GreenCastle

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 10, 2008

Riddle Memorial Hospital and Main Line Health System consolidate operations, improve performance

Year-long engagement with Greencastle Consulting integrates Riddle Memorial
with Main Line while managing change for measurable performance improvement

MALVERN, Penn. — November 10, 2008 — Greencastle Consulting, a project management and consulting services firm, today announced it has begun close-out of its engagement focused on integrating Riddle Memorial Hospital into Main Line Health System. While some systems integration and other transition-related activities remain, the work is substantially complete. Greencastle has gathered performance metrics reflecting improvements achieved as Riddle became Main Line Health’s fourth acute care center. Both organizations are based in west suburban Philadelphia.

“In addition to keeping a large number of initiatives on track, Greencastle helped us with tasks like prioritizing our transition efforts and shifting our focus to setting more measurable goals,” says Daniel E. Kennedy, president and CEO of Riddle Memorial Hospital. “But with such a complex integration like this one, perhaps their key contribution was their ability to work closely with multiple departments to overcome opinions driven by vested interests and win support for integration approaches that led to stronger performance. We were able to bring forward the best operational aspects from Riddle and Main Line in such a way that the new organization performs at a higher level.”

“With Greencastle as a dedicated resource, we were able to execute this initiative much more quickly and much more completely,” said John J. Lynch, III, president and CEO of Main Line Health. “And we measured organizational performance through the integration. We saw financial performance improve. We saw patient satisfaction improve. We saw length of stay go down. Vacancies were lowered. Greencastle had a significant part in these results.”

During the transition, Greencastle directed a program management office to serve as a single point of coordination for operational integration, process improvement, project management, and change management activities.

As a firm, Greencastle’s mission is to maximize the value of change for critical healthcare projects. Toward that end, Greencastle helped Riddle Memorial and Main Line Health use this transition as an opportunity to improve operational performance and business processes. The following results are representative of the outcomes the organizations observed:

• Patient satisfaction scores at Riddle Memorial increased 2.5 percentage points, to 83.9 percent. Its Press Ganey HCAHPS results rose 19.6 points, to 61 percent.
• Over a five-month period, Riddle Memorial improved length of stay by half a day and recorded a consistent, downward trend.
• Integrated the hospital’s billing, HR, finance, reporting, materials management and other functions into Main Line’s shared services structure.

“With so much merger activity and transition in healthcare, a focus on the people side of change is emerging as a more fundamental key to success,” said Jacob Kretzing, a senior partner at Greencastle. “We’ve accomplished a lot with Main Line and Riddle in recent months. And it’s been a rewarding effort as we’ve aligned expectations, managed change and sustained the improvements.”

Main Line, Riddle and Greencastle approached the year-long project in three phases. In the first, Greencastle helped assess strategy, prioritize merger activity, and identify 20 integration goals. Next, Greencastle facilitated the tactical-level planning necessary to select various team leaders and organize 36 integration initiatives designed to support the goals. Greencastle managed directly and reported on 19 of these initiatives and provided reporting and oversight on 17. The initiatives included full integration of several subsidiary operations such as the homecare and physician services organizations. In June, Greencastle completed the program management phase, implementing the governance structure, project plans and, finally, knowledge transfer.

About Main Line Health
Main Line Health, based in Bryn Mawr, Pa., is a non-profit health system serving portions of Philadelphia and its western suburbs. Founded in 1985, Main Line Health includes four acute care hospitals: Lankenau, Bryn Mawr, Paoli and Riddle Memorial, along with Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital, Main Line HealthCare (a physician network); the Lankenau Institute for Medical Research; The Home Care Network; Main Line Health Laboratories; Mirmont Treatment Center; and Mid County Senior Services. The mission of Main Line Health is to provide a comprehensive range of health services, complemented by appropriate educational and research activities to meet the needs and improve the quality of life in the communities served by its hospitals and services. Main Line Health is part of the Jefferson Health System (JHS), founded in 1996, whose members also include Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Albert Einstein Healthcare Network, Frankford Health System, and Magee Rehab.

About Greencastle Consulting

Greencastle Consulting delivers change leadership and execution experience for complex healthcare projects, including IT-driven clinical transformation. From readiness assessment through roll out, Greencastle guides organizations in visualizing objectives, generating impact as planned and maximizing the value of investments. Through advanced techniques, process improvement, leveraging human capital, group dynamics and training, Greencastle’s services can multiply the effectiveness of your existing clinical, business and technological resources. Founded in 1997, Greencastle serves healthcare exclusively. Greencastle consultants apply management methodologies that lead to greater workflow efficiency and ensure the outcomes of technology-based quality initiatives. Learn more at www.GreencastleConsulting.com.