Linda Hondros honored for Board Service at OhioHealth

Guest Post written by Kim McCann:

During a private dinner reception at North Bank Pavilion last Wednesday, Linda Hondros was honored for her nine years of service on OhioHealth’s Board of Directors and the various committees on which she has served. Among those to offer tribute was Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, chief medical officer for OhioHealth who lauded Linda’s contributions as the Chairman of the Quality of Care Committee since 2009, and her commitment to helping the organization consistently look for ways to improve. “She helped us see our importance as educators; that it is okay to own up to a mistake and learn from it, and then to take that lesson and pass it through every aspect of our system to make us better”, Vanderhoff said. In reference to “Good Catch” awards given at monthly Quality of Care Committee meetings to OhioHealth associates who have spoken up and interceded to prevent a mistake, Vanderhoff spoke about what that type of recognition means to a nurse or lab tech – to attend a board meeting and shake the hand and be thanked by the CEO, and Chairman of the Board. He said Linda has always stressed the importance of expressing gratitude to those on our team; and did so by example stopping to say thanks to everyone from construction crewmembers to the neurosurgeons on each occasion she toured the various hospitals in the system.

OhioHealth CEO, Dave Blom paid tribute to Linda reading from a Board Resolution passed last month recognizing her distinguished service. “Serving on the Board of Directors, as a member of the Riverside Joint Conference Committee, Chairman of the Doctors Hospital Joint Conference Committee, and Chairman of the Quality of Care Committee, she is a hard working board member.” Blom said she has been a catalyst in pushing the organization to look for ways to improve on every level, and it has paid off. OhioHealth has been recognized by Truven Health Analytics as one of the 15 Top Health Systems in America, and one of the top five in the “Large Health System” category. In 2015 Riverside Methodist and Doctors Hospital were among just 17 hospitals in the country to receive the Everest Award. Everest Award winners are selected from among the 100 Top Hospitals award winners for setting national benchmarks for both long-term (three to five year) improvement and highest one-year performance on the 100 Top Hospitals’ balanced scorecard. Those 100 Top Hospitals have roughly a half-day shorter patient length of stay, 4 percent fewer complications, and 5.9 percent lower risk-adjusted mortality rates.

Honors such as those help OhioHealth acquire and retain top talent. Their organization has been recognized by FORTUNE Magazine as one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” for eight years in a row, since 2007, and has been voted a Top Workplace in Columbus. In closing Blom said, “We are a better organization now because of your commitment to quality, that is your legacy and I thank you for that.”