Sudbury Resident Keeps Emerson Hospital Thriving Despite Poor Economy

Sudbury residents have a few options when it comes to their health care. There's MetroWest Medical Center in Framingham, Marlborough Hospital in Marlborough, and Emerson Hospital in Concord.

So where should you go if you get sick or need a surgical procedure?

Emerson President/CEO Christine Schuster says the answer is pretty simple, and offers three reasons why:

• Finances
• Quality/Patient safety
• Outstanding clinical affiliations.

"From a financial perspective Emerson has done exceedingly well the last couple of years," the 15-year Sudbury resident said. "The nice part about being in health care is that people always get sick. So, from a business perspective, our doors are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, so we keep you well and healthy. When you’re sick, we’re here for you. It’s sort of recession-proof in that whether the economy is bad or good, people still get sick."

To adjust to the economical challenges, Emerson opened its Integrated Health and Wellness Center on Baker Avenue, which offers more than 100 classes, including acupressure, babysitting, senior driving and yoga.

"One of the things we’re trying to do is help keep people healthy and well, but also let them get to know us so when they do get ill or need a procedure, they’ll come to Emerson for that," Schuster said.

Emerson's seven-year CEO said she's noticed patients have been hesitant to take time off of work for procedures the last few years, fearing losing their job, so to accommodate the hospital has become more flexible. That includes opening early and extending open hours during the week, and offering weekend hours.

"Many places will say you can do your rehab between 9 and 5. Well, if you're working and you're afraid of losing your job, you don't want to do that," Schuster said. "We've tried responding to the changes in the community with our service offerings so it's one less thing people have to worry about."

The past few years Emerson has excelled in improving it's quality and patient safety, supported by the numerous awards it has earned from different organizations.

Recently, Consumer Reports rated Emerson No. 4 in the state on patient safety, Leapfrog gave the Concord-based hospital an "A," and Health Grades awarded them on their patient safety.

"Quality and patient safety is a big focus for us," Schuster said. "We try to build that into all of our decisions. We’re renovating one of our medical surgical units now and we’re making sure we build quality and safety for the patients and their families right into all the work that we do."

The centers for Medicare and Medicaid recently came out with their penalties for readmissions and Emerson didn’t have any.

"We weren’t in a category where we were penalized for having too many," said Schuster.

And if you need to use the emergency department services, Emerson has excelled there, too.

"The average wait time is over four hours statewide. Emerson's is typically two hours, depending on the time of day and who is waiting for what service," Schuster said. "We’ve worked hard in reducing our emergency services wait times, so when people come and need an emergency department visit that they don’t have to wait very long. When they are there we have a liaison who meets with you, lets you know how things are going, when you may get into a room."

But Emerson's most influential edge may be its affiliation with one of the top hospitals in the country: Mass General.

You can find numerous services from Mass General at Emerson, including:

• Cardiology
• Thoracic surgery
• Surgical weight loss
• and cancer treatments.

"We have a huge cancer program which you’ll be hearing more about in the fall, where we now have the same physicians that will treat you in the Boston hospitals right here on the Emerson campus in Concord, to take care of any kind of cancer you may get," Schuster said. "It’s huge. Cancer is a community thing. You don’t want to drive all the way downtown and pay $32 to park and battle all of the traffic. You can get the same protocols and the same care here at Emerson. So I think that’s huge. We’re happy to take care of those patients here."

The expanded services are available at Emerson's satellite offices (Sudbury, Westford, Groton, and coming soon, Leominster), as well.

"I really think in the end the difference is our quality is solid. It’s right up there and our numbers speak for themselves. The Emerson difference is really in the compassionate care you find when you come here," Schuster said. "You’re not just a name and a number. You’re a person with a family. I think our care is very individualized. And I think you’ll find that’s why people, when they come, they don’t ever leave.

"The best hospitals in Boston could go anyplace, but they choose Emerson. Just as we chose them to offer their services here. They know we are a high-quality, very safe, compassionate hospital. They like to come out and do their work here. When you put those three things together – quality/patient safety, finances, and outstanding clinical affiliations — I think it’s a winning combination."