We will constantly challenge ourselves and the way we approach patient care and service excellence; but rather than automatically accepting what's new for its own sake, we will carefully evaluate the latest technologies and cutting-edge clinical practices and readily adopt them once proven, along with pursuing quality and safety initiatives that lead to optimal patient care.
EXAMPLE
DIABETES SELF-MANAGEMENT PROGRAM
The Chester County Hospital has supported and expanded its Diabetes Self-Management Program over the past 25 years. The program is accredited by the American Association of Diabetes Educators. Over the years, the program has grown in concert with the alarming increase of diagnosed diabetes within the community, as well as with the many advances in diabetes care technology and pharmacology. The program is staffed by a dedicated team who provide basic and intensive diabetes management classes and individual visits, insulin pump management, continuous glucose monitoring, medical nutrition therapy and ongoing free monthly support meetings. The outpatient program reaches into the surrounding area in multiple and creative ways by providing educational seminars on diabetes awareness, reversing pre-diabetes and by offering an annual Diabetes Day for individuals living with diabetes.
The outpatient component of the Diabetes Self-Management Program is complemented by the inpatient diabetes education, which is supported by an innovative technology workflow to identify and treat patients with diabetes after being admitted to any unit in the Hospital. If you are admitted to The Chester County Hospital and report a history of diabetes, or if you are identified as having risk factors for the disease during the course of your care, our medical technology system automatically alerts the physician to order a Hemoglobin A1c test, which indicates whether your blood glucose level is under control. If it's not, then your care is tailored to bring the diabetes under control during your stay and beyond.
Sustainability
The expenses of the program are allocated within the Hospital budget. The annual DASH 4 Diabetes raises, on average, $45,000 to offset expenses. There are additional donations from civic groups, individuals and sponsorships for the yearly Diabetes Day event, which collectively add an average of $6,000. The remaining gap is subsidized by the Hospital.
Providing excellent patient care requires a cohesive, well-functioning team focused on achieving our Vision to be the leading provider of care in the region and a national model for quality, service excellence and fiscal stewardship.
EXAMPLE
HEART TRACKS™ ON-LINE CARDIAC RISK ASSESSMENT, SCREENING AND EDUCATION PROGRAM
The purpose of the Heart Tracks™ program is to provide individuals with their personal risk factors profile for coronary heart disease via an online risk calculator or an in-person assessment. The in-person assessment program was developed in 2005 and includes risk factor and lifestyle screening, analysis of weight and body fat, blood pressure, ankle brachial index (ABI) and random total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, glucose and hemoglobin. The Chester County Health Department provides the blood screening component. Participants review their findings with a professionally trained counselor, and all individuals with moderate or greater risk per the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III guidelines are contacted by our Cardiovascular Nurse Navigator to address medical and lifestyle needs. The online risk calculator was collaboratively developed with our physician team and was launched in early 2010, but is considered an expansion of the original program to bring awareness to a wider audience. The online component assesses many of the same, but self-reported indicators, calculates a heart risk score and provides a summary of findings and recommendations. Participants can then opt in to receive a consultation with the Cardiovascular Nurse Navigator and additional online education.
In addition to these individual assessment programs, Chester County Hospital has partnered with several local organizations to host 'acute heart attack' drills. These exercises help community members, emergency professionals and medical teams practice the process of treating people experiencing chest pain at the site of the incident, during transport to the Hospital, and ultimately through to the cardiac catheterization lab. By conducting mock scenarios, the region as a whole becomes more aware of the importance of calling 9-1-1 early and getting someone the care they need immediately.
Sustainability
Neither Heart Tracks component receives financing from outside organizations. Both are funded by the operating budgets of their respective departments. The public pays $15 per person for the in-person screening. This fee is then turned over to the Health Department to cover its costs.
We will hold ourselves and each other accountable for knowing and acting on our Values and the specific patient care and service excellence strategies that derive from them in pursuit of our Vision.
EXAMPLE
STOP SMOKING NOW!
Smoking cessation has been the cornerstone of the Hospital's prevention and wellness program for the past 15 years. Stop Smoking Now! is a seven-week program that includes nicotine replacement therapy, a monthly support group and follow-up phone calls of support and monitoring. The overall aim is to promote quitting among adults who smoke as deaths from lung cancer exceed that of all other cancers combined. Referral to the program is integrated into our inpatient discharge instructions and referral processes and is an important outreach effort of our cancer program's lung cancer reduction strategy. Stop Smoking Now! is offered in corporate and public sites throughout the county and includes a Preparation to Quit option for those in a contemplation stage. The department has been involved in providing peer-education programs in schools to prevent smoking behaviors among teens and also addresses the issue of second-hand smoke through health promotion efforts throughout the community at large.
Sustainability
All program costs are budgeted by Community Health and Wellness Services. In 2012, the Hospital received $25,000 in funding through the Health Promotion Council to cover the cost of instruction over an 18-month period. Additional costs, such as materials and marketing, remain a Hospital expense.
NEW Screening: LUNG CANCER
BY PRESCRIBED APPOINTMENT ONLY
Please talk to your doctor about whether you meet the specific screening criteria based on your age, health history, smoking habit or environmental exposures. A physician prescription is required. The screening includes: low-dose spiral CT scan; CT scan reading by a board-certified radiologist; results sent to your primary care physician; and a fast-track appointment with a pulmonologist (if appropriate). The fee for the lung cancer screening through the program is $129, and flexible spending funds may be used. Call 610.738.2300 to learn more.
Fundamental to our culture is expecting and demanding respect and professionalism from and toward each other, our patients and visitors, and members of our community, based on an even more fundamental understanding that diversity of ideas, knowledge, cultures and beliefs makes us a stronger Health System.
EXAMPLE
OB/GYN CLINIC
The Ob/Gyn Clinic provides hospital-based prenatal care to uninsured women in Chester County. For more than 50 years, the Clinic has been serving the health care needs of pregnant women and their newborns who have little or no insurance. While more than 15 hospitals have closed their ob/gyn programs in the Philadelphia region, The Chester County Hospital's Ob/Gyn Clinic remains the only hospital-based program in the Chester County area. It provides high quality prenatal and gynecological care to uninsured and underinsured women as a means of assuring best practice medicine and healthy pregnancy outcomes for the most vulnerable. The Clinic is located within the Hospital and also operates a satellite site in Kennett Square to improve access to care. The Clinic is supervised by a Nurse Practitioner and an Ob/Gyn physician Medical Director. The staff of six is bilingual in Spanish and bicultural ensuring a welcoming environment and reducing language barriers. Our staff, trained medical interpreters, and multiple community partnerships assure that patients feel safe and respected and have a good understanding of their care needs. The Hospital's 15 board-certified Ob/Gyn physicians rotate Clinic sessions as part of their Medical Staff responsibilities and provide delivery services for which they are paid by the Hospital. The Clinic enrolls all eligible patients in Medical Assistance and offers a budget payment plan for those patients who do not qualify for Medical Assistance; however, no one is denied services due to an inability to pay. Strong collaborations exist with other agencies to assure social service needs are met and the full range of Hospital services are extended to patients as necessary.
Sustainability
The prenatal clinic has received funding from the United Way of Chester County, and philanthropic support from foundations such as the Irene D. Cunningham Trust, Siemens Caring Hands Foundation, Connelly Foundation, and The Patricia Kind Family Foundation, but a significant amount of the care remains uncompensated. The Hospital covers the difference as charity care.
Our ultimate goal is to deliver superior results and to exceed expectations at every level of the organization.
EXAMPLE
COMMUNITY SATISFACTION
In an effort to better serve the needs of the growing Hispanic population in Chester County, a primary care practice was established 15 years ago. Before this practice was present in the area, patients used the emergency room at The Chester County Hospital and other local hospitals to secure primary care for their acute and chronic problems. Preventive care was not available. Kennett Primary Care is led by Dr. Pedro Solanet, who is from Mexico, and together with the bilingual and bicultural staff, they are uniquely qualified and capable of providing the highest level of care in a comfortable and welcoming environment. This practice draws from several neighboring townships and has grown tremendously over the years.
The physician partners serve on the Latino Advisory Board, a group that meets quarterly to address the needs of the migrant workers and Spanish-speaking population. One of the physicians, along with a Hospital administrator, also serves on the La Comunidad Hispana Health Care Committee, a primary care health clinic serving predominantly our Latino neighbors. This relationship and commitment of time provides both Kennett Primary Care and La Comunidad Hispana with a collaborative exchange of ideas and experiences designed to provide clinical excellence and expand the scope of services available to the community.
Sustainability
Approximately 19% of the practice's patients are on medical assistance and another 20% do not have any insurance. The practice does not receive philanthropic funding from other sources, and its ratio of un- and underinsured patients preclude it from being eligible for available grants. The practice is supported by The Chester County Hospital and Health System.