GBMC HealthCare System

GBMC HealthCare System (GBMC) provides inpatient and outpatient 

care through the Greater Baltimore Medical Center, an acute care 

community hospital, and GBMC Health Partners, which includes 43 

primary and specialty care medical practices; and Gilchrist which 

provides advanced care, elder care, post-acute care, and in-home 

and facility hospice, as well as inpatient hospice in three locations.

Health Care Results

• GBMC has achieved a 5-star rating (the highest) from the Centers 

for Medicare and Medicaid Services; 5 stars were achieved by 

only 8 of Maryland’s 45 hospitals in 2020. 

• GBMC demonstrates industry-leading and benchmark 

performance for medical service line results, with 100% of stroke 

patients receiving antithrombotic therapy at discharge, 100% of 

high-risk mothers receiving antenatal steroids, and 100% of 

patients receiving combination chemotherapy for breast cancer. 

• Since July 2018, GBMC’s Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral 

to Treatment program, which places a Peer Recovery Coach in the 

emergency department, has resulted in over 32,000 drug addiction 

screenings, with more than 3,600 patients referred for treatment. 

• GBMC has maintained industry and benchmark leadership with 

100% of its Health Partners (its physician group practices) offering 

extended hours for weekdays, weekends, and holidays since 2014.

Senior Leadership

• All members of GBMC’s senior leadership team are active 

participants in Lean Daily Management, through which senior 

leaders visit all hospital units, hospices, and medical practices 

to have frank, two-way discussions with front-line leaders and staff 

regarding their performance against GBMC’s Four Aims of better 

health, better care, least waste, and more joy. 

• GBMC’s senior leaders introduce the mission, vision, and values 

to the workforce beginning with the employee application process. 

This continues through hiring and onboarding, which includes the 

personal participation of the CEO in all new employee orientations, 

and through the senior leaders’ active participation in the daily lean 

management walks. GBMC reinforces its mission, vision, and 

values to its suppliers and partners through negotiations, contract 

language, quarterly meetings, and performance reviews.

Financial and Market Results

• GBMC has increased its net cash from operations from 

approximately $35 million in fiscal year (FY) 2016 to $50 million 

in FY19 and, even with a decline in elective volume due to COVID, 

maintained its financial sustainability with $35 million in 2020. 

2020 Award Recipient

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

Highlights

• GBMC has achieved a 5-star rating (the highest) from the 

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. 

• GBMC demonstrates industry-leading and benchmark 

performance, with 100% of stroke patients receiving 

antithrombotic therapy at discharge, 100% of high-risk 

mothers receiving antenatal steroids, and 100% of patients 

receiving combination chemotherapy for breast cancer.

• GBMC’s rating for communication with doctors has 

consistently been in the top 10% of national hospitals, and 

its emergency department rating for physician took time to 

listen is approaching top-10% performance. 

• The Nurse Residency Program is one of only 61 worldwide 

to achieve accreditation with distinction. Since 2017, 

first-year turnover for nurses decreased from about 27% 

to less than 15%, achieving performance in the top 10% of 

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

2020 Award Recipient

GBMC HealthCare System 

During this same period, it has maintained more than 250 days of 

cash on hand and even increased it to $290 million in 2020, beating 

the Moody’s A2 rating benchmark. Moreover, GBMC has increased 

its cash-to-total debt from 200% to 340%. 

• GBMC has grown its inpatient market share from approximately 

11% to 12.9% from FY16 to FY19, while its three competitors 

have experienced slight declines. Moreover, GBMC has grown its 

emergency department volume by 6% from 2018 to 2019, while its 

competitors have all experienced declines or remained flat.

Customer Process and Results

• Patients can express expectations, preferences, and questions 

through the patient portal, MyChart, and providers can share the 

patient data needed to ensure continuity of care. GBMC ranks in 

the top 10% of U.S. hospitals in percentage of primary care patients 

activating MyChart.

• GBMC’s rating for communication with doctors has consistently 

been in the top 10% of national hospitals, and its emergency 

department rating for physician took time to listen is approaching 

top-10% performance. Its hospice rating for recommend this hospice 

is currently approaching the national 90% best, outperforming the 

closest competitor at under 80%.

People Process and Results

• GBMC redesigned its core employee health plan to include 100% 

coverage based on its workforce feedback. In response to 

COVID-19, the organization immediately addressed childcare 

needs, emotional and financial support, and preservation of timeoff benefits.

• The Nurse Residency Program is one of only 61 worldwide to achieve

accreditation with distinction, the highest level of recognition from 

the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Since 2017, first-year 

turnover for nurses decreased from about 27% to less than 15%, 

achieving performance in the top 10% of national hospitals.

Strategic Planning

• A four-phase, nine-step Strategic Planning Process (SPP) ensures 

that strategic objectives are aligned with GBMC’s Four Aims.

• GBMC monitors action plans through key performance indicators, 

which are developed during the SPP. Alignment is reinforced 

through the Strategic Deployment Process.

Citizenship Process and Results

• A focused and effective philanthropy program, which raises more 

than $15 million per year, has enabled GBMC to supplement its 

normal operations with programs not often found in community 

hospitals. These include the Sexual Assault and Forensic 

Examination (SAFE) and Domestic Violence services.

• GBMC’s Community Benefit Program includes support to local 

initiatives, such as funding children to “Run a Mile” every day 

before class; supporting Baltimore’s Moveable Feast program, 

which provides healthy meals to chronically ill patients; and 

supporting an annual Weight Loss Reveal Celebration. The GBMC 

Community Benefit has increased 260% in four years.

Performance Management and Information 

and Knowledge Management 

• In 2017, GBMC transformed its data and information systems by 

converting to an enterprise-wide medical record system. GBMC has 

been awarded a 10 Gold Star Status, which places it in the top 1% 

of all the product’s users in the country. GBMC was also recently 

honored with the Davies Award by the Health Care Information 

and Management Systems Society for being among national health 

care organizations with the highest access to information. It is the 

only health system in Maryland that has achieved this award and 

one of only 11 worldwide in 2019.

Process Efficiency/Effectiveness and Results 

• GBMC utilizes a six-step Healthcare Emergency Operations Plan 

(EOP). During COVID-19, the EOP was activated, resulting in staff 

feeling educated, safe, and supported, and having the tools they 

needed to do their jobs.

• GBMC’s efforts to redesign care have resulted in decreasing 

emergency department “admit to departure times” from 170 

minutes in 2017 to 120 minutes in 2019, outperforming the Maryland 

regulatory benchmark. GBMC is the market leader in laboratory 

turnaround time within 60 minutes, consistently performing well 

over the national standard of 90%. GBMC performs 44% better 

than the national average for transport turnaround time, a measure 

of how efficiently it transports patients throughout the hospital.

For more information:

GBMC HealthCare System

6701 N. Charles St.

Towson, MD 21204

www.gbmc.org

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 the Baldrige Program: 

www.nist.gov/baldrige | 301-975-2036 | baldrige@nist.gov