World-Class Emergency Care, Because of You Benjamin & Carmela Du Emergency Pavilion 2022 Impact Report
In Gratitude for Our Dedicated Philanthropic Partners Every year, and especially this year, which marks the fifth anniversary of the Benjamin & Carmela Du Emergency Pavilion, our gratitude for your commitment to Hoag’s emergency services is felt by staff at every corner of Hoag. Your support of the Benjamin & Carmela Du Emergency Pavilion has established Hoag as a trusted community resource for high-quality emergency care. As Hoag continues to expand in Irvine, the emergency pavilion remains the front door of the hospital and often patients’ first experience at Hoag. Ensuring each patient experience meets our standard of excellence—a long lasting impression of compassionate care—is made possible by your generosity. Each of the stories that follow are testament to your contribution.
2022 Impact by the Numbers 51,989
142
22 minutes
23:39 minutes
patients served
from arrival to provider
7,838
patients transported to Hoag by emergency medical services
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patients, on average, seen daily
from ambulance arrival to emergency department bed, exceeding the 90th percentile of 36:16 for Orange County
Philanthropy Funds Spiritual Care at Hoag, Prioritizing a Whole-Person Approach to Health For Hoag Chaplain Sondos Kholaki, MDiv, BCC, a large part of her work is about presence. “I’ve been told by many people that just seeing a chaplain in the unit brings them peace. It’s comforting for patients and staff to know that we’re there,” she said. During each shift, Chaplain Sondos makes rounds throughout the hospital, ending her day in the emergency department when it’s usually busiest and, in her words, “the best time to be of service.” By consistently being on hand when she’s needed most, Chaplain Sondos has built great trust with emergency department staff, typically a tight-knit group given the higher degrees of stress, urgency, and trauma that can accompany emergency department care. Five years into her chaplaincy at Hoag, Chaplain Sondos receives regular referrals from physicians, nurses, and social workers who are confident her presence will bring peace of mind to patients experiencing any level of shock or facing a difficult medical decision or diagnosis. Patients, regardless of their faith background or tradition, turn to Chaplain Sondos and the three other Hoag chaplains in Irvine for support in numerous forms. For some, that’s prayer or meditation. For others, it’s a listening ear, someone to talk through their feelings and concerns. Patients who are not generally religious also find comfort in sitting with a chaplain and wrestling with the uncertainties of a diagnosis and of life. In fact, Chaplain Sondos has found that, despite a difference in belief, all people grapple with the same questions. One such patient, faced with a degenerative muscle disease, confided in Chaplain Sondos about the indignity of his condition. Based on a long conversation about his personal values and his longing for quality of life, Chaplain Sondos was able to consult with emergency department staff to amend his treatment plan according to his wishes. In this way, the role of storytelling in chaplaincy work informs and enhances patient care, ensuring Hoag is looking after the whole person—mind, body, and spirit. For chaplains and for patients, these shared moments are sacred. “We are like intimate strangers in the midst of some of life’s most difficult moments. It’s a privilege,” said Chaplain Sondos.
FPO IMAGE PENDING
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Provider-in-Triage Program Improves Efficiency and Outcomes The Provider-in-Triage Program is responsible for lobby management, overcrowding, patient satisfaction, and expediting care. What appears to patients to be a smooth transition from the waiting room to a bed is actually a dynamic and well-organized set of processes. At the heart of the Provider-in-Triage Program is the rapid throughput manager, a physician or physician assistant who works closely with the triage nurse to assess patients immediately and input any necessary imaging or blood test orders before patients even leave the lobby. With two triage booths and a fasttrack space, the triage nurse and rapid throughput manager help facilitate an emergency department experience unmatched by any other hospital in the area. Thanks to the generosity of donors, the Benjamin & Carmela Du Emergency Pavilion has a dedicated team of rapid throughput managers. By the time patients are in their rooms, almost everything is complete. The program reduces patients’ total length of stay by decreasing arrival-to-provider time, an average of only 22 minutes, which enhances the patient experience. In 2022, the program allowed the Irvine emergency department to increase patient discharges from the lobby by up to 14%, which was a significant improvement compared to 4% in 2019. It also ensured that the number of patients who left the emergency department without being seen by a provider remained low at 1.6%, below the national benchmark of 2%. Discharging patients with minor health conditions leaves more available rooms for those needing more urgent attention. This facilitates the emergency department’s ability to treat patients arriving via the lobby or ambulance by expediting those with lifethreatening medical conditions to treatment rooms.
the initial triage with nursing and the PA to each and every lab tech, X-ray tech, and CT “ From tech to the admitting clerk and transporters—every individual we encountered was kind, friendly, professional, and efficient. They kept us informed every step of the way so we knew exactly what to expect. – Grateful family member
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With the Best APOT Time in Orange County, Paramedics Love Hoag’s Culture of Positivity According to Irvine charge nurse and emergency medical services (EMS) liaison Angela Agar, emergency department physicians and clinical staff at the Benjamin & Carmela Du Emergency Pavilion maintain an excellent relationship with local EMS colleagues. “They are our partners in patient care, as they are the first touch point for patients in our community who require emergency service. Our goal is to ensure this relationship is one built upon trust, mutual respect, and transparency,” said Angela. What makes Hoag’s relationship with local paramedics so strong is not only great communication but also the best Ambulance Patient Offload Time (APOT) in Orange County and the positive attitude of Hoag staff. By transferring patients from the ambulance to the emergency department kindly and efficiently, Hoag gets paramedics right back out into the community, which has made the hospital a favored partner of EMS organizations. Enabling emergency department clinicians to perform at such a high level is the training they receive on the latest protocols and best practices in emergency response, made possible by philanthropy.
Donor Funds Support Special Staff Committees and Added Resources for Superior Patient Care Opioid Stewardship Committee By implementing learnings from both the Irvine and Newport Beach emergency departments, Irvine staff are coming together to institute new resources to more effectively manage escalating addiction and psychiatric needs in the community. With the help of a grant and philanthropic funds, the team has hired a substance use navigator to serve both campuses. Patient Experience Committee To continuously improve emergency department services, the Patient Experience Committee focuses on creating resources that alleviate fear and stress for individuals and families. In 2022, this included creating the ED Passport, a pamphlet that provides patients with information on average wait times and emergency department processes in order to set accurate expectations of emergency care. The result was an increased patient experience score on patient surveys reflecting heightened patient education and satisfaction.
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Director of Critical Care and the Irvine Emergency Department Nicole Bryant, MSN, RN, CEN, on Philanthropy and Hoag’s Irvine Expansion The expansion of the Sun Family Campus in Irvine is well underway, and Nicole Bryant, MSN, RN, CEN, anticipates a continued increase in the need for emergency department services. An additional 155 inpatient beds in the expanded hospital will help provide the emergency department with extra space for long-term patients when needed, generating added efficiencies across emergency care delivery. With strong philanthropic support from the community, Nicole is grateful that donors are invested in seeing Hoag serve the growing population of South Orange County. “Our community is so diverse and so fun. It’s a young community. With large venues and the airport nearby, we see people from all over the world. The staff reflects this diversity as well, which sets the tone— everyone is accepted here. I love that everyone brings a little something different to the table,” she said. Diversity is also visible in the types of services Hoag offers, including access to skilled interpreters and cafeteria food to accommodate various dietary, cultural, and religious preferences. These are likewise indicative of the tools Hoag provides its staff. “Thanks in large part to donors, Hoag gives you every tool you could ever need in your toolbelt to provide care, to go above and beyond for patients every time. Hoag allows me to give the care I’ve always wanted to give,” emphasized Nicole.
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Philanthropy Powers Enhanced Care at Hoag Through Advanced Technology Stryker Weighted Stretchers Stretcher systems that accurately measure a patient’s weight are crucial tools in ensuring safe, comfortable, and effective care for patients, as well as protecting the safety of health care staff. With the number of patients requiring weight-based treatments increasing each year, knowing a patient’s weight is essential for quickly and accurately providing the right dosages or treatments. Thanks to Hoag’s donors, the Irvine emergency department team has access to Stryker’s weighted stretchers, which have become essential tools for determining appropriate staffing to prevent injury during patient transfers and procedures. The purchase of the stretchers has not only improved health outcomes but also patient satisfaction. By prioritizing the safety and comfort of both patients and staff, Hoag can provide a higher quality of care for everyone involved. Cardiac Iron Quantification MRI Software Cardiac iron quantification MRI software provides valuable diagnostic information for patients with conditions that affect iron metabolism, such as thalassemia, sickle cell disease, and hereditary hemochromatosis. These conditions can cause iron to accumulate in the heart muscle, leading to a serious condition called iron overload cardiomyopathy. Left untreated, this can cause heart failure. By accurately measuring the amount of iron in the heart muscle, doctors can better diagnose and monitor these conditions, as well as track the effectiveness of treatments over time. Additionally, MRI-based cardiac iron quantification is non-invasive and does not involve radiation exposure, making it a safer and more comfortable option for patients compared to other imaging techniques, such as cardiac biopsy. Acquiring the software has reduced the number of transfers to other hospitals, enabling Hoag to provide high-quality care to more people throughout the community.
In Gratitude Thank you for helping us define the future of health care in South Orange County. Your early support of emergency services in Irvine has allowed us to keep Hoag’s promise to provide the highest quality care to more communities. We are forever grateful.
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Coufos Family Center for Philanthropy 330 Placentia Avenue Newport Beach, CA 92663 hoaghospitalfoundation.org