Company Profile
Northwestern Medical Center
Company Overview
Discover Saint Albans, Vermont, where you can experience the luxuries each season brings, feel the comfort of a tightly-knit small town and enjoy the culture and convenience of nearby cities. Nestled here is Northwestern Medical Center, an award-winning community hospital where everyone contributes to our success.
NMC’s vision is to be nationally recognized for excellence and value in healthcare and as a destination of choice for patients, staff, and providers.
Important assets we value:
•Our people and our community
•Exceptional care
•Personalized service
•Innovation
•Financial strength
•Partnerships
•Wellness and prevention
•Accountability
Setting the standard
Our dedication to quality is the foundation of the exceptional care we provide. We consistently rank at or near 100% on the national core measures of clinical quality. Our rate of infection following surgery is consistently less than 1%, while the national average is at 1.9%. In addition, the NMC staff has won seven national Avatar awards for “Overall Patient Satisfaction” in the past eight years. Throughout our growth and improvements, NMC has kept a watchful eye on efficiency. NMC’s charges to our patients consistently rank below the Vermont average, based on comparative information published by the Green Mountain Care Board. For Fiscal Year 2016, NMC requested an 8% rate decrease – the largest rate reduction all of Vermont hospitals.
Company History
Our history dates back to 1883 with the creation of the first “St. Albans Hospital,” made possible in large part through the generosity of benefactor Chauncey Warner. The original hospital structure in the center of St. Albans was destroyed by fire in 1888 and rebuilt in 1889. From 1898 to 1948, the St. Albans Hospital had its own School of Nursing.
In 1948, Jeanne Kerbs funded the construction of a new hospital for St. Albans, the Kerbs Memorial Hospital, in gratitude for the life saving care her son had received following an accidental gunshot at Killkare. However, rather than serving as a replacement/upgrade to the St. Albans Hospital, Kerbs became a competitor less than a mile up the street from the St. Albans Hospital. The two hospitals finally merged in 1978 to form Northwestern Medical Center. In 1996, the consolidation of services onto the Kerbs site was completed. With that, the St. Albans Hospital building was sold to the local high school for $1 plus the cost of the land for use in their expansion project.
The hospital building atop Fairfield Street has undergone a number of expansions and renovations in the past 25 years to keep pace with changing community needs and advances in medical technology. We have also seen the creation of a healthcare campus surrounding the hospital with the relocation of many physician practices and community services. At the same time, NMC has reached out beyond our campus and into the community, with employed physician offices, the Northwestern Urgent Care in Georgia as well as in St. Albans, and satellite physical therapy offices.
Meanwhile, NMC has grown in size and scope – while maintaining our “small” feel. Our medical staff now features more than 75 physicians spanning 21 medical specialties. Our high-tech surgical suite and homelike Family Birth Center are jewels within our facility. In 2010, NMC launched the Meditech System – an enterprise-wide computer system and electronic medical record, representing a significant technological advancement for the hospital. Through careful strategic planning and continued community involvement and support, NMC continues to invest in the staff, physicians, equipment, information systems, and facilities necessary to provide exceptional care for our community.
Notable Accomplishments / Recognition
We are honored to be highlighted not only for the boundless care we provide at the bedside, but for all our efforts that make that level of care possible. Listed below are why more patients are entrusting us with their care, more practitioners are now serving our community, and why more providers are eager to join our team.
Avatar National Patient Satisfaction
NMC has been honored with this prestigious national award that recognizes our outstanding patient satisfaction scores year after year.
JCAHO National Quality Awards
2011: NMC was the only Vermont hospital to earn a “Top Performer” designation on Key Quality Measures in the Joint Commission’s 2011 annual report.
2012: For the second year in a row, NMC has earned the “Top Performer” designation on Key Quality Measures in the Joint Commission’s 2012 annual report. Only 244 hospitals nationally have received this award twice.
Gov. Council on Physical Fitness State Awards
NMC’s employee wellness program, Healthy Ü, was honored for the seventh consecutive year with the Gold Standard Award for Worksite Wellness.
Red Cross Life Share
In 2009, NMC was awarded a Platinum level award for its successful participation in the American Red Cross’ Life Share program.
National Safety
NMC earned the National Safety Council’s Occupational Excellence Achievement Award.
Accreditations
In addition, our vibrant community hospital has earned formal accreditation from national and state medical organizations. Consistently implementing the best practices, along with a dogged pursuit of excellence, are in our DNA – and have led to these achievements:
Joint Commission accreditation of the hospital (2011, 2012)
American College of Surgeons’ Accreditation of the NMC Cancer Program
American College of Radiologists‘ Accreditation of the Mammography Program
American College of Pathologists’ Accreditation of the NMC Laboratory
Benefits
Health Insurance – CBA Blue
This is a preferred provider type plan. Participants may choose health care providers from BlueCross Blue Shield’s extensive network of providers, or they may choose out of network providers, in which case the level of benefits will be lower. There is no requirement to choose a primary care provider, and employees may access specialty care without the necessity of referrals. A higher level of benefits is provided when enrollees use Northwestern Medical Center for inpatient or pharmacy services. Eligible employees may join the plan on the first of the month following one full month of employment.
Eligibility: Full Time, Flexible Full Time, Regular Part Time and Part Time employees.
Dental Insurance – Delta Dental
Preventive care, including exams, cleanings, x-rays; restorative care including fillings, extractions, and root canals; major care including crowns, onlays and dentures; orthodontia; subject to deductibles and co-payments. Eligible employees may join the plan on the first of the month following three full months of employment.
Eligibility: Full Time, Flexible Full Time, Regular Part Time and Part Time employees.
Vision Benefits – Vision Services Plan (VSP)
Eye exams, prescription glasses’, including frames, and lenses, contact lenses, plus savings on Laser Vision Correction. Eligible employees may join the plan on the first of the month following three full months of employment.
Eligibility: Full Time, Flexible Full Time, Regular Part Time and Part Time employees.
Life & Disability Insurance
Paid entirely by the hospital; covers the employee only. Coverage equals one times annual salary. Additional optional insurance, including spouse & dependent coverage, may be purchased by payroll deduction. Eligible employees may join the plan on the first of the month following three full months of employment.
Eligibility: Full Time, Flexible Full Time and Regular Part Time employees.
Long Term Care
Offered through John Hancock, NMC’s Long Term Care insurance plan allows employees to purchase coverage for long term care in the event personal care or supervision is needed for an extended period of time. Often referred to as ‘portfolio insurance’ because the cost of long term care has the potential to deplete an individual’s retirement funds. This plan is offered with various options to allow for a customized benefit for individual needs.
Eligibility: Full Time, Flexible Full Time, Regular Part Time and Part Time employees. Eligible employees may also purchase plans for select family members.
Healthy U Program
NMC also provides additional services & resources through the healthy U program delivered by Northwestern Lifestyle Medicine:
•Therapeutic Massage
•Free fitness club membership at Collins Perley for employee & spouse
•Annual Physical Activity Reimbursement
•One-on-one wellness coaching
•Nutrition, tobacco & diabetes counseling
•The Lifestyle Medicine Clinic
•Onsite exercise and wellness classes
•“An Ounce of healthy Ü Prevention” Newsletter
•Quarterly Wellness Challenges
•Free Fruit Fridays!
•The Online Healthy Ü interactive Wellness Portal
•Wellness Workshops
& More!