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28,175
Telehealth Visits
35,523
Surgeries
12,781
Associates
5,744
Babies Delivered
36,459
Home Care Visits
443,901
Patient Care Visits to MLH
Practices
172,002
COVID-19 Tests Administered
4,506
COVID-19 Inpatients Cared For
$251M
Invested in Community Benefit
2,395
Providers
288,754
Emergency Visits
56,691
Total Inpatients
In 2021, a year when COVID-19 surged and placed renewed pressure on our Associates and organizational resources, all five of our adult hospitals received “A” grades in patient safety from The Leapfrog Group, an independent national watchdog organization committed to healthcare quality and safety. In addition, Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare was the only area health system to earn all 4 and 5 stars out of 5 on Medicare’s patient experience report.
“Our primary focus is to provide our patients with outstanding care, and our ‘A’ grades solidify our unrelenting promise to deliver the safest and highest quality care to our patients,” said Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare President and CEO Michael Ugwueke. “As part of our commitment to transparency and continuous improvement, the grades reflect our strong performance on national Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services measures and our voluntarily submitted safety surveys to Leapfrog."
Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare’s passionate clinical care teams brought experience, dedication and teamwork to the system’s response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Innovation amid challenge is central to the story of Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare. We found new ways to respond to the needs of our patients, all while keeping everyone safe.
The implementation of our COVID-19 Remote Patient Monitoring system was a game changer, relieving our overworked staff while giving us the ability to care for patients from their homes. The program enrolled 258 patients in 2021.
Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare’s monoclonal antibody clinics administered more than 4,200 infusions system-wide, helping many of our patients avoid serious illness and hospitalization.
In September 2021, we were honored to host Tennessee Department of Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey, MD, at our Hacks Cross infusion center, discussing with her the challenges of supply levels and expressing gratitude for the state’s help.
“REGEN-COV is another tool in the fight against COVID-19 that we can use for children with high-risk conditions, such as heart and lung disease or obesity, who are infected with the virus and have some symptoms, but are not sick enough to require hospitalization,” explains Sandy Arnold, MD, Le Bonheur’s chief of pediatric infectious diseases and principal investigator with REGEN-COV trial.
When we were presented with an opportunity to bring REGEN-COV to children in a clinical trial, nurses Sarah Barve, Laura V. Boywid and Brandy Vaughn answered the call. Their dedication to innovative care made this trial a reality.
“The rigorous process of re-certifying our stroke centers to meet DNV standards each year helps encourage our physicians and staff to ‘up their game’ with regards to diagnosing and treating stroke patients.” — Chris Bonham Service Line Director Of Neuroscience
Shirley Bailey suffered a stroke at her home on the day that, by chance, her granddaughter was coming over.
Lying on the bathroom floor, Shirley could hear her granddaughter knocking and calling out, but could not move. Her granddaughter acted quickly, breaking down the door and dialing 911.
At Methodist University Hospital, doctors treated Shirley’s stroke, removing a blood clot. Shirley awoke in the intensive care unit feeling like a new person. “I feel like it’s a miracle even to be here,” she said. “The nurses were wonderful, and I received exceptional care.”
A year after her stroke, Shirley got to dance at her granddaughter’s wedding. “It was special because my granddaughter is the one who found me.”
All five Methodist hospitals were recertified by DNV GL Healthcare – Methodist University Hospital as a Comprehensive Stroke Center and the others as Primary Stroke Centers. This recertification affirms the hospitals’ readiness to handle a full range of stroke-related medical issues.
“With the high prevalence of strokes in this region, having a network of stroke centers here at Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare to offer the best possible treatments makes a huge impact on the lives of patients, their families and the community,” said Chris Bonham, director of neuroscience.
The year 2021 was record breaking for the James D. Eason Transplant Institute at Methodist University Hospital. With 317 transplants completed – including 199 kidney transplants, 107 liver transplants, three pancreas transplants and eight kidney and pancreas transplants, with 27 of the transplanted organs coming from living donors – Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare remains dedicated to leading the way.
The Reverend Colenzo Hubbard, founder of Emmanuel Center and St. Joseph’s Episcopal Church in Memphis, regularly visited a nephrologist. The health of his kidneys fluctuated for years, but eventually they worsened until his medication wasn’t doing enough to correct the problem. As a result, he was added to the kidney transplant waiting list.
Lee Giovannetti and Colenzo had been friends for more than 25 years. During their many talks, Colenzo shared that his kidneys were failing, and that his only hope was to receive a new kidney. Lee said throughout their decades of friendship Colenzo has never asked him for anything – “And he never asked me for a kidney.”
“We could not be more thrilled to celebrate our five-year anniversary as a Heart Transplant Program. Our heart transplant team’s work and dedication have saved 50 children by finding them new hearts in the past five years. With the collaborative effort of our doctors, staff, donors and entire Le Bonheur family, we will be able to continue to provide this great service right here in the Mid-South.” – Michael Wiggins, President of Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
Seventeen-year-old Ella Morrissey from Weatherby Lake, Missouri, received the Heart Institute’s 50th heart transplant on December 5. Diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy at age 10, Ella managed her condition through medications and an implantable cardioverter defibrillator to prevent cardiac arrest. After an intense bout of arrhythmia that required four shocks from her ICD, Le Bonheur cardiologists determined that Ella needed a heart transplant. Today, she’s recovering well and celebrated the new year with a new heart.
20-month-old Lyric Everhart was born with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy, a severe heart abnormality that would have killed her within five years. After six weeks of waiting, she became the first patient to receive a heart transplant at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital. Two days after her surgery, Lyric was brushing her teeth, playing with dolls and blowing bubbles.
We’re privileged to touch so many lives on our journey, wherever the patient is along theirs. Every location in the Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare network is committed to reaching new horizons every day in care quality and patient experiences. While it’s impossible to tell every story in just a few sentences, the recognition our teams receive provides a high-level view of what we do.
Continuing Commitment to the Highest-Quality Nursing Care
Exceeding Standards in Bariatrics at Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown
Presenting Tennessee’s First and Only ICU to Earn a Beacon Award for Excellence
Recognizing Olive Branch for their Dedication to Women’s Health
Celebrating 10 Years of Patient- and Family-Centered Care in Hospice
In 2021, Le Bonheur once again achieved one of the highest national recognitions of care – the Magnet designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Methodist North received Magnet designation in 2019, making it the region’s firstMagnet adult hospital.
Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown was recognized for high-quality bariatrics care through its accreditation by the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program. This signals that we not only maintain nationally recognized bariatric surgical standards, we also strive for continuous quality improvement every day.
Together, we’re leading the way in Memphis advancing safe, high-quality care for bariatric surgical patients.
The Intensive Care Unit at Methodist North received the Silver-level Beacon Award for Excellence from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses. Signifying exceptional care through improved outcomes and greater overall patient satisfaction. For our nurses, this is an indication of a positive and supportive work environment characterized by a high degree of collaboration between colleagues and leaders.
The Methodist North ICU is the first and only adult ICU unit in Tennessee to receive this award.
Methodist Olive Branch was recognized as a Best Hospital by the Women’s Choice Award – a coveted credential that identifies the nation’s best hospitals. This award empowers patients to choose the best for themselves and their families.
The hospital was honored in four categories: patient safety, obstetrics, stroke center and outpatient experience.
As we honor the 10th Anniversary of Methodist Hospice Residence, we recognize the incredible work of our caregivers over the years. Here, our team provides comfort and care in a serene, homelike setting for terminally ill adult and pediatric patients in the final stage of life.
In late August, we broke ground on the heart of Le Bonheur’s future strategic direction – a $95.5 million investment that includes a four-story hospital expansion dedicated to providing children with the most complex care that only our pediatric experts can give.
In October 2021, at Methodist University Hospital, demolition began on the Crews Wing. Named after Superintendent James M. Crews, who served the hospital for 34 years, 25 of those as senior administrator, the Crews Wing first admitted patients in early 1972.
The eight-story, 150-bed, 130,000-square-foot James M. Crews Memorial Wing went on to house the hospital’s first dedicated psychiatric unit.
Expected to be complete in Spring 2022, Le Bonheur is opening a 21-bed inpatient pediatric unit inside of Jackson-Madison County General Hospital to help increase access to expert, cost-effective care.
Healing takes place beyond the hospital walls. Creating optimal outcomes, and keeping patients and Associates healthy and safe, also takes place within the community. This is 2021 at a glance.
Tanya Myers decided to participate in the MLH Associate Advancement Program, soon after it began accepting applications. The program is designed to provide Associates opportunities to fulfill career aspirations to build long-term economic stability. Before making a final decision, she researched...
Throughout the year, our leadership team was recognized for their exemplary leadership, inspirational vision and steadfast commitment to impacting the Mid-South for the better. In January, MLH President and CEO Michael Ugwueke was named a recipient...
Chief Nurse Executive Nikki Polis was named a 2021 Healthcare Hero by the Memphis Business Journal. Nikki led MLH through the harrowing and confusing morass of the pandemic, and chaired our Vaccine Task Force.
Several members of the Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital team...
The Tennessee Hospital Association also honored pulmonologist Paul Deaton, MD, and registered nurses Hanan McNamee and Callie Lillard of Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown with the COVID-19 Healthcare Hero Award for their work in caring for a severely ill pregnant patient and her baby during the early months of the pandemic.
The day a patient came into the Methodist Medical Group–Champion Hills/Southwind practice where Medical Assistant Brittney Griffin works, the staff instantly sensed something was wrong...
As the Delta variant spread throughout the Memphis region, affecting patients both young and old, it put a serious strain on our resources used to care for patients, and we arrived at a pivotal moment in our battle against the COVID-19 pandemic.
A crisis emerged that we simply could not ignore. As Delta surged, Methodist Le Bonheur leaders made the decision to establish a vaccine requirement for all Associates and providers, along with all on-site students, volunteers and vendors. We did not make this decision lightly. By the vaccine deadline, more than 98% of our Associates were fully vaccinated or had an approved medical or religious exemption.
In June, months into our second year battling COVID-19, we reached a pandemic low of only 14 hospitalized COVID-19 patients across our six hospitals. Then the Delta surge hit, and within a matter of weeks, our team was caring for hundreds of COVID-19 inpatients.
Despite the availability of safe and effective vaccines, it was devastating to see COVID-19 cases rising – including in children and young adults who were left fighting for their lives. To help combat the surge, we welcomed 28 Tennessee National Guard members temporarily to our staff. In addition, the State of Mississippi assigned 18 additional relief staff members to Methodist Olive Branch.
Our caregivers were grateful when Delta cases waned, but as the year came to a close, the hyper-contagious Omicron wave swept through our community. Our dedication to heartfelt care persevered once again, this time in the form of new tools to help patients and reduce pressure on our health system.
From remote patient monitoring to expanding our antibody infusion capacity, our expertise and efforts received national attention. ABC News broadcast live from Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare for Good Morning America and ABC World News Tonight, highlighting the swell of our inpatient census and the growing concern of the Delta variant in the community.
Patients and families are always at the heart of everything we do. So, in a time of widespread misinformation, we regrouped and solidified our commitment to providing clear, accurate information on COVID-19 and vaccine safety.
From newscasts, live events and launching a community-wide vaccination campaign, we answered every question, addressed every concern and debunked myths.
Our local awareness campaign, “This Is How We Live,” partnered with neighborhood churches, school systems and community groups in an effort to boost vaccination rates.
Combined with our community partnerships, This Is How We Live led to an increase in vaccination rates, especially among disparate patient populations and those at high risk.
To increase awareness and address concerns about vaccine safety, we partnered with Shelby County Schools, 85 local congregations and several African American and Latinx organizations, including Jack & Jill of America, 100 Black Men of Memphis, Las Americas and Iglesia Nueva Vida.
Growth takes support. From establishing clinical experiences that educate future healthcare providers at Meharry Medical College to providing Shelby County Schools with vaccination and mental health services, we’re dedicated to nurturing our community through outreach, education and advocacy.
The Methodist Le Bonheur Office of Medical Education and Academic Affairs collaborated with Meharry Medical College to diversify the next generation of physicians, address healthcare equity within our community and create a foundation of trust between minority patients and healthcare providers. Together, we established OB/GYN residency rotations at Methodist South and Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown that meet the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education requirements.
Not only did we improve their ability to see patients more quickly and learn evidence-based strategies, but we also welcomed two Meharry Clerkship students with Memphis roots into rotation.
For years, we’ve been the contracted healthcare provider for Shelby County Schools, and each year we deepen our commitment.
In the midst of COVID-19, we remained dedicated to supporting the community we are privileged to serve.
We hosted drive-thru health fairs, sponsored farmers markets, conducted virtual lunch-and-learn sessions and many other community activities throughout the year. These events were vital to the surrounding community, because while they provided health education, they also provided a safe environment for much-needed social interaction.
Methodist South hosted a Fall Drive-Thru event in October highlighting Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
“It is important for our community to be reminded of the importance of mammogram screenings,” said Methodist South President Ocpivia Stafford, PharmD, MBA. “Even though we are in a pandemic, regular screenings are still encouraged for prevention and early detection of breast cancer.”
Attendees received breast cancer awareness resources, t-shirts, a healthy snack pack and cheers from the Havenview Middle School cheer squad.
Methodist North sponsored a stress management workshop for about 50 Craigmont Middle School teachers. During the workshop, instructors guided the staff through mindfulness exercises and activities like a painting experience and breathing techniques.
Methodist South also hosted the Mommy & Me Baby Expo for expectant mothers and caregivers. This family-friendly, drive-thru event provided prenatal information, car seat and breastfeeding education, healthy snacks and giveaways. Attendees were also able to meet the hospital’s maternity team.
Our Mission Integration team established a free 24/7 hotline to help those struggling with hardships. Open to the Mid-South community, our chaplains offered invaluable spiritual care to people coping with a serious illness, grieving the loss of a loved one or dealing with depression and anxiety – fielding more than 54,500 calls in 2021.
Watchful Care from the Comfort of Home
Here for Our Patients So They Can Be There for What Matters
25 Years of Friendship. One Life-Saving Day.
Celebrating The New Year With A New Heart
Elevating the Delivery of Pediatric Care
National Media Attention
Ensuring Diversity in the Next Generation of Physicians
Going Beyond the Walls of the Hospital
