The Pulse Year - In - Review!

Transcription

1 In This Issue... President s message... 2 Year-iN-Revew Fond Farewell proud PArent Did you know... *The retirement plan limits have been announced for The general employee limit remains at $17,500 annually if under age 50 and the over age 50 catch up is still at $5,500 (total of $23,000 for 50+). If you have any questions, please contact Jane Mika at Ext *Every year Pizza Pub in Ashland delivers pizza for free to MMC on Christmas Day. Erin Garness, PCU wanted to say a special thank you to Pizza Pub from everyone who had to work that day! The Pulse 2013 Year - In - Review! A Monthly Newsletter for the Staff of MMC january, 2014 Volume 3 Issue 1 Congrats to the following Above and Beyond recipients: Kevin Stranberg, PR Chuck Flesch, Nursing Administration Read more on page 4 1

2 President s Message January, 2014 It is hard to believe a new year is already here! I hope everyone managed to find time to enjoy the holidays with family, friends and other loved ones. While the holidays are often hectic, it is always fun to reconnect with those that matter most in your life. This issue of The Pulse takes a look back on the year that was As I mentioned in my holiday letter to you, much of what happened in 2013 both personally and at MMC, can be summarized in one word transition. We transitioned to an entirely new c-suite team of myself, Kent and Karen, while saying good-bye to a long-time, dedicated senior leadership team. We watched 18 staff retire and with them, 470 years of service. While we will miss their expertise, we wish them well on the next exciting chapter of their life. We celebrated the completion of a long-term construction project during our milestone 40th anniversary. Looking ahead, I expect 2014 will be equally as exciting. I m anxious to see the groundwork we set in 2013 come to fruition. By mid-year, the Board of Directors will release the results of our new strategic plan that will provide the roadmap to our future. In that plan, we anticipate working more closely with Hayward Area Memorial Hospital to insure we both continue to provide quality healthcare to our communities. Our strong leadership team of directors and senior leadership are busy collaborating with staff, creating real solutions and ways to improve our patient satisfaction and HCAHPS scores. I applaud their efforts and know the work everyone is doing will truly make a difference in our end result scores. The service excellence team continues to make headway in developing a plan to achieve customer satisfaction E3 every encounter, every person, every day. I want to provide two additional updates that I m sure you ll hear lots more about in I ve asked Director of IT Todd Reynolds to explore the effectiveness and potential alternatives of QCPR. To date, he s put together a work group to begin this process with an ultimate goal of ensuring our electronic health record system is the best fit for patients, staff and our partners. I m also pleased to announce that MMC will be collaborating with Essentia Health to build a new Oncology Center right here on-campus called the Northwest Wisconsin Cancer Center. Additional information will be made available soon but I wanted staff to be the first group to know that this collaboration is moving forward. This center, which will include full treatment offers similar to the cancer center in Duluth, will finally allow cancer patients to receive quality treatment closer to home. This announcement is the result of years of work, but I m excited to announce we re moving forward. We re currently working on final details of a lease agreement. It this goes as planned, we anticipate opening in August, Finally, in the past we ve often shared our financials in the January newsletter. This year, we d like to wait until after we ve received our cost report and calculated our final numbers. This won t be available until mid-to-late February. We ll have more on the numbers at that time but in the interim, I m happy to report we had another strong year financially thanks to the hard work each and every one of you do. For that, I thank you. Jason Douglas 2

3 You Spoke, We Listened A special thanks to Ellen Gregoire, Materials for speaking up during an employee forum. She mentioned a safety issue with our elevators. Once alerted to the issue, we immediately looked into her concern and I m happy to report, the issue has been resolved. This would not have happened without Ellen stepping up and voicing her concern. Staff is encouraged to follow her lead. Together, we can and will make MMC a better place for staff and visitors! Upcoming Events Pre-Diabetes Class Create the Life You Crave January 2 January pm 11 am, 11:30 am, Twin Islands Noon & 12:30 pm Meeting Room Twin Islands Meeting Topics include the risks involved in developing Type-2 Informational session by Room Diabetes, the benefits of certified Life Coach Leslie healthy eating and increased Hamp. Employees will be activity. Free to MMC employees. To register, call Ext prizes. All employees will be entered to win various entered to win a gift basket as well. Sponsored by the Employee Health Committee. Living with Diabetes January pm Twin Islands Meeting Room Free educational series and customized action plan for those impacted by diabetes. Topic this month is carbohydrate counting. To register, call Ext Retirement Specialist January am - 4 pm Human Resources Jeanette Hudepohl will be here to discuss your retirement account. Please call HR at Ext to schedule an appointment. Holiday Fun! There were plenty of celebrations in December including the MMC Holiday Party. Left: Organizers Donnie Cordes, Lab and Chris Oreskovich, Health Information. A special thanks to Administration for hosting! Right: Chaplain Kent Seldal with volunteer chaplains Sharon Jolma, Gail Larson and Louise Vernon during the 2013 Pastoral Service Pie Social. Grocery Store Tour January 21 1:30 pm Wal-Mart Join a dietitian and tour a grocery store to learn more about label reading, eating better on a budget and making healthier food choices. The tour will be interactive and fun. Call Ext to reigister. Limited to 6 people per class. Walk Around Wisconsin Coming this Winter! Remember Walk Around Lake Superior a few years back? Stay tuned for additional information on a similar challenge but with bigger prizes from Employee Health this winter. 3

4 2013 MMC Highlights New Providers: In February, MMC hosts a New Provider Reception, welcoming 13 new providers that have joined our team in the past few years including: Dr. Charles Bertel, Dr. Daniel Blascyk, Dr. Katrina Brang, MainStreet Clinic Dr. Ryan Brang, MainStreet Clinic Dr. Matthew Horning, Chequamegon Clinic Michaelene Jansen, CNP, Dr. Meghan Kutz, Chequamegon Clinic Dr. Kristin Lusian, Dr. John Mundy, Superior Anesthesia Associates Dr. Peggy Rouleau, Radiologists Associates of Duluth Dr. Renee Schroder Dr. Andrew Snider, Ryan Vanderscheuren, PA, Essentia Health - Orthopaedics Dr. Notorangelo joins Behavioral Health Services of MMC as an addiction specialist in August. Dr. Monica Lee joins Chequamegon Clinic as a family practice doctor in December. Milestones: The MMC Board of Directors welcomes Steve Bitzer and Michael A. Miller as their two newest members. A thirty- month renovation results in an entirely new state-of-the-art Patient Care and OB Units focused on the patient experience is complete. The 25th Annual Senior Expo is held at Lake Superior Elemetnary School. MMC is a major sponsor of the Garland City Women s Expo, with staff from Rehab Services and ER participating. Dan Hymans, CEO and Les Whiteaker, CFO retire after 21 years and 40 years of service respectively. An additional 16 staff retire including (with their years of service): Robin Brady, 41 Janet Bressette, 18 Cheryl Connors, 27 Steve Harma, 32 Karen Johnson, 27 Joy Kraynak, 16 Judy Lawver, 29 Jan Lewis, 28 Ruth Poppe, 31 Karla Raade, 23 Tom Reuter, 14 Jan Stipetich, 36 Tom Stone, 32 Pat Waynert, 47 Bev Weber, 37 Phyillis Wedlund, 39 4 Milestones (continued): Jason Douglas is hired as CEO. Kent Dumonseau is hired as CFO. And Karen Hansen moves from Interim COO to COO. Giving Back: Partners donates $62,500 to the hospital for a variety of wish list items, scholarships and Lifeline. Staff contribute $2,412 during the 2012 Sherry Lipske Raffle to help employees in need. Team MMC raises $16, for the American Cancer Society during this year s Relay for Life. Team Avengers raises $2, for the Alzheimer s Association during this year s Walk to End Alzheimers. Staff and their families donate 668 pounds of food during the 2013 MMC Movie Day. Passing On: Former MMC Employee of the year Elizabeth Betty Maple passes away on April 25, Partners volunteer Mary E. Bratley passes away on May 24.

5 MMC Provides Patient Check-in Kiosk If you ve walked by the main entrance, you may have noticed a touch screen kiosk. The patient check-in kiosk were recently installed to increase speed and efficiency for patient check-in. It is also part of Stage 2 meaningful use. The kiosk allow patients to begin the admission process without having to wait for an available staff person, says Kim Pralle, Director of Patient Business Services at MMC. We hope by providing this service, patients can get through the registration process and to their appointments in a more efficient manner. Once patients check-in, they still need to stop by the registration desk to pick-up any paperwork necessary for the appointment and to provide any additional information needed for the check-in process. The kiosk will be particularly helpful for routine appointments but have some limitations. This includes the Walk-In Clinic or ER, where you don t have a scheduled appointment to check into. It also won t work on high-tech imaging such as a CT scan, due to the need for prior authorization from your insurance company. We encourage staff to let patients know about the system, especially if they are waiting to check-in. We are also encouraging users to provide feedback to our registration staff, Pralle says. The process is designed to be intuitive and user-friendly but we are always looking for ways to improve the patient experience. Giving Back MMC employees love to give back and this giving season was no exception. A variety of fund drives, toy and food collections took place throughout the hospital. Left: BHS had a Tree of Warmth in their entryway filled with hats, mittens, socks and holiday cards that their patients could take as needed. Right: Cyndi Belanger, Cardiac Rehab with members of the Ashland Fire Department picking up toys from MMC s toy drive. 5

6 Best Wishes in your Retirement Steve Harma, ER; Pat Waynert, Nutrition Services; Liz Glass, Radiology; and Phyllis Wedlund, Behavioral Health said a fond farewell to MMC at the end of Steve Harma, who worked at MMC 32 years, has always been a diligent and compassionate nurse, giving excellent care to his patients and showing kindness and respect to them and to their families. In retirement Steve will enjoy more time for outdoor activities, especially hunting. Most of all, he s looking forward to spending more time with his family, including his wonderful grandchildren. Pat Waynert celebrated her 47th anniversary at MMC this year. She began her career at St Joseph s Hospital and moved to MMC when it opened in Supervisor Therese Lachecki says, she has given years of experience to helping our department maintain a solid foundation as many co-workers have come and gone. Pat, thank you for being one of our strong employees. Liz Glass spent the majority of her 29-years at MMC within Radiology as a Diagnostic Imaging Technologist. She also stepped in as Interim Director and Working Supervisor. When talking about Glass, Director of Radiology Dan Gillis says, She represents the best of MMC. The years may come and go but one thing always remains true and that is the sincerity and caring professionalism that LIz displays each and every day. Phyllis Wedlund worked 38 years as an LPN in Behavioral Health dedicating her entire nursing career to working with patients with substance abuse and behavioral health issues. She has a solid understanding of the patient population and knows how to meet and exceed their expectations. In her free time, she loves to spend time with her mother or stay at home with her dog, Diva. We ll greatly miss Phyllis as well as her melt-in-themouth desserts she s famous for. 6

7 2014 Insurance Rates HealthPartners and Delta Dental will remain MMC s health and dental insurance carriers for the coming year. Although health insurance premiums have increased, the dental, LTD, and Optional Life Insurance premiums have all decreased. A memo regarding these changes along with the new insurance rate lists recently went out by to everyone. Department Heads were asked to post this information. Please read the memo for detailed information about your 2014 insurance benefits. If you have any questions, please call Carol Kinnunen, Human Resources, at #6520. All in the Family Beth Probst, Public Relations completed a daylong conference for Photoshop Users. Brittany Delegan and Lacy Putnam, Behavioral Health attended the 2013 Psychopharmacology Conference which discussed various medications, when to prescribe them, and the potential side effects. Tim McLean, Rehab Services attended the Mayo Sports Medicine Symposium which provided a series of discussions and presentations on various sports medicine topics. Jill Curry, Nursing completed Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) training. The course teaches providers to recognize pediatric problems promptly and then intervene appropriately. Soups are great in the winter to keeps toes and fingers warm. Soups can be a low calorie option if they are broth based but high calorie if it s a creamy soup. And beware of the sodium. Our homemade soups in the cafeteria are usually lower in sodium than the readymade. Information is based on a one cup serving. Chicken Kniffly: 112 calories and 658 mg of sodium Red Rock Bisque: 250 calories and 790 mg of sodium Learning Opportunities December marked a busy time of learning opportunities for staff. Left: It was standing room only during a presentation focused on how Essentia Health and MMC are working together to build telestroke. A telestroke system would enable a stroke neurologist to assess a patient having stroke symptoms through a video camera system, microphone and computer in the MMC emergency department. MMC will also be working with the stroke team from St. Luke s. This system could go live in June, Right: Several mock drills were held in December including an evacuation drill in which patients had to be transported from the Patient Care Unit to the ground floor. Cafeteria Corner Hamburger vegetable: 147 calories 276 mg of sodium Irish Stew: 125 calories 382 mg of sodium Italian Wedding soup: 220 calories and 1,180 mg of sodium Cream Wild Rice: 180 calories and 990 mg of sodium Split Pea: 120 calories and 1,000 mg of sodium 7

8 The Pulse A publication of Memorial Medical Center 1615 Maple Lane, Ashland, WI Beth Probst, Public Relations Specialist Kevin Stranberg, Public Relations Director Proud Parent! Below: Rebecca Crumb-Johnson, Nutrition Services submitted this photo of her children Ida and Seth on the last night of their multi-week trip to Yellowstone in August. Given that both kids are still smiling, she calls the trip a major success. Left: To combat the lack of timeliness of her summer vacation photo, she also submitted a photo of her son Seth who was Joseph at the United Presbyterian Congregational Church Christmas program in December. She felt it was important for staff to know he does not dress this way at home. Got Photos? Submit them anytime! We d love to highlight the photos you re proud of and feature more of the folks who make things happen at MMC and in the community! Send us tips about what folks are up to in your department or share your best photo of your kids, grandchildren, weddings, parties, races, sports or nature shots! Drop-off photos in the PR Office, or your pictures and ideas to bprobst@ashlandmmc.com. 8