Volume 3
WHAT’Snew
Number 26
December 26, 2014
Pennsylvania Hospital
What’s New wishes you and yours a happy, healthy and prosperous
New Year!
What a difference two centuries make! The historic Surgical Amphitheatre, constructed in 1804, and the new hybrid OR at PAH, 2014.
Helping PAH Stay on the Forefront of Cardiac Care Medical advances come about in all aspects of health care — from targeted drug therapies and genetic testing to electronic medical records and interventional radiology. One place where some of the most dramatic advances are occurring is in the surgical operating room. Pennsylvania Hospital has the privileged distinction of being home to the oldest existing
Inside ‘Tis the Season continued.....2-3 Another Fundraising Record....2 Hybrid OR continued................2 Together We Can Help Patients and Their Families.....................3 A Day in the Life at Penn..........3 Pepperpot Awards....................3 Take a Fresh Step into 2015!....3 What’s Happening.....................4 TJC Corner.................................4 Ebola Preparedness..................4 Weight Watchers.......................4
surgical amphitheater in the U.S., completed in 1804 and used until 1869. Now, at the other end of the spectrum, PAH has a new hybrid operation room — the latest addition to the hospital which illustrates how PAH has kept pace with surgical innovations over the past two and a half centuries. “Hybrid OR surgical suites are considered to be at the vanguard of medical technological innovations because they permanently integrate leading-edge diagnostic imaging equipment right there in the OR,” said Satoshi Furukawa, MD, chief, Cardiovascular Surgery of PAH, and professor of Clinical Surgery in the Perelman School of Medicine. “Traditionally, this technology is housed the Radiology Department of a hospital and nowhere near the ORs. Now, cardiac and vascular surgeons can easily collaborate with interventional cardiologists and radiologists during surgery. We can assess a patient right then and there, using imaging (C-arm fluoroscopy) and can follow a diagnostic procedure with a therapeutic one without the patient or staff having to go anywhere else.” The hybrid configuration also reduces trips to the OR for surgical patients who require more than one procedure — such as a vascular and cardiac
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‘ Tis the Season! Festive decorations decked the walls of the Elm Garden Cafeteria on December 11 when — for the only day out of the last 365 — it closed after breakfast for the annual PAH Holiday Meal. Employees, volunteers, medical staff and faculty gathered to celebrate the season over the span of five separate luncheon and two dinner seatings designed to accommodate all employee shifts. Physicians administrators and staff donned aprons, gloves and the occasional Santa hat to serve tasty traditional seasonal fare and help spread some holiday cheer. Special thanks to all who volunteered and to our fabulous Department of Food and Nutrition Services, led by Director Carolyn Tobin and Executive Chef, Sal DiPalma, for another amazing holiday spread! See inside for more photos > > >
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‘ Tis the Season! Continued from cover > > >
T e am U P H S / P ENN
Sets Another Fundraising Record Congratulations to all of the Team UPHS/ PENN MS Society City to Shore Bike Ride participants and their supporters! Team UPHS/PENN has again set a new single year fundraising record of $211,264 in 2014, beating the $174,170 record set in 2013. “We again had the largest team with 290 riders participating,” said Dan Wilson, MBA, BSN, RN, FABC, vice president, Allied Health and Ambulatory Services at PAH and participating biker. “It was a fun-filled day and we had amazing weather — always a morale booster for an event like this.”
Wilson attended the City to Shore Awards Ceremony held December 3 at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown where he accepted three awards on behalf of the team. UPHS/PENN once again received The Largest Team Award, the Top Fundraising Team Award, and The Millennium Award (for teams surpassing $100,000). Collectively, Team UPHS/PENN has raised an astounding $1,793,813 over its 18-year existence. Thank you to all who donate and volunteer to help Penn Medicine fight Multiple Sclerosis.
Helping PAH Stay on the Forefront of Cardiac Care / / / Continued from cover procedure. In addition to improving surgical utilization and patient safety, hybrid ORs also have time and long-term cost savings. Patients do not have to have surgeries staged over a period of days and OR staff does not have to be relocated for multiple procedures. While hybrid ORs generally reserved for the more complex cases such as endovascular aortic repairs (grafts) in aortic abdominal aneurysms and transcatheter aortic valve replacements, they also offer capabilities to expand for broader use. “Our goal is to use the room to its fullest capability. We currently use the Hybrid Operating Room for vascular and cardiac surgery. We are now expanding to neurosurgical cases which — like many vascular and cardiac procedures — are performed with the guidance of imaging equipment,” said Sean M. Rowland, CRNA, MS, MBA, vice president, Perioperative Services. The addition of the hybrid OR at PAH brings the health system total up to four, with two at HUP in the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine and one at PPMC. “Our hybrid OR is only one of three in the country with a specialized operating room table system that has an interchangeable top. This provides the versatility to accommodate a variety of patient positioning requirements, streamlines workflow, and improves efficiency.” said Rowland.
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Together We Can Help Patients and Their Families Bakers from all over the Pennsylvania Hospital campus contributed beautiful cakes, holiday cookies, special breads and goodies to the Together We Can Bake Sale for the Abramson Cancer Center at PAH. Cancer center staff and volunteers helped package and peddle the tasty treats over a two day bake sale, and raised over $1200 to assist patients and their families in need this holiday season.
Philadelphia PRSA Recognizes What’s New at 46th Annual Pepperpot Awards The Philadelphia Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) held its 46th annual Pepperpot and Achievement Awards gala on December 2, at Tendenza in Philadelphia. The event honors public relations campaigns and tactics submitted by chapter members across the Greater Philadelphia region. This year Penn Medicine received a Pepperpot Award, the top honor in the Newsletter Category, for the Pennsylvania Hospital employee newsletter, What’s New. More than 110 entries were judged in 38 categories ranging from feature stories to social media campaigns and brochures to community relations.
A Day in the Life at Penn 2014 The “Day in the Life” is an annual project which visually documents a “typical” day throughout the University of Pennsylvania and Penn Medicine. Visit here http://bit. ly/11lmMb0 for a spotlight of snapshots which offer a glimpse of daily life throughout Penn Medicine and Pennsylvania Hospital!
Take a Fresh Step into 2015! Participate in the “Reward for Resolutions” Health Challenge for an Opportunity to Earn $100 We all want to be happier and healthier in the New Year. Good health happens when the physical, emotional, social, and environmental parts of our lives are in balance. Let the Reward for Resolutions challenge help you take the first step in making and sticking to your goals for 2015. The challenge is simple…just follow these steps 1. Join the Reward for Resolutions challenge in the Healthy Rewards site 2. Set up three resolutions for the New Year 3. Create a plan for maintaining them wherever is most convenient for you 4. Track that you have kept your resolution for at least 20 days from January 5 until February 8, 2015.
`` Jeff Colon, a painter in PAH’s Engineering Services, touches up one of the Corinthian-style columns in the Great Court of Pennsylvania Hospital’s historic Pine Building — the original structure of the 263-year old institution. The floor is decorated with Portuguese tile estimated to be over 160 years old. Underneath is the original wide-planked pine floor.
BONUS: You will earn $100 if you… 1. Complete this challenge 2. Complete the Well-Being Assessment 3. Complete Know Your Numbers by February 8, 2015.
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TJC Corner Staying in a State of Perpetual Preparedness The Joint Commissions (TJC), the independent, not-for-profit organization that accredits and certifies more than 20,500 health care organizations and programs in the U.S., is due to inspect PAH anytime within the next four months, before April 20.
Preparations for the possibility of caring for a patient with Ebola have been underway for several months at HUP, and we must maintain competency in our ability to care for these patients. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recently announced that HUP is part of an elite group of 35 hospitals nationwide — and the only adult hospital in Pennsylvania — capable of safely caring for patients with Ebola.
What’s New will regularly run key points and tips to increase awareness and help all staff and employees remain continuously ready for regulatory bodies such as TJC, the Department of Health and the Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services.
The isolated Special Triage and Treatment Units at HUP where a suspected Ebola patient would be evaluated and cared for will remain ready, and we will continue screening outpatients throughout the Health System as recommended by the CDC for at-risk travel and symptoms. PAH is also continuing intensive simulation training to identify and contain possible high at-risk patients and prepare them for transportation to HUP for treatment. The paramount goal is to maintain the wellbeing and safety of our staff while providing the highest level of care for all our patients.
Hallway Clutter: Hallway clutter poses a safety hazard, especially in the event of an emergency. Please always keep hallways clear of items other than code carts, isolation gowns and carts designated for isolation rooms. All other items must be removed from hallways within 30 minutes of use. Hand Hygiene Reminder: It’s the heart of flu and cold season. Please wash your hands and use anti-bacterial gel often. It is especially important when entering and leaving a patient’s room. Dust — It’s Everyone’s Problem: Please keep your areas clean and request help when needed by contacting Environmental Services. For routine requests (trash removal, spill, rugs, curtain, exterminator) call x3235 from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. During off hours, call the EVS 24 Hour Hotline at x3930. Advance Directives are important! Always ask your patient if he/she has an Advance Directive. Please ask the family to bring in a copy if the patient does not have it with him/her. If your patient does have an Advance Directive, place a copy in the medical record. If not, ask the patient if he/she would like information about Advance Directives and provide the necessary document. Visit the Regulatory Requirements button on the PAH Intranet homepage for access to more information such as education tips and tools, TJC newsletter and TJC Everyday survey prep tools and resources. Please contact Marian LordGartner, MSN, RN, CPHQ, regulatory manager, Performance Improvement, at marrian.lordgartner@uphs.upenn.edu or 215-829-7722.
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Ebola Preparedness at Penn Medicine
As always, we encourage all staff to continue to check for updates at http://pennpoint.uphs.upenn.edu/sites/ebola/default.aspx. As a reminder, two phone lines have been established to assist clinicians and staff around the clock: > Clinicians with patient-related questions should call 215-614-0524 where a physician is available to handle calls about screening, isolation and, if necessary, lead arrangements for patient transport to HUP from another entity. > General questions not pertaining to direct patient care call 215-615-2929. For Ebola guidelines and further information about preparedness, visit the PAH Intranet homepage.
WHAT’Snew Weight Watchers at
Work for UPHS Employees at PAH Looking to lose weight in the New Year? The Weight Watchers At Work Program will fit right into your busy schedule because it will be held on site. Ask a friend who’s been thinking about losing weight to join with you! The program is ten weeks long and sessions are one hour per week. The cost of the program is $135 for new members and $130 for current or lifetime members. Day of the week and time are still to be determined. Any employee covered under the PennCare PPO medical plan can be reimbursed up to $150 per year after completion of the program. You can earn 100 Healthy Rewards Points for completing the program! Contact Nicole Giguere at nicole.giguere@uphs. upenn.edu for more information and to join.
EDITORIAL STAFF Editorial Staff Olivia Fermano
Sally EditorSapega and Photographer Director of Internal Communications Pamela Furches Design Olivia Fermano Graphic Design Editor and Photographer Barry Ogburn Pamela Furches Design Photography Graphic Design
ADMINISTRATION
Barry SusanOgburn E. Phillips Photography Senior Vice President, Public Affairs Holly Auer
Administration Director of Communications
Susan E. Phillips Senior Vice President, Public Affairs Sally Sapega Director of Internal Communications Contact Contact What’snew What’snew at: at: Department Department of of Communications Communications Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Hospital Hospital Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA PA 19106 19106 phone: phone: 215.829.6799 215.829.6799 email: email: olivia.fermano@uphs.upenn.edu olivia.fermano@uphs.upenn.edu WHAT’Snew WHAT’Snew isis published published biweekly biweekly for for PAH PAH employees. employees. Access Access WHAT’Snew WHAT’Snew online online at at http://news.pennmedicine.org/inside/whats-new/. http://news.pennmedicine.org/inside/whats-new/.