Hampstead Hospital, a pediatric and adolescent psychiatric facility in New Hampshire, transitioned from private ownership to a state-run academic model under the guidance of Dartmouth Medical Center in 2022. This shift aimed to address inefficiencies in staff time management and productivity by introducing research-backed best practices. While operational changes have only been suggested so far, executive leadership is using data-driven decision-making to drive improvements while maintaining strong internal relationships. A major initiative, patient-centered rounding, is set to launch on August 1, 2025, with progress ongoing and a clinical decision-making template already in development.
Doctor of Executive Leadership Outcome #2
Make timely judgments to seize opportunities and to bring about those decisions by a) developing and rewarding creative action and b) diminishing assets and processes that no longer add value.
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The Executive Team understood that changing the care model would lead to better outcomes for the patients. Although this change impacted process and culture, it was viewed as a positive change by both staff and patients. The hospital will continue to measure outcomes based on the new care model.
Doctor of Executive Leadership Outcome #5
Assess existing research and practices and design, conduct, and interpret research to contribute to the theory and practice of leadership within one’s discipline and in interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary, or transdisciplinary contexts.
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Before changing the care model, research was conducted on hospitals and the care models. It was found that the best practice of these high-functioning hospitals was patient-centered rounding. It was thought to improve the patient experience as well as offer more information to both the patient and the families on both the care they are receiving and the plan of care moving forward. This has resulted in better Press Ganey scores on patient satisfaction, as well as more effective and concise communication between the clinical teams and the patients.
After discussions with the providers and clinical staff, a checklist was created for the providers to use during patient centered rounds. This checklist is to be completed by the clinical team and will be used to discuss the care with the patient. This process has been created to help bridge the gap of care and ensure that the patient is involved in their care. As the executive leadership team our goal was to support the change in care provide guidance and resources to ensure success. In addition, communication was critical with both the clinical teams, patients, patient families and the external stakeholders.