Horizons - Winter 2012 by Catholic Health East

S CHE, Trinity Health to Form New, Unified Health System Pulling Together to Prepare for Hurricane Sandy CareLink Implementations Reach the Halfway Mark Creative Collaboration Builds Awareness of CareLink

Celebrate Our Core Values and

Win a Kindle!

All colleagues throughout the system are encouraged to submit their stories, poems, images or patient vignettes related to the Core Value being celebrated this quarter—Integrity. A Kindle will be awarded to the colleague who presents the best submission.

Deadline: March 11, 2013

Living our Core Values is a way of furthering CHE’s Mission; when practiced, they continue the legacy of our Sponsors and are a key component of our organizational spirituality. Core Values education serves as an important means of providing ministry formation to all colleagues. Over the past year-and-a-half, CHE has been ‘celebrating’ a different Core Value each quarter. Last quarter, we celebrated the Core Value of Courage. We received many wonderful submissions; but only one winning entry could be chosen for a prize. That submission is featured here. This quarter, CHE will award a Kindle to the colleague who submits the best story (500 word maximum), poem or image related to Integrity. The winner will be announced at the system-wide webinar on that Core Value and featured in system-wide publications. The system-wide webinar on Integrity will be held at noon on March 15. Information on how you can join in on that webinar will be shared shortly. To be eligible for the contest, submission of your creative material (story, poem, etc.) should be sent to Philip Boyle, CHE’s vice president, mission and ethics at pboyle@che.org by March 11, 2013.

Winter 2012-2013

CATHOLIC

As I swung open the gift shop doors earlier than our scheduled opening time, I was pleasantly greeted by a very early morning customer. She began browsing and making her selections. She then shared with me that she was from out of state and that she was buying some of our nurses here at St. James Hospital, tokens of appreciation for the excellent care her loved one was receiving. As she continued browsing, she proceeded to ask me if I had anything that said “Missing You” on it. I told her yes and showed her some items. She then told me that I probably wouldn’t be able to relate, but she lost her daughter three years ago and she was looking for something to put at her gravesite. A few unspoken seconds ticked by and then with courage I reached deep down in my heart and told her that I unfortunately could relate. I shared with her that I too lost my own daughter at the age of 5 1/2. She then looked at me with surprise and shared her sad and personal story. Her daughter was murdered and she vowed to kill the man responsible. For the next 20 minutes we talked about the amount of faith and courage that it takes to get through not just the next day but the next minute. After talking awhile, she looked at me with tears in her eyes and said, “You have helped me so much, I just want you to know that I really won’t kill the man responsible. Thank you.” She then asked me if she could give me a hug. As I hugged this stranger, I thanked the Lord for the courage and the faith to be able to speak out to this lady in a way that helped her. As I went home that night, my heart was filled with peace and I told my family that I know I definitely made the right choice to accept the Hospital’s offer to be the Manager of the Gift Shop. I felt the peace that this is where the Lord wants me, in a place where I can help others. It takes courage to talk to others about faith but I feel that the Lord gave me that strength, wisdom, and faith to recognize a need and take that step of courage. I believe that through the grace of God, I was used as a tool that day to help this lady work through her bitterness and anger helping her realize that she needs to dig deep and keep her faith in the Lord especially in times of weaknesses. I firmly believe that the Lord places people in our paths for us to be leaders and stewards exemplifying our faith and courage. Submitted by Connie Mullen Aquinas Gift Shop Manager St. James Mercy Hospital

HORIZONS is a publication for the Sponsors, Boards, Regional Leadership, System Office and Colleagues of Catholic Health East.

Horizons Editorial Staff

Sponsors

Scott H. Share Vice President, System Communications

Franciscan Sisters of Allegany, St. Bonaventure, N.Y.

Published by:

Maria Iaquinto Communications Manager

3805 West Chester Pike, Suite 100 Newtown Square, PA 19073 Phone 610.355.2000 Fax 610.271.9600 www.che.org www.facebook.com/catholichealtheast Please direct comments and suggestions to info@che.org

Meg J. Boyd Communication Specialist Design, production and printing by JC Marketing Communications • jcmcom.com • Southington, Conn. Catholic Health East is a community of persons committed to being a transforming, healing presence within the communities we serve. Locations: Located in 11 eastern states from Maine to Florida. Workforce: Approx. 60,000 employees.

Hope Ministries, Newtown Square, Pa. Sisters of Mercy of the Americas: Mid-Atlantic Community, Merion Station, Pa. New York, Pennsylvania, Pacific West Community, Buffalo, N.Y. Northeast Community, Cumberland, R.I. South Central Community, Belmont, N.C. Sisters of Providence, Holyoke, Mass. Sisters of St. Joseph, St. Augustine, Fla.

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EAST

HORIZONS

Connie Mullen Aquinas Gift Shop Manager St. James Mercy Hospital

Courage

HEALTH

Colleague Engagement Gains Across CHE Across the System 10 Minutes with … Joe Swedish and Judy Persichilli Core Values Kindle Contest

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Coming Together: Catholic Health East, Trinity Health to Form New, Unified Health System

n October 17, 2012, Catholic Health East and Trinity Health publicly announced plans to come together to form a new, unified national health system. The non-binding letter of intent was the culmination of months of discussions involving Sponsors, board members and leaders of both health systems that explored the benefits of bringing Trinity Health and CHE together, and the shared belief that the consolidation of CHE and Trinity Health will strengthen the overall Catholic health ministry in the United States. With a shared mission, both CHE and Trinity Health are confident that the consolidated system will enable even more exceptional care, while building a unified voice to serve patients, physicians, employees and communities across the country.

who will serve as the new system’s executive vice president) agreed that there is much to be gained by the two systems coming together. Referring to their discussions, the Nov. 1 Catholic Health World article mentioned that “… as talks These plans have drawn national progressed … they recognized that attention, including cover stories in as a consolidated organization, Modern Healthcare and Catholic Health their systems could operate more World. Dozens of newspapers, radio efficiently in a rapidly changing stations and online news sources health care landscape that will be across the nation also carried this story focused on population health and in many local markets. the delivery of coordinated and integrated care.” The October 22 Both Joe Swedish (Trinity Health’s Modern Healthcare article noted president and CEO, who has been named the president and CEO of the that “… the drive to get big and get integrated is the defining new, consolidated system) and Judy dynamic in health care as providers Persichilli (CHE’s president and CEO,

focused on identifying those combined synergies that would deliver better quality, a greater ability to serve our local communities and fulfill our mission, and improve our collective ability to compete successfully in a reformed health care environment. The coming together of our two ministries will enhance our service to patients and residents, physicians and colleagues, allowing us to share more resources, enable greater access to care, invest more in our communities, and transform health care at the national level.

and payers adjust to their fast-changing world.” The combined organization would become the third-largest not-for-profit health system in the nation, with annual operating revenue of more than $13 billion and assets exceeding $19 billion. With 82 acute care hospitals, 89 continuing care facilities, and nearly three million home health and hospice visits, the combined system will employ 87,000 people and provide nearly one billion dollars in community benefit programs and services. Throughout the due diligence process, both organizations

A Definitive Agreement was signed in mid-January. This is an agreement that confirms Trinity Health and CHE will come together. Ongoing integration planning continues, as well as the pursuit of regulatory approvals. The official “closing” of the transaction, resulting in the introduction of our new, unified ministry, will occur later in the spring. Consolidation Information on CHE Connect Up-to-date information regarding the CHE-Trinity Health consolidation can be found on CHE Connect at http://portal.che.org/resources/ programs/CHE-TrinityHealth continued on page 4

A PUBLICATION FOR THE SPONSORS, BOARDS, REGIONAL LEADERSHIP, SYSTEM OFFICE AND COLLEAGUES OF CATHOLIC HEALTH EAST

Weathering the Storm: CHE, Local Ministries

s Hurricane Sandy approached the east coast of the United States in late October, the National Weather Service shared dire predictions about the increasing likelihood that Sandy would result in flooding of historic proportions, damaging winds and widespread power outages across a large part of the northeast, including New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. These areas, collectively, are home to almost half of CHE’s health care facilities!

How is the due diligence process proceeding? JOE: One of the major goals of the process is to identify synergies that deliver better quality, a greater ability to serve our communities and improve our collective ability to compete. The goal of the first phase of due diligence which was completed in December, was to verify that there were no significant obstacles to the transaction.

CHE’s IS Support Center, otherwise known as the “help desk,” supports the information technology needs of our RHCs and the System Office on a 24/7 basis. On a typical day, the help desk fields over 1,200 calls and requests for help from across our ministry. This single point of contact for all IT-related issues and requests for service across the system provided uninterrupted service throughout the hurricane, with on-site colleagues supported by additional analysts who worked remotely.

“This is a testament to the individuals who make up the CHE help desk and their understanding of the importance of what they do on a daily basis,” said Jack A. Hill, help desk supervisor. “A number of those who stayed overnight were in frequent contact with their loved ones at home, trying to ease their concerns with the weather. Many bunked on air mattresses spread out in a nearby conference room, while others just kicked back in chairs, grabbing whatever sleep they could.” “Hurricane Sandy’s fury was no match for the level of commitment our colleagues demonstrated by coming to work to ensure uninterrupted service to our RHCs,” said Tanya Craig, director, IS service optimization, and director, help desk. “We met our service levels despite a skeleton crew.” “From an infrastructure side, we have a set group of colleagues who make sure that there is a presence here in the event that something catastrophic happens. And we have staff up and down the east coast who were able to help from remote locations,” said Steve Walker, director,

Left to right: David Quinn, CHE’s manager, shared service procurement, and Lisa Fulginiti, CHE’s senior buyer, shared service procurement.

enterprise systems infrastructure. “We also reach out to our vendors ahead of time. Our storage vendor is communicative on an hourly basis of the status of systems. We have everything monitored, so we know the minute something happens, and we have a chain of command in place.” “Superusers at each RHC are notified that while the System Office may be closed we have associates from Maine to Florida to support them. There is no decrease in their support level,” said Kim Martin, Lawson application support manager. “The management team stays in constant contact to shift responsibilities among associates as the weather conditions affect their ability to perform their daily functions.” Shared service procurement has 30 colleagues who typically process over 1,250 orders every day for our RHCs. Everything from bandages to hospital beds are ordered through supply chain. As the hurricane approached, protocols were put in place to ensure all orders were filled. Colleagues worked both on-site and remotely when the System Office shut down for two

days. Processes are in place for everyone from the manufacturer to the local sales representative. “The patients are the bottom line,” said David Quinn, procurement manager. Hospitals routinely maintain low inventory levels on most items in order to save costs. “We have to be available to the RHCs to assist them with their hospital needs. We are processing orders from Florida to Maine, and if they need supplies for a case the next day, we have to be ready and available for them to process that order,” said Jack Barnes, director, shared service procurement. “We spend a lot of time focusing on customer service. During inclement weather, if a vendor is closed we contact the hospital and let them know, ask them if we should go to another vendor, or if they can wait 24 hours.” “We have a lot of good, knowledgeable people, and that’s what really sustains our success. We work really well together,” said Lisa Fulginiti, senior buyer, who was on site at the System Office during the storm. continued on the next page

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Judy Persichilli greater ability to invest in ministries and serve communities with limited access to care.

Because of the threat posed by this massive storm, preparations at the CHE System Office and at several northeastern RHCs began days before Sandy arrived.

Precautionary measures were taken to guard against interruption of services at CHE’s data center. Generators were fueled and backup fuel vendors were placed on standby and staffing levels were appropriate to maintain operations during and after the storm.

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JUDY: We are now in the midst of the operational and integration due diligence phases, which focuses on the nature and scope of operations in each organization. Sixteen teams, comprised of leaders from key areas in both organizations, are working together to determine how best to bring the functional areas in each organization together to provide increased value for our new ministry, and to identify specific opportunities for operational synergies and economies for the unified organization.

What will a consolidated organization look like? JOE: Together, our new ministry would be one of the biggest Catholic health care organizations in the country. It would consist of 87 hospitals, 89 continuing care facilities, and hundreds of outpatient locations, home health and hospice agencies, and other health care services staffed by over 87,000 associates across 21 states. Our unified system would be responsible for over 700,000 inpatient discharges and nearly 2.8 million home health and hospice visits annually, and would have $19 billion in assets and over $13 billion in annual revenues. JUDY: One of the facets of this integration of which we’re most proud is the impressive commitment to community benefit that will continue to grow and flourish. Together our new

system will provide nearly $1 billion in community benefit programs and services to the poor and underserved of our communities throughout the nation.

What are the biggest challenges facing us as we proceed towards the planned consolidation of our ministries? JUDY: We know that, between our two ministries, we have an enormous reservoir of talented, innovative, and experienced health care professionals. One of our key challenges is to find the most effective way to nurture and harvest the intellectual capital from both organizations in a timely manner so that we can build on our strengths, share best practices and improve the health of our communities. JOE: There’s no question that the consolidation has great potential to benefit both organizations, but it will not be easy. Even though CHE and Trinity share a mission and Catholic heritage, each organization has its own dynamic culture with many ideas regarding the pursuit of excellence in care. The key to making consolidation a success is embracing those cultural differences so that we can learn and grow together during this era of tremendous change.

What are your biggest hopes for a new, unified health ministry? JOE: It’s all about the patients and communities we serve. We hope that our new ministry will enable us to advocate more effectively so that we can improve care and access for all, especially for those who are poor and underserved. Our hope is that we can influence and transform health care on the national level. Ultimately, our goal is to serve and heal more people for a long time by preserving and strengthening Catholic health care.

JUDY: As we look forward to a new beginning for our combined ministry, it is crucial that we continue to build on the legacies of the women religious whose sacrifices, vision and commitment gave hope to the sick, the poor and the most vulnerable members of our society. We believe that their proud history of service will continue to inspire our new, combined ministry for generations to come.

Catholic health care has changed dramatically over the last few years. How do you think it will change over the next few years? JUDY: In describing the coming together of Trinity Health and Catholic Health East in its October 22, 2012 cover story, Modern Healthcare reported that “The drive to get big and get integrated is the defining dynamic in healthcare as providers and payers adjust to their fast-changing world.” We wholeheartedly agree. We are convinced that “scale matters,” and that the planned consolidation of CHE and Trinity to form a new, unified ministry places us ahead of the curve nationally. Our new organization will continue to explore opportunities to partner and work more closely together to best serve our communities, achieve our mission and meet the challenges of the future. JOE: Consolidation will continue to evolve in Catholic health care just as it will throughout all of health care. We know different organizations are finding value in new partnerships. These partnerships can be with providers, payers or other groups that have not traditionally been partners. This is a trend we expect to continue for several years as the health care industry finds ways to handle the changes we face as a result of market forces and policy changes.

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10 Minutes with... J

Joe Swedish and

oe Swedish will serve as president and chief executive officer of our new, unified ministry. He was named president and CEO of Trinity Health in December 2004. During his tenure, he has focused on the transformation of health care delivery at the nation’s fourth-largest Catholic health system—with 47 hospitals in 10 states—through improved clinical and business processes and expanding access and support for vulnerable and marginalized populations. Prior to joining Trinity Health, Joe was president and CEO of Centura Health, the largest health care provider in Colorado. He has held a variety of senior executive positions in both non-profit and for-profit health care systems and has served as a CEO for 26 years. He currently serves as chairman of the Catholic Health Association and on the boards of Loyola University Chicago, the National Quality Forum and the Health Care Education Trust. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and a master’s degree in health administration from Duke University.

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Pull Together to Prepare for Hurricane Sandy adequate coverage for patients; the hospital also provided overnight accommodations for discharged patients who could not make it home the day the hurricane hit. Saint Francis Hospital in Wilmington, Del., had its command center coordinate all activities with the City of Wilmington Emergency Management Agency.

Below: Brian Barrish, help desk team lead (left), and John Ludwig, help desk analyst, look at the status board in the CHE’s IS Support Center.

Preparing for and weathering the storm did generate new teambuilding and learning opportunities. “Where you have colleagues spending the night and you are trapped together for a certain amount of time, it definitely becomes a bonding experience both personally and professionally. The experience allows you to see the true character of your colleagues,” said Brian Barrish, team lead, help desk. John Ludwig, help desk analyst, agreed. “The help desk colleagues became more of a team; it is a way to get to know each other better.”

Joe Swedish and Judy Persichilli

2008 and then to executive vice president and chief operating officer in December 2009 before assuming the role of CEO. Prior to joining CHE’s System Office, she served for eight years as CEO at St. Francis Medical Center in Trenton, N.J. She is a recipient of the Benemerenti Medal (a papal honor bestowed by Pope Benedict XVI), and is a member of AHA’s Health Care Systems Governing Council and HFMA’s Healthcare Leadership Council. She earned her nursing diploma from the St. Francis Hospital School of Nursing, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Rutgers University, and a Master of Arts in administration udy Persichilli will serve as executive from Rider College, as well as honorary vice president of our new, unified doctorate degrees from Georgian Court ministry. She has been president and University and Sacred Heart University. CEO of Catholic Health East since 2010. Why did Trinity Health and CHE She joined CHE in 2003 as the executive vice president of the Mid-Atlantic Division. decide to come together? Why now? She was promoted to executive vice JOE: We’ve been talking about this opportunity president of acute care for the System in for several months because it’s been clear that we

have a shared mission and the complementary strengths to help us pursue that mission. We reached that conclusion together—in conversations that included Sisters from the religious congregations, board members and executives of both systems. By combining the strengths of our two systems into one national Catholic health ministry, we will be able to improve the health of the people and communities we serve. The consolidation also positions us for a unified voice that will enable us to advocate for our communities and rise to the challenges of the rapidly changing health care environment.

How will this planned consolidation benefit CHE’s and Trinity Health’s local ministries? JUDY: By creating a new, stronger organization, our local ministries will have more resources to help meet the health needs of individuals, serve more people more effectively and invest more in improving the health of communities. We also will leverage our collective talents and size to use our resources more effectively, and to go about the important work of transforming care delivery. And, we will have a stronger unified voice that can impact policy and change. We will have

Helen Kaelin, a help desk colleague who works second shift, said “It was slightly stressful, but I got to spend time with my teammates. I got to know a lot of people on third shift who I had never met. We got things done and everything was smooth—it was actually a really nice experience to be able to work with everyone.” “When a storm hits you have to have a different mindset. You have to make quick decisions, and resources could be limited. We are the link that really keeps the engine going,” said Barrish. Mary C. Danish, director, emergency preparedness and ambulance service, Saint Michael’s Medical Center, Newark, N.J., expressed her gratitude to a shared service procurement colleague after the department had contacted numerous vendors on her behalf to supply diesel fuel for the hospital: “Thank you so much for your assistance … the vendor is enroute as we speak with our much needed fuel,” she said. “Supply chain staff throughout CHE were there to support the needs of our clinicians in caring for patients. It was not the normal course of business and they know how to respond to insure that the necessary supplies, equipment and services are available,” said Florence Doyle, CHE’s vice president, supply chain management. “I am always inspired by the dedication, energy and creativity of health care professionals to insure that we don't miss a beat in caring for our patients. Our vendors also deserve recognition for their commitment and efforts to insure that we are supplied—they too understand that there is a patient at the center of what we all do.”

RHCs in the path of Sandy also had preventive measures in place. Emergency staff meetings took place, clinical and non-clinical staff stayed over and/or worked overtime, command centers were set up and facilities and supplies were stocked and storm prepared. For the first time in a regional crisis, St. Mary Medical Center, Langhorne, Pa., had a liaison present in its township emergency management center to provide timely updates on the general state of affairs. Mercy Health System of SEPA facilities went on alert and reviewed disaster implementation plans. In addition to opening their incident command centers, Mercy SEPA hospitals prepared letters to patients, distributed on dietary trays, assuring them that all necessary steps were being taken to keep them safe. In New Jersey, both Lourdes hospitals (Camden and Willingboro) lost power and successfully switched to back-up generator power. Saint Michael’s lost power, requiring the use of back-up generators and housed staff for several days. At St. Francis Medical Center in Trenton, many nurses stayed overnight to ensure

Going forward, one physician in Florida offered a suggestion. William Korey, M.D., an emergency medicine physician at Holy Cross Hospital in Fort Lauderdale, observed that his region usually experiences several hurricanes each year, and that his hospital’s experiences and preparations could be shared throughout the system. “Just to be able to connect all the emergency management leaders to share ideas and policies would be beneficial to the system,” he said. “We are all striving for the same goal—patient safety. So we can all benefit.” Hurricane Sandy was a devastating storm. Lives were lost; homes were destroyed. Millions were left without power for an extended period of time. Sections of the New Jersey and New York coastlines were forever altered. As people continue the process of rebuilding and restoring their lives, CHE ministries will learn from this experience, and will remain vigilant and ready for future emergency situations so that they can again jump into action to serve our RHCs, our colleagues and our patients and residents.

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Two Histories; One Heritage

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Catholic Trinity Health to Form

As Trinity Health and Catholic Health East (CHE) move toward the goal of coming together as one of the nation’s leading providers of Catholic health care, it is evident that our heritage is also our prologue. “Our two histories are already helping guide us through the due diligence process and will certainly play an even larger role when our organizations become one,” said Sister Mary Persico, I.H.M., Ed.D., executive vice president, mission, sponsorship and governance for CHE. “It is important that we remember them as we move forward to support and strengthen the new ministry and to meet the needs of the poor and underserved living in our time.”

Holy Cross Hospital in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., held its annual Thanksgiving Prayer Service on November 20. Associates donate Thanksgiving baskets each year to those in need, and the food is blessed in English, Creole, Croatian, Hebrew, Lithuanian, Malayalam, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish and Tagalog. This year, a total of 20,050 pounds of food was collected, which provided 328 baskets to Holy Cross associates who were in need, and 102 baskets to the local community.

CHE was founded on January 8, 1998 by the coming together of Eastern Mercy Health System, the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany Health System and the Sisters of Providence Health System. The founding ceremony involved the lighting of candles, one for each of the ministry’s sponsors and one which represented the unity of the new ministry and, specifically, the bright flame of their single Mission. It was similar to what occurred at Trinity Health at its founding in May 2000. Candle ceremonies have had great significance in both organizations.

Participants in the recent groundbreaking ceremony at St. Joseph’s Hospital-South in Riverview, Fla. included (from left): John Borecca, BayCare board chair; Dana Young, state representative; Isaac Mallah, St. Joseph’s-Baptist Health Care president and CEO; Paula McGuiness, St. Joseph’s Hospital-North COO; Congresswoman Kathy Castor; Sr. Pat Shirley, O.S.F., St. Joseph’s Hospital vice president of mission; Steve Mason, BayCare president and CEO; and Congressman Tom Rooney. The $225 million project, part of BayCare Health System, will be a new, full service, acute-care hospital; it is scheduled to open in 2015.

“These rituals help seal the gap between the past and present, so that two entities can become one moving into the future together,” said Sister Catherine DeClercq, O.P., Trinity Health’s senior vice president, governance and sponsorship. “Spiritual in nature, they also remind us of the importance of Jesus Christ as He exists in our important work.” “We have two distinctly different histories, but really only one heritage,” said DeClercq. “Our histories—representing more than 150 years of Catholic health care—will inform the personality of the new ministry, but our shared Mission and heritage will really guide our efforts.”

A ribbon-cutting ceremony for Living Springs at Lourdes, a 21-bed, hospital-based behavioral health program, was held on Dec. 5 at Lourdes Medical Center of Burlington County, Willingboro, N.J. The specialized program, one of only a few in the nation, will provide treatment for military women suffering from behavioral health conditions including post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, substance abuse and other forms of trauma. Patients will benefit from a comprehensive treatment program that includes individual counseling and group therapy. The facility includes a general relaxation area and a fitness center, and will feature holistic treatment approaches, such as pet therapy and recreation therapy.

Building on the traditions of service handed to CHE and Trinity Health by their respective sponsors, our new ministry will strive to carry on the healing ministry of the Catholic Church and be characterized by a deep and unwavering faith in God's providence, a passion for responding to unmet needs, an approach to care that includes appropriate attention to people’s spiritual needs and a preference for those who are poor or marginalized. continued on page 5

Pictured at the ceremony (left to right) are guest speaker CPT Laura Gibbons, U.S. Army; Joanne Gianndrea, VP, military affairs, Lourdes Health System; Major General William Bender, Commander, U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J.; Sr. Marigene Kennedy, O.S.F., Lourdes Health System Foundation board member; Alexander J. Halata, president and CEO, Lourdes Health System; James Daloisio, chairman, Lourdes Health Foundation; Michael Camardo, chairman, Lourdes Health System Foundation; and Mark Nessel, EVP and COO, Lourdes Health System.

Bill Fiocchetta, president and CEO, The Mercy Community, takes Saint Mary Home resident Sister Frederick Tkacz for the first official spin around the skilled nursing facility’s new circular entrance. The Mercy Community’s Gateway Project enhanced access and security at Saint Mary Home by providing direct drive-up to the facility, increasing lighting and the number of handicapped-accessible spaces, leveling hilly terrain, and upgrading the central security system technology. The remodeled front entrance to Saint Mary Home provides easier access for emergency vehicles and those picking up and dropping off residents.

Colleague Engagement

Gains Across the System

atholic Health East strives to be a great place to work; one which delivers effective person-centered care while attracting, developing and retaining colleagues with the capacity and commitment to deliver great results. To that end, we embarked on completing a system-wide colleague commitment survey in the fall of 2012. Building on best practices identified in 2011, this year marked the first time that we adopted a system-wide theme and logo—Share Your VOICE, Shape Our Tomorrow with VOICE being an acronym to encourage colleagues to share their views, opinions, ideas, comments and experiences.

Judy Persichilli, CHE president and CEO, presents Sisters of Providence Health System CEO Dan Moen with an award recognizing SPHS for achieving the greatest increase in overall colleague commitment based on the 2012 survey.

When compared to the national health care average, CHE significantly surpassed this benchmark on the following survey items: supporting colleagues in balancing work life and personal life, managers caring about their colleagues’ job satisfaction, having a climate of trust in work units, fostering an environment that makes colleagues want to go above and beyond, and colleagues liking the work that they do. What is most exciting about the results when compared to 2011 is the improvement observed in colleagues’ perceptions regarding the care quality and service by their organization as well as colleagues’ behaviors demonstrating our Core Values. These two items were the most improved items, jumping +0.17 and +0.16 respectively.

From a statistical perspective, nine organizations significantly improved their overall commitment rates. At a Nov. 28 meeting with all CHE CEOs, four organizations were recognized for achieving new levels in colleague Fortunately, all of the pre-survey preparation had a positive impact. For starters, as a whole we commitment. Those organizations were Sisters of Providence Health System, Springfield, Mass., Sub-teams consisting of members from CHE’s achieved a 71 percent response rate with human resources and communications councils approximately 24,789 colleagues participating in which improved its overall colleague commitment rate by +0.26 compared to 2011; the survey. Twelve of our organizations worked to ensure a successful and meaningful outperformed the national average response rate followed by Mercy Medical, Daphne, Ala. implementation. For example, to assist our (+0.24); The Mercy Community, West Hartford, leaders in building awareness and educating our with response rates that ranged from 76 to 99 percent. As far as overall commitment, as a system Conn. (+0.19); and St. Francis Medical Center, colleagues on the intent and purpose of this we improved our commitment rate from 3.94 to Trenton, N.J. (+0.18). A total of seven CHE RHCs survey, toolboxes were developed to share 4.04 (out of a 5.0 scale) in 2012. According to our outperformed the national health care average marketing materials and best practice communication documents across the ministry. survey partner Morehead Associates, the average for commitment. Now that the results are in, all of our RHCS In addition, they extensively reviewed the survey annual improvement trend of health systems of comparable size is +0.01. In comparison, we have have transitioned into the improvement planning budget and the survey design. As a result of outperformed this rate by tenfold and have begun phase. Many have begun to share the high-level these teams’ efforts, we were able to reduce survey costs by roughly $35,000 despite inviting to close the gap in surpassing the national health results with their colleagues and leadership teams. Morehead Associates will travel to each of care average for commitment. an additional 5,000 colleagues to participate in our local ministries to help local leadership teams the survey, purchasing additional reporting at In analyzing the individual components of more organizational levels, and including 2013 commitment, we significantly improved on all six understand their data and identify opportunities for improvement. CHE will also host educational targets for colleague commitment. questions compared to 2011, with colleagues being proud to tell others that they work for their webinars for leaders across the system on Additionally, the teams helped to create a interpreting results for their individual work units organization (+0.09); willing to recommend the more focused and streamlined survey design. Closed-ended questions were pared down to 40, organization to family and friends who need care and holding effective feedback sessions with colleagues. These same leaders will also be (+0.10); and as a great place to work (+0.11); as compared to 74 in 2011. Likewise, the two responsible for creating action plans for hoping to be employed with the organization open-ended questions were tailored to identify three years from now (+0.06); would stay with the improvement. positive changes that have occurred since the For more information on the colleague 2011 survey and also encouraged colleagues to organization if offered slightly higher pay engagement survey process, contact Lisa Satteson, elsewhere (+0.11); and are satisfied overall provide feedback on the specific changes they director, human resources, at lsatteson@che.org. (+0.08). would like to see occur on their work units. 8

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Health East, New, Unified Health System The Sponsors and founders of Trinity Health and CHE share rich traditions of service in health care, of reading the signs of the times and responding to them, and of going where they were called and where the needs were greatest. They share a commitment to the principles of the healing ministry of the Catholic Church and to all they serve. And they have our commitment that we will do the same.

Frequently Asked Questions…

Catholic Health East Sponsors

The Sponsors, boards and executive leaders of both systems recognize that their shared vision and goals for the future are the transformation of health care in this country and a stronger Catholic health ministry. We believe that this requires a transformation of our two health systems into one, unified, national Catholic health care system. The term merger implies that one entity is joining together with another existing entity; a consolidation connotes two entities coming together to form a new entity. The term consolidation more accurately describes the plans we have to join our two ministries together to form one, new ministry.

We keep hearing the term ‘consolidation’ being used to refer to the proposed coming together of CHE and Trinity Health. How is this different than a ‘merger’?

Franciscan Sisters of Allegany, St. Bonaventure, N.Y. Hope Ministries, Newtown Square, Pa. Sisters of Mercy of the Americas Mid-Atlantic Community, Merion Station, Pa. New York, Pennsylvania, Pacific West Community, Buffalo, N.Y. Northeast Community, Cumberland, R.I. South Central Community, Belmont, N.C. Sisters of Providence, Holyoke, Mass. Sisters of St. Joseph, St. Augustine, Fla.

What will be the name of the new, unified ministry? A process is in place to determine the name for our new ministry. A small group comprised of representatives from both CHE and Trinity Health (including Sponsors, board members and senior leaders) has been assigned the task of reviewing options and ultimately determining the name for our new, unified health system. This group met for the first time in early December. The legacy of our founding Sponsors, our vision for coming together, and the proud histories of service of our two health systems will all be considered during the deliberations for a unified ministry name. More information about the naming process will be shared as we move forward.

Learn more at http://www.che.org/about/sponsheritage.php.

Trinity Health Sponsor Catholic Health Ministries, formed by: Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Cross Sisters of Mercy Regional Community of Detroit Learn more at http://www.trinity-health.org/body.cfm?id=22.

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CareLink Implementations

The American Reinvestment & Recovery Act (ARRA), signed into law on February 17, 2009, included $22 billion earmarked to promote the adoption and “meaningful use” of health information technology; this portion of the bill is called the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act. In order to achieve meaningful use, eligible providers and hospitals had to adopt certified EHR technology and use it to achieve specific objectives. These objectives were initially split into three stages: Stage 1: 2011-2012 Data capture and sharing Stage 2: 2013-2014 Advance clinical processes Stage 3: 2015 Improved outcomes Currently, CHE is midway through its CareLink implementations. The Mercy Health System of Southeastern Pennsylvania hospitals (Nazareth, Mercy Fitzgerald, Mercy Philadelphia and Mercy Suburban Hospitals); St. Mary Medical Center in Langhorne, Pa.; and Mercy Medical Center in Springfield, Mass.—all on the MEDITECH platform—have fully implemented CareLink including the CPOE component. St. Francis Medical Center, Trenton, N.J.; Lourdes Health System, Camden, N.J.; Saint Michael’s Medical Center, Newark, N.J.; and St. Peter’s Hospital, Albany, N.Y.—all on the Siemens platform—have implemented medication reconciliation components that allow electronic

Creative Collaboration Builds Awareness of CareLink Initiative

C Gina Rovelli, R.N., and Mark Diltz of Preferred Solutions, Inc., work together to review information during Mercy Medical Center’s CareLink “go live.”

order entry. All of these hospitals attested to meaningful use Stage 1 in 2012, and CHE has accrued over $40 million in EHR incentives. “It is very exciting to see the progress that has been made getting our RHCs one step closer to a complete EHR,” said Donette Herring, vice president and chief information officer, CHE. “We are now positioned to transform clinical practice by helping our physicians and clinicians deliver the best care possible by embedding evidence-based practice, prompting with alerts and reminders, and providing real-time access to a patient’s longitudinal medical record.” Another component of the CareLink deployment is the development of standardized order sets. As of December 2012, CHE had 250+ order sets available from the system for the RHCs to utilize. But before the RHCs are able to implement them, they must first confirm the appropriate policies and processes exist in their hospitals in order for that order set to be properly implemented. “We need to make sure the RHCs connect all the dots from ordering to delivering care. The computer only does what a person tells it to do. So if you don’t tell it how to connect the dots, the dots won’t get connected,” said Michael McCoy, M.D., vice president and chief medical 6

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“It’s Electric!”

Reach the Halfway Mark

n 2008, CHE embarked on an initiative to formalize the use of evidence-based medicine and best practices in delivering quality patient care. This initiative, which became known as CareLink, would use technology such as computerized provider order entry (CPOE) and electronic health records (EHRs), along with other quality initiatives, to improve the delivery and efficiency of patient care.

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information officer, CHE. “It’s a journey … a continuous and iterative process. Order sets must be regularly maintained and reviewed to be sure they drive the best patient outcomes, and processes must be reviewed to be sure we are providing safe, effective, quality care to all of our patients.” 2013 will be another busy year for CareLink implementations. For the first half of the year, there is a go-live scheduled for each month. Additionally, CHE will also begin to implement electronic physician documentation, which is optional under meaningful use stage 2. This can eliminate the need for dictating discharge summaries, progress notes, procedure notes, history/physical notes, etc. Instead, it provides the clinician with numerous templates to use, thus saving time, making the notes more legible, and giving structure to data for outcomes analysis. “The success of the CareLink initiative is the result of the knowledge, skill and dedication of our colleagues at the RHCs working closely with our colleagues at CHE,” said Jeffry I. Komins, M.D., executive vice president, chief quality officer and chief medical officer, CHE. “Together they have advanced our journey to Vision 2017.”

areLink, the process being used to evaluate outcomes of care, with evidence-guided order sets, and measuring quality improvements in the delivery of care is being initiated system-wide. It is the integrated approach to using technology to aid delivery of evidence-based care. Accomplished by using common order sets, care plans, workflows and clinical decision support in an electronic health records system, CareLink is transforming the way that care is provided throughout our ministry. In order to ease this huge culture shift, a group of talented employees at Sisters of Providence Health System’s Mercy Medical Center came up with the clever idea of using the infamous “Electric Slide” song to help spread the message of using electronic health records. “The song was used to complement the theme—‘It’s Electric’—from paper to electronic,” said Joan Methe, chief information officer, Sisters of Providence Health System. The dance craze that started in 1976 brought together hundreds of employees from all departments and together they performed a video that was used for their go-live on November 1, 2012. In conjunction with a pep rally theme, Mercy Medical Center employees also enjoyed special “kick-off” events at the hospital while viewing the video.

Sisters of Providence Health System employees, including CEO Dan Moen and CMO Scott Wolf, D.O. (front; second and third from the left), performed the ‘Electric Slide’ for the CareLink kick-off video.

that had lyrics that could be modified to reflect the theme of EMR. ‘The Electric Slide’ turned out to be a nice fit, easily lending itself to our ‘It’s Electric’ video.”

The team worked with a local radio personality who specializes in song parodies to write the lyrics and produce the music bed. Maureen Lanzoni, R.N., director of nursing systems, and Mike Aubrey of Mercy’s multimedia department, traveled the hospital halls on several occasions, “The concept was to engage all staff at every recruiting staff and department participation from level on this exciting project as well as encourage a variety of areas. Ultimately, over 150 employees participated in the video recording, ranging from team building and staff satisfaction,” said Mary Orr, media specialist, who is part of the CareLink physicians, nurses, medical records personnel, administration, information services colleagues, communications team which included the dietary department and others. “Their representatives from marketing, IT and clinical enthusiasm was contagious!” said Orr. areas. “The communications team brainstormed on innovative ways to capture staff attention and engage at all levels,” said Orr. “Our goal was to build excitement as we planned for CPOE ‘go live’ whether staff were directly involved or not. We looked for a song that everybody knew and

In order for the video to go seamless, a link to a YouTube “instructional” video—to help people practice the dance steps—was sent out to employees; experienced electric slide dancers were also available on site for instruction.

The “It’s Electric” video debuted at the CareLink kick-off event that drew over 400 staff members. It has also been shown to the SPHS board and posted to YouTube. To date, it has been viewed over 1,100 times. “We faced a number of challenges, such as producing the script for vocals, logistics for taping and coordination of the finale sequence,” said Orr. “Although the challenges were numerous, it was well worth the effort.” “The video was tremendously successful in generating interest and enthusiasm for the CareLink initiative,” said Methe. “The feedback from staff was fantastic and comes as a direct result of the diligent efforts and teamwork of those involved in the promotion and implementation of the project.” “It’s electric … Mercy, Mercy, Mercy.” View the video at: tinyurl.com/mercycarelink. For more information contact Mary Orr, communications and media specialist, Sisters of Providence Health System, 413.748.7217, mary.orr@sphs.com. (Mary Orr contributed to this article).

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CareLink Implementations

Creative Collaboration Builds Awareness of CareLink Initiative

C Gina Rovelli, R.N., and Mark Diltz of Preferred Solutions, Inc., work together to review information during Mercy Medical Center’s CareLink “go live.”

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“It’s Electric!”

Reach the Halfway Mark

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that had lyrics that could be modified to reflect the theme of EMR. ‘The Electric Slide’ turned out to be a nice fit, easily lending itself to our ‘It’s Electric’ video.”

Colleague Engagement

Gains Across the System

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Frequently Asked Questions…

Catholic Health East Sponsors

We keep hearing the term ‘consolidation’ being used to refer to the proposed coming together of CHE and Trinity Health. How is this different than a ‘merger’?

Learn more at http://www.che.org/about/sponsheritage.php.

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Two Histories; One Heritage

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Catholic Trinity Health to Form

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10 Minutes with... J

Joe Swedish and

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Below: Brian Barrish, help desk team lead (left), and John Ludwig, help desk analyst, look at the status board in the CHE’s IS Support Center.

Joe Swedish and Judy Persichilli

Weathering the Storm: CHE, Local Ministries

Left to right: David Quinn, CHE’s manager, shared service procurement, and Lisa Fulginiti, CHE’s senior buyer, shared service procurement.

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Judy Persichilli greater ability to invest in ministries and serve communities with limited access to care.

Because of the threat posed by this massive storm, preparations at the CHE System Office and at several northeastern RHCs began days before Sandy arrived.

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system will provide nearly $1 billion in community benefit programs and services to the poor and underserved of our communities throughout the nation.

Celebrate Our Core Values and

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Deadline: March 11, 2013

Winter 2012-2013

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HORIZONS is a publication for the Sponsors, Boards, Regional Leadership, System Office and Colleagues of Catholic Health East.

Horizons Editorial Staff