IRON MOUNTAIN, Mich. (WZMQ) – In a recent surge of nationwide trust in outpatient care, reaching up to 91.8%, the Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center stands out for its excellence. Over the past 7 years, the hospital has consistently maintained high veteran trust scores, with patients praising their experiences since the VA first began tracking trust scores.
Within 1 week of receiving services, veterans at the Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center are surveyed, revealing an impressive 94.9% trust rate across multiple categories such as safety, scheduling, and pharmacy services. This is up from 90.8% in 2018.
Pam Dubrow, the Patient Experience Officer at the Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center, credits the hospital’s success to its dedicated employees, referring to them as “the secret sauce.” According to Dubrow, “They don’t wait for a problem to exist. They try to correct it right away. So my job is kind of easy because of them.”
Dr. John P. Shealey, the Director of the Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center, expressed his gratitude to the employees by presenting them with special buttons, symbolizing their dedication to serving veterans. “Each person is wearing them, because we feel that each person that works here is the ingredient, is one of those ingredients in the secret sauce,” said Shealey.
“The idea is that we can always be better. We can always go further and provide more services, and that’s really what drives us each and every day. So yes, it’s great. We’re very proud of that. I’m super proud of each and every person who works here because truthfully, it is their effort each day, day in and day out that has gotten us there,” he commented.
Meanwhile, the Iron Mountain VA is pushing for 100 percent satisfaction as it expands its new primary care center and doubles its women’s clinic. Dr. Shealey highlighted the addition of a women’s care specialist and other new services based on veteran feedback.
“So about a year from now that will be done and that’s going to be a primary care expansion project. That’ll expand several PACT teams for primary care. It’s also going to house a brand-new women’s health clinic for us, which is expanding. And when I say expanding, we’re doubling the size of
[the] Women’s health clinic, which is outstanding. Just last week, we had some conversations about the purchase of a mammography machine to do mammography in-house versus send that out into the community,” he relayed.
“Our GYN is now in staff. She’s now seeing patients. They’re so excited about that. A lot of our female veteran patients are super excited about that. Our gastroenterologist is now on site. He’s been doing quite well and people are very excited about that as well,” informed Dr. Shealey.
The hospital’s commitment to listening to patients is evident in its real-time data analysis in each department, ensuring a continuous upward trend in trust scores. “Just this year alone, we’ve added 3 additional specialty services that we’ve never had here before. So it’s things like that. It’s just basically listening to the patients,” explained Shealey.
The National Patient Experience Manager, Jennifer Purdy, is scheduled to visit Iron Mountain to uncover the hospital’s recipe for success.
In March, the VA significantly expanded PACT ACT eligibility, allowing more veterans, including those exposed to toxins while serving in the military, to enroll directly in VA care. This expansion includes veterans from various conflicts such as the Vietnam War, Gulf War, Iraq, Afghanistan, as well as World War II veterans, and those exposed to toxins during training or active duty in the US.
For more information or to enroll in VA health care, Veterans can contact Nathan Chellew in the Enrollment and Eligibility office at (906) 774-3300, ext. 32809
*Photo Courtesy: Robert Wollenberg, Public Affairs Specialist at the Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center
