Rush Memorial Hospital consistently achieves business goals by leveraging Gallagher's robust industry data, survey design and analytical expertise, combined with advanced reporting technology and action-planning tools.
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Author: Chris Dustin

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The challenge: Better engagement and retention

Rush Memorial Hospital (RMH) leaders sought to understand employees' feelings about the organization on multiple topics to create a more engaged workforce. The goal: to achieve significant improvements in retention, business outcomes and bottom-line metrics related to employee satisfaction, workplace safety, patient experience and national recognition.

The solution: A holistic, data-driven collaboration

Gallagher develops and conducts a comprehensive annual survey focused on RMH's strategic goals. The survey measures elements of employee engagement including safety, teamwork, leadership, quality care, career growth and HR programs.

About Rush Memorial Hospital

  • Established 1892 in Rushville, Indiana
  • Employees: 340
  • Beds: 25
  • Mission: To provide quality, personalized, patient-focused healthcare in a safe and comfortable environment
  • Gallagher client since 2016, partnering on workforce engagement, benefits and organizational performance.

Using advanced analytics, the Gallagher team determines which employment factors drive the greatest impact on employee engagement. After sharing the results with the executive and leadership teams, Gallagher consultants collaborate with RMH leaders to develop a comprehensive action plan for the executive team and individual managers.

The action plan incorporates key communication, development and implementation steps within the first 90 days. Results are measured over the next 12 to 18 months.

Leaders and managers access reports and action planning tools through an online platform, reinforcing RMH's conviction that the responsibility for engagement extends beyond HR. This approach to planning has improved employee engagement consistently and bolstered business outcomes.

The results: Building employee trust

Since 2020, survey participation and employee engagement scores climbed each year as a direct result of strategies devised in the planning process.

For 2025, 49% of RMH's workforce is classified as highly engaged, and 28% as moderately engaged.

In support of retention goals, RMH saw a 12% drop from 2022 (33%) to 2024 (21%) in employees who reported that they seriously considered leaving for another job. Additionally, the overall score, which includes all survey items — not just those directly related to engagement — rose steadily. All RMH scores exceed Gallagher's normative data for the healthcare industry.

“
Rush Memorial Hospital's close collaboration with Gallagher has fostered a robust data-driven culture of continuous improvement, employee satisfaction and responsiveness.
Brian Bane, VP of Human Resources

Gallagher's data-driven and holistic approach to organizational excellence has helped to promote an environment of trust. An annual RMH-Gallagher collaborative process continues to produce meaningful and measurable outcomes:

  • Significant cost savings and reduction in turnover and worker compensation claims
  • Higher engagement and participation in benefits and wellbeing programs
  • Consistent outperformance in quality and patient perception compared to peers
  • Award-winning innovation in technology, communication and health plan design

Business outcomes and workforce metrics
Metric Result
Turnover The rate decreased 42% from 2020 to 2024, resulting in more than $250,000 in savings.
Retirement plan participation Participation rose 4% from 2020 to 2024, and new-hire participation was more than 90% in 2024.
Unemployment cost The federal and state unemployment tax was reduced by 90% between 2020 and 2024.*
Worker compensation Claims dropped from 25 in 2020 to 11 in 2024, a 74% cost savings.
Patient experience Rating increased 2 percentage points on the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey.**
Patient safety The score was above the national average on all hospital dimensions in 2025.
HR recognition The HR team received Employer Benefits News' 2025 Excellence in Benefits Award for innovative benefits model rollout.
Industry recognition HCAHPS score improved by 2 percentage points.

*Based on an improved employee experience rating. An unfavorably high rating and associated unemployment tax is driven by the number of former employees who filed for and received unemployment benefits. Visit Minnesota Unemployment Insurance for unemployment tax rate information.
**HCAHPS is a national metric of patient satisfaction with hospital care. Learn more.

Building a strong partnership

RMH continues to consistently achieve its business goals by leveraging Gallagher's robust industry data, survey design and analytical expertise, collaborative approach and advanced, interactive reporting technology and action- planning tools.

Leaders at all levels of the organization have grown as active listeners, action planners and effective communicators. As a result, healthcare excellence improves, and employee retention rates climb in tandem with desired business outcomes.

Brian Bane, VP of Human Resources at RMH, says, "Beyond helping us create action plans that determine the level of healthcare our patients enjoy, Gallagher's holistic approach to the engagement survey process helped our employees understand the successes and challenges of RMH's internal environment.
"Equipped with this understanding, employees develop individual departmental strategies for optimizing their own employee experiences. This 'bottom-up' strategy has led us to healthcare excellence and positive business successes."

Learn more about Gallagher's comprehensive approach to building engagement to inform decision-making and achieve organizational excellence.

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Disclaimer

Consulting and insurance brokerage services to be provided by Gallagher Benefit Services, Inc. and/or its affiliate Gallagher Benefit Services (Canada) Group Inc. Gallagher Benefit Services, Inc. is a licensed insurance agency that does business in California as "Gallagher Benefit Services of California Insurance Services" and in Massachusetts as "Gallagher Benefit Insurance Services." Neither Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., nor its affiliates provide accounting, legal or tax advice.