March 10^th through the 16^th has been designated as National Patient Safety Awareness Week. In recognition of this observance, both Jamaica and Flushing Hospital had a full week of fun and educational activities planned. There was even a contest to see which department could decorate their doorways best with colorful hand cutouts.

To kick off the week both hospitals held an event in their lobbies on the first day. The event included interactive activities to test everyone’s safety knowledge by playing various games where participants had the opportunity to answer questions and to win prizes.

Throughout the week, employees were asked to take the “Hand Hygiene Pledge” and to demonstrate proper donning and doffing of personal protective equipment (PPE) which can eliminate the transmission of infectious disease.

The week culminated with a Hand Hygiene display contest. Departments were asked to decorate their area to demonstrate their commitment to hand hygiene. Many departments participated and winners were named. At Jamaica Hospital Medical Center the Human Resources department was selected as the winner and the OB/GYN department at Flushing Hospital Medical Center.

The theme of this year’s Patient Safety Awareness week was “See, Say, Do & Thank You”, which asked patients to not only notice and identify good safety practices but also do something by thanking those individuals when these practices are witnessed.

One of the most important factors in improving patient safety is practicing proper hand hygiene and both hospitals’ hand hygiene compliance rates are above national averages. Flushing Hospital had a 95% compliance rate and Jamaica Hospital boasted a 100% compliance rate.

Congratulations to all involved in making the hospitals a safe environment for our patients.

Monday, October 22^nd  was the first meeting of the Needle Arts Community.

This program was initiated by Emilia Escamilla-Rebaza, RN, Assistant Director of Patient Experience, Sharon Narducci, RN Chief Quality Officer, and Susan Iovino RN, Interim Chief Nursing Officer with the purpose of bringing hospital employees together for an hour each month to relax and learn from one another how enjoyable the needle arts can be. Research has also shown that needle arts have many health benefits that include:

• Reducing stress
• Reducing depression and anxiety
• Providing a distraction from chronic pain
• Increasing the sense of well being

One of the objectives of the Needle Arts Community is to allow members of our staff to spend one hour a month during their lunch break to socialize with other employees that they might not have a chance otherwise to interact with. It is a known fact that if staff members are happy they will make a greater effort to provide our patients with a better overall experience.

The Needle Arts Community will meet on the second Monday of every month at noon in the fifth-floor conference room of the “D” Building. Further information can be obtained by contacting Ms. Escamilla-Rebaza at extension 8983.

On May 22nd the MediSys Health Network celebrated the 20th anniversary of its annual Golf Classic fundraiser.

Each year, many look forward to the golf and wellness outing, which is a designated day of fun and relaxation – all for a good cause.  This year, an impressive number of supporters which included 132 golfers blanketed the grounds of the Old Westbury Country Club.

Although the weather didn’t fully cooperate, it did not stop the excitement that radiated from our staff and guests. Everyone started the day with an all-star breakfast which fueled them for the day ahead.

After several hours of play, and relaxation, the event shifted to a more formal note. Guests retreated to the cocktail hour and dinner reception in the banquet room. They were served from elegant food stations filled with delicious dishes. MediSys Health Network President and CEO Bruce J. Flanz took a moment to extend a warm welcome to everyone and introduce the event’s honorary chairman; Dr. Cono Grasso, Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at Jamaica Hospital.

The highly anticipated raffle drawing began soon after. Many entered and kept their fingers tightly crossed for coveted prizes that included tickets to sporting events, a $1,000 shopping spree at Simon Malls, and airline tickets.

Overall, the event was a great success. Proceeds will benefit Flushing and Jamaica Hospital Medical Center. We thank all staff who volunteered and all friends of MediSys Health Network who supported our fundraiser. We hope to see you again next year.

The MediSys Health Network is introducing a new patient-friendly meal ordering system that will enable our Food and Nutrition staff to provide a more individualized and efficient dining experience for our patients and nursing home residents.

The new system is called CBORD Nutrition Service Suite and it was first implemented in early January at Jamaica Hospital and the Trump Pavilion and is expected to launch this month at Flushing Hospital.

The CBORD Nutrition Service Suite along with the Room Service Choice module was built to interface with each facility’s Electronic Medical Record system allowing for menu changes and diets to be reflected in real time. With this program,  a new host system was introduced which allows for greater menu selection, options, and most importantly honoring patients’ and residents’ choice. The host/hostess visits patients’ and residents’ rooms daily to obtain their selections for upcoming meals which are preloaded on a tablet. They offer an array of selections daily including multiple hot entrée items, cold entrees, salads, sandwiches, and snack items.

The Food and Nutrition Management Team hopes this will enhance patient and resident satisfaction, and optimize their nutritional status.  The system will also help to minimize food waste as patients and residents are now able to choose what they want to eat to meet their dietary needs.

Mr. Bruce J. Flanz, Chief Executive Officer of MediSys Health Network and Dr. Sabiha Raoof, Chair of Radiology and Chief Medical Officer at Jamaica and Flushing Hospitals were special guest presenters in a Physician Leadership Forum webinar sponsored by the American Hospital Association. This webinar was entitled “When the Radiologist Becomes the Patient: Radiologists as Hospital Change Agents”.

Mr. Flanz and Dr. Raoof spoke about the diversity of the patients that are seen at both Jamaica and Flushing Hospitals and how important it is to overcome challenges to meet their needs medically, culturally and linguistically. Dr. Raoof stated, “our strength lies in being able to offer culturally competent services through our diverse staff that understands the specific needs of our patients”.

Mr. Flanz expressed that cultural sensitivity is only one aspect of delivering high-quality care. He continued by stating “our network is transforming on several fronts. We are moving from quantity to quality, from inpatient to outpatient, from fee for service to value-based payment and from physician focused care to patient and family-centered engaged care”.

Dr. Raoof then spoke about how she learned first-hand what the patient experience is all about while she was a patient, and how important it is to communicate with the patient in order to make them feel comfortable  and to become more participatory in their care. Her experience led her to the “Make A Difference (MAD)” program which focuses on communicating better with our patients.

Dr. Raoof also provided a departmental perspective on how she and her staff are following the American College of Radiology’s Imaging 3.0 roadmap to provide patient-focused high-quality care.  Radiologists in her department are becoming more involved with patient care and seeking to improve the overall patient experience. This is being accomplished by being involved from the outset of the medical team’s plan of action.

Radiologists are no longer just interpreting scans and films. They are actually getting involved with the other clinicians who are consulting on which radiologic exams are necessary and how their results should be interpreted. Additionally, the Radiology Department uses an app called “Rate My Hospital” where patients are asked to provide feedback so that we can see how we are performing. All of these tools are focused on improving the patient’s experience and ultimately their care.

Mr. Flanz stated “Our greatest asset is our workforce. If we keep our workforce focused on three main priorities, taking care of their health, their families and then their work, they will perform very well. Transformational change at a safety net hospital will only take place if the workforce is reaching their individual potential. With continued hard work I have no doubt that we can reach our goal of becoming a high-reliability organization”.