John Hopkins Hospital
John Hopkins Hospital was opened on May 7 back in the year 1889 and thus has been in the business of providing health care services for more than 100 years. The resources that enabled the establishment of the hospital and its university were provided by a merchant trader cum banker John Hopkins after whom the hospital is named. John Hopkins envisioned a hospital that would provide quality patient care, conduct research for the purposes of improving this care and offer education and training to both medical and nursing students so as to enable them provide this quality care. More importantly, he wanted the hospital to offer its services to both the poor and the rich in a system whereby the money paid by the rich would be used to finance health care services offered to the poor and to people of all races. The hospital has since then changed drastically in response to enviromental factors especially in the aspects of patient care and financing. Further, it has established various specialties such as heart and heart surgery and eye amongst others. In addition, it has expanded to form a health system called the John Hopkins Health System by moving into the community, affiliating with a number of hospitals and establishing several clinics.
The hospital stated mission “is to improve the health of the community in patient care. Diverse and inclusive, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, in collaboration with the faculty of the Johns Hopkins University, supports medical education and research and provides innovative, patient-centered care to prevent, diagnose and treat human illness” (John Hopkins Medicine, 2011). Its vision “is to be the world’s preeminent health care institution” (John Hopkins Medicine, 2011). It offers its services to the local Baltimore population, out of state residents and international residents.
John Hopkins Hospital is a 918 bed not-for-profit teaching and biomedical research hospital.The hospital provides inpatient, outpatient, patient and family support services, community outreach, diagnostic and therapeutic imaging services. Inpatient services provided include heart catheterization, heart surgery, neonatal intensive care, cancer and psychiatric services amongst others. Kidney dialysis, trauma center, complementary/ alternative medicine, breast cancer screening, chemotherapy, substance abuse programs, wound management services, sports medicine, sleep center, HIV-AIDS, dental and geriatric services are examples of the outpatient services available at the hospital. Patient/family support services offered at the hospital include ambulance services, patient support groups, transportation for the elderly and handicapped and pastoral care services. Health fairs and health screenings are the community outreach services provided by the hospital. CT scanner, ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging, single photon emission, multislice spiral CT and diagnostic radioisotope services are on the other hand the five diagnostic and therapeutic imaging services available at the hospital.
Regarding ranking of John Hopkins hospital either as a whole or its various specialties, 16 adult and 10 pediatric specialties of the hospital were amongst the 4285 hospitals that were ranked nationally for the year 2011-12.Five of its adult specialties were rated number one nationally that is, the urology, rheumatology, psychiatry, neurology and neurosurgery specialties. The pediatric specialties of cancer, urology and pulmonology were rated at number 9 nationally. The hospital is also rated as the best hospital in Baltimore and has had a consistent number one rating for the best hospital in the US for 20 consecutive years. The latter ratings are done by US news and world report. The hospital is recognized nationally and internationally for its specialty services in urology, ear nose and throat, gynaecology, heart and heart surgery, cancer, diabetes and endocrine disorders.
The hospital is affiliated with the following four institutions the John Hopkins Bayview Medical center, Howard County General Hospital, John Hopkins Children’s center and Wilmer Eye Institute. It also has 4 community-based health care centers which double up as surgery centers, 25 primary health care centers across Maryland, both managed care and home care services. In addition it has 14 affiliate instituitions abroad. All the aforementioned institutions comprise the greater John Hopkins Health system. The John Hopkins Health System together with John Hopkins University school of Medicine are what constitute the medical enterprise known as John Hopkins Medicine.
As far as medical staff are concerned, the hospital boasts 2,184 registered and 25 licensed practical full time nurses, 494 registered and 7 licensed practical nurses. The hospital’s more than 200 specialty doctors are employees of the John Hopkins University of Medicine. The hospital is managed by a board of trustees who are elected.
The hospital is funded by the federal government especially for its research activities. In addition, it utilizes the trust left by its founder John Hopkins who at the time of his death left $7 million for the establishment of the hospital. Other sources of funds include payments made by patients and clients for services provided and donations and grants by well wishers.
Regarding the hospital’s strategic objectives, the hospital is currently undertaking an ambitious large scale redevelopment of its East Baltimore facilities and plans to open the new facilities in 2012. The new facilities have been dubbed the Charlotte R. Bloomberg Children’s center Tower and Sheikh Zayed Tower. They will have 560 private and 33 new operating rooms and a vast emergency department.
References
American Hospital Association (2011). John Hopkins Hospital Details. Retrieved from
http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/johns-hopkins-hospital-6320180/details
John Hopkins Medicine (2011). The John Hopkins Hospital. Retrieved from
http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/the_johns_hopkins_hospital/jhhhs.html.
