CONNECTIONS October 2018
An award-winning newsletter for Orange Regional Medical Center employees, physicians and volunteers
From The President & CEO
I am proud to announce, once again, that Orange Regional Medical Center has earned the recognition of being among America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Coronary Intervention for the third year in a row by Healthgrades. It was great to receive this honor for the first time in 2017, but to receive it again in 2018 and now for 2019 is an outstanding accomplishment. And, our honors continue to grow as Healthgrades has also recognized Orange Regional as being among America’s 100 Best Hospitals for General Surgery. These are significant and prestigious acknowledgements. Being nationally recognized as a Top 100 Hospital in these areas illustrates our commitment to quality patient care and operational excellence. Additionally, our Bariatric Program received the Bariatric Surgery Excellence Award for the third year in a row. Healthgrades is the leading online resource for comprehensive information about physicians and hospitals and is the first third party organization to objectively rate hospital quality with a focus strictly on clinical outcomes. The timing of these announcements coincided perfectly with our Quality Awards event held on October 25. The evening spotlighted excellent quality initiatives throughout the Greater Hudson Valley Health System (GHVHS) driven by dedicated employees which, in many cases, produced terrific patient outcomes and have now become hardwired. Special recognition and congratulations goes to the overall GHVHS winning team who worked hard to put processes in place to decrease C Difficle infections for enhanced patient safety. My sincere congratulations to the ‘Enhancing Recovery After Surgery’ Team for being Orange Regional’s 2018 Overall Top Award Winner earning the highest quality scores from over 60 nominations. I’d also like to congratulate Orange Regional’s Interventional Radiology Department for taking home the Double Play Award which was based on achieving the highest, top quartile scores in our Culture of Safety and Employee Engagement surveys. I applaud everyone who has led, participated, supported and or executed quality initiatives in an effort to provide better care to our patients. Look for a list of all the Quality Award winners and a great photo collage of the evening in next month’s edition of Connections. As you are all aware, our annual Employee Engagement Survey is open until November 5. This survey helps us learn, from you, what we are doing well and how we can be better. Your participation is very important. So, please be sure to take the survey and provide your honest opinions. Should you have any questions about the survey, please ask your leader or contact Naomi Lippin, Manager of Organizational Development & Learning, at (845) 333-0228. Sincerely,
Scott Batulis, President & CEO
Orange Regional one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Coronary Intervention and General Surgery According to Healthgrades, the leading online resource for comprehensive information about physicians and hospitals, Orange Regional is one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Coronary Intervention and General Surgery. Healthgrades is the first third party organization to objectively rate hospital quality with a focus strictly on clinical outcomes. Orange Regional Medical Center was also recognized for the following clinical achievements: • Coronary Intervention Excellence Award™ • General Surgery Excellence Award™ • Bariatric Surgery Excellence Award™ Thank you to all of our physicians and hospital staff members who make this recognition possible.
CONNECTIONS
Greater Hudson Valley Health System Medical Group Update Welcome New Providers
Mohamed Elfar, MD Trauma Surgery
Jenny Cabas-Vargas, MD Rheumatology
Jothi Vaidyalingam, MD Post-Acute Care
Tehmina Khan, MD Hospital Medicine
Anthony Rella, AGACNP-C Trauma Surgery
Compassionate Giving
On October 10, eight students from Warwick High School donated specially designed paper flowers they made in their agriculture and floral design class to our Radiation Oncology patients. We thank them for their compassion and generosity. 2
OCTOBER 2018
Trish Manna, BS, CHC, CHPC has been appointed as Corporate Compliance Officer and Director of Audit and HIPAA Privacy for the Greater Hudson Valley Health System. Trish’s career has been extensive, with more than 30 years of experience. She began her career in the Information Technology Department where she held various leadership positions. She’s played an integral role in the implementation of our electronic health record system, Epic, and has helped shape the face of our strong compliance department within the Greater Hudson Valley Health System. Trish most recently served as the Director of Compliance, Audit and HIPAA Privacy and was instrumental in helping the organization achieve The World’s Most Ethical Company Award and the Malcolm Baldrige PiPEx Process Excellence Award for the Compliance Program. In her new role as Corporate Compliance Officer, she will provide management and oversight to all aspects of our Corporate Compliance Program and oversee the Audit and HIPAA Privacy components for the health system. Trish has a Bachelor’s Degree in Healthcare Administration and is currently pursuing her Masters of Business Administration Degree in Healthcare Management. She is certified in Healthcare Compliance (CHC) and certified in Healthcare Privacy Compliance (CHPC). Trish can be reached at 333-7188 or tmanna@ghvhs.org.
Welcome New Employees Emily Ampel Lisa Andrews Morgan Barnum Kareen Bellevue Christia Blackburn Danielle Burke Amber Cardona Elizabeth Cianchetta Taina Del Rio Jacqueline Dupree Rashan Elliott Nicole Failla Alexandra Francis Talayia Graham Deja Harford Dorothy Heilbrunn Maurice Holder Samir Kaba Celia Lawrence Gregory Magno Yamilette Marrero Kayla Melshenker Sheila Moreau Adam Nellis Lisa O’Connell Patricia Ortega Julia Paccio Stella Pak Rekhabahen Patel Erica Phillips Nancy Ramos Acevedo Joshua Rivera Tecolia Robinson
The ED Team was a 2nd quarter BEE Award recipient.
Dennis Rubi Laura Cintron was a 2nd quarter BEE Award recipient.
Orange Regional’s Being Exceptional Every Day (BEE) Award recognizes and celebrates employees for providing extraordinary, compassionate care. Working in conjunction with the DAISY award, which honors nurses for exemplifying compassionate and empathetic care to patients, the BEE award recognizes additional members of the patient care team. The most recent BEE Award was presented to Laura Cintron of our Legal & Risk Management team and the Emergency Department. Thank you all for going above and beyond for our patients. To make a nomination, email BEEAward@ghvhs.org. 3
Sheena Sharpe Amy Space Monica Stricchiola Nichola Thornhill Kayla Toro Kaitlyn Umstead Jennifer Valastro Demetria Wildman
OCTOBER 2018
Glycemic Team Featured In The Hospitalist Magazine
Society Of Hospital Medicine (SHM) Magazine Showcases Glycemic Team’s Work
Diabetes Clinical Manager, Lorraine Porcaro, RN, Vicki Monti, RN and Karen Hansen, RN, were featured in The Hospitalist magazine around the glycemic improvement “bus” at Orange Regional.
The ORMC Glycemic Improvement Team is now featured on the Society of Hospital Medicine's website, www.hospitalmedicine.org. Their project, Improving Patient Safety: Hypoglycemia Reassessment, is featured as a case study resource for other hospitals. It demonstrates how Orange Regional used data to identify a problem related to glucose management (timely reassessment of hypoglycemia), developed interventions, and followed the data to track the effectiveness of those interventions.
Some of the members of the Glycemic Improvement Team (left to right): Beth Post (Laboratory), Doug Rose (Quality), Laurie Porcaro (Diabetes Clinical Manager), Sionnie LeBlanc (ED), Shelly DeHaan (Director, Dunkelman Diabetes Center), Adrian Paraschiv (ORMG Hospitalist), Ryan Punsalan (ORMG Hospitalist).
Good Catch Radiologic Technologist, Kelly Paterno, and CT Technologist, John Basilio, received Good Catch awards for their proactive patient care measures. Scott Batulis, President and CEO, likes to personally thank those that take an active role in ensuring the quality of care Orange Regional provides to our patients. A good catch occurs when corrective action and/or timely intervention prevents an incident or medical error from happening. Nominations are accepted throughout the year and are judged by a Patient Safety Subcommittee. For more information about the Good Catch Award, contact QA Data Coordinator, Katie Haun, at 333-1294 or khaun@ormc.org.
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CONNECTIONS
Organ Donor Enrollment Generous staff throughout the hospital gave their time by helping to recruit organ donors on October 10 - Organ Donor Enrollment Day. Recruitment stations were located outside by the front entrance and also in the conference center lobby and more than 35 people signed up to become organ donors. On Organ Donor Enrollment Day, individuals, teams and organizations volunteer their time to solely enroll organ donors. Every completed enrollment form could help save the lives of up to 8 people. If you would like to be an organ donor please visit www.donatelife.net.
Metal Sculpture Garden Adds Tranquil Aesthetic To Outpatient Building Recently, Orange Regional’s Director of Healing Environment and Art Curator, Nina Favata, members of the hospital’s maintenance team and Amy Lewis Sweetman, a local artist, worked together to install seven metal sculptures on the parapet off the second floor of the Outpatient Building. With Nina's design direction, Amy crafted the diamond-cut steel sculptures, which took more than two years to create and install. The sculptures provide patients and visitors with the same tranquil aesthetics found in the hospital’s interior setting - warmth, a natural play on light and soothing colors.
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CONNECTIONS
Committed To Our Community - Celebrating Breast Cancer Awareness Month At Orange Regional, employees demonstrate the capacity to serve, volunteer and give back, both inside and outside of the walls of our organization. Whether it’s by participating in a charity walk, volunteering within the community, sending assistance to those in need or contributing funds in support of a good cause, our hospital family is incredibly generous! Check out some scenes of our staff within the Hospital and out in the community during Breast Cancer Awareness month.
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OCTOBER 2018
Orange Regional is First in Orange County to Offer Innovative TCAR Procedure We are the first hospital in Orange County to treat carotid artery disease to prevent strokes using a new procedure called TransCarotid Artery Revascularization (TCAR). TCAR is a clinically proven, minimally invasive and safe approach for high surgical risk patients who need carotid artery treatment. Congratulations to our clinicians and staff who remained committed to quality and worked diligently to bring this innovative procedure to our hospital. For more information on the procedure, visit www.ormc.org/tcar.
Employee Health And Wellness As the temperature drops and the leaves begin to fall, here are some preventative measures to stay healthy:
Prevention With Vaccination
Take Action Every Day
An annual seasonal flu vaccine (either the flu shot or the nasal spray flu vaccine) is the best way to reduce the chances that you will get seasonal flu and spread it to others. When more people get vaccinated against the flu, less flu can spread through the community.
Take every day preventative actions to stop the spread of germs. Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth - germs spread this way.
Is It A Cold Or The Flu? Although the common cold and the flu share many similar symptoms, they are two different conditions. The symptoms of a cold develop slowly and can include sore throat, runny or stuffy nose (often with green- or yellow-colored discharge) and more. Flu symptoms usually appear suddenly and can include nausea, chills and sweats.
National Compliance Week National Compliance & Ethics Week provides a unique opportunity to be reminded of ways to recognize and respond appropriately to situations that may arise during the course of our duties that require us to act in a compliant and ethical manner. Join the Compliance staff in celebration of this special week!
Masks of Courage Orange Regional Medical Center’s Spagnoli Family Cancer Center offered a Masks of Courage Workshop for head and neck cancer patients on September 23, in the Outpatient Services Building. The art therapy session allowed participants to re-imagine their radiation masks as a symbol of victory over their disease. Radiation masks worn during treatment for head and neck cancer or other cancers can become powerful symbols of healing when transformed into works of art. Orange Regional offered patients an opportunity to work with artists and therapists to transform their masks into sculpture. Head and Neck Cancer patients often have a mesh mask molded around their head and neck area to help stabilize them for radiation treatments. It is important for patients who have treatment to the brain or the head and neck area to be still during treatment, as radiation is precisely given to such areas and to avoid other vital organs. For more information on cancer services at Orange Regional, please visit www.ormc.org/cancer. 7
CONNECTIONS
Save The Date Blood Drive
REMINDER:
The first Wednesday of the month 10 am to 3 pm
Employee engagement survey is extended until November 5.
Donor bus will be outside of the Main Campus entrance.
Please be sure to take it if you have not done so.
Medical Group Holiday Hours Thanksgiving Day All Medical Group locations CLOSED, EXCEPT Urgent Care locations open 9 am to 3 pm Christmas Eve All Medical Group locations open 8 am to 4 pm including both Urgent Care locations
Raffle Prizes! & Giveaways!
Christmas Day All Medical Group locations CLOSED, EXCEPT Urgent Care locations open 11 am to 3 pm
CATSKILL REGIONAL MEDICAL CENT ER Wednesday, November 7th 7:30 am to 4:00 pm 68 Harris-Bushville Road, Harris, NY ASB Boardrooms A & B – 2nd Floor
New Year’s Eve All Medical Group locations open 8 am to 4 pm including both Urgent Care locations
ORANGE REGIONAL MEDICAL CENT ER Friday, November 16th 7:30 am to 4:00 pm 707 East Main Street, Middletown, NY Conference Rooms 1,2,3 (ground floor)
New Year’s Day All Medical Group locations CLOSED, EXCEPT Urgent Care locations open 9 am to 6 pm
Members of the Greater Hudson Valley Health
System
Auxiliary Vendor Sales Program Sales take place on the ground floor of the Main Campus in the Conference Center Lobby.
Applause Gifts
November 13
J & M Sports
November 26
Save on Sweats
November 16
Pampered Chef
November 29
Teddi Gifts
Coats & Outerwear Simple Treasures
Leslie's Jewelry
November 15
November 28
Dana's Funny Doggies November 30
November 19
November 21 8