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Welcome to eFocus. Our goal is to provide you with timely, informative and useful short summaries and links about UM UCH related news, issues, or events. Feel free to contact us if you have news to share, story ideas or any other feedback. As always, your comments are welcome.

eFocus, September 2022 topics include:

WELCOME

It is back-to-school season and everyone is getting ready! With that in mind, we have an eFocus issue with many introductions of new docs, a new patient safety officer, a new, fully staffed laborist program, and new provider engagement events. (Check out all the pics!) We also have our new safety and quality goals for FY 23. They include hospital acquired infections (HAI), HCAHPS performance targets and mortality. 

At the end of FY 22 we saw an incredible decline in our Foley and central line utilization and also went 74 days between both hospitals without an HAI!! This has never been done before and deserves celebration. This shows that despite staffing challenges and all the pressure healthcare faces, we can continue to march down our journey to zero harm for our patients. Let’s keep the momentum going.

I know we've lamented over the people we have lost, but we must pay notice to all of the new faces joining the UM Upper Chesapeake Health family. Welcome them with open arms and show them what it means to be part of this community and to be part of the University of Maryland Medical System. Take care, everyone, and good luck with the first days of school!

Fermin Barrueto, Jr., M.D., M.B.A.
Senior Vice President/CMO
Medical Staff Affairs

ANNOUNCEMENTS

New Patient Safety Officer: Please join us in welcoming Tanika Thompson as our new Patient Safety Officer. Tanika comes to us from GBMC where she served as a Clinical Program Nurse Manager. She has also served as a Surgical Quality/Trauma Nurse Coordinator at Sinai Hospital and is also an Adjunct Instructor for Remington College online for at-risk students. Tanika received her BS in Nursing from Coppin State University, Masters of Science in Nursing Administration from Notre Dame of Maryland and her Doctor of Nursing Practice from Chamberlin College of Nursing. We are very excited to have Tanika join us here at Upper Chesapeake.  Let’s make her feel welcome!

Mason Nance Safety Award: Do you know someone who creates a culture of safety by improving teamwork and communication; inspires positive change to processes that directly affect patient care; speaks up when something is not right and has had a direct impact on the safety of a patient; and practices our must-have behaviors and holds others accountable to these behaviors as well? Then nominate him/her for this meaningful award. Learn more about the award as well as its namesake, Mason Nance.

Career Fair for High School Juniors, Seniors and Recent Grads: If you have a young person in your life who is considering career choices, please encourage him/her to attend our upcoming healthcare career fair on Friday, Sept. 23 from 2-5 p.m. at Ripken Stadium. We will have UCH representatives from our clinical teams, education and training, communications, facilities management, IT, human resources and more. Light refreshments, giveaways and fun activities! Register by calling 800-515-0044. 
 
New Ortho Commercial: Check out our newest UM Upper Chesapeake Health Orthopaedics commercial. You'll likely see a few familiar faces!
 
Find A Doc Profile Updates and Headshots: This is a reminder for all physicians to check their Find A Doc (FAD) profiles to be sure they’re up-to-date and accurate. If you would like to make changes, please put in a request at umms.org/profileupdate or email kathompson@umm.edu. 
 
Also, if you're a new provider or you haven't had an updated head shot in over 10 years, please join us on Sept. 27 between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. to get your new photo/s taken. Our photographer will be in the connecting hallway between the UCMC lobby and the KCC.
 
ED Team-Building: The provider team in the Emergency Department sure knows how to have fun! Over the summer, some of these individuals joined together for several team-building activities. Check out just a few snippets of their amazing time at the MEMN (Maryland Emergency Medicine Network) EMerge event and Guppy Gulch outing.

New Additions to Medical Staff: Welcome to the newest members of our medical staff, including physicians and advanced practice providers. Over the last month, 12 individuals have joined us! To learn more about our individual providers, visit umms.org/findadoctor. You can also "meet" some of our new additions by reading their bios.

COVID UPDATE

COVID + Test Results: In recent weeks, we have had quite a few inpatients test COVID positive on serial testing, and there were hours and sometimes days of delays related to the result being known and appropriate actions taken, i.e., initiate isolation precautions. Some of the cases involved semi-private rooms in which there were roommate exposures. Because there continues to be confusion, please refer to this easy to follow process on COVID + results, driven by the location in which the test is performed.  

SAFETY UPDATE

Journey to Zero Harm: Below is the current Harm Index graph. The IP Team continues to round, educate and work to assure our team members are knowledgeable about Infection Prevention basics and the bundle-best practices to target prevention of specific HAIs. If you have any questions, concerns or needs, please reach out.

 

QUALITY UPDATE

Please review the latest physician communication graph through FY22. Also, check out some of these amazing comments/feedback from our patients during the month of July!

 

 

UPCOMING MEETINGS AND EVENTS

Mark your calendars for important standing meetings and special events.

  • Out of the Darkness Walk
    Hosted by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the Out of the Darkness Walk is a nationwide event to raise suicide awareness, save lives and bring hope to those affected by suicide. Join members of our Behavioral Health and Klein Family Crisis Center teams at our local chapter's walk.
    Saturday, Oct. 1, Tydings Park in Havre de Grace, walk begins at 9:30 a.m.
    In-person registration: 8:30 a.m.
    Or pre-register here: https://tinyurl.com/2p8va7kr
  • 2022 Heart Walk
    UM UCH is once again proud to be part of the larger UMMS team for the American Heart Association’s (AHA) Greater Maryland Heart and Stroke Walk on Saturday, October 8 at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium. Activities start at 8am and the Walk itself will start at 9:30am. We are calling on you to play a role in this endeavor. Be a part of the action. Learn more and sign up today!
  • Walk with a Doc
    First Sunday and second Saturday of each month at 10 a.m.
    Shucks Regional Park
    Walk with a Doc is an international nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve health through physical activity, strengthen relationships between physicians and patients, and provide access to health information and education. Events are free and open to all ages and abilities! Each walk starts with a brief talk on a health topic followed by a walk around the park at each participant’s preferred pace. Learn more.
  • Multidisciplinary Thoracic and General Conferences: 12 Noon, Alternates Every Thursday (e.g., Thoracic is 11/3, General is 11/10)
    UM UCMC, KCC Streett Conference Room
  • Multidisciplinary Breast Conference: 8 a.m., Every Tuesday
    Radiology/Oncology Conference Room
  • Pharmacy &Therapeutics (P & T) Committee: 7:30 a.m., Third Tuesday of each month
    UM UCMC Maryland Room
  • Credentials Committee: 7:30 - 9 a.m., First Friday of each month
    UM UCMC, MSCR
  • Medical Staff Leadership:  8 - 9 a.m., Fourth Thursday of each month
    UM UCMC, Fallston Room/UM HMH, MSCR

  • Metabolic Bariatric Surgery Committee: 5 p.m., Quarterly, Wednesdays
    HMH MSCR and UCMC Fallston Room

  • Advanced Practice Providers (APP) Review Committee: First Tuesday of each month

      As mentioned during this morning’s Patient Safety Brief, UM UCH has achieved 90% Hand Hygiene Complianceduring August observations, see graph below. Our goal is to be 90% or better for hand hygiene compliance, so well done and please continue to stay clean with hand hygiene!
 
Attached is August hand hygiene data broken out by nursing unit and by role. If your unit does not have data in attached slides, it is because there were no observations collected and/or submitted for the month of August.
      As mentioned during this morning’s Patient Safety Brief, UM UCH has achieved 90% Hand Hygiene Compliance during August observations, see graph below. Our goal is to be 90% or better for hand hygiene compliance, so well done and please continue to stay clean with hand hygiene!
 
Attached is August hand hygiene data broken out by nursing unit and by role. If your unit does not have data in attached slides, it is because there were no observations collected and/or submitted for the month of August.
      As mentioned during this morning’s Patient Safety Brief, UM UCH has achieved 90% Hand Hygiene Complianceduring August observations, see graph below. Our goal is to be 90% or better for hand hygiene compliance, so well done and please continue to stay clean with hand hygiene!
 
Attached is August hand hygiene data broken out by nursing unit and by role. If your unit does not have data in attached slides, it is because there were no observations collected and/or submitted for the month of August.