Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania

INSIDE

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HUPdate

Volume 23 Number 14 July 13, 2012

EDITORIAL STAFF Sally SapegaEditor and Photographer

Lisa PaxsonDesigner

ADMINISTRATIONSusan E. PhillipsSenior Vice President, Public Affairs

CONTACT HUPDATE AT: 3535 Market Street, MezzaninePhiladelphia, PA 19104

phone: 215.662.4488fax: 215.349.8312email: sally.sapega@uphs.upenn.edu

HUPdate is published biweekly for HUP employees. Access HUPdate online at http://news.pennmedicine.org/inside/hupdate.

Inaugural Maryellen Reilly Leadership Award ....................2

Advisory Council Creates a Better Patient Menu ..............2

You can BET on it .....................3

Heartfelt Thanks .......................4

Nora Brennan, BSN, RN, a heart failure nurse coordinator in Cardiology, knows this well. “When � uid starts to build in heart failure patients — a sign that something is wrong — they can gain two to three pounds, overnight,” she explained. “And that’s before any symptoms appear. � at’s why I tell my patients to weigh themselves every day.”

� e problem is that not everyone has — or can a� ord — a scale. To provide for her patients, Brennan applied for and received a $1,000 grant from the Penn Medicine CAREs Foundation. � is was great news but one challenge remained: � nding a company that would sell the scales at a good price and provide an invoice upfront.

Heartfelt � anks “Nothing prepared me for that middle of the night call that my husband was in septic shock,

on a ventilator, and being transferred to the ICU. � at night, and during the next 11 days, my adult children and I witnessed heroic e� orts by a brilliant, compassionate and tireless team devoted to saving him….

To Barry Fuchs – I cannot thank you enough for allowing us to attend and participate in rounds. It was clear that understanding what was happening helped us to cope, hour by hour, day by day.

Nuala Meyer – I know in my heart that your medical judgment saved [my husband’s] life.

Hanny Al-Samkari – I know interns are doctors in training but you are so talented that I felt completely secure knowing that you were the one on call. Even when his condition was dire, there was a quiet optimism in your voice that the treatment plan would turn things around.

Dominique Bayard – You encouraged me to look at trends, rather than the moment to moment ups and downs. � at really helped.

To all the Nurses – I am stunned and awed by the knowledge and devotion and sheer hard work of the ICU nurses. Our thanks can never measure up to what you have given. A special thanks to Josh Kayser who took the time to talk and explain to me prior to those � rst rounds and gave me strength for the days ahead.

I now know what it feels like to have a loved one’s life saved…. � ank you all.

LEARN, DON’T BURNWith over one million cases diagnosed annually, skin cancer is the most common type of cancer, but it’s also one of the most preventable. In fact, more than 90 percent of cases are caused by excessive exposure to the sun. Follow these guidelines to keep your skin healthy this summer:

• Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen. Make sure it protects against UVA and UVB rays with an SPF of at least 30. Re-apply every two hours or as needed a� er swimming or when sweating.

• Avoid direct exposure to midday sun. From 10 am to 4 pm, the sun’s ray’s are brightest, causing the most damage to the skin. If your shadow is shorter than you are, seek shade!

• Dress smart. Wearing tightly woven, sun-protective clothing will help shield you from the sun’s rays. Add a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses (eyes are also susceptible to sun damage) to get full protection when out in the sun.

• Monitor kids’ exposure to the sun. Make sure they’re well protected, especially on the beach. Many cases of skin cancer and melanoma link back to bad sunburns and exposure as a child.

SUMMER FUN AT UNIVERSITY CITYUniversity City has brought back two favorite summer events: the Baltimore Avenue Dollar Stroll and the 40th Summer Series.

� e Stroll features $1 deals from participating businesses located between 42nd and 50th Streets on Baltimore Avenue amid live music and street performances. � e � rst one will be held on � ursday, July 19, between 5:30 and 8:30 pm.

� e Summer Series brings internationally acclaimed musicians to University City to play free outdoor concerts at 40th and Walnut Streets (behind the Walnut West Free Library). � e series kicks o� on Saturday, July 28, at 6 pm, with performances by Sun Ra Arkestra. Drawing on the work of Duke Ellington and Fletcher Henderson, the Arkestra are pioneers of the bop-derived avant-garde and collective improvisation.

And there’s still time to take advantage of University City Dining Days, which run through � ursday, July 26.

For more information, go to www.universitycity.org.

Nora Brennan (third from left) with the team who helped get the scales for her patients (l. to r.) Chirag Patel, Monica Maguire, Andrea Blount, Miray Ghaly and Suren Ratliod

Enter Andrea Blount, BSN, RN, outpatient trauma practice educator and injury prevention coordinator, who contacted Brennan to get data on decreasing readmissions speci� c to heart failure. Blount also does community outreach, with a focus on preventing falls (for which she also received a CAREs grant). When she heard about Brennan’s dilemma, she said, “Try Walgreens” and gave her the name of the store manager she knew from various health fairs.

“Her call was serendipitous,” Brennan said. Chirag Patel, Walgreens manager in Upper Darby, not only gave her a great price but would deliver free of charge and provide an invoice.

Brennan now has 70 scales for her patients which “I know will prevent hospitalizations. By giving them a scale, you’re driving home the message that it’s important to do this.”

And she got to meet two “really great community minded people. A big thank you for both Chirag and Andrea.”

C A N M A K E A

DIFFERENCEYOUSomething as simple as a scale can prevent a patient

from being readmitted to a hospital.

See the list of the most recent Penn Medicine Foundation Grant winners on page 2.

MAKE IT COUNTS

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Finding available beds for patients — when none seem to exist — is a daily occurrence at HUP. What’s changed is how it’s now done.

Consider this scenario: A patient on a med-surg unit has crashed and needs to be moved to an ICU. � e hospital capacity is over 100 percent; no ICU beds are currently available.

Old ProcessA member of Admission’s Bed Management team — which focuses on allocating beds and patient � ow — calls the ICU and discovers a patient is ready to move to a regular unit. She checks NaviCare and identi� es another patient on a regular unit ready for discharge. � en the frenzied calls begin — going back and forth among Patient Transport, EVS, the ICU charge nurse, the med-surg charge nurse and the med surg nurse coordinator — until, � nally, everything falls into place and the patient is brought to the ICU room.

New ProcessBed Management, EVS, and Patient Transport — who now share a space — call a huddle. Sitting in front of the NaviCare screen, they create a plan of action and prioritize the steps needed to get that patient into the ICU. With a minimum of phone calls and maximum e� ciency, the patient is brought to the ICU room.

You Can BET on it!Welcome to the BET initiative! Al Black, COO of the hospital, worked with Patty Harris, Process Improvement specialist, and an interdisciplinary team to bring this initiative to fruition. In addition to moving Bed Management, EVS, and Transport to the same location to allow these group huddles, the group created a combined communication model and a standard ‘priority’ protocol on NaviCare. Previously the three departments had di� erent ways to identify a priority request.

“Placing patients in a timely and safe manner is a key responsibility of Admissions, EVS and Transport,” Black said. “Combining the services in one location and allowing the sta� to develop best practices has made this a more e� cient process.”

“It’s a beautiful thing,” said Collette Howerton, Patient Access manager in Admissions, “having a face-to-face conversation and then pulling it all together.”

The BET team includes (l. to r.): Tonita Bell, Larry McCook, Kirk Walkhoff, Colette Howerton, William Martin, Audrey Pitts, Darryl Greer, Ella Ryan-Meloni, Josh Davis, Cookie Counts, Camelot Jeantel, Al Black, Sebastian Smart, and Patty Harris.

a space — call a huddle. Sitting in front of the NaviCare screen, they create a plan of action and prioritize the steps needed to get that patient into the ICU. With a minimum of phone calls and maximum e� ciency, the patient is brought to the ICU room.

“ Combining the services in one location and

allowing the staff to develop best practices has

made this a more effi cient process.”

ADVISORY COUNCIL CREATES A BETTER PATIENT MENU HUP’s Patient and Family Advisory Council has been together for over a year, supporting the hospital’s sta� on a number of projects. � eir � rst project helped create a new patient menu.

In October 2010, Corey DiLuciano, director of Food Services and member of the Advisory Council, requested Council help in evaluating the current menu and new menu items. Six council members participated: tasting the food in a test setting; going to the Unit to test trays for appearance and temperature; attending a presentation by the executive chef; and holding group discussions about the food and the menu. In addition, new menu items were served at the monthly Advisory Council meetings.

“Working with the Council was a very valuable experience,” DiLuciano said. “Not only were we able to obtain feedback from a patient perspective, but everyone’s valuable insight on cra� ing the menu has helped us create a world-class patient menu.”

While it’s too early to see an impact on Press Ganey scores, comments from patients and the nursing sta� have been positive: • “ I’ve been coming here for years and the food has never

been better”• “ I continue to get good feedback about your patient menu,

everywhere I go” • “ Couldn’t be happier”

For more information about the New Menu project, e-mail corey.diluciano@uphs.upenn.edu. For questions about the Advisory Council, e-mail mary.walton@uphs.upenn.edu

By Carol Martin

Penn Heart and Vascular ICU a TOP 10 TEAMCongratulations to the Penn Heart and Vascular ICU team, which was recognized as one of 10 national winners in the ADVANCE for Nurses 2012 Best Nursing contest. The team was selected from among hundreds of entries from nursing teams across the country. ADVANCE’s panel of judges identifi ed 10 teams that excel in adaptability, expertise, outreach and initiative.

Rebecca Stamm, MSN, CCRN, clinical nurse specialist, submitted the winning entry, which described the unit’s expansion from 18 beds to 26 over the course of one year. To read the full submission, go to http://news.pennmedicine.org/inside/hupdate/.

Maryellen Reilly, HUP’s VP of Clinical and Administrative Operations who died suddenly last July, embodied qualities of leadership that made her a valued, respected and well-loved member of HUP: a positive spirit, strong work ethic and good will towards others. In her memory, HUP created a leadership award that would recognize a leader who demonstrated the qualities that were so important to her.

Ann Costello, director of Radiology, was named the award’s � rst recipient. Since coming to HUP in 1977 as a diagnostic radiology tech, she has taken on greater responsibilities and led the signi� cant growth of the department. “Ann has spent her entire career here and represents the best of HUP,” said Garry Scheib, HUP’s executive director. “She had the privilege of reporting to Maryellen for a few years and re� ected on Maryellen’s wisdom and counsel. � is is a well-deserved honor.”

I N A U G U R A L MARYELLEN REILLY LEADERSHIP AWARD

PENN MEDICINE CAREs 2012 Fourth Quarter Grant Winners

Congratulations to the next group of UPHS employees who will receive a grant from the Penn Medicine CAREs Foundation for their outreach activities:

If you’re involved in community outreach activities, you can apply for a grant to help fund these projects. The deadline for the next round of applications is September 1. To learn more, go to www. Pennmedicine.org/community.

Kris Gallagher (HUP) Interfaith Hospitality Network

Douglas Worrall (Perelman School of Medicine)United Community Clinic Vision Program

Sue Canning (HUP)Emergency Dental Care

Janelle Harris (HUP)Penn Careers in the City

Aliya Rogers (Penn Home Care)HERO: Health Education Referral Outreach

Vivian Prince (CPUP) Summer skin Protection

Jeanie Carpenter (Corporate)MELC Infant Friendship Center

Eric Morgenstein (Penn Home Care)Camp Bright Feathers, Haven Youth Center

Zheya Jenny Yu (PAH)Raising Healthy and Happy Kids in East Asian Families

Michele Pastorius (PPMC)Nurture Your Core: Narcotics Anonymous Women’s Retreat

James Bobyak (PAH)Enhanced Medication Safety Using Pill Organizers

Ann Costello (c.) with Maryellen Reilly’s extended family (l. to r.) Laura Hussa, Mike Reilly, Gary Reilly, Colleen Mallozzi, TJ Mallozzi and Christina Fay.