Avera Bulletin - November 2009

 

Avera Marshall Purchase Final, Meditech Go-Live Accomplished

The acquisition of Avera Marshall Regional Medical Center by Avera became formal on Nov. 2, 2009.

"Today, we celebrate our continued ability to serve the region," said Bob Byrnes, mayor of Marshall. "Avera has proven to be a good partner for us, and this fits our vision for the future. The timing was right for this to happen, given the financial strength of the hospital, the desire by Avera to invest deeper in the community and the city's interest in divesting itself of health care operations."

"We believe this to be a solid investment by Avera and consistent with the community's vision to grow as a regional medical center," says John Porter, Avera president and CEO. "Our organization's mission is to provide quality health care for all individuals, and this acquisition benefits both Avera and the Marshall community."

The medical center, including the hospital and nursing home, will remain nonprofit, with revenues directed back into operations in Marshall. Decisions for the medical center will continue to be made by a local board of directors with input from Avera. Administration will continue to be charged with day-to-day operations.

The day prior to the acquisition, the medical center went live with the Meditech Client Server electronic medical record software without issue. Project team members from both Avera McKennan and Avera Marshall were onsite to assist with questions and ease the transition. Mary Maertans, regional president and CEO, says, "I continue to hear wonderful things about the go-live and the days that have followed. I believe that this is a clear testament to preparation, patience and leadership over many months. Thank you for positioning Avera Marshall for the future!"

Avera Brady Earns 5-Star Status

Avera Brady Health and Rehab recently earned a 5-Star Overall Quality rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Only 10 percent of all nursing homes achieve this category. The overall quality rating is based on health inspection, quality measures and staffing.

Three Avera Hospitals Garner Press Ganey Awards

Floyd Valley Hospital, Avera Weskota Memorial Medical Center and Avera Sacred Heart brought home 2009 Press Ganey Associates, Inc. Summit Awards this week. The Summit Award is given to clients who achieve and maintain at or above the 95th percentile ranking (top five percent in the nation) in the Press Ganey database for each reporting period for a minimum of three consecutive years. The hospitals all were recognized in the Emergency Department category.

Floyd Valley Hospital targeted keeping patients informed about delays in its efforts to maintain high patient satisfaction in the Emergency Department. The actions implemented in the department included posting signage regarding wait times, revising radiology procedure sheets for outpatient testing and informing patients about delays.

The narrative for the Avera Weskota Memorial Medical Center Summit Award credits utilization of the electronic medical record for emergency patients. The challenge the hospital succeeded at meeting was to attend to patients personally while implementing the technology.

Since July 2006, the Avera Sacred Heart Emergency Department has maintained an overall patient satisfaction score and a nursing score in the 99th percentile. The award narrative credits the leadership of Emergency Department Director Mike Larson and the involvement of the entire workforce in the process of culture change. When Mike died in a boating accident in May 2009, a staff nurse told Vice President of Patient Care Services Barbara Larson the staff was committed to what Mike had begun and to the patients.

Press Ganey partners with more than 10,000 health care facilities, including more that 40 percent of hospitals in the United States, to measure and improve the quality of care provided. The company's databases are the largest in the industry, thereby allowing facilities nationwide to benchmark their results to peer organizations.

April 2010 Avera Ethics Conference Postponed

The Avera Ethics Conference previously scheduled for April 15, 2010, at the Holiday Inn City Centre, Sioux Falls, is postponed until the following year. Planning has been delayed pending the selection of a senior vice president of Mission Services, making the postponement prudent at this time.

E-Mail Changing to "@avera.org"

On or around Dec. 1, 2009, if you work at an Avera owned, sponsored or leased facility, your e-mail address is changing. No, you aren't moving anywhere, but from that date forward, your e-mail address will be "@avera.org."

For example, if your address were "john.doe@averaqueenofpeace.org," beginning on or around Dec. 1, it would become "john.doe@avera.org." It's just that simple, and affected Avera colleagues don't have to do anything to make it happen. There are some things everyone can do to facilitate this change for others, though.

First, know that there are two main, customer-centered reasons why the organization is making this change at this point in time.

1. Moving to a single e-mail address for owned, sponsored and leased facilities is a simple and cost-effective way to emphasize that Avera is one brand, shared by one family.
2. The change provides greater ease-of-address for all of our customers.

Also, be aware that:

1. E-mail sent to a former e-mail address will be automatically forwarded until Jan. 1, 2011.
2. Colleagues affected by the change can support the process by adding this statement to their e-mail signatures: "My e-mail has changed. Please update your records."

Colleagues at Avera owned, sponsored and leased facilities who have the same name will be contacted by Information Technology to determine how their addresses will read. Very few employees are in this situation.

Avera Nurses Celebrated at Seventh Avera Nursing Conference

Avera nurses from around the region were recognized at the recent Avera Nursing Conference on Nov. 3 in Sioux Falls:

• Julie Hoffmann of Avera Brady Health and Rehab received the Avera Nursing Distinguished Service Leader Award.
• Linda Erlenbusch of Avera St. Luke's was this year's Avera Nursing Distinguished Service Care Provider.
• Jodi Doering of Avera Queen of Peace was one of three recipients of the Avera Nursing Innovation Award. Also receiving the award were Reenie Malsom of Avera St. Luke's and Jody Sternberg of Platte Health Center Avera.
• Gail Headrick of Avera McKennan received one of two Avera Nursing Visionary Awards. The other went to Holly Tracy of Avera St. Anthony's.
• The Avera Nursing Commitment to Caring recipient was Andrea Koch of Avera Sacred Heart.
• Rebecca Nichols of Avera McKennan and Chris Jones of Avera Queen of Peace were both recognized with Avera Nursing Publications and Research Awards.
• Kari Bruns of Avera St. Luke's received this year's Avera Nursing Novice to Expert Award.
• Jane Stehly of Avera Queen of Peace received this year's Avera Nursing Friend of Education Award.

Avera Sacred Heart Hospital School of Radiology Awarded Maximum Accreditation

The Avera Sacred Heart Hospital School of Radiologic Technology received an eight-year accreditation from the Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology (JRCERT), the longest accreditation available. JRCERT is responsible for the evaluation of programs in accordance with the Standards for an Accredited Educational Program in Radiologic Sciences and is the only agency recognized by the United States Department of Education for the accreditation of educational programs in radiography, radiation therapy, magnetic resonance and medical dosimetry.

In addition, the school has been awarded a grant by the South Dakota Education Access Foundation, a privately funded grant program that provides funds to students of low-income, underrepresented backgrounds and those facing other barriers to a postsecondary education. These grant funds will be directly applied toward the cost of required textbooks and professional memberships for second-year students.

Avera Worthington Specialty Clinics Largest Clinic Go-Live to Date

On Nov. 2, 2009, Avera Worthington Specialty Clinics went live with LSS Billing and Scheduling. To date, this is the largest LSS implementation within an Avera clinic.

The clinic supports the workload of 27 physicians across five different specialties. A number of other factors make the rollout significant. As a participant in the CMS Demonstration Grant, which tracks physician adoption of the electronic medical record, Avera Worthington Specialty Clinics will be required to report on key data elements that can only be tracked via LSS reporting. The clinic is also impacted by a state mandate addressing the adoption of e-prescribing in the state of Minnesota. As a result, it will be one of the first clinics to have e-prescribing included in the first phase of clinical functionality.

Avera Sacred Heart Hospital Honored For Workplace Safety

Avera Sacred Heart Hospital earned high praise from the governor's office in October. The South Dakota Safety Council awarded a Governor's Safety Award to Avera Sacred Heart Hospital for excellence in workplace safety and health. The award was presented by Lieutenant Governor Dennis Daugaard.

Avera Sacred Heart Hospital is one of 49 employers who were recognized at the Governor's Safety Awards luncheon on Oct. 13. Since 1993, the annual Governor's Safety Awards have spotlighted South Dakota employers with above-average safety records. Participants submit injury information, which is compared with state and national data, as well as the entrant's past performance. Ongoing safety programs and activities are also considered.

Avera St. Luke's FastCare® Links to Britton, Groton

During the first week of November, new evening hours began Tuesday evenings at Marshall County Medical Clinic Avera and Wednesday evenings at Avera Clinic of Groton through a telemedicine link with the Avera St. Luke's FastCare clinic in Aberdeen.

A nurse staffs the local clinic during evening hours, and patients are treated via telemedicine by a certified nurse practitioner remotely located at the Avera St. Luke's FastCare clinic in Aberdeen.

Avera McKennan Recognized With Gold Medal for Organ Donations

Avera McKennan is one of 30 hospitals nationwide to earn a Gold Medal of Honor for Organ Donation from the Department of Health and Human Services for achieving and sustaining national goals for donation, including a donation rate of 75 percent or more of eligible donors. Gold medal winners must reach or exceed all three of these goals: improving donation rates, increasing the number of organs donated per individual donor to 3.75 or higher and expanding clinical processes for recovering organs. There were 428 medal winners meeting or exceeding one or more of the three goals. These hospitals had eight or more eligible organ donors during the 22-month award period ending in April 2009.