A Note from Troy

Strengthening Our Community Support

Iam proud to introduce the first issue of My Boone Health published by the new Boone Health, an independent health care system that includes Boone Hospital Center, Boone Medical Group, Boone Home Care and Hospice, and a network of private practice clinics and affiliated hospitals throughout mid-Missouri.

In our 100-year history, I cannot imagine a more challenging period than this last year. Our team has actively prepared for our transition to Boone Health in addition to their incredibly heroic efforts to confront a global pandemic. We kept our patients safe while simultaneously migrating to a new electronic medical record system and over 140 other different technology platforms, training staff on these new systems, moving over employee benefits, negotiating contracts with insurance providers, and establishing new departments. Our progress despite these obstacles reflects the incredible culture at Boone.

Well before April 1, 2021, the positive impacts of our transition on our community have been apparent. Over 70 new team members have been added, resulting in over $6 million in wages being added to our local economy. Multiple contracts have been signed with local vendors, returning dollars to our region and further supporting local growth.

The decision to become an independent health care organization was done with our mission – to improve the health of the people and communities we serve – in mind, giving us more flexibility to better support mid-Missouri and our community health needs.

During our lease with BJC HealthCare, Boone Hospital Center and our Board of Trustees made supporting our community a priority. For example, most county hospitals receive funding from their counties but, for decades, Boone Hospital Center has given back to Boone County, contributing millions of dollars. Even with the financial challenges presented by the pandemic, we contributed over $2.5 million to Boone County in 2020.

Additionally, $500,000 of each year’s contributions has gone to the Boone County Community Services Fund, which in turn has funded a myriad of local family support, mental health, behavioral health, dental care and social safety net programs. This support has helped Boone County address identified community health needs, including the social indicators of health.

These contributions are just one part of our community benefit. Every year, we support mid-Missouri by offering free health screenings, educating and training the next generation of healthcare professionals, contributing to local organizations, and helping patients access a continuum of affordable health care covering wellness, prevention, detection and treatment.

Supporting mid-Missouri is also a priority for Boone employees. For 22 years, Boone Hospital has committed to setting a high fundraising goal as a United Way Pacesetter. In 2020 our employees contributed over $49,900 to our local Heart of Missouri United Way chapter.

Our Boone teammates also donated over $18,000 to the Boone Hospital Foundation, which funds our community benefit programs and enhanced patient care services. Many of these programs were first proposed by employees. Their eagerness to support an organization designed to support them reflects an extraordinary commitment to a higher standard of care.

Boone Health also supports our community by offering high quality care at an excellent value. I encourage you to see for yourself at Missouri Hospital Association’s Focus on Hospitals website, FocusOnHospitals.com, which lets you compare quality and pricing among over 150 Missouri hospitals. When it comes to reducing harm, preventing infection and managing readmissions, Boone Hospital consistently performs better than the average of participating hospitals. And our charges are consistently below average for a wide array of health care services, including childbirth, joint replacement surgery, treatment for heart disease and more.

We’re a community healthcare organization whose reputation travels beyond mid-Missouri. In 2020, Newsweek ranked Boone Hospital Center #104 of its Best Hospitals in the United States. This ranking – based on quality, safety, patient satisfaction and other data for over 5,000 community hospitals – puts us in the top 2% of community hospitals nationwide. But our employees don’t hold themselves to high standards just for the accolades. They do so because they believe in our mission.

Our independence will further strengthen our community relationships, starting with the establishment of our new governance board which includes five community stakeholders who are introduced in this issue of My Boone Health.

As spring brings brighter days, and as we see more people receive COVID vaccinations while cases continue to decline, I can’t think of a better time for Boone Health to start this exciting new era. I am enthusiastic about what we – our employees, our physicians, and our communities – will accomplish by working together. I believe in Boone!

Troy Greer

CEO, Boone Hospital Center