Ingram's May 2023

LARGE COMPANIES

NORTH KANSAS CITY HOSPITAL North Kansas City Hospital and Meritas Health have been the Northland’s preferred health-care provider for 65 years, but as an institution, it represents a lot more than that to its service area: With a combined staff of more than 4,000 people in clinical care and support roles, it’s also one of that region’s biggest employers. An acute-care facility with 451 licensed beds, it boasts a staff of 550 physicians representing 49 medical specialties. “Our culture, long held reputation, and commitment to the community make us an

UNIVERSITY HEALTH You’ll have to look long and hard to find a chief executive who doesn’t believe he or she is at the helm of a great place to work. Want a different perspective? Ask the rank and file. There, you’ll see what happens when a mission-driven organization—in this case, Univer sity Health—encourages employees to grow and establish a career. “You don’t have to stay where you started,” says Cassidy Nunnelly, a medical assistant who is one of more than 3,200 employees for the health system. “You can grow.” She was one of the employees who recently partnered with the system’s human resources office as part of a campaign to encourage others to apply at the two-hospital system. The global COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated an ongoing national need for health-care workers that was trending before the virus reached America. But it also strengthened the resolve and pride of those who continue to work at UH, says spokesman Keith King. “The people who chose to work at UH are dedicated to caring for the underserved,” he says. “The work they do, treating each patient/ client with respect, starts with leadership.” One key to employee engagement is having systems in place to ensure that team mem- bers are given an equitable opportunity for training and advancement. The diversity and inclusion program at UH does that and ensures cul tural competency-based training development for both clinical and non-clinical staff. Such efforts have produced national and industry recognition. As one might expect from a health-care provider, UH

STRATEGIC HIRING | North Kansas City Hospital has positioned itself to become the employer of choice in the Northland, executives say, and that has translated into more than 4,000 jobs at the main medical center campus and Meritas Health.

employer of choice,” said Dawn Bryant, vice president of human resources. The past three years of the pandemic have demonstrated that compensation alone isn’t the primary concern for health-care workers, making comprehensive workplace design an imperative. For NKCH, that means continuous investment in the workforce, and to that end, it recently initiated a Total Rewards review that resulted in more competitive compensation and benefits. Salaries are determined by the results of regular market analyses, with a base rate, a midpoint, and a maximum rate for each approved position. In addition, consideration of a merit increase is made once a year by the employee’s supervisor and/or practice manager based on the performance review. Continuous improvement also focuses on com munications efforts, including quarterly Town Halls, monthly “CEO Chat” sessions with chief executive Steve Reintjes, and an annual employee opinion survey. Mid-level leaders undergo diverse training programs in fatigue management (especially during the pandemic), Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, customer service, and a new onboard ing curriculum. Orientation for new employees spans three days, focusing on customer service, quality, and safety. And to encourage future leaders, new advancement opportunities are created through career ladders, onsite training, and partnerships with area schools to help lower-level employees acquire new skills and assume higher and better-paid roles. Bolstering morale at various employee events, including an annual barbecue, annual service awards banquet, employee holiday meals, and monthly appreciation activities through the Culture of Fun and Connection Committee. Like every other American hospital, NKCH bore the fiscal burden of reduced opera tions in the first year of the pandemic, but it has come back strong. It managed through the pandemic by maintaining workforce numbers and laying plans to grow strategically and remain financially viable in the future. Since 2020, NKCH and Meritas have seen top-line revenue growth of more than 21 percent—well above the national average of 9 percent for a hospital of its size, according to a national survey by Kaufman Hall.

offers its staff one of the region’s most comprehensive and generous health insurance plans, one where affordability for employees is a core value. Employees also have two options for dental insurance and a comprehensive vision insurance plan to help cover the cost of exams, eyeglass frames, and contact lenses. Disability insurance—both long term and short-term—is part of the benefit suite, as are coverage plans for group, dependent and universal life. There are even coverage plans for cancer and other critical illnesses or intensive-care stays, and flexible spending plans are available. Each employee can accumulate and schedule time off according to individual needs, and here’s a benefit you rarely see anywhere: Up to 80 hours of PTO—per year— as a blood donor. To help address financial health, the system offers a 457(b) and 403(b) Deferred Compensation Program. Employees can save on a pre-tax basis, lowering their payroll taxes and maxi mizing the value of their retirement nest egg. From the first day of employment, staff members choose from more than 37 investment account options offered through Voya. Each employee has the flex ibility to determine risk tolerance on investing, and for individual portfolios, the tools include fixed savings accounts, money markets, income funds, and worldwide aggressive growth funds. (Left to right): Jolie Justus , General Counsel; Nancy Lewis , Chief Marketing Officer; Ruth Stricklen Pullins ; Chief Human Resources, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Officer; Charlie Shields , President & CEO; Mark Steele , Executive Chief Clinical Officer; Mitzi Cardenas , Executive Chief Administrative Officer; John Wilson , Chief Financial Officer; Gerard Grimaldi , Chief Health Policy and Government Relations Officer.

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May 2023

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