Volume 3
WHAT’Snew
Number 16
August 8, 2014
Pennsylvania Hospital
PAH Nephrologist, K. Adu Ntoso, MD, FACP, R e c e i v e s N at i o n a l H o n o r
“ This award recognizes a health care professional within the dialysis community who best represents innovation and exceptional patient care.“
Inside Penn CAREs Grant Winners.....2 To Examine Or Not To Examine? That Is The Question.................2
The Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC) Education Center (DPCEdCenter.org) has named PAH nephrologist K. Adu Ntoso, MD, FACP, as its 2014 Willem J. Kolff Award recipient. This award — named after the inventor of kidney dialysis — recognizes a health care professional within the dialysis community who best represents innovation and exceptional patient care. Dr. Ntoso was chosen from over 40 nominations and received the award at the DPC Education Center’s Inaugural Gala, in Washington, D.C. Board certified in both internal medicine and nephrology, Dr. Ntoso is chief of the section of Renal Disease and Hypertension at PAH and a clinical professor of Medicine in the Perelman School of Medicine. A dedicated and passionate practitioner, he was nominated for the Kolff Award by a patient’s
family member for his “very humble, personable and excellent bedside manner.” “Dr. Ntoso is proactive in educating diverse populations about the impact of diabetes and the importance of kidney screenings,” stated his nominator. “Doctor Ntoso recognizes the importance of education in helping a loved one on dialysis and takes time to engage in conversations about kidney disease to ensure full understanding about the cause and effect of the disease.” All who work with Dr. Ntoso know he has a reputation for consistently going above and beyond the call of duty for the well being of his patients — including often personally transporting them to dialysis during inclement weather.
The Patient Ex p e r ie n c e The following excerpt of praise and gratitude is from the patient satisfaction survey of a former Labor & Delivery patient:
Start Gathering Your Data .......3
I wanted to take this opportunity to compliment my nurses, my regular OB, Dr. Allison Bloom, (CCA OB/GYN) and her office staff, the delivering OB, the anesthesiologists, the Environmental Services and Food and Nutrition Services staff. All of the individuals my husband and I came in contact with were pleasant. The medical staff took time and explained everything about my medical procedures. I was scared once I got to the OR but the warm demeanor of the OR staff put me at ease. All of my nurses were wonderful. I had a good experience at Pennsylvania (Hospital) with my 2000 delivery which is why I chose to deliver at your facility again in 2014.
What’s Happening.....................4
Please send my regards to all of the staff on a job well done taking care of my family. Thank you!
On Our Way! The Journey to Magnet Designation Begins...................3
Cultural Diversity Conference..4
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Penn Medicine
CAREs Grant W inne r s
Congratulations to the PAH FY14 Q4 CAREs grant recipient
Ann Schwoebel, MSN, RNC, CRNP, a clinical nurse education specialist in the Intensive Care Nursery at PAH. The funding awarded to Schwoebel will supply educational materials for six monthly educational classes for parents-to-be and new parents, as well as on-going Parentto-Parent Mentoring program courses. ICN staff work in collaboration with other PAH and CHOP departments and parent volunteers of former ICN patients to host programs for our neonatal patients and their families which teach parents how to help their babies adapt to life outside the womb. While all new parents have this responsibility, the need is intensified with a premature or sick newborn.
Each quarter, the CAREs Foundation awards grants of up to $2,000 per project to community and hospital-based programs on behalf of employees or Perelman School of Medicine students who volunteer their time to support those programs. For more information and to apply, please visit Pennmedicine.org/community. Deadline for applications for the next round of grants is September 1.
Con gratulatio n s to all the winners of a Penn Medicine CAREs grant for the fourth quarter of FY14! > Sharisse Ajiabade and Wanda Gbemudu, Nursing
> Janet McMaster, Trauma
> Kelly Convery, Bernice Jones and Kathleen Mercado, ICN
> Chiamuaka Onwuzurike, PCPC Refugee Clinic
> Kathryn Rose Finley, Family Medicine
> A nup Sharma, Psychiatry
HCHS: Congestive Heart Failure Management
HUP: Childbirth and Newborn Care Classes at the Helen O. Dickens Center
PPMC: Reach Out and Read
> L uis Ramos Rivera, Environmental Services
HUP: Wisdom House: Housing for Homeless Single Veteran Women
> Mel Kearney, Occupational Medicine
CCA: Walnut Street School Playground for Safer Kids
`` Peter Gearhart, MD
There’s a curve ball currently being thrown at a decades-long practice in women’s health. The American College of Physicians (ACP) released new evidence-based guidelines this month recommending against routine pelvic exams in adult, asymptomatic, non-pregnant women at average risk for cancer (July 1, Annals of Internal Medicine). The authors, who did a systematic review of 68 years’ worth of published literature, state that the “harms of screening pelvic examination outweigh any demonstrated benefits” — more specifically that pelvic exams “rarely detect important diseases or reduce mortality,” and can cause “pain,
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HUP: WEPAC (West Philadelphia Alliance for Children)
PSOM: Refugee Women’s Clinic Family Planning and Contraception Project HUP/CPUP: Stress Management Workshops for Philadelphia Prisoners and Staff
> Karen Wagner, Patient and Family Services
UPHS: Mill Creek Farm
> Michael Williams, Cardiology
PPMC: Better Nutrition for the Elderly
To Examine or Not to Examine? That is the Question discomfort, fear, anxiety, or embarrassment” in women. The authors also state that routine pelvic exams “lead to unnecessary, invasive, and potentially harmful diagnostic procedures,” driving up health care costs. That’s no small matter, considering that, preventive gynecologic services cost the U.S. health care system an estimated $2.6 billion each year, according to the ACP. “The gynecological exam, or ‘well-woman exam,’ is an annual opportunity for women to pursue issues relating to their reproductive health, sexual function, and pelvic anatomy,”
said Peter Gearhart, MD, of Penn Ob/ Gyn & Midwifery Care at Pennsylvania Hospital. “It is a forum for patient-physician discussions relating to everything from health education, contraceptive counseling, and pelvic organ function, to screening for sexually-transmitted infections and urinary incontinence. This isn’t the first time guidelines have been altered, and I’m sure it won’t be the last.” >>> R ead more about this issue by visiting the Penn Medicine News Blog at: http://bit.ly/1lgN4ye.
On Our Way! The Jour ne y to Mag net D esig nat ion B eg in s This past June marked to official start of PAH’s twoyear journey towards Magnet designation. The Magnet Recognition Program® was developed by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) to recognize health care organizations that provide nursing excellence. Magnet designation is the highest level of recognition the ANCC can award to health care organizations that provide the services of registered professional nurses. It was created to advance three goals: promote quality in a environment that supports professional practice; identify excellence in the delivery of nursing services to patients; and provide a mechanism for the dissemination of “best practices.” “Now that we’ve begun our journey to designation, I’ve received many requests for resources to help educate staff on Magnet and the Magnet Model,” said Bruce Boxer, PhD, MBA, MSN, RN, CPHQ, director of Nursing Professional Practice, Education, and Quality at PAH. “In response to this, we have created a tri-fold pamphlet which diagrams and describes the Magnet Model and is now available via the PAH intranet. It can be printed out and copied for distribution among staff. I encourage staff to share the pamphlet, which can be found under the Nursing/Magnet section of the PAH intranet page.” To access the pamphlet, please visit http://bit.ly/1rS0W5T.
S tar t G athe r in g Y o u r Data – Q u a l i t y & Pat i en t S a f e t y Awa r d S u b miss ion Ti m e Is H e r e ! Got a great project you want to share with your health system colleagues? Now’s your chance; submit it for a 2014 UPHS Quality and Patient Safety Award. This award has been a long standing opportunity for teams to formally document their achievements in quality and patient safety over the last 12 months. The award is designed to acknowledge Penn Medicine departments and teams who have exhibited leadership and innovation in activities that ensure high quality clinical outcomes, patient satisfaction, patient safety, and/or operational improvement. A multidisciplinary committee will review submissions using a standard scoring methodology.
Guidelines in Applying for the 2014 UPHS Quality and Patient Safety Awards • The project must have occurred during
the last 12 months
• Measurement of the intervention must be submitted
in order for the application to be considered
• Applications can be found on CEQI website • All applications and projects must be submitted
electronically by September 16, 2014
For more information contact: PAH | Deborah Christopher | 215-829-6511 deborah.christopher@uphs.upenn.edu CCA | Kathleen Bailer | 610-902-1719 Kathleen.bailer@uphs.upenn.edu CPUP | Mary Coniglio | 215-459-4131 mary.coniglio@uphs.upenn.edu
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WHAT’S H a p p ening
Y o u r r e s o u r c e f o r e v e n t s a nd h a pp e n i n g s t hr o u g h o u t PA H a nd P e nn M e d i c i n e
For complete events listing, please visit What’s New on the Inside Penn Medicine web site at: http://news.pennmedicine.org/inside
August Summer 2014
August 12-17
PAH Employee Discount Amusement Park & Events Tickets
National Veterans Wheelchair Games
August 13
Summer 2014
Last Call! Open Employee Auditions for Patient Welcome Video
New Penn Program for Mindfulness Courses & Special Events
September 21
Penn’s 3rd Annual 5K for the IOA & Memory Mile Walk
September 27-28
34th Bike MS City to Shore Ride – 4th Annual Team UPHS/Penn
October 11-12
Ride to Conquer Cancer©
November 8
2014 American Heart Association Heart Walk
S AV E T H E D AT E : PPMC’s 5th Annual Cultural Diversity Conference The Cultural Diversity Committee is proud to announce that this year it will celebrate its 5th annual conference! This year’s theme is “Obesity Challenges and Solutions for Diverse Populations: Eliminating Disparities and Increasing Inclusion.” The morning session will feature a panel presentation on obesity, which has become one of the most pressing public health concerns facing our community and our nation. Affordable, easily accessible high-tech tools and the latest behavioral incentives to support weigh loss are just some of solutions to be addressed. The afternoon session will explore the myth of healthy obesity and the influence of public policy on turning around the
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obesity epidemic. Participants will leave the conference inspired and armed with the tools to create their own community action plans to prevent and reduce obesity.
Friday,
October 24,
2014
Room 106 Penn Heart & Vascular Pavilion PPMC campus at 39th & Market Streets > Watch for program details and registration information in future issues of What’s New!
WHAT’Snew 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/.