Mark Dixon, president and CEO of Community Hospitals of Indianapolis, recently became a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), the nation's leading professional society for health care leaders. Dixon is privileged to use the FACHE credential, which signifies board certification in health care management and ACHE Fellow status.
"Because health care management ultimately affects the people in our communities, it is critically important to have a standard of excellence promoted by a professional organization," says Thomas C. Dolan, Ph.D., president and CEO of ACHE. "By becoming an ACHE Fellow and simultaneously earning board certification from ACHE, health care leaders can show that they are committed to providing high-quality service to their patients and community."
Fellow status represents achievement of the highest standard of professional development. In fact, only 7,500 health care executives hold this distinction.
To obtain Fellow status, candidates must fulfill multiple requirements, including passing a comprehensive examination, meeting academic and experiential criteria, earning continuing education credits and demonstrating professional/community involvement. Fellows are also committed to ongoing professional development and undergo recertification every three years.
"I'm thrilled to be recognized as Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives," Dixon says. "This is such an amazing honor and I am so pleased to be able to serve our patients and our organization at Community Health Network."
ACHE is an international professional society of more than 30,000 health care executives who are leaders in a variety of health care settings.
Indiana artist Debbie Reichard has completed the installation of an outdoor sculpture in the circle entry of Community Hospital North. This installation is an extension of the Community Health Network Foundation’s initiative to incorporate art into the healing process for patients and families.
Titled A Torrent of Pleasantries (in plaid), the installation is five feet tall and 15 feet long and is made of garden hose and steel. This installation is the first in a series of planned projects created by art students at the Herron School of Art and Design at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. Later this year, more temporary sculptures will be installed as part of an ongoing relationship with students and faculty. Visitors can enjoy this installation through October 2009.
According to Reichard, this installation is her satirical view of suburban life. “Sentimentally, we can be intrinsically connected to specific objects, colors, sounds and smells,” she says. “Even though many of these triggers seem unremarkable to most, everyone can think of an object that reconnects them to a memory.”
Reichard is a former visiting assistant professor of sculpture at the Herron School and has also taught at the University of Washington and the University of Colorado. She is known for creating unique sculptures and ceramics. “I want to change normal,” she says. She works in metal, wood and ceramic, found objects, castable polymers, and sound.
All in all, I think the new website is probably the best work we've done, and I am excited to do some of this for our other facilities.
Shuttle service launched at Community Hospital South this week. With the start of major construction just around the corner, some of the parking areas have been reconfigured. Parking in front of the hospital will be more limited while the new patient tower is under construction. To compensate for the spaces that will be blocked due to the expansion, additional parking is now available at the north end of the campus. Click here for a map.
Patients and visitors are encouraged to use the free valet service at the entrance to the emergency room or at the entrance to the medical office building at the north end of the facility. For those who wish to park their own vehicle, Community Hospital South is now offering shuttle service 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The shuttle stops at both entrances to offer convenient access to the hospital. To request a ride on the shuttle, call 317-887-RIDE (7433).
Welcome! I'm Cindy, the Patient Representative at The Indiana Heart Hospital. What this means is that I visit with our patients daily to see how their stay is going and to make sure that we are doing all that we can for them. I also meet their family members and offer emotional support and will address any questions or fears that they may have. We strive to make every visit an exceptional experience.
I will be blogging about my everyday experiences with patients and their families: the compliments, the concerns, the good days and the sad days.I feel lucky that I personally to get know our patients and hear so many inspirational stories that I want to share these stories with you!
We have redesigned and reorganized the Web site for The Indiana Heart Hospital. We will continue to build it out and add more functionality over the next week. Take a look and let us know your comments!
P.S. Coming soon...a new Web site to commemorate the Next Evolution of Community Hospital South. Look for it around the groundbreaking on June 17 at www.eCommunity.com/south
A Community clinical nurse specialist and the network director of epilepsy/pulmonary DRG management, are featured in an in-depth video about Community Health Network’s world-class performance in preventing ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP). All of the network’s seven ICUs have gone at least one year without a VAP.
The video serves as a VHA Inc. Leading Practice Blueprint that maps out all of the steps that have been proven to lead the most effective and efficient care for VAP. Produced by VHA, the video was developed after VHA recognized Community Hospital East as a leading practice hospital for its work in preventing VAP. The video will serve to educate and encourage 1,400 VHA member hospitals nationwide to adapt and adopt these practices into their patient care patterns.
“This is the ultimate jewel in our crown of safety and quality achievements. VHA thought so and blueprinted it for all of VHA,” says Glenn J. Bingle, M.D., chief medical officer and network vice president, medical and academic affairs.
Wellspring Pharmacy at Community Hospital North now has five designated parking spots for customer use on the first floor of the parking garage. Spots 154 to 158 are designated for short-term parking while you are conducting business at Wellspring. The spots are located at the south end of the garage, next to the green elevator.
“We wanted to provide an exceptional experience for our patients and customers who rely on Wellspring for their prescription needs,” says Julia Feeney, merchandising coordinator. “The good news is that employees can also use those parking spots when shopping at Wellspring. We would like to extend a thank you to all of the people at CHN who worked to make this happen.”
More about Wellspring Pharmacy >>
Earlier this year, Community Hospital East demonstrated that its stroke care program follows national standards and guidelines that can significantly improve outcomes for stroke patients. The Joint Commission’s Primary Stroke Center certification is based on the recommendations for primary stroke centers published by the Brain Attack Coalition and the American Stroke Association’s statements and guidelines for stroke care. The Joint Commission launched the program—the nation’s first—in 2003.A celebration was held Thursday, May 15. “As part of the celebration and in recognition of Stroke Awareness Month, members of the stroke team will host a stroke education table. The team will explain stroke risks, sign and symptoms. Give-away items and contest prizes will be awarded to individuals who participate in interactive quizzes and drawing. We hope to see many of our employees as well as visitors stop by to celebrate with us,” commented José Longoria, Vice President of neuroscience/pulmonary services.
Established in 2004, Community East’s Stroke team is led by clinical nurse specialist Deb Ferguson, M.S.N., R.N., C.C.R.N., C.N.R.N. and Doug Strobel, M.D., medical director for the Stroke Program. This team is comprised of multi-disciplinary clinical team members from throughout the hospital that care for the stroke patient along the path of recovery. It meets regularly to review, discuss and evaluate patient safety and quality goals, education and training, new policies and protocols to achieve The Joint Commission Accreditation as a Primary Stroke Center.
Quality indicator data for Q4 2007 has been posted at eCommunity.com/quality.
The data reflect Community's high quality of patient care for indicators in three categories:
- Heart attack
- Congestive heart failure
- Pneumonia
Community's quality data are compared against national hospital averages and are provided for all network hospitals: Community Hospitals North, East, South and Anderson, and The Indiana Heart Hospital.
We also have added a new section for Outpatient Quality of Care. On this page you can review quality measures regarding care provided at physician offices and/or by Community physicians. Quality measures are compared across 2005 - 2007 for diabetic and heart failure patient care, pediatric immunizations, women's health, safety, patient satisfaction and improvement projects.
More information, including national averages for hospital quality data, can be found at http://www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov
Community Health Network and Summit Construction Co. were awarded the 2008 Outstanding Project Award from the Metropolitan Indianapolis Coalition for Construction Safety (MICCS) for their collaboration on the Community Hospital North expansion.
“This award demonstrates that our culture of safety goes beyond our core business of patient care to touch all that we do,” says Mark Hayden, senior project manager. “Winning sends a signal through the construction industry that we care and that we pay attention.”
According to the MICCS Web site, “The 2008 outstanding project team was able to manage a coordination effort that not only allowed a safe working environment for craftspeople, but also a safe working environment for the occupants of the existing structures connected to this project.”
The construction team at Community Hospital North successfully managed several challenges, including the need to prevent the development of infections and minimize noise levels for the patients in the existing hospital while meeting an aggressive construction deadline.
To create a safe environment for construction workers, the team took an innovative approach by using new technology. The Community North expansion project was the first of its type in the country to use a Magic Arm crane, which lifts construction materials onto each floor safely and efficiently without the use of scaffolding or platforms.
This is the 12th year the MICCS has presented the Outstanding Project Award and the second time a hospital has been recognized. The Indiana Heart Hospital was the winning project in 2004.
Congratulations to Community Hospital Anderson and The Indiana Heart Hospital for being selected to receive 2008 Leadership Awards for Clinical Excellence from VHA Inc., a national health care alliance based in Irving, Texas.
Community Anderson and The Indiana Heart Hospital were recognized at the VHA Leadership Awards Recognition Banquet on Sunday, May 4, at the 2008 VHA Leadership Conference in Philadelphia.
- Community Anderson received an award for Clinical Excellence for Acute Myocardial Infarction Care
- TIHH received awards for Clinical Excellence for Congestive Heart Failure Care and Surgical Care
The 2008 VHA Leadership Award for Clinical Excellence honors VHA member organizations that have distinguished themselves by meeting or exceeding national performance standards in specific clinical activities. To be selected for a Clinical Excellence award an organization’s composite score must be in the top 10 percent for at least the core measure category beginning third quarter 2006 through fourth quarter 2007. All information was based on data from the Joint Commission. VHA serves more than 1,400 not-for-profit hospitals nationwide.
Community Anderson: Acute Myocardial Infarction Care
See how Community Health Network compares for heart attack care >>
Community Anderson is one of 16 VHA member hospitals nationwide to receive a 2008 Leadership Award for excellence in treating heart attack patients.
For heart attacks, best practice standards include:
- Aspirin prescribed at time of patient’s arrival
- Aspirin prescribed at time of patient’s discharge
- ACE inhibitors or beta blocker administration for left ventricular systolic dysfunction
- Adult smoking cessation advice/counseling provided to patient prior to discharge
- Beta blocker prescribed at time of patient’s arrival
- Beta blocker prescribed at time of patient’s discharge
- Amount of time until thrombolysis administered
- Amount of time until PCI administered
"At Community Hospital Anderson and throughout Community Health Network, we treat common health care problems uncommonly well, always focusing on quality and safety, which leads to better outcomes for our patients." says Bill VanNess, M.D., president and CEO of Community Hospital Anderson. "We are proud to be recognized for these high standards and to provide exceptional health care in Madison County and across Central Indiana."
TIHH: Congestive Heart Failure Care
See how Community Health Network compares for congestive heart failure care >>
TIHH is one of 20 VHA member hospitals nationwide to receive a 2008 Leadership Award for excellence in treating congestive heart failure. The best practice standards for treating congestive heart failure include:
- ACE inhibitors or beta blocker administration for left ventricular systolic dysfunction Detailed discharge instructions provided to patient
- Left ventricular function assessment performed on patient
- Adult smoking cessation advice/counseling provided to patient prior to discharge
"Our participation in VHA helps us achieve a higher level of performance both operationally and clinically, and we are pleased to receive recognition from VHA for our work in cardiac care," says Tom Malasto, president of TIHH.
Surgical care
TIHH is one of 13 hospitals nationwide to receive a 2008 Leadership Award for surgical care. These steps toward quality include:
- Administering antibiotic within one hour prior to surgical incision
- Selecting appropriate antibiotic for surgery patients
- Discontinuing antibiotic administration within 24-hours after surgery (within 48 hours for cardiovascular procedures)
"The award validates the dedicated focus of our clinical staff and physicians to pursuing excellence in the care provided to our surgical patients," Malasto says. "Preventing infections following surgery is a key objective of our surgical team. To ensure the proper outcome, our staff focuses on national indicators of quality."
There a lot of complaints and questions about what's been going on with the leadership of the community. There is only one meeting a year, the monthly board meetings have been either closed to the public or unadvertised. The main source of communication has been phone or email from a web site that many homeowners didn't know about.
There have been issues with the former property manager and people in the community didn't know about that or the resignations from the board. Consequently, many felt disenfranchised, and were distrustful of the board members and how the dues have been spent.
Watching all of this I realized that if communication had been kept in the open and homeowners informed of changes in the board and property management, their distrust would have been minimized. And giving people a chance to speak during the previous year would have lessened the complaints in the meeting. I believe that most people respond to open honest communication. Explanations of community issues before this meeting would have lowered the level of hostility in the room.
How does this apply to health care?
Imagine if health care providers were open and honest all the time about what a patient is experiencing.
You arrive on time for your doctor appointment but wait forty-five minutes to see the doctor. Why did that happen? The doctor may have had a complicated patient case come in and needed to spend more time with someone. Or other patients’ lateness has caused the doctor to be running behind. I read an article somewhere I can’t remember that stated that the main reason patients need to wait for their doctor is that other patients before have been late. I don’t think most people know that.
Would knowing one of those situations help you be less frustrated with your doctor when you have to wait?
There are many other examples that can be imagined. Ones that apply to hospital visits or even organization decisions. The tools and technology for open communication are different depending on the situation. In a hospital, talking to the patients individually would be more effective then later blogging about the event; for an organization blogging about a decision or event is more effective than individually talking to everyone interested.
I believe that open, honest communication in health care would reduce complaints and malpractice suits and allow the health care industry to spend more time treating patients.
The e-Business team has seen a lot of new media/new marketing trends that work really well in health care. Patient blogs are one example that we have built. Our SharingSite application allows patients to blog about their condition and treatment in or out of the hospital. We are also using it to post our baby/nursery pictures. This eliminates the phone calls to family and repeatedly telling relatives the same information by a patient or family member who is already stressed and busy.
Our discussion boards that we have really not promoted are gaining more and more usage because people want to talk about their health condition, ask questions and compare their experience to other patients. This is a common patient behavior that used to (and still does to some extent) happen in person, but now you can go online and talk to many more people.
Patients also want to find out more about their health conditions so they are using online health information libraries along with just reading blogs, discussions boards, etc to find out as much as they can about their health issues.
I believe that health care is different, that it doesn't fit the Meatball Sundae model. Maybe it has to do with all the regulations, etc. on our industry, or that we aren’t selling a product that users generally have a choice about purchasing or not. But they do have a choice about where to purchase it.
We offer these applications (and many others as part of the free myCommunity membership) as a service to our patients and hope that users who are not currently patients will consider these services when selecting a health care provider. But these services are available to people outside of the Indianapolis area who may never be able to use our hospitals. They are still allowed and encouraged to use our site.
In addition some applications like health information are becoming the standard for health care providers like ATMs are now a standard for banks to offer. By paying attention to these services the health care organization can increase their reputation and trustworthiness, and secure a patient's attention. Just like Chris Anderson writes:
"The word is externalities, a concept that holds that money is not the only scarcity in the world. Chief among the others are your time and respect, two factors that we've always known about but have only recently been able to measure properly. The "attention economy" and "reputation economy" are too fuzzy to merit an academic department, but there's something real at the heart of both."
We provide free services but also use free services. We use Google Analytics as another source for web statistics, we use Feedburner to help manage our RSS feeds and we use Google Maps in our Find a Doctor application. There is tons of free services available we could use but have chosen not to because they can be overwhelming to manage and get value from.
It makes me wonder what else we could offer for free that would return value through other avenues.
I love reading Wired for articles like this. I read about The Long Tail some time before it became popular in this magazine. Who knows, maybe this will be the next big idea?
"Every day, in hospitals and physicians' offices across America and increasingly around the world, medical practitioners are doing something revolutionary: They are turning to the Internet for information to enable them to make more informed decisions for their patients."
Watch streaming video webcast or read transcription at
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/548888
At www.eCommunity.com/health we offer a health information library that provides health information for the consumer. The library comes from a third-party provider and most content is reviewed and updated quarterly. Topics are grouped into adult and pediatric health, ranging from allergies to women's health and everything in between.
Questions: In the future will we need to provide physicians and caregivers within our hospitals with online health information to be used for medical decision-making? Will we do this in an effort to control the content and possible ramifications of finding and relaying inaccurate information to patients? How will newcomer health information Web sites geared toward a physician audience be screened or deemed reputable?
Part of our larger content plan for the year is to conduct usability testing across our suite of online tools/applications and our network Web site, www.eCommunity.com. The purpose is to get feedback from as many audiences as possible and use that feedback to make our applications and Web site easier to use.
Last week I went to Community Regional Cancer Center on our Community Hospital North campus and met with three patients who worked with our SharingSite application. SharingSite is an online blogging tool for patients, family members or caregivers. The owner of the SharingSite can post updates and upload photos for their invited list of folks to see. It's a convenient way for people who are distributed across the country to get updates on a loved one's care. Lots of new parents have been using SharingSite to share photos of new babies and family.
With the help of our "portable usability lab" (thanks to Brian for helping me with that setup) I videotaped each patient's session and also ran a screencapture program in the background of the computer to record mouse movement, clicks, etc.
Overall patients praised the concept of SharingSite as a mechanism for sharing information about patient progress or medical conditions and procedures. There were also usability issues that I will take back to the team with recommendations for fixes. It is a real eye-opener to watch users who are self-proclaimed computer novices and in an older age group work with an application like SharingSite. This experience encourages me to think about better ways to design our tools for seniors in particular.
Thank you to the patients, Community Regional Cancer Center, and my team who helped this project happen!
Interested in participating in a usability session for Community Health Network? Please leave me a comment if you are interested in participating in a usability session for one of our applications. A typical session takes about an hour and participants are compensated with a gift card.
Like I’ve posted before think of PHRs like a bank. To be truly valuable a PHR needs to use the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) as a reference. Can the big names do this?
The ideal PHR is editable by the patient. The patient would be able to add new items or items from their EMR that they can reference. They are able to share or not share items in the records that they feel is appropriate. The items in the patient’s PHR are linked to a content library so that they patient can look up more information about their conditions or find drug interactions that may have been missed. If a patient changes health networks or hospital organizations that record is able to be copied to another organization’s PHR.
I believe patients will use the one attached to their health network and then if they move the record needs to be portable to another organization. Maybe this is the role of the big names?
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