WellStar Wins National Award

For the fifth consecutive year, WellStar was named to the Companies That Care Honor Roll, which publicly recognizes and celebrates organizations that prize employees and are committed to community service. The national list includes privately held and publicly traded organizations, as well as not-for-profit employers like WellStar. Our System is the only Atlanta-based organization and one of only four healthcare providers in the country to achieve this distinction.

According to Marci Koblentz, co-founder and president, Center for Companies That Care, the employers on the Honor Roll are among the best in the nation. “Their daily practices within their organizations and in the community affirm business as a valuable contributor to society. A Company That Cares is attuned to the 99 percent (not just the 1 percent) and cares about much more than profits. Without a doubt these organizations are companies that care.”

WellStar also has been recognized nationally by Working Mother, National Association for Female Executives, The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, AARP and the Dave Thomas Foundation.

WellStar to Move to EpicCare Information System

Over the last decade, our use of technology to enhance the care and treatment of patients has increased enormously. WellStar leadership understands that, as one of the Top Five Integrated Health Systems in the country, one clinical information system for physicians, hospitals and our other points of care is critical to our patients and our success. World-class healthcare requires world-class information technology solutions.

Since McKesson’s mid-December announcement of their “Better Health 2020” initiative, WellStar senior leadership with the assistance of external experts has been carefully studying our strategic clinical information technology needs and options for the future. Last week, the WellStar Board of Trustees approved and endorsed senior leadership’s recommendation to implement the EpicCare integrated healthcare software across our System.

Epic, based out of Wisconsin, is the industry leader in the development of a single software solution for integrated healthcare systems. The EpicCare system allows for a single patient record across the care continuum – from the physician office to the hospital and even to the patient's home.

We will begin implementation work without delay and would target to be using EpicCare software
across our System (including our hospitals and the WellStar Medical Group) by the end of 2013. This implementation will require a tremendous investment in capital resources as well as time and commitment from our entire WellStar team.

The EpicCare implementation will provide new career opportunities for our team members. We will need approximately 150 individuals to fill positions on our new project team. These positions will be filled with top talent from clinical and other areas across the System. As we are pursuing a very aggressive time line, we plan to have our team ready for EpicCare training and certification beginning in June 2012. If you are interested in joining this project team. Please visit the eSource RightPath web site for updates. In the future, there will be additional opportunities for physician involvement in this project through advisory groups that will help determine how the applicaiton looks and work flow processes.

We hope you will share our excitement about this extraordinary step in patient care. This implementation will truly transform our culture, unite us as a System and move us further down the RightPath to improving patient care through technology.

McKesson Horizon Clinical Information System Upgrade Status

On the weekend of March 2, WellStar Information Technology successfully upgraded many of our McKesson Horizon Clinical Information System applications and servers. Planning for the upgrade began over a year ago and will improve patient care and safety while placing our critical clinical applications on more reliable infrastructure.

Overall, this has been a successful implementation with team members feeling well-trained in advance of the go-live and good communication passing between Information Technology and the hospitals. Clinicians are pleased with system speed and availability.

This upgrade was the result of months of hard work on the part of a large and diverse team of resources from McKesson, WellStar Information Technology and Organizational Learning Departments and clinicians from across our entire System. Thank you for the team’s efforts and dedication to improving patient care.

New Medical Staff as Approved at the March Governing Board Meeting

New Medical Staff

Name	Specialty	Group Name	Appointment	Current Staff Membership
Elshihabi, Said, M.D.	Neurological Surgery	WellStar Neurosurgery	KH, GRP
Greaves, Paula C., M.D.	Obstetrics and Gynecology	WellStar Northwest Women’s Care	WH	KH, GRP
Memark, Janet P., M.D.	Internal Medicine	WellStar Medical Group	CH, KH
Noohani, Chhavi V., D.O.	Observation	Observation Medicine Spec, LLC	CH
Pleasant, Shyronda Y., M.D.	Pediatrics ER	The Bortolazzo Group, LLC	CH, KH
Simmons, Barbara J., M.D.	Obstetrics and Gynecology	WellStar Northwest Women’s Care	WH	KH, GRP
Tuohy, Anne M., M.D.	Pediatrics	Kennesaw Pediatrics, PC	KH

Advanced Practice Professionals

Name	Specialty	Group Name	Appointment
Millikan, Krystle C., PA	Physician Assistant	The Bortolazzo Group, LLC	CH, DH, KH, PH
Westercamp, Nathan A., PA	Physician Assistant	WellStar Surgical Assoc of Marietta	KH, GRP
Wright, Shea A., PA	Physician Assistant	Emory Healthcare	KH

April CME Events

• Breast Cancer Tumor Board – April 4, 11 and 25; 7 a.m.; Stat Clinic Conference Room; WellStar Kennestone Hospital
• Cancer Conference (TB) – April 4, 11, 18 and 25; 12 p.m.; Wisteria/Jasmine Room; WellStar Cobb Hospital
• Cancer Conference (TB) – April 13 and 27; 7 a.m.; Azalea/Camellia Room; WellStar Kennestone Hospital
• Cardiology Case Conference – April 24; 7 a.m.; Kennesaw Mountain Room; WellStar Kennestone Hospital
• Cobb Surgical M&M – April 26; 7 a.m.; Wisteria/Jasmine Room; WellStar Cobb Hospital
• GI Tumor Board – April 5, 12, 19 and 26; 7 a.m.; Azalea/Camellia Room; WellStar Kennestone Hospital
• Kennestone Surgical M&M – April 25; 7:30 a.m.; Azalea/Camellia Room; WellStar Kennestone Hospital
• Neuroradiology/General Neurology Patient Care Conference – April 4; 7 a.m.; Camellia Room; WellStar Kennestone Hospital
• Safety First Recertification - Kennestone – April 20; 10:30 a.m.; Admin Conference Room; WellStar Kennestone Hospital
• Thoracic Clinic – April 4, 11, 18 and 25; 5 p.m.; Post Stat Cancer Clinic; WellStar Kennestone Hospital
• Trauma Grand Rounds – April 26; 7 a.m.; Auditorium; WellStar Kennestone Hospital

April Department Meetings

WellStar Cobb Hospital

Committee/Dept.	Date & Time	Place
OB/GYN Department	4/2 – 12:30 p.m.	Auditorium
Credentials	4/3 – noon	Admin Board Room
Medical Executive Committee	4/17 – noon	Admin Board Room

WellStar Douglas Hospital

Committee/Dept.	Date & Time	Place
Credentials	4/3 – noon	Sycamore Room
Medical Executive Committee	4/10 – noon	Sycamore Room
QRC PI Committee	4/12 – 7:30 a.m.	Sweetwater Room
Gen. Staff and Departments	4/19 – noon	Community Room - DMC

WellStar Kennestone Hospital

Committee/Dept.	Date & Time	Place
Credentials	4/10 – 7 a.m.	Kennesaw Mountain Room
APP Leadership Council	4/11 – 7 a.m.	Kennesaw Mountain Room
OB/GYN Department	4/16 – 6 p.m.	Kennesaw Mountain Room
Pediatrics Department	4/17 – 6:30 p.m.	Azalea/Camellia Room
Department of Surgery	4/18 – 7 a.m.	Azalea/Camellia Room
New Provider Orientation & Safety First Initial Training	4/20 – 8 a.m. - noon	Kennesaw Mountain Room

WellStar Paulding Hospital

Committee/Dept.	Date & Time	Place
Medical Executive Committee	4/12 – 12:30 p.m.	Chestnut Room

WellStar Windy Hill Hospital

Committee/Dept.	Date & Time	Place
Combined General Staff Meeting and Ethics Forum	4/18 – 6 p.m.	Cobb Galleria

Patient Satisfaction Graphs

Prestigious Distinguished Service Award Presented to WellStar Health System Board Member Charles Wood

Charles “Pete” Wood, founding member of the Board of Trustees for WellStar Health System in Marietta, was presented with one of the Georgia Hospital Association’s (GHA) highest honors, the Distinguished Service Award. Wood, who received the award at the association’s annual convention on Feb. 22 in Atlanta, was recognized for his integral role in achieving several health care milestones over the past five decades.

WellStar Health System’s Gold Standards of Clinical Documentation Improvement

General and Surgery-Specific Clinical Documentation Tips

WellStar Health System’s Clinical Documentation Improvement (CDI) Program is designed to ensure that clinical documentation in a patient’s medical record appropriately reflects the care provided. The most vital role of the CDI program is facilitating a true representation of healthcare services provided, through accurate reporting of the principal diagnosis, co-morbidities and any treatments or procedures.

As part of the program’s ongoing efforts, the CDI team offers specific tips monthly from the Program’s Gold Standards of Clinical Documentation Improvement. 

General Tips:

• Queries may be responded to by the attending physician, consultants or advanced practice professionals; however, it is ultimately the attending physician’s responsibility
• Consider SIRS and indicate if the cause is related to infection, trauma, burns or pancreatitis

Surgery-Specific Tips:

• Always document acuity, even when it is obvious. State acute, chronic, acute on chronic when known. Example: acute on chronic cholecystitis, acute blood loss anemia, chronic pancreatitis
• Document all co-existing medical conditions, as this will impact the severity of illness level for your patients. Example: Diabetes, Chronic CHF
• Trauma: List injuries separately when describing multiple trauma. Document any loss of consciousness and the duration.
• Fractures: Document traumatic versus pathological, with identification of underlying cause
• Debridement: Always document excisional versus non-excisional, the depth of tissue removed and the method (Versajet, scalpel, etc.)
• Document pathology findings within progress notes or discharge summary
• Document a diagnosis, such as hyponatremia, rather than ↓NA. Up and down arrows are not acceptable for coding purposes.
• Link any conditions to underlying cause. Example: Skin ulcer due to DM, gastroparesis due to DM

WellStar Wins Two Statewide Patient Safety Awards for Excellence in Patient Care

The Partnership for Health and Accountability (PHA) presented its prestigious Quality and Patient Safety Award to WellStar Health System and to WellStar Windy Hill Hospital, both in Marietta. The health system’s project titled, “Glycemic Control Initiative,” improved inpatient diabetes care and won second place in the Hospital/Health Systems Category. WellStar Windy Hill’s project, titled, “War on the Spore: Clostridium difficile among Patients in an Acute Care Long Term Hospital,” decreased infection rates and won third place in the Hospitals with Less Than 100 Beds Category.

Get Involved in National Healthcare Decisions Day

On April 16, 2012, join Americans across the country to talk to others about your future healthcare decisions and complete your advance directive for health care.

The National Healthcare Decisions Day (NHDD) initiative is a collaborative effort of national, state, and community organizations committed to ensuring that all adults with decision-making capacity in the United States have the information and opportunity to communicate and document their healthcare decisions.

WellStar is committed to helping our community understand that making future healthcare decisions includes much more than deciding what care they would or would not want; it starts with expressing preferences, clarifying values, identifying care preferences, and selecting an agent to express themselves.

By registering for a free workshop “Preparing Your Directive for Health Care,” you will receive a free CRITICAL Conditions™ Planning Guide that you can use to discuss and document your wishes for final health care. WellStar team members will receive 10 HealthStart points, and nurses will be awarded contact hours from Georgia Nurses Association.

For workshop dates and locations, call 770-956-STAR (7827) or go to www.wellstar.org.

Stride into Spring with WellStar HealthStart’s New Walk This Way® Program

This April, Walk This Way® is stepping onto WellStar facilities to help team members enhance their overall health and physical activity levels by accumulating steps each day. This fun, 12-week walking program will be available to all WellStar team members at no cost regardless of whether you are a current HealthStart participant.

Beginning April 2, take your first step by logging on to www.wellstarhealthstart.org to sign up for the challenge. You will receive a t-shirt for participating and will also be mailed a personal digital pedometer and log-book. Beginning the week of April 16, you will be encouraged to log on to the HealthStart website to record your steps. There will be opportunities throughout WellStar to get involved in organized group walks. During the 12-week program, HealthStart participants can earn their Behavior Modification points by logging their daily physical activity on the HealthStart website.

Participants who log an average of 3,000 steps per day between April 16 - July 8 will receive one entry into the grand prize drawings. Logging additional steps per day can earn participants additional entries to be eligible for the prizes. The following incentives will be available:

Level	Total Steps	Steps Per Day	Incentive Entries
Level 1 – Bronze	250,000 – 499,000	3,000	1 entry
Level 2 – Silver	500,000 – 749,999	6,000	2 additional entries (3 total)
Level 3 – Gold	750,000 – 849,999	9,000	3 additional entries (6 total)
Level 4 – Platinum	850,000+	10,000+	4 additional entries (10 total)

Key Program Dates
April 2 - Registration opens
April 16 – Program officially begins
April 30 – Registration ends
July 8 - Program ends

For additional information about the program, please visit the HealthStart website beginning the week of March 26, call HealthStart Customer Service at 1-877-224-6672, or contact Valerie Riley, Health Promotion Coordinator, at Valerie.Riley@wellstar.org or 770-793-7280.

New Liver Tumor Procedure at WellStar Kennestone

John E. Bianco, MD, Interventional Radiologist, Quantum Radiology, PC, is offering a new outpatient procedure for the treatment of primary and metastatic liver tumors at WellStar Kennestone’s Vascular Institute. The procedure, Selective Internal Radiation Therapy (SIRT), provides targeted radiation to the liver tumors and includes the placement of a transfemoral microcatheter positioned in the hepatic artery. Using the liver’s unique vascular supply, millions of yttrium-90 microspheres are selectively implanted in the microvascular arterial supply of the tumor, where they become trapped, killing tumor cells and sparing the healthy liver parenchyma. For more information on this procedure, please contact Quantum Radiology at 678-581-3830.

WellStar Paulding Hospital Awarded Certification from the Joint Commission

Four WellStar Hospitals Now Certified in Joint Surgery

WellStar Paulding Hospital has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval™ for its Knee and Hip Joint Surgery Program by demonstrating compliance with The Joint Commission’s national standards for health care quality and safety in disease-specific care. The certification award recognizes WellStar Paulding’s dedication to continuous compliance with The Joint Commission’s state-of-the- art standards.

The designation now means all WellStar hospitals offering knee and hip joint surgery, including WellStar Paulding, WellStar Kennestone, WellStar Cobb and WellStar Douglas, are now certified in joint surgery by the Joint Commission.

WellStar Paulding underwent a rigorous on-site survey in late 2011. A team of Joint Commission expert surveyors evaluated the Hip and Knee Program for compliance with standards of care specific to the needs of patients and families, including infection prevention and control, leadership and medication management.

The Joint Commission’s Disease-Specific Care Certification Program, launched in 2002, is designed to evaluate clinical programs across the continuum of care. Certification requirements address three core areas: compliance with consensus-based national standards; effective use of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines to manage and optimize care; and an organized approach to performance measurement and improvement activities.

WellStar Board of Trustees Approves Funding for Replacement Hospital in Paulding

Groundbreaking Set for Monday, April 9, 2012

At the March 1, 2012 WellStar Board of Trustees meeting, the board gave final approval for the financing of a $135 million, 56-bed replacement hospital project located in Hiram at 148 Bill Carruth Parkway.

“This investment will enable WellStar to continue to provide world-class healthcare throughout our service area,” said Reynold J. Jennings, president and CEO of WellStar Health System.  “A new hospital in Paulding County will contribute to our strategy of providing improved access to our community as well as create an estimated 300 new jobs.”

A groundbreaking event is scheduled for Monday, April 9.  The hospital and new medical office building will be built adjacent to the existing medical office building in Hiram.  When complete, the campus will include an emergency department, comprehensive surgical services, a cancer center, women’s imaging and a multitude of other healthcare services.

Totally digital, the new WellStar Paulding Hospital is designed with patient-centered care in mind.  The design of the replacement hospital includes a significant amount of green space and landscaping surrounding the facility that is accessible to patients and visitors, including two park-like areas.

“The population of Paulding County is expected to rise 19 percent by 2016,” said Mark Haney, senior vice president of real estate and construction & WellStar Paulding Hospital president. “There is a tremendous need for this modern facility and the community is eagerly anticipating it.”

Environmental and energy sustainability are priorities of the replacement hospital design, and LEED-principled elements are incorporated throughout. Additionally, the facility will be constructed using concepts from the Center for Health Design’s Pebble Project, ensuring that the facility design is driven by evidence-based research. Evidence-based design features are elements in the design and construction environment that have been proven beneficial to patients and staff, contributing to high quality outcomes, fewer safety events and improved employee morale.

WellStar Supports YWCA of Northwest Georgia

The YWCA of Northwest Georgia’s vision is a community free of domestic violence and sexual assault. Their philosophy is to stand up and speak on behalf of those who cannot speak for themselves. WellStar has been a strong supporter of the YWCA of Northwest Georgia for years. In 2005, the strong bond began when the SART/SANE (Sexual Assault Response Team/Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners) program was implemented in Cobb County. With the foresight of Pat Head, District Attorney, the program was launched in conjunction with law enforcement and WellStar Health System. Dr. Robert Lipson, former President and CEO of WellStar, agreed to partner with the YWCA in this program by providing a room in which sexual assault victims could receive the rape exam without having to wait in the emergency room for hours at times.

Cancer Support Services New Location

The Cancer Support Team, including genetic counselors, nurse navigators, registered dietitians and social workers, is now located in the 320 Building, Suite 107. This new office space enables the team to collaborate in a multi-disciplinary manner, improving the patient experience. In the new space there is a resource center that the team encourages patients, family members and staff to visit Monday- Friday from 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. For more information, please call 770-793-7470.

Cultural Connections: Snapshot on Brazilian Culture

Cultural Connection provides WellStar team members with information about the diverse patients and communities we serve. Each month the newsletter highlights a different ethnicity or religion by introducing a variety of customs and traditions to foster a greater respect and understanding. No generalizations about individuals should be made since all individuals differ – so when in doubt, ask! 

Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population, with more than 192 million people. Ecuador and Chile are the only South Ameri-can countries which do not share their boundaries with Brazil.