Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital

Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, an acute-care medical facility 

in Downers Grove, Illinois, has evolved during the past 30 years 

from a midsized community hospital to a nationally recognized 

leader in health care. By leveraging its core competency of building 

loyal relationships as well as the organizational transformation of 

“moving from good to great,” the hospital has achieved exceptional 

clinical, service, and financial outcomes.

“Good Sam,” as it is popularly known, features the highest level of 

trauma services and perinatal care. Good Samaritan Hospital is part 

of Advocate Health Care, named one of the 10 top health system

by Thomson Reuters. The hospital has a workforce of 2,700 associate

450 volunteers, and 950 independent physicians representing 

59 specialties. It has revenues of $420 million.

First and Foremost a Clinical Enterprise

•	Good Samaritan Hospital demonstrates high levels of performance

in many process measures for clinical outcomes. Risk-adjusted 

mortality (actual mortality divided by expected mortality where 

1.0 equals the expected) decreased from 0.73 in 2004 to 0.25 

in 2010.

•	The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services core measure results

for pneumonia, heart failure, heart attack, and surgical care are 

either approaching or exceeding the top-decile level, and meet or 

exceed the levels of local competitors.

•	In 2003, Good Samaritan Hospital used Six Sigma methodology

to pioneer improvement of “door-to-balloon” time, the critical 

period for assessing and diagnosing a heart attack and delivering 

the needed intervention. By 2010, the hospital’s average door-toballoon time was 52 minutes, among the best in Illinois. 

 Th  hospital’s Cardiac Alert Program has been benchmarke

across the country, and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement 

recognized it as an international best practice. 

•	Using Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) to identify

opportunities to improve processes, Good Samaritan Hospital 

decreased the ratio of observed to expected postoperative renal 

failures from 3.0 in 2007 to 0.86 in 2009. 

Satisfied Patients, Loyal Patients 

•	Creating an exceptional patient experience is the mission imperative,

the ongoing vision, and is at the core of the Good Samaritan 

culture. Overall patient satisfaction levels at the hospital exceed 

top-decile ratings from Press Ganey, the largest national surveyor 

for patient satisfaction, for the following patient segments: 

2010 Award Recipient

Highlights

•	Risk-adjusted mortality (actual mortality divided by 

expected mortality where 1.0 equals the expected) 

decreased from 0.73 in 2004 to 0.25 in 2010.

•	A brand preference study of Good Samaritan Hospital and

its closest competitors ranked Good Samaritan Hospital as 

the overall most preferred hospital, as well as the top choice 

for its main service offerings.

•	Good Samaritan Hospital has established a strategic context

and vision for a synergistic hospital-physician partnership 

that has enabled the organization to generate some of the 

	 best clinical outcomes in the United States.

•	Overall patient satisfaction levels for outpatient,

emergency, ambulatory surgery, and convenient care 

exceed top decile.

Baldrige Performance Excellence Program • National Institute of Standards and Technology • Department of Commerce 

Job #:111146

Date:3.22.2011 Pg1

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outpatient, emergency, ambulatory surgery, and convenient care; 

the hospital also has achieved top-quartile performance for 

inpatient satisfaction.

•	A brand preference study of Good Samaritan Hospital and its

closest competitors ranked Good Samaritan Hospital as the overall 

most preferred hospital, as well as the top choice for its main 

service offerings. 

Building Loyal Partnerships with Physicians:

A Strategic Priority

•	Good Samaritan Hospital has established a strategic context and

vision for a synergistic hospital-physician partnership that has 

enabled the organization to generate some of the best clinical 

	 outcomes in the United States. A key element of Good Samaritan

Hospital’s success in advancing clinical excellence and patient 

safety is its innovative Clinical Integration Program that rewards 

physicians for achieving superior clinical, service, and efficiency 

outcomes. Advocate Health Care will use the Clinical Integration 

Program as the centerpiece of its Accountable Care Organization 

(AdvocateCare) model in the transition to health care reform.

•	A win-win partnership with physicians has led to breakthrough

results in quality, physician satisfaction at the 97th percentile, and 

an increase in market share of 17 percent from 2006 to 2010. 

Caring for Those Who Care

•	Good Samaritan Hospital uses a 12-step process to determine key

factors that affect workforce engagement and satisfaction and then 

to assess its effectiveness in addressing those factors. The hospital

uses the results, which are segmented by job classifications 

and work units, to determine organizational and departmentlevel tactics for improvement. Survey results from Morehead, 

an employee opinion research firm, show overall associate 

satisfaction at the 98th percentile in 2009 and 97th percentile 

in 2010, both exceeding top decile.

•	A detailed seven-step Performance Management System promotes

high performance and engagement through integration with 

Good Samaritan Hospital’s MVP (Mission Values Philosophy), 

Standards of Behavior, cascaded goals from the strategic plan, 

and leadership competencies. Leader performance and action 

plans are managed through a transparent, intranet-based 

goal performance system. Volunteers are engaged through 

question-and-review sessions with leaders and an annual sevenquestion survey.

Good Samaritan as Good Neighbor

•	Community outreach programs include free wellness services,

	 health fairs, screenings, and lectures throughout the year. Examples

include a domestic violence task force; the Why Wait Program 

offering free mammograms and clinical breast and pelvic exams; 

support for parents who experience a problematic pregnancy, have 

	 a baby with special needs, or have lost a baby; and the Fun with

	 Fitness Program that addresses childhood obesity.

•	Good Samaritan Hospital actively participates in Access DuPage,

an innovative community health approach through which Good 

Samaritan Hospital’s physicians provide care to the uninsured 

population. The hospital provides all diagnostic tests and treatments

without charge to Access DuPage patients. Good Samaritan Hospital 

provided over $10 million in charity care through Access DuPage 

as a part of its total charity care of $28 million in 2010.

Excelling at ‘Funding the Future’

•	With a focus on “funding the future,” Good Samaritan Hospital has

contributed to Advocate Health Care’s system-wide AA rating 

representing performance in the top 10 percent in the industry. 

GSMA’s net operating margin increased from 5.98 percent in 2007 

to 7.79 percent in 2010.

•	As a result of Good Samaritan Hospital’s success in creating a

culture of patient safety, malpractice insurance expenses declined 

83 percent from 2005 to 2010, saving approximately $12 million.

•	Good Samaritan Hospital has become a benchmark for gross

days in accounts receivable (AR), reducing the AR cycle from 42 

days in 2006 to 32 days in 2009, and generating $66 million in 

incremental cash. 

For more information:

Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital

3815 Highland Ave.

Downers Grove, IL 60515

Telephone: (630) 275-244

E-Mail: GSAM-Baldrige@advocatehealth.com

Web Site: http://www.advocatehealth.com/gsam

Baldrige Performance Excellence Program

The Baldrige Program educates organizations of all sizes and

from all sectors in organizational performance management and 

improvement. We also administer the Malcolm Baldrige National 

Quality Award. Our key services are to identify and recognize 

role-model organizations, share best management practices, and 

help organizations achieve best-in-class performance levels. We are 

the only public-private partnership and Presidential award program 

dedicated to improving U.S. organizations.

For more information on Baldrige, visit www.nist.gov/baldrige,

call (301) 975-2036, or e-mail us at baldrige@nist.gov.

Baldrige Performance Excellence Program • National Institute of Standards and Technology • Department of Commerce 

2010 Award Recipient

Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital

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Date:3.18.2011 Pg2

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