Our move to the new hospital is here. This once in a lifetime, historic opportunity will allow us to bring the best possible healthcare to communities in the Hudson Valley. Our patients have high expectations of us, as they should. Exceeding these expectations belongs to each and every one of us. A brand new hospital means little if we don’t treat our patients and their families with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect. Therefore, in addition to providing quality healthcare services, my expectation of all hospital family is to always model professional behavior. Greeting our patients and visitors with a smile and in a friendly manner makes an extraordinary difference. Going above and beyond has an exceptional impact.
We have a wonderful new state-of-the-art facility that will help us raise the level of quality healthcare throughout the region and enable us to provide new services and programs never imagined just a few years ago. I have no doubt that you will all take great care of our new home as if it were your own. Please treat our building, equipment and furnishings with respect because they need to last a long time. Always strive to maintain neatness, order and cleanliness no matter where you are in the hospital.
Your flexibility and patience is appreciated as we adjust to our new surroundings. Keep a positive attitude. Your co-workers and our patients will thank you for it.
Please remember that a strong team is virtually unstoppable and I know we all want our new hospital to be the best it can be. With your continuous dedication and compassion, Orange Regional Medical Center will lead the way and serve as a prime example of excellent healthcare in New York State and beyond.
I’ll see you in the new hospital.
Friday, July 8, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
On the go!
We are going through a number of significant changes currently. Acknowledging that change can be exhilarating, challenging and exhausting it can also be stressful, even if it’s positive. Implementing the EHR system was a major, yet positive, change in how we do our work. Likewise, the new hospital will also bring about a drastic change to our work environment, our relationships with co-workers and, for some, their reporting structure. Nevertheless, we need to have extra patience and focus on the basics when at work. Amidst all these distractions that come with change, patients are always our number one priority. During the move to the new hospital, patient safety will remain our number one priority.
It’s important for us to recognize that we are all going through this stressful time together as preparations for our move continue. We must deal with our own stress in the best way possible so as not to compromise the delivery of services to our patients and for our own well being. Everyone copes with stress individually and I encourage you to deal with your stress in a positive way and that best suits you.
Regarding quality of care, we have been doing really well so far. As I round, I have received positive feedback from our patients about nursing care, physicians, food service and house-keeping. I have even heard that it’s quieter at night. It was incredible to see that inpatient satisfaction actually increased during the EHR implementation. That is an outstanding accomplishment!
Preparations for our occupancy at the new facility are quickly coming together as we are ready for yet another Department of Health building survey. Furnishing and moveable medical equipment installations have begun and the installation of fixed medical equipment is 95 percent complete. Artwork is scheduled to be delivered and displayed throughout the facility starting the week of July 11. Support departments will start moving in mid-July and the patient move is still on schedule for August 5, 2011.
Moving our patients is an enormously complex activity. We have planned the patient move for years with Orange Regional staff as well as with numerous Village, Town, City, County and State agencies. Of course, the most important and critical part of the plan is the detail surrounding the actual day that our patients move into the new hospital. That’s why on June 29, we will take the patient move plan, put it into motion and undergo a mock patient move. We will be transporting ‘patients’ (played by those who offer to volunteer) via ambulances from the Arden Hill and Horton Campuses to the new facility. Command Centers will be set up at all three locations.
Additionally, a comprehensive plan to safely and efficiently move departments, equipment, records and staff from the Arden Hill and Horton Campuses to the new hospital has been developed and is also coming to fruition. Each department has developed a plan that focuses on pre-move, move day and post-move activities. For details regarding your department’s move plan, please speak with your supervisor.
Over the next several weeks, please stay calm and focused on the basics of taking care of our patients. A brand new hospital means little if we cannot deliver exceptional healthcare to every patient, every time. I thank you for your effort and dedication in helping the organization reach this historic milestone. Keep up the great work!
It’s important for us to recognize that we are all going through this stressful time together as preparations for our move continue. We must deal with our own stress in the best way possible so as not to compromise the delivery of services to our patients and for our own well being. Everyone copes with stress individually and I encourage you to deal with your stress in a positive way and that best suits you.
Regarding quality of care, we have been doing really well so far. As I round, I have received positive feedback from our patients about nursing care, physicians, food service and house-keeping. I have even heard that it’s quieter at night. It was incredible to see that inpatient satisfaction actually increased during the EHR implementation. That is an outstanding accomplishment!
Preparations for our occupancy at the new facility are quickly coming together as we are ready for yet another Department of Health building survey. Furnishing and moveable medical equipment installations have begun and the installation of fixed medical equipment is 95 percent complete. Artwork is scheduled to be delivered and displayed throughout the facility starting the week of July 11. Support departments will start moving in mid-July and the patient move is still on schedule for August 5, 2011.
Moving our patients is an enormously complex activity. We have planned the patient move for years with Orange Regional staff as well as with numerous Village, Town, City, County and State agencies. Of course, the most important and critical part of the plan is the detail surrounding the actual day that our patients move into the new hospital. That’s why on June 29, we will take the patient move plan, put it into motion and undergo a mock patient move. We will be transporting ‘patients’ (played by those who offer to volunteer) via ambulances from the Arden Hill and Horton Campuses to the new facility. Command Centers will be set up at all three locations.
Additionally, a comprehensive plan to safely and efficiently move departments, equipment, records and staff from the Arden Hill and Horton Campuses to the new hospital has been developed and is also coming to fruition. Each department has developed a plan that focuses on pre-move, move day and post-move activities. For details regarding your department’s move plan, please speak with your supervisor.
Over the next several weeks, please stay calm and focused on the basics of taking care of our patients. A brand new hospital means little if we cannot deliver exceptional healthcare to every patient, every time. I thank you for your effort and dedication in helping the organization reach this historic milestone. Keep up the great work!
Monday, April 25, 2011
Electronic Health Records
Thanks to the leadership of our Chief Information Officer and Vice President of IT, Shafiq Rab, his staff and our partnership with EPIC, we have forever transformed the way we practice medicine and care for our patients at Orange Regional. We experienced one of the best conversions in the nation, going from a paper record to an electronic record for each patient virtually overnight. Additionally, we have already achieved over 90% Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE). This is a remarkable accomplishment that improves the accuracy of orders for patients and minimizes delays in care and treatment.
The EPIC system redefines how physicians practice medicine and also provides direct access to best practice methods. It provides us the ability to maintain a single, complete and current patient medical record, thereby enhancing patient safety and accuracy of medical history, outcomes and continuity of care. Patient information is derived off of a single database for inpatient care, ambulatory care and care provided in the private offices of our physicians who choose to participate, allowing clinicians to capture clinical data instantly and more efficiently. Further, the system helps to ensure compliance with organizational best practices at every point in the care process.
Having a state-of-the-art electronic health record system is new and exciting. However, the real benefit is our ability to enhance patient safety, improve patient outcomes, consistently utilize best practices and increase communication of patient information to all necessary clinicians. As we learn to optimize the system in the future, we will have the capability to tap into advanced research using the clinical information now readily available to us.
Many of our employees and physicians have embraced our new technology by contributing to the developments of our EHR functionalities, becoming super users, developing training programs or being on stand-by for support. No matter what your role, together we have taken a huge leap forward. I sincerely appreciate your hard work and dedication.
Thank you for doing your part to make the EPIC “go live” a great success! We will continue to rely on your participation. It is well-known that successful implementations depend on employee engagement. Please stay calm and be patient. I believe we are all eager to benefit from a system that will improve our workflow, increase efficiency and allow us to enhance the quality of care we deliver to our patients.
The EPIC system redefines how physicians practice medicine and also provides direct access to best practice methods. It provides us the ability to maintain a single, complete and current patient medical record, thereby enhancing patient safety and accuracy of medical history, outcomes and continuity of care. Patient information is derived off of a single database for inpatient care, ambulatory care and care provided in the private offices of our physicians who choose to participate, allowing clinicians to capture clinical data instantly and more efficiently. Further, the system helps to ensure compliance with organizational best practices at every point in the care process.
Having a state-of-the-art electronic health record system is new and exciting. However, the real benefit is our ability to enhance patient safety, improve patient outcomes, consistently utilize best practices and increase communication of patient information to all necessary clinicians. As we learn to optimize the system in the future, we will have the capability to tap into advanced research using the clinical information now readily available to us.
Many of our employees and physicians have embraced our new technology by contributing to the developments of our EHR functionalities, becoming super users, developing training programs or being on stand-by for support. No matter what your role, together we have taken a huge leap forward. I sincerely appreciate your hard work and dedication.
Thank you for doing your part to make the EPIC “go live” a great success! We will continue to rely on your participation. It is well-known that successful implementations depend on employee engagement. Please stay calm and be patient. I believe we are all eager to benefit from a system that will improve our workflow, increase efficiency and allow us to enhance the quality of care we deliver to our patients.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
The Greater Hudson Valley Health System
Orange Regional Medical Center and Catskill Regional Medical Center are members of the Greater Hudson Valley Health System (GHVHS). This year, we are integrating the corporate departments into the GHVHS structure including Finance, Human Resources, Quality, Planning and Marketing, IT, Legal, Corporate Compliance and Real Estate and Audit. The purpose of combining the corporate departments is to save money on overhead expenses and standardize work at both organizations. We continue to work closer and more efficiently as one system. This is good for both organizations; strengthening each hospital individually.
Implementation and training for the successful launch of the EPIC Electronic Health Record System is in full swing as we prepare to “go live” in late March. The training program is going very well and I’m very impressed by the enthusiasm of our nurses and physicians. A special thank you to the IT and education staff for their dedication and hard work.
There are many benefits to the EPIC system. One huge improvement will be in the ordering of medications. With physicians ordering prescriptions directly to the pharmacy, hours of time will be saved and the opportunity for errors greatly reduced. This is a key benefit of the EPIC system and will improve the timeliness and safety of medications delivered to our patients.
An extraordinary focus of ours in 2011 will be delivering the new hospital on time and within budget. We’ll continue to monitor costs, keep a close eye on the construction schedule and execute move plans to coincide with a seamless transition for our patients. I recently met with Fred Kummer, President and CEO of HBE, our design-build firm. Coincidentally, Fred was born at Horton Hospital and will celebrate his 82nd birthday on April 23, 2011: the same day we are scheduled to complete construction. Having noted a very special connection to this project, Fred has assured us that it will be completed on his birthday, as scheduled.
There is a tremendous amount of enthusiasm and energy surrounding our progress and what needs to be accomplished this year. Still, favorable patient experiences must remain at the forefront of providing quality healthcare. Starting in January, Lou Heimbach, Chairman of the Board, and I have been making patient rounds. We have interviewed patients at both the Horton and Arden Hill Campuses and have received very favorable feedback from patients and family members. Thank you for all you do in taking great care of our patients every single day.
Implementation and training for the successful launch of the EPIC Electronic Health Record System is in full swing as we prepare to “go live” in late March. The training program is going very well and I’m very impressed by the enthusiasm of our nurses and physicians. A special thank you to the IT and education staff for their dedication and hard work.
There are many benefits to the EPIC system. One huge improvement will be in the ordering of medications. With physicians ordering prescriptions directly to the pharmacy, hours of time will be saved and the opportunity for errors greatly reduced. This is a key benefit of the EPIC system and will improve the timeliness and safety of medications delivered to our patients.
An extraordinary focus of ours in 2011 will be delivering the new hospital on time and within budget. We’ll continue to monitor costs, keep a close eye on the construction schedule and execute move plans to coincide with a seamless transition for our patients. I recently met with Fred Kummer, President and CEO of HBE, our design-build firm. Coincidentally, Fred was born at Horton Hospital and will celebrate his 82nd birthday on April 23, 2011: the same day we are scheduled to complete construction. Having noted a very special connection to this project, Fred has assured us that it will be completed on his birthday, as scheduled.
There is a tremendous amount of enthusiasm and energy surrounding our progress and what needs to be accomplished this year. Still, favorable patient experiences must remain at the forefront of providing quality healthcare. Starting in January, Lou Heimbach, Chairman of the Board, and I have been making patient rounds. We have interviewed patients at both the Horton and Arden Hill Campuses and have received very favorable feedback from patients and family members. Thank you for all you do in taking great care of our patients every single day.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Happy New Year
This will be a monumental year for our organization. We will make historic transformations in the way we deliver healthcare by implementing our Electronic Health Record (EHR) system and consolidating the Arden Hill and Horton Campuses into our new state-of-the-art facility. We are also expected to provide excellent care to every patient, every day. All of the steps we take to accomplish these goals will require patience, flexibility and a great deal of energy.
Training for EHR is well underway with approximately 600 scheduled sessions for the nurses, physicians and employees required to use the system. This extraordinary training effort is key to the success of one’s ability to effectively use the system to deliver patient care; we cannot just “go through the motions”. When our EHR system goes live in March, the paper chart will disappear and will be replaced with the electronic patient chart. You will need to implement what you have learned. There will be a significant support system in place, comprised of EHR experts, to assist throughout this transition.
Construction of the new hospital continues on budget and on schedule with completion expected in late April. Soon after, equipment and furniture will be delivered and installed, numerous inspections will be conducted by various State and local agencies, an intense cleaning effort will be conducted and all staff will be oriented. Our expectation is to be completely moved into our new hospital campus by late August with all patients, from the Arden Hill and Horton Campuses, transferred in one day.
In the meantime, we need to remain focused on patient satisfaction and achieving successful patient outcomes. As we have witnessed with our outstanding Joint Commission survey last month, we can achieve any goal, when we stay focused and work as a team. Additionally, patient rounding is an extremely effective way to increase patient satisfaction. Therefore, Chairman of the Board Lou Heimbach and I are making patient rounds twice per month. While we will be visiting with our patients, we also look forward to seeing you in our travels.
I am very proud of our accomplishments to date. This year will mark a milestone for us as professionals and as an organization. It will also be a new a new era for our patients and an opportunity for us to raise the bar for healthcare in the entire region. Exciting and challenging days lie ahead. Please do your best every day and stay focused. Together, as a team, we can achieve success.
Training for EHR is well underway with approximately 600 scheduled sessions for the nurses, physicians and employees required to use the system. This extraordinary training effort is key to the success of one’s ability to effectively use the system to deliver patient care; we cannot just “go through the motions”. When our EHR system goes live in March, the paper chart will disappear and will be replaced with the electronic patient chart. You will need to implement what you have learned. There will be a significant support system in place, comprised of EHR experts, to assist throughout this transition.
Construction of the new hospital continues on budget and on schedule with completion expected in late April. Soon after, equipment and furniture will be delivered and installed, numerous inspections will be conducted by various State and local agencies, an intense cleaning effort will be conducted and all staff will be oriented. Our expectation is to be completely moved into our new hospital campus by late August with all patients, from the Arden Hill and Horton Campuses, transferred in one day.
In the meantime, we need to remain focused on patient satisfaction and achieving successful patient outcomes. As we have witnessed with our outstanding Joint Commission survey last month, we can achieve any goal, when we stay focused and work as a team. Additionally, patient rounding is an extremely effective way to increase patient satisfaction. Therefore, Chairman of the Board Lou Heimbach and I are making patient rounds twice per month. While we will be visiting with our patients, we also look forward to seeing you in our travels.
I am very proud of our accomplishments to date. This year will mark a milestone for us as professionals and as an organization. It will also be a new a new era for our patients and an opportunity for us to raise the bar for healthcare in the entire region. Exciting and challenging days lie ahead. Please do your best every day and stay focused. Together, as a team, we can achieve success.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Seasons Greetings
As we prepare to close the year, I want to thank our hospital family for your contributions. Collectively, your efforts touched the lives of thousands of patients and their families throughout the year.
As I look ahead, we have a very exciting year on the horizon. I seek your continued support and participation in all initiatives at Orange Regional: improving patient satisfaction and employee engagement; becoming a LEAN hospital; going live with our EHR System; opening our new facility and continuing to sustain existing and develop new service lines. Improving the health of our community by providing exceptional care requires dedication and commitment from everyone.
Please enjoy this holiday season. I wish you a peaceful, happy and healthy New Year.
As I look ahead, we have a very exciting year on the horizon. I seek your continued support and participation in all initiatives at Orange Regional: improving patient satisfaction and employee engagement; becoming a LEAN hospital; going live with our EHR System; opening our new facility and continuing to sustain existing and develop new service lines. Improving the health of our community by providing exceptional care requires dedication and commitment from everyone.
Please enjoy this holiday season. I wish you a peaceful, happy and healthy New Year.
Friday, November 19, 2010
A Thanksgiving Message
As we enter the season of Thanksgiving, I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to our hospital family for your contribution to improving healthcare in our region.
Collectively, our efforts have touched the lives of thousands of patients and their families who turn to Orange Regional Medical Center each year. I would encourage everyone to take a few moments to reflect on the areas in your life that require gratitude.
Organizationally, there is a great deal to be thankful for. Examples include, but are not limited to, the countless lives saved with services such as angioplasty, as we are on track to perform more than 2,000 catheterizations by the close of 2010. Our Core Measures data continues to improve which means we are delivering quality healthcare using proven therapies, developed by The Joint Commission, to treat our patients. Our patient satisfaction scores are increasing which is a reflection of the care we provide. We are on time and on budget with the construction of our new hospital. To date, Capital Campaign contributions total more than $20 million toward our $21 million goal. Due to our commitment to manage our organization responsibly, we are financially stable which allows us to provide new and enhanced services to our community.
The magnitude of what we do everyday demonstrates the significant role Orange Regional plays in our community. For this, our patients thank us. I, in turn, offer my sincere appreciation for your dedication and focus in working to meet and exceed our patients’ needs as we continue to work toward being the best regional hospital in New York State.
I wish you and your families a safe and healthy Thanksgiving holiday.
Collectively, our efforts have touched the lives of thousands of patients and their families who turn to Orange Regional Medical Center each year. I would encourage everyone to take a few moments to reflect on the areas in your life that require gratitude.
Organizationally, there is a great deal to be thankful for. Examples include, but are not limited to, the countless lives saved with services such as angioplasty, as we are on track to perform more than 2,000 catheterizations by the close of 2010. Our Core Measures data continues to improve which means we are delivering quality healthcare using proven therapies, developed by The Joint Commission, to treat our patients. Our patient satisfaction scores are increasing which is a reflection of the care we provide. We are on time and on budget with the construction of our new hospital. To date, Capital Campaign contributions total more than $20 million toward our $21 million goal. Due to our commitment to manage our organization responsibly, we are financially stable which allows us to provide new and enhanced services to our community.
The magnitude of what we do everyday demonstrates the significant role Orange Regional plays in our community. For this, our patients thank us. I, in turn, offer my sincere appreciation for your dedication and focus in working to meet and exceed our patients’ needs as we continue to work toward being the best regional hospital in New York State.
I wish you and your families a safe and healthy Thanksgiving holiday.
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