More Safety Stories-I hear frequently we have too many young nurses and that is unsafe. I understand the concept. Well there is also something to be said for a fresh set of eyes especially in an environment that expects ALL STAFF speak up for safety. Two new grads after 18 weeks of orientation and support caught two errors. One was order set misprint for Versed dose the second upgraded CT to STAT due to patient condition worsening! Great job!!!!
Who do you go to if you want to know how things REALLY work? In our ER ask anyone you will get the same answer-Secretary, Scheduler/Supply Clerk, and veteran House Keeper. So I tested this theory. It seems for some reason we only have one "Hopper" to dump human waste in the East Side of our ER. It is the busiest side -the 19 beds stay full. Yet there are two "Hoopers" on the West Side beds 20-54. Staff have walk through public areas to empty bed pans, etc. There is a $4K proposal to grade House keeping area that is already Plumbed on East Side. So I asked two of the three "Go To People" Secretary & House Keeper how to fix this? In 15 minutes they showed me were to move housekeeping supplies to two other locations. Wow! Common Sense is PRICELESS! Time to "Manage up my "Go To People" with VP/CNE while they show her the proposal. I will give her heads up she has a opportunity to invest $4k.
Lynx -We met with multiple VPs/HR asked for audits of their work -it was substandard. Coding requires education the return on investment is more charge capture, more accurate acuity documentation = higher level of charges.
EKG-Our ER does 15,000 EKGs annually. This process of doing EKG (?Proper indication) uploading it, and getting ER MD to read is insane. Nobody we talked to has figured it out (Clue Phone is ringing-there is a problem) We agreed that whoever does EKG must enter order. The rest is Heart & Vascular problem. They charge $54 get $8. I asked the obvious question -how much are we spending above $8 to "Fix" this issue????
CPOM-June 12th Go live. Getting ready with equipment,support, and training.
DNV-Sentara is switching to DNV accreditation from TJC. God answers prayers! I have been praying for 30 years that we would "Uninvited TJC" Thank you God!
Serious Moment-it seems folks are trying to avoid failing "Breath Test for ETOH" How? Vodka soaked tampons inserted in their rectum. So far we have only read about it. I share this to alert you if they are unresponsive for unknown reason.....Consider it.
Some days I come home excited about the great ER team......
Other days I wonder are they really safe? Either way keep us in your prayers! Thank You