News, announcements, and vital information for associates, their families, and friends of Kenmore Mercy Hospital. Se pte mb e r 2Ma 0 1 3rch 2 0 1 4
Kenmore Mercy Leads the Way in Lower Readmission Rates in Western New York In a recent report by Kaiser Health News, Kenmore Mercy Hospital was singled out with better than average readmissions rates.
Antonina DiCarlo and Rob Morello (center) were recognized by Craig Fetterman, MD, and Jim Millard, president & CEO.
Medical Staff Associates of the Year Announced Physicians at Kenmore Mercy Hospital have chosen Rob Morello, RN, from the Interventional Radiology Department, and Antonina DiCarlo, RN, a case manager in the Care Management Department, to receive the hospital’s Annual Medical Staff Associate of the Year Award for 2013. This award recognizes outstanding associates for their service to patients and staff. Rob is a graduate of Niagara County Community College with a Nursing degree. After working for Niagara Falls Memorial, he joined Kenmore Mercy Hospital as an Intensive Care Unit nurse. He has also worked in the hospital’s Emergency Department, served on the Soarian clinical team as an analyst, and is currently with the Interventional Radiology Department.
Antonina is a graduate of D’Youville College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing. Prior to joining Kenmore Mercy, she worked at Millard Fillmore Hospital as staff and charge nurse, Staff Builders Homecare as an infection control nurse, Home Care Support as a training coordinator, and for the Visiting Nursing Association as a branch manager.
At the other end of the spectrum, recent Medicare data shows about eight percent of hospitals, including some of the most prominent hospitals in the country, have overall readmission rates that exceed the national average, according to the report. All other Western New York’s hospitals, except Mercy Hospital which also has better than average readmission rates, were rated as average or below average.
The data examines all hospital-wide unplanned readmissions for Medicare patients who returned to the hospital within one month of their original visit. Kenmore Mercy was among 315 hospitals, or 7 percent of those rated across the country, whose patients were readmitted at a lower rate than the national average.
Through better care coordination and improved patient engagement, during and post discharge, Kenmore Mercy has seen a 15 percent decrease per month in medical admissions. “I’m pleased that Kenmore Mercy Hospital has remained ahead of the curve, addressing typical readmission issues through its clinical integration and quality initiatives,” said Becky DelPrince, RN, manager of Care Management and the hospital’s lead for clinical integration projects.
Examples of recent initiatives include:
Michelle Rainville, MD, and Michelle Shea, case manager, discuss a patient case in the Emergency Department.
Physician Initiatives • Standardization of testing for patients with congestive heart failure • Implementation of syncope protocol Patient Care Unit Initiatives • Proactive work with patients on their post-discharge care plan by: - Scheduling physician appointments prior to discharge - Reviewing medications and follow-up calls by nursing staff and pharmacists
Emergency Department Initiatives • Expansion of the Emergency Department discharge process by referring patients to: - Rehabilitation - Catholic Medical Partners’ physician offices - Clinics - McAuley Seton HomeCare • Increased use of observation status Readmission rates are significant because they are used to determine financial penalties for hospitals that participate with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services government healthcare programs.
News from Jim Millard, President & CEO
Kudos
A special thank you to Sandie Milka, service representative, who collects bottles and cans at Ken-Ton FamilyCare and uses the deposit money to purchase gift cards for needy families. Erik Diringer, DO, was the 2013 third quarter LOVE Award winner. Judy Arnold, social worker in Care Management, was the 2013 fourth quarter winner.
Diringer
Each year, we evaluate the hospital’s strategic goals and needs, and we develop our key priorities or “big dots,” as we like to call them. For 2014, our priorities include Patient Safety & Experience, Surgical Services, Orthopedic Campus of Excellence, Clinical Integration, Operational Effectiveness, and Magnet Status.
You will notice as you read this newsletter that many of the articles focus on these six areas. Similarly, during our upcoming Associate Forums, we will share information about each of these “big dots.”
Milka
Arnold
Over the holidays, Kenmore Mercy Hospital’s Laboratory Department staff participated in the Red Cross’ “Holiday Mail for Heroes.” They collected new cards that the Red Cross delivered to veterans, military families and activeduty service members at hospitals and military installations around the world. Lori Meder, RN, in the Intensive Care Unit, recently earned her Critical Care Nursing certification, a credential granted by AACN Certification Corporation.
Meder
Brianna Geddis, RN, received her orthopedic certification in February 2014. Geddis
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It’s important that you to understand these areas of focus, why we have chosen them as our priorities, how they are positively impacting the care that we provide to our patients, and how you are contributing to the success of Kenmore Mercy by supporting them. We’ve had a busy start to the year. The construction of our two new ORs is well underway. We were recognized once again by Healthgrades as one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Orthopedic Surgery, and we were also recognized locally and nationally
for our low readmission rates.
Our most recent Culture of Safety survey results showed an improvement in almost every question, and once again, our scores rate above the national average. And, Nursing continues with the work necessary to attain Magnet recognition, the highest level of recognition given to organized nursing services in the United States I hope you take the time to join us for our upcoming Associate Forums that begin on March 28 and run through April 11. These sessions are a great opportunity for you to learn more about the “big dots,” ask questions, provide feedback, and interact with our administrative team. I’m confident that if we focus our efforts and continue to make improvements in the six focus areas, that we will have another great year at Kenmore Mercy Hospital. Thanks again for all that you do for our patients, for the hospital, and for each other.
Welcome New Management Mary Pat Barth Vice President of Mission Integration Mary Pat oversees mission, ethics, spiritual care and community benefit activities at Kenmore Mercy Hospital, Home & Community Based Care, and Corporate Services. She joins us after three years at Mercy Hospital as their vice president of Mission Integration. Prior to joining Catholic Health, she served as an academic counselor, patient navigator, and spiritual director, helping students, cancer patients, women’s groups and others facing spiritual, health and social challenges.
Laura Cianflone Human Resources Director Laura previously served as Human Resources manager for Sisters of Charity Hospital, St. Joseph Campus. In her new role, she joins Kenmore Mercy’s leadership team, overseeing all human resources func-
tions for the hospital and its offsite locations.
Laura has previously held recruitment and generalist positions at Mercy Hospital, St. Francis Buffalo, Father Baker Manor and Corporate Human Resources. Margy Donofrio Nurse Manager of ASU, PACU & Pre-Surgical Testing Margy was most recently interim manager of the Operating Room and Sterile Processing Departments at Sisters of Charity Hospital, St. Joseph Campus.
She has worked at Catholic Health in a variety of nursing roles for more than 30 years. Her experience includes working in critical care, perioperative, gastrointestinal, ambulatory surgery, pre-surgical evaluation, post anesthesia care, and much more.
Hospital’s Efforts Promote Good Health Over the last year, Kenmore Mercy has rolled out a number of health and wellness initiatives as part of the Highway to Health campaign.
We are pleased to partner with Becker Farms for the second year in a row to bring associates a FarmShare program. By purchasing a “share,” each member gets a portion of the farm’s weekly crop, which is delivered to the hospital.
On March 21 at 12:30 p.m., the hospital’s clinical dieticians host Make Healthier Choices at the Grocery Store. in the Community Room. Learn how to be better shoppers and break bad habits. Reserve your spot by calling x 76016.
Becker Farms is accepting registrations now at www.beckerfarms.com.
For more information, contact Kathy McAlpine at mcalpin@chsbuffalo.org (447-6014).
By Bill Vaughan, director of Chaplaincy Services
New Lactation Room Opens Kenmore Mercy recently opened a lactation room for nursing mothers’ comfort and convenience when working at the hospital.
The new room is part of Catholic Health’s overall initiative to provide workplace lactation rooms throughout the system.
It currently has two chairs and a side table with outlets in the wall for plugging in pumps. Nursing moms must bring their own pump. A sink is also available in the room.
The lactation room is located on the third floor in office #3039. It is currently open to hospital employees and volunteers.
The room is a converted office that is in the process of being renovated. Kenmore Mercy Hospital management is working closely with Catholic Health’s WomenCare division to enhance the room.
We all face difficult times that make us want to shelter our hearts. When we experience life struggles, it is a natural reaction to want to shield ourselves, and put protection around our hearts, to keep pain from entering.
A closed heart makes it impossible to open up and allow in happiness, great opportunities, and good people. However, when you open your heart, you have room for growth, forgiveness, and change. Most of all, you can let love in again. So how are we able to bring about growth and change? The words of Tsoknyi Rinpoche in Open Heart, Open Mind can help guide us:
“We want our nursing moms to have a comfortable and private place where they can pump free from intrusion,” said Cheryl Hayes, vice president of Patient Care Services at the hospital and a champion for this project.
“Breastfeeding is one of the most important things a mother can do for her baby, and we want to support that. The lactation room helps by reducing the stress and anxiety associated with pumping outside the comfort of home,” she added.
Living Our Mission
The room can accommodate two nursing mothers and is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Upon accessing the room, be sure to place the do not disturb sign on the door.
We also ask that moms complete an anonymous annotation in the lactation room customer logbook in order to track usage and obtain feedback for future improvements.
“Look at your life. Look at the ways in which you define who you are and what you’re capable of achieving. Look at your goals. Look at the pressures applied by the people around you and the culture in which you were raised. Look again. And again. Keep looking until you realize, within your own experience, that you’re so much more than who you believe you are. Keep looking until you discover the wondrous heart, the marvelous mind, that is the very basis of your being.” An open heart is a heart that feels comfortable saying: “Let’s try, we’ll find a way. Let’s learn something new.”
An open heart is a heart that knows how to heal and how to forgive. It is strong and loving. An open heart sees possibilities. It has vision. It is patient, it is wise. Let us all strive to keep our hearts open.
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Orthopedic Campus of Excellence
Hospital Launches Pilot Data Collection Project More than 1.4 million total knee and hip replacements were performed in the United States in 2012, according to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control. At Kenmore Mercy Hospital, the number of cases exceeded 2,100.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than one-third of adults 65 years and older fall each year — and fewer than half of them discuss falling with their healthcare provider.
“This positions our hospital as an Orthopedic Campus of Excellence, with a valuable opportunity through the American Joint Replacement Registry (AJRR) to benchmark ourselves against other hospitals across the country and to better understand patient outcomes,” said James Millard, hospital president & CEO.
Many senior citizens also face multiple, chronic ailments like diabetes and heart disease. In addition, for the elderly who fall and are unable to get up on their own, the period of time spent immobile often affects their health outcome.
Currently, all Catholic Hospitals participate in “level 1” data submission, which confidentially collects patient age and gender, hospital, surgeon, diagnosis and procedure, type of
Give Falls the Slip
What’s more, the risk of falls increases proportionately with age as our bones weaken. A fall that a young adult might walk away from could put a senior citizen in the hospital, facing major surgery and months of rehabilitation.
There are numerous safety measures one can follow to prevent slips and falls:
• Know your surroundings and take time to monitor the weather. • Wait for assistance when sidewalks and roads are slick. • Wear the proper shoes. Avoid walking in shoes that have smooth surfaces, which increase the risk of slipping. • When using stairs, take your time and use hand railings. • Remove tripping hazards in the home, such as throw rugs, furniture, and clutter. Researchers say the risks of seniors falling are greater if they have lower body weakness, problems with walking and balance, or are taking four or more medications. To reduce their risk, elderly people should get regular exercise to increase their lower body strength and improve balance. When a fall does happen, it’s important to get treated as soon as possible to improve odds of recovery. Get to an emergency department or an orthopedic clinic to get checked out.
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Recently, Kenmore Mercy Hospital has volunteered to participate in AJRR’s pilot data collection project, including an expansion of data from a “level 1” to “level 2 and level 3” data.
implants and laterality related to the orthopedic procedures.
“With the AJRR, the large number of cases in one comprehensive orthopedic database gives researchers the ability to see patterns of risk and Kane benefit that cannot be discerned in smaller case series,” said Christina Kane, vice president of Musculoskeletal Services for Catholic Health. “In the end, this helps to improve quality, improve outcomes, and increase the cost effectiveness of total joint replacement surgery,” she added.
Kenmore Mercy will be working towards submitting “level 2” data—including patient co-morbidities, post operative complications and follow up, as well as American Society of Anesthesiologists scores—that will assist in compiling national risk adjusted data across all payors.
The next step will be to submit “level 3” data which will include the results of patient-reported outcome measures that assess health-related quality of life and physical function.
Kenmore Mercy Ranks High with Healthgrades
Marcus Romanowski, MD, Betty Lofaso, RN, Donna Conti, RN, Mary Hojnacki, RN, and James Millard, accept the recent Healthgrades awards.
Kenmore Mercy Hospital recently celebrated receipt of the Joint Replacement Excellence Award™ from Healthgrades for the eighth consecutive year.
In addition, the hospital was named as one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals for orthopedic surgery and joint replacement. The hospital also received the following recognitions from Healthgrades.
• Orthopedic Surgery Excellence Award™ (top 5% in country) • Five-Star Recipient for Total Knee Replacement • Five-Star Recipient for Total Hip Replacement • Five-Star Recipient for Hip Fracture Treatment Kudos to all the associates who helped to make this happen!
Welcome To Our New Physicians Sahar Chitgar, MD
Dr. Chitgar specializes in obstetrics and gynecology. She completed her medical education at Tehran Medical School in Iran and her residency at Stroger Hospital of Cook County in Chicago. She sees patients at CCS Oncology.
Omar Kass-Hout, MD, MPH
Dr. Kass-Hout specializes in neurology. He completed his medical education at Faculty of Medicine Damascus University in Syria and completed his neurology residency at SUNY Buffalo Education Consortium. He sees patients at Neuroscience and Vascular Services.
Daniel S. Kassavin, MD
Dr. Kassavin is certified in surgery and specializes in vascular surgery. He completed his medical education at SUNY Downstate Medical Center and completed his residency at Monmouth Medical Center. Dr. Kassavin is also on staff at Sisters of Charity and Mercy Hospital. He sees patients at the Vascular and Endovascular Center of WNY.
Ajay N. Panchal, MD
Dr. Panchal specializes in general surgery. He completed his medical education at SUNY Buffalo School of Medicine and also completed his surgical residency at SUNY Buffalo Education Consortium. Dr. Panchal is also on staff at Sisters of Charity Hospital. He sees patients at his office in Amherst. James E. Peppriell, MD Dr. Peppriell is certified in anesthesiology. He completed his medical education at SUNY Downstate Medical Center and completed his residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and at SUNY Buffalo affiliated hospitals. He sees patients at Anesthesia Consultant Associates in Kenmore.
Steven S. Stone, MD
Dr. Stone specializes in family practice medicine. He completed his medical education at SUNY Buffalo School of Medicine and his family practice residency at the Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Va., and SUNY at Buffalo Deaconess Hospital. Dr. Stone sees patients at Amherst Medical Associates.
Spring 2014 Associate Forums Blossoming in a New World of Healthcare Community Room Sessions
Friday, March 28 Wednesday, April 2 Thursday, April 3 Friday, April 4 Tuesday, April 8 Wednesday, April 9 Thursday, April 10 Friday, April 11
10 a.m. - Noon 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. 5 - 7 p.m. 3 - 5 a.m. Noon - 2 p.m. 5 - 7 p.m. 1 - 3 p.m. 3 - 5 a.m.
Sheridan Healthcare Center Sessions Pulmonary Rehabilitation Conference Room
Monday, March 31
Noon - 1 p.m.
Surgical Services
Kenmore Mercy’s surgical management team - Margy Donofrio, Dennis Incorvaia, Linda Butski, Dee Sinicki, Donna Conti, and Jennifer McCarthy - has been busy preparing for construction in their new space.
First Phase of Surgery Remodel Underway
Kenmore Mercy Hospital is embarking on the first phase of a long range plan to enhance surgical services.
The first step of this multi-phase project, construction of two new surgical suites, is currently underway. They will be nearly 700-squarefeet to allow for more sophisticated minimally invasive and robotic surgical technology used in complex neurosurgery and orthopedic procedures. Most recently, the Surgery Department’s main desk was shifted to make way for one of the new suites. Surgery managers have also temporarily relocated their offices to the old Emergency Department area.
In addition, physician locker rooms were recently moved. A number of temporary walls have been constructed around the Surgery and Ambulatory Surgery Departments to allow for construction without disrupting patients.
“Our hope is that construction will be completed by the end of June with our first surgery in the new suites taking place in early July,” said Walt Ludwig, chief operating officer.
Once the new surgery area is completed, the project will continue on to include the relocation of the Ambulatory Surgery Unit to the former Emergency Department area. This will allow for an increase in both ASU and Post Anesthesia Care Unit beds. Anticipated completion of this project is summer 2015. The final step in the project will be the expansion of surgical locker rooms, rebuilding of the surgery support space, and potential relocation of the physician lounge and medical library.
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Patient Experience
Patients and Family Focus Group Paving the Way for Improvements Efforts are underway to form Kenmore Mercy Hospital’s first Patient and Family Advisory Council.
This extension of the hospital’s patient experience efforts will provide a means to strengthen communication and collaboration among patients, families, caregivers, and staff.
Laura Verbanic interviews a patient using the “My Rounding” app.
New App Enhances Rounding Patient rounding at Kenmore Mercy Hospital is about to take a major step forward with the pilot of a new mobile device application called “My Rounding.” This application will enhance rounding and eliminate paper reporting for hospital leadership.
Equipped with data collection, analysis and reporting features, the hope is that “My Rounding” will not only reduce costs, but also enhance quality and patient safety.
Using the application, rounders can gather data on iPhones and iPads; create custom scripts and questions; survey staff, patients and physicians; run reports in real-time; use pre-loaded templates and questions; access high reliability library and videos; and track issues by priority and category.
“Leadership rounding is already a proven strategy at Kenmore Mercy Hospital, improving safety, quality, communication and the patient experience” said Laura Verbanic, director of Quality & Patient Safety. “ This new technology will only help to further enhance and improve the efficiency of rounding,” she added.
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“We hope that the council will create a stronger patient and family-centered care environment and provide feedback regarding programs, services, and policies,” said Heather Telford, RN, director of Nursing, Critical Care and Emergency Services, and chair of the planning committee. The planning committee, represented by the Nursing, Public Relations, Spiritual Care and Quality Depart-
ments, is in the process of identifying council members who meet key criteria.
Qualifications for membership as an advisor include, being a current or former Kenmore Mercy Hospital patient or family member, in addition to having a willingness to contribute towards the overall mission of the council, while not seeking to pursue a personal agenda. Patients and their families are often the most knowledgeable members of the care team, and can offer unique perspectives and valuable feedback regarding the standard of care they receive.
Kenmore Mercy Using Information Super Highway to Drive Communications Kenmore Mercy Hospital is working to improve both internal and external communications by taking a ride on the information super highway. In an effort to reduce space in our ever growing email inboxes, more and more information can now be found on the intranet. In fact, most flyers that were previously sent as a PDF via email have now been scaled down to buttons that link to the intranet. “We are always looking for new and better ways to communicate internally with staff. The intranet is a wonderful tool already available to us that can be better used,” said Dawn Cwierley, public relations manager.
Kenmore Mercy will also be a pilot email collection site. “Every year our associates stress that they want to help reduce paper usage by receiving emails rather than mailings at home,” said Cwierley.
To make this possible, personal email addresses can now be submitted on the Catholic Health website or the Kenmore Mercy intranet. Associates can also submit this information
when attending any of the upcoming forums. The hospital has also put a lot of work into enhancing its visibility externally.
Now in its third year on Facebook, the Kenmore Mercy page has more than 700 followers and continues to grow. While it currently focuses on news about the hospital, its events and services, Facebook is also becoming a place to provide health tips and celebrate associates. More recently, a landing page promoting the hospital’s Orthopedic Campus of Excellence was launched in association with a postcard to local households.
That page is a catalyst to what will become a new and improved orthopedics page for Kenmore Mercy Hospital and Catholic Health, featuring stories about new procedures, photos and details about key physicians, and much more.
Hospital Transforming to Better Meet Patient Needs Patients of Kenmore Mercy and their families will soon be a little more comfortable as the hospital transforms itself to enhance the patient experience.
Among the projects is the renovation of the lobby, which started with the addition of Tim Horton’s in December. The next step will be an overhaul of the furniture and new carpeting, to create a fresh and modern look throughout the lobby.
New furniture has also been purchased for patient rooms and will be rolled out in phases, starting with the 2 West Patient Care Unit. The new furniture and carpeting are made possible in part by funding from the Kenmore Mercy Foundation which has donated $110,000 toward these projects.
“The Kenmore Mercy Foundation Board of Trustees is honored to be able to fund projects such as the purchase of new furniture in the patient rooms and the front lobby,” said Shari McDonough, executive director of the Foundation.
Another initiative underway is placement of new directional signage to help patients and visitors with wayfinding, specifically to the new Emergency Department and the Knee & Hip Center.
The hospital’s renovations stem from a master-planning effort spanning the last three years and community research on how to better serve Buffalo’s northtown communities.
Kenmore Mercy Hospital Achieves American Heart Association’s Top Award
Clinical Integration
A multiisciplinary team - Mary LaMartina, RN, Eric Diringer, Do, Christopher Dowd, RN, Maureen Audino, RN, Sue Conover, RN, Sarah Lichtenburger, RN and Mark Weinsheimer, RT - collaborate on the new ICU initiative.
ICU Learning ABCs of Critical Care Associates at Kenmore Mercy are learning their ABCs … Specifically, they are implementing the ABCDE Bundle – Awakening and Breathing Co-ordination, Choice of medication, Delirium Management, and Early mobility – getting the hospital’s sickest patients up, moving, and off ventilators more quickly Growing evidence reveals the majority of critically ill patients are at risk for developing two common and potentially dangerous conditions, delirium and weakness.
Frontline staff like these individuals were integral in the hospital achieving this designation.
Kenmore Mercy Hospital has earned the American Heart Association/ American Stroke Association’s Get With the Guidelines-Stroke Gold Plus Achievement Award. To achieve Gold Plus designation, hospitals must follow treatment guidelines in key measures at least 85 percent of the time and maintain that level of performance for a consecutive twelve months.
Hospitals participating in the GWTG program voluntarily self-report the data necessary to be considered for recognition in each category.
“Our commitment to outstanding care for patients with time critical diagnoses such as stroke is reflected in this award,” said Cheryl Hayes, vice president of Patient Care Services.
“At Kenmore Mercy Hospital we are fortunate to have very talented physicians and caregivers at all levels that have demonstrated their relentless commitment to continuously meet the goals set forth by the American Heart and American Stroke Association. This is good for our patients and good for the community we serve,” she added. Recommended American Heart Association/American Stroke Association standards of care must be met throughout the patient’s stay and are designed to improve patient outcomes and reduce the risk of patients needing to go back to the hospital. In addition to the stroke award, Kenmore Mercy received the Get With The Guidelines – Heart Failure Silver Quality Achievement Award in 2013.
In fact, up to 74 percent of critical care patients develop delirium and weakness during their ICU stay and continued acquired weakness persists in 60 percent of patients after one year. Additionally, 34 percent of patients with delirium scored at a functional level of traumatic brain injury, and 24 percent scored at an Alzheimer’s level.
The ABCDE bundle uses the best available evidence on delirium, immobility, sedation and analgesia, and interventions tested in clinical trials that have been adapted for everyday use in the ICU. Recent studies have shown that mobilization of mechanically ventilated patients significantly decreased both ICU length of stay and overall hospital length of stay. A multidisciplinary team of nurses, respiratory therapists, pharmacists, physical therapists, and intensivists, are collaborating on this project, which is becoming the standard protocol for all critical care patients at Kenmore Mercy. “Our goal is to help patients avoid potentially long-term problems, and prevent readmissions.” said Mary LaMartina, RN, CCRN, who along with ICU nurse manager Kristen Parisi, RN, CCRN, is leading education efforts in the ICU.
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Nursing News
The Academy of Med-Surg Nurses’s committee board includes Mimi Haskins, program coordinator; Carole Woomer vice president; Brenda Cramer, treasurer; Annette Gillies, president; and Nancy Chojecki, board member. Missing from the photograph is Johanna Boyd, secretary. All but Mimi are Kenmore Mercy nurses.
Nurses Establish Local Med-Surg Organization Nurses at Kenmore Mercy Hospital have been integral in organizing Western New York’s only Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses (AMSN).
Granted their charter in December 2013, the specialty nursing organization serves the eight counties of Western New York — Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans, and Wyoming. “AMSN WNY is dedicated to developing medical-surgical nurses both personally and professionally,” said AMSN president, Annette Gillies, RN, a staff nurse on 2 West.
The newly formed organization hopes to attract those interested in medical surgical nursing, which represents a diverse group who care for patient populations in hospitals, long-term care facilities, home health agencies, pediatrics, hospice, and community health clinics. Benefits of membership include: discounted Medical-Surgical Registered Nurse Certification Exam, online learning, special discounts on publications, professional development, networking and advocacy.
The group’s next meeting is on April 30 at 7 p.m. at Kenmore Mercy Hospital in the Community Room. For more information, contact Annette at annettegillies2013@gmail.com, or visit AMSN.org.
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Nursing to Honor Individuals with Daisy Award
Kenmore Mercy’s Nursing Department is pleased and excited to announce its participation in the DAISY Award, which celebrates the uniqueness and values of our nurses.
After his death Patrick’s family set up the DAISY Foundation to say thank you to nurses everywhere for all that they do for their patients.
Healthcare organizations partner with the DAISY Foundation to provide this award to nurses who are nominated by patients, families or co-workers.
The hospital’s Unit Based Council representatives will review all of the nominations and will select the nurse whom they believe best meets the essence of the DAISY Award.
The DAISY Award honors nurses who go above and beyond and those who define patient/family centered care.
The DAISY Award was founded by the family of J. Patrick Barnes who passed away at the age of 33 after battling Idiopathic Thrombocytopenia Purpura, a blood condition.
The Kenmore Mercy Unit Based Council representatives voted to extend the DAISY Award twice a year beginning in 2014.
Nomination forms for the award are available on each unit and on the intranet.
Nursing Begins Road to Magnet Status Kenmore Mercy Hospital is currently working towards earning the prestigious Magnet designation, the highest level of recognition given to organized nursing services in the United States. It is awarded by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). Less than 1.5 percent of hospitals in the country to achieve this status, which recognizes quality patient care, nursing excellence, and innovations in professional nursing practice. “Our primary focus is nursing excellence, but our journey will also reflect transformational leadership, shared governance and teamwork, exemplary professional practice, use of new knowledge, innovation and research—all verified through documented outcomes of patient care,” said Cheryl Hayes, vice president of Patient Care Services. In 2012, Kenmore Mercy was recognized by the AACN as the first hospital in Western New York to achieve the Pathway to Excellence designation.
Like Magnet recognition, Pathway to Excellence is a recognition offered by the ANCC for healthcare organizations that promote safe, positive work environments.
An organization that achieves Pathway to Excellence recognition is committed to nurses and to the values which nurses identify as important in the overall pursuit of safe, highquality patient care. “Achieving Magnet designation or Pathway to Excellence designation reminds us of our individual and collective calling to give the best care to every patient, every time,” added Hayes.
More than 20 years of research about Magnet recognition has shown that hospitals having Magnet status have lower patient mortality rates, fewer medical complications, improved patient and employee safety, shorter hospital stays and higher patient and employee satisfaction.