Housecall Providers named top work place by The Oregonian

by Dan Cook, To the Point

PORTLAND, Ore. – Housecall Providers, a nonprofit whose medical clinicians make house calls to more than 1,000 homebound patients a year, has been selected by The Oregonian as the First Place winner in its Small Companies category for “Top Work Places” in Oregon and Southwest Washington for 2012. Housecall Providers was also named the “Top Meaningful” company.

The selection was announced Sept. 12 at a dinner event at the Governor Hotel in Portland, OR. Some 939 companies were either nominated by their employees or were invited by the Oregonian to apply for the awards. Housecall Providers, which was nominated by an employee, placed No. 1 among 76 small companies that were reviewed for excellence.

A consulting firm interviewed employees about their level of satisfaction with their workplace and the selections were made by the consulting firm based upon a scoring system designed to eliminate bias. This was the first year The Oregonian recognized organizations with its Top Work Place competition.

Executive Director Terri Hobbs happily shows off the Top Small Work Place award.

Founder Benneth Husted, D.O., said she felt extremely validated by the award, especially since it was based upon input from employees about what it was like to work for Housecall Providers.“We are very selective in our hiring process – we look hard for people with a true passion for the work we do,” she said. “It’s not easy work, but for the right person, it can be so rewarding. This award truly validates our hiring process and the work environment we strive to create for our employees.”

Housecall Providers was founded in Portland, Ore., in 1995 to provide primary medical care for persons who are homebound due to their medical conditions. It has grown steadily through the years, and now employs nearly 80 people. Its physicians and nurse practitioners made more than 12,000 medical home visits last year, and its hospice service, which was launched three years ago, continues to provide end-of-life care tom ore patients each year.

“The common characteristic you will find among all of our employees is that they are passionate about our mission,” said Executive Director Terri Hobbs. “From our wonderful receptionist to care coordinators, hospice staff, human resources personnel and clinicians, our people love their work and always go the extra mile to serve our patients.”

To find out more about the award, read the special section produced by The Oregonian for its Sept. 16 edition.