59_Why You Should Pursue a “Best Places to Work” Designation with Denise Webber and Jim Ulrich

Healthcare Plus Podcast

Being on Modern Healthcare’s “Best Places to Work” list is an honor. But the real reason the designation matters is that preparing for it creates the best patient care possible. Denise Webber, FACHE, president/CEO of Stillwater Medical, and James P. Ulrich, Jr., MHA, FACHE, FHFMA, CEO of York General, head up organizations that are longtime designation “regulars.” Stillwater has been a Best Places to Work organization for eleven years and York for nine years.

In this podcast, special guest host Dan Collard, cofounder/partner with Quint Studer of Healthcare Plus Solutions Group, talks with Denise and Jim about why being with people at the most critical times of their lives creates a responsibility to be the best we can be. Seeking a Best Places to Work designation helps achieve that. The data is invaluable. It gets us focused on the right things, shows us what’s going well, and pinpoints areas for improvement. (Side note: Don’t wait until you’re ready to apply to start this journey.)

Denise and Jim share some of the benefits of being named to the Best Places to Work list:

· It provides a good road map/game plan for success. It really promotes the foundational skills that make an organization run smoothly.

· It creates a great culture that permeates every corner of your organization. (It’s not department-specific.)

· It helps promote continuous improvement as you strive to move up the list every year.

· It gels your leadership team together in a really unique way as it requires a lot of collaboration.

· It shines light on some things you might not normally look at (the demographics of the workforce, for example).

· The skills you develop in the process help you manage the ever-changing healthcare landscape. (Jim says York’s rock-solid culture and strong team helped them navigate COVID.)

· The designation will help you attract talent and organically retain the talent you have. It means something.

· It gives you a great chance to see where you compare to others and helps you figure out whom you can learn from.

· It gives you a great opportunity to celebrate, shine the light on your heroes, and focus on your strengths. It reminds you to narrate to your community how good you are!

· It helps you see you are on the right track. The third-party validation is reassuring to patients, community, and employees.

One of the biggest benefits of this designation is the impact it has on the community. It promotes involvement and ownership. With hospitals often being the largest employer and literally the ones caring for community members, there’s a sense of obligation to make life better for everyone. We don’t just have a seat at the table, we get to help set the table—and being a Best Places to Work organization builds the trust that allows us to do so.
Contact Information:
Denise Webber
President/CEO
Stillwater Medical Center
Cell 405-880-5117
James P. Ulrich, Jr., MHA, FACHE, FHFMA
Chief Executive Officer
YORK GENERAL
[phone] Office
[phone] Cell
[e-mail]