KINDRED CONNECTIONS Hospital Division news
Transcription
KINDRED CONNECTIONS Hospital Division news
Kindred Healthcare’s Mission is to promote healing, provide hope, preserve dignity and produce value for each patient, resident, family member, customer, employee and shareholder we serve. Fall 2013 KINDRED CONNECTIONS Hospital Division News Consistent Clinical Outcomes: Recent Steps By Jeffrey P. Winter Executive Vice President and President, Hospital Division order to reduce the variation in clinical outcomes and costs across all of our hospitals. Going into 2013, our Transitional Care Hospitals were facing tremendous challenges including the imposition of the two percent across-the-board Medicare cuts, otherwise known as the sequester. However, because we all worked together and kept quality care as our goal, the Hospital Division has been able to demonstrate success in the core through a focus in cost management and in improving efficiencies. These tremendous efforts have enabled us to perform well in spite of daunting reimbursement and regulatory challenges. So let me start off by thanking you for all you do each day. The last several times I communicated with you through this newsletter, I focused on our Division’s efforts to establish consistent quality standards in highlights PAGE 2 2013 Clinical Impact Symposium 173310-01 Kindred Connections fall 2013.indd 1 Continuous Upgrades to ProTouch An essential element in reducing variation between hospitals is the effective documentation and tracking of outcomes. This is where robust information technologies, including electronic medical records (EMR), come into play. As you all know, Kindred has invested significant resources for nearly 20 years to develop and enhance our proprietary EMR – ProTouch. We have seen firsthand the ways in which our investments in ProTouch have had a direct impact on patient care. Enhancements have improved patient safety through medication management and change-of-condition alerts, which enable us to continually improve the care we are able to deliver each day. In our last edition of Kindred Connections, we talked a great deal about upgrades to the ProTouch system and we are proud that we have even more recent updates to report. Most recently, in August, the Inpatient Rehabilitation Hospital (IRF) version of ProTouch went live for Central Texas Rehabilitation Hospital. The new model includes many enhancements that specifically meet IRF reporting requirements including the addition of FIM Modules, new order entry pathways, IDT modifications, calculation for rehab minutes, tracking of patient discharge disposition and the input for rehab orders. In addition to the new IRF ProTouch model, we have some exciting improvements to the system that will be coming soon to our Transitional Care Hospitals. In response to physician input, ProTouch will soon feature a single signature cue for all patients under their care. In addition to listening to physician preferences, this represents another step in improved efficiency in care. We will also be adding a training environment within ProTouch, which will provide an improved way for clinicians to train and be coached on complex changes and upgrades to the ProTouch system before the changes are rolled out. Continued on following page. PAGE 6 Kindred and the American Lung Association PAGE 10 President’s award recipients PAGE 9 Transitional Care Nurse Pilot Program PAGE 16 HEPAP awards 9/12/13 4:21:09 PM Continued from previous page. Health Information Exchange (HIE) As we reported in our 2012 Quality and Social Responsibility Report, Kindred is actively and aggressively working to develop a Health Information Exchange (HIE) to facilitate the sharing of electronic patient data between Kindred sites of care and with external healthcare partners. As you might guess, ProTouch plays an integral role within our HIE, as do the EMRs in Kindred settings across the continuum – Point Click Care in our Nursing and Rehabilitation Centers and Homecare Homebase in our Homecare and Hospice settings. And the new IRF model of ProTouch represents an important next step in enabling the sharing of patient data across settings of care as we pursue our care management strategy throughout the entire postacute continuum of care. As we continue to develop our health information technology capabilities, our goal is to have the full and transparent exchange of patient care data between our Kindred locations and with traditional short-term hospitals, physician practices and managed care payors and case managers. This information sharing and IT connectivity is an integral component of our patientcentered care model and will better enable us to provide coordinated care throughout an entire patient episode – from hospital to home. We believe that pursuing the Kindred HIE will enable us to continue to succeed under today’s delivery and payment system while preparing for future models. Kindred will continue to invest in working to ensure ProTouch is the best, most user- friendly product available to track patient care and outcomes. This will prepare us to participate and thrive in future integrated healthcare models, continue to build on our quality patient outcomes, and deliver on our mission of Hope, Healing, and Recovery. Please enjoy the rest of the articles within this newsletter, and, once again, thank you for your dedication and commitment to ensuring quality patient care. Jeffrey P. Winter The 2013 Clinical Impact Symposium is Coming Up this November! 2 This year’s meeting is the fifth Clinical Impact Symposium designed to enhance clinical practice in the post-acute continuum supporting Kindred as a leader in clinical excellence. The theme of this year’s symposium is Clinical Excellence in Care Transitions and Disease Management: Managing Diabetes, Infections and Cognition Across the Continuum. As always, this symposium will offer the latest evidence- 173310-01 Kindred Connections fall 2013.indd 2 based information from some of the most widely respected experts in the nation, and will focus on opportunities to identify advances in research and practice standards related to care transitions. Participants invited from the Nursing Center Division, RehabCare, Hospital Division, Care Management Division and Kindred at Home will have cross- divisional networking opportunities at the meeting, which will emphasize an interdisciplinary approach to patient care across the post-acute continuum of care. The meeting will also include interactive conference-style offerings and tradeshow exhibits. We look forward to another excellent symposium, full of information that will keep Kindred a leader in care transitions. 9/12/13 4:21:09 PM Wyoming Valley Works Toward a Winning Mix of Quality, Skill and Cost Efficiency CCO Lillian Klitsch of Kindred Hospital Wyoming Valley Open communication, taking things shift-by-shift, staffing for the here-andnow (but having a plan if the ‘what if’ occurs), and celebrating milestones are the cornerstones to success at Kindred Hospital Wyoming Valley in WilkesBarre, PA. Under the leadership of Chief Executive Officer Dr. Sharon Yurkiewicz and Chief Clinical Officer Lillian Klitsch, the hospital has made important strides toward creating a good mix of skill, quality and cost efficiency. Lillian Klitsch has been with Wyoming Valley since April 2012. “Everything we do is based on the needs of our patients, and the metrics have followed in a positive direction,” she said. “We look at our patient census and staff based on needs, recognizing that could change from morning to afternoon.” The team at Wyoming Valley has realized that adding staff and dollars doesn’t necessarily create good outcomes. “Evidence-based practices and learning from those who found a way to improve processes efficiently is so important,” said Klitsch. “The clinical staff discusses these concepts regularly. They know they can have a say in how we do things so they talk, and I listen.” The supervisors have been instrumental in effecting positive change. “My supervisors have been keeping us within budget and getting that right skill mix,” said Klitsch. “They also know my expectations and are excellent at communicating with me, whether by text or phone, and that open communication has been key. I feel comfortable that they make the decisions I would make even when I am not here because we regularly discuss our responsibility to be good stewards of our resources and what that looks like shiftto-shift in a variety of situations.” The facility has seen a significant improvement in quality and Klitsch credits a lot of that to the team environment that she has made a priority. “We haven’t had a UTI in four months and haven’t had a ventilator-associated pneumonia in three years,” she said. Turnover rates are starting to improve as well. Klitsch, who was a chief nursing officer at an acute care facility before joining Wyoming Valley, has over 20 years of acute care experience. The little things are not to be overlooked, either, she said, and they can make a difference in morale and team building. “We celebrate things like birthdays and injury-free days – last year we hit over a year,” she said. “We encourage one another and when someone sees a success, we all celebrate it together.” MIDTOWN Closing Kindred has made the decision to close its Midtown Hospital in Houston. Effective September 9, the hospital closed. The hospital was closed because we determined it was not feasible to operate Kindred Hospital Midtown in such close proximity to several other 173310-01 Kindred Connections fall 2013.indd 3 Kindred hospitals. Kindred will be able to continue serving the community through Kindred’s other nearby hospitals in the Houston area, including Kindred Hospital Houston Medical Center at 6441 Main Street and Kindred Hospital The Heights at 1800 W 26th Street. All full-time staff were offered the opportunity to transfer to other Kindred hospitals. More than one-third accepted. The hospital had a luncheon on September 3 for all employees and physicians to thank them for their service. 3 9/12/13 4:21:09 PM Timely Transitions 101 Her suggestions for achieving timely transitions include: 1) Utilize long-term acute care (LTAC) messaging best practices, including: • LTAC scripting before, during and after admission to the LTAC, addressing important points such as the fact that LTACs offer an acute level of care, LTAC criteria to admit and stay, length of stay (usually 3-4 weeks) and the understanding that there is sometimes another stop in the continuum before reaching home or optimal functioning • Planned, organized and well delivered family tours Timely transitions are an important component of excellent patient care, and no one knows that better than Kelli Cole, new Divisional Vice President for Case Management within the Hospital Division. Cole, who has a rich background in the case management field, most recently as CEO of Kindred Hospital San Francisco Bay Area and Northwest District Director of Case Management for Kindred Healthcare, is working with her team to improve systems and consistency related to case management across the Division. “We can look at facilitating timely transitions as a multi-faceted approach involving thorough communication, high-quality care delivered in a timely manner, and proactive transition planning,” said Cole. • Pre-admission conferences: meet with the family to explain the benefits of the LTAC, align expectations and begin proactive discharge planning • Post-admission conferences: have a patient and family conference within the first few days of the stay, where the team can engage and educate on the plan of care and discuss realistic goals and national norms for anticipated length of stay 3) Proactive discharge planning – before, during and after admission – with confirmation of the discharge plan and a realistic back-up plan at about mid-stay, with patient, family, physician and clinical team on the same page, and all relevant information sent to the next level of care. Proactive planning ensures we are ready when the patient is clinically ready to transition. 2) Facilitate high-performing, effective interdisciplinary team meetings, paired with an expectation of accountability for executing the plan of care, using the “every patient, every day” mantra. Said Cole: “In sum, it’s all about communication and proactive planning, with the ultimate goal of providing the best possible care for our patients, who deserve it.” Project Nationals At the end of August Kindred completed the sale of 14 facilities to Vibra Healthcare and Post Acute Medical. When the Company originally announced plans to sell these facilities in April, the intention was to sell 17 facilities. However, the Company was unable to reach all necessary agreements to sell the Peoria, Illinois Hospital. In addition, Kindred continues to work on plans to sell two other hospitals in September. 4 This transaction is part of Kindred Healthcare’s repositioning of the company. The Company is selling facilities in some markets, including nursing centers, to focus on Kindred’s Integrated Care Markets, where the Company provides a continuum of postacute services. 173310-01 Kindred Connections fall 2013.indd 4 Transactions like these are time consuming. Hospital leadership is asked to do a lot of work on top of their regular duties at the hospital. “This is never easy,” said Jeffrey Winter, President of the Hospital Division. “We know that you all have day jobs and you do those very, very well. And we appreciate everything that everybody’s done. This is all in addition to that. So I want to thank you guys from the bottom of our hearts for all the great work that everyone is doing. And the continued loyalty and support that you’re showing the Company as we move through this process. “We really want to thank all of our teams, our CCOs, our CNOs, everyone in the buildings, all of our physicians and related constituencies who have, through this entire process, kept your eye on the ball in terms of our business, kept your eye on every patient in your facility to make sure they continue to get exceptional clinical care and not allow this to be an issue or distraction for any of you away from our mission at Kindred. My only regret is that, you know, some of you will be leaving Kindred in this process. But this is a small world and paths clearly cross in other ways.” There are also many people at the Support Center and the Regional offices who have put in extra hours, including working over the Labor Day weekend, to make sure Kindred successfully transitioned our hospitals to Vibra and Post Acute Medical and make sure our patients received uninterrupted care as they transitioned to a new operator. 9/12/13 4:21:10 PM Injury-Free Days: How Two Hospitals Did It At Kindred Hospital Baytown and Kindred Hospital North Houston, more than a year elapsed between reportable injury claims. Here’s a look at what each hospital did to reach that milestone, and how they celebrated when they hit the one-year mark. “We celebrated as we built to 365,” said Angel Gradney, Chief Executive Officer of Kindred Hospital Baytown. “We gave out Safety Hero buttons, did a lot of recognition in staff meetings and had special lunches, cakes and a seafood dinner for all employees when we reached 365.” At Kindred Hospital North Houston, “we began by emphasizing safety shoes – that was our first way of communicating about employee safety. We’ve been using Culture of Safety materials to continue to promote a work-safe culture. Daily roundings take place in which safe Pictured below: Staff members of Kindred Hospital North Houston work practices are recognized and any observable safety hazards are identified and reported,” said Charles Lopez, the hospital’s HR Manager. As the 365-day milestone approached at KH North Houston, there were employee celebrations, a “hamburger day” and a celebratory meal. “It was very enjoyable, and very well deserved,” said Lopez. At both hospitals, the focus is now on the future. “We are already planning our 400-day celebration,” said Gradney. Kindred Hospital St. Louis at Mercy opens Prior to joining Kindred Hospital St. Louis in December 2011, Stacy Howard worked for Mercy, the sixth largest Catholic healthcare system in the country. Howard is excited about the new partnership with Mercy that has been created through the opening of the Hospital Division’s newest hospital – Kindred Hospital St. Louis at Mercy. The 54-bed hospital is located at Mercy Hospital St. Louis Medical Center, an 80-acre, 979-bed healthcare campus that contains a heart and vascular hospital, a cancer center, a comprehensive children’s hospital, a surgery center and a skilled nursing center. “It’s a very exciting time for Kindred because this is our first partnership with Mercy, which is a large system across four states,” said Howard, Market CEO in 173310-01 Kindred Connections fall 2013.indd 5 St. Louis. Her office is located at the new Kindred at Mercy hospital. Kindred Hospital St. Louis at Mercy builds on Kindred’s strong reputation for providing quality care and enhances the company’s reputation as a leader in providing post-acute care in St. Louis. The hospital is located on the seventh floor of Mercy Hospital, a Level 1 trauma center, and is a separately licensed 54-bed hospital in a hospital. Kindred Hospital St. Louis at Mercy features 29,826 square feet plus an additional 400 square feet for materials management. It is comprised of 18 private rooms, 14 semi-private rooms, an eight-bed high acuity unit, the latest technology, bariatric rooms, ADA rooms, and an exam/treatment room. The facility replaces the Mercy Continuing Care long-term acute care hospital. There is potential for growth with Mercy. The new hospital opened in July and is located near three Mercy facilities. “We’re getting more referrals than we can even handle,” Stacy said. Mercy is Kindred’s third transitional care hospital in St. Louis, joining Kindred Hospital St. Louis, a 60-bed freestanding hospital, and Kindred Hospital St. Louis-St. Anthony’s, a 38-bed hospital- in-hospital. Kindred also operates St. Luke’s Rehabilitation Hospital, a 35-bed inpatient rehabilitation hospital within the St. Louis region. Kindred now has transitional care hospitals in the city of St. Louis and the southern and western parts of the area. “Now we have a triangle of hospitals that can meet the needs of our population in the entire Greater St. Louis area,” Howard said. 5 9/12/13 4:21:10 PM Kindred and American Lung Association Partnership Ends the Year Strong! We have reached the end of Kindred’s first year as a national corporate team partner with the American Lung Association and it was an incredible year! Thanks to everyone’s hard work, we were able to raise $164,635.09. Additionally, our locations contributed $298,000 in sponsorship for the Lung Association events. This means Kindred contributed $462,635.09 total. Here are some of our top achievers who will be receiving awards this year: This year’s Kindred Cup winner is Kindred Hospital Bay Area – Tampa. The Kindred Cup is awarded to the facility with the most overall participants and the most overall amount raised for all events combined. Kindred Hospital Bay Area – Tampa had 47 and raised $7,796. fight for air walk • run • bike • climb The top individual fundraisers from each Fight For Air event are: Travis Swanberg from Kindred Hospital Seattle First Hill. Travis raised $2,514.01 in the Fight For Air Walk. Leigh White from The Kindred Healthcare Support Center. Leigh raised $1,005 in the Fight For Air Climb. Kathy Markham from The Kindred Healthcare Support Center. Kathy raised $1,350 in the Cycling Adventure. Karen Stone (left) and Rebecca Antinopoulos (right), members of the Kindred Klimbers from Kindred Hospital Pittsburgh. The top fundraising teams are: Kindred Hospital Wyoming Valley raised $16,941.06 in the Fight For Air Walk. Kindred Hospital Bay Area – Tampa raised $6,001.81 in the Fight For Air Climb. 6 173310-01 Kindred Connections fall 2013.indd 6 The Kindred Healthcare Support Center raised $9,477.81 in the Cycling Adventure. Lastly, we would like to recognize The teams that had the highest number of participants. Kindred Hospital San Antonio had the largest Fight For Air Walk team with 91 participants. The Kindred Klimbers from Kindred Hospital Pittsburgh had the largest Fight For Air Climb team with 27 participants. And The Kindred Healthcare Support Center had the largest Cycling Adventure team with 22 participants. Congratulations to all of our highest achievers and to everyone who participated in this year’s partnership with the ALA. We couldn’t have achieved such great success without everyone’s contributions. Outstanding job. Let’s keep up the hard work as we enter our second year of partnership with the American Lung Association. Great job to all our facilities, team leaders and members! 9/12/13 4:21:10 PM Medical Director Profile: Dr. Thomas C. Liske Thomas C. Liske, M.D., F.C.C.P. is the longtime Medical Director at Kindred Hospital Sycamore. He is also Kindred’s Regional Director of Care Management for the Central Region. He is a graduate of Loyola Stritch School of Medicine in Chicago. He did his internship at Long Beach Memorial Hospital and residency and pulmonary fellowship at the Hines VA Hospital outside of Chicago. He was interviewed by Dr. Sean Muldoon, Chief Medical Officer of Kindred’s Hospital Division. Dr. Muldoon: How did you come to be a physician? Dr. Liske: Originally I wanted to be a dentist – I was fascinated by the office and the equipment. Then I decided that I didn’t want to restrict myself and started studying to become a physician. I was also influenced by books written by Dr. Thomas Dooley about being a medical missionary in Laos. That spurred my interest. Dr. Muldoon: How long have you been with Kindred? Dr. Liske: I joined Kindred in 1986, first at the Sandwich, IL hospital that became Kindred Hospital Sycamore in 1989. Dr. Muldoon: What are the joys and challenges of working at Kindred? Dr. Liske: The joys? I work with unbelievably good, good people. They are very dedicated to helping patients get well. I love the people here – always have. The biggest challenge for me was getting used to the longer length of stay in this setting. And our management structure has changed from localized to centralized to localized to centralized over the years, which creates some challenges. I’m not sure which system works best. Dr. Muldoon: What is your favorite aspect of working in the transitional care hospital setting? 173310-01 Kindred Connections fall 2013.indd 7 Dr. Liske: I like the pace – it isn’t frenetic. And the patient-family interaction in the LTAC setting is different. Over time you really develop a relationship with these people. Even though stays are shorter now, that dynamic is still there. Dr. Muldoon: Is there a particular person who was instrumental in your development? Dr. Liske: I would have to say Dr. Marion Brooks, an endocrinologist from my residency at Loyola. He taught me the value of getting to the point – to get the history of present illness and all the pertinent information in a focused way. He was very good to me – he always complimented when I did well. That was appreciated! Dr. Muldoon: How would you describe our Transitional Care Hospitals to someone who has never heard of Kindred? Dr. Liske: I would say that we care for people who are quite sick, and shortterm hospitals are not equipped to care for them. They aren’t equipped for patients who have long-term needs. Dr. Muldoon: How about a memorable Kindred patient? Dr. Liske: That would be a 29-year-old patient who came in with aqueductal stenosis – a hereditary condition aggravated by a severe neck injury from a karate accident. He was here six months – with hydrocephalus and deep coma. We treated him with our cognitive stimulation program and we were able to wean him from the vent. And then after six months he just woke up. He was discharged to a rehab hospital and walked out three months later. It taught me that with our patients we have to be really careful regarding terminal care – that some people are going to recover no matter how serious the prognosis. Dr. Muldoon: You’ve recently become more involved with clinical documentation improvement (CDI). How did you become involved and what do you do? Dr. Liske: This has been a wonderful experience in a lot of ways. I worked with Becky Slagell (Kindred’s Senior Director of Utilization Compliance). At that time she was the Senior Regional Director of Case Management. My job is to educate physicians about documentation. Even though they provide great medical care, they sometimes have problems keeping documentation straight. I give presentations about CDI and do seminars all over the region. I really enjoy it. Dr. Muldoon: And what do you do in your spare time? Dr. Liske: I exercise regularly, and I like to read – I’m very interested in motivational literature and pop psychology. And I’m a big family man – we have six children and two grandchildren. 7 9/12/13 4:21:10 PM CEO Profile: Angela Harris we understood what the medical staff perceived as the challenges within the hospital. I then began contacting physicians that had resigned from the medical staff to identify their reasons for leaving and to begin addressing these areas of concern.” Harris, the CCO and key leadership worked on getting the special procedure room up and functioning. Then they ensured that the physicians were aware that procedures could remain in house versus patients being transferred to the surrounding STACHs. As a triathlete for 20 years, Angela Harris understands challenges and taking risks. Fitting training into a busy work life can be difficult but requires dedication and commitment. When Harris became CEO of Kindred Hospital Fort Worth in November 2011, she was ready to take on the challenges of bringing the hospital to its full potential. “I was a CEO at a rehab hospital that received patients from Kindred,” Harris said. “Kindred always had a reputation of being a good company and that they had long-standing employees. It was also a hospital that had not functioned at its full potential especially with its prime location in the downtown hospital district.” When she arrived, she faced a number of issues including turnover by senior management for the previous five to six years; many physicians had resigned their credentialing privileges due to lack of confidence in the abilities of the hospital; all procedures, including surgical procedures, had been stopped in house, so all patients in need were being transported out; employee and patient satisfaction was low; and the ICU was very outdated. “The first thing I started doing, along with involving my leadership team, was meeting one on one with the medical staff,” Harris said. “I ensured 8 173310-01 Kindred Connections fall 2013.indd 8 “We had to gain the confidence of physicians that our staff was equipped to handle the procedures,” she said. “When I first started at Kindred I identified physician specialties that were not currently credentialed and started recruiting these physicians. By expanding the specialties in house we have also been able to reduce the number of patients being transferred to appointments, which reduced our overall outside service expenses.” To improve employee satisfaction, leadership began holding monthly town hall meetings so the staff felt better informed. An employee activities committee was formed to plan monthly activities for the staff. Harris also ensured that employees recognized that her door was always open for their concerns as well as their praises. Rounding on the floors on a routine basis is key to identifying areas of improvement as well as recognizing employee birthdays. As a result, the hospital has been able to expand its medical staff and add specialties. Physicians that had resigned from the medical staff have returned. The hospital had not had a surgical DRG in years and now procedures are done on a routine basis. And patient satisfaction is at an all-time high. Harris lists her keys to success as “ready to listen to others’ ideas and giving praise appropriately, being a leader that is open to communication, willing to take risks for the benefit of the hospital and promote team work.” Her goals include renovating the ICU, continuing to provide quality care, maintaining strong patient satisfaction scores and employee satisfaction, and increasing physician confidence in the hospital. Exercise helps Harris keep her balance, reduce stress and stay healthy. She became a triathlete because she traveled a great deal and it was a way for her to explore areas she was visiting while working out. About two years ago she did her first half-ironman (swim 1.2 miles, bike 56 miles and run 13 miles) and she has finished four since then. “I am currently training for my first full ironman in September,” Harris said. “Juggling work and the long hours of training takes discipline with my schedule. I have early morning and late evening workouts in order to balance work and training. Training is an opportunity for me to release stress and to push my body to limits that at times I think it cannot go any further. I think being a long-triathlete has helped me to feel better about taking risks in life. Who else would be crazy enough to swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 and run 26.2 miles all within a 17-hour time frame? I have encouraged my leadership to take risks that help with the improvement within their departments and working with others within the hospital.” 9/12/13 4:21:10 PM Transitional Care Nurse Pilot Program Shows Results in Massachusetts At the 2012 Clinical Impact Symposium, excitement was building about a soon-to-be-launched pilot program in the Massachusetts Integrated Care Market. The pilot was going to look at the difference transitional care nurses could potentially make in patients’ care, as they moved through the post-acute continuum. Now, nearly a year later, the pilot has been completed and the results are in: transitional care nurses can make an important difference in the care we provide to our patients. The pilot program reduced readmissions to the acute care hospital, average length of stay was down, and patient satisfaction was up. “Patients are very vulnerable during care transitions, and we know that,” said Stacey Hodgman, MS, RN-BC, CMAC, Senior Director of Care Management for Kindred Healthcare Massachusetts. “Improving care transitions for our patients is not just the right thing to do, it’s a critical component of the healthcare delivery system that has continued to fall short despite best efforts.” The first step in the pilot project was the hiring of three dedicated transitional care nurses – Christine Plante, RN; Kimberly Ramos, RN and Cathy Tracey, RN. They followed 150 consented patients who had been admitted to the transitional care hospital (TCH) with a primary illness that fell into one of five categories: cardiac, respiratory, diabetes, stroke and post-transplant. “Our patients were broken into two groups – an intervention group that received care transitions interventions from our transitional care nurses, and a control group who received usual discharge planning protocols,” said Hodgman. “Data were tracked on both groups for comparison.” The results were encouraging: • Hospital readmission rates within 35 days after transition from the TCH were 6.2 percent in the intervention group, compared to 16.7 percent in the control group • Patient satisfaction-with-transition scores were higher in the intervention group • Average length of stay in the TCH was 19.2 days in the intervention group and 25.7 days in the control group The team used several quality metrics to assess the success of the program, including: • notification of the primary care provider upon admission to the TCH and with each transition • no missed medications on the day of transfer • no missed meals on the day of transfer The team also worked with PharMerica to implement a transitional care pharmacist component of the program; the pharmacist intervened when he or she received a referral from the transitional care nurse with a concern about polypharmacy, more than one hospital admission during the past 30 days, a psychiatric medication prescription with no diagnosis, low health literacy or any other specific area of concern. And Massachusetts isn’t stopping there. Armed with the results of the pilot program, the group now plans to implement a Care Transitions Program in September, building on what they have learned. That program will feature: • transitional care nurses to follow patients from any Kindred setting (TCH, SNF or HH) at the start of care • transitional care nurse referrals triggered by one of the following: – congestive heart failure – chronic obstructive pulmonary disease – pneumonia – post-heart attack – another condition identified by a referring or partner facility – two or more hospital admissions (using CMS definition of inpatient admission) within the past 60 days – suspected low health literacy – patient lives alone/no caregiver Quality metrics will be robust and will include factors such as ensuring medications are administered as scheduled and meals provided on the day of transition, completion of hand-off tools and Personal Health Record, Functional Outcome Scores across the continuum and patient satisfaction scores, among others. “Studies have shown that care transitions fail for several reasons,” said Hodgman. “These include inadequate preparation for the next care setting, failure to ensure patient and caregiver involvement and full understanding of their treatment plan, conflicting advice for managing their illness and the inability of patients and caregivers to know which provider is responsible at any given time. “Our transitional care nurses will help to fill in some of these gaps through relationshipbuilding with the patient, their caregivers and the staff in our Kindred sites of care, and their attention to the patient’s care plan and goals, medication reconciliation and engaging and empowering the patient to participate in their plan of care,” she said. 173310-01 Kindred Connections fall 2013.indd 9 9 9/12/13 4:21:12 PM The Hope Fund Board of Directors President’s A The first President’s Club Awards Dinner was held on April 23, 2013 at The Brown Hotel in Louisville, with the honorees sharing some of their accomplishments in a roundtable format the next day. Thirtyone team members were honored in seven categories, and in this issue of Kindred Connections, we are highlighting the winners of the Kindred Spirit Award, the Everest Award and the Advocate Award. Kindred Spirit Award: Given to one CEO and one CCO per region who most embody the spirit of Kindred’s mission – Hope, Healing and Recovery. Six winners were chosen in the Kindred Spirit category. Mary Ann Craig, CEO, Kindred Hospital Houston Northwest has been with Kindred for many years, but according to colleagues she remains as committed to her job now as she was the day she started. Mary Ann is devoted to the hospital and the community it serves and is described as “the epitome of Kindred Spirit.” 10 Beth Hock, CCO, Kindred Hospital Dayton, has overseen a milestone at that facility – relocation to a beautiful freestanding building where the team continues to fulfill Kindred’s mission each day. According to her colleagues, Beth is a living embodiment of Kindred’s mission of Hope, Healing and Recovery. 173310-01 Kindred Connections fall 2013.indd 10 Carlene Nugent, CCO, Kindred Hospital South Florida – Hollywood, uses a patient-centered approach to show that hope, healing and recovery is more than a mission – it’s a day-today method of patient care. Through frequent rounding and meaningful conversations with patients, families, employees and physicians, Carlene and the staff demonstrate that a caring attitude ultimately drives quality results. Robin Rapp, CEO, Kindred Hospital Ontario, is credited with leading her team’s efforts in the area of wound healing, in which the facility has exceeded its goal. During her tenure, Robin has orchestrated a strong turnaround in the financial, human resources and clinical metrics arenas, and she infuses a genuine sense of passion, commitment and energy to her work. Linda Ruggio, CCO, Kindred Hospital Brea, promotes the Kindred spirit through her leadership roundings. Her efforts have been rewarded by excellent quality index scores. She is a passionate and driven clinical executive and has done an outstanding job elevating the performance and engagement of her nursing staff. Linda implemented a development program for LVNs designed to inspire function at the highest level of their scope of practice, and this model is being adopted across the region with the goal of driving superior patient outcomes. Lynn Schoen, CEO, Kindred Hospital Dayton, exemplifies the characteristics of a true leader, using a hands-on, caring approach to ensuring that patients, families and employees are treated with the highest respect and dignity, and that employee and customer needs alike are addressed. She has lived the “quality through people” mantra by building and maintaining a strong and effective leadership team. It was Lynn’s vision to see the Dayton hospital located in a freestanding facility. 9/12/13 4:21:12 PM s Award Recipients! Everest Award: Given to one CEO and one CCO per region who have demonstrated exceptional leadership and innovation in improving or maintaining superior levels of quality including patient and employee safety. Everest Award winners demonstrated an outstanding commitment to safety and quality. Bob Adcock, CEO, Kindred Hospital St. Louis – St. Anthony’s, served as an administrator at short-term acute care hospitals in St. Louis before coming to Kindred. He built multiple physician relationships in his prior roles and has been able to maintain and build upon these relationships in his role at Kindred, growing Kindred’s business and enhancing its ability to manage difficult patients. Julie Feasel, CEO, Kindred Hospital Bay Area – Tampa, has been devoted to her position and that is reflected in the numbers – the facility’s balanced scorecard goal in “Customer Service Index” was exceeded in 2012. Julie credits this victory to more aggressive rounding through involvement of more employees in the rounding process and open and free exchange of information through the medical executive committee. Angela Green, CCO, Kindred Hospital St. Louis – St. Anthony’s, has been instrumental in ensuring that St. Anthony’s always provides good quality care to its patients. As a result of her hard work and leadership, St. Anthony’s produced impressively low clinical index scores and high customer service scores. Through her strong working relationship with CEO Bob Adcock, “Ange” demonstrates that a positive attitude and true partnership lead to tangible results. 173310-01 Kindred Connections fall 2013.indd 11 Chris Haynes, CCO, Kindred Hospital Greensboro, has demonstrated exceptional leadership. Improvements in quality of care and safety measures have been priorities for Chris, and he has used innovative strategies to reach goals in those areas. As a result, all quality, customer service and risk management benchmarks have been outstanding, turnover is down and employee morale and earnings are up. Sandra Morgan, CCO, Kindred Hospital Bay Area – Tampa, is very engaged in the day-to-day operations. She is often seen on the floors, visible and available. She is approachable for staff, patients, families and doctors, and employs a philosophy that is characterized by compassion and caring. This philosophy has proved pervasive, as more eye contact, talking and sitting has been seen between the staff and their patients. All of this has been reflected in a higher patient satisfaction score. Derek Murzyn, CEO, Kindred Hospital Greensboro, in partnership with CCO Chris Haynes, is part of a leadership duo that has inspired employees and demonstrated commitment to excellent patient care, driving down the turnover rate, improving employee morale and implementing quality, customer service and risk management strategies, the success of which have been reflected in benchmark performance and impressive earnings numbers. Innovation has been a hallmark of Derek and Chris’s stewardship. Advocate Award: Given to the one CEO per region who demonstrates the greatest year-over-year sales and marketing leadership. This year’s Advocate Award winners have shown tremendous creativity and innovation in their sales and marketing leadership roles. Swenda Moreh, CEO, Kindred Hospital Baldwin Park, consistently challenges her clinical liaisons to expand into new territories, even when they appear infiltrated by competitors. These efforts have been fruitful; the facility has seen an increase in non-governmental admissions and a performance increase in managed care revenue. In 2012, Swenda worked diligently to open 20 additional beds at Baldwin Park, which is no easy feat in California. She works closely with her area director of sales and marketing on physician recruitment and alignment initiatives and is a favorite among the clinical liaisons. Hoyt Ross, CEO, Kindred Hospital North Florida, is often on the road with the sales and marketing team, meeting with physicians, leaders at short-term acute care hospitals and skilled nursing facilities, and managed care providers. Despite its location in a rural area, Kindred Hospital – North Florida demonstrates impressive numbers in medical staff appointments, and this is due largely in part to Hoyt’s efforts as CEO. He promotes the Kindred value proposition and his efforts have resulted in solid quality and financial performance. Dr. Sharon Yurkiewicz, CEO, Kindred Hospital Wyoming Valley, consistently demonstrates exceptional leadership of her team of clinical staff, and she works closely in conjunction with the sales and marketing team to be sure that goals are aligned for optimal success. It is her leadership and collaborative skills that have allowed the team to drive impressive revenue growth in the past year. We congratulate all of this year’s President’s club Award winners! 11 9/12/13 4:21:12 PM President’s Club Award Winners Aim to Share Best Practices A committee formed in the wake of the President’s Club Awards roundtable discussion in April faces an important task: developing ways to share the best practices for which winners were recognized, so the whole company can benefit from lessons learned by colleagues and the protocols put into place to address familiar challenges. The Interdisciplinary Team (IDT) Best Practice Workgroup is already well on its way to formalizing a process by which IDT best practices may be shared company wide. Members of the workgroup include: • Brooke Saunders, CEO Kindred Hospital Westminster, Co-chair • Meridell Sloterbeek, CEO Kindred Hospital Clear Lake, Co-chair • Micki Dettman, CCO Kindred Hospital Sycamore • Julie Feasel, CEO Kindred Hospital Bay Area Tampa • Angela Green, CCO, Kindred Hospital St. Louis – St. Anthony’s • Carlene Nugent, CCO Kindred Hospital South Florida – Hollywood • Lynn Schoen, CEO, Kindred Hospital Dayton • Mary Ann Craig, CEO, Kindred Hospital Houston Northwest • Tessie Wagoner, DDCM Southwest District • De Harrington, DDCM Southwest Region • Michele Pasley, DDCM East District • Steve Jakubcanin (Executive Sponsor) DVP, Mid-Atlantic District • Kelli Cole (Advisor), DVP, Case Management, Hospital Division The initiative relies largely on the creation of video clips supported by handouts that detail the type of information brought to IDT by each discipline. “Our goal is to provide examples of best practices that create the optimal plan of care for the patient while exhibiting the CCDI [Clinical Coordination and Documentation Improvement] and operational side of IDT as well,” said Sloterbeek. The workgroup also plans to identify steps to improve medium-and highfunctioning IDT meetings so that improvement strategies for IDT performance are widely applicable for transitional care hospitals (TCHs) of different sizes. Areas to highlight will include the chief clinical officer in the role of facilitator; the director of case management in the role of meeting preparation and setup; infection control and pharmacy to focus on removal of lines, review infections and cover antibiotics use; and the physician to demonstrate buy-in whether by phone or in person. “We think video clips will really drive home the messages because they allow people to see best practices at work and really visualize them,” said Saunders. Video clips might include: TCH messaging in action; integrated care market function with a transitional care nurse; an agitated patient; a patient on a ventilator, with a tracheostomy or on dialysis; a patient with a change of condition; or a patient with multiple complaints or a grievance. Care management as a follow-up to IDT, dietary issues and a proactive discharge planning are other areas being discussed. The workgroup is also working to identify examples of best practices within their regions and what they can showcase by site – such as best overall IDT or best follow-up from IDT to daily care management – all with the goal of spreading useful information to those who can use it for overall improvement in clinical outcomes, patient satisfaction, quality and safety. Look for examples of what the other workgroups are doing in future issues of Kindred Connections. 12 173310-01 Kindred Connections fall 2013.indd 12 9/12/13 4:21:12 PM GOVERNMENT Update Hospital Division Regulatory Update In late July, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued several final regulations that included Medicare payment updates for fiscal year 2014, which begins on October 1, 2013 This included updates to the long-term acute care hospital and inpatient rehabilitation facility prospective payment systems (PPS). Long-Term Acute Care Hospital FY 2014 Update Finalized In the final LTAC hospital payment update, CMS announced that for fiscal year 2014 Medicare payments will increase by 1.3 percent, which includes a 2.5 percent market basket update offset by outlier payments, the second installment of the budget neutrality adjustment, and productivity adjustments. The regulation fully implements the 25% Rule – which had previously been delayed by one year – beginning on October 1, 2013 for all LTACs with very few exceptions. This means that to receive the full LTAC PPS payment, only 25% of patients can come from one referring hospital. While this presents a challenge to Kindred hospitals, we are confident in our ability to manage through the change with limited disruption. The rule also included new measures that will be added to the LTAC hospital Quality Reporting program in FY 2017 and FY 2018. With respect to changes to patient criteria, it is important to note that CMS did not formally propose patient/ facility criteria – and there will be no material changes for FY 2014. Within the rule, CMS stated that they plan to propose new patient criteria within the FY 2015 rulemaking process. In this context, the agency is continuing to study the creation of new chronically critically ill/medically complex (CCI/ MC) subcategory of patients to define the LTAC hospital level of care. At Kindred, we will continue to advocate on behalf of our profession for what we believe is more appropriate patient/ facility criteria such as was included in the American Hospital Association endorsed proposed legislation, the Long Term Care Hospital Improvement Act. CMS Issues FY 2014 Medicare IRF final rule The final 2014 Medicare payment and regulatory update for Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities featured a 2.3 percent increase in Medicare payments effective on October 1, 2013. The final rule also included several updates including changes to the list of diagnosis codes that are used to determine presumptive compliance with the “60 Percent Rule,” changes to the IRF Patient Assessment Instrument (IRFPAI), and revised quality measures and reporting requirements. We were pleased that in preparing the final rule, CMS took into consideration some of the formal comments that RehabCare and other stakeholders provided. While we had specifically advocated CMS withdraw the proposed changes to the presumptive compliance criteria methodology, we also commented that if CMS decided to move forward with the changes, it should allow providers adequate time for implementation, establish modifiers for arthritis conditions, appropriately target record review, and preserve certain codes. In an improvement over the proposed rule, and consistent with RehabCare’s comments, CMS has removed fewer codes than originally proposed from those that may count toward presumptive compliance of the 60% Rule threshold. Additionally, this portion of the update will not take effect until October 1, 2014, which gives providers more time to prepare. The proposed changes to the IRF-PAI and the IRF quality reporting program were also finalized in the rule and will take effect on October 1, 2014. RehabCare will be providing ongoing and comprehensive training to our programs in the upcoming months to ensure they are prepared to implement the changes detailed in the final rule. 13 173310-01 Kindred Connections fall 2013.indd 13 9/12/13 4:21:14 PM EmployeE Engagement Survey Results Hospital Division Employees Feel Empowered, Encouraged Kindred’s Employee Engagement Survey was conducted during the month of May, and over 31,000 employees responded. Employees from all divisions were surveyed, and the survey objectives were to: • measure employee engagement at the overall system and divisional level In the Hospital Division, over 11,000 completed surveys were received, for a response rate of 59% compared to 61% in 2012. Areas of strength – statements that received the most agreement – included: • My job makes good use of my skills and abilities (78%) When asked to list “the best part about working at my company,” the top three factors were: • the work itself • understand if and where priority items have shifted since the last survey • My job gives me a feeling of personal accomplishment (75%) Hospital management is now reviewing the results for individual facilities, and they have been charged with developing action plans to address specific findings. • provide management with tools and reports to enable action planning to improve or maintain employee engagement • understand where engagement levels have shifted since the 2012 survey • The people I work with cooperate together to get the job done (71%) • colleagues • work environment • I am empowered to make appropriate decisions in the best interests of my company (and our patients) (71%) • I feel encouraged to come up with new and better ways of doing things (69%) 14 173310-01 Kindred Connections fall 2013.indd 14 9/12/13 4:21:31 PM Central Texas Rehabilitation Hospital Embraces Innovation and Technology While Putting Patients First Growing up in a military family that moved around a lot, Peggy Barrett became good at winning over new people, from teachers to playmates. “I was always the new girl in school, so sales came naturally to me,” she said. It’s a skill that has served her well in her career, first as a rehabilitation nurse and case manager focused on business development, marketing and sales, and now as Chief Executive Officer of Central Texas Rehabilitation Hospital (CTRH), an inpatient rehabilitation hospital (IRF) in Austin, TX that is a partnership between the Seton Healthcare Family and Kindred Healthcare. treatment team,” Barrett said. “This new building is allowing us to do that.” Medical leaders at CTRH are involved in academic pursuits including research and education. CTRH is the principal inpatient rehabilitation experience for the University of Texas Southwestern Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation residency program. Care remains clinically integrated with Seton Healthcare, even though the two institutions are no longer co-located. The unique specialty clinical programs include neuro-rehabilitation for stroke and brain injury, spinal cord injury and multiple trauma, and rehabilitation for complex medical conditions including intensive pulmonary and cardiac conditions, post-transplant, ventricular assist device recovery and critical illness conditions. The hospital, which was located inside Seton’s main hospital in Austin for five years, recently opened the doors to a new, 59,000 square-foot facility which allowed the hospital to expand from 20 beds to 50. The new building, which opened on May 3, 2012, features the latest in rehabilitative technology, a therapy pool and specialized programs for patients with complex physical and cognitive needs in more than 6,000 square feet of gym space, subdivided into three gyms. “We received so much support from so many important people and organizations as we built this amazing new facility, and the neighborhood associations were an especially important component because we were committed to being an asset to our neighbors and they understood that and supported us,” Barrett said. As CTRH moves closer and closer to realizing its vision, it was chosen as a beta site for ProTouch rollout in the IRFs. “Our vision is to be the leading rehabilitation facility for central Texas, and to do that, we need to be able to provide sophisticated, complex rehabilitation in a state-of-the-art facility offering specialty programs with the highest quality medical staff and “Electronic medical records are becoming more and more of a reality and indeed will be a mandate in the not-too-distant future, and Central Texas Rehabilitation Hospital seemed a natural choice to begin roll-out in the IRFs, since they have been in their new building for over a year and are forging ahead with 173310-01 Kindred Connections fall 2013.indd 15 providing excellent patient care in that new setting,” said Seth Sauve, Executive Director, Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Operations for Kindred Healthcare. Enter the “Going Batty with ProTouch” campaign, which utilizes a well-known image in its visual – a bat, symbolizing the bats of Austin, whose nightly flights are familiar to any Austinite. The ProTouch development team came to CTRH in June 2013 and observed workflow in different areas for one week. ProTouch on-site education began later that month. Six “super-users” were pulled from staffing and trained for one week by the ProTouch trainers. They were not only trained on the ProTouch system, but also trained to teach the program to all clinical staff. A 7.5-week “Go Live” period began on August 7. “It’s still a work in progress with the emphasis on ‘progress’ because we are making great strides,” said Barrett. “Whether it is enhancing patient care through new technology in the new facility or transitioning to the ProTouch system, everything comes back to a fundamental pledge at CTRH. “We make a sacred promise to every patient and family to provide the highest quality, compassionate care, and we continue to strive each day for excellence each day for every patient, and every family member and every staff member as well,” she said. “Every minute of the day is an opportunity to serve.” 15 9/12/13 4:21:32 PM HOSPITAL EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE AWARD PROGRAM Congratulations to the Hospital Employee Performance Award Program (HEPAP) – gold and silver award winners for the first and second quarters of 2013! Southeast Region 1st Quarter Gold Award: Kindred Hospital Lafayette Silver Award: Kindred Hospital Springfield Southeast Region 2nd Quarter Gold Award: Kindred Hospital Fort Lauderdale Silver Award: Kindred Hospital Mansfield Central Region 1st Quarter Gold Award: Kindred Hospital Philadelphia Silver Award: Kindred Hospital Springfield Central Region 2nd Quarter Gold Award: Kindred Hospital Lima The Gold Award is paid to employees of the winning hospital as follows: • $200 award to each full-time employee • $100 award to each part-time employee • $100 award to each per diem employee who worked a minimum average of 20 hours per biweekly pay period during the quarter Silver Award: Kindred Hospital St. Louis – St. Anthony’s West Region 1st Quarter Gold Award: Kindred Hospital Brea Silver Award: Kindred Hospital Seattle – First Hill West Region 2nd Quarter Gold Award: Silver Award: Kindred Hospital Kindred Hospital Seattle – Northgate San Gabriel Valley The Silver Award is paid to employees of the winning hospital as follows: • $100 award to each full-time employee • $50 award to each part-time employee • $50 award to each per diem employee who worked a minimum average of 20 hours per biweekly pay period during the quarter The award is now determined by four Quality and Performance Standards: • Customer Satisfaction – the highest mean score on “Overall Quality of Care at Kindred” with a survey response rate of 50% or greater on the hospital’s Patient Satisfaction Survey • Efficiency – Most favorable variance to budget for Operating Cost Per Patient Day • Lowest full-time/part-time Employee Turnover rate for hospital as reported on the Kindred Business Warehouse Turnover Report • Most improvement from previous quarter for Workers’ Compensation Claims per FTE. Zero Workers’ Compensation Claims in consecutive quarters is considered maximum improvement. Congratulations to the HEPAP winners! If you have story ideas, content suggestions or any questions about this publication, please contact: Dave Inman, Editor, 502.596.6288 • [email protected] Dedicated to Hope, Healing and Recovery Kindred Healthcare 680 South Fourth Street Louisville, Kentucky 40202 www.kindred.com © 2013 Kindred Healthcare Operating, Inc. CSR 173310-01, EOE 173310-01 Kindred Connections fall 2013.indd 16 9/12/13 4:21:32 PM