Martin Health System – Providing Exceptional Health Care, Hope and Compassion to Every Person, Every Time

“We owe our ability to grow and enhance our services to the many individuals and organizations in our community who have contributed their time and resources to making Martin Health strong,” says Mark Robitaille, president and CEO of the Martin Health System.

 

“Just as we are invested in being the best provider of health care on the Treasure Coast, so are they committed to ensuring our success.”

A little more than two years ago, Martin Health System opened its third hospital – Tradition Medical Center in Port St. Lucie. When they began the process of designing a new state-of-the-art hospital, Robitaille says they sought input from many individuals and groups.

 

“A dedicated team made up of associates and physicians visited new and innovative hospitals around the country looking for the best practices in design, functionality and patient-centered care,” he explains. “We incorporated what we learned into the design of Tradition Medical Center. This new hospital has brought a new sense of possibility, a focus on innovation, and the opportunity for Martin Health to profoundly influence and shape the way health care is delivered for generations to come.”

Tradition Medical Center has exceeded projections since opening in 2013; in the first 18 months of operation, the hospital was at full capacity two to three days every week. To address the needs of one of Florida’s fastest growing communities, they broke ground for an expansion of the hospital last October. This expansion will add 170,000 square feet and three stories to the facility. When completed in 2018, Tradition Medical Center will double in size, with a total of nine stories, 90 new inpatient rooms and an 18-bed observation unit.

Tradition Medical Center is just one example of how Martin Health is always looking forward to improve its services and enhance its capacity to meet the changing needs of the community, notes Robitaille.

 

“This includes acquisition of the latest technologies so our residents don’t have to travel to receive advanced treatment and high quality services,” he says.

 

The Robert and Carol Weissman Cancer Center at Martin Health is a good example of this. In the past year, the Cancer Center acquired the TrueBeam radiotherapy system and intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT). These technologies enhance the Cancer Center’s ability to provide expert cancer treatment close to home for patients and their families.

 

In 2015, the Cancer Center recently received full accreditation with a commendation by the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons for a three-year term. The cancer center also received the Commission on Cancer’s Outstanding Achievement Award for the second consecutive time, which was presented to a select group of only 47 accredited cancer programs for surveys performed in 2015. The award acknowledges cancer programs that achieve excellence in providing the highest quality care to cancer patients. Martin Health is one of only three cancer programs in Florida to earn the Outstanding Achievement Award since 2013.

 

As with most health care providers, there are numerous challenges facing Martin Health and they seem to grow by the day. However, they are often interrelated in many ways with one central question at hand: how can they provide the best value and quality to their patients, within regulatory parameters, payer requirements and consumer needs?

 

 “As health care transitions from fee for service to quality-based care reimbursement models, there are countless challenges in maintaining the status quo while preparing for the future,” says Robitaille. “Successfully navigating those obstacles will take flexibility, a willingness to adapt, and collaboration with key stakeholders who recognize the need for partnership. The days of operating in silos are over and those providers who can most effectively work together will likely be the most effective.”

As the largest provider of health care on the Treasure Coast and one of the region’s largest employers, Martin Health has a tremendous impact on the local economic environment. According to Robitaille, the organization’s local spending by 3,481 employees, contract employees, physicians and dozens of vendors from Martin and St. Lucie counties, creates an additional 2,550 jobs, $76.4 million of additional income and $254.8 million of new business each year.

 

“We are the largest employer in Martin County and one of the largest in St. Lucie County as well,” he says. “The expansion taking place at Tradition Medical Center will bring in additional construction-related jobs, as well as an estimated 400 new clinical and support positions once the hospital is opened.”

Health care providers across the nation are facing significant challenges and opportunities. Robitaille says that we will continue to see hospitals needing to ensure they have strong and growing physician alignment. Bundled payments and accountable care organizations will continue to play a significant role in how health care is delivered.

Hospitals will need to work even more closely with a full spectrum of providers to ensure they are providing quality health care and preventing readmissions, or in many cases, the need for patients to come to a hospital at all. That can include:

 

• Providing preventive health care

• Working with patients to manage chronic diseases

• Provide access to appropriate levels of care (for instance, seeing patients in a primary care office or urgent care rather than an ER, or performing surgeries in an outpatient setting rather than inpatient)

• Ensure quality in post-acute care settings, such as skilled nursing facilities, to avoid readmissions and provide continuity of care

“All of these factors and more can have an impact on how providers are reimbursed for the care they deliver,” says Robitaille. “As a result, providers are seeking ways to work smarter, more efficiently and more effectively. To be successful, we need to be innovative and able to respond quickly to new mandates, consumer demands, and the needs of a diverse workforce. Meeting these challenges requires collaboration and teamwork, as well as sufficient resources.”

To meet the challenges of a rapidly changing health care environment, Robitaille says that Martin Health’s board members, associates, physicians and volunteers share a common mission – to provide exceptional health care, hope and compassion to every person, every time.

 

“As a mission-driven organization, this guides everything we do, from patient care to facility management,” he says. “We bring our skills and experiences together to improve services, seek solutions and enhance the experience of our patients and their families.”

In addition, as a Lean organization, Robitaille says that Martin Health has developed a culture of performance excellence and continuous improvement. “We are committed to improving our processes and efficiencies, while maintaining a mission-directed focus on patient and family centered care.”