Annual Report 2004
United in Our Vision

A Message from Hospital Leadership - Introduction

Thomas P. Pipicelli, President & Chief Executive Officer; with Carlos B. Cook, III, Chairman of the Board

To be the best, you’ve got to want to be the best. At The William W. Backus Hospital, our vision demands us to pursue excellence, to “be one of New England’s most progressive community hospitals.”

Those are bold words, and — as you will see in this Annual Report — we have demonstrated them time and again this past year with equally bold actions and solid plans. Each of our accomplishments is linked directly to our strategic plan, and driven by our mission and vision.

• We created a new Outpatient Care Center in Norwich, putting under one roof the related services of Endocrinology, Diabetes Management and Wound Care. This farsighted project involved totally refurbishing a vacant retail store and providing the ultimate in convenience to our patients, at a time when diabetes is the fastest-growing disease in the nation. We are already considering other programs and services at this location, such as hyperbaric oxygen therapy and arthritis care.

• We expanded and improved services at the Colchester Backus Health Center. This is another example of meeting community needs and planning for the future. Residents in and near Colchester, the most rapidly growing town in all of Connecticut, now have access to a full range of diagnostic imaging modalities, including CT and MRI scans, as well as mammography and ultrasound technologies. Of equal importance, we provide primary care medicine seven days a week, with expanded hours for today’s busy families.

• We continued to integrate our Hospital with the most advanced technology. This past year saw the arrival of PACS — an advanced Picture Archiving Communications System, which makes diagnostic images (such as the results of your X-ray or MRI) available to your physician in real-time. This puts an end to bulky and inefficient film and paper records, and improves efficiency, safety and the ability to consult with others. With our new, secure online Backus Physician Connection, physicians now have access to data they need whenever they are at a computer — in the Hospital, their office, at home or while traveling.

• We demonstrated our commitment to excellence through impressive results in independent assessments of quality and safety. The Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) conducted an across-the-board review of the Hospital’s performance on meeting national patient safety goals, and reviewed the Hospital’s adherence to best practices. Backus earned a three-year accreditation, a testament to the hard work of every Hospital department and employee. Our Cancer Services program was recognized as a Comprehensive Community Cancer Center by the American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer. Our Trauma Center earned re-verification from the American College of Surgeons, meaning we will continue to have the only statedesignated Trauma Center east of the Connecticut River. Our facility also includes an FAA-approved heliport and hangar that houses Hartford Hospital’s LIFE STAR helicopter, a vital link to providing timely healthcare services to the most severely injured patients. Our Diagnostic Imaging Department received certification from the American College of Radiology, and our Laboratory was accredited by the American Association of Blood Banks and the College of American Pathologists.

• We forged strong and lasting community partnerships with local organizations that share our mission to improve the community’s health. Valued and respected organizations, such as Three Rivers Community College’s Nursing Program, United Community & Family Services and Generations Family Health Center, benefited from Backus’ desire to put its mission and vision statements into action, and develop creative linkages that benefit the entire eastern Connecticut region. Each of these accomplishments advances Backus Hospital’s vision statement, which we are proud to share on the preceding page and throughout this report. Truly, operating a first-rate community hospital requires a keen and unrelenting focus on staying true to our mission and vision to meet the community’s needs. To be effective, vision must be coupled with decision, and decision must be followed by action. Our goal in the following pages is to provide a sense of the decisions and actions that have made this a very busy, productive, and successful year for your Hospital. Importantly, we offer this report not just in our words, but in the words of those who have come to experience Backus Hospital’s vision first-hand: our Board, our Medical Staff, our patients and our employees.