CONGRATULATIONS CENTERPOINT EMPLOYEES, you are invited to a Hawaiian luau in celebration of Centerpoint’s best HCAHPS scores, an increase to 72 percent! PLEASE JOIN US DURING YOUR SHIFT! Friday, September 14: 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. (outside patio) 4:30 - 7:30 p.m. (cafeteria) 10 - 11 p.m. (cafeteria) Saturday, September 15: 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. (cafeteria) 4:30 - 7:30 p.m. (cafeteria) 10 - 11 p.m. (cafeteria) Excelling in patient perception of care aligns with our mission and vision at Centerpoint; “To deliver high quality compassionate care” and be the “provider of choice” for the community. Centerpoint’s grand composite score first quarter 2011 was 65 percent. To reach the current grand composite score of 72 percent (+7 percent) takes extreme efforts from everyone on the Centerpoint team. Approximately 300 patients are surveyed via telephone each quarter. Patients are asked questions, giving a response of - Always, Usually, Sometimes, or Never. The only answer counted for scoring the hospital’s service is, Always. Several practices have been implemented to support improving the patients perceptions of care: AIDET (Acknowledge the patient, Introduce yourself, Discuss duration, Explain care to the patient, and Thank the patient), Bedside Shift Report (Involving the patient and answering any questions the patient or family may have regarding care), White Boards (Communication), Hourly Rounding (Proactive approach to care needs), Patient rounding by leaders, and Discharge Phone Calls (Calling the patient 24-48 hours after leaving the hospital to check and answer any questions). We also have tremendous work going on in our Outpatient Departments to improve patient perceptions of care regarding wait times & communication with patient and family. In this issue: PAGE 2: •MEDICARE REIMBURSEMENT •EVENTS PAGE 3: •EMPLOYEE ACHIEVEMENTS • CONTINUED EDUCATION PAGE 4 : • EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION Health Beat September 2012 CENTERPOINT MEDICAL CENTER • A PUBLICATION FOR EMPLOYEES & VOLUNTEERS HCAHPS Score Celebration! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube
Transcript
CONGRATULATIONS CENTERPOINT EMPLOYEES, you are invited to a Hawaiian luau in celebration of Centerpoint’s best HCAHPS scores, an increase to 72 percent!
PLEASE JOIN US DURING YOUR SHIFT!
Friday, September 14: 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. (outside patio)
Excelling in patient perception of care aligns with our mission and vision at Centerpoint; “To deliver high quality compassionate care” and be the “provider of choice” for the community. Centerpoint’s grand composite score first quarter 2011 was 65 percent. To reach the current grand composite score of 72 percent (+7 percent) takes extreme efforts from everyone on the Centerpoint team.
Approximately 300 patients are surveyed via telephone each quarter. Patients are asked questions, giving a response of - Always, Usually, Sometimes, or Never. The only answer counted for scoring the hospital’s service is, Always.
Several practices have been implemented to support improving the patients perceptions of care: AIDET (Acknowledge the patient, Introduce yourself, Discuss duration, Explain care to the patient, and Thank the patient), Bedside Shift Report (Involving the patient and answering any questions the patient or family may have regarding care), White Boards (Communication), Hourly Rounding (Proactive approach to care needs), Patient rounding by leaders, and Discharge Phone Calls (Calling the patient 24-48 hours after leaving the hospital to check and answer any questions).
We also have tremendous work going on in our Outpatient Departments to improve patient perceptions of care regarding wait times & communication with patient and family.
In this issue:
PAGE 2:•MEDICARE REIMBURSEMENT •EVENTS
PAGE 3:•EMPLOYEE ACHIEVEMENTS• CONTINUED EDUCATION
PAGE 4 :• EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION
Health BeatSeptember 2012
CENTERPOINT MEDICAL CENTER • A PUBLICATION FOR EMPLOYEES & VOLUNTEERS
HCAHPS Score Celebration!
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube
CENTERPOINT MEDICAL CENTER • A PUBLICATION FOR EMPLOYEES & VOLUNTEERS • SEPTEMBER 20122
hospitals are slated for cuts next year, including 278 receiving the full 1 percent deduction. In Missouri, 53 hospitals will be penalized for an average of 0.33 percent, including four receiving the full 1 percent cut. In Kansas, 29 hospitals will receive a cut with the average at 0.2 percent and two getting the maximum penalty. An analysis by Kaiser Health News found that the highest-penalized locations were New Jersey, New York and the District of Columbia, with a 0.5 percent average cut or greater. The reductions will be offset somewhat by a 2.8 percent increase in payment rates to general acute-care hospitals, also scheduled to begin Oct. 1.
Health care experts view readmission rates as a good measure of medical care. A 2010 CMS study found that readmissions cost Medicare an additional $17.5 billion in inpatient spending in that year alone. For the past two years, patients could view a particular hospital’s rate of readmission for heart attacks, heart failure and pneumonia on the federal website www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov.
Medicare Reimbursement Achievement (Excerpt from the Kansas City Business Journal)
All but two area hospitals will face penalties beginning in the fall because of the number of patients they release who quickly need to return for treatment. Olathe Medical Center and Centerpoint Medical Center in Independence are the lone area hospitals that won’t lose a portion of Medicare reimbursements once fiscal 2013 begins Oct. 1.
Earlier this month, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released the penalty adjustments for 3,500 U.S. hospitals, the first piece of a multiyear effort to encourage medical centers to improve the care they provide. Each hospital faces as much as a 1 percent cut in Medicare reimbursements, based on a complex calculation of the number of patients originally admitted for heart attack, heart failure or pneumonia who must return for treatment within 30 days of being released. Patient information is based on a three-year period from July 2008 to June 2011.
The penalties, part of the Affordable Care Act, will increase to 2 percent of Medicare reimbursements in fiscal year 2014 and 3 percent in 2015. Nationwide, 2,215
Centerpoint Medical Center has formed a team for the 2012 Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Kansas City, MO on Saturday, October 27, 2012.
Almost everyone has been touched by breast cancer in some way, so we’ve decided to make a difference by walking and raising money in our local American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer event. Today 1 of every 2 women newly diagnosed with breast cancer reaches out to the American Cancer Society for help and support. Donations raised by Centerpoint’s team will enable investment in groundbreaking breast cancer research, free information and services for women diagnosed with the disease, and access to mammograms for women who need them. Donations will help more than 2.5
million breast cancer survivors celebrate another birthday this year! Saving lives from breast cancer starts one team, one walker, and one dollar at a time. We know that the American Cancer Society is the leader in the fight to end breast cancer. We know that supporting them will ensure that if you need someone to talk to anytime of the day or night, they will be there.
Join us and together we will walk for a world without breast cancer. To sign up for the Centerpoint Making Strides team contact Heather Palmer, Director of Oncology at [email protected] or (816)698-8293.
Making Strides Against Breast Cancer
CENTERPOINT MEDICAL CENTER • A PUBLICATION FOR EMPLOYEES & VOLUNTEERS • SEPTEMBER 2012 3
Farewell Reception Join us as we say good-bye to
Carolyn Caldwell, CEO Wednesday, September 12
4-6 p.m.Hospital Auditorium
Refreshments will be served.
Carolyn has accepted the position of Chief Executive Officer with Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, Calif. This new position is a wonderful
opportunity for Carolyn and we wish her all the best in her new responsibilities at a larger facility that is involved in medical education. Please join us in congratulating Carolyn as she begins this new and exciting journey. Her last day at Centerpoint will be Friday, September 28, 2012.
Fifth Year for School At Work Program This is the fifth year for The School at Work program at Centerpoint and the next session of classes will start in October. There have been many successes from the program from job advancement to returning to school and furthering career goals. “School at Work” is an initiative through HCA, that provides full time or part time hourly employees, with six months of service, an opportunity to develop skills in the healthcare profession to help advance their career. This program is geared toward entry-level positions including but not limited to those in Food and Nutrition, Environmental Services, as well as Unit Secretaries, PBX Operators, Sterile Processing and Pharmacy Technicians. School at Work (SAW) is a workforce development system that brings education directly to the work site. The purpose of the program is to:•Learn during normal working hours•Teach skills necessary to explore other career opportunities in healthcare•Refresh math, communication and reading skills•Learn how to use a computer and become an “online” learner
The program is a six-month, twelve module program. Participants attend class each week for two hours and spend a minimum of two hours outside class on homework. For each module, they study using exercises in a workbook, activities on the computer, and a lesson seen on television with co-workers. If you are interested in the SAW program you should contact Willa Woods in HR by e-mail, stopping by, or by phone at x8135. To be considered for the program, there is an interview, as well as a reading assessment. In order to be successful in the class, participants need to have good reading skills. The SAW course has helped students from the last class, realize the wide range of healthcare careers that are out there to choose from and continue their education to purse nursing and surgical technician careers. Class size is limited to 10 students. Don’t miss this opportunity!
20 Year CCRN AchievementDiane Dailey, CV Observation RN has achieved 20 years of CCRN certification. Diane recently received national recognition for reaching a significant milestone in the nursing profession. Since 1992, she has consistently maintained CCRN certification offered through the AACN Certification Corporation.
Diane is one of 1,611 CCRNs being honored this year by the
corporation and the American Association of Critical Care Nurses for 20 years of continuous certification. CCRN certification is one of the most advanced professional credentials that can be achieved by a nurse in the field of acute and critical care.
CENTERPOINT MEDICAL CENTER • A PUBLICATION FOR EMPLOYEES & VOLUNTEERS • SEPTEMBER 20124
Welcome!Please welcome the following new employees to Centerpoint:
Hannah Frerking, GN - Progressive Care UnitTomi-Anne Gould, RN - TelemetryTheresa Posey, RN - Medical OncologyTodd Landess, RN - Emergency ServicesMelinda Gould, RN - Women’s ServicesTodria Librera, Anesthesia Tech - AnesthesiaAimee Homan, Patient Care Technician - TelemetryJennifer Barnett, Speech Pathologist - Rehabilitation ServicesShirley Douglas, Phlebotomist - LaboratoryRichard Esterl, OR Technician II - SurgeryJillian Barth, GN - Women’s ServicesLinda Blackburn, RN - Progressive Care UnitBrandy Cooper, GN - Surgical OrthoRandy Dacanay, EVS Technician - Environmental ServicesRichard Esterl, OR Technician II - Surgery
Megan Fallon, GN - Progressive Care UnitMolly Horan, GN - TelemetryApril Hyde, EVS Technician - Environmental ServicesEva Johnson, EVS Technician - Environmental ServicesMargaret Lee, RN - Progressive Care UnitMegan McFerrin, Nutrition Care Assistent - Food & Nutrition ServicesJeremy Moore, GN - Intensive Care UnitSarah Ramlal, ER Technician - Emergency ServicesNicole Russell, RN - Medical OncologyEmily Thomas, Pharmacist - PharmacyDaniel Vaught, RN - Surgical OrthoCathy Willdermood, RN Case Manager - Case ManagementRhonda Williams, RN - GI Lab
Patsy Anderson, PCT from the sixth floor was selected as the August Employee of the Month. “She always gives her patients the best care possible. She goes above and beyond to take the best care of her patients. I recently observed Patsy hand washing a younger patient’s clothing that was homeless. After hand washing them, she did not feel that they were clean enough, so she took them home and washed them. Patsy is an asset to have on the 6th floor.”
Dixie VanHercke, RN, Labor and Delivery, is the recipient of the August DAISY Award at Centerpoint. A patient nominated Dixie for this award stating, “when my epidural wasn’t going in as planned, it became very painful. Dixie was right there telling me how good I was doing, wiping the tears from my eyes and snot from my nose. I am almost 41 years old and felt like such a baby from the pain. She was so compassionate and understanding that I will always remember her. She was all about me and my comfort. ”
August DAISY Award Winner
Employee of the Month
Memorial ServiceA memorial ceremony was held on Tuesday, August 28, 2012 in memory of Mark S. Clark, MD. Speakers included Clark’s former colleagues, Mary Wurtz, M.D.; Robert Caffrey, M.D.; Gregory Vardakis, D.O.; and Vinod Velakaturi, M.D.
The children of Mark Clark planted a tree in remembrance of their father.
A special stone unveiling by Kelly Clark. The Stone is placed in a patio outside the hospital.
