Good Day Ascension - Spring 2020

Good Day Ascension For Associates of Our One Integrated Ministry

SPRING 2020

Filling hearts with joy CAREGIVERS TRANSFORM THEIR WORK THROUGH INNOVATION

INSIDE: Groundbreaking Google collaboration / Associate programs deepen connections / National service line advances cardiac care

WELCOME

A word from our Sponsor

A

s we continue to celebrate 20 years as Ascension, I find myself reflecting on our beginnings and the care with which we designed our logo. I was working with the Mission Integration team in Ascension Sacred Heart at the time, and there was an excitement and energy as key decisions about our name and logo were made. Through an intentionally collaborative process, a centuries-old trinity symbol was chosen to represent our faith-based ministry. Its colors reflected health, compassion and growth.

In this issue, we delve deeper into the story of how our logo came about, the significance it holds for each of us, and its importance as we continue our healing ministry. My hope is that you gain a greater awareness of what it means to be an Ascension associate, and you bear the Ascension logo with a renewed sense of dignity and calling. God bless you!

Sr. Jean Rhoads, DC — Chair, Ascension Sponsor

Leadership insights

View from the Board

A

t each meeting of the Ascension Board, I am eager to hear about how we continue to advance our overall ambition: to be the trusted partner for the health and well-being of those we serve. As a member of the Board, I have had the opportunity to engage with Ascension’s leadership around the development and implementation of our Advanced Strategic Direction and Mission-inspired Transformation. We have seen many initiatives take shape from the beginning, and it’s been exciting to watch our Vision become reality.

With today’s rapid pace of change, Ascension continues to adapt and mold to what our communities need. The pages of this magazine detail a mere fraction of the effort, time and commitment that leaders and associates have put into several key initiatives. With your help, the future looks bright for our shared national health ministry.

Stephen Dufilho, CPA — Chair, Board of Directors, Ascension

Editor’s note

A

s Ascension caregivers, we are compelled to continually ask ourselves what we are doing to fully live our Mission. Last year, I began asking Ascension Leadership Team members to report on specific ways they and their teams are directly impacting the poor and vulnerable through their work. I’ve been energized by the stories of how our associates have become “the hands and feet of Jesus” to those we serve. With the need so great, however, there is always more that can be done. That’s why we are so dedicated to advancing this core commitment in every facet of our transformational journey.

This year, you may notice several new and expanded ways Ascension strives to demonstrate our solidarity with the poor.

In big ways and small, each of us has the opportunity to touch others in body, mind and spirit. I encourage you to live out that calling more fully every day.

Joseph R. Impicciche, JD, MHA — President and Chief Executive Officer, Ascension

O

ur Mission-inspired Transformation has truly begun to flourish. In this issue, we explore several initiatives that demonstrate the immense progress we have already made toward our aspirational goals. We are working on a model that allows those we serve to be cared for and monitored in the comfort of their own home. We’re working with companies to provide on-site health services to their employees. Great progress has been made in our cardiovascular service line work. And our cover story highlights the caregiver transformation we continue to witness in Jacksonville, Florida, and beyond.

In the midst of this exciting work, our ministry successfully transitioned to using G Suite in a matter of only a few months.

This speaks to our resilient spirit in the midst of change.

We hope you enjoy this edition. As always, send your feedback to GoodDay@ascension.org.

Nick Ragone, Esq. — Executive Vice President and 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.

2

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

CONTENTS

FEATURES 14 Filling hearts with joy Innovation nursing units, supporting team-based patient care, are transforming care delivery and restoring joy.

DEPARTMENTS 4 Mailbox

18 More voices

Patients and families share messages of thanks to caregivers.

ASPIRE and GROW in Ascension programs deepen connections and enhance understanding.

5 Inspiration

20 A sign for the times Ascension’s name and logo reflect an uplifting energy, and the logo’s colors express a deep truth about the associates we want to be and the care we want to provide.

22 Fulfilling the promise of digital health information Ascension is working with Google’s Health division on groundbreaking efforts that will improve the experience of patients, consumers, caregivers — and the nation.

24 Quality collaborations Clinical & Network Services brings together Ascension’s clinical and physician enterprises, clinical quality function, managed care services, and Ascension Insurance.

26 Growing alignment Ascension’s cardiovascular service line is transforming care by enhancing quality, sharing best practices, boosting physician engagement and fostering efficiencies.

As we continue to celebrate 20 years of being a community, of being Ascension, we know that our journey has just begun. In the same spirit of those who founded our System, let us pray together as an Ascension community the 20th anniversary prayer.

6 Up Front On-site and near-site health clinics are just one way Ascension is helping companies change the way they provide healthcare to their employees. … An Ascension Living pilot program shows the value of home-based services. … Ascension CEO meets Pope Francis. ... G Suite is a “go.”

12 Remembering Sister Mary Therese Gottschalk, SSM Sister Mary Therese Gottschalk’s life of service to God’s people included key roles in Ascension and the Marian Health System.

13 Getting to know you Get to know Lisa Davis, Chief Financial Officer, Ascension Saint Thomas.

30 News from across Ascension What’s happening around the ministry?

Good Day Ascension For Associates of Our One Integrated Ministry

On the cover: SPRING 2020

Filling hearts with joy CAREGIVERS TRANSFORM THEIR WORK THROUGH INNOVATION

INSIDE: Groundbreaking Google collaboration / Associate programs deepen connections / National service line advances cardiac care

Interdisciplinary rounding breaks down silos at Ascension St. Vincent’s Riverside in Jacksonville, Florida. Pictured are, from left, Dr. Roberto Jo; Brittany Cook, RN, Charge Nurse; Dr. Jenny Hu; Katherine Kamataris, PharmD; Rev. Fred Caldwell, Chaplain; Carneisha Myles, ARNP; Manuel Del Castillo, PCT; and Jessica Moore, BSN, RN, Case Manager.

Back cover Melissa Weston leads a new associate orientation program for The Resource Group that affirms every individual is a leader in his or her own way.

SPRING 2020

3

M AI LBOX

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 from those we serve The childbirth classes [at Ascension Via Christi St. Joseph’s NewLife Center in Wichita, Kansas] helped prep me mentally for what to expect. … The Breastfeeding Clinic was so beyond helpful and the nurses there are so caring. I am truly so grateful for all of you nurses who helped me and my little one!

Patient at Ascension Via Christi St. Joseph, Wichita, Kansas

The rehabilitation staff and dietary staff at Ascension Genesys were wonderful! All the nurses, nursing assistants, people passing the trays, physical therapists and occupational therapists were absolutely amazing [as well]. I felt like everyone bent over backwards for me. The kindness I experienced made me feel at ease because I was so very nervous to go to rehab. Your care to me is appreciated!

Patient at Ascension Genesys, Grand Blanc, Michigan

I recently completed six weeks of physical therapy at Ascension St. Joseph. I want to compliment you and your team for the superb performance of your entire department. I was on the active medical staff at another area hospital for 38 years and their board of directors for nearly 25 years, so I am very familiar with medicine. Everyone I encountered at Ascension St. Joseph was exceptional.

Patient at Ascension St. Joseph, Tawas City, Michigan

4

Thank you for caring for us with love at our worst time. We will be forever grateful to you all. Our Amy was always striving to love like Jesus! God bless all of you!

Family at Ascension Standish Hospital, Standish, Michigan

Our community neighbors were excited to have new socks for the cold winter weather approaching. Thank you, Ascension St. Mary’s Foundation and Volunteer Services, who teamed up with the hospital’s Interventional Radiology Care Unit and Cardiovascular Care Unit to give back to the Saginaw community.

The patient socks that are only used for a short period of time and then recycled by volunteers laundering, folding and finally distributing at the Soup Kitchen is amazing.

East Side Soup Kitchen, Saginaw, Michigan

My son was in the NICU at Ascension St. John’s for 5 1/2 weeks and the care he was given was beyond excellent. Dr. [Craig] Anderson is an amazing doctor who cares deeply for the babies he takes care of, and the nurses are awesome! Every nurse my son had treated my son like they would treat their own children.

Parent at Ascension St. John, Tulsa, Oklahoma

The nurses in the ICU and [on the] 5th floor were awesome. The respiratory [and] X-ray [technicians], staff that brought his food to him, the housekeepers and the CNA — you all went above and beyond doing your job. I also want to give A.J. the social worker a big thank-you.

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

He did a lot of work for our family. I will always be grateful for God and the staff at Ascension St. Vincent for saving my son.

God bless each and every one of you!

Parent at Ascension St. Vincent, Indianapolis

Dr. [Jenese] Reynolds-Gibbs is the type of doctor my grandparents used to talk of. The type that gives bedside manner the time [and] attention it requires. She noticed a health condition that needed attention right away. She administered tests and treatment immediately, including making a call to a specialist personally to make sure I was made a priority on his list. Dr. Reynolds-Gibbs then personally gave me a follow-up call the next day to see how I was feeling.

This was only my second visit to see the doctor, yet she showed care, compassion and professionalism as if I’ve been her patient for many, many years.

Patient at Ascension St. John Family Medical Center, St. Clair Shores, Michigan

I have been a patient in your hospital too many times over the years. ... When I returned home I got a call from Cathy Marsh, RN, Patient Navigator, who spoke to me about my stay and if she could do anything for me. Ms. Marsh offered different resources for my heart problems and other information. I was so taken aback by how she took an interest in me and arranged rides for me to make sure I got to my doctors’ appointments and follow-ups. You are so lucky to have a kind and caring person working for you.

Patient at Ascension Saint Agnes Hospital, Baltimore

I N S P I R AT I O N

Ascension anniversary prayer Celebrating 20 years Embarking on a new journey requires radical trust, openness in discernment and profound hope. Without knowing what might happen, one must be not only open to God’s work but open to participating in God’s work.

Twenty years ago, the Sisters who founded Ascension did just this. As we continue to celebrate 20 years of being a community, of being Ascension, we know that our journey has just begun. In the same spirit of trust, hope and joy, let us pray together as an Ascension community:

I Am With You Always O God, You promised that You would always be with us, And throughout time, You have been faithful to Your promise.

For 20 years You have guided our way.

For 20 years You have been with us.

And we know that You are with us now.

You promised it to Isaac and Moses, Jacob and Jeremiah, You promised it to the people of Israel, And before the Ascension of Your beloved Jesus, You promised His followers: “I will be with you until the end of time.”

On that day, Your mission of love, hope and healing was entrusted to our hands.

Help us to trust in Your presence as we move into the future, and give us wisdom and courage as we promise …

Today, as we recognize the 20th Anniversary of Ascension, we celebrate Your promise that inspired our historic founders.

When these courageous and faithful servants brought together the healthcare ministries of two communities to form a new ministry, You were there.

When the Mission, Vision and Values were inspired, You were there.

When more congregations and communities joined this new Vision, You were there.

When change brought about both loss and hope, You were there.

When a new model of sponsorship was envisioned for our future, You were there.

When we began our bold journey to ensure the safety of our patients, You were there.

When we moved to unify our ministries, systems and structures, You were there.

To transform the way we care for the individuals and communities we serve, To commit to the joy and well-being of our caregivers, To live in true solidarity with those who are poor and vulnerable, To open our hearts, our structures and our systems in new ways to provide places of welcome for those who are entrusted to our care, and To be instruments of Your love.

O God, as we walk in the footsteps of all who came before us, help us to be faithful to You and to our promises. Give us wisdom and courage to embrace our Mission and embody our Values. And may those who continue after us be inspired by our commitment, and forge new paths of hope and healing in our world.

Amen

Questions for your consideration: How have you experienced the promise and presence of Love along your journey?

How are you being called to participate in God’s work through the gift of your work at Ascension?

SPRING 2020

5

UP FRONT

Working to keep employees healthy ON-SITE CARE AND OTHER EMPLOYER SERVICES ARE REMOVING BARRIERS TO HEALTHCARE

A

t car manufacturers, school districts and some 80 other employers across Indiana, employees and their families have access to primary healthcare at or near where they work. For the past decade, clinics established by Ascension Indiana are removing barriers to care and keeping employees healthy.

On-site healthcare is a popular benefit among employees; upward of 80% of those eligible take advantage of clinic services. In most cases, employees can get a same-day or next-day appointment, lab work and a prescription — all at no cost. In addition to clinics that serve multiple employers, Ascension

St. Vincent has collaborated with 14 employers to open dedicated clinics.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles was looking for an innovative solution to its rising healthcare costs. Since it opened its own health and wellness center with Ascension St. Vincent in 2018, employees at five area manufacturing plants are taking better care of themselves and getting care earlier.

And by using healthcare more efficiently — seeing fewer specialists unnecessarily or using urgent care instead of the emergency department — the automaker sees this proactivity as a driver of cost savings among its workforce of 8,400.

Next door to its high school, the Zionsville School Corporation opened the Zionsville Community Schools Wellness Center with Ascension St. Vincent as a convenient, no-cost option for its 600 employees. The center offers physician and nursing services, behavioral healthcare, a registered dietitian, and an exercise physiologist, all of which coordinate with an employee’s personal primary physician. Through the clinic website, employees can schedule appointments or email a health question.

“These locations are unique, lifestyle destinations — unlike a traditional primary care office,” said Jill Mercer, In 2019, 86% of eligible Zionsville School Corporation employees utilized clinic services.

6

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

UP FRONT

Clinic hours at the Zionsville Community Schools Wellness Center are set to provide employees like these teachers, and their families, maximum access throughout the week.

”As a provider organization, we are well positioned to work with the employer, understand the unique healthcare needs of their employees, and together, design solutions to improve health and care.”

— SCOTT EATHORNE, MD, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER, OPTIMAL CARE MODEL, ASCENSION MEDICAL GROUP Director of Sales, Employer Solutions, Ascension St. Vincent. “It’s a model where our doctor can recommend an exercise class at the attached fitness center or walk an employee or family member down the hall to a registered dietitian who sees that person twice a week to achieve a goal.”

THE NE X T LE VE L

Ascension Indiana’s network of clinics — as well as other employer services and similar models in Ascension Wisconsin — quickly became known to a team of leaders in the early phases of discovery work on the Mission-inspired Transformation initiative Growing Covered Individuals through Strategic Purchaser Contracting. Scott Eathorne, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Optimal Care Model, Ascension Medical Group, is co-leading this work at the national level.

“Ascension’s commitment to effective population health management and

delivering on the quadruple aim of high quality, cost-effectiveness, and exceptional experience for patients and clinicians translates well for employers who are looking for value for their employees,” Dr. Eathorne said. ”As a provider organization, we are well positioned to work with the employer, understand the unique healthcare needs of their employees, and together, design solutions to improve health and care.”

Trent Bruce, President and CEO, Seton Insurance Services, part of Ascension Texas, and others have spent time learning about the many employer programs and services already in place and working across Ascension.

“In the near term we are focusing on Indiana, Wisconsin, Tennessee and Texas by pulling together existing resources, deploying new resources, sharing best practices and filling gaps to accelerate growth,” Trent said.

“We’ve developed a shared cus­tomer relationship management tool that contains all of our employer-focused relationships into a single platform,” he said. “This is crucial not just in managing existing relationships, but being able to set a membership baseline and measuring performance. It best positions us to identify multisite opportunities to expand existing employer relationships.”

“We want to break new ground in healthcare,” said Jill, who has joined the Mission-inspired Transformation work.

“From an employer solutions perspective, our focus is to change how employers offer employees healthcare. Across our teams within Ascension, alignment is key. It’s important to note that we have a list of probably 30 different services across the various markets that we can offer to employers that might help them change the way they deliver healthcare to their employees.”

SPRING 2020

7

UP FRONT

There’s no place like home LIVE AT HOME PROGRAM HELPS SENIORS, FAMILIES HAVE PEACE OF MIND

A

home is a place of comfort, traditions and cherished memories. Yet for some adults who want to remain in their homes, the aging process often presents challenges surrounding aspects of daily living with limited options.

Earlier this year, Ascension Living introduced a new program that promises to help older adults do just that: Live at Home. The program is a unique, customer-oriented concierge service that provides a single point of contact to coordinate all support.

“Oftentimes the assistance required is not related to an actual medical need, but rather a living need,” said Kate Henderson, Regional Hospital President, Ascension Texas. “After a hip surgery, for example, most of the challenges aren’t related to the surgery itself but rather the need for groceries, a bathroom handrail and transportation — needs that support people living well in their homes.”

Kate is part of the Mission-inspired Transformation initiative Bringing Health and Healing to the Home. In discussing the initiative’s direction, she and other leaders recognized that nearly 90% of older adults aged 65 and over want to stay living in their homes.

Using the design methodology of agile, Live at Home was developed in less than a year.

An important element in creating the program involved in-home research, including spending several hours with individuals and their families to understand what aging at home is like.

“Live at Home is a peace-of-mind and convenience service for both the participant and their family, so we’re really taking care of the person and the family at the same time,” Kate said. “Leveraging Ascension Living’s tremendous expertise, we’re able to deliver a well-coordinated suite of services aligned with our Mission of taking care of the whole person.”

SUPPORTING INDEPENDENCE Live at Home has gathered the right resources to help older adults age in place, such as transportation, meal delivery, housekeeping, home repairs or in-home care.

“Transportation is a significant issue for older adults, especially as they begin to feel nervous about driving or begin having vision problems,” said Melissa Brown, Regional Director, Live at Home. “We’re offering transportation for individuals to go where they want, such as a movie or haircut — not just to a medical appointment. Our drivers will also walk riders into their destination if needed as sometimes older adults need help getting from point A to point B.” Along with their family or caretaker, individuals in the program first meet with a wellness coordinator who will design a Live Well Plan. “This assessment includes recommendations to keep older adults safe in their home as long as possible,” Melissa said. “This may include adding a front-porch railing or talking to their doctor about joining a fitness program.”

ST. LOUIS LAUNCH According to Danny Stricker, President of Ascension Post-Acute Services and Ascension Living, St. Louis was chosen as the pilot location for the initiative because the area is one of the top demographic markets in terms of density of older adults.

“We also wanted to find a market that did not have a significant integrated Ascension presence to learn how this program could be launched in an independent market,” he said. “We have a long history of serving older adults at Sherbrooke Village, an Ascension Living community in South St. Louis County, and will look to residents for input as we implement this first program.”

For more information, contact the Live at Home concierge phone line at 833-946-0305 or visit ascensionliving.org/liveathome.

8

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

UP FRONT

“Transportation is a significant issue for older adults, especially as they begin to feel nervous about driving or begin having vision problems.

We’re offering transportation for individuals to go where they want, such as a movie or haircut — not just to a medical appointment.”

— MELISSA BROWN, REGIONAL DIRECTOR, LIVE AT HOME

SPRING 2020

9

UP FRONT

President and CEO Joe Impicciche meets with Pope Francis

W

hen Ascension President and Chief Executive Officer Joseph R. Impicciche, JD, MHA, traveled to the Vatican for meetings, he had an opportunity to meet with His Holiness Pope Francis, leader of the Roman Catholic Church. The work of Ascension is guided by its identity as a healing ministry of the Church and its Mission rooted in the loving ministry of Jesus as healer.

“Our connection to the Vatican is much more than a matter of canon law,” Joe said. “It is a connection to the Church’s commitment to healthcare ministry and the distinctive Catholic identity Ascension brings as a living expression of God’s word and work in our world.

“Ascension’s primary focus, which I am blessed to continue shepherding in my role, is building on our commitment to the Mission of serving those most in need,” he said.

Ascension has gone G Suite

I

n December 2019, Ascension made a bold switch to enable greater collaboration in support of transforming healthcare. More than 150,000 associates and clinicians made the transition from Microsoft Office tools to G Suite, a collection of web-based applications with similar functionality, robust security, and greater ability to support the collaboration and consistency needed to advance our One Ascension journey.

“The move to G Suite supports our Mission-inspired Transformation and the strategic, organizational and operating model choices we’re making to help our national health ministry meet our transformational goals for the future,” said Eduardo Conrado, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy and Innovations Officer, Ascension.

G Suite is designed to increase Ascension’s collaboration capabilities,

10

better connecting vital information and reducing unnecessary variation while ensuring a secure digital environment for our data.

For William Dove, Patient Navigator at Ascension St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Jacksonville, part of Ascension Florida, moving from Microsoft Office to G Suite “has been a surprisingly easy process,” he said. “Both Google’s ease of adaptation and Ascension’s prior planning made for an overall enjoyable experience.”

“I have been with Ascension for 13 years, and I can honestly say that the recent G Suite conversion was one of the best ‘go-lives’ I have experienced in my time here,” said Todd Kennedy, President, Ascension Providence in Mobile, Alabama. “The education and support set the stage for great things to come for Ascension.”

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

Kiely Concannon, Product Manager, Consumer Products, Ascension, is ready to help co-workers during G Suite go-live in Ascension’s Chicago Digital Studio.

The transition to G Suite is one element of a larger collaboration with Google (see page 22 for more about the full Ascension-Google collaboration).

UP FRONT

Bubba Watson Studer Family Children’s Hospital at Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola, Florida

A

Peyton Manning Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital at Ascension St. Vincent Evansville and Indianapolis, Indiana

en c s

sio

superstar doctors, o t s e let h t a r

ta and their families s s d i k r o m yf o a r w g F a bi

in e er h s i n

Ascension is one of the nation’s largest providers of pediatric care. Our highly skilled doctors handle complex, specialized cases — at places designed just for kids.

And at every hospital and specialty location — from Indiana to Florida and Texas to Michigan — our purpose is the same.

We listen to families and children, and deliver the care that’s right for their every need — big or small.

Children’s Hospital SPRING 2020 © Ascension 2020. All rights reserved.

11

ascension.org/pediatrics

UP FRONT

A life of service REMEMBERING SISTER MARY THERESE GOTTSCHALK, SSM

W

hen Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, conferred upon Sister Mary Therese Gottschalk, SSM, its 2003 Alumni Merit Award for the School of Pharmacy and Health Professions, the university said there were two constants in her life: God and change.

“By putting God first, Sister Mary Therese Gottschalk has managed an incredible amount of change and responsibility,” it said.

Sr. Therese, whose life of service to God’s people included key roles in Ascension and, earlier, the Marian Health System — including Ascension St. John in Oklahoma, Ascension Via Christi in Kansas and Ascension Wisconsin — died Feb. 24, 2020. She was 88.

For more than 40 years, Sr. Therese dedicated her life and career to providing healthcare and related ministries for several communities, with special attention to the sick, the poor and the powerless.

12

Last year Sr. Therese was honored for her many years of dedication, service and contributions to Catholic healthcare.

In her honor, Ascension Wisconsin renamed the Ascension Main Office Board Room in Glendale, Wisconsin, for her and created a plaque inside the room with her photo and a brief biography. The plaque states: Sister M. Therese Gottschalk was born in 1931 in Bavaria, Germany, and entered the Congregation of the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother at the age of 21. Drawn to the work of healthcare, she moved to Milwaukee in 1953, earned a pharmacy degree from Creighton University and later a Master of Science in hospital administration from Saint Louis University. Known for her business acumen and commitment to the Mission, Sr. Therese served as president and CEO of St. John’s Hospital in Tulsa, led numerous ambulatory and service line expansions, and served in leadership roles with the Catholic Health Association, the

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

Sr. Mary Therese Gottschalk visits with friends in 2016 at the 90th anniversary celebration of Ascension St. John in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Oklahoma Catholic Health Conference, and the American Hospital Association.

As an inaugural member of the Ascension Wisconsin Board of Directors, serving until June 2019, Sr. Therese is known locally and nationally for her efforts to deepen and broaden the expression of Jesus’ healing ministry.

“Sr. Therese’s wisdom, compassion and leadership were a tremendous blessing to Ascension and across so many of our markets,” said Joseph R. Impicciche, JD, MHA, President and Chief Executive Officer, Ascension.

“While we certainly miss her, we celebrate her life of service, prayer and commitment to serving God through the ministry of Catholic healthcare.”

PERSONAL PROFILE

Getting to know you LISA DAVIS, CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER, ASCENSION SAINT THOMAS Q: What led you to healthcare?

A: My very first job was an auditor for Ernst and Young in Nashville, Tennessee. During my five years, I worked with a multitude of different clients and industries, from manufacturing to insurance services to healthcare. I was drawn more to healthcare because I was fascinated by the way the financials, including reimbursement, worked in a healthcare organization. The complexities piqued my interest.

Q: When did you join Ascension Saint Thomas?

A: I came to Saint Thomas West in 1998 as an accounting manager. I wanted to be in an organization where I could be a part of something bigger. I remained in that role for two years but left for one year to help a friend start a new business. I returned to Nashville and Saint Thomas in a special projects role during the time Baptist Hospital was acquired. Several years and roles later, I applied and became the Ascension Saint Thomas CFO four years ago.

Q: How does Ascension’s Mission speak to you?

A: I’m proud of our organization’s commitment to service of the poor as demonstrated by providing over $140 million of annual charity care and community benefit. Being in an in-market CFO role and having that financial stewardship responsibility, I take that very seriously. I feel very connected to our Mission in ensuring that our patients have access and we are providing and using our financial resources in the most effective way possible. While not on the frontline of care, I feel connected, for example, when I approve a charity application, because I know I’m doing something to help someone by removing a financial burden.

Q: How are you Involved in Ascension’s Mission-inspired Transformation work?

A: I serve on the Sustaining a Community-driven Ministry Presence Design Team, which is responsible for ensuring that we provide a mission-driven process that engages all stakeholders, especially the community, as our markets work to discern how to reimagine or repurpose facilities. The team is modeling future utilization and capacity for our facilities

and identifying partners and models that can support the transformation of our physical footprint through ongoing initiatives in markets such as Milwaukee and Washington, D.C. Q: Can you describe the mentors in your career?

A: I am fortunate to have had several great mentors; however, former Saint Thomas CFO Alan Strauss made a tremendous and lasting impact on my career. He taught me how to lead as a CFO beyond the lens of just finances. To impact the financial performance of an organization, he said that I should also understand the strategy, have an open mind, see the bigger picture and be willing to collaborate with others.

Q: How would you describe your leadership style?

A: I’ve learned to surround myself with a strong team of great people that support the financial operations of the organization. I try to consistently focus on the development of my team and be supportive of my team, allowing these associates to shine.

SPRING 2020

13

Registered nurses Kelly Freeman, left, and Christy Tucker enjoy shirts distributed during the alpha site celebration at Ascension St. Vincent’s. The design on the back illustrates the interdisciplinary team nature of the new caregiver experience model.

N

urses are at the heart of healthcare, but what happens when they themselves lose heart due to burnout or stress? How can an organization restore the joy that called nurses to their vocation in the first place? And how can that joy be measured, sustained and scaled?

These are some of the important questions Ascension sought to answer through various nursing initiatives intended to reduce burnout, recognize excellence, increase time at the bedside and ultimately restore joy.

Several Ascension markets have implemented programs to bring aspects of these ideals to life. One example is the nursing transformation unit at Ascension Saint Thomas West in Nashville, Tennessee.

The initiative began with a discovery phase during which nurse leaders observed the challenges that nursing units faced and realized that these challenges are experienced by nursing units across the nation. Next they brought together focus groups to journey map a “day in the life”

14

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

of nurses, noting the physical and mental load they often bear. They learned: • Nurses spend a lot of time on administrative tasks, “hunting and gathering” information.

• Their greatest source of stress is completing assessments on time.

• About 75% of their work is done in the first four hours of their shift.

• They have little access to workflow efficiency technology.

“The journey mapping was very interesting,” said Elizabeth May, Clinical Resource Nurse, Ascension Saint Thomas West.

“I realized I wasn’t the only one who goes through the problems many nurses go through. A big ‘wow factor’ for me was to see how much is put on nurses. … Why do we have all these extra steps for our workflow?”

The team set out to design a unit in such a way that Ascension nurses could operate differently, devoid of barriers that often hinder time spent caring for patients. In addition to formation exercises and learning valuable leadership tools,

Filling hearts with joy

RECENT KEY MILESTONES June 2019 — Ascension Nursing Center of Excellence announced

July/August 2019 — Kickoff celebration for Ascension

Caregivers transform their work through innovation the unit came up with its own time-saving protocols that enabled nurses to stay at the bedside longer.

“The transformation unit at Ascension Saint Thomas West was built upon support, accountability, trust, self-actualization, and a community of leaders and peers with like-minded vision and mission,” said Grace Lee, RN, Director, Practice Transformation, Ascension. “Throughout the process they had to lean on each other to come up with the new ideas, and it really established a one-mindedness about what they were trying to achieve.”

An awareness developed out of the innovation unit work, as well as work taking place at Ascension St. Vincent in Indiana, Ascension Michigan and Ascension Alabama, that truly transforming the care delivery model and returning joy would require an entire interdisciplinary team. Team-based care is the model of the future.

Caregiver experience of the future Lessons learned during these programs culminated last year at Ascension St. Vincent’s Riverside in Jacksonville, Florida, where the Caregiver of the Future Design Team alpha unit launched as part of Ascension’s Mission-inspired Transformation.

In addition to designing an entirely new workflow for each cross-functional team member, the alpha unit completed

St. Vincent’s Riverside, selected as caregiver alpha site October 2019 — Alpha unit officially goes live December 2019 — Beta unit goes live February 2020 — Nursing leaders come together to learn more about Nursing Center of Excellence 2020 — Preparing to launch additional units at Ascension St. Vincent’s Riverside and spread to other markets

detailed personality tests, practiced interdisciplinary rounding and participated in simulations to enhance problem-solving skills. Training provided an opportunity for introspection and discussions around what called the caregivers to healthcare and what brings them joy.

The caregiver model was designed to break down silos — establishing fully integrated interdisciplinary teams. Nurses are joined on the unit by an entire patient care team including operations coordinators, hospitalists, nurse practitioners, care manager coordinators, patient care technicians and pharmacy technicians, ensuring every member of the team has the information and support they need, when they need it. The interdisciplinary teams (IDTs) are led by an IDT director. With the entire care team in one space, they can share information, improve processes and workflows, enable everyone to work at the top of license, and build meaningful relationships on a whole new level.

“Everything that I would have spent my morning running around doing, I am able to complete in the IDT rounds,” said Vanessa Casseus, RN, Beta Unit, Ascension St. Vincent’s Riverside. “I really appreciate having the doctor and nurse practitioner available so that I can ask questions anytime I want.”

“At first, I thought the new model was just focused on reshaping the caregiver experience, and I didn’t see how it might apply to me,” said Matt Wingler, Pharmacy Technician,

SPRING 2020

15

More than 150 participants from across Ascension attend the February 2020 Nursing Leaders Conference in Dallas to celebrate nurses everywhere and learn about the Ascension Nursing Center of Excellence ambition and new operating model.

Vice President, Ascension, and Ministry Market Executive, Ascension Florida. “At Ascension, we are called to deliver healthcare in a different way to fulfill our Mission. And that’s exactly what we have the opportunity to do here.”

The Ascension Nursing Center of Excellence Alpha Unit, Ascension St. Vincent’s Riverside. “In the past, there has been a disconnect between the pharmacy and nursing because the pharmacy department was centralized.

My role is much more collaborative now that I work side by side with physicians and nurses and spend more time talking face to face with case managers.”

“Ascension has truly amazing nurses who live out our Mission every day,” said Amy Wilson, MSN, RN, CPHQ, Senior Vice President, Clinical Operations, Ascension. “Now, in a way that’s never been done on such a comprehensive level, we are empowering caregivers from multiple disciplines to recognize and use their strengths to problem-solve solutions to some of healthcare’s biggest challenges. Nurses are now designing workflows, collaborating side by side with other clinical disciplines, and slowly but surely emerging more joyful and capable of providing care in a way they’ve always wanted to.”

Chaplains are another new, key member within this model.

Their role is to provide spiritual and emotional support to associates on the care teams they are assigned to as well as patients on their designated units. They provide daily formation activities such as mindfulness exercises and regular reflections to both night and day staff as well as intentional support to the teams they round with daily.

“Being so present on the unit holds much promise for me and my work,” said Fred Caldwell, Chaplain, Alpha Unit, Ascension St. Vincent’s Riverside. “The staff are already involving me more in their patients’ needs. I have also had some staff share their own personal issues with me.”

The alpha unit currently operates at full capacity and continues to make improvements to processes and workflows using an agile process learned during training. Beta, gamma and delta units have also launched, with additional units at Ascension St. Vincent’s Riverside and other markets expected in the future.

“It was a tremendous honor to be the first to learn, iterate, pivot and calibrate this model,” said Tom VanOsdol, Senior

16

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

The innovation units that launched at Ascension St. Vincent’s Riverside play a role in a much more comprehensive, widespread effort coordinated by the Ascension Nursing Center of Excellence. It was founded in 2019 and is committed to all nursing teams, positioning the Ascension nurse as a professional and leader on the unit, in the hospital and across the organization.

The Center of Excellence was introduced to help nurses provide clinically excellent, safe, compassionate and personalized care designed to satisfy the needs of the nursing workforce while responding to and proactively preparing for the changing trends and expectations in the healthcare landscape. Its ambition is for Ascension to “become the best place to practice nursing by transforming how we care for ourselves and others.”

The Caregiver Experience of the Future units continue to live out many of the Ascension Nursing Center of Excellence’s goals: • Amplify the voice of nurses and ensure they are represented in strategic and clinical decisions.

• Care for the whole nurse, understanding her/his professional, personal and spiritual needs.

• Build career pathways and support mechanisms that allow nurses to build a lifelong career with Ascension.

• Identify high-potential nurses and provide them with innovative tools, training and opportunities to grow into

“Nurses are now designing workflows, collaborating side by side with other clinical disciplines, and slowly but surely emerging more joyful and capable of providing care in a way they’ve always wanted to.”

— AMY WILSON, MSN, RN, CPHQ, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, CLINICAL OPERATIONS, ASCENSION

new frontline and leadership roles in their markets and at the national level.

• Create a national nursing affinity group of frontline nurses that drives the future of the nursing profession across the organization; create a culture of agility on the frontline that encourages testing and learning from failure.

• Increase diversity of thought and background such that our workforce more closely mirrors our patients.

“Through this effort, we want to build a community of nurses who emanate joy as their passion for caring for our patients is restored,” Amy said. “Together, we can continue to build a shared identity around what it means to be an Ascension nurse. As nurses’ lives and goals change and evolve, the Center of Excellence will help create seamless opportunities for nurses to grow, thrive and experience joy in their work.”

From developing career coaches to finding practical solutions within their daily practice, the Center of Excellence is working to develop platforms and opportunities for nurses and leaders to connect, learn from and inspire each other.

“My experience as one of the new Ascension nurse practitioners on the [innovation] unit has been a pleasurable transition. Being part of the Mission-inspired Transformation has been nice because I have a unit to call ‘home.’ The nurses and other staff have been very welcoming. I love rounding as a team with disciplines and being able to discuss different ideas and establish goals and plan before entering the patient room.

Rounding with a multidisciplinary team has fostered team spirit on our unit. Our rounding team includes case management, pharmacy, nurses and sometimes physical therapy. Having the entire team available immediately to discuss any concerns is a provider and patient satisfier. Overall, I feel it has been a very positive experience!”

— ALY LONG, APRN

Above: From left, Cheryl Burritt, Administrative Assistant, talks with Patient Care Technicians Banechiayehu Bell and Manuel Del Castilllo at Ascension St. Vincent’s Riverside in Jacksonville, Florida. Right: Nurse stations on units participating in the new model at the hospital will convert to collaboration spaces like this by the end of FY20.

SPRING 2020

17

More voices Ascension programs deepen connections, grow understanding

T

wo Ascension programs are bringing diverse voices and experiences to the future of the ministry’s leadership.

The programs, ASPIRE and GROW in Ascension, part of Ascension’s Leader Institute, are designed to foster new levels of connectedness and understanding among an inclusive group of colleagues and communities.

ASPIRE is aimed at emerging, high-potential leaders representing diverse backgrounds and experiences. GROW in Ascension is designed to support the personal and professional growth, development and connectedness of Ascension’s women associates and leaders, beginning with those in St. Louis.

ASPIRE Herb Vallier

Carol Whittington

Joe Impicciche

18

ASPIRE, an Ascension program for developing leaders, is designed to expand associate capabilities through hands-on, practical experiences as well as spiritually formative growth. It stands for Accessibility, Sponsorship, Preparation, Integration, Results and Experience. A key component of ASPIRE is to provide opportunities for the developing leader to gain a deeper understanding of the community he or she serves through the lens of a healthcare consumer.

“The highest goal of ASPIRE is to accelerate the sponsorship and development of high-potential emerging leaders across our national health ministry who represent the diverse communities we serve,” said Herb Vallier, Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, Ascension.

Practical experiences include learning about consumerism and understanding the business operations of a Catholic entity. Participants also have opportunities to lead key Ascension projects.

The ASPIRE curriculum integrates mind, body and spirit considerations as well as transforma-

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

tive change knowledge and skills. Additionally, participants benefit from executive sponsorship and shadowing.

“Our associates seek multifaceted career experiences that extend beyond a classroom or online learning activity. They want to acquire new skills and knowledge in a holistic learning environment that encourages curiosity and exploration, and where their many gifts can contribute to our Mission in the process,” said Carol Whittington, Senior Vice President and Chief Talent Development Officer and Executive Director for Ascension’s Leader Institute.

Participants get an individual learning plan based on the associate’s strengths and interests. They will spend, on average, eight to 10 hours a week engaged in career shadowing, project work and other development activities. Associates experience the majority of the program in their own work environment through projects and online, virtual activities.

GROW IN ASCENSION Comprising 80.5% of the Ascension workforce, women are key contributors. Additionally, women lead healthcare consumer decision-making within their homes and communities. President and CEO Joe Impicciche realized that this dynamic presents an opportunity to create an environment within Ascension that both supports the unique needs of women within the workforce and explores their insights, experiences and perspectives as consumers.

GROW in Ascension — GROW stands for Growth, Relationships and Opportunities for Women — is a women’s affinity group launched initially in St. Louis to provide a platform for the women of Ascension to connect. GROW in Ascension is an unconventional offering of the Ascension Leader Institute in that it is more of a

Left: Associates of The Resource Group include, from left, Edita Begovic, Vendor Data & Quality Control Coordinator; Alexia Harsley, Senior Analyst, Pharmacy Logistics; Poonam Sheevam, Senior Analyst, Strategic Marketing & Communications; and, back to camera, Melissa Weston, Director, Associate Growth.

Below: Paulette Slabaugh, Continuous Improvement Specialist, Ascension Ministry Service Center, left, and Paige Horrigan-George, Delivery and Client Engagement Manager at Agilify, an Ascension subsidiary, review process automation projects.

platform for flourishing than a highly structured knowledge-building program.

The executive-sponsored, associate-led program is designed to foster a deeper experience of calling, connection and service by creating a community of women across the organization.

Opportunities for networking, mentoring and development will be presented through a variety of forums, activities and events in both structured and unstructured settings.

“I’m excited about GROW in Ascension and how it will help elevate a more diverse set of voices across our national health ministry,” Joe said.

Inclusivity and open dialogue are key attributes of GROW in Ascension, which will contribute to a richer, more holistic program. As a result, men who would like to learn more about women’s issues and perspectives in the workplace are welcome to participate. Participation in GROW in Ascension is voluntary.

Anticipated outcomes for participants in GROW in Ascension include: • Community and Networking — Experience a strong sense of community and develop a broad network that spans outside of their respective teams or departments.

• Support — Feel supported by their co-workers,

peers and leadership in both their careers and their personal lives.

• Growth and Development — Gain access to opportunities to learn and enhance leadership skills in support of professional formation and career advancement.

“We believe the unique nature of these programs will be transformative and career enhancing,” Joe said.

SPRING 2020

19

A sign for the times Ascension’s trinity logo represents our lasting commitment to Catholic healthcare

20

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

A

scension’s 20-year anniversary provides an opportunity to reflect on the symbols and stories that have been with the national health ministry since it was formed in 1999. It reminds us that, although change is all around us, some things have stood the test of time.

When the Daughters of Charity and the Sisters of St. Joseph of Nazareth (Michigan) brought their health ministries together to form a new system, they sought out a symbol that would reveal to the world who we were and for whom we stood. Their goal was a logo that was easily recognizable and that represented the deep faith heritage both organizations held dear.

“They wanted to do something new together, something transformative, and a new name and logo expresses that vision,” said Sr. Jean Rhoads, DC, Chair, Ascension Sponsor.

“They chose the Christian trinity symbol with the ‘A’ embedded in it to show our shared and unchanging commitment to Catholic healthcare.”

Then, through a Cultural Integration Task Force and using a process that tested responses to various names by persons serving in the ministries, the founding congregations arrived at the name “Ascension Health.”

They also affirmed that the trinity symbol would express the new System-wide identity. Its arches point upward — reminding us of the Ascension, the moment described in Christian Scripture when Jesus ascended to heaven, having

fulfilled his mission on earth by sending his followers out to continue it as vessels of transformation.

“The name Ascension holds a calling and our logo is a constant reminder of it,” said Sr. Maureen McGuire, DC, Executive Vice President and Chief Mission Integration Officer, Ascension. “I remember hearing the name and seeing the logo for the first time and thinking, ‘Yes, that’s it.’ They express an uplifting energy, a reference to health, and so importantly, they express the unbroken link that truly connects us to the moment when Jesus entrusted his healing ministry to his followers.”

Used for centuries in the Christian tradition, the symbol in the Ascension logo invites a reflection on the mystery of God as a trinity of three persons who are One. The colors express a deep truth about the associates we want to be and the care we want to provide: The founding congregations chose green for growth, purple for compassion and blue for health. These colors continue to be incorporated into our unified brand as a constant reminder of our calling.

“Our logo is an outward sign of our core identity, made visible and expressed in living our Mission,” Sr. Maureen said.

“The symbol helps us to be known and recognized for our commitment to Catholic healthcare. It raises our awareness of central aspects of our ministry and connects us to our Mission and Vision.”

Soon, our other three historic sponsors — the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, the Alexian Brothers and the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother — brought their ministries to

Ascension. They created together an organization committed to the future of healthcare. They also reaffirmed our logo, and this intentional, collaborative work helped form the foundation of the Ascension brand identity.

In 2015, Ascension announced the beginning of a unified brand journey in Michigan and Wisconsin as a way to connect the Ascension name and logo to the compassionate, personalized care that community members have come to expect in our sites of care.

“Ascension’s unified brand work is not a rebranding. It is the surfacing of the identity we share as one community committed to the healing ministry of Jesus and living out the Mission of our founding Sisters, Daughters and Brothers,” said Nick Ragone, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Ascension.

“It reminds associates, caregivers and communities that He is alive in our midst in a new way, which is also reflected in a theme we will be highlighting this year: Mission Alive!”

Brand events held across the country provide an opportunity for leaders, providers and associates to celebrate and appreciate the sacred significance of our name and logo.

“As Ascension caregivers, we continue the healing ministry begun by our historic sponsors and always entrusted to us by God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who guide us still today,” Sr. Jean said. “May we recognize ourselves as living signs of healing and hope to others.”

The Ascension logo now welcomes patients, caregivers and loved ones to Ascension sites of care across the country.

Opposite page: The Ascension Seton Southwest brand celebration in Austin, Texas, last June. Left: The Ascension logo outside Ascension Via Christi St. Teresa in Wichita, Kansas.

SPRING 2020

21

A COLLABORATION BETWEEN ASCENSION AND GOOGLE PROVIDES ADVANCED DATA MANAGEMENT AND ELEVATES PATIENT CARE

Fulfilling the promise of digital health information

S

ince Ascension’s founding in 1999, we have been advancing a Vision that calls for the national health ministry to lead the transformation of healthcare.

Not content with merely identifying and following trends, leaders across Ascension have sought out progressive, disruptive innovations and transformational approaches that have the potential to further our Mission, in the tradition of the bold visionaries and innovators who made up Ascension’s historic sponsors.

In this tradition, Ascension is working with Google’s Health division, a global innovator in helping organizations get their arms around vast amounts of data to advance the organizations’ missions and better serve their constituencies.

made work easier for just about every other industry. But in healthcare, technology has made many aspects of serving our patients more difficult.

THE DIGITAL ENVIRONMENT As the information age has accelerated, consumer expectations have changed rapidly, in many cases leaving traditional healthcare systems behind. Those we serve now expect, and increasingly demand, care that is delivered in a cost-efficient, convenient manner and with an exceptional experience.

At the same time, the physicians and caregivers who live out our healing Mission every day do it because they are committed to improving care for those we serve and to making individuals and communities healthier.

Unfortunately, the technology created to improve our ability to deliver excellent care too often creates barriers in our ability to do just that. Technology developments have

22

CONVERTING DATA TO INFORMATION Effectively caring for patients requires not only having the right information at the right time for each patient but also having that information presented in a way that is easily read and understood. This is even more relevant today as healthcare delivery transforms and the amount of patient information increases.

The information clinicians need spans the care continuum with increasing complexity and scale. Too often, clinical information is buried in siloed electronic and paper records that are scattered across hospitals, clinics, urgent care centers, pharmacies, physician offices and labs, making it difficult to deliver coordinated and precise care. When the information is finally retrieved, often it is poorly organized, fragmented and challenging for clinicians to effectively use to care for patients.

The fact that today’s electronic health record (EHR) systems don’t talk to each other is a major problem that can have serious consequences for patient care and causes caregiver frustration and burnout. Today, too

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

Ascension’s work with Google OUR COLLABORATION WITH GOOGLE FALLS INTO FOUR AREAS

1. Infrastructure — moving Ascension’s data into a private, secure much of a caregiver’s time is taken up hunting through poorly organized EHRs trying to find important clinical information — time that could be better used to provide patient care.

A NEW APPROACH To empower our caregivers to provide safer, more effective and efficient care, we are testing point-of-care tools for our clinicians to quickly have access to more complete and specifically tailored patient data. In the delivery of these capabilities, our patients’ records will continue to be securely protected just as they always have been.

With Ascension privacy and security protections in place to protect patients’ health information, Ascension doctors and nurses are working with Google to test a secure clinical search capability that will bring the information within a patient’s entire medical record to our clinicians’ fingertips.

The clinicians will be able to specify the exact information they’re looking for, and it will be retrieved quickly and in combination with other clinically relevant data. For example, rather than hunting through an EHR to see if a patient had a previous allergic or intolerance reaction to a drug, a clinician could simply query the consolidated clinical data and have any instance of allergy or intolerance to that drug presented to them. This capability can be vitally important in emergency situations, when timeliness and completeness of information can be crucial in saving a patient’s life.

The private clinical search capability tool will not be generally available for use in the clinical setting until it is ready, and patients’ medical records will continue to be subject to Ascension’s extensive privacy and security protections and policies both during development and when the tool is introduced. Our patients’ data will be accessible only to our clinicians.

Under no circumstances is Google allowed to use this data for other purposes or to combine it with any other Google consumer data.

Google Cloud environment that is controlled by Ascension. Google is providing cloud space but is not viewing, accessing, searching or using patient information for its own purposes.

2. G Suite — transitioning our associates to Google’s G Suite productivity tools (see page 10).

3. Healthcare Information Layer — bringing patient data together across silos, with mapping, harmonizing and consolidating the data from all of Ascension’s separate information sources to provide clinicians with a complete patient record. Google will assist us with normalizing the combined data into a common data model, enabling comprehensive search by Ascension clinicians to help them make the best recommendations and decisions for their patients.

4. Healthcare Experience Layer — creating applications that maximally leverage access to, and understanding of, the integrated patient individual dataset so care may be optimized for individuals and communities.

All of this work is being done securely and in a way that protects patient privacy, with strict security protocols and in compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), including being governed by an industry-standard Business Associate Agreement.

THE PROMISE OF EHRS Since 2005, tens of billions of dollars have been spent on the creation of siloed, clunky EHR systems. The Department of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology have outlined bold visions to finally make the health information in our systems interoperable, while ensuring patient privacy consistent with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). We have accepted the challenge.

Ascension is working hard to improve patient care; that is what this is all about. To do that, we need all of our patients’ health information securely available, accessible and easily understood by those who are providing care, at the point of care. Google is helping us do that. This new capability keeps our eye firmly on this crucial goal: having the right information at the right time for each patient.

This groundbreaking work will improve the experience of patients and consumers, as well as caregivers. We’re excited about this opportunity to invest in technology-enabled services that address the toughest healthcare problems facing our nation and will help Ascension lead the transformation of healthcare.

SPRING 2020

23

Quality collaborations CLINICAL & NETWORK SERVICES EMERGES AS CATALYST FOR ASCENSION’S MISSION-INSPIRED TRANSFORMATION

C

linical & Network Services (CNS) was formed last year to bring together Ascension’s clinical and physician enterprises, clinical quality function, managed care services, and Ascension Insurance to further Ascension’s Mission-inspired Transformation.

Aligning these four vital areas, with a focus on quality, has provided the unique opportunity for Ascension to operate in a manner that transforms healthcare and proactively addresses the holistic needs of those Ascension serves.

“We are excited about the new opportunities this integration has brought, as we seek to be the healthcare provider of choice for our patients and for those clinicians and associates who are called to serve our Mission,” said Joseph Cacchione, MD, FACC, Executive Vice President, Clinical & Network Services, Ascension.

Since the integration, the CNS team has been collaborating with many areas across Ascension and leading a variety of critical initiatives. Among them is the Mission-inspired Transformation initiative Redesigning the Front Door to the Health System. This effort centers on care that is provided where it is needed — in the home, while on the go, or in our sites of care — and when consumers want it — in person, or on demand through digital access to information and services.

As part of this work, more than 5,000 consumers have registered for Ascension Online Care, a new access point for patients in need of virtual, on-demand care for minor illnesses and ailments in all Ascension markets and now all 50 states. More than 2,500 virtual visits were conducted last year.

CNS is also driving the development of innovative care delivery models, including the opening of two chronic care clinics in Jacksonville, Florida, and Indianapolis. These clinics utilize appropriate services and a unique staffing model to focus on better, more convenient coordination of care for persons with extra needs and multiple chronic conditions. This model gives clinicians and care teams additional time to spend with patients who need more focused attention in order to produce the best outcomes and patient experience.

This clinic model will be expanded across Ascension in the future.

24

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

CNS INTRODUCES TOTAL Across Ascension, quality remains a top priority and a focus that continues to celebrate tremendous success.

Exceptional quality is core to our Mission and our promise to provide compassionate, personalized care to all whom we serve.

To make quality a key differentiator for Ascension, work is underway to expand our definition of quality to encompass the whole person.

“As Ascension has adopted a holistic, person-centered approach for the future, quality is more than a single metric,” said Richard Fogel, MD, Senior Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer, Clinical & Network Services, Ascension. “While excellent performance on the various quality measures identified by CMS and many national health plans is important, these measures are insufficient to create optimal health for individuals.”

Growing new lives under care through strategic purchaser contracting is another important goal in fiscal year 2020. One way CNS is achieving this is through a value-based strategy in which eight Ascension Ministry Markets are participating in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Bundled Payments for Care Improvement Advanced (BPCI Advanced) Model program. This strategy includes developing 16 clinical bundles focused on pre- and post-acute care. This work fosters the redesign of person-centered care to better coordinate care across the continuum, improve quality of care and reduce costs.

Ascension Complete, a Medicare Advantage plan, also was launched last year. The plan is being piloted in three markets — Illinois, Florida and Kansas — and seeks to improve the health of 2,000 members in its first year.

Other key priorities for CNS include strengthening Ascension’s clinical community by recruiting top talent and enhancing clinician well-being and engagement.

QUALITY CARE Using the experience of Ascension’s engaged clinicians, CNS is redefining holistic care for each disease and prevention category to provide Total Quality Care.

Ascension’s Total Quality Care model entails refined processes to deliver each element of person-centered, complete care across the continuum. This transformative process involves not only clinicians, but every staff member, as well as the patient and family. It is supported by advanced analytics and electronic accelerators intended to improve performance.

An example of Total Quality Care can be found in the treatment of chronic diseases, such as diabetes. Traditionally, diabetic care quality is assessed via a

singular arbitrary target of HgbA1c. In Ascension’s move to Total Quality Care, diabetes will be assessed with a comprehensive panel of eight evidence-based measures selected by Ascension physicians including not only HgbA1c but also blood pressure control, cholesterol control, smoking status, pneumococcal and influenza immunizations, eye exams, and diabetic foot exams.

Reporting is based on all measures being satisfied, resulting in a more holistic view that helps to manage not only the disease but a person’s total wellness.

“With a more complete understanding of the persons we serve, we are also better equipped to prevent disease and manage

populations by improving the health of our communities,” said Thomas Graf, MD, FAAFP, Senior Vice President, Ascension, President, Ascension Medical Group.

This approach fosters the development of critical collaborations and measures that we can impact beyond traditional areas of healthcare.

“CNS is excited to work together toward this common goal, that we know will ultimately help us fulfill our promise to provide compassionate, personalized care,” said Dr. Cacchione.

Diabetes is traditionally assessed via the most recent HgbA1c alone, a singular, arbitrary target.

Total Quality Care assesses

HgbA1c controlled

diabetic patients using a comprehensive panel of

Blood pressure controlled

eight measures: HgbA1c, blood pressure control, cholesterol

Cholesterol controlled

control, smoking status, pneumococcal and influenza immunizations, eye exams, and diabetic foot exams. Reporting is based on all measures being satisfied, resulting in a holistic view of health.

Smoking controlled Pneumococcal immunization Influenza immunization Eye exam Foot exam

SPRING 2020

25

GROWING

ALIGNMENT

How Ascension’s cardiovascular service line is enhancing quality, boosting physician engagement and fostering efficiencies

Three years ago, Ascension introduced its first national service lines to improve patient care by enabling service line physicians to collaborate as a community.

The aim was to advance Ascension into the forefront of the nation’s healthcare providers — on par with other national leaders — through dynamic, unified service lines that allow physicians from individual markets to collaborate with colleagues Systemwide — pooling knowledge, skills and experience to better serve patients with higher quality and an exceptional experience while advancing growth and reducing unnecessary costs.

The initial System-wide service lines were established around cardiovascular, oncology and orthopedic services.

Success would be measured by improving the health of

individuals and communities through quality care and an improved patient experience delivered at a lower cost.

How service lines work Drawing on their varied perspectives and experience, service line physicians share information, ideas and best practices; pose and answer questions and problems; and lay down plans for continually improving care.

“The psychology of medicine has changed, and healthcare today is best supplied by ecosystems of physicians, nurses and other care providers working seamlessly together,” said Richard Fogel, MD, an Indianapolis-based cardiologist who serves

as Senior Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer, Clinical & Network Services, Ascension. “Service lines, with their shared vocabulary of expertise and caring, are a cornerstone of the Ascension ministry. They represent a structure and process that can improve the care we deliver. System-wide service lines are supercharged versions of our local lines.”

Through service lines, patients receive all services — preventive, diagnostic, medical, surgical and follow-up — from a consolidated group of professionals operating in direct interaction. Among their goals, service lines work to reduce unneeded variations in care, promote physician engagement and attain financial savings through bulk purchases of supplies — among other steps. To make it all happen, big thinking and the power of collaboration are encouraged.

“National service lines spread the collective knowledge of our thousands of superb physicians System-wide, creating superior results for all of our patients at all of our hospitals,” said Mark Whalen, Chief Strategy Officer, Clinical & Network Services. “We also want to improve both clinical quality and access to care, and as a Catholic mission, to pay particular attention to the poor and vulnerable. National service lines are an excellent way of doing all of this.”

Mark stressed the importance of physician engagement in the service lines: “We want to ensure that Ascension is a great place for clinicians — both directly employed and affiliated — to work. Therefore, our national service lines are led by experts in the local markets, empowering them to champion and implement enhancements to the kinds of care that they themselves deliver. It’s a terrific opportunity to acquire a System-level view and contribute to fortifying care nationally.”

Ascension’s cardiovascular service line Launching first, the cardiovascular service line is the most mature of the national service lines. It includes cardiac surgeons, electrophysiologists (who treat heart rhythm problems), interventional cardiologists (who provide catheterbased testing and treatment), and structural heart specialists (who treat defects in the heart’s valves, walls and chambers).

“One of our goals is to identify common practices in high-performing local cardiac markets and expand their use System-wide,” said Edward Fry, MD, who heads both the cardiovascular service line at Ascension Indiana and the System-wide cardiovascular service line. “With our unified national cardiovascular service line, we have every reason to look to the future with confidence and optimism. We’ve built the new line, we’ve backed it, and patients are benefiting from it.”

A key step is gathering and comparing System-wide data on such key services as cardiac catheterization (which helps evaluate heart function), angioplasty (when an implanted mesh stent keeps a damaged artery open) and bypass surgery (when blood vessels from other areas of the body help reroute blood around blocked heart arteries). The findings are then compared to national data to identify areas of strength as well as those needing improvement.

Same-day discharge Since most patients would rather recuperate at home, the cardiovascular service line works to increase same-day discharges whenever it’s safe to do so. This makes patients and family members happier and lowers the risk of hospital-acquired infections. Additionally, policies from the federal government and private insurers emphasize reducing unnecessary hospital length-of-stay.

One tool for accelerating discharge is to perform cardiac catheterization and angioplasty through the wrist artery instead of the main leg artery — a less invasive approach.

The cardiovascular service line developed protocols to help determine which patients qualified for this model. Following implementation, wrist-based procedures increased from 35% to 46% last year — eliminating about 4,400 patient days across Ascension and saving $4.4 million.

Transformation of care Transformation of care, which emphasizes home-based care and monitoring, has become a priority. It is championed by Mary Walsh, MD, director of the heart failure and cardiac transplantation programs and of nuclear cardiology at Ascension St. Vincent Heart Center in Indianapolis. “Transformation of care allows us to manage patients more closely than three or four checkups at the office each year, as was done in the past,” Dr. Walsh said. “At Ascension we’ve long placed a priority on teams, so transformation of care, which relies on nonphysicians a great deal, is a natural progression.”

Transformation of care features frequent in-home visits for patients with congestive heart failure by cardiac nurses, nurse practitioners and physician assistants. It also includes remote care monitoring, through which patients are taught to provide their weight, food and water intakes, and blood pressure via cellphones to nurses who monitor the information and contact physicians when necessary.

Pharmacists also play a key role. Using medication reconciliation, they compare physician orders for all medicines and supplements patients are taking. The aim is to find inaccurate

SPRING 2020

27

doses and expired orders, detect omissions and duplications, and identify potentially dangerous interactions. In a recently published study, a pharmacist-led reconciliation project at Ascension was associated with a 30-day readmission rate for heart failure patients of 10.5%, compared to 17.3% in a control group that did not receive reconciliation.

Transformation of care is paying off in a big way: Congestive heart failure readmission rates were reduced by about 8,000 across Ascension last year.

More cardiovascular service line improvements in 2019

• Two proven-safe national initiatives that increase the number of potential heart donors and reduce wait times are now available at Ascension: hepatitis-C-positive donation and donation after brain death (when patients have severe, permanent brain injury but do not meet conditions for a formal diagnosis of brain death). Nearly 60 patients benefited from more eligible donors.

• Ventricular-assist devices, which push blood from a damaged heart to the rest of the body, helped 80 patients.

• A total of 150 patients underwent innovative FFR-CT imaging, which detects coronary artery disease before invasive and possibly unnecessary catheter-based testing.

• New policies reduced blood transfusions during bypass surgery, lowering the risk of adverse reactions and trimming the needed inventory of blood products. Measures contributing to this improvement included obtaining consensus between cardiac surgeons and anesthesiologists and establishing common thresholds for blood cell counts before transfusions can occur. As a result, transfusions were cut from 39% to 32% — significantly better than the national average of 40%.

Readmission rates for open-heart surgery patients were also 15% below the national average, and the risk-adjusted 30-day survival rate for open-heart procedures was 20% better than the national number.

• New guidelines were introduced for reducing the time that bypass-surgery patients spend on ventilators upon arriving at the intensive care unit to no more than six hours. For the remainder, the target is a maximum of 24 hours. As a result, ventilator usage extending beyond the guidelines fell to 6.4% System-wide, compared to a national average of 7.6%. This means fewer complications and potentially fewer deaths.

• A new device to treat certain types of atrial fibrillation has been introduced throughout Ascension — helping approximately 200 patients in 2019. The self-expanding apparatus reduces the danger that heart-based blood clots will enter

Marketing builds consumer awareness To support the individual and cross-market needs of Ascension’s national cardiovascular service line and to better serve our patients, Ascension’s Marketing and Communications team provides ongoing promotion of cardiac services and specialists to the community.

“Following research into what consumers value in heart care, a key finding revealed that consumers want a doctor who listens to understand and provides care that’s right for them personally,” said Nick Ragone, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Ascension. “And online, consumers want to read patient reviews and their personal stories.”

For many of the nation’s top healthcare providers, consistent branding and naming is an important element of reaching consumers with clear messaging, positioning and advertising, along with defining key differentiators.

At Ascension:

• More 1,000 cardiovascular physicians are connected across our national network (400-plus Ascension employed).

• Together, we perform more than 10,000 cardiac surgery procedures annually, more than twice as many as our closest competitor.

• We perform thousands of complex heart procedures each year on the toughest cases.

– More than 230 heart transplants and ventricularassist device procedures.

– More than 4,500 coronary artery bypass graft procedures.

– More than 22,000 percutaneous coronary intervention procedures.

Together, this approach is giving lift to the reputation of our collective cardiovascular programs across Ministry Markets and creating awareness of Ascension as a leader in national cardiovascular care.

the bloodstream and cause a stroke. It is especially helpful for patients who can’t tolerate treatment with warfarin, a standard blood thinner.

Upcoming national cardiac service line initiatives include enabling patients with atrial fibrillation to transmit mobile electrocardiogram results via their Apple Watch directly to cardiologists, and possible expansion of a targeted clinic developed by Woodrow Corey, MD, an Ascension cardiologist in Indianapolis, for patients diagnosed with both cardiovascular disease and diabetes. A major feature of the clinic is cutting risks by encouraging patients to eat better, exercise more and regularly take their medications as instructed.

Navion Healthcare Solutions, an Ascension subsidiary, is a key collaborator in the cardiovascular service line. Navion gathers anonymous data from patients’ medical records to track hundreds of key cardiac variables. This allows the cardiovascular line to monitor how Ascension’s cardiac patients fare both within the System and compared to national providers. The process has proved so effective that plans are underway to track similar data for the national oncology and orthopedic service lines.

Service line savings In addition to improving overall care, national service lines generate savings that help Ascension provide more care for

those who are poor and vulnerable. For example, since the lines use the same best practices System-wide, vendors are often willing to offer discounts for the large volumes of items needed to provide care. With the work of The Resource Group, which manages and reduces nonlabor expenses for its participants through innovative contracting and supply chain management, Ascension benefits from this bulk buying as well as such novel techniques as e-auctions. Examples of recent System-wide savings include: • 33% reduction in costs for stents for the cardiovascular service line (32,000 of the devices are inserted annually).

• 30% reduction in costs for chemotherapy and anti-nausea drugs for the oncology service line.

• 5-8% reduction in costs for supplies for the orthopedic service line, including replacement hips, knees and shoulders; finger and toe implants; and plates, nails and screws for surgery.

“At Ascension, we are committed to improving care, increasing physician engagement and driving down costs by turbocharging our service lines,” Dr. Fogel said. “Expanding our service lines helps us gain a wider grasp of the potential solutions we need in order to achieve the upward advances our patients deserve and which we are committed to providing.”

Your heart beats quietly.

Heart problems can be quiet, too.

Even if you are healthy and active, it’s a good idea to ask your doctor if you’re at risk for heart disease. Ascension® care teams listen to understand your health history and your concerns.

By knowing you better, we can make sure you’re getting the care that’s right for you.

Get the heart care that’s right for you at ascension.org © Ascension 2020. All rights reserved.

SPRING 2020

29

NE WS FROM ACROSS A SCE NSION

ALABAMA

Hospital recognized by magazine Ascension St. Vincent’s in Birmingham was voted Best Women’s Health Facility, Best Birthing Suites, Best Hospital in Which to Give Birth and Best Hospital NICU by Birmingham Magazine for 2019.

Dual role for chief medical officer Ijaz Iqbal, MD, FACP, Chief Medical Officer, Ascension Providence in Mobile, was selected to also serve as Chief Medical Officer of Providence Medical Group. In this dual role, Dr. Iqbal serves as the clinical leader responsible for helping to create stronger relationships between the medical practices and hospital and leading quality initiatives across Ascension Providence.

AMSTERDAM, NEW YORK

Collaborations offer healthy food For the past year, volunteers from St. Mary’s Healthcare, Catholic Charities, Centro Civico and other mission-based agencies have distributed free food and supplies to those in need. More than 2,000 residents of Fulton and Montgomery counties have received aid since December 2018.

St. Mary’s also worked with Catholic Charities to launch the Mobile Outreach Vehicle Extension (MOVE) RV. The MOVE RV is at each event, offering space for personal counseling and health education information.

BALTIMORE

Healing Hands welcomes inductees Each year Ascension Saint Agnes honors physicians who have served the hospital with clinical excellence, innovation, leadership and service to the community by inducting them into Healing Hands. The 2019 Healing Hands class included Jeffrey Chinsky, MD; Sapna Kuehl, MD; Dean

30

Meadows, MD; Natarajan Ravendhran, MD; and Jeffrey Seibel, MD, PhD. BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK

Hospital named green champ Ascension Lourdes was named a Fiscal Year 2019 Green Champion and a Best-in-Class winner in the Waste Management category by Ascension’s Environmental Stewardship Champions Award program. The hospital achieved the highest recycling rate, making it a top performer. The program is a way to recognize and celebrate our hospital Green Teams. Award categories include Energy, Waste Management, Pulse Oximeter medical device collections and Overall Participation.

FLORIDA

Top 50 cardiac ranking Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola was named one of the nation’s 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals by IBM Watson Health. The recognition is based on IBM Watson Health’s annual study that spotlights the top-performing cardiovascular hospitals in the U.S., based on a balanced, objective scorecard of publicly available clinical and operational data. This is the third time AMITA Health Adventist Medical Center Hinsdale and AMITA Health Saint Joseph Medical Center Joliet provide improved access to free food for Northern Illinois residents with the Rx Mobile Food Pantry.

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

in the past five years the hospital has been recognized.

New community ERs to open Ascension St. Vincent’s is opening two community emergency rooms in Jacksonville. Open 24/7, the facilities will provide the same services as a hospital emergency department. Both locations are scheduled to open this summer.

Hospital trialing new cardiac pacemaker Ascension St. Vincent’s Riverside in Jacksonville was the first Florida hospital to participate in a trial for the world’s only wireless cardiac pacing system for heart failure. The hospital is one of only two locations in the state to offer the device.

The grain-sized pacemaker was designed for patients who do not respond to more traditional treatments for heart failure.

ILLINOIS

Hospitals pilot mobile food pantry Two AMITA Health hospitals are addressing chronic medical conditions by improving access to free, nutritious foods through a pilot program offered by the Northern Illinois Food Bank. AMITA Health Adventist Medical Center Hinsdale and AMITA Health Saint Joseph Medical Center Joliet are providing area residents access to the Rx Mobile Food Pantry.

NE WS FROM ACROSS A SCE NSION

Behavioral Health expansion begins A 15,000-square-foot expansion will allow AMITA Health Behavioral Health Hospital’s Intensive Outpatient Services to grow, helping to serve patients with anxiety, eating and mood disorders. It will provide more group rooms, an art therapy wing, a demonstration kitchen to assist patients with eating disorders, and added room for clinicians to collaborate and meet one-on-one with patients.

INDIANA

Associates increase downloads of Ascension Online Care In less than 24 hours, associates at Ascension St. Vincent Evansville increased enrollments of Ascension Online Care by 30% during four Town Halls. Associates participated in mass downloads of the Ascension Online Care mobile application, and several associates shared firsthand accounts of their experiences with successfully using Ascension Online Care.

Neurosurgical collaboration expands care Ascension St. Vincent expanded its longtime collaboration with Goodman Campbell Brain and Spine (GCBS) to increase access to care and grow neurosurgical capabilities for adult and pediatric patients in central Indiana. A new Neurosurgical Center of Excellence for advanced surgeries will be established.

GCBS is one of the nation’s largest, most progressive independent neurosurgery practices. This collaboration is an innovative example of how health systems and independent practices can successfully join forces to improve care for patients.

KANSAS

Updates offer improved outcomes, safety Completed renovation of Ascension Via Christi Rehabilitation Hospital in

Ascension Providence Rochester leaders, along with the Ascension Michigan Mission Integration leadership team, gathered to celebrate Mass and participate in a blessing. This was the final step on the hospital’s journey to becoming a fully Catholic ministry.

Wichita provides 30 private rooms, modern decor, and a state-of-the-art gait and balance system designed to improve patient outcomes and safety.

“Our goal is to help patients regain functional independence following a major illness, trauma or surgery,” said Cyndi Hagerty, Chief Nursing Officer for the hospital. Ascension Via Christi now has 48 private inpatient rehabilitation beds, including 18 at Ascension Via Christi Hospital St. Teresa in west Wichita.

Heart catheterization lab growing To keep up with growth in the need for cardiovascular services, Ascension Via Christi St. Francis in Wichita is expanding available recovery space for patients following a procedure in one of its five heart catheterization labs. When completed in early 2021, the project will create 18 modernized, state-of-the-art bays, up from the current eight bays.

MICHIGAN

Hospital celebrates milestone in Catholic journey Ascension Providence Rochester Hospital celebrated the final step on its journey to become a fully Catholic hospital. The consecration of the hospital chapel as an oratory and celebration of its first Mass were conducted by Most Rev. Gerard W. Battersby, Auxiliary Bishop, Archdiocese of Detroit.

Leader wins international peace prize Gary Dunbar, PhD, Executive Director of the Field Neurosciences Institute, part of Ascension St. Mary’s, received the Gusi Peace Prize International Award. Dr. Dunbar traveled to Manila, Philippines, to accept the honor at the Gusi Peace Prize International 20th Annual Awards Night. He was one of 18 recipients selected for the award and was chosen because of his global contributions in both the educational and research domains of neuroscience.

Emergency care center under construction Ascension St. Mary’s in Saginaw broke ground on a new Emergency Care Center.

Nearly 300 people attended the event including board members, community leaders, associates, physicians and media.

The expansion will add 12,600 square feet; renovate existing space; increase capacity; improve efficiency; and improve access for ambulances, patients and families. It’s slated to open spring 2021.

Collaborations create stronger community Ascension Genesys teamed up with the Genesee Health Plan, Consumers Energy and Huntington Bank on emPOWER Genesee, a new program to help people connect with community resources while they pay their utility bills. Resources include aid with utilities, financial assistance, healthcare and enrollment.

SPRING 2020

31

NE WS FROM ACROSS A SCE NSION

Hospitals recognized for quality For the third consecutive year, Ascension Standish Hospital received a quality rating of 5 stars from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services as reported on the Hospital Compare website. The hospital also was recognized with 2019 Performance Leadership awards in Quality and Outcomes from The Chartis Center for Rural Health and the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health.

Ascension St. Joseph Hospital in Tawas City was named as one of the Top 100 Rural and Community Hospitals in the United States by The Chartis Center for Rural Health for the third consecutive year. It also received a 2019 Performance Leadership Award in the category of Outcomes from The Chartis Center and the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health. Ascension St. Joseph Hospital was designated as a Blue Distinction Center for Knee and Hip Replacement from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.

Hospital launches ECMO program Ascension St. John Hospital launched Ascension Michigan’s first extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) program. Establishment of the ECMO program was a nine-month collaborative effort among many departments.

Patio creates peaceful setting for patients An outdoor rooftop patio is providing a unique healing environment for behavioral health inpatients at Ascension Macomb-Oakland Hospital, Warren Campus. The patio was created to enhance the care environment for vulnerable behavioral health patients who tend to spend eight to 10 days on the unit.

OKLAHOMA

Medical Mission serves community Ascension St. John Jane Phillips held its first Ascension Medical Mission, serving

32

residents of the Bartlesville and Nowata communities. More than 260 volunteers and healthcare professionals delivered medical and dental care, vision, hearing and bone density screenings, foot care, ultrasounds, pregnancy tests, flu shots, lab tests, and behavioral assessments to nearly 200 individuals. Pet therapy, car seat checks, prayer and spiritual counseling were also offered. Participants also received donations such as coats, gloves, scarves, socks, diapers, baby formula and hygiene items, provided in part by Ascension St. John associates.

Ministry connects with area leaders Ascension St. John held its first Community Connection, a program to engage and inform key stakeholders in government, business, healthcare, faith and nonprofit organizations about local and System initiatives. “We see this as a real opportunity to connect with community leaders in an intentional way, to not only deliver our message but to garner their feedback and to make sure those lines of communication are wide open,” said Jeffrey Nowlin, FACHE, Senior Vice President, Ascension, and Ministry Market Executive, Ascension Oklahoma.

TENNESSEE

BEST for Babies recognition Ascension Saint Thomas Midtown and Rutherford hospitals received the Tennessee Department of Health’s 2019 “BEST for Babies” award. Facilities are selected based on year-to-year success in increasing breastfeeding initiation rates, minimizing instances of premature delivery and promoting healthy sleep practices for babies. “BEST” stands for “breast-feeding initiation, early elective delivery elimination, safe sleep education and modeling for Tennessee babies.” “We will never take

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

for granted the immense privilege of bringing new life into this world,” said Kristen Toth, Vice President of Women’s, Children’s, and Oncology Services, Ascension Saint Thomas.

Nursing Corps supports veterans The Ascension Saint Thomas Nursing Corps, a collaboration with Middle Tennessee State University, announced its first member: Martinna Young, veteran and senior nursing major. The program supports veterans through employment opportunities and mentorship while also giving life to a robust pipeline of strong registered nurse candidates to meet the health needs of the community.

TEXAS

Collaboration advances care for kids Dell Children’s Medical Center began a collaboration with Texas Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) to provide a mobile clinic for primary pediatric healthcare for children who do not have a medical home. The mobile unit is staffed with experts in pediatric care, including board-certified pediatricians, a registered nurse, a medical assistant and social work service providers. “Every child deserves high-quality healthcare. At Dell Children’s, it’s our honor to work with WIC and broaden our reach to an underserved community. This monthly service will ensure that more children have direct access to comprehensive, ongoing healthcare services,” said Chris Born, President, Dell Children’s Medical Center.

Veterans recognition program begins Ascension Providence in Waco unveiled a new program to honor patients who are veterans and a new Veterans Memorial & Healing Garden during a Veterans Day ceremony. “Ascension Providence is honored to serve and employ veterans, and we are thankful for their service to

NE WS FROM ACROSS A SCE NSION

our nation,” said Philip Patterson, President, Ascension Providence.

Hospital is first to offer cardiac diagnostic tool Ascension Seton is the first health system in Central Texas to implement artificial intelligence technology to transform diagnosis and treatment of heart disease.

The technology allows clinicians to use a resting coronary CT scan on a patient to create a personalized 3D heart model to better evaluate the impact a blockage has on blood flow and determine the best treatment. The test results in a color-coded map that aids clinicians in determining, vessel by vessel, if sufficient blood is reaching the heart.

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Open house and health fair Providence held a community open house and health fair to re-engage with the community, highlight current services offered and discuss its transformation to best serve the needs of the community.

The “Welcome Back to Providence” event was attended by more than 250 community members, who talked with representatives of local organizations; heard information from Providence providers and leadership; and took part in health screenings, a group fitness class, a kids’ corner and more.

WISCONSIN

Ascension Medical Mission in Milwaukee North Division High School was transformed into a medical center with help from 500-plus volunteers as hundreds of healthcare professionals spent their Saturday delivering free care, including more than 600 medical and 147 dental services to 230 individuals, at an Ascension Medical Mission event in Milwaukee.

Madelyn Kennedy, APRN-CNP, Ascension Medical Group St. John, provides checkups to children and adults at the Ascension Medical Mission in Oklahoma.

New health center planned Ascension Wisconsin is planning to open a new health center in the Village of Menomonee Falls, providing access to primary, specialty, hospital and emergency services. Construction begins this spring, with a tentative opening date of April 2021. The health center project is expected to create 50 to 70 jobs.

ASCENSION CARE MANAGEMENT

Medicare Advantage plans launched In collaboration with Centene, Ascension Complete was created to develop Medicare Advantage solutions for seniors in Jacksonville and Pensacola, Florida; Wichita, Kansas; and Chicago in 2020.

These plans are shaped by Ascension physicians and focus on delivering quality care to seniors while creating the best member and physician experience possible. Nearly 2,000 members currently participate in Ascension Complete Medicare Advantage programs, and plans call for expansion into new markets in 2021.

the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) last fall. UNHCR has a mandate to protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities and stateless people, and to assist in their voluntary repatriation, local integration or resettlement to a third country. GSF will continue conversations with UNHCR as its Ethiopian strategy to deliver holistic programs is further developed. GSF also met with leaders of eight African congregations of women religious to explore opportunities to support leadership programs for women religious.

ASCENSION INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT

Executive presents at Healthcare Forum David Erickson, Chief Investment Officer, spoke at Neuberger Berman’s 2019 Healthcare Forum in December on the topic of disruption in investing. David also hosted a breakfast at a large national institutional investor conference in January attended by chief investment officers of significant healthcare institutions.

ASCENSION GLOBAL MISSION

Fund continues work for migrants, women religious Global Solidarity Fund (GSF) leaders met with representatives from the Regional Bureau for the Americas at the offices of

ASCENSION LEADER INSTITUTE

Second ASPIRE group begins program ASPIRE welcomed its second cohort in 2019. Thirty-two emerging leaders are connected to a career sponsor, attend

SPRING 2020

33

NE WS FROM ACROSS A SCE NSION

monthly virtual sessions with executives throughout Ascension, and work on projects to apply critical learnings. The new cohort — made up of Amy Arnold, Bithiah Barber, Kevin Baum, Jeremy Biltz, Seth Bothwell, Michelle Cleven, Hayley Craft, Renee Dittmar, Sean Doll O’Mahoney, Kate Garza, GinaMarie Geheb, Neidra Harrison, Laronica Humphrey, Elizabeth Kamhieh, Alonzo Kindred, Grace Lee, Jaclyn Lopez, Shemeka Major, Sarah Martin, Damian McFarlane, Dana Muntz, Maram Omari, Gregory Poirier, Bernice Rector, Amity Rees, Cody Rodriguez, Melissa Sparks, Salim Street, Jeremy Swaw, Alicia Urbanovsky, Margaret Wolfred and Zahra Young — will graduate in fall 2020.

ASCENSION LIVING

National magazines cite centers Four Ascension Living skilled nursing

and rehabilitation communities made Newsweek’s Best Nursing Homes 2020 list and 15 were named to the U.S. News & World Report Best Nursing Homes 2019–2020 list.

ASCENSION MEDICAL GROUP

Wellness tool supports clinicians Since its introduction in March 2019, the Well-Being Index has supported more than 1,900 physicians, residents and advanced practice providers. This assessment allows clinicians to measure their level of burnout anonymously and immediately provides access to resources tailored to their individual results. The tool was adopted by Ascension Medical Group to provide a validated measure of clinician engagement and well-being.

ASCENSION TECHNOLOGIES

Telesitter program earns honor AvaSure, which produces the “telesitter” product that powers Ascension’s e-Sitter solution, has named Ascension one of the winners of the AvaPrize for having the most complete telesitting program, after successfully adding more than 450 cameras at over 50 of its hospitals. Within Ascension, telesitting is currently used to monitor patients who are a fall risk or to address patients when they have issues with their medical equipment.

ASCENSION VENTURES

Investments show continued growth Ascension Ventures has made several follow-on investments in its portfolio of companies, including Imperative Care, Olive, Reputation.com, Syapse and

Get the care you need, when and where you need it Get the care that’s right for you at Ascension.

Check in online, anytime for walk-in and emergency care. Schedule routine care online with an Ascension doctor. Or see a doctor online 24/7 — from wherever you are — with Ascension Online Care. Now covered

by SmartHealth medical plans and available in all 50 states.

Find it all at ascension.org

©Ascension 2020. All rights reserved.

Primary Care | ER Check-in | Online Care | Walk-in Care

34

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

NE WS FROM ACROSS A SCE NSION

VisitPay. In addition, UnitedHealth announced the acquisition of Vivify Health, an Ascension Ventures portfolio company and Ascension vendor.

Ascension Ventures is excited by the numerous adoptions by Ascension of companies that it has referred over the years. There have been nearly 400 to date, spanning the investment focus areas of healthcare services, healthcare information technology and medical devices.

CLINICAL & NETWORK SERVICES

Ascension Complete launches with 2,000 members This year approximately 2,000 members are taking advantage of Ascension Complete Medicare Advantage programs across Ascension Florida, AMITA Health in Illinois and Ascension Kansas. The plan is designed to provide Medicare patients with a simpler, more personalized experience with affordable, predictable costs.

Ascension Complete also supports Ascension’s strategy of finding new ways to

increase patient engagement and provide better care coordination among clinicians and staff across the continuum.

COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS

Arkansas named Patient Centered Medical Home DePaul Community Health Centers in Arkansas earned recognition from the National Committee of Quality Assurance (NCQA) as a Patient Centered Medical Home. The NCQA is an independent nonprofit organization that works to improve healthcare through the administration of evidence-based standards, measures, programs and accreditation. This recognition program provides healthcare practices information about organizing care around patients, working in teams, and coordinating and tracking care over time.

MEDXCEL

efficiencies and delivering one voice to Ascension markets by welcoming the Real Estate Group into the Medxcel portfolio. Real Estate offers five service lines: property management, transaction management, development, strategy and lease administration. The integration will further streamline communications and business processes.

THE RESOURCE GROUP

IT contracting team added In October 2019, The Resource Group initiated the buildout of a dedicated information technology contracting team based out of the Ascension Technologies Chicago offices. The addition of this team is an exciting step that will drive value in the IT space through enhanced collaboration between The Resource Group and Ascension Technologies and leverage each group’s expertise for optimal results.

Real estate added to services Medxcel took a big step toward greater

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.

Instagram: instagram.com/ascension_org Check out the latest Ascension posts by following Ascension.

Good Day Ascension / Spring 2020 - Issue 12 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 2020 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.

Learn more about Ascension at ascension.org.

SPRING 2020

35

Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage

PAID

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

Oakland, CA Permit No. 1584

WE ARE ASCENSION

Melissa Weston Director, Associate Growth The Resource Group Ascension

Melissa Weston believes she might have one of the best jobs in Ascension. “The moment I started this role was when I stopped ‘working,’ ” she said. “This is truly an opportunity where my passion meets purpose, and I love it.”

Since 2015, Melissa has worked for The Resource Group, an Ascension subsidiary of 515 associates that operates the second-largest resource and supply management organization in healthcare delivery by focusing on effective change management and the caregiver experience. President & CEO Scott Caldwell saw the need to place intentional focus on culture, professional development and associate orientation and asked Melissa to lead the effort two years ago.

“The Resource Group’s Leadership Program Lead From Where You R empowers each associate to be a leader in their own way,” Melissa said. “Lead From Where You R creates a community for associates to connect and share best practices from varying perspectives. The

experiences shared within the community is where we see the most growth in those who participate.” She is now working to expand the program to include field associates and has reinvigorated Accelerate U, an internal educational program of The Resource Group that offers associates courses such as business writing and healthcare finance.

Melissa was among the 24 associates who graduated from the inaugural cohort of Ascension’s ASPIRE program last fall. ASPIRE is an innovative platform that accelerates the development of emerging leaders. “My experience in the ASPIRE program was transformative and has positively impacted my professional journey at The Resource Group greater than I could have ever imagined. ASPIRE allowed me to understand what kind of leader I want to be and elevated the work I do and the work I’m capable of achieving,” Melissa said.

“One of the best parts of my job is being able to help fill the cups of others. I am blessed to work in an organization that allows me the freedom to invest in others through heart and spirit.”