Direct Line from Max Buetow For 9/29/2023

Sept. 29, 2023

Other duties as assigned: fundraising like a pirate

There is something truly special about the microcultures within our culture, or at least that’s what I was telling myself while I was getting pelted by water balloons Thursday afternoon.

Let me back up. Our NICU team hosted its second annual “Talk Like a Pirate Day” fundraiser, supporting the great work of CMN Hospitals. They had settled on an innovative, money-making idea: What if people paid to pelt the CEO with water balloons?

The idea proved popular. And, when they reached out to me, I was happy to join in.

The culture of our organization is part of the “secret sauce” of our success. We are working on ways – both large and small – to reinforce the connection and meaning that is created when we get to know our colleagues outside of our daily work.

We see such strong identities in tight-knit teams like the NICU, and I want to take every chance we can to develop those bonds across the system.

I thought of this on a large scale this week, as I was able to attend a social evening for our medical staff. We have always gathered physicians for education and updates, but what often resonates most is simply allowing physicians to interact on a peer level.

That’s what Dr. Sarah Smitherman and the Medical Staff team focused on with this week’s event: creating a space where physicians can talk about medicine and have conversations around family and their lives outside of their profession. That’s where culture is built, in those dinner-table conversations.

Physician culture is top of mind for us as we continue to build our medical group. Physicians take pride in working alongside the best, and we know that talent attracts talent.

We want to build on the rich legacy of physician partnership that has been modeled for our organization in a variety of ways over the years. It is crucial to our success to have a strong shared identity and culture for our physician teams.

The best teams thrive on meaning and connection, and a spirit of culture building can help all of us see ourselves tied to a greater goal. That is one of the beautiful things about our work in health care – because of the service we provide, we can all find parts of our identity in that service.

Our NICU has a great culture, and I was happy to do my small part this week. It’s one of the “other duties as assigned” of my role, and it is one of the most important. That can mean everything from a large-scale engagement campaign to the occasional water balloon or kissing a pig (Did I do that once during our employee survey? Yes.) – whatever it takes!

I encourage all leaders to think about the ways we can create an environment that helps our people connect, to the mission of our work and to one another.

Residency physicians who are making CoxHealth their home

When it comes to physicians becoming a part of our culture, one of the first pathways that comes to my mind is the CoxHealth Family Medicine Residency.

This week, we shared the story of one of those physicians – Dr. Elizabeth Jordan Moore. Dr. Moore is an Arkansas native who trained at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and did her residency with us.

She completed her residency earlier this year, and she has now joined our Family Medicine team at Cox Medical Center Branson.

“When this opportunity opened up, I said ‘Absolutely!’ Branson is beautiful. I love the people there,” Dr. Moore says.

She already had a sense of our culture from rotating in the clinic during residency.

“I just fell in love with their practice. They are great people, great educators and phenomenal mentors. Getting the opportunity to work with them was something that I could not pass up.”

It is always a thrill to see residents come home to CoxHealth, and I am glad Dr. Moore has joined the CoxHealth family! You can see her story on our Facebook page.

Lung cancer screenings now available at three CoxHealth locations

Lung cancer is often diagnosed at a later stage, but our teams are making preventive screening available across the CoxHealth system

We recently announced a new lung cancer screening program at Cox Monett, which joins our screenings at Cox Medical Center Branson and at the Martin Center in Springfield.

Screenings are a vital option, especially for those who are 50-77 years of age or for those who smoke or used to smoke more than one pack a day for 20 years or two packs a day for 10 years.

Early screening can be a lifesaver, and I hope everyone will spread the word, encouraging your loved ones to talk to their providers about screening. You can see full details about our program at CoxHealth.com.

Voice of the Patient

Adapted from inpatient feedback from the Cox South Emergency Department: “My husband received excellent care from two physicians at the Cox South ED. Dr. Johnathan Vashaw and Dr. Matthew Olney were both professional and very thorough with pleasant bedside manners. We appreciate this excellence in care!”

Thank you for all you do,

Max