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St. Luke’s strives to be the region’s health care employer of choice.
A publication of st. Luke’s
Third Annual Network-wide Employee Opinion Survey:
St. Luke’s Helps Area Students with Work — and Life.......................... Page 2
Make Your Voice Heard St. Luke’s Hospital & Health Network will conduct its third annual Network-wide Employee Opinion Survey from May 3 to May 17. Keeping the Elderly at Home is Goal of everyday LIFE Program............. Page 4
. lease help us continue our commitment to making St. Luke’s a great place to work, one in P which all employees feel engaged, satisfied and proud! I. n December 2008, 72 percent of all Network employees took the survey and shared their thoughts on what makes this a great organization and what steps can be taken to make it even better. Our goal this year is to exceed 2008’s participation rate and hear from even more employees! I. t is important that all of our employees have the opportunity to help us understand what is great about our organization. We want to know what positive changes you would recommend in the way we operate, and how you feel about your own role in the Network. .A few things you should know about this year’s survey: ModernThink, LLC again will help us to conduct the survey on-line.
Leading a Department to New Heights..................................... Page 5
Your responses will be completely anonymous. Your participation is entirely voluntary. The on-line survey can be accessed wherever a computer is available — even at home. Computer help sessions will be scheduled to assist employees taking the survey. Employees taking the survey will be eligible to win prizes, including iPods, Visa gift cards, etc. Survey results will be made available to us and shared with everyone in late summer I. hope you will participate and that you will encourage your co-workers to participate. Look for more details in the coming weeks through workplace “Meet-n-Greets,” MyNet messages, broadcast e-mails, posters and fliers. � Tanya
A Day in the Life of Charlene Stackhouse............................ Page 9
Markovich, Director of Workplace Initiatives
April 2010
In This Issue: Third Annual Network-wide Employee Opinion Survey: Make Your Voice Heard....1 St. Luke’s Helps Area Students with Work – and Life.. ........................... 2 Photographic Memory............................ 3 Keeping the Elderly at Home is Goal of everyday LIFE Program.. ......................... 4 Leading a Department to New Heights.. .................................... 5 The Good Samaritan..... .......................... 7 Emergency Management Committee Earns National Acclaim.......................... 8 A Day in the Life.. .................................. 9 NICU Program Helps Our Tiniest Patients Make Big Strides.. ..................10 For Efficiency, St. Luke’s CDM/RCM Department Fits the Bill.. .....................11
With a little help from a “NICU friend...” See page 10 for the full story.
You Make A Difference This month’s issue of Network Pulse features our third annual Network-wide Employee Opinion Survey. Past surveys have generated a high response, and we expect this one to do the same. That’s because our readers — our employees — are committed to everything they do — as evidenced by the following comments: From an outpatient at the Allentown Campus: “I was especially pleased with the thoroughness and helpfulness of the nurse practitioner in diagnosing my most painful dry eye and finding a remedy in the middle of the night. Many thanks.” From a patient at the Emergency Department at the Quakertown Campus: The courtesy, care and treatment of the emergency staff were very good. My hat goes off to the doctor who checked me thoroughly and told me what was wrong. From a patient at the Gastrointestinal Lab at the Bethlehem Campus: “I am most impressed with the cleanliness of the hospital. I’m a clean fanatic and you more than pass my expectations!” From a patient at the Miners Campus: “The staff was very nice to my visitors. They let my wife come anytime, day or night, because of her work schedule.” From patients of St. Luke’s Family Practice – Palmer: “All staff usually are smiling and treat you like a family member when you need support most. Thanks.” “I feel very lucky to have found this clinic. I moved here from Seattle, Washington, and have been to several clinics trying to find a good fit for me. I’m happy to say I have found it. Thanks.” From a trauma patient at the Bethlehem Campus: “All physicians were profoundly skilled.”
ST. LUKE’S HELPS AREA STUDENTS WITH WORK – AND LIFE In just 12 years of operation, the Schoolto-Work (STW) Program has established a web of connections in our community — and is making a difference in the lives of many local at-risk students. The STW is an initiative of the Bethlehem Partnership for a Healthy Community; its main partners are the Bethlehem Campus, the Bethlehem Area School District and Teen Careerlink of the Lehigh Valley (part of the Private Industry Council). According to Melissa Craig, assistant director of St. Luke’s Community Health Department, “The program has two missions: targeting adolescents who are at higher risk of dropping out of high school and helping to meet the increased demand for a more diverse health care workforce.” All told, the STW program has guided 193 students on the road to productive jobs and satisfying lives. Edwin Nistal is a shining example of STW’s success. Edwin was 14 when his family moved from Puerto Rico to the United States. His home life was good, but his family spoke no English. At Liberty High School, where he was
enrolled in the English Acquisition Program (EAP), Edwin excelled in the classroom and on the volleyball court. After rotating through several departments at the Bethlehem Campus during the 2004 – 05 school year, as part of the STW Program, Edwin landed in the Biomedical Engineering Department. Located at the Bethlehem Campus, the department serves the Network’s hospitals, physician practices and physical therapy sites. It provides repair and preventive maintenance services for wheelchairs, stretchers, MRI scanners, sterilizers, thermometers, televisions, nurse call buttons and other types of hospital equipment. Don Seiple, CBET, director of the Biomedical Department, remembers Edwin as a very capable and eager student. “Working in the hospital and completing school assignments takes a lot of commitment. Edwin performed tasks typically done by employees, not students, like using a computer program to calibrate thermometers. Our technicians are big supporters of the STW Program — teaching the students skills and acting as role models.”
The STW program has guided 193 students on the road to productive jobs and satisfying lives. “I learned so much by working in the Biomedical Department,” says Edwin. “One of the biggest obstacles for me to overcome was the fear of people making fun of me because of my broken English. From EAP classes to my STW experiences, my teachers and mentors encouraged me to keep asking questions and improve my communication skills. Having an opportunity like that was a gift.” And Edwin made the most of his opportunity. He was hired by the Central Transport Department at the Bethlehem Campus. Ryan Jandrisovits, supervisor of Patient Transport and Ergonomics, describes Edwin as “an outstanding employee with great customer service skills and a heart of gold — a team player who is extremely compassionate, motivated and charismatic.” Edwin, who is pursuing a degree in criminal justice at Northampton Community College, recently moved to the Security Department at the Bethlehem Campus and is still on reserve status with Central Transport. “I still like electronics and plan to get licensed to fly a helicopter — a dream I’ve had since childhood,” says Edwin. Although we focused on Edwin in this story, he is not the only Bethlehem Campus employee to have completed the Schoolto-Work Program. That growing list of success stories includes Evelyn Montanez in our Accounting Services Department and two members of the Community Health Department: Victoria Montero (who was featured previously in Network Pulse) and Isairi Sanchez.
Edwin Nistal (front, center) with the Biomedical Engineering group (L-R): Chris Manzo, CBET; Ed Young, CBET; Greg Swigart, CBET, CRES; Mike Papa, CBET; Jim Vrabel, CBET; and Don Seiple, CBET, department manager.
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Photographic memory Donna Grammes recalls 37 years of Radiology at St. Luke’s It is evident — technology and innovation have changed the face of diagnostic radiology and how health care is delivered. Today’s sophisticated systems, like multi-slice computed tomography (CT) scanners, MRI and P.E.T. CT technologies, diagnose complex diseases more accurately and faster than ever before, saving lives along the way. It really wasn’t that long ago, however, when clinicians relied predominantly on two-dimensional film X-rays for medical information that would help guide their treatment decisions. Donna Grammes, CT coordinator at St. Luke’s Hospital – Bethlehem Campus, remembers the early days. A 37-year veteran of the St. Luke’s Radiology Department, Donna started her career in 1973 as an X-ray technologist. At the time, film X-rays were used extensively to visualize the inside of the body. Donna vividly remembers the early technologies and practices, like hand-developing X-ray films in the hospital’s dark room. She also has seen firsthand how advanced and sophisticated diagnostic radiology has become.
St. Luke’s CT coordinator Donna Grammes has seen CT technology evolve and progress in the last 37 years, like GE’s 64-slice CT scanner, which can produce precise, detailed images in seconds.
Remember the Region’s First CT? Donna does. St. Luke’s installed the region’s first CT scanner in 1978, an early-generation CT scanner from GE Healthcare. It came to St. Luke’s six years after CT technology was invented by British engineer Godfrey Hounsfield and South African-born physicist Allan Cormack.
Although it had limitations, the early CT was considered state-of-the-art. “We had more information from that single-slice scan than we had with a flat X-ray,” says Donna. “We were finally able to see softtissue detail, like ventricles and fluid. The images gave clinicians the ability to identify and diagnose an aneurysm, a stroke or a brain tumor. With X-rays, we were limited to visualizing bony structures.”
The first CT systems were dedicated to head imaging only. Still, it was considered a breakthrough in the field. For the first time, detailed cross-sectional images of the human body could be produced. GE Healthcare representatives trained Donna on the equipment.
Beyond its operation, Donna was also responsible for maintaining and adjusting the equipment. “Back then, Biomed did not exist,” she says. “If an adjustment needed to be made, we were on the phone with our GE representative who worked with us to resolve the problem.”
“St. Luke’s was the first hospital in the region to offer this ‘leading-edge’ technology,” says Donna. “We acquired the GE 8800 CT, an early generation single-slice CT scanner. In the early days of CT, head scans took as long as 45 minutes to do, and images were only about the size of a half dollar.”
Today, CT is a mainstay for diagnosing diseases at medical centers throughout the world. Donna has seen this technology evolve from the singleslice CT scanner to today’s advanced 64-slice systems available at locations throughout St. Luke’s Hospital & Health Network. “The 64-slice CTs are extremely fast and precise, and can scan through a chest, abdomen and pelvis in 5.9 seconds,” says Donna. “This can prove
April 2010
especially critical in emergency situations when every second matters.” The evolution and availability of advanced CT technology became essential when St. Luke’s Hospital-Bethlehem Campus became a Regional Trauma Center, according to Donna. “CT’s role in cancer detection also has increased dramatically; today, advanced scans are used extensively to image cancer patients with metastatic disease,” she says. Donna can only imagine the advances to come in the future; she retires in April with vivid memories and lasting friendships. A Remarkable Journey Donna’s interest in radiology developed early. After high school graduation in 1971, she became one of only eight students to be accepted into a two-year hospital-based radiology program that gave her on-the-job training and experience. She graduated from the program in 1973 and immediately joined St. Luke’s, eventually becoming a CT scan coordinator at St. Luke’s Hospital. Donna retires in April 2010 after 37 successful years at St. Luke’s. We wish her well.
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Keeping the elderly at home is goal of everyday LIFE program Elderly patients can stay home and get the skilled medical care they need in a new program offered by Presbyterian Senior Living along with medical leadership from St. Luke’s Hospital & Health Network. Designed for individuals in Lehigh and Northampton counties aged 55 and older who are eligible for a nursing home, the program — called everyday LIFE — allows them to remain at home, maintain independence and promote family relationships. “LIFE is an acronym for Living Independence for the Elderly,” explains Wendy Weaver, the program’s executive director. “The program focuses on the whole person,” Wendy says. “Its mission is to keep the person who might otherwise have to be in a nursing home in his or her own home. We are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.” Opened in May 2009, the program operates from 2045 Westgate Drive off Schoenersville Road in Bethlehem. Dr. Donna Miller is the medical director for the program. Patients are required to use the program’s primary care physician, Dr. Kathleen Meehan of St. Luke’s Physician Group, after they are admitted to the program. Dr. Meehan is a member of the everyday LIFE interdisciplinary team, which includes:
Meeting in the foyer of the everyday LIFE facility are from left, Dr. Kathleen Meehan, everyday LIFE primary care physician; Wendy Weaver, everyday LIFE executive director; and Virginia Wagner, St. Luke’s administrator for Senior Adult Services/Behavioral Health.
nurses, a social worker, physical and recreational therapists, personal care attendants, a dietician and the program’s van driver. In addition, St. Luke’s Physician Group provides specialists when needed by everyday LIFE patients. “St. Luke’s has been a fabulous partner,” Wendy states.
An individual plan of care is developed for each participant in the program. The plan may include care in the patient’s home covering times when family members are not available; respite care in everyday LIFE’s adult day care facility; and medical and therapy services. The adult day facility offers opportunities for socialization for the participant. Transportation is provided from the client’s home to everyday LIFE’s location. Medication and medical equipment — such as walkers or wheelchairs — are coordinated by the care team and provided under the program. For participants who are Medicare and Medicaid eligible, there is no deductible or co-pay. Virginia Wagner, senior adult services administrator at St. Luke’s, says that by participating in the new program, the Network is providing medical leadership in bringing this model of care to the community. “This segment of the population is very important to St. Luke’s,” Virginia says. “The continuity of care this program provides is a wonderful option.”
everyday LIFE provides support services and therapy for their clients as prescribed by Dr. Kathleen Meehan, (L) primary care physician and administered by Molly Sanderson, LSW, social worker, Jenna Turner, CTRS, recreation therapy, and Rebecca Best, LPN, clinic nurse.
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Everyday LIFE is one of 15 programs in Pennsylvania following a national model of care known as a Program of All-Inclusive continued on page 7
April 2010
Leading a Department to New Heights Leo A. Heitlinger, MD, chief of Pediatrics, came to St. Luke’s Hospital & Health Network because he wanted a position that would enable him to build a department that provided service to the community. As it has turned out, he got his wish. While Dr. Heitlinger was practicing at the Columbus (Ohio) Children’s Hospital in the late 1990s, a recruiter called to gauge his interest in relocating to “the East Coast.” While a move that far east didn’t interest Dr. Heitlinger, he was pleasantly surprised when he found out that the opening was in the Lehigh Valley. Dr. Heitlinger was familiar with Bethlehem, and relished both the new professional challenges St. Luke’s offered and the opportunity to move his family closer to relatives — including two sets of aging parents — in Southeastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey. There has been a series of accomplishments and improvements to the department since Dr. Heitlinger came here in 1999:
• St. Luke’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit has been expanded to provide more and better care in a developmentally appropriate setting. • A hospitalist program, which provides doctors who only visit patients in the hospital, now includes pediatric hospitalists. (Dr. Heitlinger explains that since patients’ primary care physicians outside the hospital generally do not visit inpatients, hospitalists are a relatively new specialty to provide that care.) • Finally, Dr. Heitlinger is proud of St. Luke’s commitment to education, including the opportunities it provides to students in family practice. In addition to his responsibilities with SLHHN, Dr. Heitlinger has been a leader in national professional organizations. He has written journal articles and has been active in the American Academy of Pediatrics. In November 2009, he became chair of the AAP’s Section of Gastroenterology, Hepology and Nutrition.
“I was concerned that when I came to Bethlehem I would be out of the mainstream, but that has not happened,” he said. He also said his leadership in the AAP “is recognition of both his accomplishments and the strength of our organization.” Dr. Heitlinger and his wife Marilyn live in Lehigh County. The couple has four children and a granddaughter. In addition to activities with his family, Dr. Heitlinger enjoys playing golf, although he admits he’s not a very accomplished golfer. He does get the chance to hone his skills for a week each summer when he and his family vacation in Hilton Head, S.C. “I get to play every day,” he says. “It’s my favorite place.” But when vacation ends, Dr. Heitlinger returns home to the Lehigh Valley and to St. Luke’s to take on more professional challenges, and to continue guiding and growing an award-winning Pediatric Department. Readership Survey Suggestion
• He is most proud of St. Luke’s expanded services to children in the community. When he arrived, there were about 12,000 annual pediatric clinic visits. Now, annual visits exceed 35,000 at three sites. This year, St. Luke’s received the Inez and Edward Donnelly Award for Children’s Advocacy, an honor bestowed by Community Services for Children, an Allentown-based agency that provides Head Start and other programs, in recognition of these programs and the school-based programs provided by the Community Health Department and the dental clinics. • Ten years ago, there was a limited number of pediatric sub-specialists. Now, there are about 20, including specialists in neurology, gastroenterology, endocrinology and pediatric surgery. Dr. Heitlinger says this allows St. Luke’s to provide childrens’ hospital-level care, but acknowledges that more capacity is needed to expand the availability of specialists’ services.
April 2010
Dr. Leo Heitlinger, chief of Pediatrics, prepares to visit a patient in the Pediatrics wing. Nursing staff working with Dr. Heitlinger are (L-R): Charlotte Becker, RN, patient care manager; Pat Gubich, RN, clinical coordinator; and Lenore Capuano, RN.
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Moose, a certified pet therapy dog, boosts morale by motivating speech and movement in Mr. Alfred Lane, and other stroke survivors.
Picture perfect! Every year, the American Association of Neuroscience Nurses (AANN) has a “Spirit of Neuroscience Nursing Photo Contest.” The photos were displayed during the AANN’s 42nd Annual Educational Meeting, which was recently held in Baltimore. Attendees voted for their favorite image. The member whose photo receives the most votes wins a complimentary conference registration to the AANN’s
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43rd Annual Educational Meeting in Kansas City, MO, March 19 – 22, 2011. Jeanne Masters, a certified neuroscience nurse who works in the ICU, entered a photo into the contest and it won first prize! The photo was taken during March’s Stroke Club meeting during which Dr. Jennifer Axelband made a visit with her pet therapy dog “Moose.” Congratulations Jeanne!
April 2010
The Good Samaritan William M. Berger, a real estate developer and attorney in Allentown, is a principal of BergerEpstein Associates Inc. and a member of the Board of Associates at St. Luke’s – Allentown Campus. William also is a commercially-rated private airplane pilot based at Queen City Airport. For the past 10 years, he has been flying passengers who have particular reasons and needs to travel — medical patients going to distant hospitals for specialized treatment. William is one of thousands of pilots nationwide who volunteer their time, and use of their aircraft, to help patients and families who don’t have insurance coverage or cannot afford such travel on their own. There is no charge for the service; in addition to providing the aircraft and giving their time, the volunteer pilots cover all other expenses, such as fuel and landing fees. He wants folks at St. Luke’s Hospital & Health Network to know the service is available. William and other pilots work with groups such as Angel Flight East, Volunteer Pilots and Air Care Alliance. A physician or other health professional must certify a patient’s medical need, and the patient or family must provide information to show financial need. Patients must be able to board and deplane with minimal assistance, and must be in stable condition. (“We are not air ambulances,” he explains.) The aircraft do not have lavatories and usually have room for two to four passengers, including the patient. Patients in wheelchairs and those who use oxygen bottles usually can be accommodated. The general aviation airplanes can usually reach smaller community airports that are not served by the airlines. This can avoid layovers and circuitous connections, thereby reducing a trip that might take many hours by car or airline to an hour or two of direct travel time. Often, an otherwise multiple day round trip can be completed in a single day. William has a Cirrus SR22, a single-engine, four-seat airplane. Over the years he has made several dozen public benefit flights. Angel Flight East has about 425 pilots from 22 states. Last year, its pilots flew more than 750 missions from Maine to the Carolinas and west to Ohio. Angel Flight coordinates with other volunteer organizations for longer flights. The volunteer pilots also fly related missions besides patient transport, including disaster relief, reuniting families during desperate times and delivery of organs for transplant operations. After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, he was called upon to fly search-and-rescue dogs and their handlers home from New York City. William finds it to be very rewarding work. “You know you did a good job when you get a lot of hugs at the end of the flight,” he says. To get more information or to request a flight from Angel Flight East, call (800) 383-9464. Details also are available at its Web site, www.angelflighteast.org. Information about the Volunteer Pilots Association, based in southwest Pennsylvania is at www.volunteerpilots.org. The Air Care Alliance is a national organization, based in New Mexico, that coordinates public benefit flights by volunteers nationwide. Its Web site is at www.aircareall.org.
everyday LIFE cont. Care for the Elderly (PACE). Because the term PACE is used for Pennsylvania’s prescription drug program for seniors, the LIFE acronym is used here. The all-inclusive care model was first developed in On Lok, a community in San Francisco, Calif., where families had a philosophy of caring for loved ones at home. Wendy says that Pennsylvania has been one of the states that most aggressively adopted the model. Many families and medical professionals are not yet aware that the program exists, according to Wendy and Virginia. Since the opening of everyday LIFE last spring, open houses, presentations to physicians and other activities have been used to increase awareness of this option for senior care. The process of placing a patient in the program can take up to two months, Wendy explains. Physicians and other medical professionals who may want to refer patients to the program are invited to tour the everyday LIFE facility. To arrange a personal tour, please call 610-954-5433 (LIFE).
In addition to the medical leadership at everyday LIFE, St. Luke’s Physician Group, Senior Care Associates, also provides services at several other long-term care facilities, including:
Cedarbrook
Kirkland
Gracedale
Mahoning Valley
Westminster Village Moravian Village Moravian Hall Square Manor Care
Manor Health Genesis Holy Family Manor Belle Haven Mosser
Volunteer pilot William M. Berger, member of the board at St. Luke’s – Allentown, with his plane at Queen City Airport in Allentown.
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EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE EARNS NATIONAL ACCLAIM As a result of highly publicized communication breakdowns during hurricane Katrina, organizations — especially hospitals — across the country have reworked their emergency response plans. One of those organizations has garnered national attention for its exceptional performance in preparing for virtually any emergency: St. Luke’s Hospital & Health Network. “To be accurate, emergency preparedness is not a recent initiative at St. Luke’s,” says Alan Lynch, CHPA, CHSP, HEM, Network director of Safety & Security. “Each hospital in the Network and the VNA has had something in place for 20 or 25 years.” In 2005, the year of Katrina, St. Luke’s consolidated its efforts and formed the Emergency Management Committee, which Alan co-chairs and which meets monthly. The committee is chaired by Scott Melanson, MD, of the Emergency Department. Among the committee’s 25 members, who represent all Network entities, is Terry Koller, MHA, BSN, RN, FACHE, director of Capacity & Resource Services at the Bethlehem Campus. Alan, whose area of expertise is public safety, describes Terry as the “catalyst who gets our patient care professionals involved in the process; that synergy makes it easy for us to get things done.” Exactly what does emergency management mean? Terry boils it down to basic terms: “In a real emergency, we know what to do because we drill, drill, drill.” She tells us that the committee selects those drills based on a Hazard Vulnerability Analysis. “We ask ourselves, ‘what are the most likely scenarios and how well are we equipped to handle them?’” The committee identified an active shooter as one of those scenarios, so last July, it organized a drill with the Allentown Police Department at the Allentown Campus’ Emergency Department. “With help from Robert Smith, Allentown’s Security Manager, we set it up in the old ED, which is still used for overflow from the new ED,” says Alan. “Using an active site is an unusual opportunity for a realistic drill.” Earlier this year, the committee conducted a simulation of a four-day ice storm, which presented issues including losing power, heat and communication. The drill, which took place simultaneously at all Network sites, lasted four hours — with each hour representing a day. During the exercise, a professional emergency management facilitator gave each site specific instructions, which included, in some cases, evacuating patients. continued on page 9
Top photo: U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent (second from right), a member of the Homeland Security Committee, came to St. Luke’s to evaluate our readiness for an emergency event. After his visit, he said, “Our region’s hospitals play a vital role in homeland security, as we seek to better prepare our response to natural disasters, catastrophic accidents or terrorist attacks. During my visit to St. Luke’s, I learned a great deal and I felt assured that our region’s ‘first receivers’ will be up to the task should this area suffer a significant event.” Middle and bottom photos: St. Luke’s Emergency Management Committee organized a drill with the Allentown Police Department at the Allentown Campus’s Emergency Department (right). More recently, a mass casualty drill took place at the Lehigh Valley International Airport, involving staff from the Allentown and Bethlehem campuses.
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A Day in the Life of... CHARLENE STACKHOUSE, RN, CNOR General Surgery Care Coordinator • Bethlehem Campus OR Charlene Stackhouse has come a long way from her first nursing job in a small hospital that no longer exists to her current position as General Surgery Care Coordinator in the Operating Room at the Bethlehem Campus. In that role, she collaborates with physicians on patient and procedural needs; makes nursing staff case assignments; participates in selecting and evaluating products, ordering supplies, developing new instrument sets for department use and updating electronic physician profiles; assists in evaluating staff proficiency; and provides physician education as needed. “As a staff nurse in the Operating Room, I also scrub and circulate on surgical procedures, which include general, colorectal and trauma surgery,” says Charlene, who is also a member of the Network Patient Care Standards Council and a facilitator for the Operating Room Nurse Practice Council. “And I love being part of St. Luke’s Hospital & Health Network. I feel we provide quality care to our patients, and I like the community feel of working in Bethlehem.” During almost 20 years as an OR nurse at the Bethlehem Campus, Charlene has participated in many exciting advancements in surgery. “I was one of the first three nurses trained in robotic surgery back in 2001 when Dr. John Lukaszczyk and Dr. Mark Schadt started using the daVinci Surgical System,” she recalls. I was involved in the first robotic surgery case in Pennsylvania! I love minimally invasive surgery. There is a challenge doing those procedures, and the benefits for the patients are outstanding!”
Emergency cont. Why does St. Luke’s take disaster preparedness so seriously? Terry takes that question: “Because real emergencies, such as a flood, electrical outages and a potentially contaminated package, have occurred at Network hospitals. And because the Pa. Health Dept. and the Joint Commission require compliance in this area.” Alan adds, “Many hospitals are satisfied with minimal compliance. Our Network’s emergency management performance was April 2010
She continues, “Over the years, I have been a preceptor, orienting new OR nurses to our department. I work with a great group of people, and after nearly 20 years in the OR, I have now become one of the ‘old nurses’ who have been there ‘forever,’ telling the younger staff things like ‘back in my day as a new OR nurse, we had to clean the rooms and the instruments!’ Our department regularly takes the time to recognize staff members for their accomplishments; we get together and bring in goodies for lunch on those special days.” Charlene and her husband Duane have two daughters, Anna (14) and Emily (11), two dogs and a cat. They live in Coopersburg in a house that Duane has singlehandedly renovated since they moved in 16 years ago. Charlene has been involved in Girl Scouts with her daughters and has brought troops from the Solehi Service Unit to St. Luke’s to earn badges in Nursing. so impressive to representatives of Premier (a national organization providing best practices to health care facilities), they asked us to make a presentation at Premier’s national meeting in California last June. Our presentation was called “Achieving Leadership Commitment in Emergency Management.” I couldn’t help thinking how ironic it was that Terry and I were presenting information about disaster planning in California.” Alan also points out that over the past few years, St. Luke’s has received national attention
“My activities center around those of my children, including volleyball, basketball and theater,” says Charlene. “We love the beach, Myrtle Beach in particular, and enjoy seeing the sights in New York City. I am an avid reader, especially the Harry Potter series, the Twilight series, The Time Traveler’s Wife and any book by Adriana Trigiani.” Charlene’s life took a storybook twist on New Year’s Eve in 2008, when she won a raffle drawing for three-year lease on a 2009 Honda Accord — the culmination of a campaign to help fund the cancer vaccine research of Dr. Lee Riley, an oncologist with St. Luke’s Cancer Care Associates. A story and photos of Charlene and her daughters appeared in the February/March 2009 issue of Network Pulse.
as follows: (1) presenting on radiation incident response at the Joint Commission’s national conference and (2) publishing an article called “Creating Isolation Surge Capacity” for epidemic preparedness in the Journal of Healthcare Protection Management. Terry sums up our Network’s success in emergency management. “We have a great team at St. Luke’s, which encompasses senior management and staff. We all understand the need, and everyone puts in the time and effort to make this vital initiative work.” 9
NICU PROGRAM HELPS OUR TINIEST PATIENTS MAKE BIG STRIDES In most Network facilities, it has become common for us to see many patients in their 80s, 90s and beyond. Medical advances have also extended the ages of our patients on the other end of the spectrum —enabling infants born at 23 weeks gestation (17 weeks premature) to survive. For these tiny patients, medical intervention is only part of the mission; helping them develop normally is another matter. Almost a year ago, the Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) at the Allentown and Bethlehem campuses became two of the few hospitals in the country to implement the Newborn Individualized Developmental Care and Assessment Program (NIDCAP). This highly progressive program provides developmentally appropriate care for premature newborns. “The program accepts infants born at less than 32 weeks gestation, as well as older infants with developmental issues,” says Maureen Rinehimer PT, MS, MHS, coordinator of the NIDCAP. “To help them ‘catch up’
with their chronological age, we develop an intervention plan, which includes goals based on our observations, for each infant in the program. “By looking at each patient’s state of arousal, movement and response to various environmental stressors, such as diaper changes, we arrive at the correct level of stimulation for him or her — not too much, but enough to make progress. The intervention plan followed by NICU staff and parents includes handling, positioning and other tactics to promote normal brain and neural development.” In addition to Maureen, three other developmental specialists received NIDCAP certification after completing 16 months of planning, training and practicing: Laura Hoey, RN; Caryn Kunz BA, RNC; and Amy Roth, RNC. Gayle Thear, BSN, RNC, NE-BC, NICU manager at both hospitals, adds, “Since infants grow and change quickly, we reassess their progress and adjust the plan every two weeks. An
important part of what we do is educating the parents, often before the baby is born, about how to provide the best care at home.” To help ensure the optimal outcome, the program includes follow-up care — every three to six months until the age of two and a half to three years — at a developmental clinic, located at St. Luke’s North. At this clinic, a neonatologist and a pediatric physical therapist (often Maureen) assess each patient’s progress. Infants who are lagging behind developmentally or have medical issues can be referred to appropriate providers. How valuable is the developmental clinic? Maureen and Gayle tell us about a child whose hearing impairment was discovered at the clinic at the age of six months. Five months of medical and developmental intervention enabled the child to catch up before its first birthday.
Almost a year ago, the Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) at the Allentown and Bethlehem campuses became two of the few hospitals in the country to implement the Newborn Individualized Developmental Care and Assessment Program (NIDCAP).
Maureen Rinehimer, PT, MS, MHS, coordinator of the Newborn Individualized Developmental Care and Assessment Program, helps her young patients “catch up” with their chronological age. In the photo on the left, she uses a mirror to test a child’s cognitive skills. On the right, Maureen assesses a child’s head control.
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April 2010
FOR EFFICIENCY, ST. LUKE’S CDM/RCM DEPARTMENT FITS THE BILL St. Luke’s CDM/RCM Department increases Network billing efficiency. More and more Network facilities, entities and departments are discovering the secret to fully capturing payments for their services — enlisting the help of the Charge Description Master/Revenue Cycle Management (CDM/ RCM) Department. A division of St. Luke’s Finance Department, CDM/RCM ensures our charging practices are up to date and fully compliant with Medicare, Medicaid and other third-party guidelines. Debbie Letterhouse, manager of the CDM/RCM Dept., explains, “The process starts with Charge Description Master files, which contain all of the codes necessary for charging and billing the services provided to the St. Luke’s inpatients and outpatients. The research necessary to keep our CDMs accurate is a daily task — staying abreast of constantly changing health care policies and regulations, as well as finding the most advantageous ways for our Network to receive payment for new services and medical advancements.” She continues, “In addition to maintaining the CDM files, our staff is responsible for developing charge policies and charge sheets for our clinical departments. We also provide ongoing education and support to staff and clinicians to ensure charges are being applied correctly. “Our department is included in the implementation team for any new services or departments in the Network — often helping clinical managers set up and understand the revenue generation process for their departments. We also perform a quarterly revenue cycle audit, which encompasses reviewing patient accounts from the point of registration all the way through final payment, identifying any errors or deficiencies along the path. We also conduct focused reviews of clinical areas on a scheduled basis and/or as necessary.” Debbie explains why our Network is doing a great job at maximizing reimbursement for patient services, which is especially important in these tough economic times. “St. Luke’s CDM/RCM Dept. taps into the expertise of a broader team, which includes staff with clinical, business and accounting backgrounds. This enables us to not only make sure our charging processes are correct, but also ensures that April 2010
Members of the CDR/RCM Department, seated (L-R): Edith Quiteles, CDM/RCM analyst; Debbie Letterhouse, manager, CDM/RCM; and Barbara Artim, CDM/RCM analyst. Standing (L-R): Marie Rarick, RN, medical analyst; Pam Gittings, financial analyst; Mary Ann Miller, senior CDM/RCM analyst; Carmen Ferry, CDM/RCM analyst; and Christine Kratzer, senior CDM/RCM analyst. Missing from photo: Francine Botek, VP Finance.
we are paid appropriately for the health care services we provide. In addition, we visit all four campuses, outpatient clinics, family practices, etc. — meeting face to face with clinical managers and staff to make sure our charging policies are up to date. As anyone who has worked with us can tell you, we respond to questions usually the same day, and generally within 48 hours.” With 21 years in the department, Debbie describes her staff as a closely knit team of detail-oriented people who enjoy doing research and solving puzzles. “Even with those natural attributes,” she says, “it takes about five years of hands-on training to feel comfortable keeping up
with constantly changing insurance regulations.” She notes that everyone in the department came from somewhere else in the Network, and there has been very little staff turnover. Christine Kratzer, a senior member of the CDM/RCM Department, laughs when she tells us about an unexpected benefit of that in-depth training. “We look at so many ED and Clinic patient charts, that we have become pretty good at predicting the patient’s diagnosis after reading through the record. People who speak with us often think we’re clinicians; in fact, we usually consult with each other about our personal symptoms before contacting a doctor!”
By the numbers • We have four basic tastes. The salt and sweet taste buds are at the tip of the tongue, bitter at the base, and sour along the sides. • Unless food is mixed with saliva you cannot taste it. • It takes food seven seconds to get from your mouth to your stomach. *Sources: http://gconnect.in/gc/lifestyle/health/human-body-some-interesting-facts.html, www.didyouknow.cd
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Network Non-Profit Org. US Postage PAID Permit #275 Bethlehem, PA
801 Ostrum St. • Bethlehem, PA 18015 Our Vision: St. Luke’s Hospital & Health Network will forever change the perception that health care is difficult to access by making it EASY for patients, physicians and staff to use our services. St. Luke’s Hospital & Health Network will perform in the top decile for each diagnosis in national pay-for-performance programs. Our Values: • Pride We take pride in our accomplishments and our organization. • Caring We show consideration for others and their feelings, and treat others as we want to be treated. • Respect We recognize the value, diversity and importance of each other, those we serve and the organization. • Accountability We are responsible to make decisions and solve problems in a timely and effective manner. • Flexibility We adapt to changing needs and the expectations of those we serve. • Teamwork We work together to improve quality. Network Pulse is a periodic publication for the employees of St. Luke’s Hospital & Health Network published by the Corporate Communications Department. 801 Ostrum St. • Bethlehem, PA 18015 Executive Editor: Susan M. Schantz Vice President, Corporate Communications Contributing Writers: Glenn Kranzley • Vicki Mayk Susan Ross • Robert Schobel Design Supervision: Lori Diehl Director, Network Graphic Design Photography: Joseph Klepeiss Director, Media Production Services Betsy Toole Anne Kemp
St. Luke’s strives to be the region’s health care employer of choice.
The Grateful Patient recognition program was held recently in the PPHP Education Center. Unveiling the list of 2009 Grateful Patient Honorees is (L) Joel Fagerstrom, COO, and Gail Evans, AVP, Development. A similar plaque will be hung in the hallway outside the cafeteria.