March 2005

Medical Staff Bulletin

Message from the Chief of Staff

Last month an article on this page recognized "Union attacks Yale-New Haven Hospital in TV ads." I noted that Yale-New Haven Hospital was doing its best to address their distortions. Hopefully, most of our Medical Staff read the Forum article in the New Haven Register on February 6, 2005. Al Johnson, Yale-New Haven Hospital VP for Employee Relations, used the Forum to directly address the misinterpretations in the union TV ads.

In the interim, the union has initiated a major harassment campaign, attempting to clog the telephones and computers at Yale-New Haven Hospital with a barrage of calls and emails. In one day, I received more than 30 calls at my residence from "volunteers" who actually believed they were calling my office.

Most troublesome have been the union efforts to entrain their corporate campaign with city approval of the Proposed Clinical Cancer Center. Elected officials are linking cancer center city approval and union representation. Officials are being challenged to choose between the community good and the political support of the unions. Simultaneously, "white papers" are being released to the local and national press, again attacking free care at Yale-New Haven Hospital with "facts" as distorted as those in the TV ads.

This continues to be a very well organized and financed corporate campaign aimed at unionizing Yale-New Haven Hospital workers while ignoring the National Labor Relations Board secret ballot representation process. The stakes are very high for the SEIU as well as for Yale-New Haven Hospital and our community.

Lot 9 parking relocations

In preparation for the demolition of the Grace Building this summer, physicians are being notified that they are being relocated from Lot #9 to the Children's Hospital garage. There is more space in the Children's Hospital garage than there was in Lot #9. Valet parking on weekdays is being moved out of the Children's Hospital garage to other surface lot locations near the hospital to accommodate the increase in physician parkers in this location.

ProPark personnel will provide the same level of service within the garage as in Lot #9, including monitoring spaces, directing doctors into open spaces and if necessary, providing valet assistance within the garage. There is also a Propark attendant stationed in the booth, Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., who can monitor access into the garage and offer assistance.

The Children's Hospital garage has the same high level of safety and security as all other garages used by Yale-New Haven Hospital staff and patients. The garage is continually monitored by closed circuit televisions, with 12 Blue Light Intercom Panic Stations (6 on each level). Security Services conducts regular garage patrols, and offers a walking escort to a car, on request, any time of day or night.

If you have questions or want more information, contact Nick Proto, acting director of security & protective services, at (203) 688-1753.

New order rules

CCSS order entry has been enhanced to improve critical documentation. Orders for pediatric patients will require that body weight (in Kg) be entered to guide medication dosing. In addition, allergies must be entered for all patients. Clinicians must select specific drugs or categories of drugs and select the nature of the allergic reaction from a list of signs and symptoms.

Performance Management Update

Below are Yale-New Haven Hospital's November performance numbers for the set of measures we report to Medicare and JCAHO each month. Our goal for 2005 is to exceed the national 90th percentile for every measure, and we continue to close the gap toward that goal.

Yale-New Haven Hospital still has significant opportunity, however, to improve the treatment of patients with community-acquired pneumonia and to improve the delivery of discharge instructions for patients with heart failure.

As we have previously stated in this column, we will be sending reminder notes to attending physicians who have no documentation of discharge instructions or who have failed to prescribe appropriate medications at discharge (or documentation of why the medication was not indicated).

Many thanks to all those whose hard work has benefited our patients, as evidenced by the improvement in our measures. If you have any questions, please call Dr. Tom Balcezak at (203) 688-1343.

November Performance

Yale-New Haven Hospital will be celebrating National Doctor's Day - Thursday, March 31 - with a special breakfast in honor of its Medical Staff. Please plan to stop by the Medical Staff Lounge (WP 106) between 7 and 8:30 a.m.

HIPAA reminder

Last summer, members of the Medical Staff received a letter from the department of Physician Services which included a summary of the Yale-New Haven Hospital System HIPAA security policies. Some of the key points include:

• Personal Health Information (PHI) stored on a portable computing device must be encrypted to protect it from disclosure in the event of loss or theft.
• Computer user IDs and their corresponding passwords must be kept confidential and cannot be shared with anyone else.
• If you are aware of a security related incident, including lost or stolen computing device, please call the MIS HELP Desk (688-HELP).

The deadline for documenting HIPAA security training is April 2005. Please contact the department of Physician Services at (203) 688-2615 if you have not received the HIPAA mailing or would like an additional copy.

Leaves of absence

Members of the Medical Staff who wish to request a leave of absence must submit their request in writing to the Chief of Staff. The initial leave of absence can be requested for up to one calendar year. Under special circumstances, an extension may be requested and, if approved by the Chief of Staff, granted for a maximum total of two years. Re-appointment applications must be completed during a leave of absence. Individuals who do not complete the required re-appointment paperwork, or who are absent for more than two years, shall be deemed to have resigned from the Medical Staff effective as of the end of the leave. If the member wishes to rejoin the Medical Staff, a re-application will be required. In order to return from a leave, the member of the Medical Staff must notify the Department of Physician Services in writing and provide proof of current malpractice insurance coverage as well as any other outstanding documentation.

Refer items for the next issue of Medical Staff Bulletin via phone, fax, e-mail or mail to:
Peter N. Herbert, MD
1063 Clinic Building
P: (203) 688-2604, F: (203) 688-7152
herbertpn@ynhh.org
or
Katie Murphy
Marketing & Communications
GB 443
P: (203) 688-2492, F: (203) 688-2491
Katie.Murphy@ynhh.org

Back issues of the Medical Staff Bulletin:

• January 2005
• December 2004
• November 2004
• October 2004
• September 2004
• July 2004
• June 2004
• May 2004
• April 2004
• March 2004
• February 2004
• January 2004
• January/February 2003
• October/November 2002
• August/September 2002
• April/May 2002
• February/March 2002
• January 2002
• November 2001
• July/August 2001

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Last revised: March 16, 2005 (mv)

Home page URL: http://www.ynhh.org

All information is intended for your general knowledge and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions. You should seek prompt medical care for any specific health issues and consult your physician before starting a new fitness regimen.