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intranet.hartfordhealthcare.org August 2016

“If my drinking buddies could see me now,” said Middletown native Tom Miles. Sober and loving it after struggling with addiction for years, he credits yoga with supporting his recovery when practically all else has failed. “I never would have thought something like this would work for a guy like me,” he said, “but it’s made all the difference.”

At a yoga studio, surrounded by candles and meditation music, Tom was stretching muscles he hadn’t used in years and holding poses that looked like images from a Buddhist temple in a class for people in treatment provided by Rushford, part of HHC’s Behavioral Health Network.

Tom’s story is typical for those struggling with addiction who are willing to give yoga a chance, said Rushford in Glastonbury licensed clinical social worker

Pamela Mirante, who offers a yoga program integrated into each patient’s treatment.

“It’s a great way,” she said, “to reintroduce them to things that have been missing from their lives for a long time: Physical wellness, spiritual and mental focus and a willingness to inquire about the trauma that they’ve endured.”

Research shows yoga can play a significant role in helping people both in the early stages of recovery and over the long term. As a registered yoga instructor with a background in social work, Mirante said the physical demands of yoga are meant to serve the larger goal of helping patients find a sense of peace and focus that can clear their minds of thoughts or habits that often lead to relapse. Read more.

Not Just a Stretch – Yoga Helps Addiction

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Far left and above: Instructor Pamela Mirante assists yoga participants with poses.Left: Steve D., who has been recovering from drug and alcohol addiction for several months, says yoga has made an enormous difference in his ability to stay focused on his recovery.

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This month, Hartford HealthCare and Charlotte Hungerford Hospital announced plans to affiliate. While the plan still requires regulatory approval, let’s welcome our newest potential partner

Where is it? Charlotte Hungerford Hospital in Tor-rington, the largest city in the Litchfield Hills, serves patients in 30 surrounding towns and is the regional healthcare resource for 100,000 residents of Litchfield County and Northwest Connecticut.

Licensed beds: 109

Staff of medical professionals: Active Physicians: 125Affiliate Physicians: 44Community Physicians: 12Allied Health: 53

Founded: 1916

What’s in a name? The hospital was founded as a gift by industrialist Uri T. Hungerford in memory of his mother Charlotte, who had a “boundless energy and dedication for helping others.”

Accreditations: Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and by the American College of American Pathologists.

Services: Comprehensive inpatient and outpatient services, including general and emergency medicine, laboratory, diagnostic imaging, radiation oncology, maternity, and obstetrics, and adult and pediatric

behavioral health. CHH also operates a multi-specialty group of local physician practices and outpatient services that include CHH Cardiovascular Medicine, CHH Diabetes and Endocrinology, CHH Ear, Nose & Throat, CHH Neurology, CHH Primary Care of Torrington and Thomaston, CHH Pulmonary & Critical Care, CHH Surgical Associates, CHH Adult & Pediatric Urology, CHH Wound Care & Hyperbaric Medicine and CHH Medical Walk-In.

Learn more about the planned affiliation on HHC Connect.

Charlotte Hungerford and Hartford HealthCare Boards Agree to Affiliation

H3W Spotlight: Speaking the Same LanguageDuring an H3W (How Hartford HealthCare Works) Leadership Behavior Training Session on Aug. 9, the system surpassed 18,000 employees who have received the training. The number is roughly equivalent to the number of employees at HHC, indicating that almost every one of us has been trained to use our leadership behaviors. Learn more.

Still need to complete the training? Find a class schedule and registration information here.

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Around HHC

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Here is a roundup of stories from around the system that you can find on our HHC Connect intranet. Click the links to read more.

Fore Thank you to the many HHC volunteers and staff who took part in the Travelers Championship this month. Learn more.

Sleeping Like a Baby The Hospital of Central Connecticut is the first hospital in the state to be recognized as a Gold Certified Safe Sleep Champion, a program that helps make sleeping conditions safer for infants. Learn more.

Terrific TAVR A 97-year-old patient celebrates four years of good health after undergoing this unique heart procedure. Learn more.

Booked solid David Tolin of the IOL publishes a new book. Learn more.

Safe skin Worried about a suspicious-looking bump or mole? Skin checks are now available at a new skin cancer service open the fourth Wednesday of every month at HOCC. Learn more.

Role Reversal A new podcast about caring for aging parents and relatives. Listen here.

Hooray Hartford Hartford Hospital has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report as No. 1 in the Hartford metro area. Learn more.

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Hartford HealthCare’s “Just Ask” program started as a partnership between Backus Hospital and several dozen local restaurants to offer customers heart-healthy, low-fat and low-sodium menu choices. ShopRite in Norwich, which came aboard in early 2016, now promotes the program by displaying Just Ask signage throughout the store to help customers make healthier choices. The program has been so successful that it is also being offered at ShopRite stores in New London, Canton and West Hartford; and soon in Southington, Waterford and Bristol. Read more and watch.

Brenda Viens, a Backus and Thames Valley Council for Community Action (TVCCA) dietitian, recently led a tour of the Norwich ShopRite offering shoppers tips on how to save money by comparing fresh, frozen and canned food prices, selecting and storing perishable foods, using unit prices to stretch your food dollar and explaining how ShopRite’s color-coded shelf tags make it simple to find healthy foods.

“Just Ask” Healthy Eating Program Spreads Across HHC Region

Compliance QuizDon’t be afraid to do the right thingLast month you talked to your manager about something that concerned you. Since then, you notice that you have been left out of several important departmental meetings and you feel as though your supervisor is constantly giving you the least desirable work assignments. You believe that this is because your expressed your concerns. Could this be retaliation?You should:1. Start looking for another job.2. Hope the situation gets better on its own.3. Look on the Office of Compliance Audit and Privacy

(OCAP) SharePoint site for information about where to take your concern.

4. Shrug and say to yourself: “No one ever said life was fair.”

Compliance Quiz Answer: Found on page 8. The compliance quiz is brought to you by the Hartford HealthCare Office of Compliance, Audit and Privacy.

Mark Your Calendar Open enrollment for 2017 benefits will take place Oct. 17-Oct. 28, 2016. Information highlighting what’s new for 2017 will be delivered in the fall. Be sure that your address is up to date in HHC’s files. Visit ePay to check the address on your pay stub. If you need to make a change, visit the HHC & Me Employee Service Center and click the green “Request a Change” button to submit corrections.

Financial Assistance for PatientsDo you know a patient who is in need of financial assistance? Hartford HealthCare can provide help to patients in need. Learn more about the program and how to assist patients on HHC Connect.

David T. Haig

Title: vice president, Office of Compliance Audit and Privacy (OCAP)My job is to: Serve as a valued and trusted HHC partner, providing compliance expertise, education and guidance consistent with our values. OCAP helps to ensure that the HHC community is able to recognize and avoid situations that might compromise HHC’s values. High School: Londonderry High School, NHDegree(s): BS Medical Technology, University of Massachusetts, MS Health Care Administration, Framingham State UniversityCertifications: Healthcare Compliance (CHC), Health Care Compliance Association, Certified Coding Associate (CCA), American Health Information Management Association, Healthcare Privacy (CHP), American Health Information Management Association, Medical Technologist (MT), American Society Clinical Pathology Home (is where the heart is): Milford, Conn., since 2005

10 Questions1. What did you want to be when you grew up? An FBI agent or detective. I had this inspiration after a tour of the J. Edgar Hoover FBI Building during a family vacation. 2. How did you end up doing what you do now? After serving in the United States Military and managing a laboratory in the suburbs of Boston, I was given the opportunity to facilitate the laboratory’s compliance program. This ignited my passion for furthering my career in compliance. 3. Have you experienced an event, realization epiphany or inspiration that changed your life?The birth of my first child. It felt as if the world suddenly became so much bigger than it was just before her life was placed in my hands. It was an amazing feeling. 4. People or traits you admire? Honesty and integrity5. Words to live by: “Always have a goal.” In the words of Benjamin Franklin, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” That being said, I’ve also learned that flexibility is equally as valuable in life. As Einstein said, “The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.”6. My best-kept secret is: My marinade for steak tips on the barbeque.7. What is your best achievement? Raising four wonderful children, Ava (15), Eric (13), Dylan (12) and Joseph(8) — although the jury is still out on how successful my wife and I have been. Early results are looking positive and I am very proud of them all.8. What do you do for fun? Hiking, biking and geocaching (a hunt to find prizes using a GPS device — my youngest loved it until, sadly, it has recently been replaced by the hunt for Pokemon). I have hiked the tallest mountain in each of the New England states and I am looking to move westward. I also like reading and spending time with family.9. Any hidden talents? I play the piano, although I am getting rustier by the year.10. Best advice anyone has given you? Be grateful. Gratitude keeps the heart healthy, happy and alive.

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HHC Profile The HHC profile is designed to help us get to know each other better. Profile subjects may choose 10 questions from a list of about 40 possible topics or suggest their own. If you or somebody you know would like to be considered for a profile, please send an e-mail to networknews@hhchealth.org.

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HHC is on a journey toward hand-hygiene compliance. Our goal is 90 percent compliance at each hospital. Check out our scores for the month of July:

Hand Hygiene UPDATE

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98% 95%

96%

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Have You Heard the News?Hartford HealthCare has launched an online health news site designed to bring lively, informative and useful health news to the public in new ways. It’s called the Health News Hub and you can find it at HealthNewsHub.org. Stories on the news hub, featuring HHC services and experts, will be distributed widely by e-mail and through social media with a goal of providing our internal and external audiences with the health news they need. Besides stories produced by HHC’s News Service, readers will find items on nutrition, fitness, health tips and medical technology. There are videos, podcasts and contributions from our medical staff. Available to the public and employees, the News Hub will replace our regional public e-newsletters and augment print newsletters and magazines that now are mailed to homes in our service area.

Don’t miss a single story. Sign up for our informative health news electronic newsletter and see what it’s all about.

Network News is a monthly publication produced by Hartford HealthCare. Please send story ideas to networknews@hhchealth.org. We will make every effort to consider your story idea, but due to space constraints, editing may be necessary.

Editor: Hilary WaldmanCover story: Matt Burgard H3W Spotlight: Steve CoatesHHC By-the-Numbers: Matt Burgard August issue contributing writers: Emily Gravell, Kevin HuntPhotography: Jeff Evans, Rusty Kimball, Chris RakoczyVideography: Nick Dethlefsen, Jeff EvansGraphic Design: Karen DeFelice, DeFelice DesignConnect with HHC on

Hartford HealthCare By The Numbers: Cancer Clinical Trials

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94%

7Number of clinical trials available through the Hartford HealthCare-

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Alliance

Types of cancer clinical trials now being offered through the Hartford HealthCare-Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Alliance (gynecologic, breast, bladder, head and neck, urinary, pancreatic, myeloma)

of people surveyed have heard of clinical trials*

65%of people surveyed

feel clinical trials are important*

35%of people surveyed said they would be likely to enroll in a clinical trial*

40%of people surveyed have a positive overall impression

of clinical trials*

*According to the Consumer and Physician Perception National Survey, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center May 2016

of consumers associate cancer with clinical trials*

of people surveyed feel it is important when choosing a hospital that the hospital offers a wide range of clinical trials*

54% 57%

As Hartford HealthCare mobilizes to improve our patient/customer experience, we know that great things are already happening in our offices, on our units and in our patient rooms every day.

The next step is to make sure that these “best practices” are shared across our system so that we can create one exceptional experience at every location that displays the HHC logo.

The HHC Patient Experience Council would like to hear what you are doing already and new ideas to improve patient experience. Please help us spread our best practices by submitting yours for review.

Your submission should explain what you are doing

and how it has had a measurable impact on improving patient experience. All submissions should explain how the practice relates to at least one of the HHC 2016 Experience focus areas — Service, Communication and Environment.

The council, composed of leaders across the system, will evaluate every entry. The best of the best will be celebrated at our next patient experience event and considered for implementation system-wide.

If you would like to submit a best practice for consideration, please visit our Patient & Customer Experience page on HHC Connect for a FAQ and an electronic submission form. If you have questions, please contact one of HHC’s Strategic Experience Advisors.

Improving Patient Experience: What’s Your Best Practice?

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Compliance Quiz Answer: 3. Find out more here.

HHCMG and HHCRN Networking Events Boost Care Coordination

What do Hartford HealthCare Medical Group and Hartford HealthCare Rehabilitation Network have in common? It turns out a lot.

Although the groups always worked together, they recognized they could provide an even higher level of coordinated care when leaders from both groups and the HHC sales team were introduced at a new series of networking and collaboration events.

The result: a 17 percent growth in referrals to HHC Rehabilitation Network across all regions from February to April 2016.

“The energy of the group has been more than we could have imagined,” said Chris Carlin, vice president of operations at Hartford HealthCare Rehabilitation Network, who worked closely with Sue Barrett, vice president of primary care operations at HHCMG, to organize the events.

Each event features presentations highlighting

different aspects of the organizations, time for socializing and networking, topped off by refreshments. The goal is to improve care coordination across the system.

The series began in January with a visit from Jeff Flaks, executive vice president and chief operating officer for Hartford HealthCare. In March, attendees learned more about Hartford HealthCare at Home and the EPIC referral system. The final gathering in May included an introduction by HHC Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer David Whitehead, who told the group that “networking plus collaboration equals growth” and concluded with an overview of senior services and the HHC Center for Healthy Aging.

More than 50 people have attended each event and the list of interested participants has grown to more than 100, Carlin said.

The events were so successful that, after a summer hiatus, they will resume in September.

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For more information or to nominate a team, please visit HHC Connect.