centric system of care capable of providing comprehensive and coordinated services. They have expanded the spectrum of ambulatory services and post-acute care the institution provides.

 

“The name of the game is low cost and high value. We are looking at the coordination of care holistically and putting together a spectrum of services to bridge the outpatient, acute and post-acute environments. We have to offer quality and a complete continuum of health and wellness services.”

 

Wellness is a major part of Couris’ population health management strategy. The medical center’s new Cary Grossman Health & Wellness Center, a hospital-based health club, offers everything from physical rehabilitation to medical fitness memberships for people with chronic diseases to Zumba, water aerobics and personal health coaching for the entire community.

 

“Our industry leaders need to thoughtfully strategize about how we keep people healthy and out of the hospital,” says Couris. “Our ability to take care of a community is tied to their home and work environments and we need to coordinate health and wellness services that focus on teaching people how to make better decisions in their lives—from exercise to diet to monitoring their health status on a regular basis.”

 

Even while working to deliver health and wellness services in ever more accessible settings, the medical center has been equally focused on diversifying and increasing the intensity of its inpatient services. Developing partnerships centered on specific service lines has advanced this mission.

 

Today, Jupiter Medical Center has strategic partnerships with Mount Sinai Heart New York for cardiology services, Nicklaus Children’s Hospital for pediatric care, and University of Massachusetts Center for Mindfulness.

 

“We developed strategic affiliations and dynamic partnerships with some of the nation’s leading hospitals and health care providers, enabling us again to increase the scope and depth of our services.”

 

In the case of the partnership with Mount Sinai, leading cardiologists from both institutions are collaborating to provide outstanding care to patients in the Palm Beaches. Patients and families benefit from best practices pioneered and researched at Mount Sinai Heart New York, one of the premier cardiology providers in the United States.

 

“We believe that shared knowledge leads to better medicine at both institutions,” says Couris. “Medicine is a body of knowledge that is constantly changing. Our experienced physicians now have the ability to collaborate with world-renowned researchers and clinicians at both the Icahn School of Medicine in New York and the UMass School of Medicine. We have access to pediatric sub-specialists from the Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, a leader in pediatric care. We are breaking down boundaries for the benefit of our community.”

 

Cardiac patients at Jupiter Medical Center receive outstanding care using the same clinical guidelines developed by recognized experts at Mount Sinai Heart New York. Should a patient require a procedure not routinely performed at Jupiter Medical Center, such as open heart surgery, they may choose to be treated at Mount Sinai Heart in New York City, and then return home to Jupiter Medical Center for their follow-up treatment—all within a coordinated system of care.

 

“We’ve already had numerous patients with highly complex cardiac needs find the treatment they need through this new partnership,” adds Couris. “Clinical partnerships are important, because it allows your organization to see a bigger window to the world. To bring partnerships like this to Jupiter is just priceless and outstanding.”

 

While Couris has a clear vision for the future, he’s not afraid to change course.

 

“There are changes in health care, in the market place and frankly, in the world that affect our business every day. In order to maintain our trajectory and continue to build our business and provide world-class health care, we must be open to learning, listening and communicating. We must remain nimble and adaptable.”