Annual Report 2004
United in Our Vision

Compassionate, reassuring and personal care. Those are fine goals that speak of a lofty vision. At Backus Hospital, we work hard every day to live by them.

The nation’s healthcare industry is facing unprecedented public accountability, and Backus Hospital is proud to provide the public with information they need to make informed healthcare decisions. We want our non-profit, community hospital to be the place people turn to for the latest in treatment and technology, along with the considerate care that is the fabric of our culture at Backus.

We are confident in the ability of our physicians, staff and volunteers to provide highquality, compassionate care. We are proud of the state-of-the art medical equipment that is rare for a community hospital to possess. We are at the forefront of using computer technology to improve the patient’s safety and experience.

For all these reasons, we welcome accountability.

In April, several local newspapers published stories on data released by the state Department of Public Health, which compared the state’s hospitals’ level of care delivered to heart attack, heart failure and pneumonia patients. Backus Hospital performed exceptionally well compared to its peers, and overall was above the state average. For example, Backus ranked among the top five hospitals in the state in several categories related to treatment of heart failure.

We realize that the true test of a healthcare organization is its ability to continue toprate performance over time. At Backus, we believe technology is a valuable tool in improving safety and performance. This past year has seen us put into operation a 16- Slice Computed Tomography (CT) scanner, a diagnostic marvel that is capable of conducting 3-D virtual tours of the body in a matter of seconds, without ever penetrating the body. We are the first hospital in the region to offer this high-end, innovative imaging tool.Using this device, physicians get clearer pictures and better vantage points, reducing the need for invasive and sometimes painful procedures.

Backus also was the first in the region to employ the use of a PET-CT scanner, which combines the technologies of Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scans and CT scans into one machine, thus allowing, for the first time, a detailed look at anatomic and metabolic functions simultaneously. The goal: earlier diagnosis and better treatment, particularly for cancers.

This past year, we have truly made technology our partner in care. While health experts and politicians debate the safety advantages of an electronic medical record, and the potential for computerized diagnostic imaging, your Hospital is already a leader in providing those technologies.

In the past year we have continued to implement our fully integrated computer information system, Meditech, which has virtually eliminated the need to use paper and pen to chart patient information. Backus is at the forefront of moving into a new age of unified electronic medical records that will result in paperless and filmless hospitals.

Also in the past year, many of our physicians have begun to use another marvel: our Picture Archiving and Communications System (PACS). This system gives physicians the ability to immediately access all diagnostic imaging modalities and pertinent patient information in their offices, homes or anywhere else they have access to a computer.

Flat-screen monitors are now located throughout the Hospital, including the Emergency Department and all surgical suites and outpatient facilities – meaning physicians no longer have to rely on bulky films, CDs or files. Electronically-stored patient information is archived and available to your doctor with the click of a mouse, making retrieval easy and diagnostic comparisons possible.

Certainly, we have embraced technology as a wonderful tool. And we value independent measures and report cards as vital elements of public accountability. But we are keenly aware that it is people — not equipment and not numbers — that matter most. That is why heartfelt comments, like Laureen Anthony’s on the facing page, mean so much to us. Compassionate, reassuring, personal care is our vision, and our daily mission. Our reputation depends on it.