Russell makes an impact in Western Alaska

Transcription

1 DECEMBER 2012 PRESIDENT S REPORT / KAREN PERDUE Russell makes an impact in Western Alaska Even as a youth, Jane Russell knew she wanted a career in health care. As Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation s (YKHC) Vice President of Health Services, Russell is realizing her dream by supervising 57 programs that impact 25,000 patients in more than 50 rural communities throughout Western Alaska. Jane also serves on the ASHNHA Board representing YKHC. It was always an important career goal of mine to be in a service oriented position, said Russell, the daughter of an Air Force man whose family moved across the country before settling in Nebraska for her high school years. I had a natural proclivity for the health sciences, so it was a natural progression to pursue a career in public health. I really wanted to be part of a team that helped improve people s lives through health care. After receiving her Doctor of Pharmacy from Creighton University in Omaha, Russell moved to Alaska to work as a Pharmacist at Yukon Kuskokwim Delta Regional Hospital in Bethel where she met her husband. I was drawn to pharmacy because at that time, pharmacists did more than just counting and illing prescriptions. They were valued members of the clinical team, explained Russell. We participated along with doctors, nurses and other health care professionals to fully use our skills to provide the best possible care. ASHNHA Office Holiday Schedule In observance of the holidays, ASHNHA will be closed December and January 1, so ASHNHA staff can enjoy the holidays with their families. With an interest to develop her skills and knowledge in other health care areas, Russell took a supervisory position at the San Carlos Indian Hospital in Arizona for several years before returning to Alaska to start her career with YKHC as a Village Operations Administer in Six years later, YKHC s President and Chief Executive Of icer, Gene Peltola, selected Russell to work as the Interim Vice President of Health Services before hiring her for the permanent position in May (Continued on page 4) ASHNHA Board Sets Priorities for the New Year On November 8, the ASHNHA Board of Directors identi ied advocacy for the Medicaid expansion for low income uninsured adults as the highest priority for ASHNHA in Members were asked to vote for several priorities. 1. Advocate for the Medicaid expansion for low income uninsured adults. 2. Actively monitor federal budget and entitlement changes and advocate for Alaska interests. 3. Continue ASHNHA s role in workforce development. 4. Promote data reporting and transparency to highlight health care value (quality, patient experience and cost). 5. Support EHR implementation and development of robust health information exchange. 6. Seek additional Medicaid reimbursement in SNFs for special needs patients and an increase in SNF/Assisted Living beds to address the capacity problem. 7. Participate in development of new models of care delivery, i.e. Patient Center Medical Home. 8. Other priorities.

2 National Advisory Committee on Rural Health & Human Services 2 The National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services (NACRHHS) is a 21 member citizens' panel of nationally recognized rural health experts that provides recommendations on rural issues to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. The Committee was chartered in 1987 to advise the Secretary of Health and Human Services on ways to address health care problems in rural America. CEO/President Karen Perdue serves on the committee. Fellow Alaskan and Valdez family practice doctor John Cullen also serves. At the last meeting the committee visited rural critical access hospitals in Texas, discussed CMS and HRSA sponsored demonstration projects new categories of hospitals such as outlined in the F CHIP project, and discussed pending proposals to limit the number of critical access hospitals. More information on the Committee can be found at The committee is staffed by HRSA s Of ice of Rural Health Policy. Regional Telemedicine Conference Set Conference Dates are March 18 20, 2013 in Billings, Montana In this photo are commi ee members Dr. John Cullen, Valdez, Alaska; Karen Perdue, ASHNHA; and the Chair of the Commi ee Ronnie Musgrove, former Governor of Mississippi. Healthcare providers, patients, administrators and those who are interested in learning more about Telehealth will have an opportunity to meet and network at the Northwest Regional Telehealth Resource Center (NRTRC) annual conference. The conference features educational opportunities, an informational exhibit hall, nationally recognized speakers and a great venue for networking among providers, patients, payers and others new to Telehealth who need to learn about this exciting delivery system. Speakers scheduled to appear include American Telemedicine Association President and ANTHC CIO, Stewart Ferguson, Nationally recognized patient advocate Dave debronkart, known as e Patient Dave, Nirav Desai of Hands On Telehealth, James Bush, MD, and a number of nationally and regionally know presenters in the two educational tracks, Technology and Administrative/Clinical. NRTRC is a source of technical assistance, education and resources for Telehealth providers throughout a seven state region in the Northwestern United States. For further information, log on to the conference website, or e mail Martha@nrtrc.org. Southeast Hospitals Strengthen Collaboration It was a rainy, dreary day in Ketchikan but inside the room energized CEOs from SE Alaska Hospitals spent an afternoon together. Hospital CEOs have been meeting regularly for the past two years to increase collaboration among Southeast Hospitals. New leaders from Bartlett Regional Hospital (Christine Harff, CEO) and Wrangell Medical Center (Marla Sanger, interim CEO) joined CEOs from the other hospitals in SE Alaska to talk about common challenges. Some projects under discussion include a pilot project to bring SEARHC s high idelity simulators, technician, and facilitator to SE hospitals to provide simulation training to hospital teams; oncology needs in the region and options to collaborate such as Tumor conference offered by Bartlett; and opportunities for mentoring visits between hospitals. The SE Hospital Network is undergoing a transition as they take on the role of Southeast AHEC Steering Committee. PeaceHealth Ketchikan Medical Center is now the lead organization for the Southeast AHEC and will be guided by the Steering Committee representing all the hospitals in the region. There is enthusiasm for AHEC s effort to engage, train, recruit and retain health care professionals in SE Alaska. Overall among SE Hospitals, there is an acknowledgement of the need to ind new ways to work together as an important strategy for survival in the changing health care environment. 2

3 Alaska Nurses honored at March of Dimes Banquet It was heartening to see so many talented nurses recognized at the Nurse of the Year awards banquet on November Name Award Category Company Felecia Baker Maternal/Newborn 673rd Medical Group Greta Brewster Nursing Management Military 673rd Medical Group Amanda Bergeron Advanced Practice Military 673rd Medical Group Brenda Lamont Hospital Case Management Care Coordinator YKHC Kristen Caldwell NICU ANMC Jayme Schroeder Rising Star ANMC Angeline Washington Charge Nurse ANMC Janet Johnson Rehabilitation Fairbanks Memorial Denali Center BJ (Bjarke) Bennedsen Perioperative Fairbanks Memorial Carol Switzer Friend of Nursing, Ancillary Fairbanks Memorial Denali Center Janet Froeschle Advanced Practice Southcentral Foundation Andra Rasmussen Non Hospital Based Nurse Southcentral Foundation Community Case Management Care Leslie Stephens Coordinator Southcentral Foundation Sheron Smoyer Friend of Nursing, Professional Fairbanks Memorial Teri Kiss Legend in Nursing Fairbanks Memorial Wilma Manual Legend in Nursing State of Alaska PHN Bonnie Ezell Nursing Management Providence Alaska Medical Center Cary Van Dyke Education Providence Alaska Medical Center Denise Scholze Behavioral Health Providence Alaska Medical Center Catherine Jones Pediatrics Providence Alaska Medical Center Karin Evans General Med/Surg Providence Alaska Medical Center Emily Stevens Nursing Administration Mat Su Regional Hospital Natalie Portner Critical Care, Adults Mat Su Regional Hospital Pam Cook Emergency/Flight Mat Su Regional Hospital Brandi Swanson LPN Wild lower Court Juneau Jayme Schroeder from ANMC displays his Shining Star award for exemplifying outstanding caring leadership and professionalism within the first 18 months of prac ce. Cary Van Dyke from Providence receives award for Educa on Gena Edmiston, Fairbanks Memorial CNO and ASHNHA CNO Commi ee Chair, gives remarks at the evening s event 3

4 Small Hospital Update 4 Phoenix Rural Health Care Leadership Conference Remember to register for the upcoming Rural Health Care Leadership Conference in Phoenix on February 10 13, The conference is packed with excellent sessions and will be a good opportunity to participate together and meet as a group following the conference. ASHNHA is providing a stipend of $1200 to support the CEO or designee from each small hospital to attend the conference. There will be an ASHNHA Small Hospital Network meeting on Wed. Feb 13 th at the end of the conference. The conference website is: conf_ruralhealth.html Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture ASHNHA is covering the cost for Alaska small hospitals to participate in the rural adapted Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture. The survey is designed to provide hospitals with a valid tool to measure safety culture by examining patient safety culture from a hospital staff perspective. The survey will be administered and analyzed by the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Small hospitals should complete a letter of intent to participate. Webinar Rural America: The Race to Recruit Physicians ASHNHA is offering free webinars to small hospitals. The irst webinar will be January 15, 2013 at 10:30am 12:00pm and is titled Rural America: The Race to Recruit Physicians. Hospitals need to sign up with ASHNHA to receive login information for the webinar. ICD 10 Training Opportunity ASHNHA has negotiated a group purchase for ICD 10 online classes. These classes will be offered free of charge to small hospitals using SHIP funds and to other hospitals for a fee. Seven classes will be available targeting all hospital staff including coders, nurses, doctors, HIM managers, and other healthcare professionals. The classes are self paced and can be completed over the course of Registration information will be provided to all small hospitals. Each hospital interested will need to identify the individual staff that will participate in the training, ideally through a centralized training coordinator. ASHNHA is partnering with the Colorado Center for Rural Health and the Association of Rural Health Professional Coders to make these high quality courses available. For questions on any of the above opportunities please call Debbie at , or debbie@ashnha.com. Russell continued... I have been very fortunate in my career to work with people who have been willing to take a chance with me, said Russell who earned her Masters of Business Administration from Western Governor s University in YKHC really rewards promise and has provided me with wonderful mentoring and growth opportunities. It was Gene s faith in me and his mentoring that led me to this position. If he hadn t asked me and pushed me I would have stayed in my other job. In her current position, Russell supervises 1100 of YKHC s 1500 employees, oversees more than a $100 million budget, and is responsible for the health corporation s upcoming conversion to an electronic health care system. Our electronic record system goes live at all of our sites on January 28, said Russell, who supervises programs that impact communities that sprawl across a 75,000 square mile radius. We re really excited and think this will dramatically improve patient safety and the quality of care since all of our health care providers will have access to the same information. Other plans for 2013 include two new health care facilities in Bethel an alcohol treatment center that will break ground next year and the completion of an 18 bed nursing home. Right now we send our elders to Anchorage or Seward, said Russell, the mother of two elementary school aged daughters. It s very important to our Board of Directors to have their elders close to home and have access to a Native diet and people who speak their language. Along with her duties at YKHC, Russell is a Captain in the United States Public Health Service. She recently returned from New Jersey where she was deployed after Hurricane Sandy. As part of a Rapid Deployment Force Team, she served 110 people in a special medical needs shelter. Her unit was awarded an Outstanding Unit Citation for their exemplary performance for their two weeks of service. Back at home, Russell s contribution to YKHC continues to help improve the quality of health care and patient safety in Southwest Alaska on a daily basis just like she envisioned in her youth except bigger. 4

5 Norton Sound Health Corp. appoints Angie Gorn as President/CEO 5 The Norton Sound Health Corporation (NSHC) Board of Directors announced Angie Gorn as its new President/CEO. Mrs. Gorn has more than 15 years of experience at NSHC. Prior to accepting the new position, Angie served as the Vice President of Hospital Services and Nursing Home Administrator for seven years. With Angie s intense involvement in NSHC and the community, it is no surprise that the Board of Directors placed full con idence in her leadership and committed to a ive year term. Board Chairwoman Emily Hughes stated, On behalf of the Board of Directors, we are looking forward to the transition to the new hospital, working towards village clinic improvements, and working closely with our dedicated staff with Angie in her new role. Gorn started the Diabetes Prevention Program and Summercise, now a nationally recognized program. Under Gorn s leadership, Quyanna Care Center has received two quality achievement awards and made the 2012 Honor Roll for being one of the best 39 nursing homes in the Nation among 15,000 surveyed for quality and safety. Most recently, Norton Sound Regional Hospital received the Top Quality Achievement Award for clinical measures among their hospital peers in the State of Alaska. Gorn credits the dedicated staff at NSHC for these successes. Gorn has authored over 7 million dollars in grant funding over the past ifteen years, most recently a $1 million telemedicine grant. Gorn also contributes to the Bering Strait Health Consortium, which pioneered Nome s irst Nursing program through the University of Alaska Anchorage. Angie s commitment to NSHC would not be possible without the support of her loving family. She is married to Tony Gorn, the Area Biology Director for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and has two amazing children, Colton (7) and Taylor (5), who attend Nome Elementary School. O Neil named as Interim Administrator for Providence Valdez Jeremy O Neil has been named Interim Administrator for Providence Valdez Medical Center. Jeremy, a third generation Alaskan, joined Providence Valdez approximately 15 months ago, in which time he has fully integrated with the hospital teams and enhanced PVMC s inancial viability. He will continue to ful ill his responsibilities as Finance Manager in addition to those of the Interim Administrator. Prior to joining Providence, Jeremy practiced law and instructed college accounting courses. He also served as a senior inancial analyst for Fairbanks Memorial Hospital and the Denali Center. Jeremy is a Certi ied Public Accountant and attorney, and has a Master s degree in Business Administration and Bachelor s degree in Accounting. Sean McCallister, former Administrator now Critical Access Hospital Operations Administrator said, I am con ident that he will lead our stellar healthcare team to continued success during this transitional period. Congratulations Jeremy. Workforce Update C.N.A. Training Regs Changes to the Alaska Board of Nursing C.N.A. regulations will be inalized December 27, The Board expanded eligible sites that can deliver the entire practicum to include hospitals and certain assisted living facilities. Jennifer Bryner continues to lead the CNO/DON workgroup to address other concerns with the current C.N.A. training regulations. Loan Repayment/Incentives DHSS regulations to implement the new law are being inalized and should be published by the 1st of next year. Alaska Healthcare Workforce Coalition Kathy Craft and Kitty Farnham conducted interviews with coalition members on their perspectives on the work of the coalition and how the coalition will sustain its operation going forward. Kathy is in the process of updating all of the program activities. A report should be available to ASHNHA soon. 5

6 ASHNHA hosts CNO/DON Meeting 6 Le to right Back row: Sandi Crawford, Sue Nelson, Shannon Updike, Jennifer Bryner, Grace Roller, Raine Clarke, Ginger Sharrow, John Bardsley, Beverly McClendon, Monique Summers, Deb Hanson, Lisa Peterson, Barbara Jacobson, Lynn Grass, Venessa San Pedro, Amy McDaniel, Dennis Murray. Front Row: LeeAnn Horn, Gena Edmiston, Shara Sutherlin. On December 7th the ASHNHA CNO/DON committee met at the Alaska Regional campus. Gena Edmiston, Committee Chair, was very pleased with the attendance. It was a full day of brie ings and committee work. Nancy Sanders, executive director of the Alaska Board of Nursing shared updates on the work of the board and the information available through the board s web site [ ]. Sandi Crawford, DON at Heritage Place, shared the excellent success with nurses completing the Gero Prep nursing program[ ] and certi ication. The committee had a discussion with Dr. Barbara Berner, Director UAA School on Nursing, Jan Harris, Vice Provost for Healthcare Programs and Katy Branch, Director of AHEC. Dr. Berner updated the group on the efforts to enhance the A.D.N. to BSN program, the work and funding for the Doctorate in Nursing. The group discussed ways to further enhance student interests in perioperative nursing courses. After lunch Debbie Thompson briefed the group on the efforts of Alaska to form a Nursing Action Coalition. Karen Perdue joined the group by phone to share several brie ing papers and updates on ASHNHA Board activities. Greta Wade, ASHNHA, and Teri Kiss, RN manager at FMH, shared information on ASHNHA s Hospital Engagement Network quality projects. Teri provided a lot of great information around inding ways to reduce and diminish the impact of falls at FMH. The Alaska Perioperative Nursing Consortium has 12 students graduating on January 14, The next cohort will begin February 25. An effort is underway to incorporate surgery tech training with the perioperative training. Gena asked that a survey be sent to CNO/DON s to determine the next focus area of sub specialty nursing and get further input on facility priorities. The group will meet with the CFO/Quality Directors March 6 and have a face to face meeting April or May, ASHNHA would like to thank Alaska Regional Hospital for use of their meeting room and St. Elias Specialty Hospital for providing food and beverages. Jack Nielson retires after decades of service Jack Nielson is retiring from state service this December. Jack has been instrumental in the health care world with decades of commitment to helping health care facilities. In his role as Executive Director for Medicaid, Jack was always willing to listen to facility positions and concerns. He conducted himself with dedication and professionalism. It s true that his decisions did not always favor the individual facility s perspective, but he was fair in his dealings with members. His leadership and dedication will be missed going forward. Dennis Murray recalled Jack s involvement and leadership with Commissioner Gilbertson in facilitating the funding to bridge the change in ownership of Heritage Place from Banner Health to Central Peninsula Hospital. That funding was crucial to the successful transition. Karen Perdue served with Jack for nearly 20 years and recalled he was always getting her out of sticky situations. On behalf of the members, the association thanks him for his public service to Alaskans. If you would like to call or send a personal note of thanks, Jack shared his phone and address. Jack Nielson P.O. Box Anchorage, AK Phone:

7 ASHNHA Website Updated, More features for members We are updating our website, ashnha.com, to make information easily accessible and more useful to our members. We will be adding new information and offering a member login area. This will allow ASHNHA Committees to post meeting agendas, minutes, and resources in a secure area available only to ASHNHA members. We welcome your input on information you would like to have available on the website. If you have trouble inding something, let us know. Debbie Lowenthal is our current webmaster and can be contacted at Debbie@ashnha.com. Alaska Quality Stars Shine Bright in Indianapolis Twenty Alaskans were part of the 900 individuals who attended HEN Week in Indianapolis in mid November. On many afternoons after the conference ended, the Alaska table hosted a full crowd of peers continuing to learn, share and network. Sponsored by HRET, the educational event was part of the Hospital Engagement Network efforts to achieve the ambitious goals of reducing harm by 40% and preventable readmissions by 20%. HRET President Maulik Joshi discussed progress to date and the next steps to continue to accelerate improvement and results toward reaching our 40/20 goals. There were excellent speakers and discussions throughout the week on implementation and best practices on all 10 clinical areas. Hospital stories were shared in each of the clinical areas. State Hospital Association leads met to discuss tools for accelerating change and building improvement capacity. A great amount of peer to peer sharing took place. Many hospital success stories were presented that gave others insight into how to engage colleagues from different disciplines as well as cooperation from leadership. Thirty three progress report posters were submitted by hospitals to illustrate some of the Le to right: Liz Woodyard, Amanda Hays, Shanna Rust, Lynn Gras, Donna Woodkey Dinsmore,Kim Vermedal, Shara Sutherlin, Pat Johnson, Shelley Hjort, Michelle Cur s, Kathy Inman, Lindsay Duckworth, Rod Perdue. amazing improvement efforts happening across the ten clinical areas. Among the posters, Fairbanks Memorial Hospital s submission stood out for its unique and captivating display of falls data. Rod Perdue presented the work on behalf of his team in Fairbanks, standing by the poster to answer questions and welcome feedback from interested onlookers. It is this type of sharing and collaboration that is the most exciting! 7 From the ASHNHA team Rod Perdue showcases Fairbanks Memorial Hospital's progress on reducing falls at the Indianapolis HEN Week. 7

8 8 Alaska Regional Hospital raises funds for United Way Last week, Alaska Regional held a staff Pie Toss Contest. Staff placed bids, at a dollar a piece, with the highest votegetters receiving a pie in the face. Annie Holt, Alaska Regional CEO and ASHNHA Chair, was among the top three with 156 votes or $156 bucks. All proceeds from the competition went to support United Way. Here CFO Lynn Kennington does the honors. Wonder what Lynn was thinking. Way to take one for a good cause Annie! Better health through coordinated care Congratulations are in order to PeaceHealth Ketchikan Medical Center (PHKMC)! They were recently awarded a three year $3.1 million Health Care Innovation Challenge Grant from the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services. The project Better Health through Coordinated Care seeks to advance patient care coordination and improve health maintenance and chronic disease outcomes in southern Southeast Alaska. This highly competitive grant was awarded to less than 4% of the applicants and PHKMC was the only recipient in Alaska. This grant is the largest single grant received by PHKMC and will increase access by putting in place a model of care that will reduce barriers that keep our patients from achieving optimum health outcomes, says Pat Branco, CEO. The grant will fund key positions to expand access to primary care, and focus on preventative health and management of diabetes and chronic heart failure for patients seen by PeaceHealth Medical Group. Another key component of this grant will focus on workforce development, through the design and use of core curriculum and training tools for Medical Of ice Assistants that support physicians in their daily work. This is a huge bene it for our community and PHKMC, said Michele Budd, VP of Ambulatory Care Services and executive in charge of the program. Health improvement is one of the key initiatives that we are pursuing as an organization, and with this grant funding we will be able to advance the program and deliver the services in a more comprehensive manner. The eventual goal is to shift care from a traditional hospital or acute care system to one that focuses on prevention, early risk identi ication, care coordination, problem and disease management. It is anticipated that this effort will improve the overall health of our patients, reduce the risk of further health complications, and ultimately save costs by avoiding unnecessary hospitalizations. ASHNHA looks forward to learning more about this project and the outcomes achieved over the next three years. The changes tested and lessons learned in Ketchikan may bene it other hospitals around the state as the project progresses. To learn more about the project contact Michele Budd at (907) ext 7884 or mbudd@peacehealth.org Kim Poppe-Smart leaves DHSS for Warmer Climates Kim Poppe Smart, Deputy Commissioner for Medicaid and Health Policy in the Department of Health and Social Services has left her position. She has taken a job in Arizona. Kim, a nurse and a lawyer, provided the Commissioner with in depth knowledge of Medicaid. 8