Hospitals in pursuit of excellence

Tranforming Relations

"There are two jobs at Faxton-St. Luke's Healthcare, Utica, N.Y. "taking care of patients directly, or taking care of people who take care of patients directly," Perra says. Traditionally, relationship-based care has been a mantra for nursing departments looking to strengthen ties between caregivers, patients and their families. But at Faxton-St. Luke's, the concept has been used to transform everything from food service to finance. Faxton-St. Luke's began using relationship-based care principles in 2004, when Faxton Hospital and St. Luke's Memorial Hospital merged. At first, the concept was used in nursing "where patients are treated by a primary nurse responsible for their stay" but CEO Scott Perra and others thought it had promise to bring the new organization together. Today, Faxton-St. Luke's uses relationship-based care principles to manage interactions between staff, while chefs and engineers drop by patients' rooms to check on food preferences or the temperature.