The Pulse - Union General Hospital
Transcription
The Pulse - Union General Hospital
The Pulse A newsletter for staff and friends UNION GENERAL HOSPITAL The mission of Union General Hospital is to be large enough to serve and small enough to care, providing compassionate and effective healthcare services to our community. 9 0 1 J a m e s Av e n u e , F a r m e r v i l l e , L A 7 1 2 4 1 www.uniongen.org (318) 368-9751 August-September 2014 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Shining Stars Caught Doing Good Improving Patient Satisfaction Success Stories Hospital Humor, From the Kitchen of UGH and On the Calendar for August and September New Employees, Birthdays Our Community Announcements Games The Pulse is also available on the Union General Hospital website www.uniongen.org , and is published quarterly for staff and friends. News and other information may be submitted to Claudia Wade [email protected]. Your comments and recommendations for improvement of this publication are welcomed. Bridget Jones, Phlebotomist Tanya Ford, Phlebotomist Leslie Turner, RN Jessica Bankston, RN Jennifer Medlin, RN Wilma Thrasher, CNA Yolanda Phillips, Medical Technologist Arthur Hunter, Radiology Reba Turner & Nikki Bolton, IOP LIVE THE GOLDEN RULE “Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you” The definition of a Shining Star is when a patient or family member personally mentions an employee's name on the Patient Survey. When this happens, the employee receives a certificate, a small gift and a shining star. When an employee collects 3 shining stars, they can turn them in for a Big Prize. “The Pulse” Page 2 HCAHPS: Patients' Perspectives of Care Survey Improving Patient Satisfaction By Julie Duty Patient Satisfaction Survey HCAHPS Overview The HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) survey is As part of our ongoing quality assessment and improvement activities, we survey our patients to learn about their experiences here. Your comments and suggestions about your visit will help us evaluate our services, and understand how we might improve our care. the first national, standardized, publicly reported survey of patients' perspectives of hospital care. HCAHPS (pronounced "H-caps"), also known as the CAHPS Hospital Survey, is a survey instrument and data collection methodology for measuring patients' perceptions of their hospital experience. While many hospitals have collected You may receive our survey by mail or email. To ensure confidentiality, this survey is administered by an independent third-party, Press Ganey Associates, Inc. It should take you approximately 5 minutes to complete. Thank you in advance for completing the survey. Your participation will help us to improve the quality of care that we provide to you, your family, friends and neighbors. information on patient satisfaction for their own internal use, until HCAHPS there was no national standard for collecting and publicly reporting information about patient experience of care that allowed valid comparisons to be made across hospitals locally, regionally and nationally. Three broad goals have shaped HCAHPS. First, the survey is designed to produce data about HCAHPS Content and Administration patients' perspectives of care that allow objective The HCAHPS survey asks discharged patients 27 questions about their recent hospital stay. The survey contains 18 core questions about critical aspects of patients' hospital experiences (communication with nurses and doctors, the responsiveness of hospital staff, the cleanliness and quietness of the hospital environment, pain management, communication about medicines, discharge information, overall rating of hospital, and would they recommend the hospital). The survey also includes four items to direct patients to relevant questions, three items to adjust for the mix of patients across hospitals, and two items that support Congressionally-mandated reports. The HCAHPS survey is administered to a random sample of adult patients across medical conditions between 48 hours and six weeks after discharge; the survey is not restricted to Medicare beneficiaries. Hospitals may either use an approved survey vendor, or collect their own HCAHPS data (if approved by CMS to do so). HCAHPS can be implemented in four different survey modes: mail, telephone, mail with telephone follow-up, or active interactive voice recognition (IVR). Hospitals can use the HCAHPS survey alone, or include additional questions after the core HCAHPS items. Hospitals must survey patients throughout each month of the year. The survey is available in official English, Spanish, Chinese, Russian and Vietnamese versions. The survey and its protocols for sampling, data collection and coding, and file submission can be found in the current HCAHPS Quality Assurance Guidelines, which is available on the official HCAHPS website, www.hcahpsonline.org. and meaningful comparisons of hospitals on topics that are important to consumers. Second, public reporting of the survey results creates new incentives for hospitals to improve quality of care. Third, public reporting serves to enhance accountability in health care by increasing transparency of the quality of hospital care provided in return for the public investment. With these goals in mind, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the HCAHPS Project Team have taken substantial steps to assure that the survey is credible, useful, and practical. Newsletter Title Page 3 By UW Health Partners-Watertown Regional Medical Center Each quarter, unique, touching stories of patient care and service will be shared in this space. They may come from medical professionals or patients all across the country or from the book, “What’s Right in Health Care,” by Studer Group, or they may come from people here at Union General Hospital that have similar stories of good customer service. If you have a story to share either about yourself or someone else, please forward it to Claudia Wade at [email protected] and it may be shared in the next newsletter! There are people we meet in our life who touch us in ways that we cannot even begin to thank them. For one patient, Peggy Anderson, many of those people were from WRMC (Watertown Regional Medical Center). From Nurse Navigator Gretchen Klug, to Radiology, to her Oncologist Dr. Eastman at the Cancer Center in Johnson Creek, she described these people passionate, kind, caring, listened to her, and most importantly treated her like a human being. Cancer was very real to Peggy, her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer when Peggy was 15 and passed away when she was only 19. She knew she was at high-risk for developing this cancer and at age 40, Peggy had her first diagnosis. Fortunately, treatment was successful. When Peggy began feeling sick again in 2012, she came to the CWH (Center for Women’s Health). “A diagnosis of cancer is always devastating,” says Peggy. “Cancer controls you, you don’t control the cancer.” Peggy’s experience throughout WRMC’s healthcare system put her in control of her diagnosis. As she began to cry, Peggy spoke about her experience and was so grateful to all the staff for treating her so well. She portrays Gretchen and everyone she encountered as open and kind people who made themselves available to the patients’ needs. “When I felt over whelmed by the diagnoses Gretchen would go the extra mile by helping me make appointments, finding transportation, holding my hand in times of need, and explained decisions that needed to be made, says Peggy. These actions made me feel cared for and that someone was concerned for my well-being.” Peggy feels extremely blessed to have been cared by such an incredible medical staff. The actions of the staff from CWH, WRMC and the Cancer Center impacted her in so many ways. She expresses her complete gratitude towards these individuals who made a difference in her life. “The Pulse” Page 4 A mechanic was removing a cylinder head from the engine of a Jaguar when he spotted a wellknown heart surgeon in his garage. The surgeon was there waiting for the service manager to take a look at his car. The mechanic shouted across the garage, “Hey, doc, can I ask you a question?” The surgeon a bit surprised, walked to the mechanic working on the Jaguar. The mechanic straightened up, wiped his hands on a rag and asked, “So doc, look at this engine. Buttermilk Pie 3 ¼ ½ 1 1 Eggs Cup of Flour Cup of Butter melted Cup of Buttermilk Teaspoon Vanilla Flavoring Mix Well Pour mixture in unbaked pie shell Cook until firm when you shake it Submit your recipe to: [email protected] I open its heart, take the valves out, fix `em, put `em back in, and when I finish, it works just like new. So how come I get such a small salary and you get the really big bucks, when you and I are doing basically the same work?” The surgeon paused, smiled and leaned over and said, “Try doing it with the engine running.” On the Calendar for August & September August is Recognition Month for: Children’s Eye Health and Safety, National Immunization Awareness and World Breastfeeding Week. September is Recognition Month for: Prostate Health, National Cholesterol Education, Baby Safety, Healthy Aging, Fruit and Vegetable, Labor Day, Healthcare Housekeeping Week, National Assisted Living Week, World Suicide Prevention Day, Prostate Cancer Awareness Week, National Childhood Obesity Awareness and National Sickle Cell Awareness Month. Page 5 Newsletter Title NOBLES, MAUREEN WILKS, MERCILLE BARNES, RENEE BEARDEN, JENNIFER KING, DANIEL HORTON, STEPHANIE LEWIS, MAJA LOVE, EMILY MASON, EMOGENE HAMILTON, ANGELA ADCOCK, WILLIAM ROBERTSON, MARY TAYLOR, SHANA M SATTERWHITE, NICOLE ALLEN, ANITA BATSON, JERRY 13 26 25 24 03 17 18 17 06 02 27 01 02 27 17 13 MOON, ABBIE SPELLS, TERESA ROBERTS, KELLY SMITH, SONYA CASH, SHERAN DENDY, DEBORA TUCKER, BROOKLYN DUTY, JULIE HENDERSON, BRENDA SMITH, ROMONIA WARD, SHANNON ALEXANDER, MARY HUNTER, PAMELA SANFORD, JUANITA MOSLEY, KIMBERLY MECHE, JOANN YELTON, JENNIFER 02 22 17 22 10 21 13 02 23 25 28 20 14 16 20 26 16 The Value of a Smile by Francie Baltazar-Schwartz “The value of a smile is priceless, yet it is the cheapest, easiest, most rewarding and most sincere gift to anyone that crosses your path. A smile makes a person’s day, anybody’s day even a stranger’s day. A smile is infectious. Start infecting people with your smile today. We would like to WELCOME the below employees to our TEAM at Union General Hospital Melba Dismuke, Nursing Anita Lisotta, Dietary Derek Russell, Emergency Room A smile is nature’s best antidote for discouragement. It brings rest to the weary, sunshine to those who are sad, and hope to those who are hopeless and defeated. A smile is so valuable that it can’t be bought, begged, borrowed, or taken away against your will. You have to be willing to give a smile away before it can do anyone else any good. So if someone is too tired or grumpy to flash you a smile, let him have one of yours anyway. Nobody needs a smile as much as the person who has none to give.” Page 6 “The Pulse” UGH is selling raffle tickets for a $250 gift card. Raffle tickets are $1 each and may be purchased at Union General Hospital. All proceeds go to Union Parish Relay for Life! RAFFLE: AUGUST 11, 2014 Our campaign will be kicking off in September. Below are some activities and fundraising things that the community has planned. • • • • • Chicken Insurance -- coming in September Garage Sale -- 10/04 from 7-12. We need donated items. Items must be in good condition with no tears or stains. Also, if you or anyone you know would like to set up a booth, we will be selling tables for $25 (all money collected at your tables is yours) United Way Employee Luncheon -- will be in October, but date not set yet. Theme will be...."A great day for a picnic at UGH" Thanksgiving Sweets/Casserole Sale -- November 25th @ 4:00PM Silent Auction -- Will start Monday 12/08 and end on 12/11. We need donation of items to put in silent auction. Please turn items in to Sandy Smith SCHEDULE TO START IN AUGUST WITH THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR. WE ARE MEETING WITH 4TH AND 5TH GRADERS THREE TIMES A YEAR WE SERVED OVER 500 CHILDREN IN 2013-2014. Page 7 Newsletter Title ANNOUNCEMENTS GREAT NEWS >>>>>>>>>>>>> UNION GENERAL HOSPITAL will be now offering an individual VISION PLAN to all eligible employees. Some changes have been made to our current Dental Plan (for the better) which allows us to have a Special Enrollment Period for both Dental and Vision. Both of these plans will be through Ameritas, but premiums are separate. Below are the dates and times that both the group and individual meetings have been scheduled. We strongly encourage all eligible employees to attend one of the group meetings so you will be aware of the changes in the Dental plan and also learn about the new Vision plan. You will also need to come on the 08/20 for individual enrollment, make any changes or terminate coverage. Keep in mind that both of these plans, are individual plans and can be enrolled in even if you don't have any other type of insurance through the hospital. Group Meetings: • • Tues, August 19th at NOON in the Conference Room -- Lunch will be provided by the Summit Financial Group; or Tues, August 19th at 5:00 pm in the Conference Room -- Snacks and Desserts will be provided by the Summit Financial Group Individual Meeting Day: • Wed, August 20th from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm in the Conference Room; then 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm in the Cafeteria. New Storage Building The new hospital storage building was recently completed. The new storage building is located across the street from the hospital and departments will be assigned private areas for storage by the Administration. The contents of the old Home Health building behind the hospital will be moved across the street and the old Home Health building will be removed from the premises. Union General Hospital and Union Rural Health Clinic Patient Portal Links are on the home page of the hospital’s website. www.uniongen.org Page 8 “The Pulse”