Rural Hospitals Initiatives - Blog

Rural Hospitals Initiatives - May 23, 2008

Greetings,

Once again, it has been my pleasure to work with all of you. I can not believe how quickly the past 3 months have gone, while I have been filling-in here at the Office of Rural Health. The interview process for the Rural Hospital Program Manager is currently underway.

I am pleased with the progress of this year’s federal Flex Grant and found great satisfaction being able to assist in the writing of next year’s grant. In addition, the Wisconsin Rural Health Plan is in the final stages of development, after background information was collected, and focus groups and a statewide rural health planning meeting have been held.

My best wishes and farewell, again, Char White

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Rural Hospitals Initiatives - March 28, 2008

It is great to be back at the Office of Rural Health. There is so much going on right now. We are busy working on the Wisconsin Rural Health Plan, reviewing the Proposed Federal Rule on the Designation of Medically Underserved Populations and Health Professional Shortage Areas, writing our Federal Flex Grant application and making final arrangements for our upcoming workshops and meetings.

Please plan on joining us on April 24 for the Hospital Financial Workshop at Tomah Memorial Hospital (the registration will be available on April 3) and the Grant Writing Workshop on June 5.

Char White, Interim Rural Hospital Coordinator

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Rural Hospitals Initiatives - February 2008

Wow, what a day!! I just got back from attending the kick-off meeting for the Rural Hospital Stroke Improvement Project hosted by WHA and sponsored by the ORH and what an amazing turn out and participation.

The day started out with the opportunity to network and then introduce another hospital participating in the stroke project. What a great way to learn that they’re “not in this alone.” Some hospital staff learned they have similar challenges as other hospitals and others shared what works for them and questions surfaced that applied to all.

Facilitator, Kathleen Caron, MBA, Director of Quality Systems, WHA and the speakers added such value to the project and their presence shows the level of care and commitment that it takes to improve stroke outcomes for patients and better healthcare in Wisconsin. A huge thank you goes to WHA for coordinating this project and speakers Justin A. Sattin, MD and Assistant Professor at UWSMPH, Madison; Jackie Carter, MD, MBA, Medical Director –Stroke Center for Columbia St. Mary’s Milwaukee; Michelle Gardner, MBA, Director of Quality Improvement Initiatives, American Heart/Stroke Association; Victoria O’Brien, MBA, Director of State Health Alliances, American Heart/Stroke Association; and Diane Park, Stroke Coordinator, Agnesian Healthcare, Fond du Lac.

Please stay tuned as this Rural Hospital Stroke Improvement project evolves over the next few months. And on a side note, it was interesting timing, but front page news of USA TODAY for Wednesday, January 23 was “Heart disease deaths plummet ahead of 2010 goal.” With the efforts from the staff above and all participating hospitals, we can hopefully say the same about stroke in the very near future!

January 30 – Kick-off meeting for the Emergency Department Quality Improvement Initiative, stay tuned for that report!

Peggy A. Sivesind
Rural Hospital Initiatives Program Manager and Flex Coordinator

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Rural Hospitals Initiatives - December 2007

I’d like to wish warm greetings to each of you and your families this holiday season. I enjoy getting out to meet you and learn about your work families as well as your families at home. Whether you’re in a large or small hospital/community, I find that there is great dedication on the home front to allow the community and hospital grow and work together. May we all be thankful this holiday season for the healthcare services we have available.

In this issue, I’d like to ask for your input on workshop topics that you and your staff would like from our office. There will be approximately six workshops from January through July of next year and we’ve had some great suggestions from some of you already, however we’d like some more. Please let me know by emailing me at sivesind@wisc.edu what topics that are listed are of greatest interest to you by numbering them (with 1 as your most preferred topic) and also feel free to suggest other topics that may not already be on the list. So far we have the following:

Overall staff topics:

  • Strategic planning and financing for hospital renovations and/or rebuilding

Financial topics:

  • Hospital Finance (standard annual workshop) – would you like to continue it?

Nursing topics:

  • Advance Care Planning – about future medical care in case of being unable to make decisions
  • Pain topics:
    • Pain Management: Analgesic/opioid dosing guidelines
    • Pain Management: Equianalgesic dosing guidelines
    • Pain Management: Managing specific pains; adverse effects
  • Communicating bad news
  • Legal issues related to palliative care
  • End of life patient issues:
    • Depression, anxiety, delirium
    • Gaps in end-of-life care
    • Elements and models of palliative care
    • Physician-assisted suicide/euthanasia
    • Whole patient assessment
    • Negotiating goals of care
    • Grief counseling
  • Managing sudden, critical illness

Misc. topics presented by consultant from Creative Health Care Management:

  • Leadership, accountability, anything on Competency assessment (Donna Wright, Sturgis, SD)
  • Reigniting the Spirit of Caring (Sue Edstrom, Eau Claire, WI)
  • “Magnet” –. This is an award that a nursing dept or a hospital gets for attracting people to the healthcare profession. (Gen Guanci from Boston, MA)
  • “Bullying in the Work Place,” (Lynda Olender, NJ)
  • “Evidence Based Practice,” Ability to bridge practice and academia (Susan Wessel, Chicago, IL)
  • Middle management training (Alice Weydt, Mankato, MN)

General/suggested topics:

  • Hospitalist
  • Medication Reconciliation
  • Hospitalist program
  • Patient safety
  • Current Nursing regulations
  • Care Coordination

Additional suggestions:

Thanks for taking the time to review this and I look forward to seeing you at the workshops!

Peggy A. Sivesind
Rural Hospital Initiatives Program Manager and Flex Coordinator

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Rural Hospitals Initiatives - November 2007

This month was definitely a busy one. I had the opportunity to get out of the office a few days to go visit some of Wisconsin’s finest Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs). Let’s see what’s happening in the CAH communities:

Amery Regional Medical Center opened a beautiful new hospital on October 15th. I was fortunate enough to attend their open house the weekend of October 6/7th. Please be sure to “visit” their new facility in person when you’re passing through or by viewing their website at http://www.amerymedicalcenter.org/. CEO, Mike Karuschak, Jr. and staff did an amazing job to host thousands of community members through the new facility on tours during the two-day open house. Congratulations to you and your staff as well as the community to open such a nice facility, which will continue to provide quality health care in rural Wisconsin!

 

Amery ribbon cutting

 

Pictured: From right to left, Mike Karuschak, Jr.; CEO of ARMC; Very Reverend John Drummy, St. Joseph Catholic Church; Nancy Cain, ARMC Registered Nurse; Dr. Fred Whitlark, Retired ARMC Physician; Harvey Stower, Mayor of Amery; and State Representative Ann Hraychuck. (Nancy Cain, who is still employed at ARMC, & Dr. Whitlark opened the doors of the original hospital back in November 1956.)

Chippewa Valley Hospital-Durand: Administrator, Doug Peterson gave me a warm welcome to their hospital that is in a beautiful setting on the hill overlooking the beautiful Chippewa River. This hospital has had several equipment and facility upgrades over the last few years and has staff and an environment that make any patient or family member comfortable in. Thanks so much Doug for your time and giving me the opportunity to get you know you and your hospital.

Franciscan Skemp Healthcare-Sparta: Because of a little glitch in my scheduling, Administrator, Mr. Bob Tracey was almost as gracious and welcoming to see me as an unexpected visitor as my mom would have greeted me, thanks Bob. For an administrator to take time out of his busy schedule to visit with me about their CAH indicates what this individual is willing to do for his staff and patients at Franciscan Skemp. I see great things happening in Sparta!

Our office likes to be available to assist our CAHs whenever and however possible! From meeting just three hospital leaders I can see that our rural communities and patients are in very good hands. I’m looking forward to meeting more of you within the next few months. My visits are not “site visits” in the sense of an audit, please consider mine a social call to get to know you, your staff and learn what being a CAH has meant to your community or what more we can be doing to assist you.

Next stops: Grant Regional Health Center, Lancaster and Upland Hills Health, Dodgeville.

Back at the office:
We’re making great strides with the ED/QI initiative with a significant number of CAHs interested in standardizing the ED transfer form. The initiative will be piloted in southwestern WI, but we look forward to implementing this form with hopes of going state-wide in the future.

Improving Stroke in Rural Hospitals: WHA or AHA/ASA will be if they haven’t already be contacting you to inquire about your interest in the Stroke Care program to report 10 stroke consensus measures. If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Your Rural Hospital Initiatives Program Manager and Flex Coordinator,
Peggy A. Sivesind