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Focus February 2, 2012 Saint Raphael Healthcare System employee newsletter For Saint Raphael’s inpatient units and Cronin Short Term Surgery Center, the 2012 fiscal year is off to a great start as it pertains to patient satisfaction. First quarter FY 2012 (Oct.- Dec., 2011) Press Ganey survey results show significant improvement for the inpatient units, while Ambulatory Surgery saw a small increase. The Emergency Department (ED) results dipped in most areas compared to its fourth-quarter (July-Sept.) results for FY 2011. See the Patient Satisfaction Report Card insert in this issue for all the latest results. Inpatient Survey The number of patients responding they would “definitely” recommend Saint Raphael’s – the best predictor of patient loyalty – increased two percent from 72 percent in the final quarter of FY 2011 to 74 percent. This new score meets the threshold goal for our organization-wide patient satisfaction objectives. Several inpatient units contributed to this improvement by meeting or exceeding this goal, including Celentano 3, CCU, CTICU, Main 6, SICU, SLA 4, SLA 5,Verdi 3 East,Verdi 3 South, Verdi 4 West and Verdi 5 East. Saint Raphael’s performance is behind local peer group hospitals by 1 percentage point and we exceed the national average for all Press Ganey sites by three points. The Nursing Department’s focus on several specific survey questions has produced great results: • Scores for responsiveness increased from 61 in the last quarter of FY 2011 to 63 percent and narrowed the gap in performance with our peers in Connecticut to just two points below the average score.This score reflects answers on questions about prompt call-button response and toileting assistance. Consistent, frequent rounding is the best practice to improve this area. • Communication with Nurses is a new area of focus for FY 2012 and Saint Raphael’s showed a 1-percent increase. This score is a composite of three questions: nurses treat with courtesy/respect; nurses listen carefully to you; and nurses explain in a way you understand. continued on page 4 Strong start for patient satisfaction on inpatient units Ambulatory Surgery shows improvement, ED slips The Dr. Romeo A. and Lena B. Vidone Birth Center invites you to celebrate our Baby-Friendly ® designation and our first birthday! Friday, Feb. 10 Baby-Friendly presentation in the Birth Center 9:30 a.m. Sister Louise Anthony Building – 5th floor First birthday celebration 10:30-11:30 a.m. Cafeteria conference room Verdi Memorial Building – 1st floor Join us! Vidone Birth Center one-year celebration and Baby-Friendly® presentation Join us as Connecticut Department of Public Health Commissioner Jewel Mullen, M.D., presents our Baby-Friendly designation from UNICEF and the World Health Organization. Then join us for cake, cookies and refreshments as we celebrate an exceptional year of delivering family-centered care for more than 1,200 babies and their mothers.
Transcript
  • Focus February 2, 2012Saint Raphael Healthcare System employee newsletter

    For Saint Raphael’s inpatient units and Cronin Short Term Surgery Center, the 2012 fiscal year is off to a great start as it pertains to patient satisfaction.

    First quarter FY 2012 (Oct.-Dec., 2011) Press Ganey survey results show significant improvement for the inpatient units, while Ambulatory Surgery saw a small increase. The Emergency Department (ED) results dipped in most areas compared to its fourth-quarter (July-Sept.) results for FY 2011.

    See the Patient Satisfaction Report Card insert in this issue for all the latest results.

    Inpatient SurveyThe number of patients responding they would “definitely”

    recommend Saint Raphael’s – the best predictor of patient loyalty – increased two percent from 72 percent in the final quarter of FY 2011 to 74 percent. This new score meets the threshold goal for our organization-wide patient satisfaction

    objectives. Several inpatient units contributed to this improvement by meeting or exceeding this goal, including Celentano 3, CCU, CTICU, Main 6, SICU, SLA 4, SLA 5, Verdi 3 East, Verdi 3 South, Verdi 4 West and Verdi 5 East. Saint Raphael’s performance is behind local peer group hospitals by 1 percentage point and we exceed the national average for all Press Ganey sites by three points.

    The Nursing Department’s focus on several specific survey questions has produced great results:• Scores for responsiveness increased from 61 in the last

    quarter of FY 2011 to 63 percent and narrowed the gap in performance with our peers in Connecticut to just two points below the average score. This score reflects answers on questions about prompt call-button response and toileting assistance. Consistent, frequent rounding is the best practice to improve this area.

    • Communication with Nurses is a new area of focus for FY 2012 and Saint Raphael’s showed a 1-percent increase. This score is a composite of three questions: nurses treat with courtesy/respect; nurses listen carefully to you; and nurses explain in a way you understand.

    continued on page 4

    Strong start for patient satisfaction on inpatient unitsAmbulatory Surgery shows improvement, ED slips

    The Dr. Romeo A. and Lena B. Vidone Birth Centerinvites you to celebrate our Baby-Friendly® designation and our first birthday!Friday, Feb. 10

    Baby-Friendly presentation in the Birth Center9:30 a.m.Sister Louise Anthony Building – 5th floor

    First birthday celebration10:30-11:30 a.m.Cafeteria conference roomVerdi Memorial Building – 1st floor

    Join us! Vidone Birth Center one-year celebration and Baby-Friendly® presentation

    Join us as Connecticut Department of Public Health Commissioner Jewel Mullen, M.D., presents our Baby-Friendly designation from UNICEF and the World Health Organization. Then join us for cake, cookies and refreshments as we celebrate an exceptional year of delivering family-centered care for more than 1,200 babies and their mothers.

  • Hospital of Saint Raphael Focus 12/2/102 Hospital of Saint Raphael Focus 2/2/12

    Join Saint Raphael President and CEO Chris O’Connor at one of the following open forums for updates on the pending affiliation with Yale-New Haven Hospital, Saint Raphael’s FY 2012 first quarter performance and employee “pulse” survey results.

    Be part of the dialogue – Bring your questions, suggestions and comments about Saint Raphael’s to the meetings.

    Make a resolution to improve care in 2012Just as we make resolutions to improve our personal lives in 2012, the

    New Year offers the opportunity to resolve to improve our professional lives as well. In this ongoing series, here’s another small step you can take to make sure Saint Raphael’s provides the highest-quality care in 2012 and beyond.

    Resolution 3:For the safety of patients, visitors, coworkers and myself, I will

    be 100 percent compliant with Hospital safety measures and mandatory training. To fulfill this resolution, I will:

    • Follow isolation and hand hygiene practices when coming into contact with patients, especially those related to personal protective equipment and practice; and

    • Complete all mandatory requirements by the defined deadlines, including mandatory training through HealthStream.

    Why is this important?Saint Raphael’s isolation procedures were developed to help

    keep our patients and staff safe from communicable diseases. Following these procedures is critical to making sure diseases aren’t spread. Similarly, the annual mandatory training for staff is vital to maintaining Saint Raphael’s safe environment because it refreshes our knowledge on what to do in case of an emergency and how to prevent one.

    Missed the two previous resolutions? Find them on the “Need to Know” section of the intranet.

    Wed, Feb. 8, 10 a.m.Cronin Auditorium

    Thurs., Feb. 9, 5:30 p.m.EVENING SHIFTCafeteria Conference Room (light dinner available)

    Fri., Feb. 10, 2 p.m.Cronin Auditorium

    Mon., Feb. 13, 3 p.m.Cronin Auditorium

    Mon., Feb. 13, 5:30 p.m.EVENING SHIFTCafeteria Conference Room (light dinner available)

    Thurs., Feb. 16, 9:30 a.m.Selina Lewis Building, Multi-Purpose Room (basement)

    Thurs, Feb. 16, 4 a.m. NIGHT SHIFT(technically the morning of Feb. 17)Cafeteria Conference Room (light breakfast available)

    Mon., Feb. 20, 10 a.m.Cronin Auditorium

    Tuesday, February 21, 7:30 a.m.(For NIGHT SHIFT of Monday, February 20/DAY SHIFT of Tuesday, February 21)Cafeteria Conference Room (light breakfast available)

    Employee open forums withCEO Chris O’Connor

    Staff at Saint Raphael’s new Adult Behavioral Health Services facility at 1100 Sherman Avenue, Hamden, gather for their recent open house. From left: Letisha Harrison, office coordinator; Amy Vitale, clinician; Susan Cutillo, Adult Outpatient Psychiatry director; Marshal Mandelkern, Psychiatry Department chairman; Blair MacLachlan, consultant; Barbara Esposito, APRN; Erin Thompson, clinician; Charles Holt, Faculty Practice Plan executive director; Meisha Stanley, information coordinator; Jeffrey Haynes, clinician; Mark Lawless, clinical coordinator; Gale Lemieux, Psychiatry Department administrator. Adult Behavioral Health Services assists adults in Hamden and surrounding communities with substance abuse and/or mental health disorders. For more information, call 203.789.8770.

    Adult Behavioral Health Services opens in Hamden

    Walter Camp Football Foundation honorees visited Saint Raphael’s on Jan. 13 as part of the 45th Annual Walter Camp Weekend. Lucy Sirico, executive director, Saint Raphael Foundation, welcomed, from left, Dan Noonan, former Dallas Cowboy player; Jake Kirkpatrick, former Texas Christian University player; Dan Neil, former Denver Broncos player; Tommie Harris, former Chicago Bears player; Vinny Curry, former Marshall University player; Frank Alexander, Oklahoma University defensive lineman; Ryan Broyles, Oklahoma University wide receiver; Terrance Metcalf, former Chicago Bears player; and Tarek Salah, former Cleveland Browns player.

    Walter Camp All-Americans visit Saint Raphael’s

  • 3 Hospital of Saint Raphael Focus 2/2/12

    In January of 1992, Saint Raphael’s opened the doors of a new, innovative service that combined a nursing program for local businesses and its own employee health program.

    Twenty years later, Occupational Health PlusTM continues to be a pioneer in the occupational health field, a valuable service in the community and a viable program for Saint Raphael’s with more than 900 companies and their employees as clients.

    “Occupational Health Plus is the premier occupational health program in Southern Connecticut. It’s the largest in the area and not part of a national chain,” said Linda Pettine, administrative director of Occupational Health Plus. “That speaks to the quality of services we provide. We’ve grown and are profitable despite the recent economic downturn that has hurt many businesses.”

    Grassroots beginningsPrior to 1992, Saint Raphael’s occupational health programs

    were divided into the Industrial Nursing Program, in which nurses went to businesses like the former Stop and Shop Distribution Center in North Haven to provide treatment for injured employees and for medical counseling, and Saint Raphael’s Employee Health program, which provided similar care services for Hospital employees.

    At the encouragement of the Industrial Nursing staff and clients, Saint Raphael’s explored forming an Occupational Health program in the early 1990s and received the support of former Saint Raphael’s President Jim Cullen in 1991.

    “Physician Assistant Bill Kohlhepp and former Occupational Health Administrator Paul Patalis led a group that looked at different models. They had the foresight to establish a solid organizational foundation, which included a variety of medical services and incorporated computer software for practice management, record-keeping and data collection unique to Occupational Medicine,” said Occupational Health Plus Medical Director Peter Amato, M.D. “Occupational Health Plus was the first Hospital department to perform its own billing and manage its own accounts receivables.”

    The fledgling Occupational Health Treatment Center benefitted when its only local competition closed its doors two weeks after Occupational Health opened. The program quickly grew in size and scope, increasing its staff from one clinician and a handful of staff to more than 60 employees, including three physicians and four physician assistants.

    The program moved from an office in the Orchard Medical Center to 175 Sherman Avenue in April 1994 and changed its name to Occupational Health Plus™ because of its comprehensive offerings, including pre-employment physicals, drug screenings, health programs and rehabilitation services. It opened up a satellite office in Branford in 1998 and another in Hamden in

    2001. Employee wellness programs were added to Occupational Health’s offerings as its list of clients increased to more than more than 900 area companies, including a contract to provide wellness programs for the City of New Haven in 2006.

    Success through understandingWhen Amato became the medical director of Occupational

    Health more than 18 years ago, he didn’t think it would be a longtime job. Within a short period of time, however, Amato was hooked by the excitement of the program’s work.

    “When I came in to interview for the position, I could see there was a great opportunity for growth and there was an excitement in the people here,” Amato said. “I have really enjoyed working with Saint Raphael’s Occupational Health Plus team over the years and it has been very satisfying work. This is the ideal job.”

    The foresight of Kohlhepp and Patalis in setting up a computerized accounting system has helped Occupational Health work efficiently and effectively by tracking its work and making adjustments for employees and companies. This tracking enabled Occupational Health to offer companies a wealth of services they could not get anywhere else, including pre-employment screenings, workman’s compensation evaluations and fitness for duty and disability evaluations.

    “We have been reasonably successful, especially compared to other occupational health programs that may not have expanded beyond the core services of injury care and pre-placement physicals,” Amato said. “By understanding the needs of both the employer and the employee we’ve been able to do things more effectively and efficiently.”

    Occupational Health Plus™ turns 20

    • Jan. 1992 – Occupational Health Treatment Center opens doors in the Orchard Medical Center

    • Aug., 1993 - Peter E. Amato, M.D. starts Aug. 1993• 1994 – Moves to 175 Sherman Ave. – Outpatient rehab integrated into OHP – Occupational Health Treatment Center becomes Occupational Health Plus™ after contest to rename won

    by Mark Shultis, PA-C – Branford Outpatient Rehab opened in 1994

    • April 4, 1998 - Branford Occupational Health opens• March 19, 2001 - Hamden Office opens• 2002 – Celebrates 10-year anniversary• 2006 – Occupational Health Plus wins contract to provide

    Wellness Program for City of New Haven• 2011 – Occupational Health receives grant from the National

    Institute for Occupational Safety and Health for national hearing loss study.

    A timeline for Occupational Health Plus™

    Members of Occupational Health PlusTM, from left, Yvonne Byrd-Griffin, Jenna Bombria, Medical Director Peter Amato, M.D., Deborah Fiddler, LPN, Stephen Lee, PA, Administrative Director Linda Pettine, Outpatient Rehabilitation Supervisor Ronald Perrault, John Pito, M.D., and Michael Lin, PT.

  • 4

    Focus is a biweekly publication of the Department of Marketing Communications. Editor, Christian Meagher X3973, [email protected]; Design, Dorota Kiwak; Photography, Michael Dabbraccio. Next issues of Focus are published Feb. 16, (copy deadline, Monday, Feb. 6) and March 1, (copy deadline, Monday, Feb. 20). Please contact the editor with any story ideas. Send Bazaar listings to Public Information, ambulatory basement, [email protected], or fax X4053. Please recyclee...C

    Hospital of Saint Raphael Focus 2/2/12

    • The performance for questions about the cleanliness of the room and bathroom continues to improve with a score of 72 for FY 2012 as compared to 70 percent for the previous quarter. The gap in performance with our state peer hospitals and the national database is now just 1 percent.

    Cronin Short Term Surgery UnitShort-term surgery showed

    improvement in its “likelihood to recommend” score with an increase from 81 percent last quarter to 81.6 percent. In addition to focused efforts to improve this score, the department is tracking its scores for information about delays; pain control; noise level in recovery room; and skill of nurse starting IV. The first three questions

    were selected because the entire team can influence the performance. The IV question was chosen because it is a relatively new responsibility for the nursing staff that should be monitored closely.

    Survey questions with significant increases for the fourth quarter include: helpfulness of phone personnel; ease of scheduling appointment; information received prior to surgery; billing/insurance questions; information day of surgery; explanations prior to surgery; information about delays; attractiveness and cleanliness of the center; and anesthesiologist explanation. The unit’s demonstration team continues to focus on consistency with practices across all disciplines despite some surges in patient volume.

    Emergency DepartmentThe ED scores in most areas showed

    a decline from the previous quarter; however, there was a 1.5 percent gain in results for staff concern to keep family/friends informed. While the quarterly performance was disappointing, there is improvement in the average wait time to see doctor, how well pain was controlled and how well patients were informed about delays. The reactivated ED demonstration team continues to work with Admitting, Radiology, Environmental Services, Pathology and other key areas to improve patient flow and processes affecting satisfaction.

    News on noise reduction“Secret shoppers” track noise on pilot units

    Noise at Saint Raphael’s is a huge patient dissatisfier. Improving this score is important – first, to help our patients heal, and second, it is one of the areas that will negatively impact our Medicare reimbursement with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service’s new Values Based Purchasing Program. As a result, the Patient Satisfaction Steering

    Committee has identified noise reduction as an organization-wide focus. In an ongoing feature, Focus will provide ways to reduce noise and give updates on initiatives in the Hospital.

    Off-shift patient care managers (PCMs) and members of the Respiratory Care Department are keeping an ear out for noise on the noise reduction pilot units.

    Using a noise auditing checklist, off-shift PCMs and students in Respiratory Care will serve as “secret shoppers” and score Verdi 3 West, Verdi 4 West and Verdi 5 West on how well staff follow steps for reducing noise. The results will be reviewed by the pilot unit PCMs and Patient Satisfaction Steering Committee.

    Some of the items being monitored include:• Personal conversations not taking place where patients or

    visitors can hear them;• Voices do not carry from nurses station into patient rooms, no raised voices in hallway or patient rooms;

    • No cell phone use in patient rooms or workstations or while on duty, and ringer set to silent or vibrate;

    • Tube system landing bin is free of accumulated canisters; and• Staff entering unit from other departments are not disturbing

    the quiet environment.

    Strong start continued from page 1

    Taking ownershipShare your knowledge

    To help you understand the REACH For Excellence Ownership standard and continue to use this training every day, Focus will provide ongoing tips and highlight staff who embody the spirit of Ownership at Saint Raphael’s.

    Ownership means sharing your knowledge. Sometimes when we see less than 100 percent from a coworker, we may think that person doesn’t care or doesn’t have our work ethic, but that may not be the case. Instead, we need to give each other support and share insights, answers, skills and expertise so everyone learns how to improve.

    What YOU can do:• Be aware of others and look for ways to share what you

    know and do well;• Offer assistance in a professional manner and appropriate

    setting;• Give feedback that is specific and non-judgmental;• Recognize the growth in and contributions of others; and• Seek assistance, support and feedback from others to help

    you learn and grow.

    Ownership means… Giving each other support and sharing insights

    “ ”


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