Good Day Ascension - Fall 2018

Good Day Ascension For Associates of Our One Integrated Ministry

Fall 2018

New lives, new stories MOMS SHARE HOW BIRTH EXPERIENCES REFLECT OUR ASCENSION WAY

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ASPIRE supports emerging leaders / Finding new ways to combat the opioid crisis / Ascension Medical Group is a vital part of the Advanced Strategic Direction

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INSIDE:

WELCOME

A word from our Sponsor

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n this edition of Good Day Ascension you will learn about many ways associates and caregivers like you are living our Mission as a ministry of the Church, from caring for our most vulnerable newborns to ways we’re enhancing primary care, and more. Through it all, the Mission is at the core of everything we do and every decision we make.

The role of the Ascension Sponsor is to ensure we remain true to the Values and heritage of those who founded our local ministries — our historic sponsors. But our ministry is blessed by the work of all our associates, all our caregivers, who bring those Values and heritage to life in the communities we are privileged to serve.

On behalf of all the members of the Ascension Sponsor, thank you for your contributions to our healing ministry, today and every day.

Sister Mary Kay Hadican, CSJ — Chair, Ascension Sponsor

View from the Board

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s Ascension both leads the transformation of healthcare and responds to the quickly evolving world in which we operate, we face many challenges and opportunities. Our Advanced Strategic Direction, encompassing our Dual Transformation, is the road map that shows us the way to survive and thrive now and into the future. And you are the key to its success.

Ascension is committed to addressing disparities and inequities; to continue improving safety and clinical quality; to enhancing the experience of those we serve and those who serve — all while strengthening the Catholic health ministry in the United States.

As you go about your daily work, please know that the members of the Board of Directors appreciate all you do to advance our Mission. Our role is to support you and ensure our shared ministry is sustained and enhanced in service to individuals and communities. Thank you for your dedicated service to our ministry and our Mission.

Stephen Dufilho, CPA — Chair, Board of Directors

Happy anniversary, Ascension!

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n Nov. 1, we celebrated 19 years as One Integrated Ministry. It’s remarkable to recall all that has changed over the past 19 years — and to realize how our Mission has remained constant throughout.

That Mission is reflected throughout this edition as we explore the continuum of the lives we touch in Ascension — from stories that mothers have shared about their birth experiences to the focus on primary care to new approaches to pain management. We also explore the results of the 2018 Model Community Survey and celebrate this year’s Mission & Values Awards winners.

We want you to feel connected to our unified ministry and welcome your feedback at GoodDay@ascension.org.

Nick Ragone, Esq. — Senior Vice President, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Ascension

Our Mission: Rooted in the loving ministry of Jesus as healer, we commit ourselves to serving all persons with special attention to those who are poor and vulnerable. Our Catholic health ministry is dedicated to spiritually centered, holistic care which sustains and improves the health of individuals and communities. We are advocates for a compassionate and just society through our actions and our words.

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f wi or a th pa sep tie sis nt po s, yo ster ur yo fa u m ca ily n or sha fri re en ds .

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Ascension launches major initiative to save lives from sepsis

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ANY ONE OF US COULD BE TOUCHED BY SEPSIS. The young and healthy are not spared. The most vulnerable are most at risk.

For every case of sepsis, there is a person, a family and a story.

Sepsis is present in

6% of all U.S. hospitalizations.

About 1 in 3 persons who die in a hospital in the U.S. have sepsis.

There were an estimated 1.7 million sepsis cases nationwide in 2014 and 270,000 deaths. * Rhee C, Dantes R, Epstein L, et al. Incidence and trends of sepsis in U.S. hospitals using clinical vs claims data, 2009-2014. JAMA. 2017; 318(13):1 241-1249. doi:10.1001/jama.2017.13836.

The national statistics about

sepsis are stark, indicating a heavy toll in death and suffering across the U.S., yet 42 percent of Americans have not heard of sepsis.1 Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that happens when a person has an infection and the body responds so strongly that it injures its own tissues and organs. Types of infections that are often linked with sepsis include those of the lung, urinary tract, skin and gut.2 Sepsis can lead to shock, organ failure and death if it’s not treated quickly.

Leaders at Ascension have elevated sepsis care to one of 1

the highest priorities of the national health ministry. In response, each Ministry Market has formed a multidisciplinary sepsis team to lead the effort locally and to collaborate and share learning with their peers across Ascension.

infection prevention strategies in the hospital to decrease the possibility that a person in the hospital will develop sepsis.

“When it comes to sepsis, the numbers only tell part of the story,” said Mohamad Fakih, MD, MPH, Senior Medical Director, Care Excellence at Ascension. “The persons and families we serve are at the heart of all we are doing.

Following best practices in sepsis care for every person, every time is an expression of compassion for those we serve, since we know that adhering to optimal processes will give our patients the best possible chance to survive and heal.”

A critical way to make an impact in reducing the suffering associated with sepsis is to identify sepsis early and treat it promptly. A big push of Ascension’s initiative is to improve the reliability of processes for detecting sepsis and for implementing an evidence-based sepsis treatment bundle. Another area of focus is to bolster

Radius Global Market Research. Sepsis annual study: Sepsis awareness. Prepared for Sepsis Alliance. 2017.

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www.cdc.gov/sepsis

Do you know about sepsis?

Infections

can put you and your family at risk for a life-threatening condition called

sepsis.

How do I prevent sepsis?

Prevent infections.

Talk to your doctor or nurse about steps you can take to prevent infections.

What is sepsis?

Sepsis happens when a person has an infection and the body responds so strongly that it injures its own tissues and organs. Sepsis can lead to shock, organ failure and death if it’s not treated quickly.

Take good care of chronic conditions

Get recommended vaccines

Practice good hygiene.

Remember to wash your hands and keep cuts clean and covered until healed.

Who can get sepsis?

Anyone can get an infection, and almost any infection can lead to sepsis. Some people are at higher risk:

Wash your hands

Keep cuts clean and covered until healed

• Adults 65 or older or children younger than 1 year old

Take antibiotics the way your doctor tells you to.

• Persons with chronic medical conditions, such as diabetes, lung disease, cancer and kidney disease

Follow instructions about how to take the medicine and take it on time (example: once a day, every six hours).

• Persons with weakened immune systems.

About 270,000 people die of sepsis in the U.S. every year.*

Take all the medicine your doctor prescribes, even if you are feeling better.

You may feel better before the antibiotic has fully gotten rid of the infection.

* Rhee C, Dantes R, Epstein L, et al. Incidence and trends of sepsis in U.S. hospitals using clinical vs claims data, 2009-2014. JAMA. 2017; 318(13): 1241-1249.

Learn more at www.cdc.gov/sepsis.

Follow instructions and take medications on time

Take all the medication your doctor prescribes

Sepsis is a medical emergency If you or your loved one has an infection, look out for warning signs of sepsis, such as:

Confusion or disorientation

Shivering, fever or very cold

Extreme pain or discomfort

Clammy or sweaty skin

Short of breath

Rapid heart rate

With sepsis, minutes count. If you spot the signs of sepsis in yourself or a loved one, or if you have an infection that’s not getting better or is getting worse, TAKE ACTION RIGHT AWAY.

See a doctor, call 9-1-1 or go to the hospital immediately.

Be sure to ask, “Could it be sepsis?”

CONTENTS

DEPARTMENTS 4 Mailbox Feedback from associates, and patients and families share letters of thanks to caregivers.

5 Inspiration

Clarification The members of the Ascension Clinical Research Institute analytics team pictured on page 9 in the summer 2018 edition of Good Day Ascension magazine are, from left: Karl Saake, ACRI Senior Clinical Data Analyst; Clariecia Groves, Care Excellence Senior Clinical Data Analyst; Jay Wang, ACRI Senior Data Scientist; Angelo Bufalino, ACRI Senior Director; and Suzanne Miller, ACRI Senior Clinical Data Analyst. Team members not pictured are Phil Roberts, ACRI Director, and Ren-Huai Huang, ACRI Senior Data Scientist.

The Essential Behaviors for Building Community are a way for all associates to integrate our Values into the work we do every day.

6 Up front

20 Focus on AMG

Nearly 100,000 caregivers shared their voice through the 2018 Model Community Survey. …

ASPIRE provides emerging leaders formative, practical and experiential learning opportunities. … Baltimore, Indiana, Oklahoma and Tennessee markets roll out the unified Ascension brand. …

Meet those honored with the Ascension Living the Mission & Values Awards. … A new Clinical Development Program will offer superior education for clinicians. … The Ministry Service Center debuts new customer experience efforts for associates. … Agilify is helping advance process automation inside and outside Ascension.

Primary care is an important element in achieving Ascension’s Advanced Strategic Direction.

14 Getting to know you

22 Gains in pain management

Meet Craig Cordola, Senior Vice President, Ascension Healthcare, and Ministry Market Executive, Ascension Texas.

FEATURES 16 New lives, new stories New moms share stories that reflect compassionate, personalized, high-quality care.

Ascension combats the opioid crisis with a new Pain Management Toolkit.

15 Wellness now

26 A better way

Keep your holidays healthy throughout the season with five important tips.

Learn about the newly developed Ascension Pharmacy structure to improve the health of those we serve.

29 News from the ministries Catch up on what’s happening at Ascension’s health ministries, community health centers and subsidiaries.

On the cover:

Good Day Ascension For Associates of Our One Integrated Ministry

Fall 2018

New lives, new stories MOMS SHARE HOW BIRTH EXPERIENCES REFLECT OUR ASCENSION WAY

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35 The last word Read a few stories you might have missed from GoodDay.Ascension.org.

Back cover From bedside nurse to Director of Women’s Services, Pippa Nicholson-Kuenn, RN, has touched countless lives in Florida for 50 years.

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ASPIRE supports emerging leaders / Finding new ways to combat the opioid crisis / Ascension Medical Group is a vital part of the Advanced Strategic Direction

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INSIDE:

Birth experiences of new mothers across our health ministry, including at Ascension All Saints Hospital in Racine, part of Ascension Wisconsin, are the foundation of a new integrated marketing campaign Ascension launched this fall. See page 16 for more details.

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THE GOOD DAY ASCENSION TEAM WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU ABOUT WHAT YOU LIKE IN THIS MAGAZINE AND SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE EDITIONS. SEND YOUR LETTERS TO THE EDITOR TO GOODDAY@ASCENSION.ORG.

Messages of thanks Feedback on ‘Three Ps for Embracing Stress’ from the daily Good Day Ascension: I really appreciate this reading! I often use the Good Day Ascension morning readings in our daily stand-up meetings. I am excited to share this one today and to invite my fellow associates to take the “P on stress” challenge! Just adding a bit of levity to make it fun!

Blessings to you, Daneale J. White, MDIV, BS Chaplain Via Christi Village Manhattan (Kansas) Ascension Living

Associate responses to ‘A Message on Justice’ by Anthony R. Tersigni, EdD, FACHE, President and Chief Executive Officer, Ascension: Extremely proud as an associate to see Mr. Tersigni uphold our strong, Christian values to protect the youngest and most vulnerable in our country.

Judith Cosky Ascension Michigan

I’m proud to work for a corporation that has leadership willing to speak out against attacks on our most vulnerable.

Thank you, Anthony Tersigni.

Karen Davenport Ascension Wisconsin

Thank you for your article on Justice. … [W]ith our continued prayers for cooperation on both sides of the aisle, we can have confidence that progress

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will be made. Our thoughts and prayers to all involved.

Peter Moreland Ascension Florida

Thank you for this message! I love that Ascension stands behind its values.

Carmen Chavez Garudo Ascension Technologies

Letters from those we serve Leslie [Winchester, RN] was originally my L&D [Labor and Delivery] nurse when we were trying to keep in our preterm baby. The situation got serious very quickly and our 31-week baby was coming … ready or not! Leslie helped me through. ... They took our guy to the [neonatal intensive care unit] and Leslie stayed by my side. … It was such a scary night, but Leslie’s coaching, compassion and comfort were so valuable to me. She reassured me all the way and brought me all the way through recovery. She was definitely the person I needed during that time! Leslie is a saint in my book and incredibly deserving of a DAISY award!

A patient of St. John Medical Center, Ascension Kansas/Oklahoma

I wanted to let you know about the superb nursing care my husband received when he was a patient at Genesys. He was treated with kindness and respect throughout his stay and your nursing staff worked hard to ensure I was kept in the loop. … We had two nurses who had cared for my husband during a previous stay in 2016 and

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remembered us. They both are what every patient would want their nurse to be — experienced, analytical and proactive, while human and personable at the same time. Although they have a ton of responsibility, lots of duties and long hours, neither was too busy to listen, to brainstorm and to contact the doctor numerous times with my questions and their observations.

Thank you again for my husband’s care during his stay.

The wife of a patient at Ascension Genesys Hospital, Ascension Michigan

I was a patient several times last year. I want to thank Dr. Venkata Jasty and the [Behavioral Health] staff for helping me to learn and grow. I look back and thank those people who lifted up my spirits when I couldn’t do it for myself.

A patient of Ascension St. John Hospital Behavioral Health, Ascension Michigan

I recently had a heart valve replacement at your hospital. I was terrified of surgery.

Then my wife and I met Theresa Jameson of the [cardiovascular care unit] and she explained the surgery and all that would happen and she helped calm my nerves.

When I woke up in [the intensive care unit], I could barely move, but ALL the nurses and the entire staff were so nice and caring. They made me feel that I was their only patient. … The therapists, who continued with care and kindness, worked to make me do as much as I could to help myself get my life back in shape.

A patient of Ascension Macomb-Oakland Hospital, Ascension Michigan

I N S P I R AT I O N

Rooted in our Values:

Essential Behaviors for Building Community Where did our Values come from? They came from our associates.

At Ascension’s founding in 1999, our leaders recognized the need for a shared set of values as the new organization brought together many ministries with different traditions and founding stories. Associates representing every ministry in the new system met together in small groups to share stories about how they saw the mission of Catholic healthcare lived out every day. Common themes and words were pulled from these stories and served as the basis for the Ascension Values. From the beginning, our Ascension Values have been deeply rooted in the lived experiences of our associates, patients and communities. Our Values define what we believe in as a healthcare ministry and serve as a challenge to live up to the promise that is held within them.

Where do the Essential Behaviors for Building Community come in?

The Essential Behaviors for Building Community came out of a collaborative process as well. Guided by the Values, a group of associates from across disciplines, both clinical and nonclinical, gathered to consider the behaviors that would best enable us to grow in community with one another and live our promise to those we serve.

Far from a simple tool for performance evaluation, these behaviors give life to the deep meaning of our Ascension Values. Each behavior is a reflection of the Values in action and calls us to a renewed commitment to the Vision that was laid forth at Ascension’s founding.

Our behaviors — Seek deeper truth. Welcome the other. Practice self-awareness. Speak the truth in love. Engage fully. Serve faithfully. Care for those we serve and those who serve beside us. — call us to consider our actions in light of our Values.

The Essential Behaviors for Building Community are a concrete way for all associates to integrate the Values we share into the work we do every day. When we take the time to welcome the other by inviting differing perspectives, for example, we are acting upon the Values that define us as an organization. Welcoming the other is a concrete way of practicing Reverence, Creativity, Integrity, Wisdom, Dedication and Service of the Poor.

For action and reflection: As you look at our seven Essential Behaviors for Building Community, consider how each one might serve as a way of living out our Values.

What concrete connections can you make from your own experience of the Essential Behaviors for Building Community with our Values?

How would living these Values and behaviors each day help build community and allow us to serve our patients and each other better?

FALL 2018

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UP FRONT

Survey says NEARLY 100,000 CAREGIVERS SHARED THEIR VOICES THROUGH THE 2018 MODEL COMMUNITY SURVEY

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ore than 96,000 caregivers across Ascension participated in the 2018 Model Community Survey, one of the many ways leaders gauge how well Ascension is building a culture of collaboration and trust in which associates can fully flourish.

“The results are in, and although there is work to be done, there is also promise that our associates’ voices are truly being heard,” said Herbert J. Vallier, Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, Ascension; Chief Executive Officer, Ascension SmartHealth Solutions. “With input from across Ascension, we developed a leadership cascade to ensure honest feedback — feedback that was provided during the survey and as a result of the survey — is not only listened to but acted upon in the weeks and months to come.”

Responses fell into five central themes: • Organizational change — making associates aware of what and why changes are taking place • Patient experience — having the supplies, equipment and resources needed to provide the utmost compassionate, personalized, quality care to those we serve • Community and ministry — remaining true to our Mission, the core of all we do • Work environment — ensuring associates are equipped with the skills required in the evolving healthcare landscape

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• Appreciation and recognition — finding consistent ways to value those who have answered the call to serve in Ascension “I want to thank everyone who took the time to complete the survey. Your voice is more important than ever as we recommit to our Mission, navigate the current healthcare landscape and determine what it is going to take to transform our health ministry to best position us to serve those in need well into the future,” said Anthony R. Tersigni, EdD, FACHE, President and Chief Executive Officer, Ascension. “I am asking all leaders to develop action plans with accountability clearly defined in response to feedback received. As part of our Mission-inspired transformation, we will continue to develop bold goals for what a thriving and sustainable health ministry will look like and how it will operate into the future.”

• 96,851

caregivers/associates completed the survey

• 73%

completion rate

• 39

questions

• 10

minutes to complete

Stay engaged • Cheers for Peers • Good Day Ascension online and print • Ministry-specific newsletters • myVoice pulsing surveys • TonyDirect@ascension.org (email suggestions or comments directly to Ascension President and CEO Tony Tersigni) • Town Hall meetings

Participants in a huddle at St. Vincent Indianapolis, part of Ascension Indiana, from left: Tiffani McLaurin, Fatema Amro, Greg Tatum, Sheila Johnson, Estoshia Walker and Dorothy Hitchins.

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UP FRONT

Ascension building up ASPIRE-ing leaders ASPIRE PROVIDES EMERGING LEADERS FORMATIVE, PRACTICAL AND EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

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scension has developed a new way to support and grow the next generation of healthcare

leaders.

“In order to sustain our Mission for years to come, we need to support and cultivate leaders with expertise and experience, creativity and courage, to navigate us through the challenging times ahead,” said Patricia A. Maryland, Dr.PH, Executive Vice President, Ascension, and President and Chief Executive Officer, Ascension Healthcare.

That’s the reason for the ASPIRE program, created through the Ascension Leader Institute. The ASPIRE program is charged with providing associates at various career stages formative, practical and experiential learning resources.

“Twenty-eight high-potential, diverse emerging leaders from across our national integrated ministry were selected to be a part of the inaugural ASPIRE community,” Pat said.

Over the course of a year, the participants will explore the important role of leaders in advancing our Mission, living our Values and sustaining Ascension’s identity as a ministry of the Church. A foundational aspect of the program includes executive sponsorship.

“Each participant is aligned with an executive sponsor who will advocate for the emerging leader, engage them in critical ministry projects, and enable career shadowing opportunities based on their unique interests and career

aspirations,” said Carol Whittington, Senior Vice President and Chief Talent Development Officer, Ascension, and Executive Director, Ascension Leader Institute.

“The future is in our hands, and I know all of us are excited and up to the task,” said Brian Swaim, Intensive Care Unit Nurse Manager at Ascension Providence in Mobile, part of Ascension Alabama.

In addition to executive sponsorship, participants will have the opportunity to connect with other leaders across the System and share ideas and resources through online learning as well as to participate in monthly developmental webinars on topics such as servant leadership, personal wellness and leading the Ascension experience.

“I am looking forward to working together … to enhance the model of care that we provide,” said Cassandra Jackson, Program Manager, Community Health/ Bridges to HOPE, an affiliate of Ascension in Detroit.

Ascension’s ASPIRE members are, from left, front row: Ellie Michael (Ascension Tennessee), Adrienne Maygarden (Ascension Florida), Julius Mabey (Ascension Baltimore/Washington), Tamela Pugh (Ascension Alabama), Nicole Commodore (Advocacy), Clauselie Prinvil (Ascension Florida), Lee Duong (Marketing and Communications), Heidi Abdelhady (Ascension Baltimore/Washington), Melissa Weston (System Office), Karen Riewerts (Ascension Lourdes, Binghamton, New York), Rebecca McCormack (Ascension Michigan), Cassandra Jackson (Ascension Michigan), Christine Way (System Office), Talib Khan (Ascension Florida); back row: Peter Confalone (System Office), Rebecca Adkins (Ascension Indiana), Timothy Falade (Ascension Tennessee), Nick Rossi (System Office), Elijah Murrell (System Office), Michael Howze (Ascension Kansas/Oklahoma), Cheryl Taylor (Ascension Wisconsin), Wesley Bryan (Ascension Texas), Jessie Everline (Ascension Texas), Ira Brown (Ascension Indiana), Brian Swaim (Ascension Alabama), and Timothy Cho (Ascension Kansas). Not pictured: Mary Delgadillo (Ascension Texas) and Drinka Marinkovic (Ascension Wisconsin).

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Brand expands MORE MARKETS ARE DISPLAYING THE ASCENSION NAME

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ur unified Ascension brand is taking shape across the ministry. Hospitals and care sites in Wisconsin, Michigan and Kansas have adopted their Ascension names and are completing sign installation. New care centers in Florida, Texas and Alabama have opened under the unified brand as those markets finalize details for full implementation of the Ascension name throughout their communities.

“We have established a strong reputation for exceptional care in our local ministries, and connecting our care across states allows us to think bigger and create a national reputation for excellence in key service lines,” said Nick Ragone, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Ascension. “With all care sites and caregivers known as Ascension, the light of our Mission will shine even brighter beyond the boundaries of our local communities.”

We are now rolling out the unified brand in four additional markets: Baltimore, Indiana, Oklahoma and Tennessee. These ministries announced this latest milestone in our One Ascension journey on Oct. 2 with Mission-centered events that brought associates and community members together to celebrate the sacred meaning of the Ascension name and logo, chosen by our historic sponsors.

Leaders in these markets are assessing the signs, programs and elements that will transition to the unified name in the coming months.

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Jo Baggs, left, and Lisa Allen of St. John Health System in Tulsa, part of Ascension Kansas/Oklahoma, celebrate the integration of the Ascension name into the ministry’s sites of care.

Ascension President and Chief Executive Officer Anthony R. Tersigni, EdD, FACHE, listens to caregivers of St. Vincent in Indianapolis after announcing the transition to the unified Ascension name and brand.

From left: Jessica Darnell, RN; Weslely Green, RN; and Kim Jewell, RN, from Saint Thomas Health, Ascension Tennessee, hear how the Ascension name and logo will be additive to the Saint Thomas identity.

Keith Vander Kolk, Health System President and CEO, Ascension Baltimore/ Washington, tells Saint Agnes Healthcare associates how the new branding will honor the name and heritage of Saint Agnes.

“We continue to make progress in our One Ascension journey,” said Anthony R. Tersigni, EdD, FACHE, President and Chief Executive Officer, Ascension. “The

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true sign that we are Ascension is in the way we care for our patients and families, support our colleagues, and collaborate as a connected healing community.”

UP FRONT

Winners of Living the Mission & Values Awards lead the way SPOTLIGHTING THE HONOREES FOR 2018

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t the 2018 Ascension Leadership Convocation in October, three people and programs were honored with Ascension Living the Mission & Values Awards for their dedication and commitment.

The awards acknowledge the highest level of excellence in the day-to-day expression of the Mission and Values of Ascension, but they also were created with the understanding that living the Mission and Values is the norm throughout Ascension.

“It is fitting that our Mission leaders nominate those who are considered for this award,” said Sister Maureen McGuire, DC, Executive Vice President, Mission Integration, Ascension.

“Then our Ascension Selection Committee has the daunting task of choosing the final three honorees.”

Every two years, a call goes out to Mission leaders with a request to nominate a person, a program and an organizational component to be recognized for demonstrating an extraordinary and reputable way to live the Mission and Values; inspiring others through support and encouragement to do the same; and acting to enhance overall organizational commitment to living the Mission and Values.

THE 2018 HONOREES Julia Means, RN, Ascension Wisconsin — Individual Award Recipient Julia Means, RN, a Community Health Ministry Nurse with Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital, part of Ascension Wisconsin, touches many lives through her work promoting hypertension management, food security, heart health, healthy babies and educating others to understand the needs of those we are privileged to serve. Through her work in collaboration with church congregations, city officials, homeless shelters and neighborhood centers, Julia has made an impact on Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s and across the System.

Unaccompanied Children Program, AMITA Health — Program Award Recipient The Unaccompanied Children Program, under the auspices of the U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement, is conducted by Maryville Academy in collaboration with Presence Holy Family Medical Center, part of Ascension and the AMITA Health joint venture between Ascension and Adventist Midwest Health. Through this partnership, Maryville serves as a receiving center for unaccompanied children ages 13-17 who fled their country, are detained by federal authorities, and then must await reunification with parents and family in the U.S. Daughters of Charity Services of New Orleans — Organizational Component Award Recipient Daughters of Charity Services of New Orleans (DCSNO) takes to heart Ascension’s Mission and Values in an exceptional way by managing primary care through 17 facilities serving more than 55,000 patients — an increase from one facility serving 7,000 patients only 10 years ago — throughout metro New Orleans. This growth expanded the organization’s capacity to improve the health statistics of the community by increasing healthcare access to vulnerable populations, decreasing health disparities and spreading the love of Jesus.

To watch video features and read more about the Mission & Values Awards recipients, plus see a list of all nominees, visit ascension.org/gdalinks.

Left, Julia Means, RN, Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital Milwaukee, Ascension Wisconsin; center, Yolande Wilson-Stubbs, President, AMITA Health Presence Holy Family Medical Center; and right, Dental Hygienist Kierra Darenshourg at the Daughters of Charity Services of New Orleans.

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Expanding education opportunities ASCENSION CLINICAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT POISED TO DEVELOP CLINICAL PROVIDERS OF THE FUTURE

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ow does an organization the size of Ascension ensure that its care teams are consistently delivering high-quality care that achieves the best possible outcomes for our patients?

The answer is a robust portfolio of clinical education.

Now, a yearlong collaboration among chief nursing officers, clinical education team members, pharmacists, providers and key partners from across the System has led to the creation of a sustainable solution for clinical education called Ascension Clinical Professional Development (CPD). Developed with input from licensed providers, CPD was established to help achieve Ascension’s Nursing Workforce Optimization five-point plan — a targeted list of priorities based on

direct feedback from our nurses.

“We asked our nurses directly, ‘What do you need to be successful in our organization?’ ” said Ann Hendrich, PhD, RN, FAAN, Senior Vice President and Chief Quality/Safety/PSO and Nursing Officer, Ascension Healthcare. “What we heard was a resounding need for lifelong opportunities, the chance to build skills and easily transfer between specialties, and to feel safe in their practice.”

The overarching aims of the five-point plan are to: • Attract and retain professional registered nurses working at the top of licensure • Restore resiliency and joy • Reduce nursing turnover

• Decrease the need for and presence of agency nursing across the System • Provide career progression and lifelong learning opportunities In direct alignment with the five-point plan, CPD aims to improve provider satisfaction with learning opportunities, eliminate redundancy in learning resources, and support the reduction of clinical variation as well as the delivery of safe, high-quality care. Ascension CPD will be agile, too, empowering care providers to practice at the top of their licensure through innovative approaches while making the timely adjustments needed to meet changing regulatory and competency requirements.

“As of July 1, we have become part of one department and one team, focused on harnessing the power of an inspired learning community in service of our care providers and the communities, persons and families under our care,” said Sheila Stern, EdD, MSP/I-O, Vice President, Ascension Clinical Professional Development.

Informed by two-way dialogue with licensed providers, CPD’s curriculum will empower a new level of expertise

Ascension’s Clinical Professional Development leadership team, from left: Senior Directors Antoinette ‘Toni’ Rowin, MSN, RN (Region 4), and Charlotte Philyaw, DNP, RN (Region 3); Director, National Clinical Performance, Alisha Harter, MSN, RN, CHSE; Senior Director Andrea Morgan, MSN, RN (Region 2); Vice President, Clinical Professional Development, Sheila Stern, EdD, MSP/I-O; and Senior Director Suzanne Klotz, RN (Region 1).

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UP FRONT

and superior education for nurses, pharmacists, allied health professionals and physicians. This structure will help ensure that Ascension taps into the outstanding expertise throughout our ministries to improve and excel in this area on behalf of our providers.

In July, the CPD System leadership team — including its four new regional directors — gathered in St. Louis to present the team’s first annual report on its achievements to Dr. Hendrich. This important meeting was also a critical opportunity to engage in dialogue about the future. The team spoke about the benefits of the integrated CPD team.

“I’m most excited about all the relationships we’re developing — along with developing the mobility that will be required of our team to address the disparity in resources among sites,” said Region 1 Senior Director Suzanne Klotz, RN, who leads CPD in Ascension Michigan and Ascension Wisconsin.

“Up to this point, many facilities have had no dedicated clinical education support, so being able to provide that support, especially to the smaller hospitals, is great. Having access to training allows staff to grow their skills in a way that supports growing the number of patients we can serve,” said Andrea Morgan, MSN, RN, Senior Director for Region 2, which includes Ascension Baltimore/Washington, D.C., and Ascension Indiana.

“Being able to bring together so many educators with so many skill sets will let Ascension take education to a different level. We’ll be at the cutting edge! And it’s not just about education, but about behaviors and accountability,”

“It’s not just about education, but about behaviors and accountability.”

— CHARLOTTE PHILYAW, DNP, RN, REGION 3 SENIOR DIRECTOR

said Region 3 Senior Director Charlotte Philyaw, DNP, RN, whose markets are Ascension Alabama, Ascension Florida and Ascension Tennessee.

“Gifts and talents recognized at the local level get to be exponentially shared. We’ll be combining the best of the lived experience our local ministries have to offer with the data collection and tracking capabilities of the System as a whole. We’re going to be able to leverage a wide range of skills in our national curriculum to better serve our communities and the organization,” said Region 4 Senior Director Antoinette “Toni” Rowin, MSN, RN, whose markets are Ascension Kansas/Oklahoma and Ascension Texas.

The group also acknowledged the challenges it will face as the program enters its first fiscal year.

“Initially, our biggest challenge was designing the structure. Now, with the key people in place, our next challenge is how to stay connected. How do we remain aligned and in close communication? Finally, how do we measure education? We need to show our key stakeholders what success looks like — we’ve got to be able to produce!” said Dr. Philyaw.

“Geography is our biggest challenge,” Suzanne said. “We must learn to be mobile and use more technology to do our work. That represents a major cultural shift for our team.”

Despite these obstacles, the benefits of a system strategy for CPD are high, for both associates and the persons and family members we serve.

“By creating work groups for allied health professionals; critical care, ED and OR associates; patient care technicians; and preceptors, we’re creating networks of people within each discipline — networks that mean our associates won’t feel alone. And when they’re exposed to new programs, learners get excited,” Toni said.

“Having a national program means, among other things, that when Jacksonville’s only clinical educator had to leave to take care of her ailing mother, the team from Ascension Tennessee was able to cover her scheduled trainings. Before CPD, we wouldn’t have been able to do that; we wouldn’t have had a community like we do now,” Dr. Philyaw said.

“CPD will increase safety and satisfaction among those we serve, too.

Patients will get the care they need and deserve, enabling us to keep them in the Ascension system,” Andrea said.

“This whole year has been just so exciting. Everyone is owning the fact that we’re a new department and we’re ready for a paradigm shift,” Suzanne said. “We’re ready to take a few risks to grow, too; you don’t get anywhere if you don’t take risks.”

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UP FRONT

Connecting associates MINISTRY SERVICE CENTER FOCUSES ON A COMPASSIONATE ASSOCIATE EXPERIENCE Raquel Newborne is one of the Benefits Processors at the Ascension Ministry Service Center available to help associates through the web chat function.

B

eing able to chat with a Ministry Service Center agent via my.Ascension.org and approve timecards on the Kronos mobile application are good examples of customer experience (CX) efforts by the Ministry Service Center to respond to requests and improve the work lives of Ascension associates.

“We’re still new to the CX space, but we’ve got a few years of practice under our belts now,” said Sheila March, Customer Experience Manager for Ministry Service Center. CX and other efforts have led to improvements such as quicker connect times for associates with the call center and new chat capability.

“We’re finding that associates on both ends of a chat enjoy the experience,” said Brandy Hooton, Director of Associate Care, Ministry Service Center. “It’s part

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of a broader effort to provide associates with an omni-channel experience — one that allows the associate to choose the channel that fits his or her personal preference or need.”

According to Brandy, customer experience efforts start with a heavy focus on addressing the root causes of problems and understanding any gaps in service expectation.

“The first step is to correct process problems so that associates don’t have to call us or chat with us in the first

place,” she said. “We also know that we have a way to go when it comes to shared expectations on problem resolution. We are working on doing a better job of bridging that gap.”

Many improvement initiatives and problem-solving efforts involve collaboration among Ascension teams from Ministry-wide Functions, the Ministry Service Center and Ascension Technologies.

“When associates across our national ministry reach out to us for help, they need to feel that we are as dedicated to caring for them as they are for their patients,” Sheila said. “And when unforeseen challenges arise, our agents and those supporting the infrastructure need the support of their extended Ascension family to collaborate on solutions. We’re on the right track in making the experience for those we serve better and more personalized and compassionate every day.”

To check its progress, the Ministry Service Center is also listening, giving associates a way to provide feedback on their experiences through a survey that is emailed after their interaction is complete.

“We’re on the right track in making the experience for those we serve better and more personalized and compassionate every day.”

— SHEILA MARCH, CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE MANAGER, MINISTRY SERVICE CENTER

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UP FRONT

The business of change AGILIFY UNLEASHES HUMAN POTENTIAL FOR ASCENSION AND OTHERS

I

ntelligent process automation is changing the way business gets done. And one of Ascension’s newest brands, Agilify, is at the forefront of a business transformation that is seeing more work get done faster and more accurately, and more workers finding greater satisfaction in their jobs.

Say “automation” and most of us think of robots, mechanical people with a machine’s strength and a computer brain.

That’s science fiction. Reality is different.

Through automation training and consulting services, Agilify helps organizations make the most of process automation, enabling software “bots” to complete tedious, repetitive tasks, mostly without human intervention.

Instead of a person having to “click, click, click” to advance a process, the automation can complete part or all of a process. The main enabler of this capability is new automation software that can be configured to allow different software programs and platforms to interact.

Automation does not replace people or jobs with machines. Software automation generally replaces a task within a job.

“Intelligent process automation leaves more time for employees to do what they do best, which is communicating, connecting and collaborating,” said Lee Coulter, Chief Executive Officer of Ascension’s Ministry Service Center, which developed Agilify.

Since it was launched in 2011, the Ministry Service Center has generated a 10 percent year-over-year cost reduction

for Ascension, with automation playing a key — and growing — role in that performance. Agilify recently helped the Ministry Service Center implement its first machine learning production system, which will help associates solve invoice problems faster.

Agilify’s strategic role is twofold. Its first objective is to help advance process automation within Ascension. That means working with operational teams across the national health ministry to identify the best opportunities for automation and then develop, test and deploy the automations. Automations currently are running in areas such as accounting, order processing, accounts payable, asset management, payroll,

benefits administration and more.

Agilify is also charged with attracting additional revenue from outside of Ascension and beyond the boundaries of the healthcare industry. The field of process automation is expected to grow into a $2.4 billion market by 2021.

“Agilify is an example of how we are developing new revenue sources and best-in-class subsidiaries that serve the needs of Ascension and other organizations, all to advance our Mission of service,” said Anthony R. Tersigni, EdD, FACHE, President and Chief Executive Officer, Ascension.

To learn more about Agilify, visit ascension.org/gdalinks.

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UEPRFSROONNATL P R O F I L E P

Getting to know you CRAIG CORDOLA IS THE MINISTRY MARKET EXECUTIVE FOR ASCENSION TEXAS, WHICH INCLUDES PROVIDENCE HEALTHCARE IN WACO, SETON HEALTHCARE FAMILY IN AUSTIN AND 120 RELATED CLINICAL FACILITIES THAT TOGETHER EMPLOY MORE THAN 13,000 ASSOCIATES.

Associates from across Ascension Texas talk with Craig Cordola.

affiliation agreement is allowing us to create a special health system/med school collaboration that will be able to focus on transformational change in this region’s healthcare system. I see potential for Central Texas to be a place other parts of the country look toward for healthcare innovation at all levels — the delivery and the quality of care.

Q: You left a successful career at the largest nonprofit health system in the Houston area to begin new at the largest nonprofit health system in Central Texas. What attracted you to Ascension Texas?

A: I came here for the opportunity to really change how healthcare is delivered in Central Texas. I think Ascension Texas is placed in the right position to make that happen.

Houston is my hometown and I knew the market well.

But when I got the call for this opportunity, and the more I explored it, the more I really fell in love with the idea of what can be accomplished for Central Texas in healthcare.

Q: You have a regular blog, “Mosaic,” that you publish and share with the Ascension Texas associates. What is your inspiration for the blog and its name, and what has been the response from associates?

A: I like to write. To learn. To share. To communicate.

“Mosaic” is dedicated to all Ascension Texas associates and aimed at providing a transparent and constant flow of communication. It’s a way of starting a conversation on topics that are of interest to us — stories about acts of kindness, leadership, life, relationships and sharing so many of the wonderful things that take place across our ministry each day. This blog also provides a way for me to hear from associates. Why “Mosaic”? I have come to appreciate the unique position and privilege we have as healthcare providers. We represent all walks of life — different cultures, different beliefs, skills and life experiences. Together, we are like a mosaic, where each individual piece comes together to form one work of art.

It was only fitting to name the blog to symbolize the work we do together to care for our patients and families.

Q: At Memorial Hermann, you led its academic relationship with McGovern Medical School at UT Health. How is the partnership between Ascension Texas and the new Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin progressing, and what is your vision for this partnership?

A: W hile there are a lot of complex issues to work through in this still very young relationship, our two organizations are making great progress toward creating a new type of health system/med school relationship. Our unique

Q: What drew you to healthcare?

A: Healthcare has always been an interest. I had a heart defect at birth that wasn’t significant, but brought me into healthcare early. I had multiple surgeries and healthcare-related events, mostly injuries from sports as I grew up. So, I had this interest and fascination with science. I liked the healing aspect of what we get to do.

I love people. And healthcare to me was just a great service aspect of life, so that drew me in.

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WELLNESS NOW

Healthy holidays FIVE WAYS TO KEEP YOUR SPIRITS BRIGHT AND HEALTHY THROUGH THE SEASON For many, the holidays can be the most wonderful time of the year. It’s also a time that stress and illness can be all around you. This year, don’t let stress and illness ruin your holidays. Here are five tips from SmartHealth and Ascension Care Management to keep your spirits bright and your body healthy through the holiday and winter season.

1. Wash — and watch — your hands We know how important hand washing is in our normal routines, but with different travel or shopping routines during the holidays, we can be around far more germs than normal. Especially during flu season, things such as escalator rails, elevator buttons and mall doors can become virus hubs. Keep hands away from your face in between hand washes to keep viruses at bay.

2. Stay hydrated It’s easy to feel dried up during the winter — colder temps, stress and different eating habits can affect your water consumption. But don’t let them. Staying hydrated is key to staying healthy. Drinking enough water keeps your appetite in check and helps keep bugs out of our systems.

3. Anticipate stress Stress can be hard to identify, making it hard to manage.

Be aware and try to anticipate sources of stress before they creep in, and have a plan to manage that stress.

Allowing yourself time for quality sleep and exercise, along with keeping commitments and your budget in check, can help you manage potential holiday stressors.

4. Keep moving We know how beneficial exercise is for our bodies, yet it’s easy to drop off during the winter months. However, exercising is also an important way to manage stress. Making opportunities to walk or even taking stairs can be small ways you can keep moving. Making time to exercise should be your holiday gift to yourself.

5. Stay home if you’re sick If you’re not feeling well, help fight the spread of illness by staying home. It’s not easy to miss work or a holiday gathering, but taking care of yourself can help your body heal more quickly and get you back in action.

RESOURCES FOR SMARTHEALTH MEMBERS If you enrolled for an Ascension SmartHealth medical plan during your benefits enrollment, you have access to many great resources for your well-being. The SmartHealth Well-being Program provides tools to help you identify areas of your physical, mental and spiritual well-being that need your attention and then offers you tools for the areas you want to focus on — plus you earn financial rewards for using these tools.

Visit myascension-wellness.org to begin.

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New lives, new stories E NEW MOMS SHARE HOW THEIR BIRTH EXPERIENCES REFLECT OUR ASCENSION WAY

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very day across Ascension, hundreds of babies are welcomed into the world by happy, excited and anxious parents. Most of those birth experiences go exactly as planned. Some take unexpected turns.

Even though each birth story is unique, all of them create connections between new moms and care teams that are among the most personal patient/caregiver relationships in Ascension. Here are a few of those stories that reflect our Ascension way of providing compassionate, personalized, high-quality care.

GUARDIAN ANGELS Kelly Masten knew at her 20-week anatomy scan that her son Harley’s journey into this world wouldn’t be as uncomplicated as that of his older siblings. That’s when the care team at Ascension Seton in Austin, part of Ascension Texas, diagnosed Harley with a brain disorder called Dandy-Walker syndrome, a rare group of congenital brain malformations.

And that’s when the family’s birth journey changed course.

“Our doctor [Natasya Ikbal, MD] was wonderful. She talked to us about what the next steps would look like, and who all would be involved … with the labor itself and then what next steps [were] afterward,” Kelly said. “It took a whole team of individuals to really help us through that process. All the doctors do a really good job of communicating. Because we had to see a neurologist, the neurosurgeon right after, the pediatrician, and every single time we went to an appointment they were already on top of what the other doctor had communicated with us, what medications [were needed]. It was really wonderful because I didn’t have to repeat myself at every single visit. It was everybody working together for you.”

That care extended beyond Kelly and Harley.

“What I remember most about the pregnancy care was how they took care of not only my children but my husband and me as well,” she said. “They became our guardian angels. … They bring their best every single day.”

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SWOOPING IN TO HELP At her 30-week prenatal checkup with a non-Ascension provider in Pensacola, Florida, Chloe Vignes learned that the child she was carrying had heart and lung issues. So when Chloe’s son, Ripley, was born eight weeks early, he was immediately transported to The Studer Family Children’s Hospital at Sacred Heart, part of Ascension Florida, in one of the hospital’s neonatal transport ambulances.

“The transport team from Sacred Heart was able to comfort me and tell me exactly where Ripley was going and whose hands he would be in,” Chloe said. “They took the time to share pictures of where he would be with my family since I wasn’t going to be able to be with him. … The transport team and NICU caregivers were phenomenal.”

Ripley spent 28 days at Sacred Heart.

“My biggest concern as a new mother was that I wasn’t with my baby,” Chloe said. “But I knew that they were monitoring around the clock and figuring out exactly what his needs were.”

EVERY BIRTH EXPERIENCE IS UNIQUE Kristin and Adam Miller had what caregivers would consider a normal birth experience at Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital Milwaukee,

part of Ascension Wisconsin, for each of their three children. But although things for the staff were routine, they understood that for a first-time mom, everything is new.

“As a new mom [what really scared me was] the labor and delivery simply because you don’t know what to expect,” Kristin said. “And so as things got a lot closer, I became very anxious and I was exceptionally grateful my OB really walked me through, on multiple occasions, what to expect.

And we had a plan; but as we all know, labor and deliveries don’t always follow that plan.”

For the Millers, good communication was key.

“The Ascension team was very informative and they were excellent in communicating to us what to expect and that everything that we were going through, while terrifying to us, was also perfectly normal,” Kristin said. “Everything from explaining the IV to the medications that they were giving us, to how long things were going to take, to when the

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A year in Ascension BIRTHS 84,472 DIAPERS 6.1 million BABY WIPES 8.6 million BABY SHAMPOO 1.7 million ounces

physician would arrive, to when other providers might come into the room, to letting me know what I could and could not eat.”

“Having the team that we did at Ascension gave me the confidence that, becoming a father for the first time or even the third time, this was all normal and I could take comfort in knowing that,” Adam said.

SHARING THEIR STORIES Our patients have powerful and personal stories of our Ascension way — and we’re listening.

Based on our consumer research, we know that listening and personalization are critical in a birth experience. Moms want to be listened to and feel confident we will work with them to build a birth experience that is right for them.

“That aligns perfectly with our high-reliability goals and our intent to help mothers and families have a wonderful birth experience,” said Ann Hendrich, PhD, RN, FAAN, Senior Vice President and Chief Quality/

HANDS® program turns teams of experts into expert teams

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Safety/PSO and Nursing Officer, Ascension Healthcare. “Our new moms can be confident that our doctors and nurses listen and communicate, especially if something unexpected happens during the birth process.”

So over the past several months, Ascension has been talking with moms and dads across our Ministry Markets about their birth experiences — from the tough moments to the tears of joy. The result is a collection of compelling, heartwarming, sometimes funny stories that celebrate the dedication and expertise of Ascension care teams.

Many of those experiences are the foundation of a new integrated marketing campaign Ascension is launching this fall. Those powerful stories will be shared through internal, external and social media channels in a marketing campaign designed to support the Ascension brand; invest in the growth of our OB-GYN service line; and build relationships with women in the areas of pediatrics, caregiving and throughout the life of their family.

“Our goal is to begin a long-term relationship between Mom, her family and Ascension,” said Nick Ragone, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing and Communications Officer. “Sometimes, a woman’s first experience with us is the birth of her first child. We want to show her our team of caregivers is one she can count on now and at every stage of her and her child’s and her family’s life. So when she’s seeking primary care, specialty care or other care needs, Ascension is the first place she looks.”

The campaign will launch in target markets, particularly those with maternity and pediatric growth priorities. New TV, radio, print and outdoor advertising will create broad awareness. Online, search, social media, and direct mail and email will create specific messages that drive potential patients to more information online. Targeted messages will provide reminders and useful information during the first two years of a child’s life, as well as points in time relevant to moms and families — so we can continue to nurture relationships and cross-promote services.

Every mother-to-be expects a safe and normal delivery. But when a mother and baby are suddenly in distress, the fast work of a skilled clinical team is critical.

It’s also important for that team to communicate with each other clearly.

Communication and teamwork are at the heart of Ascension’s evidence-based perinatal safety education program, HANDS® (Handling All Neonatal Deliveries Safely). Initiated in 2006 by a group of Ascension’s obstetric physicians

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in collaboration with Care Excellence and Risk Services, and tested at five hospital systems under a grant from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s “Excellence in Obstetrics” demonstration project, HANDS began rolling out Ascension-wide in 2010. This proven program uses simulation and a team training method to prepare providers, nurses and other caregivers to cope with a range of complications that can arise during delivery.

Delivering hospitals ASCENSION OFFERS FAMILIES COMPASSIONATE, HIGH-QUALITY OBSTETRICS CARE AT HOSPITAL SYSTEMS THROUGHOUT MUCH OF THE UNITED STATES

“After participating in the HANDS pilot program in 2010, and now continuing to lead the spread and sustainability of the program across the System nearly 10 years later, I’ve had the opportunity to truly witness the improvement in our teams, ultimately improving care for our mothers and babies,” said Jennifer Darden, BSN, RNC-OB, Clinical Director, Care Excellence.

“Across Ascension, the number of obstetrical complications and neonatal

injuries we’ve been able to avoid is really quite remarkable,” said William Cusick, MD, Chair, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ascension’s St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

“That teamwork aspect, speaking the same language, it’s better for everyone,” said David Zalenski, MD, OB-GYN, Ascension Michigan, and former Chair, Ascension Perinatal Safety Committee.

Ascension’s leadership in perinatal safety has been recognized nationally: Eight papers on the HANDS program have been published or accepted for publication by national journals.

“HANDS represents the best of our One Ascension journey: creating, partnering, collaborating, using experts in the field and spreading the work across the System, so it becomes a part of everything we do every day,” Jennifer said. “It becomes our Ascension way.”

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Focus on

AMG

PRIMARY CARE IS AN IMPORTANT ELEMENT IN ACHIEVING ASCENSION’S ADVANCED STRATEGIC DIRECTION

Allison Mabus, MD, is a Family Practice Specialist at St. Vincent’s HealthCare in Jacksonville, part of Ascension Florida.

As

Ascension’s key “front doors” for access, primary care providers play an essential role in realizing our Advanced Strategic Direction. And Ascension Medical Group (AMG) is the main way we offer primary care services to individuals and communities.

AMG’s approach includes growing lives under care; improving care continuity; delivering a personalized person and family experience; reducing clinical and operational variation; and creating a positive provider experience, differentiated by a supportive practice environment and strong provider engagement.

In 2015, AMG came together with a shared commitment to transform the healthcare experience — for consumers and providers alike. AMG realized early on that to be

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successful it must create a culture that encourages physicians and advanced practitioners to work together as co-creators of transformation. Its end goal: to be recognized by patients, families, communities, physicians and associates as the best place to receive care and the best place to practice medicine.

“To empower and engage clinicians, we must continue positioning primary care as the consumer’s ‘front door’ to clinically integrated systems of care,” said Joseph Cacchione, MD, AMG Chief Executive Officer, who also serves as Senior Vice President, Ascension Healthcare, and Ministry Market Executive, Ascension Michigan.

“Looking to the future, meeting anticipated needs and creating a sustainable culture for our primary care clinicians will require a defined scope of practice, a team of caregivers

Navneet Grewal, MD, specializes in Family Medicine at St. Vincent’s HealthCare in Jacksonville, part of Ascension Florida.

with established clinical priorities and a compensation model that tightly aligns these efforts.”

AMG has made significant progress in advancing these goals. The creation of a dyad leadership model has integrated and aligned clinical care and operations, creating opportunity for engagement and ownership as medical group structures are optimized in every market. This includes building a physician-led and professionally managed infrastructure that allows AMG to advance its primary care strategy with an emphasis on the consumer.

CLINICIANS ARE THE KEY TO SUCCESS Across AMG, leaders are adapting to the shifts in our industry by uniting a community of clinicians through a common culture that fosters personalized care. What is personalized care? That’s healthcare that is close to home; care that includes conversation between the patient and clinician; and care that is authentically customized for the consumer.

Consumers now have more choices when it comes to their care as nontraditional players continue to enter the market. AMG is adapting by embracing new ways to engage with individuals on their lifelong healthcare journey.

Consumers have always expected and wanted high-quality, more affordable care. However, the difference now is the ability to access care when they want it and where they need it. It’s this new era of healthcare consumerism that has accelerated the pace of change.

To meet the growing demand for convenience, Ascension deployed online scheduling across the national health ministry, starting with primary care, to allow consumers to schedule appointments any time — day or night — from a mobile device or computer. Since launch, online scheduling across Ascension has grown to more than 15,000 appointments a month.

We know that improving the patient experience has a direct impact on satisfaction and loyalty. In fact, research has shown that loyal patients will be more likely to schedule future appointments, try new care offerings, and recommend a physician or health system to a friend or family member.

To build patient awareness of this new technology, a full marketing campaign was supported through television, online, radio, print and billboard advertising. In-office promotional posters and cards, call center on-hold messaging, and pre- and postappointment email communication were also used.

Ensuring that we are meeting the needs of patients through better access, convenience and improved care coordination is critical to AMG meeting its goals. To that end, AMG continues to identify solutions that equip care teams with the tools and resources for improved patient flow into its system; access to primary care and specialists; wait times for procedures and admissions; and postdischarge follow-up.

“While we will always seek ways to improve access and continuity of care, we recognize that this is an infinite journey,” said Baligh Yehia, MD, AMG Chief Medical Officer.

“It’s a journey that AMG intends to lead for the nation as we continue the legacy of our Mission.”

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GAINS IN

Ascension innovates to combat the opioid crisis while effectively managing patients’ pain

PAIN MANAGEMENT

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he problems created by opioid misuse and abuse are a public health threat of epic proportions. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, from 1999 to 2016 the amount of prescription opioids dispensed in the U.S. nearly quadrupled. Around 46 people die each day from overdoses involving prescription opioids.

In 2016, Ascension committed to turning the tide on the opioid crisis by focusing on delivering safe, compassionate, evidence-based pain management using reliable principles in the prevention of opioid misuse and abuse. Over the past three years, Ascension convened internal and external pain management and behavioral and mental health specialists to: • Develop Ascension Pain Management Guidelines with 10 minimum standards • Standardize evidence-based pain assessment tools for all populations across the care continuum • Promote the use of integrative therapies As a result of these efforts, all Ascension ministries, including Ascension At Home, Ascension Living, Ascension Medical Group, and Ascension’s national Behavioral and Mental Health Service Line, are engaged with the work and have begun to implement the guidelines.

MINISTRY PILOTS LEAD THE WAY Recently, several Ascension ministries participated in pilots that have advanced pain management treatment and reduced the use of opioids.

This pilot work, in addition to a Roadmap for Action created by a HealthCare Leadership Council group co-chaired by Ascension President and Chief Executive Officer Anthony R. Tersigni, EdD, FACHE, led to Ascension’s 2018 release of Pain Management Across the Care Continuum: An Opioid Reduction and Pain Management Toolkit. Implementation of the new guideline began this fiscal year, focusing on four areas: general pain management principles, describing practices for intravenous opioids, multimodal pain management order set and outpatient pain management strategies.

ASCENSION TEXAS AND ASCENSION FLORIDA Ascension Seton Medical Center Austin, part of Ascension Texas, and Ascension St. Vincent’s in Jacksonville, part of Ascension Florida, have piloted the new approach.

“We landed on a multimodal pain plan, meaning that we’re using a lot of different things to treat pain, not just narcotics and not just medicines. It works very well in controlling patients’ pain,” said Ascension Texas anesthesiologist Chad Dieterichs, MD, Network Anesthesia Chief and Medical Director of US Anesthesia Partners™ Texas, and Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery and Perioperative Care, Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin.

The multimodal order set is based on (1) a nonopioid medication regimen; (2) the use of integrative therapies such as cold/heat,

“ The key difference is connecting the indications for opioid treatment to the patient’s functional goals, rather than the severity of their pain, and maximizing the use of alternative therapies.”

— JUDY HENDERSON, MSAH-M, RN, DIRECTOR, CARE EXCELLENCE, AND SYSTEM LEAD FOR PAIN MANAGEMENT AT ASCENSION

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OUR PAIN MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES General pain management principles

Deprescribing practices for intravenous opioids

positioning, etc.; and (3) a new, two-step process for assessing the need for opioid treatment that centers on helping patients reach activity goals they help define.

“In the past, pain has always been treated toward a number. Those numbers can be arbitrary depending on the patient’s experience, the problem they may be having, their vulnerability, etc. So we elected to move away from treating toward a number and now we’re setting goals with patients and then treating the pain to reach those goals,” Dr. Dieterichs said.

The approach was first tested on orthopedic patients and then expanded to all patients. The pilot has decreased the use of opioids by more than 50 percent, patient-controlled analgesia by 40 percent and outpatient prescribing of opioids by 52 percent — all without causing adverse side effects, readmissions or an increase in pain scores.

“One of the things that we’re probably most proud of is we were able to institute the new pain plan for OB-GYN patients,” Dr. Dieterichs said. “A couple of mothers had babies both before we instituted the plan and after. Both rank their second time around a much better experience. They were able to remember what happened, remember their nurses. They weren’t just sleeping the whole time; they were fresh and alert.”

One such mother is Jamie Moxham. With her firstborn, she was prescribed morphine. But for her second delivery last year, Seton gave

Multimodal pain management order set

Outpatient pain management strategies

her acetaminophen and ibuprofen. Jamie’s second delivery without opiates was a relief.

“I can remember being in the hospital,” she said.

“And just having tears roll down my face telling the nurse like, this is so much easier — and this is how it’s supposed to be.”

“This pilot has been instrumental in changing the way clinicians treat pain. The key difference is connecting the indications for opioid treatment to the patient’s functional goals, rather than the severity of their pain, and maximizing the use of alternative therapies,” said Judy Henderson, MSAH-M, RN, Director, Care Excellence, and System lead for pain management at Ascension.

By reducing the use of opioids following deliveries, the new protocol is saving lives, too.

“The No. 1 cause of accidental maternal mortality within one year of delivery in Texas is drug overdose, and the majority of those deaths involve prescription opiates,” said Amy Young, MD, Chair of the Department of Women’s Health and Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Dell Med, and Physician Executive of Women’s Health at Ascension Seton.

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“We know that up to one in four patients who walk through the door of a primary care office has some kind of pain. These patients can be very difficult to treat because they may have been given opioids and developed a tolerance. We need to find treatments that are safer and more sustainable and don’t carry the risk of abuse, addiction and tolerance.”

— AMY LAHOOD, MD, MPH, FAAFP, ST. VINCENT, ASCENSION INDIANA

Deprescribing opioids is another goal of the new pain management plan. Ascension St. Vincent’s Jacksonville reduced the use of injectable opioids — morphine and hydromorphone, sold under the brand name Dilaudid® — in the emergency department by 63 percent and overall opioid use by 33 percent. The ministry focused on ordering the lowest effective dose, creating alerts for providers and nurses when duplicate medication is ordered, and using protocols to change patients from IV to oral medications when clinically indicated.

“Our team approach to care and the dedication of everyone on our staff played a significant role in helping us achieve these amazing results,” said Gavan Duffy, MD, orthopedic surgeon and Chief of Orthopedics at Ascension St. Vincent’s Southside.

AMITA HEALTH AMITA Health, a joint venture of Ascension’s Alexian Brothers Health System and Adventist Midwest Health, part of Adventist Health System, also has taken specific steps to limit the use of opioid painkillers in its emergency department.

These include displaying posters about pain medication policies in the ED and moving away from Dilaudid as a first-line painkiller toward a “Dilaudid-free ED” that instead uses morphine or fentanyl when IV opioids are indicated.

“This is something providers and nurses wanted,” said Carlos O. Martinez, MD, FACEP, emergency medicine physician and Medical Staff President

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at AMITA Health Adventist Medical Center Bolingbrook. “It’s a relief for them because now they’re getting support when they have to have difficult conversations with patients about what they will be receiving for their pain. We’re treating pain, but we’re treating it appropriately.”

ASCENSION MEDICAL GROUP The opioid crisis and the need for effective pain management touch all areas of the care continuum. Providers outside of the hospital are being encouraged to assess a patient’s risk for abusing pain medications prior to writing a prescription. Ascension Medical Group’s opioid prescribing guidelines promote the latest evidence-based best practices for the safe and effective treatment of acute and chronic pain.

In addition, online provider training via Ascension’s online education tool, myLearning, supports the adoption of the guidelines.

“In the United States, we have an aging population, many with the burden of chronic illness,” said family practice physician Amy LaHood, MD, MPH, FAAFP, who is affiliated with St. Vincent in Ascension Indiana. “We know that up to one in four patients who walk through the door of a primary care office has some kind of pain. These patients can be very difficult to treat because they may have been given opioids and developed a tolerance. We need to find treatments that are safer and more sustainable and don’t carry the risk of abuse, addiction and tolerance.”

SPREADING THE WORD Ascension is committed to doing our part to prevent additional misuse of opioids by spreading these successful pilot practices to all Ascension ministries and continuing to share best practices. By working together as One Ascension, we can make a greater difference in the lives of the persons we serve.

G O O D DAY A S C E N S I O N / A S C E N S I O N .O R G

Inpatient Pain Management Process Goal: Safely manage pain so patient can progress through the treatment pathway and Inpatient Pain Management Process achieve Therapeutic Activity Goals for transition.

Goal: Safely manage pain so patient can progress through the treatment pathway and Revised July 2018 achieve Therapeutic Activity Goals for transition.

Revised July 2018

Pharmacist prospectively reviews medication order for Pharmacist appropriateness prospectively reviews medication order for appropriateness

4

Nurse assesses patient’s pain and ability to achieve Therapeutic Activity Goal Nurse assesses patient’s pain and ability to achieve Therapeutic Activity Goal

4

3

5

3

5

Nurse administers medication, monitors for response and Nurse administers documents progress medication, towardmonitors achieving for response and Therapeutic documents progress Activity towardGoal achieving Therapeutic Activity Goal

Communications Communicate patient’s progress Communications at bedside shift report, on the Communicate patient’s progress communication board in the atpatient’s bedside room shift report, the and at on time communication board in the of transition.

START patient’s room and at time of transition.

2 2 Provider uses Multi-modal Pain Management Provider Order Setuses Multi-modal Pain Management Order Set START Provider assesses patient* and START creates Therapeutic Provider Activity assesses Goals patient* and creates Therapeutic Activity Goals

Nurse reviews orders and interventions Nurse neededreviews for orders and to the patient interventions achieve the needed for Therapeutic the patient to Activity Goal achieve the Therapeutic Activity Goal

6

6

START

1

7

1

7

Provider repeats steps 1 and 2 Nurse repeats steps 4, Provider repeats 5, 6 and 7 as2 needed to steps 1 and determine additional Nurse repeats steps 4, intervention 5, 6 and 7 as needed to determine additional intervention Patient transitions

END

Patient transitions *Assess chronic pain patients and continue regularly scheduled medications.

8 END

*Assess chronic pain patients and continue regularly scheduled medications.

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A better way P

harmacy is an area of increasing focus as health systems seek to improve clinical quality and safety while reducing costs. As a May 2018 article in Becker’s Healthcare noted, medications are the primary treatment modality for more than 85 percent of hospital patients and yet they are also the No. 1 source of medical errors. Medications also represent the fastest rising healthcare expense.

In August 2017, designated market- and System-level pharmacy leaders began to plan in earnest for a better, more sustainable way to manage pharmacy services across the organization. With a vision laid forth by Ascension’s hospital, clinical and pharmacy leaders, an approach that would support new care models and better integrate the workflow of the care teams was designed.

INTEGRATING MEDICATION OVERSIGHT AND DELIVERY INTO THE WAY WE CARE FOR PATIENTS

The new model needed to be sustainable — to fully support Ascension’s quadruple aim to deliver improved health outcomes and the best possible experience for providers and patients, all at a lower cost of care. And in keeping with Ascension’s Mission, leaders insisted on a plan that would maximize the effectiveness of Ascension’s patient assistance programs — including its support for the Dispensary of Hope medication distribution subsidiary — to benefit those we serve.

Drawing from industry standards endorsed by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists and models already operating within some Ascension markets, market pharmacy leaders, Ministry Market Executives and the market-level Chief Operating Officer/Chief Clinical Officer Dyads designed and developed a plan. The newly aligned Ascension Pharmacy was born, launching in spring 2018.

“ [This] will transform Ascension Pharmacy by reducing care process variation, improving our operating model, and providing new opportunities to improve the health and well-being of the communities we serve.”

— LYNN ESCHENBACHER, PharmD, MBA, FASHP, VICE PRESIDENT, MEDICATION MANAGEMENT, AND CHIEF PHARMACY OFFICER, THE RESOURCE GROUP

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G O O D DAY A S C E N S I O N / A S C E N S I O N .O R G

Thus far, Ascension Pharmacy has achieved these milestones: • In April, new leaders took the helm, as longtime National Director of Pharmacy Operations Lynn Eschenbacher, PharmD, MBA, FASHP, and Director of Clinical Pharmacy Integration Karen Smethers, BS, PharmD, BCOP, became Vice President, Medication Management, and Chief Pharmacy Officer, The Resource Group; and Vice President of Pharmacy, Clinical Integration, respectively.

• Permanent Market Pharmacy Executives accountable for leading pharmacy functions and strategy were selected or recruited for each market.

• Ascension began recruiting for national and area positions in medication safety, education and retail pharmacy, with the areas for each discipline configured somewhat differently to maximize coverage and resources and avoid duplication of services.

• The new Market Pharmacy Executives, in collaboration with the Ministry Market Executives and market dyads, began working to ensure thoughtful implementation of the new design and greater executive visibility into pharmacy’s strategic role in guiding initiatives such as reducing clinical variation; standardizing patient medication histories and

medication therapy management across the continuum; and growing the “Meds to Beds” hospital discharge program, which fills and delivers patients’ prescriptions to their bedside before they leave the hospital, thus reducing potential gaps in care.

• An additional goal, made possible by the new alignment, is to grow and develop national, area and local pharmacy leaders from within the organization while increasing recruitment visibility across the country.

“Our new nationally aligned structure will transform Ascension Pharmacy by reducing care process variation, improving our operating model, and providing new opportunities to improve the health and well-being of the communities we serve,” Lynn said.

“Standardizing the pharmacy organization structure allows deployment of strategic pharmacy initiatives in a common and expedited manner. It will also support the delivery of exceptional patient care and provider experience, lower cost and regulatory risk, and improve operations,” said Patricia A. Maryland, Dr.PH, Executive Vice President, Ascension, and President and Chief Executive Officer, Ascension Healthcare.

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Because Gary had neither insurance nor the ability to afford medication, his chronic respiratory disease was worsening. After receiving consistent access to medication through The Dispensary of Hope at the Clinic at Mercury Courts in Nashville, Tennessee, he is now able to live a functional and productive life.

Dispensary of Hope expanding services to those in need The Dispensary of Hope, one of the nation’s largest charitable distributors of medications, soon hopes to grow even larger — transforming the lives of more persons and families.

“The Dispensary of Hope is a national collaborative of health systems, clinics and drug manufacturers, organized under Saint Thomas Health, Ascension Tennessee, and hosted and funded by the generosity of Ascension,” said Christopher Palombo, CEO of The Dispensary of Hope. “We are working to add all additional qualifying Ascension facilities in coming months, as well as working with ministries of Ascension to connect us to appropriate pharmacies and clinics in the community.”

The Dispensary of Hope began when one Nashville physician started gathering unexpired sample medications from other providers and donating them to pharmacies

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in Nashville and Murfreesboro, Tennessee. In 2007, Saint Thomas Health devised a sustainable business model for collecting sample medications from all over the country and donating them to pharmacies and clinics serving uninsured and low-income persons.

“The Dispensary of Hope helps match need to a wide-scale collection and distribution system for donated medication, including surplus inventory from drug manufacturers,” said Greg Pope, Chief Mission Integration Officer, Ascension Tennessee. Such surplus inventory would, in many cases, be destroyed.

Today, The Dispensary of Hope offers free medications to those who can’t afford them through 145 local access and statewide locations — 45 of which are part of Ascension — as well as through Ascension’s Medical Mission

G O O D DAY A S C E N S I O N / A S C E N S I O N .O R G

at Home, where underserved people receive medications and counseling about their use. In FY19, The Dispensary of Hope is looking to add the providers of Ascension’s newest member, Presence Health, as well as other non-Ascension sites of care, to its growing list of caregivers serving those in need with critical medicines.

Patients eagerly express their appreciation for what The Dispensary of Hope provides.

“It was God working in my life.

Once I started back on my medications, I was able to hold a job down.

I’ve been there now for four years.

The medicine stabilizes me. Now I can live,” said Aleshia, age 47.

“If I was able to talk to the manufacturers of the medicine, then I would tell them, thank you for the quality of life I’ve been able to have because of them and The Dispensary of Hope,” said Terry, age 64.

NEWS FROM THE MINISTRIES

NOTES FROM ACROSS OUR ONE INTEGRATED MINISTRY ALABAMA

GI Endoscopy Center opens St. Vincent’s Birmingham has opened a new, state-of-the-art GI Endoscopy Center. The 20,768-square-foot facility, with front door drop-off and pickup, now houses all general and interventional endoscopy services in one location for increased comfort and convenience for patients, and features the latest in advanced technology.

Mobile welcomes medical park Providence Medical Group in Mobile celebrated the grand opening and blessing of a 15,000-square-foot outpatient medical park — Ascension Medical Group Providence at Providence Park. The new facility houses primary care, pediatrics, a walk-in clinic, and on-site laboratory and X-ray.

AMSTERDAM, NEW YORK

Community Nurses commissioned Three Faith Based Community Nurses whose certification was supported by the St. Mary’s Foundation were commissioned recently in the St. Mary’s Hospital Chapel. Theresa DeCarlo, Jeanne So and Barbara Luthi are living their dedication and commitment to serving their faith communities through this ministry.

BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON

Ministry Market receives recognition Saint Agnes Healthcare in Baltimore was recognized with the Gold Plus and Target: Stroke Elite Plus Honor Roll recognition in the Get With The Guidelines® – Stroke program by the American Heart Association/American

Stroke Association. Providence Health System in Washington, D.C., earned the Get With the Guidelines® – Stroke GOLD PLUS Achievement Award.

BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK

Heart Walk names chair Kathy Connerton, Health System President and CEO, Ascension Lourdes, was named Chair for the 2019 American Heart Association Heart Walk in Binghamton. She is the first woman to be named to that position in the 30-year history of the Binghamton Heart Walk.

Blue Distinction honors awarded Our Lady of Lourdes Memorial Hospital was designated as Blue Distinction Center+ for the Blue Distinction Knee and Hip Replacement Program. The Blue Distinction Center designation is awarded by Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies for delivering quality care with better overall outcomes in specialty care, while also meeting key requirements for cost efficiency.

BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT

Hospital earns awards St. Vincent’s Medical Center earned the Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award with Target: Stroke Elite Honor Roll and the Get With The Guidelines – Heart Failure Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award with Target: Heart Failure Honor Roll. It has earned the Stroke Gold Plus Award for five consecutive years, and improved from Honor Roll to Elite Honor Roll. This is the third year St. Vincent’s earned the Heart Failure Gold Plus Award and the first year it achieved Honor Roll.

CHICAGO

Volunteers get college scholarships AMITA Health Alexian Brothers Medical Center awarded college scholarships to 11 Illinois high school volunteers seeking education toward a medical career. The scholarship program, in place for over 25 years, is open to students who have volunteered 100-plus hours at the hospital — meaning many recipients began volunteering at age 16. Students receive awards based on academics, financial need, volunteer hours and a commitment to attend a program that will prepare them for work in the medical field.

FLORIDA

St. Vincent’s Clay County expanding St. Vincent’s Medical Center Clay County is planning a second hospital expansion to add dozens of new patient rooms and an additional cardiac procedure room.

Health center growth continues Progress on St. Vincent’s Health Center locations continues, with four locations currently open and four more expected to open by spring 2019. The health centers offer multiple services in one convenient location, with many including urgent care, primary care, lab services, imaging and specialty care.

INDIANA

Center opens for autoworkers, families Enhancing St. Vincent’s commitment to deliver and expand access to care, the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) Family Health & Wellness Center Powered

by St. Vincent has been established to serve employees and their families who are enrolled in the FCA healthcare plan.

The nearly 14,000-square-foot center near St. Vincent Kokomo is a primary

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NEWS FROM THE MINISTRIES

care, near-site facility offering a team approach to care for the whole person.

While FCA is the first domestic automaker to establish a near-site health clinic, the company joins a growing trend of large U.S. employers creating clinics as a means of improving member health and related cost savings.

Education/simulation center opens St. Vincent has opened the William K. Nasser, MD, Healthcare Education and Simulation Center in Indianapolis. Named after the late St. Vincent cardiologist Dr. William K. Nasser, the 45,000-square-foot center includes classrooms, virtual reality training and skills lab. This learning environment offers enhanced opportunities for patient-caregiver scenarios and contains flexible spaces that can be modified to simulate multiple medical settings: an operating room, intensive care unit, labor/delivery room and more. High-tech responsive manikins and task-specific tools aid in practicing difficult or complicated procedures and provide opportunities for caregivers and interprofessional teams to respond to unusual or highstakes situations in a controlled environment, without risks to actual patients.

St. Vincent Evansville, others collaborate on food access The St. Vincent Evansville Foundation received a $125,000 Healthy Eating Active Living grant from the Welborn Baptist Foundation. The grant aids the work of the Healthy Harvest program, a collaborative initiative of St. Vincent Evansville, Seton Harvest and St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry. Seton Harvest is a community-supported agriculture initiative sponsored by the Daughters of Charity Province of St. Louise. The goal of the program is to provide free, fresh produce to those in the community with limited or no access. The grant

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St. Vincent’s new William K. Nasser, MD, Healthcare Education and Simulation Center opens in Indianapolis.

has enabled Seton Harvest to build a new greenhouse and hydroponics system, facilitating year-round growth of produce.

KANSAS/OKLAHOMA

Contributions include new ambulance Ascension Via Christi has a new $210,000 ambulance thanks to Via Christi Volunteers Partners in Caring. The ambulance serves as the primary transport vehicle for the nearly 150 patients who are transferred each month between Via Christi’s Wichita hospital campuses.

“We’re excited to have a more up-to-date vehicle with an electric lift system for loading patients,” said Kris Hill, Chief Nursing Officer for Via Christi Hospital St. Francis. “This is an important safety feature for staff and the patients they transport.”

St. John Trauma Center reverified St. John Trauma Center, part of Ascension Oklahoma, was reverified as a Level II Trauma Center by the American College of Surgeons (ACS).

This achievement recognizes the trauma center’s dedication to providing optimal care for critically injured patients.

G O O D DAY A S C E N S I O N / A S C E N S I O N .O R G

MICHIGAN

Family thanks Ascension Crittenton Hospital with major gift Earlier this year, as Sharon Holstein was leaving Ascension Crittenton Hospital to go to hospice, her husband, Carl, was arriving at the hospital with his own health concerns. It was Valentine’s Day, and they had not seen each other for two months due to hospitalizations and therapy schedules.

The hospital staff transported Sharon to Carl’s room, where they exchanged valentines. Sharon died 48 hours later, and Carl followed four weeks later.

To commemorate what Ascension Crittenton Hospital meant to them, Carl and Sharon dedicated a portion of their estate to the hospital’s foundation. This major gift will help the Crittenton Foundation in its goal to advance health programs and services to save lives and promote wellness.

Genesys provides access to nutritious food Genesys is participating in The Food FARMacy, a community program launched last year through Hurley Medical Center. Thanks to a grant from the Michigan Health Endowment Fund,

NEWS FROM THE MINISTRIES

Genesys locations are now referral sites to help address food insecurity among those they serve in greater Flint.

With the added funding, the Genesys Downtown Flint Health Center, Genesys Family Health Center in Burton and the Genesys inpatient oncology unit can extend referrals to the Food FARMacy.

These sites can offer patients take-home food bags, providing them an immediate source of food when they are referred so there is no waiting period. In addition, the Genesys Women in Agriculture Farm Development Center will sell leafy greens year-round to the Food FARMacy program.

Trauma center designations received St. Mary’s Standish Hospital and St. Joseph Hospital in Tawas received Level IV Trauma Center designations from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and are now integral members of the statewide trauma system. Standish Hospital, a 25-bed critical access hospital, and St. Joseph, a 49-bed community hospital, serve the northern Michigan region, which has many rural areas.

Ascension SE Michigan nurses honored The Annual Nightingale Awards for Nursing Excellence applaud the advance-

ment of nursing through the work of outstanding professionals. A total of 28 Ascension SE Michigan nurses were nominated and five received awards (winner and/or runner-up) at the 30th annual ceremony.

Capital investment for northern Michigan A $50 million capital infusion is planned for the Ascension Michigan Northern Ministries as part of a renewed commitment to their growth and success.

Investments will be made in St. Mary’s Hospital in Saginaw, Standish Hospital and St. Joseph Hospital in Tawas, which will ensure that the health ministries are equipped to meet the evolving needs of those we serve.

New clinic supports heart failure patients Ascension Macomb-Oakland Hospital, Warren Campus, cut the ribbon for a new Heart Failure Clinic in the Cardiac Rehab Department on the hospital grounds. The clinic offers a smooth transition of care for HF patients; they can have questions answered, medication reconciled, information provided and follow-up appointments made within seven days in a quiet, stress-free environment.

Ascension Crittenton journey to Catholic Identity Ascension Crittenton Hospital in Rochester has begun the process to assume Catholic Identity following board approval. Leadership is working with Mission Integration to offer training for all associates with the course “One Community for One Mission.” This is just one of many steps.

Catholic Identity includes creating a culture that is focused on Respect for Human Dignity, Attending to the Whole Person, Promoting the Common Good, Acting on Behalf of Justice, Subsidiarity (or Creating a Participative Work Environment), Solidarity and Special Attention for Poor and Vulnerable Persons, and Acting as a Ministry of the Church (in Communion). Training about the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services will be made available for all providers. The process is expected to take 9-12 months.

Borgess scores prestigious award Borgess Health in Kalamazoo has earned the Get With The Guidelines Gold Plus Award for Heart Failure for the fifth year in a row. In addition, Borgess has been named to the Target Honor Roll. To qualify for the award from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, heart failure programs must meet the criteria 65-80 percent of the time. The Borgess program met the criteria 90-95 percent of the time.

TENNESSEE

Recipients of The Annual Nightingale Awards for Nursing Excellence, from left: Faith Straton – Ascension Providence Hospital, Southfield (runner-up, Emerging Nurse Leader); Kino Xandro Anuddin – Ascension St. John Hospital (winner, Excellence in Education); Leesa Jones – Ascension Providence Hospital, Southfield (winner, People’s Choice); Lisa Hill – Ascension Providence Hospital, Southfield (runner-up, Staff Nurse); and Makenzie Thimm – Ascension St. John Hospital (winner, Advanced Nurse Practice & Research).

Total Artificial Heart added to services Saint Thomas Health is the first health system in Tennessee to offer SynCardia Total Artificial Heart (TAH) as part of the cardiac treatment services offered at Saint Thomas West Hospital in Nashville.

The TAH is a lifesaving treatment option

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NEWS FROM THE MINISTRIES

provided to individuals eligible for heart transplant surgery who have end-stage heart failure affecting both sides of the heart (biventricular failure).

Plans for behavioral health hospital Saint Thomas Health has announced its intent to build a psychiatric inpatient hospital as a joint venture with Acadia Healthcare to expand and improve access to behavioral healthcare in Nashville. The 76-bed psychiatric inpatient hospital will include 40 adult psychiatric beds and 36 geriatric psychiatric beds.

TEXAS

Surgery Center earns Level 1 distinction Dell Children’s Medical Center was verified by the American College of Surgeons as a Level 1 (Comprehensive) Pediatric Surgery Center. This verification means that Dell Children’s has met a set of national standards few other pediatric centers in the country have achieved. “This verification from the American College of Surgeons assures families that the team at Dell Children’s is fully prepared to provide the highest-quality care, specifically designed to meet the needs of children,” said Nilda Garcia, MD, FACS, Surgeon in Chief, Dell Children’s Medical Center.

Nurses from Hospital St. Francis de Sales in Haiti complete their American Heart Association Basic Life Support training, a project coordinated

by Ascension Global Mission.

where she works with Monica Hilt, President, Ascension St. Elizabeth Hospital, and other leaders in the Fox Valley. She also was honored for 50 years of service in healthcare this year.

WISCONSIN

Hospital ED now senior friendly To help meet the needs of the community and provide exceptional patient care, the Emergency Department (ED) at Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital Ozaukee in Mequon has been transformed and is now more senior friendly. With its 20 rooms, the ED is now equipped with less-intrusive medical equipment, softer and dimmable lighting, accessible railings, noise-reducing tiles, glass barriers around the nurses’ workstation, supportive patient beds and recliners, and soft, nonskid flooring.

Sister Lois Bush appointed Regional Superior Sister Lois Bush, SSM, was appointed by the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother to serve as the Regional Superior for the St. Clare of Assisi Region in the U.S.A. and Dominican Republic. Her role in the congregation allows her to continue in a limited role in culture and leadership at Ascension Wisconsin,

2018 Nurse of the Year Ellen Krueger, RN, Ascension St. Ben’s Clinic, was named the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s 2018 Nurse of the Year. A panel of experienced Wisconsin nurses reviewed all nominations and picked Ellen as the top candidate, making it two years in a row that an Ascension Wisconsin nurse was chosen for this award.

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ASCENSION CARE MANAGEMENT

New clients for USHL US Health and Life (USHL), a subsidiary of Ascension Care Management, has gained two new clients representing more than 15,000 new eligible employees covered by USHL. These opportunities deepen Ascension’s strategic relationship with Blue Cross Blue Shield to offer self-funded health coverage in the state of Michigan.

New Personal Care Service Management is piloting a new Personal Care Service offering for members and caregivers who are at risk of hospitalization due to struggles with activities of daily living. Members are assessed and screened for this service.

ASCENSION GLOBAL MISSION

Haiti nurses learn Basic Life Support Last spring, nurses at Hospital St. Francis de Sales (HSFS) in Haiti received training on American Heart Association Basic Life Support (AHA-BLS), and Ascension Global Mission helped coordinate the effort. All 54 nurses passed the training and are now certified in AHA-BLS. Also, eight nurses became certified trainers, again representing

NEWS FROM THE MINISTRIES

100 percent of those trained. This trainthe-trainer approach helps ensure that the nursing staff at HSFS can maintain and sustain certification levels without any further outside assistance. Plans are underway to establish HSFS as an AHA-BLS Certified Training Site. In addition, clinical education training programs in advanced cardiac life support and advanced pediatric cardiac life support have been requested for all clinicians (physicians and nurses). Lessons learned through this experience will be incorporated as these additional education sessions are conducted.

adopters, and the final, complete set of features is designed and developed only after considering feedback from the product’s initial users. Several of the MVPs have a potential total addressable market size in excess of a billion dollars.

The division also transitioned Virtual Care to mainstream Operations after growing it from three to 12 markets, two to 20 use cases, and 304 to 34,402 annual consults. Innovations/Incubations won the Corporate Innovation Award for its engagement with healthcare-related startups from Plug & Play, an international accelerator.

ASCENSION INVESTMENT

ASCENSION HOLDINGS

MANAGEMENT

Ascension Ramsay NuSoarceGlobal Ascension and Ramsay have created a global joint venture designed to help health system leaders competitively source and procure the products and services their healthcare professionals and patients need every day. It’s the first global venture of its kind. Ascension Ramsay NuSoarceGlobal will provide a contract portfolio of competitively priced products and services. The initiative was designed by providers of healthcare, for providers of healthcare. It will bring greater efficiency, discipline and innovation to the global purchasing system, and in the process create more productive relationships with the vendor community. The net result is that it will make healthcare more affordable.

Director speaks at Vatican conference Dale Hunt, Ascension Investment Management’s Managing Director of Private Equity, spoke at the Vatican Impact Investing Conference in Rome on July 9. The discussion centered on an examination of diverse financial vehicles, addressing challenges to scaling access to healthcare.

Innovations/Incubations update Innovations/Incubations launched 13 minimally viable products (MVPs) to test ideas in the market. An MVP is a development technique in which a new product is developed with sufficient features to satisfy early

ASCENSION VENTURES

Four companies transforming healthcare Ascension Ventures recently invested in four companies that are trying to transform healthcare and deliver on the quadruple aim. Bind Benefits offers on-demand health insurance that provides transparent, affordable health insurance to self-insured employers.

HealthMyne offers a platform that extracts quantitative radiomic data from medical images to automate multidisciplinary workflows (e.g., cancer screening, therapy response tracking, tumor board) and develop new predictive algorithms. Olive (formerly CrossChx) offers artificial intelligence-enabled process mining and automation solutions that empower healthcare organizations to optimize hospital operations and reduce administrative costs. Renovia offers a sensor-laden medical device combined with a digital health solution to help individuals suffering from pelvic floor disorders. Ascension Ventures has now made investments in 69 companies in its 17-year history, many of which have been adopted within Ascension.

ASCENSION MEDICAL GROUP

REaL data collection training To support Ascension as a national leader in eliminating preventable disparities in health outcomes by 2022, thousands of Ascension Medical Group registration staff and members of the AMG Practice Transformation team have been trained to collect race, ethnicity and language (REaL) data.

This training will help Ascension identify opportunities to further reduce preventable disparities in healthcare outcomes, enhance associates’ cultural awareness, and improve patient experience and outcomes.

ASCENSION TECHNOLOGIES

Ascension Technologies debuts Ascension’s information technology and services organization debuted a new identity — Ascension Technologies.

The name change signals a turning point for the Solutions group’s operations as a healthcare technology partner — one capable of meeting the expanded needs of Ascension’s caregivers and the communities they serve.

Ascension Technologies ranks in Computerworld For the third year in a row, IDG’s Computerworld named Ascension Technologies (formerly Ascension

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NEWS FROM THE MINISTRIES

Information Services) to its list of the 100 Best Places to Work in IT. The organization ranked 35 nationally in the category of large organizations.

COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS

Grant addresses social determinants Daughters of Charity Health Centers (DCHC) in New Orleans and UnitedHealthcare (UHC) have launched a Care Fellowship Program thanks to a $1.5 million grant from UHC. Through the program, DCHC will reach thousands of underserved people in New Orleans by training and deploying a full-time team of community health workers to conduct screenings for health and social service needs; connect people with access to preventive care services, and work with community partners to get people critical resources they need, including access to food, financial education, counseling and job training, and address other social

MEDXCEL

Practice makes perfect The Medxcel Emergency Management and Safety teams kept busy during FY18 assembling more than 200 Incident Command Centers through a mix of exercises and responses to real-life situations, and conducting more than 100 active shooter exercises. The drills allowed Medxcel to validate its disaster recovery model to support ministries across Ascension.

MINISTRY SERVICE CENTER

MSC among global most admired The Ascension Ministry Service Center was named a most admired shared services organization by the Shared Services and Outsourcing Network, the world’s largest business services industry organization.

Stay connected with Ascension @ HOME, @ WORK, @ YOUR FINGERTIPS Twitter: @ascensionorg Keep up with Ascension tweets. Follow Ascension.

Facebook: facebook.com/ascensionorg Like our Ascension page and get the latest updates on your newsfeed.

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/ascensionorg Stay up to date with organization news and connect with other associates.

YouTube: youtube.com/c/ascensionorg Watch videos about Ascension on an array of topics.

Pinterest: pinterest.com/ascensionorg Choose from various boards, such as Care Excellence, Facility News and Reflections.

Learn more about Ascension at ascension.org.

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THE RESOURCE GROUP

determinants of health that adversely impact underserved communities.

G O O D DAY A S C E N S I O N / A S C E N S I O N .O R G

eSourcing provides savings To further advance the size and speed of value-added contracts, The Resource Group implemented advanced eSourcing as an integral part of its User Directed Strategic Sourcing process. eSourcing is the process of strategically and electronically engaging with a supplier base to solicit and evaluate company, product or service information; official survey or proposal responses; and participation in live eAuction events. This allows for the inclusion of multiple suppliers, increasing the likelihood of favorable results. The Resource Group conducted a total of 10 eAuction events in fiscal year 2018, delivering an average of 12 percent of additional value on top of negotiations occurring before the live events.

Good Day Ascension / Fall 2018 - Issue 8 Good Day Ascension is published by Ascension Marketing and Communications for associates and family members across our integrated national health ministry. Stories in Good Day Ascension support our One Ascension journey and reflect the commitment of associates, providers and volunteers across the health ministry to provide compassionate, personalized care to all, with special attention to persons living in poverty and those most vulnerable.

Executive Editor: Nick Ragone, Esq., nick.ragone@ascension.org Editor: Ted Siegel, ted.siegel@ascension.org Design and Production: dcpubs.com To share comments, ask questions or suggest articles for Good Day Ascension, please email GoodDay@ascension.org, or send a note to Editor, Good Day Ascension, Ascension Marketing and Communications, 101 S. Hanley Road, Suite 1100, St. Louis, MO 63105.

All content copyright 2018 Ascension. Republication or any other use of the contents of Good Day Ascension without the express written consent of Ascension is prohibited. Any reference to or depiction of a product or service does not constitute or imply an endorsement by Ascension. Online version available at Ascension.org/goodday.

L AST WORD

As seen on the daily Good Day Ascension TO READ MORE ABOUT THESE STORIES AND OTHER NEWS FROM ACROSS OUR ONE INTEGRATED MINISTRY, VISIT GOODDAY.ASCENSION.ORG FROM WITHIN THE ASCENSION NETWORK. INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO DOWNLOAD THE GOOD DAY MOBILE APP ARE ALSO AVAILABLE. ✙ Story about kidney donation at St. Vincent makes national news National media outlets, including “Inside Edition” and The Associated Press, shared the remarkable story of a woman who donated a kidney to a 9-year-old girl she met at Vacation Bible School months earlier. The surgery occurred at St. Vincent Hospital, part of Ascension Indiana.

According to the AP: “Kari Woods was volunteering at the religious education youth program last summer when the Connersville, [Ind.] woman learned that Abby Steinard was suffering from kidney failure and struggling to find a donor, WXIN-TV reported.”

“They asked all the kids ‘What are your goals in life?’ and she was 8 at the time,” Woods said. “When they asked, she said she wanted to live to be 10,” the AP wrote.

Read more at goodday.ascension.org/archive

✙ Ascension Seton dental team volunteers at Mission of Mercy event The Ascension Seton Dental Clinic team, part of Ascension Wisconsin, volunteered at the ninth Wisconsin Dental Association and WDA Foundation Mission of Mercy. More than $1.3 million in free care was offered to children and adults ages 1-90 during 2,087 patient visits, including the following services: • 8,332 dental procedures • 1,436 fillings

• 1,090 X-rays • 3,923 teeth pulled

“It was a great team activity, even though we all arrived at 4:30 in the morning, but very much worth our time and effort to help those who were most in need,” said Annie Meece, Smart Smiles Manager, Ascension Seton Dental Clinic.

Read more at goodday.ascension.org/archive

✙ Nurses creatively alleviate patient’s pain Amanda Shupe, RN, and Shannon McGhee, RN, both of the Surgical Intensive Care Unit at Ascension Sacred Heart Hospital Pensacola, part of Ascension Florida, found a creative way to alleviate a patient’s pain, improve his condition and provide his family with relief. Shannon gave Amanda all the credit for the idea, which demonstrates the Ascension Value of creativity, and said she “just helped.”

The patient suffered anoxic brain injury after a recent near-drowning incident in the Gulf of Mexico. The injury, which occurs when the brain is deprived of oxygen, created a change in sensorimotor skills and caused his tongue to protrude from his mouth. This phenomenon was causing pain as his teeth uncontrollably bit down on his tongue. “It also caused his vital signs to become unstable,” Shannon said.

Read more at goodday.ascension.org/archive

FALL 2018

35

Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage

PAID

101 South Hanley Road Suite 450 St. Louis, MO 63105

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WE ARE ASCENSION

Pippa Nicholson-Kuenn, RN Patient Advocate Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola, Florida

Seeing Christ in the faces of the sick and the poor was instilled in Pippa Nicholson-Kuenn, RN, by the Daughters of Charity when she began her career at Sacred Heart Hospital Pensacola in 1968. The hospital is part of Ascension Florida.

“They enabled me to see that my identity goes deeper than job duties, titles and professional credentials,” she said. “My work in Catholic healthcare reflects my heart and soul.”

Donning the traditional nurse’s cap, Pippa travels the floors in her role as Patient Advocate, addressing the needs of patients and families and ministering to them spiritually. Visitors sometimes ask to have a photo taken with her “because I remind them of a nurse who cared for a family member years ago,” she said. Her warm, Southern charm makes her approachable and softens the hardest of hearts.

During the past 50 years, in roles from bedside nurse to director of Women’s Services, Pippa has touched many lives. In 1992, she

helped introduce a bill in the Florida Legislature requiring insurance coverage of screening mammograms. Florida became the eighth state in the nation to pass such a bill.

To give adult cancer survivors a place to share their cancer journey, she was among those who established the local Camp Bluebird franchise in 1998, a retreat now in its 21st year. That retreat paved the way for Sacred Heart’s Miracle Camp in 2003, which offers kids coping with asthma, arthritis and lupus a safe summer-camp experience with outdoor fun and games. In 2015, the Daughters of Charity named her an Affiliate — an honor given to only a few.

While Pippa could be enjoying a well-deserved retirement, she chooses to be at the side of the sick. “I believe that one can show the compassion of Jesus through simple acts of mercy by reaching out and touching those in need,” she said.