The Pulse - Union General Hospital

The Pulse
A newsletter for staff and friends
UNION GENERAL HOSPITAL
The mission of Union General Hospital is to be large enough to serve and small enough to care, providing
compassionate and effective healthcare services to our community.
9 0 1 J a m e s Av e n u e , F a r m e r v i l l e , L A 7 1 2 4 1
www.uniongen.org
(318) 368-9751
August-September 2014
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Shining Stars
Caught Doing Good
Improving Patient
Satisfaction
Success Stories
Hospital Humor, From
the Kitchen of UGH and
On the Calendar for
August and September
New Employees,
Birthdays
Our Community
Announcements
Games
The Pulse is also available on the
Union General Hospital website
www.uniongen.org , and is published
quarterly for staff and friends. News
and other information may be
submitted to Claudia Wade
cwade@uniongen.org. Your
comments and recommendations for
improvement of this publication are
welcomed.
Bridget Jones, Phlebotomist
Tanya Ford, Phlebotomist
Leslie Turner, RN
Jessica Bankston, RN
Jennifer Medlin, RN
Wilma Thrasher, CNA
Yolanda Phillips, Medical Technologist
Arthur Hunter, Radiology
Reba Turner & Nikki Bolton, IOP
LIVE THE GOLDEN RULE
“Do unto others, as you would
have them do unto you”
The definition of a Shining Star is when a patient or family member
personally mentions an employee's name on the Patient
Survey. When this happens, the employee receives a certificate, a
small gift and a shining star. When an employee collects 3 shining
stars, they can turn them in for a Big Prize.
“The Pulse”
Page 2
HCAHPS: Patients'
Perspectives of Care
Survey
Improving Patient Satisfaction
By Julie Duty
Patient Satisfaction Survey
HCAHPS Overview
The HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment
of Healthcare Providers and Systems) survey is
As part of our ongoing quality assessment and improvement
activities, we survey our patients to learn about their experiences here.
Your comments and suggestions about your visit will help us evaluate
our services, and understand how we might improve our care.
the first national, standardized, publicly reported
survey of patients' perspectives of hospital care.
HCAHPS (pronounced "H-caps"), also known as
the CAHPS Hospital Survey, is a survey
instrument and data collection methodology for
measuring patients' perceptions of their hospital
experience. While many hospitals have collected
You may receive our survey by mail or email. To ensure
confidentiality, this survey is administered by an independent third-party,
Press Ganey Associates, Inc. It should take you approximately 5 minutes
to complete.
Thank you in advance for completing the survey. Your
participation will help us to improve the quality of care that we provide
to you, your family, friends and neighbors.
information on patient satisfaction for their own
internal use, until HCAHPS there was no national
standard for collecting and publicly reporting
information about patient experience of care that
allowed valid comparisons to be made across
hospitals locally, regionally and nationally.
Three broad goals have shaped HCAHPS. First,
the survey is designed to produce data about
HCAHPS Content and Administration
patients' perspectives of care that allow objective
The HCAHPS survey asks discharged patients 27 questions about their
recent hospital stay. The survey contains 18 core questions about critical
aspects of patients' hospital experiences (communication with nurses and
doctors, the responsiveness of hospital staff, the cleanliness and quietness of
the hospital environment, pain management, communication about medicines,
discharge information, overall rating of hospital, and would they recommend
the hospital). The survey also includes four items to direct patients to relevant
questions, three items to adjust for the mix of patients across hospitals, and
two items that support Congressionally-mandated reports.
The HCAHPS survey is administered to a random sample of adult patients
across medical conditions between 48 hours and six weeks after discharge;
the survey is not restricted to Medicare beneficiaries. Hospitals may either use
an approved survey vendor, or collect their own HCAHPS data (if approved by
CMS to do so). HCAHPS can be implemented in four different survey modes:
mail, telephone, mail with telephone follow-up, or active interactive voice
recognition (IVR). Hospitals can use the HCAHPS survey alone, or include
additional questions after the core HCAHPS items. Hospitals must survey
patients throughout each month of the year. The survey is available in official
English, Spanish, Chinese, Russian and Vietnamese versions. The survey
and its protocols for sampling, data collection and coding, and file submission
can be found in the current HCAHPS Quality Assurance Guidelines, which is
available on the official HCAHPS website, www.hcahpsonline.org.
and meaningful comparisons of hospitals on
topics that are important to consumers. Second,
public reporting of the survey results creates new
incentives for hospitals to improve quality of
care. Third, public reporting serves to enhance
accountability in health care by increasing
transparency of the quality of hospital care
provided in return for the public investment. With
these goals in mind, the Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services (CMS) and the HCAHPS
Project Team have taken substantial steps to
assure that the survey is credible, useful, and
practical.
Newsletter Title
Page 3
By UW Health Partners-Watertown Regional Medical Center
Each quarter, unique, touching stories of patient care and service will be shared in
this space. They may come from medical professionals or patients all across the country or
from the book, “What’s Right in Health Care,” by Studer Group, or they may come from
people here at Union General Hospital that have similar stories of good customer service. If
you have a story to share either about yourself or someone else, please forward it to Claudia
Wade at cwade@uniongen.org and it may be shared in the next newsletter!
There are people we meet in our life who touch us in ways that we cannot even begin to thank
them. For one patient, Peggy Anderson, many of those people were from WRMC (Watertown Regional
Medical Center). From Nurse Navigator Gretchen Klug, to Radiology, to her Oncologist Dr. Eastman at the
Cancer Center in Johnson Creek, she described these people passionate, kind, caring, listened to her, and
most importantly treated her like a human being.
Cancer was very real to Peggy, her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer when Peggy was 15 and
passed away when she was only 19. She knew she was at high-risk for developing this cancer and at age
40, Peggy had her first diagnosis. Fortunately, treatment was successful.
When Peggy began feeling sick again in 2012, she came to the CWH (Center for Women’s Health). “A
diagnosis of cancer is always devastating,” says Peggy. “Cancer controls you, you don’t control the
cancer.” Peggy’s experience throughout WRMC’s healthcare system put her in control of her diagnosis. As
she began to cry, Peggy spoke about her experience and was so grateful to all the staff for treating her so
well. She portrays Gretchen and everyone she encountered as open and kind people who made themselves
available to the patients’ needs.
“When I felt over whelmed by the diagnoses Gretchen would go the extra mile by helping me make
appointments, finding transportation, holding my hand in times of need, and explained decisions that
needed to be made, says Peggy. These actions made me feel cared for and that someone was concerned for
my well-being.”
Peggy feels extremely blessed to have been cared by such an incredible medical staff. The actions of the
staff from CWH, WRMC and the Cancer Center impacted her in so many ways. She expresses her
complete gratitude towards these individuals who made a difference in her life.
“The Pulse”
Page 4
A mechanic was removing a cylinder head
from the engine of a Jaguar when he spotted a wellknown heart surgeon in his garage. The surgeon was
there waiting for the service manager to take a look
at his car.
The mechanic shouted across the garage, “Hey, doc,
can I ask you a question?”
The surgeon a bit surprised, walked to the
mechanic working on the Jaguar. The mechanic
straightened up, wiped his hands on a rag and asked,
“So doc, look at this engine.
Buttermilk Pie
3
¼
½
1
1
Eggs
Cup of Flour
Cup of Butter melted
Cup of Buttermilk
Teaspoon Vanilla Flavoring
Mix Well
Pour mixture in unbaked pie shell
Cook until firm when you shake it
Submit your recipe to: cwade@uniongen.org
I open its heart, take the valves out, fix `em, put `em
back in, and when I finish, it works just like new. So
how come I get such a small salary and you get the
really big bucks, when you and I are doing basically
the same work?”
The surgeon paused, smiled and leaned over
and said, “Try doing it with the engine running.”
On the Calendar for August & September
August is Recognition Month for: Children’s Eye Health and Safety, National
Immunization Awareness and World Breastfeeding Week.
September is Recognition Month for: Prostate Health, National Cholesterol
Education, Baby Safety, Healthy Aging, Fruit and Vegetable, Labor Day, Healthcare
Housekeeping Week, National Assisted Living Week, World Suicide Prevention Day,
Prostate Cancer Awareness Week, National Childhood Obesity Awareness and
National Sickle Cell Awareness Month.
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Newsletter Title
NOBLES, MAUREEN
WILKS, MERCILLE
BARNES, RENEE
BEARDEN, JENNIFER
KING, DANIEL
HORTON, STEPHANIE
LEWIS, MAJA
LOVE, EMILY
MASON, EMOGENE
HAMILTON, ANGELA
ADCOCK, WILLIAM
ROBERTSON, MARY
TAYLOR, SHANA M
SATTERWHITE, NICOLE
ALLEN, ANITA
BATSON, JERRY
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MOON, ABBIE
SPELLS, TERESA
ROBERTS, KELLY
SMITH, SONYA
CASH, SHERAN
DENDY, DEBORA
TUCKER, BROOKLYN
DUTY, JULIE
HENDERSON, BRENDA
SMITH, ROMONIA
WARD, SHANNON
ALEXANDER, MARY
HUNTER, PAMELA
SANFORD, JUANITA
MOSLEY, KIMBERLY
MECHE, JOANN
YELTON, JENNIFER
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The Value of a Smile
by Francie Baltazar-Schwartz
“The value of a smile is priceless, yet it is the
cheapest, easiest, most rewarding and most
sincere gift to anyone that crosses your path. A
smile makes a person’s day, anybody’s day
even a stranger’s day. A smile is infectious.
Start infecting people with your smile today.
We would like to WELCOME the
below employees to our TEAM
at Union General Hospital
Melba Dismuke, Nursing
Anita Lisotta, Dietary
Derek Russell, Emergency Room
A smile is nature’s best antidote for
discouragement. It brings rest to the weary,
sunshine to those who are sad, and hope to
those who are hopeless and defeated.
A smile is so valuable that it can’t be bought,
begged, borrowed, or taken away against your
will. You have to be willing to give a smile
away before it can do anyone else any good.
So if someone is too tired or grumpy to flash
you a smile, let him have one of yours anyway.
Nobody needs a smile as much as the person
who has none to give.”
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“The Pulse”
UGH is selling raffle tickets for a $250 gift card. Raffle tickets are $1 each and may be purchased at
Union General Hospital. All proceeds go to Union Parish Relay for Life!
RAFFLE: AUGUST 11, 2014
Our campaign will be kicking off in September. Below are some activities and fundraising things that
the community has planned.
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Chicken Insurance -- coming in September
Garage Sale -- 10/04 from 7-12. We need donated items. Items must be in good condition with
no tears or stains. Also, if you or anyone you know would like to set up a booth, we will be
selling tables for $25 (all money collected at your tables is yours)
United Way Employee Luncheon -- will be in October, but date not set yet. Theme will be...."A
great day for a picnic at UGH"
Thanksgiving Sweets/Casserole Sale -- November 25th @ 4:00PM
Silent Auction -- Will start Monday 12/08 and end on 12/11. We need donation of items to put
in silent auction. Please turn items in to Sandy Smith
SCHEDULE TO START IN AUGUST WITH THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR. WE ARE MEETING WITH 4TH
AND 5TH GRADERS THREE TIMES A YEAR WE SERVED OVER 500 CHILDREN IN 2013-2014.
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Newsletter Title
ANNOUNCEMENTS
GREAT NEWS >>>>>>>>>>>>> UNION GENERAL HOSPITAL will be now offering an
individual VISION PLAN to all eligible employees. Some changes have been made to our current
Dental Plan (for the better) which allows us to have a Special Enrollment Period for both Dental and
Vision. Both of these plans will be through Ameritas, but premiums are separate.
Below are the dates and times that both the group and individual meetings have been scheduled. We
strongly encourage all eligible employees to attend one of the group meetings so you will be aware of
the changes in the Dental plan and also learn about the new Vision plan. You will also need to come
on the 08/20 for individual enrollment, make any changes or terminate coverage. Keep in mind that
both of these plans, are individual plans and can be enrolled in even if you don't have any other type of
insurance through the hospital.
Group Meetings:
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Tues, August 19th at NOON in the Conference Room -- Lunch will be provided by the Summit
Financial Group; or
Tues, August 19th at 5:00 pm in the Conference Room -- Snacks and Desserts will be provided
by the Summit Financial Group
Individual Meeting Day:
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Wed, August 20th from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm in the Conference Room; then 1:00 pm to 5:00
pm in the Cafeteria.
New Storage Building
The new hospital storage building was
recently completed. The new storage
building is located across the street from the
hospital and departments will be assigned
private areas for storage by the
Administration.
The contents of the old Home Health
building behind the hospital will be moved
across the street and the old Home Health
building will be removed from the premises.
Union General Hospital
and Union Rural Health
Clinic Patient Portal
Links are on the home
page of the hospital’s
website.
www.uniongen.org
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“The Pulse”