Thank you for coming to our recent staff picnic!
A Message From Liz
Dear Staff,
What a wonderful opportunity it was to gather together during our annual picnic to celebrate each of you during National Health Center Week! I truly enjoyed connecting with each of you and having the chance to highlight our collective work It's important to remind ourselves of the incredible impact we make on our Tri-Valley community.
I hope you all had a great time and are proudly wearing your t-shirts and pins!
Last week, I had the privilege of attending the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) conference in Atlanta. It was truly inspiring to connect with fellow community healthcare leaders from across the country and engage in insightful conversations about the future of our field.
A Message From Liz (continued)
The impact of our work is more significant than ever: Community Health Centers now serve a record 32.5 million patients that’s 1 in 10 people nationwide! This underscores the vital role we play in ensuring that healthcare is accessible to all, regardless of employment status or socioeconomic background.
As I mentioned at our New Hire Luncheon last month, we firmly believe that healthcare is not just a privilege for those fortunate enough to have insurance coverage, but a fundamental human right. This belief drives the importance of Community Health Centers as a critical safety net for those in need.
I hope you all have a relaxing Labor Day weekend. I’m excited to continue our great work together as we head into the Fall season!
Based on utilization data from this past year (2023), the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has announced the health centers that are being recognized for outstanding contributions. We have been awarded three badges!
Advancing HIT (Health Information Technology): Recognizes health centers that met all criteria to optimize services for advancing HIT, such as telehealth, interoperability of EPIC and MyChart, patient engagement, and data collection on social determinants of health
Access Enhancer: Recognizes health centers that increased the total number of patients receiving at least one comprehensive service (mental health, dental, etc.) by at least 5%.
Health Disparities Reducer: Recognizes health centers that improved clinic quality measures such as low birth weight, hypertension control, or uncontrolled diabetes clinic quality measures by at least 10%. Pat yourselves on the back for this amazing achievement!
National Health Center Week 2024
On August 8th, Axis celebrated National Health Center Week's Staff Appreciation Day with an all-staff picnic. Under the trees at Ken Mercer Park in Pleasanton, staff played games, won prizes, and enjoyed one another's company!
Each person who attended received a commemorative National Health Center Week 2024 shirt. For those who were unable to attend, please contact HR at hr@axishealth.org to receive your shirt. Please enjoy this video of the festivities above, which included a heartfelt speech from our CEO, Liz Perez-Howe…it was a such fun and exciting day!
Celebrating Axis and Our Staff
Throughout National Health Center Week, we shared images that celebrate our amazing staff. On Linkedin alone we received almost 2000 impressions in a single week! Putting faces to the work that we do brings us closer to our community and the patients we serve!
Axis Hosts First New Hire Luncheon!
Earlier this month, Axis hosted our very first new hire luncheon This luncheon was inspired by our CEO, Liz Perez-Howe, who had a vision to ensure every new staff member was given a warm welcome. During the lunch, new staff learned about Axis’s history, mission, and culture, and senior leadership presented on what makes Axis so special. This was also a chance for them to connect with new staff members and for new staff to get acquainted. Moving forward, these luncheons will be held quarterly to ensure every new team member gets this valuable experience. Check out some pictures from the lunch and what our new staff shared about themselves!
"I love going to the beach. Anything outdoors with a beach is great for me and my family."
"I am very happy to be here. I play soccer and also swimming. I love to spend time with my kids."
"I like to paint and do anything with arts and crafts. I also love to travel."
"Besides food, travel and children, I love running and do a little hiking on my spare time.”
"I like classic cars. I love playing softball as I am in a softball team as well."
HUMAN RESOURCES
Exciting Updates to Our Onboarding Process!
We’re excited to share some updates to our onboarding process aimed at making new team members feel more welcomed and informed from day one.
As mentioned in the previous article, we recently hosted our inaugural New Hire Luncheon, which was a resounding success!
For more HR information visit your Paycom Homepage or email HR@axishealth.org with any questions.
In addition to the luncheon, we ’ ve also developed an onboarding Canva presentation for new hires. This presentation provides an engaging overview of our company and available resources, making it easier for new team members to get up to speed. You can access the presentation above.
Our staff is the heart of our organization, and we are committed to continually enhancing our processes to better meet your needs If you have any feedback or suggestions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at HR@axishealth org Your input is invaluable in helping guide our efforts
Thank you for being a vital part of what makes our company exceptional!
HR CORNER
IT MODULE
Seraphic Rollout has Begun!
Email helpdesk@axishealth.org or call x6050 if you have any IT questions.
On 8/28/24, Our awesome IT team started rolling out Seraphic, our new invisible bodyguard for web browsing. This super-smart security software will work quietly in the background, looking out for any shady websites and stopping them before they cause trouble. Implementations will be staggered and here is the current schedule:
Pod 1: Wednesday, August 28, 2024.
Hacienda: Wednesday, September 4, 2024
The rest of the agency: Wednesday, September 11, 2024
Here's the best part: you don't have to lift a finger! Our awesome IT team is handling everything for you. All you need to know is that if you stumble across a website that Seraphic doesn't like, you might see an error or get blocked from the site. If that happens to a site that you use for work, contact the IT Team. As sensational as Seraphic is, it’s still important for us to stay alert and watch out for any suspicious activity or potential phishing attempts. If you see anything that makes you think twice, please contact IT at ext. 6050 or via email at Helpdesk@axishealth.org.
HR CORNER
COMPLIANCE CORNER
Keeping Protected Health Information - PHI - Top of Mind
Email corporatecompliance@axishealth.org or call x6211 if you have any compliance related questions.
Did you know that human error is a common cause of PHI breaches in healthcare? Here’s why:
The healthcare setting is fast paced. Staff usually juggle multiple tasks. This can create distraction and makes it easy for mistakes to happen.
Routine can make us complacent. Over time, routine tasks can become so familiar that people can become complacent and take shortcuts like not using a double-check system.
External pressures. The pressure to deliver quick, efficient care can sometimes overshadow the importance of following strict PHI protocols
Given the factors above, it's easy to see how mistakes can happen. For example, giving PHI to the wrong patient or sending a fax to the wrong recipient.
Although mistakes are possible, they're not inevitable. By following these simple steps, we can significantly decrease the chances of a PHI breach happening.
Slow down. Slowing down encourages mindfulness, so that we can be more present and deliberate in our actions and avoid errors that can result from automatic responses
Use a double-check system. Another way to combat distraction is to double-check before taking an action (i.e., giving a patient their documents). Taking that extra step can help us catch errors before they happen.
Follow protocol. Protocols like the HIPAA 4-Point Check (right name, right date of birth, right MRN, right place (site/department)) help us to maintain the confidentiality of all patient PHI
Despite our best efforts, sometimes mistakes can happen. When they happen you should:
Report it to your supervisor as soon as you discover it
Complete an incident report.
Immediately submit the incident report to CorporateCompliance@axishealth org
Submitting a prompt incident report will allow the Compliance team to notify the affected patient and complete our other breach reporting obligations within the allotted time. More importantly, it will allow us to understand the factors that might have caused the breach, so that we can address them appropriately.
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to your Compliance Team: Aurora Bataclan, Compliance Officer, abataclan@axishealth.org, ext. 6007
Urvi Dwivedi, Compliance Manager, udwivedi@axishealth org, ext 6014
You can also leave a message on the Compliance Line at ext. 6211.
Together, we can keep our patient’s PHI safe by being vigilant and diligent!