At Union Hospital, accuracy is more than a goal – it's a way of life

The financial management team at Union Hospital stresses "accuracy" numerous times when describing what makes their department successful, and it's easy to see why. 

According to Shantha Aaron, controller and systems director of finance, accuracy is a key reason employees stay in the department for, on average, 17 to 18 years. It's in their DNA.

"Our people are very diligent about accuracy," observed Wayne Hutson, Union's executive vice president and CFO.

As Aaron sees it, that eye for accuracy is critical: The Union finance department manages everything financial, from budget performance reporting to contract and asset management to reimbursement reporting and tax filing. With that kind of responsibility comes the need for the infrastructure to support it, which is why, Hutson said, "We are very, very electronic. We are very hard-wired with everything we do, and any time data is requested, we are very thorough. And you don't have to wait weeks to get the information. It's the automation that enables us to keep up."

Of course, as important as professionalism and accuracy are, they are not the only things that matter to employees. Flexibility is another key to workplace satisfaction. Many employees in the finance department have children, and flex-time allows them to attend to their families as well as to their jobs, Aaron said.

Moreover, Aaron added, the longevity of the staff has engendered a family-like atmosphere. "We back each other up," she said.

A hospital-wide policy also ensures that employees are regularly singled out and rewarded for special accomplishments.

No doubt, an "I got your back" attitude is critical in these rapidly changing times. According to Hutson, the biggest challenge facing his department is "figuring out what the cost of the Affordable Care Act is going to be, and trying to budget in anticipation of lower reimbursements."

And how do you make sure a finance staff keeps up with the big changes ahead? You guessed it.

"The finance department has to make sure the data presented is accurate and complete," said Hutson. "That's always been important, but it's going to become even more important moving forward."

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