The New Standard. 11th Annual President s Awards

Transcription

1 The New Standard 11th Annual President s Awards Northwell Health runs on inspiration. Each day, our colleagues demonstrate the excellence, compassion and teamwork that epitomize the President s Awards. The awards honor the best clinical practice and hard work of those who touch the lives of patients, communities and coworkers. They also recognize individuals and teams who practice the highest levels of care, service and leadership. Whether serving patients and their families, visitors, community members, colleagues or all of these, they show how each of us has the power to make a difference. This special supplement spotlights the exceptional work of Northwell Health s 2017 President s Award winners for patient/customer experience, innovation and teamwork President s Awards Supplement

2 2017 President s Award for Exceptional Patient/Customer Experience Shawna Vernisie Creative Arts Therapist, Cohen Children s Medical Center Shawna Vernisie s relationship with music and art stems from her earliest days, when she was a patient in a neonatal intensive care unit. Since they couldn t hold her, Ms. Vernisie s parents sang to her during her month-long stay. Ms. Vernisie learned to appreciate and play music as a youngster, and she s turned that passion into a career. Now, she comforts and inspires young patients and their families at Cohen Children s. Ms. Vernisie easily connects with children in the Child Life and Creative Arts Therapy Program, and they respond in kind. She plays for patients who are blind or visually impaired; on the autism spectrum; in rehabilitation; or in palliative care. Although it is heartbreaking to work with patients at the end of their journey and with their families at their side, I find solace in knowing that we have done everything we could to ease a devastating event, she said. A recent letter from a grieving parent said, Your gift has graced us and we speak of you often. The level of comfort you brought us was so personal and heartwarming because you were there with us in our deepest grief. PIX11 s It s a G Thing has covered her work, which is wide-ranging. Ms. Vernisie and her Child Life colleagues produced a music video, written by and for kids. She has helped establish and enact Musical Hands and Hearts. Based on Child Life principles, the volunteering program focuses on soothing and cheering young inpatients and their families. Participants also instruct children who are interested in learning musical instruments, sometimes leading an impromptu playroom concert at Cohen Children s. Each day brings something new, exciting and powerful, Ms. Vernisie added. I also appreciate how each patient teaches me something new about myself, or teaches me about how music can make such an impact during distressing times. Ms. Vernisie won this year s President s Award for Exceptional Patient/Customer Experience after her nomination by Cynthia Rodriguez, director of Child Life at Cohen Children s Medical Center.

3 2017 President s Award for Innovation Pain Bundle Oncology Unit 1 North, Huntington Hospital Winners of the President s Award for Innovation include, from left: Marie Roggenkamp, RN, Meghan Billia, RN, and Jessica Shremshock, RN, from Huntington Hospital s Oncology Unit, and Stephen Smith, manager of site telecommunications. Cheryl Miranda, RN, director of patient and customer experience, nominated the group. Cancer can be overwhelming. Shadowed by fear, patients often live with severe pain. What s more, unmanaged pain can worsen fatigue, nausea, sleep problems, confusion, anxiety and depression. To help alleviate oncology patients pain, a multidisciplinary team of Huntington Hospital clinicians, information technology professionals and others pioneered effective strategies to reduce pain. Inspired by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement s bundle concept, the group devised a plan to implement several best practices simultaneously to achieve positive outcomes. The three-pronged effort included: The Nightingale Phone (see page 17 of The New Standard Volume 2, 2016), which lets patients call nurses directly. The device has streamlined communication and accelerated response times. Installing a portable, multi-alarm timer on medication carts, which nurses use to reassess and address pain at the bedside. Automating reporting to identify patients whose pain scores reach more than six on a one-to-10 scale. The initiative s success includes markedly higher patientsatisfaction scores plus a well controlled pain score with HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems) in the 94th percentile. Furthermore, the bundle effort is also cost-effective and highly sustainable. Huntington Hospital has since deployed the Nightingale Phone to benefit mother/baby, labor and delivery, medical/surgical and orthopedic inpatients. Each unit has experienced improved patient scores for pain management and communication with nurses. The multi-alarm timers have also improved time-sensitive events such as alcohol withdrawal and blood transfusions.

4 2017 President s Award for Teamwork Concierge Pharmacy Service Monter Cancer Center and Vivo Pharmacy Oral chemotherapy is effective, but high prices and a four- to eight-day authorization process compromise patient access. In December 2015, a team of clinicians, pharmacists, pharmacy benefits coordinators and administrators from the Monter Cancer Center and Vivo Pharmacy created a Concierge Pharmacy Service to revamp that process. The concierge expedites authorizations via the Vivo Pharmacy in the Center for Advanced Medicine, which also houses the Monter Cancer Center. The service quickly achieves authorizations within a day for 78 percent and up to two days for 98 percent of patients. With copay assistance, foundation assistance and no-charge medications, the service has saved patients nearly $2 million since its founding. In 2016, 1,847 patients benefited from the service, include 255 patients who received medication at no charge, plus assistance from nonprofits and secondary copayment programs. Meredith Feinberg, vice president of Northwell Health Cancer Institute, rear/second from left, nominated the winners of the President s Award for Teamwork. The team included, rear from left: Kathryn Hand, practice coordinator of pharmacy benefits at Vivo Pharmacy, Karen Gleason RN, assistant vice president of cancer services, Mindy Lee, director of pharmacy operations, and the Monter Cancer Center s Peggy Noel, assistant director of the clinical practice plan, and Shamsah Lakhani, PA. Center, seated from left: Edward German, PharmD, supervising pharmacist at Vivo Pharmacy, and the Monter Cancer Center s Rosemarie Weisman, senior administrative director, and Cari Rowan, administrative manager. Front, seated from left: Erin Moran, practice coordinator pharmacy benefits, and Linda Moriarty RN, nurse coordinator at the Monter Cancer Center.

5 2017 President s Awards Finalists Exceptional Care/Patient Experience Margaret Fusco Receptionist/Registrar Staten Island University Hospital North Site Ilene Himber, LMSW Geriatric Care Manager Regioncare Sean Hunte Psychiatric Attendant South Oaks Hospital Karla Huwae Patient Care Associate Northern Westchester Hospital Teamwork Innovation Active Shooter Security Management Southside Hospital Advanced Illness Team Home Health Network C-Differently Long Island Jewish Forest Hills Educating the Future of Nursing Institute for Nursing Skin Savers: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Pressure Ulcer Prevention Staten Island University Hospital North and South Sites Team LHGV Lenox Health Greenwich Village Tissue Donation Program Feinstein Institute for Medical Research An Organic Approach to Talent Development North Shore University Hospital Assistive Technology for Aging in Place Staten Island University Hospital North Site CHAMPS Mentoring Program Faculty Physician Practice Human Resources Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Research and Treatment Program Feinstein Institute for Medical Research DNP: AI Initiatives and Goals of Care Education Program Team Multiple sites Hospitality Phelps Memorial Hospital Center Lifting and Rescuing Team, Coney Island Hospital Blood Bank Northwell Health Laboratories

6 2000 Marcus Avenue Lake Success, NY View videos for the 2017 President s Awards at bit.ly/2017pres-awards The New Standard 2017 President s Awards Supplement Editor in Chief Terry Lynam Director of Editorial Services Maria Conforti Writer/Editor Chris Gasiewski Photography Northwell Studios Graphic Design Gina Reduzzi/Reduzzi Design Comments/Suggestions? Contact: Northwell Public Relations Department 2000 Marcus Avenue Lake Success, NY (516)