Interactive Resource for Patients Coming Soon

July 7, 2016

Users of the Patient and Family Education Center kiosks in the Outpatient Pavilion will see a welcome screen like this.

The first of two kiosks to go with the UConn Health Auxiliary Patient and Family Education Center in the Outpatient Pavilion has arrived.

The kiosks will enable patients and visitors to access health information via L. M. Stowe Library’s HealthNet service, an outreach resource designed as a tool for them to research health questions.

Patient information kiosk — Wendy Urciuoli (left) and Irene Engel demonstrate one of the kiosks that will be available for use in the UConn Health Auxiliary Patient and Family Education Center. (Tina Encarnacion/UConn Health)

The Auxiliary Patient and Family Education Center is located on both the second and third floors of the Outpatient Pavilion. The second floor kiosk will go online first, likely in the coming weeks. The kiosks will have print capability and offer guided accesses to vetted health websites, community services and hospital programs.

“Providing high-quality information resources which are convenient and easy to use will help patients learn about their health conditions and empower them to become more active in managing their health care,” says HealthNet librarian Wendy Urciuoli.

A half dozen notebook computers also will be available to patients, enabling access in areas in the Outpatient Pavilion beyond the Patient and Family Education Center locations. The Auxiliary has purchased a machine that will sanitize the notebooks after each use to prevent the spread of germs.

“The doctors also will use this as a resource for patients. They’re excited about where we’re going with this,” says UConn Health Auxiliary Facilitator Irene Engel. “This is for educational purposes, so patients leave their appointments with a better understanding.”

More information about HealthNet is available by calling 860.679.4047 or emailing urciuoli@uchc.edu.

UConn Health Discontinuing Clinical Pediatric Services

July 6, 2016

UConn Health has made the strategic decision not to continue to deliver clinical pediatric services.

This decision is in part financial and in part due that pediatric clinics fit more aptly within the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center model of care.

Connecticut Children’s has decided to operate pediatric clinics in the same sites of East Hartford and West Hartford. The effective date for this change is planned for October 1, 2016

However, Connecticut Children’s will be employing the same pediatricians and without any disruption of service to patients. Each year, East Hartford has approximately 8,000 pediatric patient visits while West Hartford has 4,500 visits.

While layoff notices were delivered on July 5 to 11 staff members, UConn Health is optimistic that through the filling of internal needs and jobs with pediatrics that Children’s will be posting that job losses will be minimal.

UConn Health’s leadership is working with the leadership of Connecticut Children’s to ensure a seamless transition that is supportive to patients, providers and employees.

For more information about this pediatrics news, please review the following Questions and Answers:

Q & A about Pediatrics

Does this affect neonatology or pediatric patients seen by non-pediatric specialties?
No, this change affects only the primary care pediatric sites of East Hartford and West Hartford.

Will this impact any UConn School of Medicine education or research activities currently associated with UCH clinical pediatric services?No. Pediatric education is conducted as a UConn School of Medicine function which is already conducted in part by Connecticut Children’s. This relationship will continue unchanged.

How much will be saved by this decision?
This decision will save nearly $700,000 annually.

How many UConn Health employees are employed in pediatric clinics?
Many of the employees are ‘dual’ employees, serving multiple UConn Health clinics in this location, so a count is tricky. In all, there are about 4 physicians and 11 staff who in part or whole support the pediatric clinical operation.

How many employees received notice, how many will be laid off?
Eleven people received layoff notices. Most are expected to be retained by UConn Health in other clinical operations or offered employment by Connecticut Children’s.

With this decision, will employees maintain their state employee status and state benefits?
Employees who stay with UConn Health to support the remaining non-pediatric clinical operations or transfer to other internal opportunities will continue as state employees. Those employees, including the physicians, who join Children’s would leave state service and become Connecticut Children’s employees.

Will all current employees be offered positions with Connecticut Children’s?
Children’s has expressed their desire to make this as seamless as possible. Children’s will make available to all involved their position postings so they can work through filling slots in a way that reflects their business plan and clinical operating model going forward.

Will Connecticut Children’s pay rent at East Hartford and West Hartford; are these locations owned by UConn Health?
Both sites are leased, not owned, by UConn Health. Children’s will assume a portion of the rent proportionate to the space they will use to operate pediatric clinics.

How many patients are seen at each site?
Approximately 8,000 pediatric patient visits occur at East Hartford and 4,500 at West Hartford annually.

Will this change decrease access to care?
Thanks to the Connecticut Children’s plans to operate pediatric clinics at these sites, community access to care will not change.

HealthONE Project Now Officially Underway

R. Dirk Stanley, MD, MPH Chief Medical Information Officer — R. Dirk Stanley, MD, MPH
Chief Medical Information Officer

By R. Dirk Stanley, Chief Medical Information Officer

Disclaimer: The modern “information age” may not really be so modern. It actually started about 35,000 years ago in a cave in Sulawesi, Indonesia. Some of our earliest human ancestors made cave paintings to share information with other humans and – voila – Homo sapiens thrived. Since then, information sharing among humans has grown exponentially, and in the last 150 years, health care leaders such as Florence Nightingale and John Snow have used this information to help save lives. Indeed, documentation, information management, and health care share a long tradition.

Therefore, as a history-loving doctor and technologist, I’m very proud to report the HealthONE project at UConn Health is now officially underway!

The HealthONE project is a 22-month journey to replace our various current clinical systems with a single, unified electronic medical record (EMR) from the Epic Corporation in Verona, Wisconsin. This ambitious and forward-thinking project will bring together large numbers of our staff, both clinical and administrative, to help decide as a team: What do we want clinical care for our patients to look like in the future?

Not only will the project break down barriers between doctors, nurses, and other clinical and administrative staff – it gives us a real opportunity to combine the best practices of the past with the most recent evidence-based research. New clinical decision support tools will help improve and streamline care, while new analysis tools will help drive research and identify opportunities we have yet to discover.

Will all this bring change to our organization? You bet. But the change is going to be great. Just imagine the clarity, efficiency, and harmony of being able to find the information you want, at the right time, to guide the best decisions. The HealthOne project is going to help us design that future together, for the benefit of patients, families, and clinical providers.

To make this happen, UConn Health has now assembled a dedicated technical team who will be working very hard with clinical and administrative leaders over the next 22 months. They will collect information from our many doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other clinical and administrative staff, and build the configuration and processes needed to break down barriers, create new opportunities, and bring HealthOne to our patients, staff, and community.

As a chief medical information officer, I’ll be part of both the technical and clinical teams, helping to guide the project to our go-live. It’s rewarding work, with a great outcome in our future. Until we get there together, I’ll keep an eye out for more opportunities to show you what one place, one record, one reason is all about. You.

ACO with Hartford Healthcare – What Does It Mean for Us?

June 30, 2016

What it is

A voluntary collaboration, related to clinical care only and is separate from existing partnerships or affiliations.

What it is not

Not a merger, joint venture, or anything that involves the transfer of assets. As an ACO partner, Hartford Healthcare has no governance or other control over UConn Health.

For the past 9 months UConn Health has been pursuing the selection of an Accountable Care Organization (ACO) affiliation partner from among the surrounding health systems and physician groups in Connecticut. An ACO is a group of doctors, hospitals, and other healthcare providers who voluntarily collaborate to coordinate care and ensure that patients receive the best care at the lowest possible cost. UConn Health’s process for seeking an ACO partner began with an October 2015 letter to 13 regional providers seeking interest in UConn Health joining one or more their ACOs “at a leadership level.” UConn Health followed these letters with meetings and phone calls with the CEOs and/or ACO representatives of these institutions. This process has concluded and UConn Health has selected Hartford Healthcare (HHC) to be its ACO partner. The reasons for choosing HHC include that HHC leadership was extremely engaged and motivated to find a customized non-binding model for UConn Health that allowed for equal leadership. It was also viewed favorably that HHC has local leadership and a strong regional reputation as a quality healthcare provider.

Key characteristics associated with this ACO partnership are:

The ACO partnership is voluntary non-binding collaboration that does not include any merger of assets, nor is this a form of joint venture as that term is often used.

It is essentially an agreement where the leadership of both entities will jointly identify and implement initiatives to improve the quality and costs of shared populations of patients.

Once the ACO partnership identifies joint initiatives, the appropriate structures will be created

UConn Health and HHC has equal leadership in the collaboration.

To ensure maximum flexibility, UConn Health is not joining HHC ‘s existing ACO (“ICP”) rather this is a separate collaboration that will benefit from ICP’s experience without becoming a member of ICP.

The ACO partnership does not affect existing clinical or other relationships with other regional health systems or providers.

This ACO partnership pertains to clinical care, not education or research.

This initial ACO partnership does not include any payment or receipt of funds.

What Happens Next?

UConn Health leadership and HHC leadership will work together over the next few months to identify specific initiatives that will increase the quality and decrease the costs of care for shared patients. We look forward to sharing these initiatives as they are contemplated and developed.

Parking News Roundup

June 24, 2016

We know parking is one of your favorite topics so we’ve got some parking-related news you should know.

Name Change

First of all, the room scheduling folks are now part of the parking department so its new name is Parking Transportation & Event Services.

Director Allan Peterson says the change is a good thing because “as we continue to expand our beautiful and innovative patient care, academic and research facilities we also experience increased demand for event space, meeting rooms and parking. Bringing event scheduling and parking together allows us to more efficiently manage the capacity in both areas of our organization, while continuing to provide our patients with convenient parking options.”

Peterson adds that the room scheduling process should be relatively seamless with Leslin Vinton still overseeing the scheduling. They will continue to use the Meeting Room Management (MRM) system, and the current reservation process. The room scheduling information which is currently on the Facilities Management website will be moved to the Parking, Transportation and Event Services website on July 1. The employee parking registration and payment processes will not be changing.

There will be two general email boxes for inquiries and suggestions:

parking.transportation@uchc.edu and roomscheduling@uchc.edu.

Good News for Paying Parkers

The employee payroll deduction for parking has automatically become a pre-tax deduction for all employees. “We’ve been working on this for the past several months after receiving inquiries from employees,” explains Peterson. “It’s really been a team effort along with Human Resources/Payroll-Benefits and the Office of the State Comptroller.”

It’s automatic so no need to fill out any forms. So check your pay stub – you should see the change in this week’s paycheck. If you don’t, contact the parking department at extension 4248 or Human Resources/Payroll at extension 2426.

And FYI, if you currently participate in the Qualified Transportation Account (QTA) program, someone from HR will contact you with further information.

Patient & Visitor Parking Rate Changes

For those of you who deal with patients and visitors, be aware that the parking rates are changing July 1. Also important to know – they’ll now be offering discounted self-park options for patients and visitors.

Up to 30 Minutes	Free
31 Minutes to 1 Hour	$2.00
61 Minutes to 2 Hours	$3.00
Each Additional Hour	$1.00
Daily Max	$8.00
Lost Ticket	$8.00
Valet Parking	$6.00

Discounted Self-Park Options
Frequent patients and visitors may purchase discounted single use self-park validations.

10 Validations:	$20.00
30 Validations:	$50.00

The discounted self-park validations are single use and cover 100 percent of the fee. They may be purchased at the Parking Transportation & Event Services office on the 3rd floor of the ASB building, the LAZ parking office on level 1 of Garage 1, and at the LAZ valet cashiers.

Please note, the self-park validations are intended for use by patients and visitors and may not be used by staff, students, or contractors for parking on campus during employment or academic activities. Misuse of validations may result in disciplinary action and parking citations.

Finally, Peterson wants to thank everyone for their patience. “We believe the parking situation has improved for many people, especially since the opening of Garage 2, and will continue to improve as more of our construction projects are completed.”

UConn Health July 2016 Programs, Events

June 20, 2016

Here is a list of UConn Health programs scheduled for July and early August 2016. This information will be updated with any additions or other schedule changes. (Updated 6/22, 7/21)

Bladder Cancer Support Group
Saturday, July 2, 2 to 3 p.m., UConn Health, Onyiuke Dining Room
Patients, family members and caregivers (not limited to UConn Health patients) are invited to join others whose lives have been touched by bladder cancer. This support group, established in partnership with the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network, usually meets on the first Saturday of the month and is the only group of its kind in New England. Call 888-901-BCAN for more information.

Free Hospital Maternity Tours
Saturday, July 16, 2:30 p.m., UConn Health, Main Lobby
A representative will guide you through labor and delivery, postpartum, and the nursery at John Dempsey Hospital. Children and grandparents are welcome. Call 800-535-6232 to register or for more information.

Celiac Disease Nutrition Class
Monday, July 18, 8 to 9 a.m., UConn Health Outpatient Pavilion
A registered dietitian leads a discussion for those with celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity. This program now is scheduled to meet the third Monday of the month. Fee is $20. Call 800-535-6232 or 860-679-7692 to register or for more information.

Living With Heart Disease Support Group
Thursday, July 21, 11 a.m. to noon, UConn Health, Katz Conference Room (C-2116)
Patients with heart disease, along with their families and caregivers, meet on the third Thursday of the month to discuss post-diagnosis topics such as prevention and wellness, social and emotional support, heath-healthy recipes, and coping strategies and resources. Call 860-679-3633 to learn more.

Infertility Peer Support Group
Thursday, July 21, 7 p.m., Center for Advanced Reproductive Services, 2 Batterson Park Road, Farmington.
The Greater Hartford chapter of RESOLVE, a national nonprofit resource for those facing the challenges of infertility, offers support, information and confidential, informal, peer-led discussions on the third Thursday of the month. To learn more or to check for weather-related cancellation, call 860-523-8337.

Free Workshop: “Things to Consider Before Joining a Research Study”
Monday, July 25, 5 p.m., UConn Health, Onyiuke Dining Room
The UConn Health Human Subjects Protection Office offers an educational session about the rights and responsibilities of participants in research projects on the last Monday of the month. Registration is required: 860-679-8802 or cagganello@uchc.edu.

(Canceled 6/22)
~~Stroke Survivor Group~~
~~Wednesday, July 27, noon to 1 p.m.~~, UConn Health Outpatient Pavilion, 3^rd floor
The UConn Health Stroke Center invites stroke survivors, families and caregivers to a monthly group meeting to discuss topics such as prevention, coping methods, support systems, rehabilitation tips, resources, and promoting independence. The Stroke Survivor Group generally meets on the fourth Wednesday of the month. Call 860-679-4846 for more information.

(Rescheduled 7/21)
Breast-feeding Class
Wednesday, ~~July 27,~~ Aug. 3, 7 to 9 p.m., UConn Health, Onyiuke Dining Room
A certified lactation consultant leads a discussion of topics including the benefits of breast-feeding, how to get started, and how the rest of the family can help the breast-feeding mother as well as how to continue breast-feeding and working. Fee is $25 per couple. Call 800-535-6232 to register or for more information.

Bladder Cancer Support Group
Saturday, Aug. 6, 2 to 3 p.m., UConn Health, Onyiuke Dining Room
Patients, family members and caregivers (not limited to UConn Health patients) are invited to join others whose lives have been touched by bladder cancer. This support group, established in partnership with the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network, usually meets on the first Saturday of the month and is the only group of its kind in New England. Call 888-901-BCAN for more information.

Free Hospital Maternity Tours
Saturday, Aug. 6, 2:30 p.m., UConn Health, Main Lobby
A representative will guide you through labor and delivery, postpartum, and the nursery at John Dempsey Hospital. Children and grandparents are welcome. Call 800-535-6232 to register or for more information.

Free Cosmetology Services for Cancer Survivors
Monday, Aug. 15, 1 to 3 p.m., UConn Health, Outpatient Pavilion, 4^th floor
“Look Good…Feel Better” is a free program to help improve the self-image and self-esteem of women experiencing appearance-related side effects from cancer treatment. During this hands-on workshop, a trained volunteer certified cosmetologist will offer self-help instruction and education on hairstyling and coping with hair loss, skin care, makeup and nail care. Wigs, turbans and scarves will also be discussed. Classes are offered every other month and are not limited to UConn Health patients. Registration is required: call 800-227-2345 with your name, program date, phone number, and skin color. Kits are available in Light, Medium, Dark and Extra Dark.

Directions to UConn Health are available at health.uconn.edu/plan-your-visit/locations-and-directions/farmingtonmain-campus.

Cost Saving Opportunity

June 2, 2016

Thanks to so many of you for your help, engagement and suggestions on ways that together we can tackle an unexpected budget shortfall. In this article, you will find some additional thoughts around one of those suggestions – voluntary reduction in hours announced earlier this week via the Broadcast Message. Just to recap, I have asked that management take 3 mandatory furlough days in 2017, and we are asking that non-management employees consider taking a voluntarily reduction of time in 2017.

Many of you will remember this from a similar voluntary schedule reduction in 2009 and the details, to be found in the plan and policy are largely the same. This can be, for many, a very tangible way to ‘do something’ to help the organization while addressing a personal time need as well. Our thanks in advance for all volunteers. Please note, that to make sure we are appropriately staffed to meet core business needs at all time, all voluntary reductions of hours need approval in advance.

There are several ways it can work, depending on your work, the needs of your team and your personal situation. Common situations include:

Unpaid days off: Working in coordination with your leader, many work units know the day before or after a holiday are particularly slow. Think about taking that additional day off, days like September 3 (the day before the Labor Day Weekend), November 25 (the Friday of Thanksgiving week), or December 23 (the start of the Christmas holiday weekend).

Reduction in schedule: The most popular concepts here are a) I’ve have been wanting to reduce my FTE and have not wanted to bring it up or b) reducing for the summer, reducing a day a week or other mutually agreeable schedule change that helps you navigate life, and helps UConn Health.

Make a Vacation Day a Voluntary Reduction Day: Swap a planned paid vacation day for an unpaid day. The department has already planned not to have you, the vacation day stays in your bank AND you do a part in helping the organization.

Again this is voluntary not mandatory and requests will have to be approved by management to ensure that schedule reductions do not affect patient care or other critical functions. To apply for the voluntary reduction program, please talk to your leader or review the policy at http://health.uconn.edu/human-resources/services/benefits/leaves-of-absence/voluntary-schedule-reduction-program/.

So we can process and plan the work, we ask that all voluntary reductions proposed for Fiscal 2017 (July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2017) be submitted to your leaders no later than Friday, June 17th for consideration.

Sincerely,

Dr. Andrew Agwunobi, M.D., M.B.A.
Chief Executive Officer, UConn Health
Executive Vice President for Health Affairs

Wellness Center Renderings

Rendering of the wellness center

UConn Health Employees Receive High Honors

May 26, 2016

Several UConn Health employees were recognized with PAWS awards at a recent reception. The award honors employees who consistently perform above and beyond the expectations of their job and exhibit the following attributes:

Part of a team
Awesome attitude
Wonderful work ethic
Superior service

From left, Chief Information Officer Jonathan Carroll, AVP for Business and Ancillary Services Kevin Larsen, congratulate PAWS award winner Christine Miller with UMG Infectious Disease. (Photo by Janine Gelineau) — From left, Chief Information Officer Jonathan Carroll and AVP for Business and Ancillary Services Kevin Larsen, congratulate PAWS award winner Christine Miller with UMG Infectious Disease. (Photo by Janine Gelineau)

PAWS award winners are announced every-other-month. If you know someone or a team of employees who have gone above and beyond the call of duty, nominate them for a PAWS award. Visit the Human Resources website for the criteria and nomination form.

The May PAWS award winners are:

Blagoje Filipovic – Voice Network & Mobile Services

Diana Guerrera – Surgery 7 Unit

Heidi Lytton – UMG General OB

Christine Miller – UMG Infectious Disease

Scott Nivolo – Rehabilitation Services

Sarah Thomson

Jacqueline Dombrowski

Daniel Yesu

James Castro

Nightingale Nominees

Joan Blythe – Procedure Center Unit

Frank Faccin – CMHC-Garner: Medicine

Lisa Gentile – UMG Infectious Disease

Keisha Johnson – CMHC-Osborn: Medicine

Arlene Morin – JDH Organization and Staff Development

Lynne Neff – CMHC-Central Office

Anne Niziolek – Medicine 4

Dawn Smith – Cardiology

Jennifer Sposito – Stroke Center

Timothy Tralli – CMHC-Hartford: Medicine

Dental Administrative Team Award

Loreander Davis – Pediatric Dentistry, Craniofacial Sciences

Jo-Ann Gates – Oral & Maxillofacial Diagnostic Sciences, Oral Health & Diagnostic Sciences

Shelly Gioia-Morelli – Orthodontics, Craniofacial Sciences

Kimberly Giove – Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, Craniofacial Sciences

Annmarie Martin – Center for Regenerative Medicine, Reconstructive Sciences

Tara Morrison – General Dentistry

Deborah Osborne – Endontology, Oral Health & Diagnostic Sciences

Jozii Ruiz – Pediatric Dentistry, Craniofacial Sciences

Cynthia Smith – Behavioral Sciences and Community Medicine, Oral Health & Diagnostic Sciences

Kathleen Thomas – Prosthodontics, Reconstructive Sciences

Robin Tiso – Center for Regenerative Medicine, Reconstructive Sciences

Carmen Vazquez – Pediatric Dentistry, Craniofacial Sciences

Donna Bailey-Gates – Peridontology, Oral Health & Diagnostic Services

Employee Engagement Survey: Final Days

Those who haven’t taken the employee engagement survey introduced earlier this month only have until Monday, May 30, to respond.

So far 43 percent of active regular payroll employees have participated, according to Press Ganey, the survey administrator.

As the survey period winds down, Dr. Andy Agwunobi, CEO and EVP for health affairs, addresses a few questions:

Q: If the survey is confidential, why does it ask about our work area?

AA: It is confidential. The responses go directly to Press Ganey and the data are delivered to UConn Health leadership with no identifiable attributes. The basic demographic questions are standard practice, are not tied to any responses, and do not in any way diminish the responses from the rest of the survey.

Q: The questions feel like they’re focused too much on clinical positions. What about the rest of us?

AA: It was not the intent to focus too much on clinical positions so this feedback is a learning experience; the next survey will be broader and worded in a way that ensures everyone feels represented. While we understand no survey is perfect, please answer as best you can so your opinions can be captured. It is my hope that all employees will participate, as every voice matters.

Q: How does this survey fit into the big picture here?

AA: I am committed to building a great culture at UConn Health, a place where we feel happy to come into work and as a result we accomplish excellent service whether clinical, research or academics. We partnered with Press Ganey to make a legitimate effort to collect honest data from employees that can be used to help shape UConn Health’s workplace culture moving forward. I’ve said it before: It’s important every employee has a voice and that we hear as many of those voices as possible. Clinical, research or education – all responses are valued, and really, needed, in order to be effective in helping us strengthen our organization. This is just the latest (and currently most visible) of several approaches I’ve been taking to engage employees and solicit feedback. Recent examples of that include our town hall meetings and our “Dear Dr. Andy” feature, which you will find in the Pulse every Friday.

https://youtu.be/bgtqnxsjl14

What it is

What it is not

What Happens Next?

More information about the employee engagement survey is available on UConn Health Express.