From Carrie Michalski, President & CEO - RiverView Health
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
RiverView Health Employee Newsletter 4.24.2020
From Carrie Michalski, President & CEO
Today I would like to discuss the financial impact COVID-19 is having at RiverView
Health. For those of us still working within the traditional walls of RiverView, we know
business is SLOW, volumes have dramatically fallen since March 16. Right now, as your
CEO I have two equally critical missions, and the two missions are bipolar.
Mission one is to prepare our team, building and supply levels to ensure access to
care for COVID patients in a manner that protects the safety of our team. Mission
two is to ensure that RiverView Health stays in business beyond COVID-19 to serve
our community. Mission one is creating significant challenges for mission two. The
need to conserve PPE and the need to encourage isolation and sheltering in place
abruptly cut off our stream of revenue. Over half of our business has evaporated. In
dollars, we are losing net revenue at the pace of approximately $650,000 a
week. This rate of loss is unsustainable. To put the losses in perspective, one week of
revenue loss at the current rate is equal to one week of RiverView’s payroll expense.
RiverView has thus far been successful in securing funds from every state and federal
bailout program in which we qualify. Your Senior Leadership Team has been
working on your behalf seven days a week since March 14 to monitor programs,
submit applications and develop the monitoring systems to assure our continued
eligibility. A significant win was securing $5.8M in Payroll Protection funding to
protect jobs through June 8, 2020.
Larger hospitals and systems were not eligible for the Payroll Protection Program EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE
(PPP) that RiverView was fortunate to be a recipient of. Daily you are seeing hospitals
around us reduce wages, reduce hours, execute temporary furloughs and PROGRAM (EAP)
permanently eliminate positions. The PPP has bought us a bit of time before we need
to move down a similar path. No one has a crystal ball, but at this time chances are
slim that business will be back to normal on June 8. Therefore, we are taking the EAP is available for all
following immediate actions: RiverView employees, their
1. Effective immediately we have implemented a hiring freeze. Interviewing
may continue for open positions, but job offers will be made with future
spouse, or dependent children.
dates set by the Senior Leadership Team based on the most up to date Employees can access the EAP
information and subject to further delay. through the Northwestern
2. Effective immediately all OT must be pre-approved by the department’s
senior leader. All staff are responsible to self-monitor and keep your leader Mental Health Center:
informed. 218.281.3940.
3. Effective immediately, the time for employees out on medical and personal
leaves will not be replaced. Departments will be expected to alter schedules
with remaining team members to cover the work of the department.
4. Enhanced PTO accrual will terminate on April 25, 2020. Earnings from March
16 through April 25, 2020 will be added to PTO balances in May. Enhanced
PTO may be reinstated at the discretion of senior leadership during a surge
for select job classifications.
5. Effective April 26, 2020, the quarterly dock limit will be raised to 24 hours per
pay period with an 80 hour per quarter maximum. Full-time employees with
PTO balances of 120 hours or greater will be required to use PTO to reach a
minimum of .8 status each pay period.
6. Lastly, wage increases that were budgeted for Fiscal Year 2020, will not be
enacted on. There will be no salary adjustments made before January 2021.
The ability to adjust wages in 2021 will be determined by the success or lack
of success of restoring normal operations and volumes at RiverView.
2020 Goals
Legend
= At or Above Goal = Just Below Goal = Below Goal
Goal Weight Target Score Result
Invest an average of 40 hours continuing education per
5% 40 39.6
FTE.
People Maintain employee satisfaction score of 90% or higher. 0% ≥90% 97%
Maintain unplanned turnover at 13% or less. 5% ≤13% 19.6
Attain TJC accreditation for hip and knee replacement by
September 2020.
Scale
5 - Advanced Cert in hand
10% 3 2
4 - Basic Cert in hand
3 - On site survey complete, follow-up requirements
Quality 2 - On site survey scheduled, but not complete
1 - Not scheduled
Not exceed 40 percent of ED transfers to other acute
10% ≤40% 36.6
facilities.
Experience no more than 25 patient harms per 1000
10% ≤25 20.10
discharges.
Service Attain improvement goals for patient experience. 0% 3 1.95
Increase inpatient primary service area market share to
7.5% 34% 32%
34% or greater.
Growth Increase hospital operating market share (outpatient
7.5% 34.5% 29%
surgery) from primary service area to at least 34.5%.
Increase total clinic visits by at least 3%. 10% 34,422 34,922
Build financial stability by achieving a total margin of at
20% 1.5% 2.6%
least 1.5%.
Finance Maintain a debt to service ratio of 1.5 or greater. 0% 1.5% 3.59
Maintain a minimum of 100 days cash on hand. 10% 100 113
Community Initiate at least 245 community health events. 5% 245 348
Overall 100% 3 3.15
Welcome Anniversaries
Employees celebrating 1, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20...anniversaries will be recognized.
McKenzie Jessica Morberg
Anderson RN
LPN Inpatient Unit
Inpatient Unit Kailey Chaffee Gabrielle Baird Sierra Rose Staff Katrina Fessler
Director of Resident Care Activities Prior
Nursing Coordinator Assistant Authorization
Care Center Care Center Care Center Representative
1 year 1 year 1 year Diagnostic
Imaging
1 year
EOM Nominations are Always Open; Nominate Someone Today
The Rewards and Recognition Quality Impact Team is looking for nominations for Employee of the Month.
We all know there are deserving employees out there, we work side-by-side with them every day. So,
please, take the time to recognize those deserving folks by submitting nominations by clicking here.
Updates made to Spending Accounts Eligibility List
Recently, the IRS expanded the eligible expenses list due to the passing of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic
Security (CARES) Act. You can find the updated list of expenses by clicking here. Health spending accounts (HSAs) and
Flexible spending accounts (FSAs) can now be used to purchase over-the-counter (OTC) medical products and feminine
hygiene products without a prescription from a physician. This update is a permanent change to the eligible expenses list
and includes retroactive purchases dating back to January 1st, 2020.
Some of the new eligible expenses include:
• Tampons, pads and liners
• Cold, cough, and flu medicine
• Allergy and sinus medicine
• Pain relievers
• Digestive aids and laxatives
• Baby rash ointments and creams
IMPORTANT, the system that allows medical spending account debit cards to work, is dependent on a national network.
Until the network is fully up to date with the new eligible expenses, you should:
• Save all of your receipts
• Manually submit for reimbursement from your account
• FSA account holders still need to substantiate the transaction with documentation to get reimbursed
To learn how to access your account online, click here. If you have additional questions, please contact a Further
customer service representative.
It’s Medical Laboratory Professionals Week
Did you know that 70% of medical decisions are based off of laboratory results? The
clinical laboratory professional is a key member of today’s health care team.
Laboratory professionals have the skills to provide important medical information
that is pivotal to the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease.
Every day, nurses, physicians, and other healthcare workers depend on laboratory
professionals to perform tests on blood and other body fluids, interpret the results,
and help provide a complete picture of a patient’s health. Using modern
biomedical equipment and complicated analysis, laboratorians can detect the
presence of cancer, identify infectious viruses and bacteria, and measure glucose,
cholesterol, or drug levels in blood.
Laboratory professionals often work in hospitals, physician offices, or private clinical
laboratories, performing laboratory tests and monitoring the quality of their results. Others are employed by university
or industrial research laboratories to seek solutions for medicine’s many unanswered questions. Whatever the setting -
behind the scenes or out in your community - laboratory professionals are by your side, working as key members of your
health care team. From April 19-25, 2020, please join these professionals in celebrating Medical Laboratory Professionals
Week and their vital role in promoting and protecting your health.
The RiverView Health Laboratory team is made up of:
• Emily Nelson, MLS, director • Melissa Speldrich, MLS
• Kathy Lessard, MLT • Sarah Wieland, MLS
• Barbara Andring, MLT • Misty Lemke, phlebotomist
• Corie Mahoney, MLT • Jena Rivera, phlebotomist
• Michelle Cariveau, MLT • Jennifer Carlstrom, phlebotomist
• Rennae Ramsey, MLT • Megan Bellefy, phlebotomist
• Theresa Hagl, MLT • Elda Atilano, phlebotomist
• Rachel Parkin, MLS • Kizzy Asleson, phlebotomist
• Laura Jacobson, MLS • Amy Broden, phlebotomist
• Amy Ryba, MLS
Wellness QIT Challenges All to Better Mental, Physical Health
Chances are, your mental health has been challenged by the COVID-19
pandemic and what it means for you and your family, your job, your
financial stability, and how you go about your daily activities. Then,
thanks to Mother Nature and her insistence on sending a shiver up
your spine every time you walk outside, your physical activity may also
be lagging, adding for yet another challenge. But spring is finally here,
and it’s time to leave those challenges behind and take on a new
challenge from RiverView’s Wellness Quality Impact Team.
“Make it Happen in May: The Mental/Physical Health Challenge’’ is for
all RiverView employees starting, you guessed it, May 1st!
A calendar will be emailed to all employees at the end of April with a place to track points for daily gratitude and physical
activity. Completed calendars must be sent to Lindsey Ebertowski, Rehab Services, by June 6th. The two employees with
the highest points will each win a gift card to Wonderful Life Foods.
Good luck!
You are the Patient Experience at RiverView; Make it a Good One
It’s almost time to celebrate everything you, as employees, do
to improve the healthcare experience for our patients, their
families and caregivers during Patient Experience Week April
27th-May 1st!
This eighth annual celebration provides a focused time for
organizations to honor the people who impact patient
experience every day. This recognition allows us the
opportunity to celebrate nurses and physicians, support staff
and executive professionals, patients, families and
communities served.
The patient experience is defined as the sum of all interactions,
shaped by an organization’s culture, that influence patient
perceptions across the continuum of care.
Healthcare is personal. Any individual in need of healthcare
services becomes vulnerable. Each encounter with a
healthcare organization creates an impression, from Above are some of the words patients use to describe
searching the website for provider information to their experiences at RiverView taken from Press Ganey
navigating the billing process. Positive experiences build surveys.
trust and engagement.
RiverView is blessed to have employees who work hard every day to make the patient experience exceptional by
providing personalized care with compassion, empathy and respect.
Below are just some of the recent comments written by RiverView patients on Press Ganey surveys:
• I will recommend RiverView to anyone I know. • I can’t say enough good things.
• This facility always exceeds my expectations. • Awesome all around!
• Always exceptional service and care. • I definitely would recommend her to anyone.
• Amazing care in a timely manner. • The doctor even called himself, which means a lot!
• RiverView is the best! • We love RiverView and the staff that make
• Best health care provider I have ever had. RiverView our first choice for medical care.
• Good at conveying his thoughts in a way I could • My results were excellent and I would and will
understand. recommend him.
• I wouldn’t seen anyone else. • I am always treated very well when I come to the
• This was the best care and medical visit I have ever clinic.
had! • I always feel at ease and welcomed.
• RiverView is the best place to be with the best • His dedication and knowledge to and about his
patient care ever! patients shows in all aspects of my care.
• I have complete trust in my doctor...because she • I am very grateful and thankful to them.
cares and is very honest with me.
Thank you all for working so hard to make the patient experience exceptional at RiverView!
Members of RiverView’s Patient Experience Quality Impact Team are: Ashley Cameron, chair; Kelly Beiswenger, Holly
Anderson, Lori Hefta, Tony Kuchan, Cody Coauette, Janell Thordarson, Kasey Mix, and Paige Pietruszewski.
One of the QIT’s latest projects is working on new MyChart instruction cards for patients to promote MyChart signup. If
you have not signed up for MyChart, please click here to get started.
Dr. Kevin Murphy Joins RiverView Health
RiverView Health is pleased to announce the addition of Kevin Murphy, MD, to its medical staff.
A graduate of Mayo Medical School, Rochester, MN, Dr. Murphy specializes in rehabilitation services
for children with physical disabilities and adults with childhood-onset conditions. His practice is located
in RiverView’s Specialty Clinic, Crookston.
He specializes in care for patients with:
• Genetic functional impairment
• Musculoskeletal issues
• Neurologic impairments
• Neuromuscular disorders
Dr. Murphy is the medical director of pediatric rehabilitation for Sanford Health Systems in Bismarck, ND, and Northern
Minnesota. He is also the CEO and chief medical officer for Northland Pediatric Rehabilitation LLC, a private practice
consulting service for pediatric rehabilitation medicine. His clinical expertise includes rural specialty healthcare,
pediatrics, adults with childhood-onset disability (lifespan care), musculoskeletal medicine, and ultrasound. He holds
subspecialty certification in pediatric rehabilitation medicine. He is also the editor, along with two co-editors, of Pediatric
Rehabilitation Medicine, Principles and Practice, 6th edition, Demos Medical, NY, NY, 2020.
A proud member of the military, Dr. Murphy served 24 years, including four combat tours in Iraq.
In his free time, he enjoys scuba diving, hiking, reading, and practicing martial arts. He also enjoys spending time with his
family and being on Rainy Lake.
To make an appointment with Dr. Murphy, call 218-281-9553.
Wonderful Life Produce Boxes Offered in 2020
Save time and have your healthy produce delivered to you! The Wellness QIT is working with Wonderful Life Foods
(WLF) to have fresh produce boxes delivered to RiverView in 2020.
Pick up your produce box from 3:30-4:30 pm at Door
13 (near Human Resources) on the following dates:
May 13th
May 27th
You can also pick your box up at the store (115 North
Main Street). WLF will need to know your preferred
pick up location when ordering.
Choose from a large box for $30 or a small for $20.
Each box includes recipes featuring the produce.
Order four boxes and get your fifth FREE!
Payment is due at pick up, over the phone or with a prepaid punch card. WLF accepts cash, checks and all major credit
cards.
Join the special Facebook group “RiverView Health Produce Boxes’’ by going to WLF’s Facebook page, click on “groups’’
on the left side of the page, and click “join group’’ when you see the RiverView group or click here. Sign up can be done
through the Facebook group, at 281.1125, or wonderfullifefoods@gmail.com.
Rehab Services Team Works to Improve Life for those with PD April is Parkinson’s Awareness Month, and RiverView Health’s Rehab Services Team is proud to support those impacted by the disease with a variety of services to help improve their daily lives. Two of the services offered by RiverView include LSVT LOUD and LSVT BIG. ‘’Think LOUD and think BIG’’ are two suggestions you might hear from RiverView therapists Erin Jore, MS, CCC-SLP; Lori Hefta, MPT; and Madeline Graff, MOTR/L. All three therapists are certified in the LSVT Pictured above, left to right: Lori Hefta, Madeline Graff and (Lee Silverman Voice Treatment) LOUD and LSVT Erin Jore. BIG programs designed to help individuals with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) and other neurological conditions. LSVT LOUD As a speech-pathologist, Jore works with the LSVT LOUD program to help patients improve vocal loudness by stimulating the muscles of the voice box (larynx) and speech mechanism through a variety of exercises. Focused on the single goal to “think LOUD!” – the treatment improves respiratory, laryngeal and articulatory function to maximize speech intelligibility. Jore reports that the patients she has worked with have not only increased their vocal loudness but have also increased their intonation and expressiveness. “A person’s voice is a part of their identity. It is amazing to give that back to them,’’ she shared. “This program helps restore confidence and a desire to interact with others that they thought was lost.’’ LSVT LOUD, named for Mrs. Lee Silverman, was developed in 1987 and has had funding support from the National Institute for Deafness and other Communication Disorders of the National Institutes of Health. Published research documents improvements maintained up to two years after treatment. Research studies have also documented the effectiveness of this therapy in improving the common problems of disordered articulation, diminished facial expression, and impaired swallowing. Additionally, two brain imaging studies have documented evidence of positive changes in the brain following administration of the therapy. LSVT BIG Physical Therapist Lori Hefta and Occupational Therapist Madeline Graff are certified in the LSVT BIG treatment approach. LSVT BIG training is driven by exercises of high intensity, amplitude, and calibration. The goal of LSVT BIG is to increase the amplitude of limb and body movement in people with PD and other conditions; therefore, decreasing the number of tremors and shuffling and improving trunk rotation and gait. The program has also been generalized to improve speed, balance, and quality of life. In addition, people can maintain these improvements when challenged with a dual-task. LSVT BIG is credited with bringing better movement into everyday life. There has been documentation of both long term and short term improvements when utilizing the LSVT BIG approach. LSVT LOUD and LSVT BIG are often completed as a program by the Rehab Team to provide the patient with a more holistic approach. “It really is an amazing program,’’ Jore reported. “The earlier an individual is seen for treatment, the better.’’ Jore shared that referrals often come from family members because individuals may not realize their voice or gait has changed. If you or someone you know would benefit from LSVT, contact Rehab Services at 218-281-9463. LSVT is also compatible with telehealth (video) visits now offered at RiverView.
MRI Safety MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) includes the use of a large magnet. The strength of this magnet can take any ferrous material and with extreme force will pull it to the center of the equipment where the patient is located, with the potential to cause serious injury or death. Secondary to that, it will require the equipment to have to be quenched, which is very costly to repair and get the equipment operational again. Pictured at right is MRI in normal conditions. Pictured below are photos taken to show what can happen when safety protocol is not followed. Please note, none of these photos were taken at RiverView. To prevent an incident like this from happening, four separate zones have been added with separate restrictions for each. Zone 1: -This area is open to the general public. It is the area with least exposure to patients, visitors, and staff. Zone 2: -This is the area where patients are pre-screened. Zone 3: -This is the entry zone to the MRI machine room. No one is allowed in this zone that has not been pre-screened. This is the last barrier against an incident or injury. Zone 4: -The MRI room. Zones are labeled and marked. Additionally, there are special non-ferrous fire extinguisher in our Imaging Department and MRI areas (white in color with blue lettering). You DO NOT bring an extinguisher from your area in the event of a fire, especially one in the Imaging Department.
DUMPSTER WEEK
April 27 - May 1
In preparation for our move into our new building this fall, we
will be conducting a series of clean-up weeks starting April 27
to purge our departments of items such as old textbooks and
unused equipment.
An award will be given to the team with the biggest impact on their
department (ex: dispose of the oldest piece of equipment or locate
and dispose of the oldest form). Please submit photos of your team
throwing items into the dumpster and/or before and after photos of
your office spaces cleaned out to win!
Things to keep in mind during Dumpster Week:
• No PHI should be disposed in the dumpster
• All disposal of items should be approved by your team director/manager
• Be mindful of the weight of garbage bags to ensure they’re not TOO heavy
Use the dumpsters located near the loading dock.
Bagged garbage and cardboard should go in the
dumpsters with lids. All the rest of the garage should
be thrown in the open dumpster.
RiverView If you have questions, contact Ashley Cameron
Health via email at acameron@riverviewhealth.org or
submit a Facility Dude request.
People working on the front lines of COVID-19
are experiencing unparalleled levels of stress.
We want to support all those who are
working hard to save lives.
That's why a group of mental health professionals have come
together to provide free support sessions to people in Minnesota
working in healthcare, essential personnel, and first responders.
They have volunteered their time to provide support
and a listening ear. Available seven days a week,
now through August 31, 9AM to 9PM
To reach an on-call volunteer,
visit www.fasttrackermn.org
You're here for us. Let us be here for you.
This service is provided through a partnership of the Minnesota Psychiatric Society,
the Minnesota Psychological Association, and Mental Health Minnesota.You can also read
