Weekly Report for January 15, 2015 – Honoring Choices

January 15, 2015

Scott Bond

Last week, WSHA and WSMA launched the Honoring Choices Pacific Northwest website. If you missed the KPLU story, catch it here.

We are working to give everyone the tools they need to think through their values and their choices, and to guide people through sharing those plans with their loved ones and health care teams.

We’re also working with our members—physicians and hospitals—to get involved in Honoring Choices PNW to help them be better partners in that planning throughout a patient’s life. As patients become more active in making health care choices at age 18, 25, 40, 65 and beyond, it’s important that providers be comfortable starting and having those conversations. By teaching physicians and others to open up these conversations, we can better support our patients’ decisions.

We encourage you to spend a little time on www.honoringchoicesPNW.org, read Dr. Jeff Collins’ column in WSMA Reports, or read the beautiful Being Mortal by the inspiring Atul Gawande. A lot to think about.

Scott signature

Scott Bond
WSHA President and CEO
ScottB@wsha.org

Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital Joins the Healthier Hospitals Initiative

Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital has joined 35 other Washington State hospitals in enrolling with the Healthier Hospitals Initiative. HHI seeks to improve safety, fiscal responsibility, nutrition and sustainability within hospitals. Each hospital can choose which of six challenge areas to focus on, and Memorial has chosen to improve its capability to provide healthier food, use leaner energy, and better engage leadership.

WSHA is a partner of HHI because of the shared values of taking better care of patients, staff and the environment. Read more about WSHA’s involvement in HHI here.

Memorial’s commitment was covered in the Yakima Herald Republic this week with a story and a video. They report that Memorial’s cafeteria, where small green stickers reading “Healthy Choices, Healthy Yakima” allow people to choose nutritious meal options. Patient meals will also be receiving new guidelines, via a revised patient menu, to ensure that every patient is provided healthier, more meaningful food alternatives.

HHI provides support to urban and rural hospitals who want to take on a challenge. Joining is free– contact Katie Holmes at katies@wsha.org or 206/216-2506 for more information. (Lilia Drain, liliacd@wsha.org)

Legislative Session Kick-Off Webcast: Watch it Now

Don’t worry, you didn’t miss it! On Tuesday, Cassie Sauer and Claudia Sanders hosted a webcast to talk about the state’s health care environment, the legislative environment, and WSHA’s policy and budget priorities. The webcast recording is now available. Watch at your leisure, and if you are a WSHA member with questions, contact Cassie at cassies@wsha.org or 206/216-2538.

Certified Application Counselor’s (CACs) Re-Certification testing to close January 31, 2015

The closing date for CACs to take the re-certification exam is January 31, 2015. The Exchange will be ending the user access for those CACs that have not passed the re-certification exam. Please pass this information on to your CACs. If someone’s user access is terminated and they decide they want to continue this work they will need to take and pass the exam. That option will remain open but their user access will be interrupted until they pass their exam. If you need assistance in registering your CAC’s, please Contact Marty Burns, marty.burns@wahbexchange.org or you can reach her by phone at 360-688-7836. Marty can also help if you need information regarding those CACs that have:

  • Taken and passed the exam
  • Taken and failed the exam
  • Been registered for the exam but not taken it
  • Currently working as a CAC but have not been registered to take the exam (Barbara Gorham, barbarag@wsha.org)

The Goal is Zero: Washington State does well in CDC report on infections

The CDC released its National and State Healthcare-Associated Infection Progress Report yesterday, and Washington State showed very strong progress toward the goal of eliminating infections in hospitals. Hospitals have been working to develop and implement the best practices in infection control, and our efforts are making a difference.

Two big areas of success for Washington in this report is a 46 percent drop in central-line infections (CLABSI) and a 22 percent drop in MRSA infections. Read the CDC report here.

This report focuses on national and state progress in reducing infections occurring within acute care hospitals, but in fact, the CDC says that the majority of Clostridium difficile infections and MRSA infections develop in the community or are diagnosed outside the hospital. We hope that some of our learnings about these infections will help patients in any setting.

Want to learn more about how your local hospital is doing on infections, and what patients can do to reduce their chance of getting an infection? Visit www.wahospitalquality.org (Mary Kay Clunies-Ross, marykaycr@wsha.org)

Certificate of Need for Tertiary Care

The Washington State Department of Health (the Department) Certificate of Need program has announced it is moving forward with review of tertiary health services that are subject to Certificate of Need. The Department will determine whether any changes are necessary to the tertiary health services list. Changes could include additions to or deletions from the list.

We want to make sure you are aware this process has started so you can participate as appropriate in the public comment period, the first phase of which is January 1, 2015 to February 28, 2015.  Read the entire WSHA bulletin here. (Zosia Stanley, zosias@wsha.org)

2014 WHPAC Campaign a Huge Success!

Our 2014 PAC campaign has been a terrific success, raising more than $191,000 – surpassing our goal of $170,000! This was the most our PAC has ever raised in a single year. These contributions, along with contributions in 2013 and contributions from Washington Hospital Services, allowed us to give more than $329,000 to state candidates and more than $86,000 to federal candidates in the 2014 elections.

With the importance of the elections, your contributions play a critical role in allowing us to support the campaigns for hospital and health care champions.  We truly appreciate all the PAC contributions received – large and small.

Additionally, we had 100% WSHA Board participation and more than half the hospital leadership teams reach their individual hospital/health system goal.  For a full list of the hospital leadership teams that met goal, please click here.

Thank you very much for your continued support of the PAC. It is a tremendous part of our advocacy program. It helps us support and elect champions for health care and hospital services in Olympia and Washington D.C. and unifies our political voice. WSHA looks forward to representing you in Olympia. Please continue to let us know how we can serve you. Cassie Sauer (cassies@wsha.org) and Lori Martinez (lorim@wsha.org)

MultiCare Good Samaritan Welcomes New Chief Operating Officer

Chris Bredeson will assume the role of Chief Operating Officer (COO) for MultiCare Good Samaritan Hospital on January 26th, following Marcia Johnson as COO, who retired on January 2nd.

Chris joined MultiCare in January 2013 as Administrator of the Oncology Service Line. In addition to this leadership role, Chris is also member of the MHS Quality Steering Council, MultiCare Institute for Innovation and Research Oversight Committee, and Carol Milgard Breast Center Leadership and Strategy Committee.

Chris’ career in healthcare started at Seattle Children’s Hospital where he worked while earning his Bachelor’s Degree in Speech Communication at the University of Washington.   He went on to earn an MBA from City University with an emphasis in Healthcare Administration. Congrats Chris!

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