The June-July 2016 Team Forums conducted by Ken Kozel, UM Shore Regional Health president and CEO, in Cambridge, Chestertown and Easton were very well attended. Ken gave a detailed presentation that covered several topics, and there was ample time for team members to raise concerns and ask questions.
INTRODUCTION:
Ken welcomed those in attendance and stated that the intent of the Team Forums is to share information in a direct and personal way that team members can respond to, and also to give them the opportunity ask questions, share concerns and offer suggestions. The subject matter of this round of Forums was to center on:
- Self – the role of each individual team member in the overall organization;
- Department – the contribution of teamwork within each individual department of UM SRH;
- UM SRH – provide progress updates since our last forum;
- UMMS – the value of our affiliation; and,
- Changes in the health care industry as they pertain to UM SRH.
SUMMARY OF KEN’S PRESENTATION TOPICS:
Patient Experience and Patient Testimonials — Ken shared a number of department-specific comments submitted by patients about the caring, professional and effective service they received from Shore Regional Health team members. He thanked staff for the excellent “reviews” they earn from patients and families, and for their dedication to helping UM SRH achieve its vision of being the region’s leader in patient-centered care.
He also talked briefly about initiatives to improve the patient experience across all UM SRH facilities; for example, Leadership Rounding, which is designed to identify the challenges and barriers faced by staff in various departments as well as to get ideas on how to overcome those challenges. He also mentioned Susan Coe’s new role as “chief experience officer” leading the patient experience improvement initiatives.
Looking Inward — Role of Staff in Making UM SRH a Better Organization — Ken asked team members to think about “why we work here, beyond the paycheck.” The questions he posed included:
- What can you do and what do you need from leadership to perform your job better and/or more efficiently?
- Can you think of your job and the health care arena as a calling about which you are passionate?
He explained that it is his role to develop passion throughout the organization, and that the UM SRH mission, vision and values comprise the foundation for all team members to work together with shared purpose and direction. He also stated that his obligation as CEO is to ensure:
- fair pay and benefits;
- a safe work environment;
- access to the tools needed for all team members to do their jobs well;
- effective leaders; and,
- ongoing communication about progress and initiatives to fulfill our mission and vision so that all team members are connected to UM SRH and UMMS.
He asked everyone present to think not only about their own reasons for being part of UM Shore Regional Health, but about their co-workers and the value of working together as a team. This includes:
- supporting each other, holding ourselves and each other accountable to make sure we stay patient-focused;
- staying informed and being ambassadors for our patients and UM SRH; and,
- helping identify ways the system can improve.
“Your role is to always do your best and tell us how we can improve – help us be the best we can be,” he stated.
UM SRH Current Progress — Ken listed several examples of progress throughout UM Shore Regional Health:
- the opening of the second phase of the Cadmus project (UM Shore Medical Pavilion at Easton) in May;
- the opening of the newly renovated Diagnostic and Imaging Center and Clark Comprehensive Breast Center in June;
- the opening of the ChoiceOne/UM Shore Urgent Care in Denton in May and the anticipated opening of the new ChoiceOne/UM SRH Urgent Care Center in Easton in September;
- the opening of UM Shore Medical Pavilion at Chestertown in July;
- the recruitment and on-boarding of obstetricians and certified nurse midwives to UM Shore Regional Health/Community Medical Group;
- the formation of a partnership between UM SRH and The Orthopedic Center;
- planning for the inauguration of surgical PCI stent procedures (anticipated in early 2017) requiring the construction of a second lab and the recruitment of two interventional cardiologists to serve the region;
- continued efforts to recruit new medical providers in specialties where physician shortages cause delays in treatment; and
- the development and Board approval of a formal, system-wide Service Delivery Plan.
Service Delivery Plan – The Board of UM SRH has approved the Service Delivery Plan that was created through the Strategic Planning process inaugurated in 2013. The plan outlines what types of care will be delivered in which locations and addresses diverse population health needs throughout the five county region.
New Hospital Update — Ken indicated that as part of the UM SRH Service Delivery Plan, the UM SRH Board has approved the request to update the existing Certificate of Need Application to replace the current UM Shore Medical Center at Easton. This would not be a regional medical center, but a replacement hospital, and the process is likely to take up to six years from the date the updated CON application is submitted to the State of Maryland to the opening of the new hospital. UM SRH now owns the property for the project — 200 acres near the Easton airport.
Rural Health Care Study — The Maryland State Legislature has launched this process and appointed the study committee. Their report should be ready in October, 2017 and will address a number of issues and challenges specific to hospitals in rural areas; for example, the difficulty of recruiting and retaining physicians and lack of widely available medical transportation.
Advantages of Being Part of UMMS – Ken noted that while there are many challenges facing rural health care, UM SRH has the advantage of being part of University of Maryland Medical System — “more than 25,000 employees strong and providing some of the best care in the world” — which provides access to a full continuum of care and helps provide much greater strength and efficiency in terms of resources; for example, risk management, which now takes place at the corporate level; and telemedicine, which will soon be available in UM SRH pediatric and behavioral health units as well as in critical care.
Budget and Employee Compensation – Ken noted that Shore Regional Health’s FY16 profit margin is anticipated to be between 3 and 4 percent. In term of employee raises, the projection is for 2 percent raises for everyone; there also are market adjustments which will continue to be made in FY17 for positions in several departments.
ISSUES RAISED BY STAFF:
Can something be done about the fact that patients with injuries from motor vehicle accidents are required to pay out of pocket for treatment (because auto insurance is not accepted by UM SRH)? Ken and team members JoAnne Hahey, Susan Coe and Jo Anne Thomson agreed to investigate this problem and find a resolution.
The new prescription benefit information is unclear — is it necessary to change pharmacies if you are not presently with Caremark/CVS? Ken and Susan Coe asked Melinda Simpkins to look into this issue and provide a clearer explanation of the prescription benefit change to all team members.
When is the transition to Epic expected to take place? The transition from Meditech to Epic will be accomplished in all areas of UM SRH by fall, 2017.
To whom should broken equipment, including beds, be reported? Broken equipment is a significant safety hazard that should be reported immediately to the supervisor of the unit and/or to upper management.
Why has there been so much downtime for HR Connections via Lawson? UM SRH is a client of Lawson and unfortunately, downtimes and repair speed are not within Shore Regional Health’s control.
Can something be done to address patient complaints about the long walk for patients at Shore Medical Pavilion at Easton, especially the phase two building? Patient Experience plans to address access, patient flow, safety and convenience. The team is prioritizing the tasks involved and will begin review of improvement opportunities as soon as prioritization is complete.
What about raises for employees who have reached the ceiling for their positions – can something be done for them? In 2014 and 2015, UM SRH granted a 2 percent increase to every team member — and will do the same in 2016. In 2015 and 2016, we also implemented market adjustments for several job groups. For those team members who received a market adjustment, their 2 percent increase was taken into consideration. The result was that every regular full time and part time team member received at least a 2 percent increase. (Relief and/or Per Diem roles are not part of this increase plan and are handled differently.)
Why does it seem that longstanding team members’ experience is not valued as much as the training of new hires just coming out of nursing school – can this be addressed? We value experience highly. We also recognize that competitive pressures in the marketplace can create less difference (sometimes called compression) in differentiation of levels of experience. SRH follows UMMS’ pay philosophy, which is to target roles to the 50th percentile of the external market. We are committed to paying competitively and fairly. This is an ongoing process and requires regular review and vigilance. We recently announced our market increase plan for Fiscal Year 2017. From Fiscal Year 2015 through Fiscal Year 2017 UM SRH has committed and will deliver approximately $10.6 million in improving salaries for our team members and will continue to address salaries in the future.
What is going to happen to UM Shore Medical Center at Dorchester? The future of rural hospitals, including UM SMC at Dorchester, depends in part on the outcomes and recommendations of the rural health care study recently undertaken by the State of Maryland. It also depends on our continued ability to provide safe, high quality care in a facility that is rapidly aging. We are committed to assess the impact of the state study, along with our own capabilities regularly, and to produce the best plan which ensure Cambridge and its surrounding communities receive the highest quality of care for all in need.
What is going to happen to UM Shore Medical Center at Chestertown? The State of Maryland’s Rural Health Care Study (see answer to the question above) describes the status of UM Shore Medical Center at Chestertown, and UM SRH is committed to keeping acute care in Chestertown until 2022, by which time a clearer picture should have emerged (from the State of Maryland Rural Health Care study) of how inpatient care should be delivered in a rural setting.
Phase III of the Cadmus project — what services will be located there? That determination is now in process; possibilities include the Diabetes Center and the Rehab Center at Easton. The anticipated opening of Phase III would be 18 months from now.
How will corporate profits be used — will they be dedicated to improving the patient experience? Yes, investing in improving the patient experience is most important because it helps us achieve our vision of being the region’s leader in patient-centered health care. When we work towards achieving our vision, our community receives the best possible care we can give.
A lot of employees have good ideas — how can those ideas be shared with leaders who can consider ways to implement them? Managers and other leaders are expected to be receptive to staff input and ideas. As chief experience officer, Susan Coe is a resource in that regard; also, the Staff Advisory Council can share perspectives.