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Colleague Team Rallies Support for Haiti Hospital

community benefit

During My St. Mary Hospital Week and National Nurses’ Week in May, colleagues will have numerous opportunities to enhance our efforts to support the rebuilding of the Hospital St. Francis de Sales in port-au-prince, Haiti.

“St. Francis de Sales is the hospital that Catholic Health East supports through its Global Health Ministry,” says Terri Rivera, Vice president, Mission and Community Health. “in addition to sponsoring teams of colleague and physician volunteers for medical missions in Haiti, St. Mary also has pledged to support the earthquake relief efforts with $100,000 in cash and in-kind donations.”

Our “Helping Hands for Haiti” team is organizing numerous fund-raising activities throughout 2010. Hospital Week activities include a gift basket raffle, with each department encouraged to put together a basket to donate. in addition, cash donation jars will be placed in the hospital cafeteria and off-site locations. Our Nursing recruitment, retention, and recognition Council is planning to support and honor nurses in Haiti with several initiatives beginning Nurses’ Week, May 3 – 8. “We will continue to work through Global Health Ministry to make sure that whatever St. Mary colleagues donate will get to where it is intended,” stresses rivera.

in March, two St. Mary colleagues — Jill Simon, CRNP, administrative Director, Children’s Health Center and Mother Bachmann Maternity Center, and Murielle Jeanty, RN, BSN, Clinical Team leader, MG2 — took part in a medical mission, sponsored by Global Health Ministry, to treat earthquake survivors in port-au-prince. During its week-long stay, the team — which also included

Continued on page 5

quality

St. Mary Medical Center is more than a leading provider of quality healthcare — it’s also a great place to work, say participants in our 2009 Colleague pulse Survey. For consistently achieving high marks in colleague satisfaction, St. Mary recently was presented the 2009 Morehead apex Workplace of Distinction award by Morehead associates, which administers the annual Colleague pulse Survey.

This award is given each year to eligible workplaces that have reached and sustained the 90th percentile on their colleague surveys for a 12-month period. Our results placed St. Mary in the top 6 percent in the nation.

“We are so proud to be recognized as a Workplace of Distinction. This national award reinforces that we are providing a supportive and engaging environment in which to work and deliver care,” says Mary Sweeney, Vice president, Colleague resources and Development.

Pictured left to right: Greg Wozniak, Patrick Knaus, Fr. Ragu Pilla, Sue Monte and Dr. David Brotman celebrate as patient Doug Bomeisler cuts the ribbon to officially open the St. Mary Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Medicine Center in Langhorne.

growth

New Therapy Added to Treat Complication of Heart Failure

St. Mary Medical Center recently introduced a new inpatient therapy, aquapheresis, which relieves the buildup of excess fluid in the body that can occur in people with congestive heart failure. St. Mary is first hospital in Bucks County — and only the fourth in philadelphia region — to provide aquapheresis therapy, which is delivered through the aquadex FlexFlow™ fluid removal system.

“Studies indicate that this therapy succeeds for most patients who have not had success with traditional treatments, including diuretics,” says Thomas Nicosia, FACHE, Cardiovascular Service line administrator. “in addition, it has been found that aquapheresis therapy results in

Continued on page 5

Workplace of Distinction Award for St. Mary

James J. Denny, who has congestive heart failure, is the first St. Mary patient to receive aquapheresis therapy. Carrie Blumenthal, RN, Progressive Care Unit, monitors the Aquadex FlexFlow system

people

Continued on page 3

people

April is National Volunteer Month

“Volunteering with the Stars”During our annual volunteer recognition luncheon this month, 450 St. Mary volunteers were surprised to be honored with the president’s Volunteer Service award. The president’s Volunteer Service award recognizes people who have volunteered a minimum of 100 hours over a 12-month period.

in 2009, 1,123 volunteers donated nearly 116,000 hours of their time and talents to St. Mary, according to Director of Volunteer Services Lil Schonewolf. This equals 56 full-time equivalent positions.

“Our dedicated and hard-working volunteers are an integral part of the St. Mary family. We count on — and greatly appreciate — the countless contributions that they make every day,” says Schonewolf.

“Volunteering with the Stars” was the theme of the recognition luncheon at the Buck Hotel in Feasterville. During the festivities, volunteers received stars with comments from colleagues acknowledging their invaluable service.

Volunteers support the St. Mary mission in many ways, from delivering flowers and packages, to staffing the Front Desk, driving parking shuttles, serving as Eucharistic ministers, and assisting with surgical registration. Volunteers tag and deliver

medicines from the pharmacy, provide comfort care in the Emergency Department, support the nurses with non-clinical care, stuff envelopes in the Volunteer Services office, transport patients to physical and occupational therapy sessions, and much more.

“last year, St. Mary introduced several new initiatives under its Operating and leadership System to enhance patient care and satisfaction. Our volunteers really have stepped up to support the success of these strategic imperatives,” says Schonewolf.

For example, volunteers have been trained as Comfort Companions for our No One Dies alone (NODa) program and as navigators to help visitors find their destinations on the hospital campus.

and volunteers are making hundreds of phone calls each day to outpatient radiology patients to enhance patient satisfaction.

Elsewhere in the hospital, St. Mary patients appreciate regular visits from our Caring Clowns and our volunteers participating in the pet Visitation program, as well as the talents of our at-home crafters, who create and deliver dignity robes, afghans, shawls, and scarves for cancer and other patients.

Volunteers work on an outgoing mailing one recent Friday morning. From left to right: Alice Kass, Fran Pilla, Kathryn Webster, Stephanie Pfeiffer, and Marie Kay.

quality

CareLink Clinical Transformation Initiativein continuing our goal to provide evidence-based, patient-centered care, St. Mary Medical Center has embarked on a robust, multi-year initiative to achieve clinical transformation with the focus first and foremost on the person under our care.

This initiative, called Carelink, will transform the way we deliver care to our patients and improve our quality outcomes by linking all clinical information into one patient record, which will be accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week no matter where the healthcare provider or patient is located. Catholic Health East (CHE), in collaboration with St. Mary and other CHE hospitals, is developing this system-wide initiative. St. Mary will be the first CHE hospital to implement Carelink, with an anticipated start in the fall.

“This exciting, challenging initiative, created by clinicians for clinicians, will support clinician workflow all the while advancing the delivery of safe, quality care,” notes Joseph Conroy, MD, FACS, Chief Medical Officer and Vice president, Medical affairs. “Ultimately, this initiative will build a strong bridge to person-centered care consistent with St. Mary’s mission, values, and vision.”

This integrated system makes it possible for the first time to link all clinical information in one electronic health record and provide caregivers with leading, evidence-based clinical practices

and information to ensure optimal care and patient safety. it is the single largest system-wide CHE project ever undertaken, and involves the development of common order sets, care plans, and workflows that will support computerized provider order entry (CpOE) and enhance clinical documentation.

The benefits of the system include reduction of medication errors through improved accuracy and legibility of orders, as well as enhanced drug interaction alerts. in addition, all parts of the patient’s hospital stay will be linked together, sustaining the continuum of care — including outpatient care and diagnostic testing — for all healthcare providers. Carelink also will enhance “provider-to-provider” communications, with Continued on page 5

Aquapheresis Therapy from page 1reduced length of hospital stays, a lower incidence of re-hospitalization, and fewer emergency department visits.”

Excess fluid buildup is a common complication of heart failure, a progressive condition in which the heart’s muscle becomes weakened after it is injured from a heart attack or high blood pressure. The aquadex FlexFlow system, manufactured by CHF Solutions, inc., uses a process called ultrafiltration to mechanically remove excess salt and water.

From a central intravenous line, blood is pumped into the aquadex FlexFlow system, which filters and removes excess fluid before blood flows back to the patient. The system successfully removes the fluid during treatment while maintaining a patient’s blood pressure, heart rate, and electrolyte balance.

Nicosia notes that approximately 90 percent of heart-failure admissions are due to fluid overload, and about 30 percent of these are unresponsive to diuretic therapy.

“The multidisciplinary Heart Failure Team, under the medical leadership of Dr. Atul Trivedi and Cardiology Section Chief Dr. Richard Leshner, has evaluated national best practices in addressing the overall clinical need to increase quality outcomes while decreasing length of stay and 30-day readmissions,” says Nicosia.

The introduction of aquapheresis therapy supports two of St. Mary’s 2010 Strategic initiatives — Service line Growth and performance Optimization.

“aquaphersis therapy is evolving to become the standard of care for patients who have fluid overload and are not getting relief from diuretic therapy,” adds Sharon Brown, RN, Director, Cardiovascular/rehab Services. “The system does not throw off the balance of electrolytes in the patient’s body.”

James J. Denny of Croydon, who has congestive heart failure, was the first patient to receive aquapheresis therapy at St. Mary. Nine pounds of fluid were removed from his body. Denny, who was treated with diuretics previously, found the ultrafiltration system to be quicker and more comfortable because the treatment did not require frequent bathroom trips.

“i feel great, full of life,” says Denny. “The extra fluid made me feel down and sluggish. i feel stronger today, my appetite is better, i can breathe easier, and i am in a better frame of mind.”

The acquisition of the aquadex FlexFlow system was made possible through a donation from the Community league of St. Mary Medical Center, a volunteer organization whose philanthropic efforts support the hospital in providing the highest quality of medical care.

quality

Working Together to Reduce Readmission Ratesaccording to a 2008 Medicare study, 18 percent of all hospital admissions were readmissions, which amounted to $15 billion in healthcare costs. Of those readmissions, 76 percent were potentially avoidable. Hospitals that have introduced solutions to this problem have seen a 30 percent drop in their readmission rates.

a key goal for 2010 under our performance Optimization strategic imperative is to reduce readmissions by 4 percent — or 120 patients — this year. So, the hospital decided to take on this endeavor through an initiative known as “project 120.”During project 120, three of our busiest inpatient units implemented best practices across the continuum of care to reduce hospital readmission rates.

“We are extending transition of care beyond the hospital by providing patients, families, and caregivers effective education and communication for follow-up care. By doing this, we will improve patient outcomes, increase patient satisfaction, drive down avoidable hospital re-admissions, improve the financial position of the hospital, and enhance our reputation for quality care,” remarks David MacDonald, Director, Strategic initiatives and performance improvement.

project 120 took root in July 2009 with an in-depth review of admission processes, processes occurring throughout the patient stay, transition processes upon discharge, and follow-up processes. after analyzing each of these phases along the continuum of care, the project 120 team identified areas for improvement, such as the need for greater communication between nursing shifts and with primary care providers, and the need to provide more consistent discharge instructions to patients and their family caregivers.

Team members then modified existing internal processes or created new processes to address the identified needs. More than 160 colleagues were trained in the new admission, inpatient care, and

discharge processes, which were piloted on MS1C, MG2a, and MG2B in February.

Solutions included the development of disease-specific patient education tools, modification of the admission assessment tool to identify patients at risk for readmission, and the creation of a patient status board that triggers the appropriate clinical department to conduct bedside consultations as needed. in addition, discharge instructions now are faxed to primary care physician offices, and clinical follow-up phone calls are made

to patients within 24 to 48 hours of discharge to troubleshoot care-related issues.

initial outcomes of the pilot showed reductions in readmission rates among all participating units and improvements in performance across the continuum of care. Guided by this initial success, plans now call for project 120 to be implemented in other patient care units throughout the remainder of 2010.

“The success of the project hinges on a unified purpose, a willingness to change, and most importantly, feedback and communication with the project team,” MacDonald says.

David MacDonald leads the Project

120 team through a review of its work on

mapping the “current state” of a patient’s

transition of care.

finance

Community League Donates More than $636,000

publication for iBC members. To register for the walk, contact Kaminska at mkaminska@stmaryhealthcare.org.

in addition to the walking event, all colleagues are encouraged to sign up for a free skin cancer screening by a St. Mary dermatologist during National Skin Cancer/Melanoma awareness Month in May. Screenings for colleagues will take place from noon to 2 pm on Wednesday, May 12, and Thursday, May 13. Screenings for colleagues and the community are scheduled for Wednesday, May 26, from 6 to 9 pm.

according to the american academy of Dermatology, doctors diagnose more than one million cases of skin cancer every year. Clinical Education Specialist Colleen Pedrotty, RN, MS, CEN, SANE, considers herself one of the lucky ones. pedrotty learned that she had early-stage

Spring is a perfect time to take a walk for good health — and National Walk@lunch Day on april 28 is a great day to join your coworkers for a noontime stroll around the St. Mary campus and the 828C Building in Newtown. National Walk@lunch Day is the latest activity to be offered through our Make Every Day about living (MEDal) Colleague Wellness program.

“Colleagues feel like it’s a great time to detach themselves from their work stations. it’s about more than just looking nice. it’s about feeling good and aging slower — and it’s a great stress reliever too,” says Fitness Specialist Margaret Kaminska during a recent interview with independence Blue Cross (iBC), which sponsors National Walk@lunch Day in the philadelphia area.

St. Mary’s 2009 Walk@lunch Day event was featured in the april 2010 issue of Update, a

colleague wellness

malignant melanoma after taking part in the free screening last year.

“i had a spot on my back for a year but ignored it. after the skin cancer screening, i went to see a dermatologist for a biopsy. To my shock, it was melanoma,” says pedrotty, who had the cancerous lesion removed by surgery and is cancer-free today. “i feel great. if it was not for this screening, i am sure the cancer would have spread.”

Screenings in the St. Mary regional Cancer Center are done by appointment only. Free stroke screenings also will be offered at that time. To register, call 215.710.5888.

education

KYW Health Report Visits St. Mary“it feels pretty restful and relaxing,” said KYW radio’s Rasa Kaye from the new hyperbaric oxygen chamber at the St. Mary Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Medicine Center. Kaye toured the center and interviewed David Brotman, MD, the wound center’s Medical Director, during the most recent KYW 1060 aM News radio Health report.

During the broadcast, Dr. Brotman discussed the latest techniques and technology in chronic wound care management, including Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy. To listen to the broadcast, visit http://kyw1060info.com/st-mary.

The St. Mary Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Medicine Center, located in the Cornerstone Executive Suites in langhorne, provides outpatient care for hard-to-heal sores, pressure ulcers, surgical wounds, chronic venous stasis ulcers, and traumatic injuries.

Lace Up Your Sneakers and Be Smart in the Sun

The Heart and Vascular Center, Emergency Department, Mother/Baby Unit, and intensive Care Unit are among the beneficiaries of more than $636,000 in donations raised in 2008 and 2009 by the Community league of St. Mary. The generous gift helped to fund the purchase of a new infant warmer, an ultrasound machine, our new aquapheresis therapy system, a hemodialysis system, two specialty intensive-care beds, and hallway renovations at the Medical Center.

in addition, funds were earmarked to create comfort baskets for cancer patients and patients of the Mother Bachmann Maternity Center, to award scholarships to junior volunteers, and to buy new treadmills for the St. Mary Wellness Center.

an all-volunteer organization, the Community league supports St. Mary Medical Center through events such as its annual gala, kitchen and garden tour, car raffle, lights of love, and sales of commemorative bricks in the Healing Gardens. in addition, the Community league operates the Beehive Gift Shop and St. Mary Thrift Store, donating the proceeds from the stores.

The Community league also supports the design and creation of our Healing Gardens, which offer a soothing environment for patients, visitors, physicians, and colleagues. On May 12, the Community league will host Grocers Fight Cancer Day at McCaffrey’s Market in Yardley; 5 percent of total sales will benefit the St. Mary regional Cancer Center.

Greg Wozniak with Community League members (left to right) Sue Wert, Suzanne Berman, Rosanne Bell, Suzanne Joyner, Diane Burmeister,

Eileen Moser, Eileen Brackup, Felicia Laskey, Lil Schonewolf

CareLink from page 2easily accessible medical histories and patient information.

More than 300 physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and other caregivers from throughout CHE have been involved with designing order sets, plans of care, and workflow processes. Throughout the testing process, additional clinicians will have the opportunity to review the system. Zynx Health software is utilized to update content based on a timely and rigorous review of medical research, performance measures, and regulatory standards.

Carelink is a clinically led initiative, which will be supported by St. Mary’s and CHE’s information

Services team of professionals. Extensive training for caregivers will be provided over the next several months to prepare for the transition.

a hospital-wide awareness campaign is planned to help familiarize physicians, nurses, and all colleagues with this new initiative, and the benefits that Carelink offers to patients as well as the entire St. Mary family. in addition, the initiative could be eligible for federal stimulus initiatives.

if you would like more information about Carelink, contact Lana Suter, Clinical information Specialist, at 215.710.6838.

From Gail Kosyla Senior VP Chief Financial Officer

Imperative Champion, Performance Optimization

Performance Optimization

performance Optimization is all about optimizing our resources to ensure that we can deliver the best outcomes in the most efficient way. The overarching goal, as we review processes in place throughout the hospital, is to create a balance that enables St. Mary to provide the highest quality of care at the best cost.

in 2009, performance Optimization teams focused on reducing readmissions, improving length of stay, maximizing revenue, optimizing labor, managing sup-ply cost, and reducing hospital-acquired conditions. among our many accomplishments was reducing length of stay while continuing to make certain that our patients received quality care and were discharged when appropriate. This was achieved by working with physicians, targeting certain diagnoses, and integrat-ing teams on the units to enhance patient discharge. This contributed to the reduction of overall length of stay, from 4.4 days in 2008 to 4.2 days in 2009.

along with the current teams, which continue to work to meet their goals, the performance Optimization imperative was expanded in 2010 to include three additional teams. One team is working on developing a capital-acquisition process that takes into account best pricing, as well as ensuring capital purchases are in alignment with St. Mary’s operating and strategic goals and objectives. The second team is seeking to reduce expenses such as contractual arrangements, that are not labor or supply related. The third new team is working on Health information Technology for Economic and Clinical Growth, which includes the Carelink clinical transformation initiative.

performance Optimization is critical as we face eco-nomic challenges ahead, which potentially includes lower reimbursements. We are confident that we can prepare for these challenges by working together as prudent stewards of our resources.

strategic imperative

The Morehead associates award is the second such recent honor for St. Mary. in March, the Medical Center was named the region’s top workplace in three categories of the Greater philadelphia Media’s “Job Trends Best places to Work 2010.” Those categories were Overall Job Satisfaction, Best Hospital, and Best Employer Overall.

Colleagues will have another opportunity to express their feelings about being part of the St. Mary team. Each year, Modern Healthcare magazine produces a special supplement acknowledging the nation’s “100 Best places to Work in Healthcare.” about 400 colleagues will be randomly selected to complete a confidential survey in early summer. Details will follow in upcoming issues of Spirit and the Weekly Scoop.

Workplace of Distinction Award from page 1

two doctors, a psychologist, a tour guide, and a financial counselor — provided care to more than 700 people in tent-based medical clinics at five sites throughout the devastated city.

“Our day started at 7 am and went until 7 pm. Hundreds of surgeries are performed a week,” shares Jeanty. “internal injuries and amputations are very common. inpatients stay in tents. long lines of children and women crowd the clinics every day. We went from one site to the next

Haiti Relief from page 1— from hospitals to mobile clinics to churches. We were eager to offer help.”

Simon notes, “Everyone wanted to be seen, even if it was just hand-holding and reassurance. They were so very grateful.”

if you have a fund-raising idea or would like to join the Helping Hands for Haiti colleague team, contact rivera at 215.710.6875 or trivera@stmaryhealthcare.org.

The Hospital St. Francis de Sales, which has served the poor since 1881, was nearly destroyed by the January 12 earthquake.

st. maRy calenDaR

n Saturday, May 1, 8:15 am – 3:15 pm

Oncology 2010 CME

Sheraton Bucks County Hotel, langhorneregister: Valerie Frazier, 215.710.4612

n Sunday, May 2, 2 – 6 pm

Take 2 to Save 2 — Stroke Awareness Event

Northampton Valley Country Club, richbororegister: 215.710.5888

n Wednesday, May 12, Noon – 2 pm n Thursday, May 13, Noon – 2 pm

Colleague skin cancer, stroke screenings

St. Mary regional Cancer Centerregister: 215.710.5888

n Wednesday, May 26, 6 – 9 pm

Skin cancer and stroke screenings for colleagues and the community

St. Mary regional Cancer Centerregister: 215.710.5888

n Sunday, June 6, 8 am – noonWe’ve Got Your Back: Race, Walk, and Spinal Health Fair

Tyler State park, Newtownregister: www.SpinerF.org

impoRtant pHone nos.n EmergenciesExt. 5555

n St. Mary HotlineExt. 7777

n Work-related Injuries1. Contact supervisor2. Notify Colleague Health, ext. 5827

n Compliance Hotline800.254.0458

n Joint Commission Quality Monitoring800.994.6610 or complaint@jointcommission.org

n Carebridge800.437.0911

SPIRIT is published monthly by the Marketing & Communications Department. Submit news items to vreed@stmaryhealthcare.org.

www.StMaryHealthcare.org

May is American Stroke Month

“Take 2 to Save 2” Educational EventSt. Mary Medical Center will host “Take 2 to Save 2” on May 2 at the Northampton Valley Country Club in partnership with the american Stroke association and the National association for the advancement of Colored people (NaaCp). The program features nationally recognized Gospel Music performers Myron Butler and Dottie Peoples; famous comedian Charles Walden; and Emil Matarese, MD, Director of the St. Mary primary Stroke Center and a national ambassador for the american Stroke association’s “power to End Stroke” cause campaign.

“May is american Stroke Month, and this is an ideal time to raise awareness in the african–american communities about the risk factors and warning signs of stroke and the need to seek treatment quickly,” says Dr. Matarese. “Most strokes are preventable or treatable with immediate intervention, and we must get the message out to all, especially those at highest risk, to take action now.” The event is scheduled from 2 to 6 pm at the Northampton Valley Country Club, 10 Harmony Drive, richboro. To register, call 215.710.5888 or visit www.StMaryHealthcare.org/stroke.

Through the american Stroke association’s Take 2 to Save 2 campaign, people are urged to send at least two health messages to two people who may be at risk for stroke. people can participate in Take 2 to Save 2 by visiting www.powertoendstroke.org/take2.

service

st. mary calendar

May 3 – 8

Nurses’ Weekn All Week

Helping Hands for Haiti Basket raffle, chances sold in the cafeteria

n Monday, May 10Hospital Week Mass, 11:30 am, St. Mary Chapel

Cake for colleagues to celebrate the Job Trends Best places to Work award

n Tuesday, May 11Soft pretzels

n Wednesday, May 12Colleague Wellness program skin cancer

and stroke screenings

Colleague Wellness healthy snack baskets

Hoagies for night shift at midnight, cafeteria

n Thursday, May 13Colleague picnic, 11 am – 2 pm and 5 – 7 pm

My St. Mary Job Trends award Celebration

Colleague Wellness program health screenings

n Friday, May 14raffle

May 9 – 15

Hospital Weekn Monday, May 3, 1 pm and 6:30 pm

Blessing of the Hands, St. Mary Chapel

n Tuesday, May 4poster presentations, Cancer Center hallway

Guest speaker Jalma Marcus, RN, on the units

n Wednesday, May 5Nurses Honoring Nurses

practice Council — Education on the units

n Thursday, May 6, 6:30 pm

Spirit of Nursing Excellence awardsNorthampton Country Club

n Friday, May 7luncheon, 12 – 4:30 pm, St. Clare Medical Building

Drexel University informational Sessions 10 am, 11 am, 2 pm, 3 pm, CVCU Training room

n Saturday, May 8lunch distributed to all units