A Unique Culture

Lehigh Valley Hospital's unique culture fosters dedication, communication, respect, teamwork and values the contribution of every physician, nurse and staff member

With more than 8,000 employees, Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network is the region's largest employer -- and the hospital of choice for more people in the region. It's also a great place to work, ranking first among all hospitals in a recent statewide survey. A great place to work was defined as one where you trust people you work for, have pride in what you do and enjoy the people you work with.

This honor was no accident. We've cultivated a unique culture that makes this a great place to work, a culture based on the three guiding principles--our mission, values and PRIDE behaviors.

Mission, Values and PRIDE Behaviors

Our Mission: We heal, comfort and care for the people of our community by providing advanced and compassionate care of superior quality and value, supported by education and clinical research.

Our Values:

• We dedicate ourselves to services
• We respect each individual's dignity and right to privacy
• We demonstrate ethical behavior in our attitudes, actions and words
• We commit ourselves to teamwork, collaboration and honest, open communication
• We value the contribution of physicians, nurses and staff in the pursuit of clinical excellence
• Empathy and compassion guide us in creating an environment of understanding and concern for all

Our mission and values are expressed formally. They are printed on each employee's ID badge, discussed extensively at new employee orientation and reinforced in veteran employee orientation.

Our PRIDE Behaviors -- Privacy, Respect, Involvement, Dignity and Empathy -- are highlighted monthly on the inside cover of our employee newsletter, brought to life for everyone as part of their yearly performance assessment (30 percent of total evaluation) and celebrated each month with the presentation of the Service Star Award in front of 200 managers.

Rewarding Success

Our culture rewards employees for success:

• We encourage employees to suggest ideas and improvements through Working Wonders--a program that rewards money savings ideas.
• Employee compensation is tied to the organization's performance using a merit-based increase program that rewards personal contribution.
• A Shared Success Plan pays cash rewards to all eligible employees when patient satisfaction and financial goals are achieved.

Measuring Service Excellence

We measure ourselves to ensure success.

• To measure patient satisfaction, we use the Press Ganey survey tool on a quarterly basis. Our current rank is in the 96th percentile of comparable hospitals.
• The most recent physician survey showed that most physicians say they plan to refer more patients to our hospital and are satisfied that management is preparing the organization to meet the future needs of the community.
• We conduct employee surveys every two years. Our most recent survey showed a 17 percent increase in overall satisfaction.

Communications and Credibility

Communicating with employees is designed to be open and continuous in all directions. We communicate formally, informally, with both printed and electronic media and discuss both planned and breaking news. In fact, in the most recent employee satisfaction survey, employees listed communications as one of the major reasons they were satisfied.

Professional and Leadership Development

To make sure we have a culture of excellence and continual development, we emphasize leadership development and ongoing education:

• The Venturer program develops skilled clinical leaders.
• The Institute for Physician Leadership program is a two-year learning experience for select physicians.
• All employees receive initial and ongoing training in teamwork, communication and relationship management.

Rewards and Recognition

We show appreciation and recognize good work and extra effort in many ways:

• Star Celebration to recognize years of service
• Friends of Nursing annual gala
• Service Star of the Month to recognize PRIDE behaviors
• Working Wonders to reward cost-saving ideas
• Encouragement for specific departments to offer rewards and recognition.

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