Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Progress Notes

Physician and Hospital Collaborative Program Development
We have been working collaboratively with the leadership of Olympia Medical Services, (Randy Bickle, D.O.; Tom Selznick, D.O.; and Mike Wayne, D.O.) to identify collaborative initiatives where the hospital and medical groups can mutually benefit. These meetings have been terrific and very productive, but we realized that many of you, our staff physicians for whom we work, might not know what we have accomplished. Therefore, I have highlighted some of the initiatives we have launched together and that you can draw on as well.

Web site Development: Using Botsford’s expertise in web design we have created a template Web site that we can modify to your specific practice. It can be very simple and be hosted on our Botsford Hospital Web site or (with added fees) it can be very elaborate and hosted by you. We have successfully launched several web pages for staff physicians and we are ready to offer the service for you on a first come, first serve basis. For a sample of what we can offer, please visit http://www.botsford.org/nfmc.

Office Staff Training Course: This year, we hosted three training courses for office staff personnel. I am sure that many of you have sent some of your employees. Each course had over 50 attendees. The topics focused on connecting with the patients and customer service. The feedback we have received from the staff has been nothing short of great. Look for more useful classes for your office staff in 2010!

Urgent Care/After-Hours Clinic: In partnership with the Emergency Medicine Group at Botsford Hospital, we have established an after-hours Urgent Care center for your patients to utilize. This is a cost effective alternative to the ER and provides a faxed report to your office the next morning and assurance that your patient will return to your practice. This collaborative clinic will also allow you to fulfill the Patient Centered Medical Home after hour requirement for incentive pay through third party payors. Please click here for more details: http://mwurgentcare.com.

Physician ID cards for patients: We have developed practice ID cards for patients to carry in their wallets. The card identifies the Primary Care Physician and the practice information. When they go to an ER or Urgent Care facility, the patient can present the card at the time of the visit, and (the hope is) your patient’s pertinent health information gets relayed back to you.

Here is a list of other services offered to Botsford Hospital Medical Staff physicians:

PCP referrals following ED visits (for Family Medicine physicians)
Medical supply and surgical supply discount pricing available through hospital Group Purchasing arrangement
Opportunity to utilize CEMTech for auto repair at a discount
Medical Staff Membership opportunity – application fee waived in 2009
Red Flag Compliance – documentation offered
Sharps disposal discount opportunity
Costco Membership discount opportunity
Senior Assessment program at Botsford Commons
Diabetes Education program in your office
Professional Liability Program at discount rates
EMR collaborative opportunities/strategies

For more information on any of these initiatives, please contact me (or Sonja Amos, Director, Medical Staff Services) at (248) 471-8222.


Best Dictator Award

In honor of Health Information and Technology Week (November 1-7, 2009), the Transcription Department would like to announce the winner of the newly created Best Dictator Award! This honor is being awarded to one Staff Physician and one Resident Physician who are considered outstanding when using the following criteria when dictating: Concern for accuracy of report, clear enunciation, accurate data input into dictation system regarding patient account numbers and report types, dictation done in a quiet area. This year, the Fall 2009 Best Dictator Award goes to Jeffrey Gerken, D.O., and Gasson Alaouie, D.O. Congratulations!
Honorary mention goes to Staff Physicians (in alphabetical order) Drs. Ajluni, Colen, Fleming, Jennings, Philip Kaplan, Linard, McMichael, Ruza, Sierra, Susser as well as Resident Physicians Drs. Hederman, Quan, Voshel, and Wheat.
The Health Information Services Transcription Department would like to remind all dictators to refrain from dictating on a cell phone to ensure privacy and accuracy of reports.

New Visitor Restrictions in Place Due to Flu
In response to the outbreak of influenza in this area, Botsford Hospital has implemented temporary visitor restrictions to protect, patients, visitors and hospital employees.

Effective October 24, the following visitor restrictions are in place:
Individuals with flu-like symptoms such as cough, fever, runny nose and sore throat will not be allowed to visit patients

Children ages 12 and under will not be permitted to visit patients

Only two visitors at a time will be allowed in a patient's room

"Our goal is to protect the health and safety of our patients," said Margaret Hasler, R.N., Botsford Hospital Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer. She also encouraged visitors to wash their hands upon entering the hospital and before and after a visit with a patient. Hasler emphasized that Botsford has not experienced a large number of H1N1 flu patients or an unusual number of seasonal flu cases.
Events

Symposium for Primary Care Medicine (formerly the Allen Zieger Lecture Series)
http://www.botsford.org/physicians/2009/Primary_Care.html
November 6 and 7, 2009
Novi Sheraton

4th Annual Botsford Autumn Gala
http://www.botsford.org/foundation/events/
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Ritz Carlton, Dearborn



New Medical Staff

Please welcome our new medical staff for the month of November.

Internal Medicine
Gassan Alaouie, D.O.

Neurology
Amish Patel, D.O.

Friday, October 30, 2009

Physician and Hospital Collaborative Program Development



We have been working collaboratively with the leadership of Olympia Medical Services, (Randy Bickle, DO, Tom Selznick, DO, and Mike Wayne, DO) to identify collaborative initiatives where the hospital and medical groups can mutually benefit. These meetings have been terrific and very productive, but we realized that many of you, our staff physicians for whom we work for, might not know the fruits of our labor. So I will highlight some of the initiatives we have launched together.

Website Development: Using Botsford’s expertise in web design we have created a template website that we can modify to your specific practice. It can be very simple and be hosted on our Botsford Hospital website or (with added fees) it can be very elaborate. We have successfully launched several web pages for staff physicians and we are ready to offer the service for you on a first come first serve basis. For a sample of what we can offer click here: http://www.botsford.org/nfmc/

Physician ID cards for patients: We have developed practice ID cards for patients to carry in their wallets. The card identifies the Primary Care Physician and the practice information. When they go to an ER or Urgent Care facility, the patient can present the card at the time of the visit, and (the hope is) your patient’s pertinent health information gets relayed back to you.

Office Staff Training Course: In 2009, we have hosted three training courses for the office staff personnel. I am sure that many have you sent some of your employees. Each course has had over 50 attendees. The topics focus on connecting with the patients and customer service. The feedback we have received form the staff has been nothing short of great. Look for more great classes for your office staff in 2010!

Urgent Care/After-hours Clinic: In partnership with the Farmington Emergency Medicine Associates at Botsford Hospital, we have established an after-hours Urgent Care center for your patients to utilize. This is a cost effective alternative to the ER, and provides a faxed report to your office the next morning and assurance that your patient will return to your practice. This collaborative clinic will also allow you to fulfill the Patient Centered Medical Home after hour requirement for incentive pay through Third party payors. Click here for more details: http://mwurgentcare.com/

Here is a list of other services offered to Botsford Hospital Medical Staff physicians:

-         PCP referrals following ED visits
-         Medical/Surgical supply pricing through hospital Group Purchasing Organization arrangement
-         Opportunity to utilize CEMTech for auto repair at a discount
-         Medical Staff Membership opportunity – application fee waived 09
-         Red Flag Compliance – documentation offered
-         Sharps disposal discount opportunity
-         Costco Membership discount opportunity
-         Senior Assessment program at Botsford Commons
-         Diabetes Education program in your office
-         Professional Liability Program at discount rates
-         EMR collaborative opportunities/strategies

For more Information on any of these initiatives, please contact me or Sonja Amos at (248) 471-8222.

You can all visit me on the Botsford Hospital Medical Staff Blog at the following link:  http://botsfordhospital.blogspot.com/

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Distribution of Initial Delivery of H1N1 (Swine) Flu Vaccine

MEMO
TO: Employees of Botsford Hospital
FROM: David Walters, D.O., Vice President and Chief Medical Officer
        Gerald Blackburn, D.O., Director of Infection Control
        Janet Moody, R.N., Infection Control Coordinator
DATE: Tuesday, October 27, 2009
SUBJECT:  Distribution of Initial Delivery of H1N1 (Swine) Flu Vaccine

Our Inpatient Pharmacy has received its initial delivery of H1N1 (swine) flu vaccine. As you may have heard in the news, there is a shortage of this vaccine. Botsford Hospital received only a fraction of the amount that was ordered. Therefore, our available H1N1 vaccine serum will be offered on a priority basis to certain patient populations and certain caregiver populations beginning today.

Because children, pregnant women, and the immune suppressed are and increased risk, we have prioritized the distribution of the vaccine with this in mind.

Patients, patient care providers, including residents and attending physicians will be the first to be offered vaccine in descending order:

    • OB Clinics pregnant patients and staff
    • Botsford Pediatric patients and staff
    • Emergency Department staff
    • Postpartum patients
    • Respiratory Care staff
    • Child Care Center staff
    • 3-North Oncology Unit staff

There is not enough vaccine to cover every patient care employee on the above units and departments. Managers of the above-named areas will determine which of their patient care employees will be offered this priority vaccination.

Updates will be forthcoming as more vaccine becomes available. Everyone needs to follow the advice below.
What to do if you get sick

  • If you become ill with flu like symptoms (respiratory symptoms, sore throat, fevers, and muscle aches) you should stay home. Please be in contact with your unit/department manager since you should not come to work if you are contagious. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that you stay at home until you have been free of fever (100°F or 37.8°C), or signs of a fever, for at least 24 hours, without the use of fever-reducing medication.
  • Contact your personal physician about the need for anti-viral treatment, and watch for signs that you need immediate medical attention. 

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

FW: Reminder ~ General Staff Meeting ~ Botsford Hospital

 

 

 

*****REMINDER*****

 

GENERAL STAFF MEETING

 

October 28, 2009

 

Community Room of the Zieger Education Center

Botsford Hospital

 

Breakfast at 7:00 a.m.

Business Meeting at 7:30 a.m.

 

 

“Trauma Case Presentation”

Robert Colen, D.O.

 

**Employee Health Services available for **

TB skin tests and Flu Shots

 

 

To avoid attendance issues please send a written excuse to Maral Meyers via fax at (248) 471-8837 or via email to mmeyers@botsford.org.  If you attend a General Staff meeting at another Osteopathic Hospital, please provide verification of your attendance.

 

 

 

2009 Botsford Autumn Gala- RESERVE YOUR SPACE TODAY

 

 

 

Join Us in Celebration- Tickets are Still Available

 

MUST BE RESERVED BY MONDAY, OCTOBER 26

Table Sponsor:  (10 tickets, full-page color ad, plaque and additional recognition)           $5,000

Four tickets plus a full-page color ad (plus additional recognition):               $3,000

Two tickets plus a full-page color ad:                                                  $2,000

 

RESERVE BY MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2009

Individual tickets:                                                                                     $275pp    

 

Contact Marla Kaminsky at 248-442-5065 or mkaminsky@botsford.org.

Monday, October 19, 2009

H1N1 Treatment

This is an official
CDC Health Advisory
Recommendations for Early Empiric Antiviral Treatment in Persons with Suspected Influenza who are at Increased Risk of Developing Severe Disease
Summary Recommendations: When treatment of influenza is indicated in a patient with suspected influenza, health care providers should initiate empiric antiviral treatment as soon as possible. Waiting for laboratory confirmation of influenza to begin treatment with antiviral drugs is not necessary.  Patients with a negative rapid influenza diagnostic test should be considered for treatment if clinically indicated because a negative rapid influenza test result does not rule out influenza virus infection. The sensitivity of rapid influenza diagnostic tests for 2009 H1N1 virus can range from 10% to 70%, indicating that false negative results occur frequently.

 

Friday, October 16, 2009

Welcome to the new Botsford Hospital Medical Administration weBlog site. We will be posting interesting information that our medical staff will find interesting and necessary to your practice at Botsford Hospital.

All important e-mails and letters will be posted here for you to read and comment on to increase the flow of information between Hospital administration and the medical staff.

We would appreciate your feedback as to the content we are sharing and its impact on your practice of medicine at Botsford and beyoond our hospital walls..