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Collaborative Care Council
Gets Results
from page 29
Press Ganey scores.
Nelson Martinez,
environmental aide at
Plainview Hospital, co-chaired
a council that was able to
decrease bed turnaround
time from 70 minutes to 62
minutes. Danielle Green at
Plainview co-chaired a food
and nutrition council, and
the ratings for food service
courtesy, overall meals and
meal quality all improved.
At Franklin Hospital,
a council on a med/surg
oncology unit reduced the
length of stay from 8.07
days in January to 6.84 in
November of 2011. “We
focused on what we needed to
do to get patients safely and
quickly through their hospital
stay,” said Kathy Bradfield,
LMSW, director of social work.
At Long Island Jewish
Medical Center, a council
redesigned a surgical waiting
room, provided more
privacy for consultations and
improved communication
between clinicians and
waiting families and patients
in recovery, according to
Agnes Barden, DNP, RN.
Another council created a
pre- and post-op surgical
education class for patients
and family, obtained a
grant for DVD education
and worked to collaborate
more effectively with the
cardiothoracic ICU on
patient transfers. Automating
physician orders on 7 South
freed the unit receptionist,
Patricia Rodriguez, to
perform a concierge role,
keeping everyone informed,
helping solve problems
and coordinating tests.
Rachel Neuman, PT, who
participated in the council
with Ms. Rodriguez and
others, said the concierge
position “changes the attitude
of the whole team.”
This is just a sampling
of how more than 300
collaborative care councils at
North Shore-LIJ Health System
are gaining measurable results.
Collaborative efforts
between facilities are reaping
results, too. Collaborative
care councils at North
Shore University Hospital
and Stern Family Center
for Rehabilitation worked
together to share more
comprehensive and accurate
patient information on the
clinical information system
to ensure better handoffs.
As a result, “We were more
prepared to admit patients
when they came to us,” said
Carole Clement, RN, Stern
Family Center nurse manager.
Press Ganey “likelihood to
recommend” scores at the
long-term care facility jumped
from 77.1 in June 2011 to 92.9
in November last year.
Lynn Johnson, NP,
manager, nursing initiatives,
Institute for Nursing, who
President’s Awards
Keep an eye out for a special supplement on North Shore-LIJ’s President’s
Award program featuring this year’s nominees and winners, including
Sylvester Wallace of Cohen Children’s Medical Center of New York.
facilitated both collaborative
care councils, also helped
roll out councils at Lenox
Hill Hospital. Over 3,300
employees learned about the
collaborative care model last
summer, and Lenox Hill
is already gaining results.
A council chaired by James
Richter, MD, chief of
anesthesiology, succeeded
at decreasing turnover time
between OR cases, in part
thanks to more realistic
scheduling. “If there is ever
going to be a mechanism
for reducing turnover, the
councils are it,” he said. Arlex
Matulac, associate executive
director, perioperative
services, said, “We started with
turnover at 51 minutes last
fall and were at 48 minutes
in February. Our goal is 45
minutes and our stretch goal is
30 minutes.”
Linda DiCarlo, RN,
director, nursing informatics,
Lenox Hill, attributes the
success of collaborative care
councils to “all the disciplines
participating and everyone
talking the same language,”
but admits that it takes time to
achieve full results.
Catherine Galla, RN,
assistant vice president,
nursing initiatives, Institute
for Nursing, concurs.
“Transformational change
never happens immediately,
but we have a structure
that supports incremental
changes and staff working
in interdisciplinary teams to
improve the care we deliver.”
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