CHRONICLE
June 2014
www.RUMCSI.org
Message from the President & CEO Daniel J. Messina, Ph.D., FACHE, LNHA With my first month at Richmond University Medical Center complete, I definitely feel like part of the team! Thank you for the warm welcome to the hospital. I’ve enjoyed getting to work with many of you, and look forward to meeting everyone over the next few weeks. In this month’s issue of Chronicle, we have added some resources that will appear on an ongoing basis, including news from the human resources and quality departments. Additionally, we have shared photos from the Nurses of Distinction Award Ceremony. I congratulate the nurses who were honored, and thank all of our nurses as well as our entire staff for their dedication to our patients and to the hospital. In this issue, we also recognize RUMC’s EMTs, who were the first in the citywide 911 system to have all EMS trained and carrying Naloxone, an intranasal drug credited with saving lives by reversing an overdose. I commend our EMS staff and thank them for embracing this positive change. Please remember to share any special announcements with our Community Relations team at info@rumcsi.org. Board of Trustees Chairperson, Kathryn Rooney, Esq. with President & CEO Daniel Messina, Ph.D. at a welcome reception held at the Old Bermuda Inn. Event graciously hosted by Trustee John Vincent Scalia.
Daniel J. Messina, Ph.D., FACHE, LNHA
RUMC EMS Trained & Carrying Overdose Drug, Naloxone As of May 1st, Richmond University Medical Center’s Emergency Medical Technicians became the first in New York City’s 911 system to be fully trained and carrying Naloxone, a step the hospital took to protect our community and stem the rise of heroin overdoses seen in our borough. RUMC EMTs completed training of how to administer the intranasal drug, which is credited for saving the lives of heroin overdoses.
NY1 produced a citywide story on the RUMC EMS team— QA Paramedic Anthony McKay was interviewed for the story, along with others. Right: EMTs were trained in RUMC’s Sipp Auditorium.
A PUBLICATION FOR EMPLOYEES, PHYSICIANS, TRUSTEES, AND VOLUNTEERS OF RICHMOND UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER
Chronicle June 2014
Trauma Services Expanding at Richmond University Medical Center Trauma Services continues to grow at the Medical Center. More staff members are becoming TNCC Certified, bringing a new level of expertise to care for the trauma patient. The department recently received a new Ultra Sound Scanner to perform quick scans of the abdomen and other body parts. The team also just received a new cardiac / transport monitor. This state-of-the-art transport monitor eliminates the need for two pieces of equipment to monitor the patient during transport to the CAT Scan, O.R. or patient room. It provides EKG, BP, pulse ox cardiac monitoring and defibrillation. The equipment was funded by emergency preparedness grant funds.
Continuous Leave & Intermittent Leave If you are going on a continuous leave or filing an intermittent leave, please remember to contact FMLA Source either by logging on to www.fmlasource.com or calling 1-877-462-3652 to apply for FMLA. FMLA Source will forward you the information needed to file disability if necessary. You must also notify your department at least two weeks prior or as soon as possible to the start of your continuous leave or on a daily basis for intermittent absences once approved via the established departmental procedure in order to receive eligible sick or other accrued time payment. Please contact our Benefits Department for assistance at ext 3246.
The Joint Commission Joint Commission time is approaching soon and we need staff’s 100% TIMELY compliance with LICENSURE, CERTIFICATIONS (INCLUDING BLS, ACLS, PALS, NRP) ANNUAL HEALTH ASSESSMENTS AND ANNUAL MANDATORIES. Please remember you are due for your annual health assessment during your birth month even if that is shortly after your hire date. Any questions, please contact Human Resources or Employee Health for the assessment.
Employee & Volunteer Summer BBQ June 17th! Please join us Tuesday June 17th from 11am to 4pm at the Villa Lawn (facing Castleton Avenue - Villa parking lot) for an employee & volunteer appreciation summer barbecue!
Kristyn L. D’Andrea, PT/OT Anthony Bosco, Paramedic Daniel Coronel, Admin. Director Robert Adams, Security Officer Deborah Muller, Switchboard Daniel J. Messina, President & CEO Javier Rodriguez, Security Officer Nicholas Medina, Security Officer Maria D’Onofrio, Registered Nurse Frederick Reischour, EMT Brittany Schettino, EMT Eileen Watford, Switchboard Lourdes Figueroa, Registrar Christine Masucci, Asst. Dir. Nursing Domingo Toro, Nursing Assistant Adeola Ajayi, Unit Assistant Victorio Van Dunk, Registered Nurse Natalie Diggs, Nursing Assistant Jean Negron, Transporter Jacqueline Shagan, Unit Clerk Sara Uciechowski, Unit Clerk Alice R. Piner, MRI Tech Ann Marie Grieco, Marketing
Chronicle June 2014
Practice Unite App at Richmond University Medical Center RUMC is pleased to introduce its HIPAA-compliant mobile communication app that allows physicians, nurses and clinical staff to find and communicate easily and quickly with each other. The app, which was launched on May 14th, is available for physician download in the Apple Store or in Google Play. The app will allow users to send and receive secure texts and photos from their Android and/or Apple smartphones and tablets. The app is designed to include all RUMC Medical Staff physicians, residents in training, fellows, and the nurses and support staff who are members of patient care teams. The sending of unsecured texts and images that contain protected patient information is prohibited by federal HIPAA rules. RUMC’s mobile app is designed to not only provide instant care team communications, but to comply with these rules. RUMC’s mobile app can also deliver consultation requests to physicians, provides an up-to-date “On-Call” schedule, delivers department-specific news, includes a system-
wide telephone directory, sends invitations to medical staff and departmental events, and can be used to deliver urgent hospital “Alerts.” Examples of how the app can be used include communications among emergency physicians, hospitalists and primary care and specialty physicians, the sending of texts among treating physicians and nurses, sign-out and team texts among resident physicians, and communications between residents and attending physicians. Physicians will soon find that RUMC news and event invitations within their areas of interest will appear on their apps. Representatives from Practice Unite will be on-site to help explain how the system works, and to assist physicians and nurses in downloading and activating their apps. If you have questions about the app, or would like to receive personal support regarding its use, the support team can be reached at (866) 874-8616, and email: support@practiceunite.com.
Since 1982, Pauline Aliotta has been helping St. Vincent’s and then Richmond University Medical Center staff as a volunteer messenger. Pauline is dedicated to the hospital and our community. She goes above and beyond to ensure that she’s made a difference for our staff, and our patients. Her dedication and commitment is truly appreciated by not only the volunteer office, but all by staff, physicians, and the board of trustees. We thank Pauline for her service and we congratulate her on being recognized as our June Volunteer Star! Pauline has completed more than 4,700 hours of service to Richmond University Medical Center.
In recognition of Donate Life Month, information on organ & tissue donation was available in April in the hospital lobby. Special thanks to Quality staff for organizing.
Quality & Patient Care
New York Hospitals Have Most Opportunity to Improve in HCHAPS By Joseph Conte, Senior Vice President of Regulatory, Quality, Risk and Legal Affairs During a recent presentation at the Board Quality meeting, RUMC’s Press Ganey representative Annamarie Lombardo displayed a slide that shows that NY state hospitals are ranked 50th out of 50 states on HCHAPS measures. This is a stark reality that needs to be addressed. First some definitions are important.
duce themselves and tell patients what their roles are before communicating what they will be doing and responding to questions. When exiting, doctors must explain that they are leaving and what to expect next. Physician communication sets the stage for successful patient experience outcomes.
What is HCHAPS? The Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey is the national, standardized, publicly reported survey of patients’ perspectives of their hospital care experiences.
AMA policy “encourages physicians to be sensitive to the goals and values of patients, and efforts should be continued to improve the measurement of patient satisfaction and the documentation of its relationship to favorable outcomes and other criteria of high quality.” The concept of the patient experience is not new, but it's becoming more important, because some health care payments are becoming more associated with it, said Pat Ryan, Press Ganey's CEO. This approach is also being adopted for support staff. The concept of scripting is one that drives improvement in patient experience. When interacting with patients and families creating a solid communication plan at each interaction reinforces that the organization has commitment to the respect and dignity of the patient and a genuine interest in excellent service.
What are the Goals of HCAHPS? Produce comparable data for public reporting; Create incentives to improve; Enhance public accountability and transparency; Create a platform for improvement in patient experience. Patient satisfaction is about what patients think about their treatment. The patient experience — focusing on care coordination, pain management, communication with caregivers and staff responsiveness — is about protocols designed to reduce patient stress, experts said. The patient experience movement has been growing for years, but it has gained momentum, thanks in part to the Affordable Care Act and a push to tie payments increasingly to value and quality of care. In Value Based Purchasing over 2% of Medicare reimbursement is tied to quality measures as well as patient experience scores. The Press Ganey survey found that 73% of patients in New England states, from Connecticut and Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont, are likely to recommend, versus 64% in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Patients in Great Plains states such as Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota and Nebraska are among the likeliest to recommend. They scored 72%, while south central region patients in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas score 71%. 19 states along the lower eastern seaboard, in the southeast, and in the west from California to Washington were 68% likely. To the right, you will see an illustration of the State by State performance. Physician organizations, including the American Medical Association, are offering doctors insight on how to create the best patient experience. Some hospitals are more proscriptive, outlining what actions their employed physicians must take at every visit for the best patient experience. Some organizations have taken more proscriptive steps to improve. “The UCLA Health System has implemented patient experience protocols that doctors must follow,” said David Feinberg, MD, president of UCLA Health Systems and CEO of UCLA Hospital Systems. When meeting patients, doctors are required to knock on the doors before entering. They must call patients by their last names, with courtesy titles, until told to do otherwise. They must intro-
Where is RUMC in terms of our own HCHAPS scores? Like the rest of New York we have opportunity to improve. In the first quarter of 2014 scores improved in nearly every domain which is a great start. The scores in communication with our professional staff with Doctors – 75% and Nurses - 71% show great promise in reaching national benchmarks. However we have a great deal of ground to make up especially in “Rate the Hospital” and “Recommend the Hospital.” Over the coming months you will see and hear of a number of initiatives being created to focus on these efforts. Our HCHAPS scores will be reported at all divisional meetings, posted in employee and physician lounges. Reward and recognition programs will be implemented to recognize excellent performance. In closing, our patients deserve the best care and service and the market place requires that our services meet or exceed the expectations of our patients for our continued success.
Quality & Patient Care
RUMC Patient Portal to Go Live June 1st Through July 1st
Community Celebrating Our Staff at RUMC
The Richmond University Medical Center Patient Portal provides a secure online website service that gives patients convenient 24-hour access to personal health information from anywhere with an internet connection. This makes getting test results and managing healthcare easier than ever, reducing barriers to collaboration and enhancing care efficiency.
We acknowledge the staff who assisted the patient, and truly thank everyone for going above & beyond with patient care!
By enrolling in the Richmond University Medical Center Patient Portal using a secure username and password patients can:
View RUMC lab results, discharge summaries, radiology results online, review their medication history, update their healthcare record, and print/ download or securely share their health record with community providers.
Dr. First e-prescribing Proposed to Go Live June 1st Dr. First e-prescribing is the simplest way to significantly improve patient safety and reduce rising medication costs. Transmitting prescriptions to pharmacies eliminates one more chance for a transcription error. Medication reconciliation takes less time as well. Electronic prescribing for meds to be continued by the patient once discharged home via new discharge routine in correlation with 3rd party vendors Dr. First and Sure Scripts. All prescriptions are e-signed by providers as a final check on accuracy before transmission or printing.
Two community members recently wrote a letter of gratitude. They shared detail of their family’s experience with our staff, please see the letter to the right (last names omitted).
Dear friends, We are writing to you in relation to the case for Josefa, a patient of Richmond University Medical Center for the past six weeks. We, her daughter and cousin, in the name of Josefa and our entire family would like to give you and your staff members, especially Lori Howe, Mary Howley, nurses Nina and Erika, Dr. Pandia, Dr. Akin Leye, the translators, the nurse assistants, and some other staff members whose names we don’t remember right now a huge THANK YOU for all the support, understanding, empathy, cooperation and readiness to assist us throughout this very difficult time of our lives. Your staff members are remarkable! All of them without exception from the operator all the way to the specialty doctors have made our lives easier during Josefa’s hospitalization and during the entire process of repatriating her. We have no words to express our gratitude and recognize how great and key players all of them have been for us. You must be very proud to have a team like that! With all our respect,
Ana Maria & Luz Mabel Josefa’s daughter and cousin
In Our Community
RUMC Trustee Ron Purpora Honored by UHF
Ronald A. Purpora, a trustee of the Richmond University Medical Center Board, was honored on Monday May 12th by the United Hospitals Fund at the Waldorf Astoria. The event honored Mr. Purpora for his dedication to the hospital, and presented him with the UHF 2014 Distinguished Trustee Award.
APDA Lecture on Parkinson’s with Dr. Allan Perel, Chief of Neurology
RUMC and the American Parkinson Disease Association hosted a lecture on Parkinson’s Disease for the hospital’s medical interns, led by Dr. Allan Perel, Chief of Neurology at RUMC. Dr. Perel gave an overview of Parkinson’s, a progressive degenerative neurological disease, and addressed the latest in the diagnosis, treatment, long term management and research efforts into the cause and cure of the disease.
Maya Chang Foundation & Northfield Foundation Donate Funds to RUMC
RUMC was presented a check by Yvonne Chang and the Friends of Maya Chang Foundation for $5,000 to support our pediatrics department.
Northfield Bank Foundation held its golf outing in May. $25,000 will be donated to our emergency department.
Nurse of Distinction Awards
Nurses of Distinction Award Ceremony At Richmond University Medical Center
Richmond University Medical Center honored Susanne Cesario, Lisa Quigney, Grace Lehan, Jennifer Cosentino, Beth Clarke, Rosemarie Seaman, Janet Scenna, Kaitlin Defalco, Henry Shimchak, Nancy Rooney and Larry Teatum at the Annual Nurse of Distinction Ceremony on May 7, 2014. The Board of Trustees and Senior Administration shared their appreciation at the event, and recognized all nurses for National Nurses Day with a full page ad in the Staten Island Advance listing each nurse.
National EMS Week BBQ at RUMC May 22nd
Free carousel rides at the Willowbrook Park (2 Eton Place) -all in the community are welcome! Contact Stefanie Racano if you would like to participate in the day with information, a table, kid’s activities, or if you are a cancer survivor and would like to be part of the program. Email info@rumcsi.org or call x2103.