Bob Appel Receives "Healthcare Champions" Award
Shown above is Bob Appel(right), CEO, MGH & FC, accepting the Health Care Champions Community Impact Award earlier this month at the Heritage Room at Capital Lake. Jeff Rounce (left), publisher of the Business Examiner, made the award to Bob.
MGH&FC CEO, Bob Appel was honored during the 2011 Health Care Champion awards ceremony. This annual event is organized by the Thurston County Chamber and Thurston-Mason County Medical Society to honor four individuals or medical practice groups for their leadership, innovation and involvement in health care issues that have impacted the communities they serve.
Lab Scores High in Survey
MGH&FC Laboratory successfully completed a Joint Commission regulatory inspection in July. By law, laboratories are required to be inspected every two years. The Joint Commission has been inspecting MGH Laboratory since 1993.
According to Dee Ann Kline, Ph.D., director of Laboratory Services at MGH&FC, the inspections are an opportunity to both acknowledge the quality work in a laboratory and gain insight on how to continually improve. Because laboratory activities are dispersed throughout the organization, the inspection also surveyed activities in the nursing units and the various Clinics.
“During the last year, the Lab team has actively engaged in a number of projects aimed at improving work flow, standardizing processes and creating a culture of positive teamwork. The hard work had a definite impact on the quality of the Lab and success of the inspection,” said Dr. Kline. She went on to compliment her staff by adding, “Several of the staff came in on their day off or when off-shift to meet with the inspector. Technical staff and Lab assistants readily answered questions or demonstrated skill.”
“It was impressive to watch the staff interact with (the inspector) Dr. Sherman,” said Eileen Branscome, MGH&FC COO. “Their pride in what they do and confidence in how they do it reflected in Dr. Sherman’s comment to (Hospital) Commissioner Scott Hilburn, as he summed up the survey by saying, ‘You’re in good hands’.” Ms. Branscome, who oversees the Laboratory, also participated in the inspection, coordinating survey activities on the nursing units and in the Clinics.
Mason General Named Most Wired - Again!
Once again, Mason General Hospital has been named as one of the nation’s “Most Wired” hospitals, according to the results of the 2011 Most Wired Survey and Benchmarking Study released in Hospitals & Health Networks magazine. MGH received “Most Wired - Rural” status in 2008 and 2009, and then in 2010 and 2011 it was reclassified to compete across the board ‒ not based on size, but solely on IT capabilities ‒ with all major hospitals in the United States.
“We are very excited to receive this prestigious award again,” said Eric Moll, CAO, MGH&FC. “It demonstrates that in a rural community you can enjoy the benefits of the most advanced information system available. This is a direct result of the commitment put forth by the Board and our staff over the past five years to find ways to improve our systems. With their strategic vision we have built the foundation for a seamless exchange of patient information throughout Puget Sound, the full potential of which has not yet been realized. The ability to share electronic information reduces the duplication of patient tests, as it increases the coordination of care to improve the patient experience and outcomes”. MGH&FC continues to upgrade its technology, including the use of electronic medical record-keeping of patient information.
“Receiving this award shows the commitment of our staff to using electronic technology to its fullest while providing excellent care,” said Tom Hornburg, CIO, MGH&FC. “Patients are more engaged in their healthcare as treatments become tailored to the individual through advances in technology.” The latest IT addition at MGH&FC includes “MyMasonHealth.com”– an online service that allows patients of MGH and its eight clinics 24-hour-a-day access to their medical visit summaries.
American Hospital Association Names Mason General One of Nation’s "2010 Most Wired" Hospitals
Mason General Hospital, for the third straight year, has received national acclaim for its health information technology, according to the results of the American Hospital Association’s Journal’s “2010 Most Wired Survey.” Hospitals & Health Networks conducts the voluntary Most Wired Survey annually, and uses its survey results to name the nation’s Most Wired hospitals and health systems. This award is based on the facility’s level of achievement in four focus areas: business and administrative management, clinical quality and safety, care continuum, and infrastructure. Results indicate Most Wired hospitals show better outcomes in patient satisfaction, risk-adjusted mortality rates, and other key quality measures through the use of information technology (IT).
“Once again, we are pleased to receive the prestigious ‘Most Wired’ hospital designation. This year we received the award not based on our size, but solely on our capabilities in providing comprehensive IT,” said Eric Moll, CAO at Mason General Hospital. “It reflects the ongoing hard work of the staff who move our technology to the cutting edge of the industry. We are very committed to making sure we have the most advanced tools for providing the best in patient care.”
Mason General Hospital continues to upgrade its technology, including electronic medical record-keeping of patient information. “This designation doesn’t just focus on IT equipment, but all areas of patient care” said Tom Hornburg, IT director at MGH. “Technology makes patient care more efficient, as it focuses on immediate delivery of the patient’s needs, making for better outcomes.”
Hospital Awarded Recognition In Diabetes Education in 2009
Mason General Hospital’s Diabetes Wellness Center was recently awarded continued Recognition from the American Diabetes Association for its self-management education program. This prestigious award recognizes MGH for offering high-quality education services to its patients.
This was a voluntary process on MGH’s part, but once recognized, the award assures that approved education programs have met the National Standards for Diabetes Self-Management Education criteria. Programs that achieve Recognition status have a staff of knowledgeable health professionals who can provide the most advanced information about diabetes management for patients.
The criteria gives professionals a national standard by which to measure the quality of the services they provide,” said Sue Barwick, R.N., certified diabetes educator, and director of the Diabetes Wellness Center at MGH. “And, of course, it helps consumers to identify these quality programs.”
Professionals and staff who have contributed to this exclusive award were Michelle Merrin, Diabetes Wellness Center assistant; Kris Davies, Quality Improvement assistant; Terry Mallory, ARNP, diabetes nurse educator; Sarah Fulkerson, RD, certified diabetes educator; Candy Mattson, RD, diabetes dietitian educator; Mark Schlauderaff, MD, Diabetes Wellness Center director; Diane Stillman, RN, COO, Diabetes Wellness Center advisory board member; Doug Haskins, Diabetes Wellness Center advisory board member; Bob Appel, CEO; and Eric Moll, CFO. Additional professionals who regularly serve as expert faculty in the outpatient Living Well With Diabetes classes are John Rice, MD, James Wright, MD, Gretchen Rice, MSW, and Cheryl Woods, PT.
MGH Diagnostic Imaging Receives National Accreditation in 2009
Mason General Hospital’s Diagnostic Imaging department was recently awarded another three-year term of accreditation as the result of a recent survey by the American College of Radiology (ACR).
The survey is based on a peer-review evaluation of the department that is conducted by board-certified physicians and medical physicists who are experts in the field of radiology and diagnostic imaging. They assess the qualifications of the healthcare personnel and the facility’s equipment, and report this to the ACR’s Committee on Accreditation, which then provides a comprehensive report of the facility based on the survey’s findings. “We are honored and proud that our Diagnostic Imaging department is receiving this award again,” said Bob Appel, CEO at MGH. “It reflects a standard that we encourage all the Hospital departments to work towards.”
The ACR is a national organization serving more than 32,000 radiologists, radiation oncologists, and nuclear medicine and medical physicists with programs that focus on medical imaging and radiation oncology, and the delivery of comprehensive healthcare services.
MGH is approved by the Joint Commission, and is a licensed and accredited acute care hospital with a level four emergency trauma designation. There are more than 100 physicians on staff in 21 specialties, caring for all of Public Hospital District No. 1.