BBGH executive team presents 2017-2018 department goals
The Box Butte General Hospital (BBGH) Board of Trustees spent most of their meeting March 27 listening to the hospital executive team go over the 2017-2018 Highlights of Department Goals. Chief Executive Officer Lori Mazanec said the review is the first step in the 2017-2018 budget process.
Starting the review was Chief Quality Officer Mary Mockerman who presented the goals of all the departments under her authority. Behavioral Health: Improve the healthcare experience of patients experiencing a mental health crisis by decreasing ER throughput times, and redundant documentation by enhancing patient handoffs. Social Services: Develop and implement a newborn car seat program. Infection Prevention and Control: Achieve and sustain compliance with The Joint Commission Infection Control Critical Access Hospital standards. Utilization and Quality Management: To improve patient outcomes and the overall quality of care delivery using three tools. Team STEPPS Initiative: Participate in Just Culture Initiative Education. Patient Experience: Introduce, cultivate and champion the Box Butte General Hospital Patient Advisory Council. Safety: Standardization of hospitals Emergency Code System to align with our Panhandle Regional Medical Response System partners. Safety: Implement a broad scope basic knowledge of tools and training to employees on non-violent skills and intervention techniques to verbally de-escalate combative behaviors. Laboratory: Decrease Lab errors & increase employee morale by fully staffing the lab. Pharmacy: Be in compliance with the USP 800 (Chemo/Hazardous Drugs) regulation.
Chief Nursing Officer Carolyn Jones then presented her departments’ goals. Nursing Administration: Continue implementing strategies through the year to ensure that BBGH is the greatest place for staff in the Nursing Division to work. Patient Care Unit (PCU), Emergency Department and Intensive Care Unit: Improved patient handoffs – Transitions in Care. PCU: Hardwire Primary Nursing model of patient care. Surgery: The surgery department will be compliant with current standards of practice and Joint Commission standards by October 2017. Nurse Education: Recruit, retain and invest in employees by devoting time, effort and resources towards developing and enhancing the nursing skills of our team. Obstetrics (OB): Successfully recruit and orient OB Registered Nures (RN). Diagnostic Imaging: Purchase equipment for mammography Tomosynthesis. Arrange for installation of protocol assist software upgrades with the link injector for the CT Scanner. By January 2018, purchase software upgrades to ensure consistency with repeat MRI. By November 2017, have a plan for replacement of current ultrasound machine. By September 2016 have a system to reduce or eliminate data entry needed to perform, have exams interpreted and reports populate to the Electronic Health Record. Infusion: Expand services of the Infusion Department through Chemotherapy administration. Dialysis: Develop a plan to expand Dialysis Units Licensure to include Peritoneal Dialysis Department. Wound Care: Fully implement screenings for lower extremity arterial disease. Diabetic Education: Begin providing Diabetes Education by an RN. Dietary: Empower employees to be accountable and help build the BBGH vision. Michael F. Essay Sr. Specialty Clinic: Expand the medical specialties offered to the community and the number of providers in the clinic.
Chief Financial Officer Bridget Miller was next to present her departments’ goals. Health Information: Improve our current DNFB (Days Not Final Billed ) and AR (Accounts Receivable) days since the implementation of ICD-10 October 1, 2015. Current DNFB days are 7.06 and the goal is to be down to 6. Admissions: Continue updating training materials for Centriq. Patient Finance: Decrease AR days to 50. Finance: Implement new fixed asset software to track assets in the hospital. Materials Management: Turning old Health Information area into the best usable space for materials. Fitness Center: Increase the financial viability of the fitness center to be in the black by the end of the fiscal year. Wellness: Decrease amount of employees that are at risk for poor nutrition to below 55% organization wide. Physical Therapy: Maintain cost to charge ratio of less than 0.80 for Physical Therapy. Occupational Therapy: Maintain cost to charge ratio of less than 0.75 for Occupational Therapy. Speech Therapy: Maintain cost to charge ratio of less than 1.0 for Speech Therapy.
Chief Operations Officer Jim Bargen’s department goals were then presented. Laundry: To have an easier way to keep inventory on linens. Environmental Services: Begin a certification program for environmental staff employees. Plant Maintenance: Remodel old patient care area to accommodate Health Information Management. Information Technology: Develop a plan to implement strategies to measure, monitor, and improve technical competencies of BBGH employees.
CEO Lori Mazanec ended the presentation with her departments’ goals. Human Resources: Update Human Resource policies and procedures with the assistance of Baird Holm, LLP. Foundation: By January 2018, research and apply for a minimum of 3 grants for the Rehab and Wellness project in order to diversify funding sources and types. GNMSS Alliance & GNMSS Hemingford: Continue tracking mechanisms for quality and safety control to maintain 100% completion to ensure we meet Joint Commission and CMS standards. GNMSS Hyannis: Increase average monthly encounter to 20 per month or an annual average of 240. Marketing: Expand upon BBGH’s relationship with students, both high school and college, to secure our future workforce with capable young leaders and to mutually benefit from the relationship both now and moving forward.
The Trustees also conducted the following business.
The board recognized March Employee of the Month Keisha Sanchez, Materials Management. Also recognized was Kailee Kelly, BSN, RN-CDN, for obtaining her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Jessica Mulhern, RN, Emergency Department, for passing her Certified Emergency Nurse exam. New employees were welcomed, including Donna Ryan, Radiology Tech; Melissa Stricker, Registration Clerk/Cashier; Heather Taylor, Registration Clerk/Cashier; Kelly Keller, Admissions/ER Unit Clerk; and Megan Neely, RN, Surgery.
After unanimously approving the consent calendar, Ms. Mockerman presented her Quality Management and Safety report. This month, she focused on The Joint Commission Inter-cycle Monitoring Site Survey conducted February 28. The report included Engineer Surveyor Findings and Clinician Surveyor Findings. She said the extra eyes on hospital operations and the physical plant was very valuable. Also discussed was a Infection Prevention and Control report received from Public Health related to post-op infections surveillance. The report provided essentially recommended that surgery staff focus on details and best practices. The last of her report was on a Safety Committee meeting held in January and items discussed.
BBGH Chief of Staff Dr. Tim Narjes reported that influenza cases were still being seen in the area, as have the usual cases of pneumonia and other infections associated with this time of year.
Ms. Mazanec used her Governance/Strategy Focus to go over the key issues addressed during the Nebraska Hospital Association’s Advocacy Day recently held in Lincoln. There were three Legislative Bills (LB) that member hospitals advocated in favor of: LB 61 – Adopt the interstate Medical Licensure Compact which streamlines the licensure pathway for qualified physicians who wish to practice in multiple states; LB 92 – Require health carriers to provide coverage of telehealth services, which would reduce a significant barrier to telehealth in Nebraska; and LB 513 – Appropriate funds to provide a base rate increase for certain hospital services as prescribed. Member hospitals advocated against one bill: LB 368, which changes helmet provisions, changes passenger age limits and require eye protection for operators of motorcycles and mopeds.
Ms Mazanec invited the Trustees to attend two either of two Trustees’ Forums being offered this year. The first is the annual Western Regional Trustee Symposium to be held June 7-9 in Sana Fe, NM. The second is the Quorum Learning Institute Forum to be held August 2-4 in Nashville, TN. She said interested Trustees can attend either one of the forums that interested them, if they so choose.
CFO Emeritus Tracy Jatczak asked the Trustees to approve a resolution rewritten to address control and implementation suggestions presented at the last board meeting. The resolution authorizes banking and investment institutions. The board unanimously approved the resolution.
After unanimously approving all credentialing requests, the Trustees entered executive session at 8:13pm to discuss legal matters. The Trustees reconvened in open session at 8:37pm and immediately adjourned with no action taken. The next board meeting will be held Monday, April 24 at 7:00pm in the Alliance Room. As always, the public is invited to attend.
Box Butte General Hospital is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
