Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital
A COMMUNITY CENTER FOR WELLBEING
THE WHY
Patients expect more from their hospital experience.
Our clinical study supports this patient desire to receive a positive emotional experience, as they are twice as likely to have a good health outcome. However, the greatest challenge faced by the team was to deliver this new experience without projecting exclusivity or adding new cost.
ritz-Carlton
meets henry Ford
THE WAY
The Challenge:
Driven by a Ritz-Carlton-inspired service culture, the innovative clinical care of Henry Ford Health System was merged with the most comprehensive wellness philosophy.
Our team, led by CEO Gérard van Grinsven, previously from The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, in cooperation with Talent Plus and DBA Consulting, designed and opened this 300-bed facility with a vision to "take health and healing beyond the boundaries of imagination."
We designed a Main Street retail experience to enliven the senses, reminiscent of a quaint northern Michigan downtown inspired by all the elements of wellness.
The resolute commitment to provide truly personalized care for the whole person — not just his or her disease — was at the center of the experience design.
Our goal was to create a community center for well-being, rather than a traditional hospital. Our goal was to attract not only those who needed our clinical care, but also to be the destination for diverse communities who wanted to learn how to stay healthy and improve their quality of life.
The execution of this vision was built on the platform of a Talent-Based culture and blue ocean innovation.
“There is nothing that even comes close to the service."
– Quality Digest
"ONE HOSPITAL’S RADICAL PRESCRIPTION FOR CHANGE."
– Harvard Business Review
THE WORK
Hospital Amenities for Better Health:
Innovating all aspects of the patient experience, eliminating frozen and fried foods, and employing healthy food as medicine. The teaching demonstration kitchen, hosted by local gourmet chefs, featured wellness and organic cooking classes with a live link to the patient rooms. Adding luxurious amenities and patient service enhancement tools, we delivered enjoyment as well as functional healing. The resulting experience became more like a retreat at a health spa than a trip to the hospital.
- Greenhouse: A hydroponic organic greenhouse and education center
- Vita: A wellness spa focused on women, providing acupuncture, nutrition, naturopathic medicine, yoga and more
- LiveWell: The retail shop is a favorite for the local community
- Henry’s: The restaurant focuses on organic-inspired cooking
- Healing garden: A place of prayer and reflection
- Demonstration Kitchen: 100-seat teaching kitchen for cooking classes
- The Atrium: A venue which features weekly concerts and cultural events
- Walking paths: Healing journeys on the grounds of the hospital
“Van Grinsven started out to make Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital the standard in health care and it appears he has established that. There is nothing that even comes close to the service, treatment and level of patient and customer service that one experiences at this wondrous establishment.” – Quality Digest
COOKING CLASSES FOR WELL-BEING
MEDIA COVERAGE
To announce the unveiling of this revolutionary facility, we used equally innovative media and messaging. In addition to securing national network coverage on CBS This Morning, we featured HFWBH on our syndicated prime time Minds of Medicine, a TV series we originated and produced on ABC, the top-rated TV network.
We dedicated an entire half-hour episode to Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital, interviewing doctors, nurses, spa managers, as well as local celebrity chefs, to discuss the unique features of this hospital, including the wellness spa, greenhouse and organic food, all used as advanced medicine for the patients.
Henry Ford “shifted the competitive health care landscape.”
– Crains Detroit Business
- Cash-flow positive: 18 months earlier than planned
- 80% occupancy in year 4: Exceeding growth projections
- 99 percentile score by Press Ganey: With 89.9% HCAHPS score (national average: 71.7%)
- Best patient satisfaction: Best in class for length of stay, readmission rates and quality outcomes
- Best employee satisfaction: As a Talent Based Organization, Gallup named HFWBH best in employee satisfaction among 5 year study of new-to-open facilities
- Improved outcomes: On average, patients were released a half-day earlier than other hospitals because of fewer infections. Not only leaving sooner, these patients have fewer incidents of readmission.
- Described as the “Cirque du Soleil of health care,” the facility was touted as one of the “The 30 Most Architecturally Impressive Hospitals in the World.”
- One-third cost savings: These amenities, quality food services and hospitality experiences were delivered at nearly one-third the cost of other comparable health systems
The Harvard Business Review said it best: “Meant to redefine what’s possible in health care … it’s more like an elegant hotel than a traditional hospital.”