Last week I traveled to Lowell, Massachusetts, by way of Boston, to attend a strategic planning meeting with the team at Lowell General Hospital (LGH). My firm is starting a new project with LGH and we were there to get a briefing on the assignment. We first worked with the folks at Lowell General Hospital in 2007 and they have accomplished a ton over the last three years. This is definitely a community hospital on the rise, and in many ways it’s what a community hospital ought to aspire to be.
I know it is trite, but I was excited to see that they now share important information with visitors via flat panel TVs in the lobby. I’ve always liked their lobby because it is an open atrium. It feels very inviting and welcoming, making a great first impression. Lowell General Hospital has also installed the Skylight Access® Interactive Patient System in patient rooms – a new interactive network empowering patients by allowing them to “easily request services from housekeeping and food services, learn about their medical condition and wellness with educational videos, play games to pass the time, or chose from a full line-up of premium TV channels.” (Source: For Your Health Magazine, Volume 1 – 2009)
What impresses me most about LGH is the investment they’ve made in bringing top quality care to the people of the Merrimack Valley Region through the acquisition of the latest in medical technology. In most cases, there is little reason to go anywhere else. A recent issue of their For Your Health Magazine puts their technology in perspective:
“From a high-tech electronic medical records system to the area’s most extensive array of digital mammography suites, and leading-edge cardiac catheterization laboratories, Lowell General invests in technology that advances the healthcare resources available to our community.
Among the most advanced in this region, our Storz® operating suites enable surgeons to perform state-of-the-art procedures, including singleport laparoscopy and 3D-guided navigational neurosurgery. While our daVinci® Robotic Surgery system uses highly advanced minimally-invasive 3D technology to enable surgeons to magnify, visualize and operate on even the tiniest nerves and most delicate tissue with amazing accuracy and precision.
In addition, we partner with the area’s most prestigious medical centers to provide tomorrow’s cancer care today, offering the latest clinical trials and cancer risk assessment – including genetic testing.”
But that’s just the beginning. LGH now offers heart patients state-of-the-art Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD), that protects patients from life-threatening arrhythmias. “The battery-powered device – about the size of a deck of cards – is surgically placed under the skin in the chest, and wires are passed through a vein to connect it to the heart. When the ICD detects abnormal heartbeats, it sends an electrical shock to the heart to restore a normal rhythm.” (Source: For Your Health Magazine, Volume 2 – 2009)
Lowell General Hospital is also participating in Cancer Clinical Trials. The Cancer Center at Lowell General Hospital provides patients with the option of participating in a variety of clinical trials, allowing patients access to innovative treatments that often are not available at other community hospitals. Clinical trials at LGH are sponsored by organizations such as the National Cancer Institute or cancer research hospitals in Boston that want to reach people in the Lowell area.
Remarkably, LGH is also offering patients facing a traditional or laproscopic hysterectomy the option of robotic-assisted hysterectomy with the da Vinci® Surgery System, a leading edge technology. They are also performing prostate surgeries using the da Vinci Surgical System. Typically, the benefits that are linked to robotic-assisted surgery include less trauma to the body, less blood loss during surgery, smaller incision, and faster recovery time. LGH is also performing singleport laparoscopic surgery, a minimally invasive approach where the surgeon operates through a single incision in the patients belly button, leaving no visible scar. This type of surgical procedure is being used for gastric banding and gall bladder removal. The surgeries are performed in two of LGH’s new integrated surgical suites. The suites are optimally designed, giving the surgeon finger tip control of patient information systems, audio, video, lighting and medical equipment – all accessible through a single touch screen. This is some of the most advanced technology available that you’d expect to find at Mass General or Tufts Medical Center – and you’ll find it at Lowell General Hospital in Lowell, Massachusetts. That’s part of what makes it an Über community hospital!
Another important ingredient is the organizational culture at LGH and its commitment to a positive patient experience. A good indicator of this is the fact the Lowell General was named one of the Best Places to Work (2009) in Massachusetts by The Boston Globe. The award recognizes the most progressive companies in the state based on employee opinions about company leadership, compensation and training, diversity/inclusion, career development, family-friendly flexibility, and values and ethics. In my experience, patient satisfaction is often a byproduct of employee satisfaction. The leadership team at Lowell General Hospital has successfully fostered a caring and compassionate, patient-first culture among its employees. Combine that with their investment in technology and you’ve got an Über community hospital. It is a pleasure to see this organization flourish by doing so many of the right things!
Post by Dan Dunlop, The Healthcare Marketer
















