Fall 2011 - Catholic Health System

Our Roots, Our Mission, Our Promise of Excellence
Medication Reconciliation Goes Electronic
6
Home Care
News & Events
LOVE Award &Kudos Winners
Danielle Foster, PT, McAuley Seton Home Care, and
Audrey Baker, home health aide, Mercy Home Care, are
the 2nd quarter LOVE Award recipients.
Congratulations to the following winners of the Kudos
movie passes: Nancy Brady, June; Jen Bosetti, July; and
John Buono, August.
Mission Activities
A special thank you to everyone who supported our 7th
Annual Hot Dog Roast on July 21. Nearly $700 was raised
to support our Helping Hands Fund, the Food Bank, and
the Home Care Mission Fund, which assists our patients/
families who are in need.
As in previous years, the Home Care Mission Committee
collected school supplies for students at the St.
Monica and St. Augustine Scholars’ Programs. This very
successful endeavor provides the students with the school
supplies they need during the school year.
The semi-annual Home Care Auction/Bake Sale will be
held on Thursday, October 20 at the AppleTree Business
Park. This delicious event features a variety of home baked
treats and a gift basket raffle. Raffle tickets are 25/$5.
Compliance and the
Patient Experience
Catholic Health’s value of “Excellence” commits us to
deliver high quality patient care. Our acknowledgement,
documentation and prompt response to patient concerns
provides the opportunity to re-establish trust and build
valuable relationships with our patients and their families.
The lessons learned from correcting incidents provide
valuable insight into the importance of meeting our
patients’ needs and additional opportunities to increase
compliance throughout the system.
A bad patient experience can result in negative publicity
for Catholic Health. A patient who has entrusted their
care to Catholic Health would be very disappointed if:
Their medical record, containing Protected Health
Information (PHI), were disclosed to an unauthorized
recipient because a fax number wasn’t verified;
Their identity was assumed by another individual, and
we did not recognize the identity theft; or
Language barriers prevented us with communicating
effectively with a non-English speaking patient.
We can help reduce the number of negative Compliance
reports by:
Upholding patient rights such as access to care, confidentiality
(HIPAA) and language assistance
Using two identifiers for patients and records
Accurately completing all documentation
We should know the Catholic Health Values – Reverence,
Compassion, Justice and Excellence – and display
them in our daily work. We should also follow all policies
(available on Compliance 360) and our Code of Conduct.
Most important, we must pay attention to details…if you
are uncertain or do not understand something, ASK (always
seek knowledge).
Associates have a duty to report suspected or potential
violations. Please contact: Anne Mason, Compliance &
Privacy Officer, at 821-4469; Compliance Line at 1-888-
200-5380; or the HIPAA Hotline at 862-1790.
It’s not uncommon for patients to arrive in the ER or for surgery with a laundry list of
medications or even a paper bag full of half-used pill bottles. Making sure patients continue
to take their medications without any dangerous interactions with new ones that may
be prescribed while they are in the hospital, is the concept behind “medication reconciliation.”
This important process takes place on admission and at discharge.
Until now, medication reconciliation has largely been a manual process subject to the
limitations of doing things on paper. Soarian Electronic Medication Reconciliation or
“Med Rec” was launched at Mercy Hospital on September 12 and will be introduced
across the system by late October.
The adoption of Med Rec brings us another step closer to mandatory Computerized
Physician Order Entry (CPOE), which will be required by February 1, 2012. With this
new process, nursing staff will collect an electronic list of home medications. The physician
will then complete the medication reconciliation process electronically in Soarian.
This same process will be completed when the patient is discharged. The nurse will review
the medications with the patient and provide a paper copy of the electronic discharge
medication reconciliation.
Med Rec is quicker and safer – eliminating handwriting legibility issues and providing
automatic alerts for adverse drug interactions or allergies. It also follows the same process
as CPOE, so it will help physicians become familiar with that system as well.
RMC Military Committee Supports Troops
As our nation marked the 10th anniversary
of September 11, we were all reminded
of the tragic events of that day and how we
felt as a nation and community. For a group
of associates in Catholic Health’s Revenue
Management Center (RMC), it was that
lingering feeling that prompted them to do
something to recognize the brave men and
women who serve in our military.
From there, this patriotic group formed
the RMC Military Committee. The group
“adopts” military personnel and their families,
sending care packages oversees and providing
gift cards to families with children
here at home. They also support families of
wounded or fallen servicemen and women.
Accounts receivable clerks Marie Nespal
and Jennie Westlake co-chair the committee.
“Like so many people, we felt helpless
after 9-11 and were searching for a way to
simply say thank you to our military heroes,”
said Marie. “We wanted to do something to
let them know we care and appreciate the
sacrifices they are making.”
The group relies on fundraising to support
its efforts. A snack table sits in one corner
of the RMC with goodies for sale. The
committee keeps it stocked with munchies
and uses the proceeds to fund its activities.
Front-Jennie Westlake, Kate Fisher and Marie Nespal.
Back-Geri Whetstone, Pat Mulak, Holly Riford, Sandy
Pappas, Pat Kelly, Diane Garguiolo and Pat Hoffman.
They also hold raffles and other contests to
raise money for the cause.
Through word of mouth and family and
friends, the committee gets names of local
military heros and their families to support.
“This is something anyone can do,”
said Jennie. “It gives you a good feeling to
know you are raising the spirits of someone
serving in the military or a family waiting
for his or her safe return.”
For more information on the RMC Military
Committee, contact Marie at mnespal@chsbuffalo.org
or Jennie at jwestlak@
chsbuffalo.org.
Catholic Health Supports High School
Health Science Programs
With a new school year in full swing, Catholic Health is continuing its educational
partnerships with Mt. Mercy Academy, Bishop Timon-St. Jude High School and Buffalo’s
Health Science Charter School.
Developed in 2009, the Health Science Program with Mt. Mercy and Bishop Timon
continues to provide unique leaning opportunities for students interested in careers in the
health professions. Catholic Health doctors, nurses and other clinical professionals participate
in a variety of activities to support the students' academic endeavors including shadow
and mentoring programs, internships and community service opportunities. Through the
program, Mt. Mercy offers tuition discounts for students of Catholic Health associates.
The Health Science Charter School, which opened in Tonawanda last year, has moved to
its new home at the former St. Vincent’s Orphanage on Riley Street in Buffalo. This year,
the school welcomed a freshman and sophomore class, and will add a new class each year
until it offers a complete curriculum from grades nine through twelve.
The new location brings the students closer to Buffalo’s
medical community, including nearby Sisters Hospital,
for field trips and service learning opportunities.
It has also breathed new life into this historic landmark,
which has received $5 million in interior and exterior
renovations and new furnishings and equipment
to offer the students a safe, secure and technologically
advanced learning environment.
All these efforts are designed to encourage and support
students who are interested in health careers to
The new Health Science Charter School. develop future health professionals in our community.
chsbuffalo.org