During our move to these new computer systems, you may notice a few changes:

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1 Q3 Hum Taos Health Systems newsletter Update From Bill Patten Holy Cross Hospital is committed to continuously improving the care and services we provide in order to give you health care with peace of mind. We re taking a big step forward and upgrading the tools our physicians, nurses and clinical staff use to take care of you. Holy Cross is taking our current electronic medical record system (EMR) to the next level by implementing new software systems in many of our clinic and hospital locations, software which has been specifically designed for small hospitals. The system is called CPSI Evident and the Emergency Department will be using a system called Wellsoft. Most Holy Cross systems will go live on October 1st and the rest of the systems plan to be live by the end of the year. During our move to these new computer systems, you may notice a few changes: Your visit will likely take longer: We are doing everything possible to make sure our physicians, nurses, and staff have the time they need to get accustomed to using Evident. This means during our golive period we are allowing more time for each patient appointment, so your visit may last a little bit longer than usual. We have scheduled Evident support personnel to be readily available to answer questions and provide direction during the first two weeks following our go-live event. You may want to choose an appointment later in October or early in November: This will help give our physicians, nurses and clinical staff the extra time they need to become familiar with the new system. You will have new Patient Portal options on our websites: Our websites will be updated as each location goes live with Evident. You can use the new web-based tools to communicate with your physicians via a Patient Portal. One of the very public benefits of the new Evident system is the enhanced Patient Portal. This portal will provide easy access to your health records and more information about your care. I encourage you to visit www. taoshospital.org to find out more about these benefits. Thank you in advance for your patience as Holy Cross takes this big step in improving the tools our physicians, nurses and clinical staff use to care for you! Respectfully, Bill Patten, CEO Holy Cross Hospital 3 RD QUARTER

2 Actualización de Bill Patten Holy Cross Hospital se compromete a mejorar continuamente la atención y los servicios que ofrecemos para brindarle la Atención Medica con la Paz de la Mente. Estamos dando un gran paso adelante y actualizar las herramientas que nuestros médicos, enfermeras y personal clínico utilizan para cuidar de usted. Holy Cross está llevando nuestro actual sistema de registro médico electrónico (EMR) al siguiente nivel implementando nuevos sistemas de software en muchas de nuestras clínicas y hospitales, software que ha sido específicamente diseñado para hospitales pequeños. El sistema se llama CPSI - Evident y el Departamento de Emergencia usará un sistema llamado Wellsoft. La mayoría de los sistemas de la Holy Cross se pondrán en funcionamiento el 1 de octubre y el resto de los sistemas prevé estar en funcionamiento a finales de año. Durante nuestro traslado a estos nuevos sistemas informáticos, puede notar algunos cambios: Su visita probablemente tomara más tiempo: Estamos haciendo todo lo posible para asegurarnos de que nuestros médicos, enfermeras y personal tengan el tiempo que necesitan para acostumbrarse a usar Evident. Esto significa que durante nuestro período de go-live estamos permitiendo más tiempo para cada cita con el paciente, por lo que su visita puede durar un poco más de lo habitual. Hemos programado que el personal de soporte de Evident esté disponible para contestar preguntas y proporcionar orientación durante las dos primeras semanas después de nuestro evento en vivo. Es posible que desee elegir una cita más tarde en octubre o principios de noviembre: Esto ayudará a dar a nuestros médicos, enfermeras y personal clínico el tiempo extra que necesitan para familiarizarse con el nuevo sistema. Usted tendrá un nuevo sitio web de Holy Cross Hospital: El sitio web de Holy Cross cambiará a medida que vayan a vivir cada lugar con Evident. Puede utilizar el nuevo sitio web para comunicarse con sus médicos a través de un Portal de Pacientes. Este portal proporcionará un fácil acceso a sus registros de salud y más información sobre su atención. Le invito a visitar para obtener más información sobre estos beneficios. Gracias de antemano por su paciencia ya que Holy Cross da este gran paso en la mejora de las herramientas que nuestros médicos, enfermeras y personal clínico utilizan para cuidar de usted! Respetuosamente, Bill Patten, CEO Holy Cross Hospital 2

3 Holy Cross Hospital Receives 2017 HealthInsight Quality Award Program Encourages Excellence in Patient Care Five New Mexico hospitals were recognized for their high performance on quality of care outcome measures and patient satisfaction. The HealthInsight Quality Award Program promotes transparency in health care. Since 2004, the program has recognized nursing homes, hospitals, home health agencies and outpatient medical practices and clinics in Utah and Nevada. This year, HealthInsight New Mexico and the New Mexico Hospital Association partnered to launch the program in our state. The inaugural hospital awards were presented at the New Mexico Hospital Association s 72nd Annual Meeting, which took place in Albuquerque. HealthInsight Quality Award hospital recipients were selected based on their national rankings in four categories: healthcare-associated infections; the results of the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey, which is a national survey of patients experience of hospital care; 30-day hospital-wide readmissions; and mortality measures. The individual measure ranks were combined into a single weighted composite ranking. Hospitals at or above the 75th percentile nationally on this combined ranking received the award. Bill Patten, CEO, and Sue Romansky, Assistant Vicepresident for Quality, accepted the award on behalf of Holy Cross. In addition, the Holy Cross Auxiliary (Volunteer Program) was nominated for two awards Auxillian of the Year (Jan Smith-20 years of service) and an excellence award for their Emergency Room Advocacy Program. This just shows the work and progress we are making at Holy Cross. I am proud of our team and look forward to many more awards that will come as a result of the hard work and dedication that our employees and volunteers bring to work every day! The quality of care we provide to our community is second to none, stated Patten. 3

4 Dr. Cardassis Now Accepting Primary Care And Functional Medicine Patients In Memory of Dr. Ortiz y Pino Dr. Cardasis is going to start accepting primary care patients as their primary care practitioner now instead of just functional medicine patients as he had been. Functional Medicine addresses the underlying causes of disease, using a systems-oriented approach and engaging both patient and practitioner in a therapeutic partnership. It is an evolution in the practice of medicine that better addresses the healthcare needs of the 21st century. By shifting the traditional disease-centered focus of medical practice to a more patientcentered approach, Functional Medicine addresses the whole person, not just an isolated set of symptoms. A primary care provider is a patient s main source for regular medical care, ideally providing continuity and integration of health care services. All family physicians, and many pediatricians and internists, practice primary care. The aims of primary care are to provide the patient with a broad spectrum of preventive and curative care over a period of time and to coordinate all the care that the patient receives. Services at Dr. Cardasis Primary, Functional Medicine and Integrative care include the following: Acute care Preventive care Routine exams Health-risk assessments Immunization Screening tests Personalized counseling on healthy lifestyles Management of chronic illness Chronic Illness Management Functional Medicine Genetic Science, Systems Biology Analysis Dr. Cardasis has had wonderful success treating functional medicine patients. His popularity has increased his demand to open up his doors to primary care as well. All of which ties directly into his functional medicine efforts, It gives me a chance to educate more people on the continuity of care and how it all relates to functional medicine, stated Dr. Cardassis. In the future, I truly believe the best practice will be to have a practitioner who is knowledgeable in Primary, Functional and Integrative Care. It is definitely a good combination to have and I feel like I have that to offer to our beautiful community. Dr. Cardasis graduated from Emery University in Atlanta, Georgia. He completed his medical training at the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed his residency in family practice medicine. He is an Osteopathic Physician which means that he attended medical school for four years after college and then had 500 additional hours of training of osteopathic manipulative therapy as well as some training in holistic medicine before completing a residency in family practice medicine. For more information on Dr. Cardassis and his practice please visit: or call You can visit the clinic directly at 1329 Gusdorf Rd. Taos, New Mexico Holy Cross Hospital is forever grateful to Dr. Ortiz y Pino. Throughout the years she provided great care to so many in our community. To celebrate her memory, we have dedicated a space outside our cafeteria in her name. Her legacy of compassionate care lives on within these walls and in our hearts. Professional Billing Services Update: PBS/TPS is not accepting New Mexico Health Connections and Triwest. PBS/ TPS is now accepting Christus Health Plan-Health Insurance Exchange Plans only. Medicare Advantage was not approved for this line of business in Taos County. 4

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6 Taos Health Systems Receives new Quality-Based Accreditation from DNV GL Holy Cross Hospital (HCH) is proud to announce the successful completion of our most recent accreditation process which was performed by DNV GL - Healthcare. By retaining this accreditation, we have demonstrated we continue to meet or exceed the patient safety standards set forth by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. This year s accreditation was different from our previous surveys in that it also certified HCH as a Critical Access Hospital. Holy Cross Hospital has been ISO 9001 certified for several years. ISO 9001 is the world s most trusted quality management system used to advance their quality and sustainability objectives by performance-driven organizations around the world. DNV GL s accreditation program is the only one to integrate the ISO 9001 Quality Management System with the Medicare Conditions of Participation. The DNV GL program is consistent with our long-term commitment to quality and patient safety, says Sue Romansky, Assistant Vice President of Quality at HCH. We have integrated ISO 9001 quality standards into our clinical and financial processes. Holy Cross Hospital wants to recognize our great team of leaders and staff that remain focused on continual improvement in order to provide high quality health care to our community. Our successful inspection is a direct reflection of their commitment and support. As an organization we have chosen DNV GL NIAHO as our accrediting organization because of their approach. They encourage hospitals to openly share information across departments and to discover improvements in clinical workflows and safety protocols. They help businesses assure the performance of their organizations, products, people, facilities and supply chains through certification, verification, assessment, and training services. They help their customers achieve excellence by improving quality and patient safety through hospital accreditation, managing infection risk, management system certification and training. For more information about DNV GL hospital accreditation, visit 6

7 Open Enrollment for the Health Exchange Marketplace is around the corner! NMHA Auxiliary Convention in ABQ The Affordable Care Act is still a law (stay posted). While this means the tax penalties for not having health insurance are still in place it also means there is still a chance to get help paying for health insurance with tax credits or to qualify for Medicaid. For example, a family of three may qualify for tax credits if their income is between $2,349-$4, per month. A family of three with income below $2,349 may qualify for Medicaid, which currently has no monthly premiums. This year open enrollment runs November 1 to December 15, only 45 days, half the time of what it has been the last two years. All health insurance plans are set to begin January 1, If you or a family member has an existing Health Exchange account it is important to update income and household information annually to make sure you are receiving the correct amount of tax credits. Along with that, if you received tax credits in 2016 it is important to file your 2016 tax return before November 1 so your tax credits will continue in There are a number of ways to apply for health coverage on the Health Exchange Marketplace. Visit bewellnm.com, or call (TTY: ) to find free in-person enrollment assistance in your area from enrollment counselors and insurance brokers. Go to healthcare.gov to create your own online account and submit an application, or Call the Health Exchange marketplace call center at (TTY: ) -available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (Closed Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day). The Benefit Navigation Program of Holy Cross Hospital provides free year round benefit navigation and enrollment counseling services for the Health Exchange, Medicaid, and Medicare. We have two locations and assistance is available in both English and Spanish. We can be reached at (575) Thanks, Molly Robertson Benefit Navigation Program Coordinator mrobertson@taoshospital.org Our very own Auxiliary was nominated for awards at this year s New Mexico Hospital Associations Convention in ABQ. 7

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10 Chef, Matthew Currey Wins First Place at the Annual Taos Chili Challenge Our very own Chef Matthew Currey competed in the Annual Taos Chili Challenge this past Saturday at the Taos Country Club. As a chef Matthew wins an award from staff and patients alike for his consistency, creativity and affordability when cooking for Holy Cross Hospital on a daily basis. But, It is nice to compete against other Chefs and gauge my talents against theirs, stated Chef Currey. Not only was he able to compete Chef Currey won the coveted 1st place judges award for his green chile and a 3rd for his red chile. He won 2nd place in the people s choice award for both his green chile and his red chile. Chef Currey finally beat out all of his competition! He was assisted at the event by his son and his wife who helped set up and serve. He accredits some of his success to their professionalism and service skills. Chef Currey was uncertain of whether he would compete or not this year, but decided on a last minute recipe and threw his name into the hat. Good thing he did too. Chef Currey has been invited to participate and show his skills at this years Sabor on the plaza. Sabor is a prestigious event where all the chefs in the Taos area come together for judges and food aficionados to rate the most talented in the area. It would have been an honor for Chef Currey to just be nominated to participate in the event, but now it seems he has an obligation to go ahead and be among the top chefs in the area and win it. It is rare that a hospital has a Chef with Currey s abilities and the reputation to go with it. Although it is becoming a trend to find Chefs to lead hospital teams into using food to be integrated into the healing process and sometimes going even further to making the hospital food a part of the local economy. Buying local is something Chef Currey has done in the past to help local growers sell their products. We are lucky here at Holy Cross to be blessed with a great man and wonderful Chef. Chef Currey is vested in the community. He feeds the local sports teams and donates food to charity on a regular basis. We are proud to have him on our team and we are proud that he is training his team to have the same high standards as he does. Please congratulate Chef Currey on these coveted awards and great accomplishments. In the words of Chef Currey, All in all, a great day. 10

11 Care Enough to Change: 5 Important Questions To Ask Yourself About Substance Abuse Written By Dr. Sharon Ransom, OB/GYN of Taos Health Systems Flu Season is Coming! 1. What are the warning signs? 2. What difference will I make? 3. Why do I choose to look the other way? 4. Who is at risk? 5. How can I help? Is there someone you love who has a problem with substance abuse? Have you felt helpless to understand and unable to do anything to help? I know how you feel. Like you, I found It hard to step back and find the compassion to want to understand. I saw someone I loved become another person as his life became more out of control. I felt as though he had made a choice to throw his life away. If I knew then what I know now, I would have been more prepared to make a difference in his life. Now I know I could have offered better support if only I had recognized the warning signs. I chose to look the other way because I thought it was a phase. I thought I was watching someone who could pull himself together and be successful if only he had not made the wrong choices. I didn t think there was anything I could do except step back and allow him to sort out his life. The first sign was the need for larger amounts for longer periods of time. The events that followed signaled a downward spiral- there was less and less contact with family, the inability to keep a job, relationships fell apart. Now I know that addiction ( yes, it is important to say the word) results from chemicals and substances that impact the reward pathways in the brain. It can happen to anyone and it does. It happens to people we love. I was not prepared, at that time, to put my love and compassion to work. I was unaware of the need to be non-judgmental. Understanding the complicated nature of addiction has changed the way I talk to women about addiction. It doesn t matter if it is cigarette-smoking, increased alcohol drinking, or using other substances. The brain responds by craving more and more. I especially talk with women who are expecting because there are two people who are affected by addiction, mom and baby. Many people are afraid to talk with their doctor because they fear being judged or shamed. There are very few people whose lives have not been touched by addiction. At the Women s Health Institute our mission is to treat all women with compassion, without judgment, and with hope that we can make a difference in the lives of mothers and their babies. SIGNS of ADDICTION Tolerance Withdrawal/Loss of Control Larger amounts and/or longer periods Inability to cut down or control use Increased time spent obtaining using, recovery Craving/compulsion use despite negative consequences Role failure ( work, home, school) Social interpersonal problems Reducing social, work, recreational activities Physical hazards What are factors that influence how well the vaccine works? 1. Characteristics of the person being vaccinated (such as their age and health), and 2. The similarity or match between the flu viruses the flu vaccine is designed to protect against and the flu viruses spreading in the community. Each flu season researchers try to determine how well flu vaccines work as a public health intervention. This year our organization chose to move away from the trivalent shot and give the Quadravalent in an effort to provide you better coverage against Flu. What are the benefits of flu vaccination? While how well the flu vaccine works can vary there are many reasons to get a flu vaccine each year. 1. Flu vaccination can keep you from getting sick with flu. 2. Flu vaccination can reduce the risk of flu-associated hospitalization, including among children and older adults. 3. Flu vaccination is an important preventive tool for people with chronic health conditions. (people with heart disease, people with diabetes, chronic lung disease) 4. Flu vaccination helps protect women during and after pregnancy. 5. Flu vaccination also may make your flu illness milder if you do get sick. How are we helping you and your family? The flu shot is free to you and your immediate family with the exception of children under the age of eight. Stay tuned for more fun flu facts and mark your calendar for our first Flu Clinic on October 16th! 11

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