Mysteries - Swedish Medical Center Foundation

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C A P S U L E SThe pursuit of qualityA passionate advocate for qualitythroughout his career, Peterson madeit a major focus at Swedish. The organization’squality-improvement work hasbeen recognized with several prestigioushonors, including of the Leadership Levelof the Washington State Quality Award,the Codman Award for excellence instroke care and the 2007 Health GradesAward. Additionally, for nine years,local consumers have named Swedishthe hospital with the best overall qualityaccording to an annual survey done bythe National Research Corp.“Quality is critically important toRichard. He has pushed the organizationto be the best it can be and has been astrong champion of quality improvement,”says Swedish outgoing chief of staffJohn Vassall, M.D.He has also been a supporter of continuouslearning and improvement andmade ongoing education and trainingpart of the culture at Swedish. One ofhis lasting legacies will be the creation ofa dedicated education and conferencecenter that will help managers, staff andphysicians at Swedish develop and learnnew skills.Serving the communityAnother one of his passions has beenthe issue of access to emergency healthcare. To increase access, he established a“no divert” policy that essentially meansno matter how busy they are, the Swedishemergency departments will alwaysaccept ambulance patients.By the same token, Peterson is proudthat the level of charity care providedby Swedish grew from $5 million peryear when he started to more than$13.3 million per year at the end of histenure. He is also proud that the annualCelebrate Swedish gala has gone fromraising $300,000 per year for charity careto more than $1 million per year. Heand his wife, Rosemary, are also activelyinvolved in the community. He serves onboards for United Way of King County,the Seattle Chamber of Commerce andLife Center Northwest.Rosemary is a member ofSeattle University’s Dean’sAdvisory Board and theSeattle Opera Board.CollaborationAmidst the competitiveenvironment of healthcare,Peterson soughtways to collaborate withothers whenever possible.Through partnershipswith community hospitals– such as Northwest,Stevens, Valley andHighline – Swedish has been able to makeits cancer- and heart-care services availablein local communities.Likewise, Peterson found innovativeways to partner with physicians. Swedishbecame the first to develop hospital-physicianjoint ventures on services such asmedical imaging and ambulatory surgery.He also formed a productive relationshipwith the labor unions at Swedish and,under his leadership, four nursing contractswere successfully negotiated.A solid foundationLike all hospital administrators,Peterson has had to navigate the complexand often turbulent waters of the healthcareindustry and, like his peers nationwide,his decisions have not always beenpopular.“Not everyone has agreed with himall of the time. But as a strong leader, he’smade tough decisions and stuck withthem. Ultimately that is the job of leadership,and thoughtful people admire himfor that,” says Dr. Vassall.Richard and Rosemary Peterson received the 2006John A. Soderberg Sr. Lifetime Achievement Award in Octoberfrom the Swedish Medical Center Foundation.During his tenure, Peterson assembleda senior leadership team to operate anddevelop different aspects of the organization.His administration will be rememberedfor working tirelessly on manyfronts, with the ultimate goals of makingSwedish the best place to receive care,and the best place to work and practicemedicine.Though a successor had not yet beennamed when this issue of FORUM wentto print, the next generation of leadershipwill have a solid foundation to build upon.After all, Peterson is leaving the organizationin far better shape than he found it 12years ago.F O R U M2W I N T E R 2 0 0 7
C A P S U L E SRichard H. PetersonRole: President and CEOTenure: 1995-2007Sept. 2005Sept. 2005Swedish receives the Leadership Level of the Washington StateQuality AwardSwedish prepares to implement clinical information systemMilestonesJan. 1995 Peterson takes officeFeb. 1996 Lobby & main entrance open on BroadwayJan. 1997 Women & Infants Center opens on First HillApr. 1998 Swedish rolls out mission-vision-values statementApr. 1998 Construction begins on East Tower on First HillJul. 2000 Providence Seattle Medical Center joins Swedish systemJan. 2002 Swedish Cancer Institute celebrates grand openingJan. 2002 Sabey Corp. purchases part of Prov campus, including the 1910Building and the Jefferson TowerMay 2004 Swedish sells various medical-office buildings to HCPIMar. 2005 $20 million Emergency Department and Specialty Center opensin Issaquah, with imaging services provided through a jointventure with Radia ImagingOct. 2005 Construction begins on $30 million Swedish NeuroscienceInstituteNov. 2005 Swedish receives Earnest A. Codman Award for stroke careJan. 2006 PET/CT Imaging Center opens as a Swedish joint venturewith Seattle Nuclear Medicine and Tumor Institute RadiationOncology GroupJan. 2006 Swedish launches its first TV ad campaign, “Living the Oath”Sept. 2006Swedish receives Health Grades AwardOct. 2006 Peterson and wife, Rosemary, presented with LifetimeAchievement AwardNov. 2006 Swedish Heart & Vascular Institute celebrates grand openingNov. 2006 Swedish becomes a smoke-free facilityJan. 2007 Swedish Orthopedic Institute celebrates groundbreakingEarly 2007Early 2007New education center opensPeterson to retireSwedish Then & Now1995 2005151050$5Million$13.3Million121086420$5.3Million$11.1Million10987654321$307Million$1 Billion131211109876543210 08601,245CHARITY CAREPHILANTHROPIC GIFTSTO SWEDISHREVENUE BASELICENSED BEDSF O R U MW I N T E R 2 0 0 73
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