Southwest Virginia Community Health Systems, Inc. (SVCHS) has successfully revamped its care workflows to significantly boost patient engagement and preventive care, achieving a 71.27% year-over-year increase in Annual Wellness Visits (AWVs) in 2024 — far surpassing its initial target.
Faced with a need to improve patient outcomes and meet value-based care benchmarks, SVCHS set an ambitious goal at the start of 2024: increase preventive care visits to 38% of their patient population, which has an 11% rise over the previous year. The organization not only met this goal, but exceeded it by scheduling over 6,400 AWVs, up from approximately 3,700 in 2023.
“This required a huge culture change within the organization,” said Christie Hayton, SVCHS Quality Director. “We had to focus on the ‘why’— why these visits matter to patients, providers, and the health system as a whole.”
Strategic Improvements Drive Success
SVCHS implemented a multi-faceted plan that included:
- Automating patient outreach via text messaging platforms
- Integrating preventive visit scheduling into patient check-outs
- Providing targeted staff education on AWVs
- Holding weekly improvement huddles
- Launching staff incentives to encourage buy-in and participation
Key to this initiative was the introduction of a dedicated pre-visit planning role, which helped reduce no-shows and eased the burden on clinical staff.
“We tracked the data and saw this position was not only effective, it was essential,” Hayton noted.
Building a Culture of Preventive Care
To maintain momentum and foster staff engagement, SVCHS introduced monthly incentives tailored to each care team’s preferences. Feedback was continuously gathered through staff surveys to ensure the changes were both effective and sustainable.
“We learned quickly that communication and staff input were critical to driving adoption and success,” said Hayton.
Remarkable Results and a Path Forward
By the end of 2024, SVCHS had exceeded its preventive care goal by more than 1,600 visits. With more than 6,400 wellness visits completed, the organization marked a major milestone in delivering proactive, high-quality care to its community.
Looking ahead, SVCHS is committed to refining its processes and sharing insights with peer organizations.
“Be committed to see the project through,” Hayton advised. “If you don’t have buy-in yourself, you’re less likely to get buy-in from others.”
For more information about SVCHS’s care transformation efforts, visit www.svchs.com or contact 276-496-4492.
Southwest Virginia Community Health Systems has locations in Saltville, Meadowview, Tazewell, and Bristol and are accepting new patients today. To schedule an appointment, please contact 276-496-4492.
