Last month, a senior leadership panel held two town hall meetings to packed audiences in the Zubrow Auditorium to address PAH staff members’ questions, share hospital priorities, and, as noted by emcee and chief human resources officer, Christine Tierney, RN, MSN, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, to address any juicy “rumors” staff may have heard. The discussion covered topics ranging from security to signage, and future construction to waste reduction.
CEO Theresa Larivee opened the afternoon session with the observation that it was not unlike the State of the Union address, noting, “The state of Pennsylvania Hospital’s union is strong. We did very well with our Patient Experience scores. We’d love to have more employees check the box as ‘engaged,’ and we’re moving that dial. We’re having a very good year from an economic standpoint, and our mortality and infections continue to trend in the right direction. I know how hard you've been working.” She also shared a simplified update to hospital’s mission, paring it down to a central vision that all staff can keep in mind: ‘We deliver safe, efficient, and high-quality patient care.’
Missed the town hall? Be sure to check out the full video posted on the PAH Intranet homepage, and check out some top questions below.
Q: When are we transitioning to all private rooms?
A: About thirty months ago, a multidisciplinary team embarked on a capacity planning process, and I'm happy to say we have estimated the capital cost, operating cost, and how many beds we actually need, not just this year or next year, but over the next 10 years. We put a marker in the budget in FY20, and our hope is that we can begin by October of the next fiscal year and the construction should last around 28 months. So all good news! — Frank Anastasi, MBA, FHFMA, Chief Financial Officer
Q: What changes should we anticipate as PAH shifts to the outpatient realm?
A: When I was resident, gallbladder removal was a three-day hospitalization. Now you can’t get it certified as an inpatient procedure. This is one of many similar examples. The shift to an outpatient model is important, so we need to be reactive to the changes in health care and proactive in terms of what patients want. They want quality care, a nice facility — clean and neat equates to efficient in the minds of patients and their families — and a great experience. Quality is our priority, and we’re doing a pretty intensive job of examining the flow of the outpatient experience and ensuring it’s the best it could be. — Jack Sariego, MD, Vice President of Perioperative Services
Q: Can you describe PAH’s regional ambulatory strategy?
A: For years, we’ve verbalized PAH’s market as, “City Hall, river-to-river, and south to the Navy Yard.” How do we break out of that and have more of a regional presence? We need an ambulatory care site attached to us, similar to Radnor and Valley Forge. Philadelphia also has known migratory patterns, and in our market, patients tend to go to South Jersey, so we’re also evaluating the SJ market with regard to an ambulatory site, so more to follow! — Dan Wilson, MBA, BSN, RN, FABC, Vice President of Allied Health & Ambulatory Services
Plus: An Update to Proud Rounds
Proud Rounds offer PAH’s senior leadership and administrative and clinical leaders the chance to break out of siloes, connect and brainstorm with staff at every level, and identify new opportunities for valuable relationships across disciplines.
When Joanne Ruggiero, MSN, RN, NE-BC, CMSRN, interim chief nursing officer, rounded Washington Square’s Obstetrics office, the “extremely enlightening” experience resulted in monthly meetings combining the inpatient and outpatient OB teams. Mary Pat Lynch, CRNP, MSN, AOCNP, administrator of the Abramson Cancer Center at PAH, finds the connections created between leadership and staff incredibly valuable. “Asking the right questions elicits thoughtful responses and provides an opportunity for staff to share the best parts of their jobs, as well as their challenges,” she said.
Last month, the Proud Rounds were updated. While teams of three still visit teams across the hospital every two weeks, Jeff O’Neill, AIA, ACHA, CHFM, senior director of Facilities Services, notes that the rounds have shifted toward more informal conversations covering topics related to the results of the Patient Safety and Employee Engagement surveys.
“We’re not looking for high-stress formal presentations. We want to get a clear vision of what staff are dealing with and what successes they’re celebrating,” O’Neill said. “We have been enjoying more fruitful and productive discussions, and we’re really looking forward to keeping the conversations going.”