Galichia Heart Hospital becomes NICHE certified

From hotel to
hospital: new
executive Chef
Curtis Isley
gets cookin’ at
wesley, page 4
Ambassador Club Book Fair
Mark your calendars – the Ambassador Club Book Fair
is back this month! From cookbooks to novels to children’s selections, the fair allows convenient shopping
through employee payroll deduction.
Galichia Heart
Hospital’s ED
staff awarded
excellence in
patient care,
page 5
A Moment
With ... Leslie
Steventon talks
about what
motivates her,
Page 7
WHEN: 7 a.m. - 5 p.m. Aug. 20-22 (Wednesday
through Friday)
WHERE: Four Corners Cafe
Meet Troy Gooch, Respiratory Care director
T
roy Gooch has only been here about a week, but he says he already feels at
home. Wesley Medical Center’s new Respiratory Care director hails from the
University of Kansas Hospital where he served as assistant director of respiratory therapy for eight years.
He also served on the Kansas Respiratory Care Society board with Debbie
Fox, who retired July 1 after nearly 41 years at Wesley Medical Center.
“She came up to me after the April meeting and said she had plans to announce her retirement and encouraged me to consider moving down here,”
Gooch said. “It was a grueling decision to leave KU, but it’s a great opportunity to
come here. It would take something this good for me to be able to leave that.”
Gooch said he’s impressed with the experience of the Wesley team he’s
overseeing. He even knows some of the folks from the NICU flight team. But it’s Troy Gooch
the Wesley warmth and friendliness that won him.
“Everybody seems to really live the Culture of Always motto,” he said. “The atmosphere is very positive.
People genuinely seem to like being here.”
Galichia iPad winners
Culture
Galichia Heart Hospital
becomes NICHE certified
Galichia is the first – and only – hospital in the state to achieve
NICHE certification for high-quality health care for seniors
alichia Heart Hospital, a campus
of Wesley Medical Center, has received designation as a NICHE certified
hospital, cementing its commitment to
excellence in caring for elderly patients.
NICHE – which stands for Nurses
Improving Care for Healthsystem Elders – is the only national designation
indicating a hospital’s ongoing commitment to geriatric nursing care.
The NICHE designation signals
Galichia’s resolve to provide
See NICHE, page 6
Two lucky employees at Galichia
Heart Hospital won iPad minis following their department’s successful
participation in the Employee Engagement Survey.
The winners from far left:
Tianna Lazzers, presented by Gary
Poindexter; Audra Black, far right,
presented by Barbara Whitehead.
In Touch editor: Andi Easterly, Marketing and Public Relations
Send items to andrea.easterly@wesleymc.com
Always
Aug. 5, 2014
|Unforgettable Experience
G
of
Senior friendly: The original NICHE steering committee — From left: Jennifer
Scheuber, Laura Stofferson, Mary Singleton and Jelinda Gose.
Wesley
rolls out new
reward program
Employee recognition for going
above and beyond the everyday
excellent care they give just got a
rock-and-roll makeover.
The Rewards & Recognition
Committee is proud to present
the new and improved Rewards
and Recognition program for the
Wesley Family of Campuses.
The new program replaces
the old “Diamond Drops” and
“You’re a Star” cards and allows
real time recognition for employees doing exceptional work or who
go above and beyond expectations in their day-to-day routine.
“This is a fresh new way to
emphasize our Culture of Always
and recognize those who exemplify our standards of behavior
every day,” said Jamie Logan,
chairwoman of the Rewards and
Recognition Committee. “We think
the new look is exciting and that
employees will love it.”
Besides a new look and feel,
the improved program now allows
See REWARDS, page 6
Baby Your Baby Fair offers health,
education and fun for all ages
&S
Movers
hakers
Jennie Thomas is Wesley Medical Center’s
new administrative assistant in Administration.
l Catherine Blise joined the Wesley Family
as interim CNO. Catherine works for BE Smith,
and will be on site over the next few months as
a national CNO search continues.
l Jared Hughes, an RN on 7T, passed the
Med/Surg Certification exam. He is the first RN
at Wesley to achieve this since Wesley hosted
the review class earlier this year.
l
Wesley in the news
 Wesley Medical Center — Wesley Medical Center has designation
as Level I trauma center renewed |
Wichita Business Journal
 Wesley Medical Center —
Good Deeds: Teen volunteers learn
job, people skills in Wesley program
| The Wichita Eagle and Kansas.com
 Dr. Francie Ekengren, Wesley Chief Medical Officer
— Doc Talk: You may have diabetes and not know it |
The Wichita Eagle and kansas.com
 Joann Paul, Wesley Quality
and Infection Prevention Director
­— Measles: What to Know During
Local Outbreak | KMUW Wichita
Public Radio and kmuw.org
 Dr. John-Michael Watson,
Wesley Family Medicine Residency
resident — Health Effects of Children Left in Hot Vehicles
| KSN TV
 Dale Shubert, Wesley Family Life Educator — Baby
Your Baby: Calming Your Baby | KAKE TV, kake.com
In Touch deadline lll
In Touch is published every two weeks. Deadline for
submissions is at least one week before publication date.
Send items: Andi Easterly at andrea.easterly@wesleymc.com
or send via interoffice mail to In Touch/Marketing #920
W
esley Medical Center
presents its annual
Baby Your Baby health education fair inside the hospital on Saturday, Aug. 16.
The fair is designed to
educate parents and caregivers on infant and child
health topics such as infant
CPR, having fun with toddlers, breastfeeding and car
seat safety.
As the region’s “baby
hospital,” the event also will
feature a tour of Wesley’s
Labor and Delivery floor
and the BirthCare Center suites.
This year, the fair is expanded to include more pediatric classes and additional vendors and activities of
interest to parents, including the popular Power 93.9
“Cutest Kid” Contest.
Topics and activities include a dad’s class, prizes and
shopping. The fair starts at 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. No registration is required. For more information, visit Wesley at
wesleymc.com.
lll
It’s time again for The Wichita
Eagle’s Readers’ Choice awards
Wesley Medical Center is again
participating in the Wichita
Eagle’s Readers’ Choice awards
and we need your votes!
Help Wesley win the designation of “Best” in the following categories: Best Hospital,
Best Hospital for Pediatrics,
Best Hospital for Birth Care, Best Emergency Care, Best
Hospital for Cancer Care and Best Hospital for Cardiac
Care.
Voting began Aug. 1 and ends Aug. 11 at 5 p.m. You
can vote once a day at www.eaglereaderschoice.com.
You might win $250! Voters must select a minimum
of 30 categories for the ballots to be counted and for the
entry to qualify for the prize drawing. The $250 prize
winner will be announced in a September special section
of The Eagle.
Thanks for voting and continuing to make Wesley the
best choice for expert care in Wichita!
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F O CUS
Family • Ownership • Community • Unforgettable Experience • Safety
These standards of behavior emphasize the beliefs and attitudes that govern the operations of the Wesley
family and provide a framework for each of us to support high-quality and safe care for every patient, every
time. Here, we highlight employees, volunteers and partners who exemplify these standards every day.
A moment with...
with. The morale on my unit is really good. I know that
if I am having a really hard day I have people who will
help me and support me. They are there on my hard
days and I try to always be there for people when they
have difficult days.
Leslie Steventon
Nuse Assistant, 7 Tower
Nurse assistant Leslie Steventon has been working for
Wesley Medical Center for more than three years and
has been in health care for 15 years. Her commitment
to caring for every patient, every time has been noticed
by those in her unit and the patients with whom she has
worked. That’s why she won an Excellence in Caring
award this year.
What is important to you every day at work?
I think it is important to keep everything very organized and tidy in my unit. Other people like to call me
the mom of the unit. I also try to provide new ideas of
things to do that will keep morale up. I want to keep
people involved and excited about what we are doing.
What made you decide on a career in health care?
I became intrigued with health care through caring for
the foster children in my grandparents’ home. My grandmother was a nurse at Wesley and took care of the
special needs that many of her foster children had.
What did you learn from your grandmother?
My grandmother taught me that you have to care. If you
do not care for people then you will always struggle in
this field of work. Watching my grandmother care for
each of the foster children who lived in her house was
an inspiration for me to always care about the people I
interact with.
How do you work through the difficult things you
encounter as a nurse aide?
It is really difficult to work through things when you are
investing in the people you are interacting with. Sometimes you have to tell a family that things are going poorly or you have to deal with a patient who is being very
difficult. It helps when your hard work is recognized and
when you have a unit around you who is supporting you
when you have a hard day.
Tell us about working at Wesley.
It is really nice to be able to trust the people that I work
7
New program offers real-time recognition
REWARDS, continued from page 1
non-managers to instantly recognize a
fellow employee with a note and a free
beverage in the cafeteria. In addition,
managers and above can now reward
employees with prizes in real time -- no
more waiting to receive a reward through
another department.
“We think the new program will go
a long way toward validating great work
at the time it happens,” Logan said.
“And we’ve expanded our recognition
to include entire departments that meet
hospital goals for quality and excellence
in care.”
The first phase of the new program
has three parts: A VIP Pass, a “You Rock”
notecard and gift, and a traveling trophy
that rewards units based on quarterly
HCAHPS scores.
The committee continues to look at
the process as an ongoing evolution and
will be digging into how to recognize departments and ancillary groups that don’t
report with HCAHPS.
Here’s a summary of the program:
1
2
The VIP Pass
“You Rock”notecards
The “You Rock” reward allows
real-time recognition from managers and/or directors directly to the
employee. Managers will maintain
a cache of gift cards, gift certificates, movie passes, etc. A special
Rock Star notecard completes it.
The VIP Pass offers immediate recognition
that staff, managers and directors can use.
Information is written on the VIP Pass card
identifying employee, department and why
he/she is being recognized. The card may be
turned in for a drink in the café.
The traveling trophies are awarded
each quarter to the nursing floor that
has the most improved HCAHPS scores
and also the nursing floor that has the
highest score based on quarterly grand
composite HCAHPS scores. Winning
units also receive a food party.
You Rock
3
“Battle of
the Bands”
traveling
trophy
NICHE nurses elevate hospital senior care
NICHE, continued from page 1
patient-centered care for older adults, said Laura Stofferson, associate chief nursing officer and NICHE coordinator
for Galichia.
“Our senior population has special needs when they are
hospitalized,” she said. “Medications affect them differently, they have different mobility challenges and there’s a lot
we can do from a clinical standpoint to improve outcomes
and satisfaction for our elderly patients and their families.”
More than 75 percent of Galichia’s patient population
is seniors aged 65 or older, Stofferson said. Many of these
patients require special care when handling everything
from nutrition to discharge instructions.
In fact, by 2050, the older adult population will number
nearly 89 million, more than double the current population,
national statistics show. By 2030, healthcare expenditures will
increase by 25 percent for older adults and Medicare spending
will go from $555 billion yearly to $903 billion by 2020.
“Our patients already know us as a very friendly, very
community-oriented environment,” said Mary Singleton,
senior relations and employer relations director for the
Wesley Family of Campuses. She’s also the NICHE project
manager at Galichia.
“That’s the kind of environment older adults really
gravitate to,” she said. “So we want them to understand that
on top of that great environment, we are committed to pro-
6
viding evidence-based practices and excellence in caring.”
Through Galichia’s participation in the NICHE program - the largest geriatric nursing program available - the
hospital is able to offer evidence-based, interdisciplinary
approaches that promote positive experiences for older
adults who need care.
Galichia has identified a team of six nurses who will
undergo
specialized geriatric
training.
Patients will enjoy
a
multi-disciplinary approach
that spans the
continuum
of
care, from physicians and pharmacy to physical therapy
and case management.
All this leads to greater satisfaction rates for patients
and their families.
“Ultimately, this work helps us with recognized strategies, competencies and changes in the environment of patient care that improve the service we provide to our senior
population,” said Galichia CEO Steve Edgar. “I appreciate
the dedication and work that has already been performed
by these leaders and team members.”
Every patient, every time.
Peoplelll
Servicelll
UNWAVERING
SUPPORT: Jenny
Wenzel’s personal
experience many
years ago with her
twin babies has
motivated her to
support parents
going through
similar times. “As a
former NICU mom,
Jenny Wenzel, right, with presenter Rita Stucky my favorite part
is talking with the
parents about what they’re going through,” she said.
That sort of dedication earned the NICU unit clerk accolades from her coworkers as well as Wesley Medical
Center’s August Ambassador award. Here’s an excerpt
from what her colleagues said:
“Jenny Wenzel epitomizes the traits of an Ambassador. She welcomes all parents to our unit as
if they were family. (She) volunteers through the
Parent-to-Parent program, matching previous NICU
parents with current NICU parents in the unit, offering support and encouragement from someone who
has walked the walk, many times coming in on her off
time to help parents and support family activities.”
NEW DIRECTION:
Patients and visitors at
Galichia Heart Hospital will find new interior signs to help them
navigate their way.
Now color coded for
easy reference in Galichia’s three telemetry
units, bright bars at each main
nursing station and matching
unit signs should make it easier
for visitors to understand where
they’re at in the hospital.
The new signs reflect some of the recent changes
at Galichia. The Health Information Management
department was relocated, all admissions now go
through the front lobby or the Emergency Department and Galichia added an MRI to its Imaging Services department.
“New or expanded services will sometimes require
new ways of assisting our patients and their families
find the correct areas of the hospital,” Galichia CEO
Steve Edgar said. “Recognizing these changes, the
new signage helps our visitors with wayfinding to the
important services our patients need.”
Financelll
SAVINGS GOALS: July 2014
Wesley Medical Center
Savings Goal: $2,363,716
YTD Supply Savings: $1,086,393
Galichia Heart Hospital
Savings Goal: $365,965
YTD Supply Savings: $525,263
Qualitylll
NURSING EDUCATION
FAIR: Mark your calendars for
Aug. 20-22, the first of two upcoming mandatory education
fairs designed to train Wesley
Family patient care staff (nurses,
assistants, techs, etc.) in low-frequency, high-risk services that impact quality of care.
The fair will take place in the Intrust Learning Center from 7:30-11:30 a.m. and 12:30-4:30 p.m. A second
fair will take place Sept. 23-25.
A Culture of Excellence ... In All We Do
3
New Employee Files
Galichia ED receives Excellence in Patient Care award
T
he said. “I want our patients’ food to taste like
something they would get at home, or something
like mom used to make. It doesn’t have to have a
lot of salt or fat to have the flavor.”
For Wesley, Isley said it comes down to a balance
between what tastes good and what’s going to sell.
“I think we have to have an appropriate balance
of fattening stuff and nutritious stuff,” he said. “I
think we’re close, but we need to work on the taste
and the presentation.”
Wesley serves roughly 1,200 people every day
and Isley said it’s up to his kitchen to provide
something for everyone.
He noted some differences between hospital
and hotel cooking. The number of hotel customers
vary each day – some days Isley said he cooked for
50 or 60 while on others more than 1,000. Plates
of hotel food could cost $25 or more.
“The biggest difference is the people – some
people haven’t chosen to be here. At hotels, you
want to be there. Being in a hospital is not always
fun,” he said. “So we’re trying to serve good, nutritional food for a reason. So we can at least give
them choices of great-tasting food that isn’t bland.”
Curtis Isley
C
Executive Chef
urtis Isley comes to Wesley Medical Center
as executive chef after serving 18 years at the
Wichita Hyatt as the executive sous chef.
“I was looking to do something different, to
just be connected and work with all the different
people,” he said. “I get excited about cooking and I
wanted to do something different besides cooking
in hotels.”
Isley said he lost about 150 pounds two years
ago after undergoing a gastric bypass, which
helped shape his focus on cooking and eating
healthy.
“Healthy eating doesn’t have to mean bland,”
he Galichia Heart Hospital Emergency Department’s hard work in reducing the
number of patients who leave without being seen has earned the emergency
team a national Excellence in Patient Care award from healthcare consulting firm
Studer Group.
The Excellence in Patient Care awards are given to select organizations that
are coached by Studer Group in various categories. To be eligible for an award, an
organization must demonstrate outstanding performance in patient care.
“This has eveything to do with my staff and their ability to get patients back
and into bed quickly,” said Galichia ED
Manager Brandy Stefonek. “Our providers also have an increased focus on
getting patients seen quickly. We never
want patients sitting in the lobby. And we
certainly don’t want them leaving without
being seen.”
With emergency room wait times typically coming in at well under 30 minutes,
the award also acknowledges Galichia’s
achievement in the face of significant
growth there. ED visits have increased by
almost 20 percent over last year, but the
hospital consistenly keeps the number
of patients who leave without being seen
below .2 percent – and often at zero,
Galichia’s ED staff: From left, back row: Leonard Knoff, Ashley Snyder, Dr. Scott Stefonek said.
“Our physicians and nursing staff are
Bledsoe, Mark Harris; middle row: Brandy Stefonek, Mandy Keil, Jennifer Pankwilling to do whatever it takes to make
ratz, Vicki Stites, Kathleen Sparks, Bert Hieger; front row: Paula Rhodes, Eve
sure the patient is stable,” she said. “They
Juarez, Judy Castillo, Diana Moncrief
are making that happen every day.”
Senior Telecom Engineer Steven Mark wins HCA Innovator award
Steven Mark took home a coveted HCA Innovators Award earlier this year
when he was informed – rather quietly, as it happened – that he won a
Division award for his innovative Bluetooth speakerphone idea for interpreters. The project saved Wesley Medical Center more than $12,359.
The award was for 2013.
“It surprised many of us,” he said. “As far as I knew, I had submitted
an idea a year or more before and I hadn’t heard anything happened. I
almost forgot about it.”
The idea seemed simple at the time, yet it had a significant financial
impact. The problem was the use of analog lines to support speakerphones for interpreters that, with the the new phone system, would require expensive data lines to be installed. In addition, the quality was
subpar, Mark said.
“I kept thinking, there’s got to be another way,” he said. “It’s just a car
Bluetooth, a wireless speaker phone with a visor clip. But it’s made a
huge difference in cost and quality. The fidelity is much greater.”
4
Steven Mark, IT&S
5