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Posts Tagged ‘Nursing’

Poudre Valley Health System patients, families give thanks for Guardian Angels

Posted in Patient satisfaction, Quality improvement, Uncategorized, tagged , , , on March 7, 2011 | 1 Comment »

I recently had the great opportunity to attend an awards presentation at Poudre Valley Hospital for our Guardian Angels.

The Guardian Angel program is a program that allows grateful patients, their families and friends the opportunity to support programs and services at Poudre Valley Health System while recognizing the exemplary care they received from a PVHS “Guardian Angel” healthcare provider.

http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=71649

I thought I’d share a couple of stories that attendees shared with us:

My Guardian Angel pin was awarded by a family whose wife and mother was my patient. She planned to go home the next morning, but her condition changed suddenly and she died in the early morning.  I’m grateful for this reminder of how fragile life is, and how important each patient is.

My pin came from a patient on our ortho unit who spent weeks recovering from a leg infection. He nearly lost his leg and suffered much pain and fear about the course of his stay and what his future looked like.  As he improved and “turned the good corner,” his spirits truly soared.  His face showed a vitality: pink cheeks and a smile that had not been there before. Then his gratitude for the care of our entire team of ortho, PT/OT, infectious disease MDs, transporters, HBO RNs, and others poured out in such humbling abundance. We all cheered the day he was discharged as he was able to walk! — Linda Meadows, patient’s direct caregiver on the ortho unit

I was so overwhelmed when I received my Angel award.  It was given by a patient I had cared for after an ATV accident.  They were from out of town, so I grabbed mattresses to put in the room for their kids – they were so grateful!  – JN, caregiver on the surgical unit

I have been blessed to work at PVH for over 20 years.  It was such an honor to be awarded the first Guardian Angel at PVHS years ago.  It’s wonderful to be recognized for the job I do, where my passion meets my purpose. – Kathleen Michie, PT/Oncology Massage Therapist

When I got my Guardian Angel award, it was one of the best days of my life.  It was a wonderful gift and I got to share it with my friend and co-worker, Misty Gann, RN.  It made me feel appreciated, which is a wonderful feeling to think that I made a difference in someone’s life. It is amazing and the reason I am a nurse.

Rulon

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A win for patients: PVH, MCR take home national nursing quality awards

Posted in Awards, Employee engagement, Patient safety, Quality improvement, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on January 27, 2011 | 1 Comment »

We’re in health care to take care of people and our community. It’s pretty simple.

So when the American Nurses Association, which keeps the healthcare industry’s only database that helps other hospitals and healthcare providers nationwide make improvements in nursing and patient safety, says your two hospitals are among five nationally that consistently deliver outstanding nursing quality that improves patient care and safety, that’s a big win for our patients and our community.

That’s exactly what happened in Miami this morning, when the ANA announced that Medical Center of the Rockies and Poudre Valley Hospital were among five U.S. hospitals receiving the NDNQI Award for Outstanding Nursing Quality. MCR earned the award for community hospitals, while PVH earned the award for teaching hospitals.

The award recognizes the top five of more than 1,700 hospitals nationwide that report results to the database. The database allows nursing units to compare their performance to similar units at other hospitals at the local, state, regional, and national levels. Hospital-acquired pressure ulcers, patient falls with injury, infections acquired as a result of hospitalization and nurse turnover are among indicators tracked.

“The common traits of the award-winning hospitals are strong leadership, teamwork, commitment to ongoing improvement in patient care quality, continuous staff education and efficient use of resources,” said ANA President Karen A. Daley.

PVH, maybe not coincidentally, was the first hospital to receive the award after it was created in 2008. This was PVH’s fourth consecutive year receiving the award.

Medical Center of the Rockies, which isn’t even four years old yet, earned the NDNQI award for the first time. The PVHS Facebook page has a picture of the happy first-time recipients.

Congratulations to PVH and MCR, to the nurses and staff that make them the incredible hospitals they are, and most importantly to our patients and community, who are the reason we come to work each day.

Rulon

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Like it or not, change is coming

Posted in Healthcare reform, tagged , , , , , on October 15, 2010 | 6 Comments »

The reality of healthcare reform is beginning to impact the industry.

In a recent article in the Colorado Springs Business Journal, they pointed out how Moody’s investment service has become concerned about the immediate future to healthcare financing. Clearly this makes the recent upgrade for PVHS even more amazing, especially when one realizes that it was the third consecutive year Moody’s has upgraded PVHS. To my knowledge, that makes PVHS the only health system in the country which has been able to sustain three consecutive upgrades from Moody’s.

But not everyone in the industry is so fortunate, and it appears that the trend is beginning to tighten. As interest rates go up, there will be less capital and less access to the newest and latest equipment. We will simply have less in the future, which I trust everyone knew would be a result of healthcare reform.

Of equal interest is the debate which is just now beginning because of an Institute of Medicine Report which suggests that the only way to meet the diminishing number of physicians is to increase access to nurse practitioners. As you can imagine, this had started its own serious debate (read the AMA response). Again, when healthcare reform specifically decreases payments to physicians and does not even attempt to limit litigation against doctors, one can only presume that the number of physicians in the industry will decrease. Given that, what options are there for the IOM to recommend? It will all make for serious debate over the next weeks and months.

Rulon

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Nurses do much more than care

Posted in Employee engagement, Magnet, Patient safety, Patient satisfaction, tagged , , , on July 19, 2010 | Leave a Comment »

The top story in the recent edition of the American Nurses Association’s SmartBrief focuses on “The Many Roles of Today’s Nurses” and features comments from Craig Luzinski, chief nursing officer at Poudre Valley Hospital.

The article clearly outlines how nursing has changed over the years, and the many important roles today’s nurses play in our community’s health.

Nurses do much more than care for patients at the bedside, in the clinic, on the phone or community setting. According to Craig, who in 25 years of nursing has seen dramatic changes, nurses provide clear and comforting leadership to the patient and family during the patient’s care program.

Nurses are also teachers and counselors, helping others understand the often complex health issues they face. Without the time nurses spend teaching and reassuring patients, family and colleagues, America’s health care system would certainly be more confusing and frightening.

As Craig and this article point out, nurses are very competent risk managers, helping organizations identify problems before they happen and, thus, keeping costs down. When I watch our nurses at work, I truly believe this. They are so good at connecting with their patients and families, and so adept at communicating with physicians and other care providers, it amazes me. It’s no surprise PVH has been a Magnet hospital since 2000.

I predict that the nurses’ ability to connect with others will be the glue that holds the health system together as we face the many challenges of health reform. In addition to providing dedicated care to the injured or ill, nurses are excellent at helping keep communities healthy. This concept is a huge focus in health reform legislation …keeping people out of hospitals and clinics, and more focused on a healthy, productive life. It’s the driving force behind the Community Case Management Program that earned PVH the Magnet Prize in 2009.

I can’t close without acknowledging the hard work of the PVHS nursing staff. They are unbelievable! I am so proud to work with each and every one of you, and thank you every day for your commitment to your patients, families and colleagues.

Nurses do care for us — and they do so much more.

Rulon

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Magnet site visit for 3-year-old Medical Center of the Rockies

Posted in Employee engagement, employee turnover, Magnet, Patient safety, Patient satisfaction, Quality improvement, Talent Management, tagged , on July 7, 2010 | 1 Comment »

I got some exciting news this week: Medical Center of the Rockies, which is barely three years old, is getting a Magnet site visit in August from the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

It’s a big deal for a hospital as young as MCR, which opened Feb. 14, 2007, to get a site visit in its first moment of eligibility (you need two full years of quality data to apply). But nursing staff and leaders started preparing for Magnet long before MCR even opened, and Magnet principles helped lay the groundwork for the hospital’s nursing philosophy prior to treating the first patient there.

You can tell from the video how excited everyone was as MCR Chief Nursing Officer Kay Miller delivered the news Tuesday.

The Magnet Recognition Program is the gold standard for nursing excellence. There are just seven other Magnet-designated hospitals in Colorado, including Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins, which in 2000 was the first hospital in Colorado to earn the Magnet badge. PVH and MCR are both Poudre Valley Health System hospitals.

Medical Center of the Rockies would be the first Loveland hospital to earn a Magnet designation.

Congratulations, MCR. I know you’ll be ready in August to tell the world about the world-class care we provide.

Rulon

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