CurrentsTo Medical Center Employees:JCAHO standards emphasize documentation of staff competencies. One of the key competency measures is the performance evaluation document. I am asking all “raters” to ensure for timely completion of performance evaluations. Records indicate that nearly 10 percent are currently due or overdue. I will be following up in the near future on problem areas and supervisors with overdue performance evaluations will be contacted. The JCAHO’s survey process is “unforgiving” when overdue evaluations are found. We are subject to an unannounced survey anytime in the new calendar year. We must always be prepared. Also, the recent employee satisfaction survey indicated that 16 percent of respondents disagreed that their evaluations were completed within 45 days of their review dates. Clearly this sends the wrong message to employees who want feedback on their performance. To be an “employer of choice” we must be mindful of our obligation to communicate expectations, recognize performance and conduct evaluations properly. On another matter, the next Town Hall meeting will be held at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Dec. 6 and 7:30 a.m. Dec. 7 in the Storm Eye Institute Auditorium. Among other things we will discuss action plans being developed in response to the employee satisfaction survey findings. We will be sure to leave plenty of time for questions and answers. I encourage attendance and ask that you please mark your calendars. Thank you very much. W. Stuart Smith Vice President for Clinical Operations and Executive Director, MUSC Medical Center Customer service initiatives discussedDirector of Children’s Services Carol Dobos, Ph.D., and Pediatric Emergency Department nurse manager Debbie Browning provided an overview of several initiatives used within the Children’s Hospital and the Tactical Plan’s Provider of Choice/Customer Service Group Initiative.Dobos and Browning together serve on the National Research Corporation (NRC, which conducts our patient satisfaction survey) committee, a task force subcommittee handling hospital recommendations and initiatives. The Kick It Up initiative, co-chaired by medical-surgery nurse educator Mary Johnson and 8D nurse manager Kim Harris Eaton, was created to involve the Children’s Hospital’s frontline staff in training and new customer service initiatives. Dobos described how a group was established to evaluate customer service within the Children’s Hospital to develop initiatives addressing areas of improvement as identified by NRC Picker Survey Results. The effort involved all areas of the Children’s Hospital with representatives chosen by area managers/supervisors. Representatives were responsible for attending monthly meetings to review feedback and discuss improvements and ideas. Representatives were encouraged to regularly share survey results with departmental staff. Using a fall football as their theme, Kick It Up organizers held a October 2004 introductory meeting to introduce key concepts for customer service, internal/external customers and methods to access online NRC Picker Survey Results. Kick It Up’s 26 representatives were recruited from around 22 hospital care areas and disciplines including ambulatory care staff, respiratory therapists, phlebotomists, nurses, physicians, clinical associates, etc. The group’s Telephone Etiquette Initiative yielded good results following the distribution and posting of flyers and phone reminder stickers at units and patient care areas reminding staff to continually practice courtesy and good communications. Another successful initiative, the Children’s Hospital Shining Stars, currently recognizes employees and staff by emphasizing MUHA’s core values of respect, accountability, adaptability and excellence. Each quarter, one of four values are highlighted and promoted using flyers, banner, announcements during staff meetings and the Children’s Hospital Newsletter. Around mid-quarter, a “Shining Star” employee—one who exemplifies qualities of a core value—is selected among qualified nominees. Borrowing from the idea of Ambulatory Cares’ Prize Patrol, each “Shining Star” winner will be recognized and will receive a cake, prizes and extra publicity. Children’s Hospital phlebotomist Alex Gadsden became the first quarter award recipient winning under the “respect” core value. The group’s future initiatives include utilizing concepts from Hardwiring Excellence to implement new initiatives; address compliance regarding the Lewis Blackman Hospital Patient Safety Act; and developing a process to involve physicians. CH Emergency Department Initiatives Debbie Browning discussed the origins and successes of the Children’s Hospital Emergency Department Optimal Care Committee. The group, composed of Dobos, Susan Townsend, Joseph Losek, M.D., and Joseph Dobson, M.D., and Steven Godbold, evaluated processes, throughput and examined other ways of optimizing care for a child admitted to the pediatric emergency department. The group reviewed improvements in standing orders, culture follow-up, implementation and a new emergency severity index which supplements the triage system used to identify acutely ill from non-urgent patients. Finally, the team developed and distributed a Pediatric Emergency Department brochure to families in triage. The brochure is filled with information explaining the patient’s visit from medical services to available areas for additional information. Most importantly, Browning described the need for providing a health care environment that is calming and supportive to a fearful child and their parents. The staff is committed in providing each patient with a overall positive experience. In closing, Browning emphasized the Optimal Care Committee successes for invoking changes that yielded positive results from gains in the hospital’s patient census to reports of increased patient satisfaction. Lewis Blackman Hospital Patient Safety Act Rosemary Ellis provided an update to the Lewis Blackman Hospital Patient Safety Act. The Department of Quality and Patient Safety will be printing and distributing pocket cards and informational posters by mid-November. They will be working with the Lead Team to determine the best effort to roll out the program, train hospital managers and educate staffs regarding this information. Ellis emphasized specific use of a page operator number, 792-8080, to respond to patient or family member requests for proper tracking and auditing purposes. Ellis explained that the Hospital Communications Call Center has established a system that will automatically fax a copy of the request page to Quality and Patient Safety. Benchmarking Quality and Safety Programs Center for Clinical Effectiveness’ Stacey Lindbergh and Rosemary Ellis returned from a visit to the V.C. Summer Nuclear Station outside of Columbia to help benchmark MUSC’s own quality and safety programs. The Summer Nuclear Station is one of the state’s industry leaders in the area of quality and safety. MUSC and the station are currently exploring new ways for future collaboration. Holiday Decoration Policy Occupational Safety and Health’s Chris Summers reviewed the university’s policy regarding workplace holiday decorations. In September, the group submitted a Catalyst story describing the institution’s policy on holiday decorations. Summers encouraged managers to explain the policy to all staff levels. He challenged employees to practice good safety techniques and remain vigilant to maintaining safety in the workplace. Announcements
Friday, Nov. 11, 2005
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