In Roads
August 15, 2014
Inside information for the employees of Mercy Medical Center
CPOE (Computerized Physician/Provider Order Entry) Mercy 411
CPOE was started in the ER and Family Birth Center last spring. Now we’ve launched with ICU on 8/12, and will finish off with the rest of the inpatient units on 8/26. This is the first step to moving to a fully electronic environment for documenting the care we provide for our patients.
Frequently Asked Questions From the 2014 Open Forums
Q: Dr. Tuhin Chaudhury (Center), Mercy Hospitalist, was the first physician to place an official electronic order on a patient, with Mary Cox, ICU RN. Dr. Nicolas Dela Pena (Left) eagerly placing his electronic orders.
Facts •
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“You treat a disease, you win, you lose. You treat a person, I guarantee you, you’ll win, no matter what the outcome.” -Robin Williams
Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE) is now a fact of life for both hospitals and most physician’s offices. Hospitals across the country are required to implement this in their march toward a completely electronic medical record. CPOE is proven to drastically reduce patient errors in orders and increase patient safety significantly.
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CPOE increases regulatory compliance to continue Medicare eligibility
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Physicians can place their orders while rounding on their patients at the hospital or even remotely from their office or home.
MD’s are cooperative and doing well. Here are some quotes that Dr. Streeter provided as he visited the ICU on the first day.
Some anecdotes from physicians: “I love this. This means I will get fewer calls from staff clarifying what I have ordered, or asking to have my handwriting clarified” “I just got done building my favorites. This will save me a lot of time” “I didn’t need a four hour class. The nurses were great helping me figure out how to do this in 10 minutes!” Even though the latter physician stated he didn’t need a class, the CPOE Team strongly recommends that physicians contact them for either a class or to arrange for on-site training. To schedule a class, please contact the Medical Staff office to find out when classes will be offered. In addition, there are already a few video tutorials available to physicians and nurses to take advantage of, and new additions to the video library will be published as it grows.
How can we maintain our identity and values and not just become another corporation? With all of the emphasis on productivity, how do we provide humankindness for our patients and for each other?
A: Dignity Health’s ministry, mission, and values have not changed. They are alive and well in the culture of our organization and in the hearts of all of us who have joined Dignity Health in support of them. To ensure that we do not become “just another corporation,” we have committed to more careful and caring decision making in reaching future decisions that affect you, our employees. And we have committed to a new standard of openness and dialogue with you to ensure that the rationale for the decisions we do make is understood. All of our current efforts to build our brand and identity are intended to celebrate our ongoing commitment to humankindness by emphasizing patient experience and by providing our employees and leadership with the opportunities, support, and time to live our mission and values each day.
Living Spirituality by Sister Lucille Carreau, DHS Spiritual Services Supervisor
Thought:
This note was found in a Bible along with a $20 bill. The note read: “If you opened this book because you’re discouraged, read the 14th chapter of John’s Gospel. If you’re broke and this would help, take it. If you had a fight with someone, make up and buy a present for that person. If you don’t need it, leave it for the next person.” Signed, “just a wayfaring stranger”.
Practice:
Think about a way you can offer encouragement and hope to someone today, then do it.
Mercy Competitive BBQ team forming Mercy Medical Center is forming a BBQ team for the Blazin’ Hog BBQ competition on September 20th at the Mariposa Fairgrounds. If you are interested, contact Bob McLaughlin at 564-5036.
New Employees Lana Moore, RN (L&D) Koshal Singh, RN (4th) Angelica Bankston, RN (L&D) Debbie Lee, RN Ryan Lafuente, Security Officer John Ensz, RN (OR) Sarah Parsons, RN (ER) Eva Hernandez, Coder (HIM) Nai Saephan, RN (7th) Charles Gray, Engineer Emilie Abuan, RN (7th) Tracie Lewis, RN (L&D) Ravindar Kaur, RN (4th) Regina Varney, PT Assistant Peter Xiong, Patient Acct Rep (PFS) Breanna Solomon, RN (ER) Tania Machado, RN (7th) Sara Solorio, Ward Clerk (7th) Laila Mattrakul, RN (ICU) Hilary Bertuccio, RN (L&D) Rachel Clover, RN (4th) Jessica Prasad, Sterilization Tech
Dignity Health is First to Participate in New Health Information Exchange On Tuesday, Aug. 5, President/ CEO Lloyd Dean, at a press conference, announced Dignity Tammy Wilcox, Health’s SVP of Managed Care participation in the new California Integrated Data Exchange system. Cal INDEX is an independent, not-for-profit organization funded by Blue Shield of California and Anthem Blue Cross that will collect clinical data from providers and insurers. In the following Q/A, Tammy Wilcox, SVP of Managed Care for Dignity Health, shares some details about Cal INDEX and the significance of Dignity Health’s involvement.
What is Cal INDEX?
Cal INDEX will be one of the largest health information exchanges in the country, providing secure, on-line access to 9 million records covering nearly one-fourth of the state’s population. It will allow physicians, nurses, and hospitals throughout the state to share health information so
they can provide safer, higher-quality care at lower cost.
How does Dignity Health benefit?
Providers like Dignity Health will be able to access patient records and basic management tools through a provider portal. The idea is very simple: The more we know about our patients, the better care we can deliver. Our view is that Cal INDEX takes information sharing to the next level and will benefit many patients throughout the state. We know it will take time to fully implement the Cal INDEX system across a state as big as California, but we’re looking forward to participating in this initiative.
Has Dignity Health ever done anything like this before?
Yes. In 2009 we partnered with Hill Physicians and Blue Shield to coordinate patient information and share best practices for people who received health care under the California state pension system. This partnership resulted in fewer readmissions and shorter wait times. And we saved the pension system more than $95 million in health care costs.
New Employee Welcome - August 11, 2014
Mercy Medical Center Takes on the Great Kindness Challenge!
Humankindness Lunch Break by Debbie Copus Rad Tech
Dignity Health is again partnering with Kids for Peace to sponsor The Great Kindness Challenge! We are excited to be working with Kids for Peace to help foster a culture of kindness in elementary, middle, and high schools. From Jan. 26 to Jan. 30, 2015, students nationwide will be challenged to complete a checklist of 50 kind deeds and to make kindness a habit. Last year, outreach from employees led to participation by 52 schools in Dignity Health service areas. This year, we’re looking to double or triple that number. To learn more and get your local schools involved, visit www. greatkindnesschallenge.org. It’s free to the schools, and Kids for Peace will handle all the follow-up. All you need to do is send a note to the school principal or counselor asking them to register their school for the Challenge. Dignity Health will also be taking part in the Challenge during the same week as the schools. Employees and volunteers will be provided a customized kindness checklist and encouraged to strengthen the human connection and promote more acts of kindness within our Dignity Health family. If you plan to participate in the Challenge yourself and you have a child in a school that will also be taking part, please consider talking to Lindsey Gallagher 209.564.5077 or Bob McLaughlin 209.564.5036 in Marketing. We’d love to feature you and your children on our social media channels and in our newsletters.
Maryann Marchese was on her lunch break today, August 8, 2014. Maryann usually takes a short rest in her car on her lunch break. Today on her lunch break she saw a young gentleman with three small children in a van with the windows open. Maryann tried to get them to wait inside the hospital since it was so hot outside. They were waiting for a family member being seen in our Emergency Department. The kids seemed hot & fussy & in need of lunch. Maryann returned to the Radiology department after lunch & went back into a surgery case she was doing prior to her lunch break. Before returning to surgery, Maryann pointed out where the van was located & gave me her ID badge & asked me to please escort the family to our cafeteria & get them something to eat & drink. I went outside & the family was walking towards our front lobby. I explained to them that Maryann, whom they saw earlier, had wanted to purchase lunch for the family. I escorted the family to our cafeteria & bought them pizza & drinks all on Maryann. The family was very grateful & I believe that this was a prime example of Hello humankindness. Kudos to Maryann.
The Hype behind ‘Eating for your Blood Type’ Wouldn’t it be great if there were a healthy eating plan designed especially for you? One that was based on your body’s own chemistry and blood type that could give you a boost in getting rid of those extra pounds? That’s the basic idea behind the “eat for your blood type” trend. But a 2013 review in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found no scientific basis for eating for your blood type. And earlier this year, a large-scale study of more than 1,400 people reached the same conclusion.
What you can try instead
We can easily build a healthy eating and exercise plan that works for our personality and lifestyle, regardless of our blood type. Here are a few triedand-true tips: •
Go with variety. Make sure you eat plenty of colorful veggies and fruits.
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Set limits on salt, sugar and fat. Each is a trigger that can encourage you to eat more, and they are bad for your waistline, blood pressure, and heart health.
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Don't skip meals. Be sure to start each morning with a healthy breakfast to fuel your day.
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Control your portions. Eat less of what you love.
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Don’t drink your calories. Stick with water most of the time, and you’ll be amazed at how many calories you’ll save.
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Make fitness part of your lifestyle. Exercising 30 to 60 minutes most days of the week can improve weight loss and energy levels.