Newman Regional Health’s new emergency department medical director has been busy making changes in the department to increase patient satisfaction.
Earlier this summer, the hospital’s emergency department began moving in a new direction. For the first time, the hospital started fully staffing its own emergency department. Before this new organizational structure, the hospital contracted with other companies for emergency room physicians.
Dr. Michael Chen was hired to be the medical director for the department about three months ago. Chen said he is emergency room trained and completed an emergency medicine residency program in Chicago. Chen also attends regular continued medical training or CME classes. The hospital’s emergency room is staffed with one doctor per shift, two nurses from 6 to 11 a.m. with a third one coming in at 11 a.m. There are on-call nurses as well if the emergency room gets an influx of patients, Chen said. In addition, the emergency department is staffed with a registration clerk and a phone operator. A house supervisor is available as well.
In his role as an emergency department medical director, Chen has been busy setting policies and procedures so the department runs smoothly, he said. Patient satisfaction is a big part of that process, Chen said, adding that the emergency department strives to achieve a “standard of care.”
“If you go to Newman’s emergency room then you should be treated the same way here as anywhere else,” Chen said.
Part of making sure patients’ needs are taken care of is treating every patient like they are family, Chen said.
“Anybody that comes into the emergency room, I want them to be treated like family, like my mom, my wife, my kids,” he said. “I was taught in emergency room residency that you should treat everybody like you would want your family to be treated.”
Chen said he is taking a team approach.
“We are a team,” he said. “In my opinion everybody from house cleaning up to the CEO.”
Chen also has been scrutinizing patient charts as a part of his efforts to improve the emergency department.
“We’re going through them like fine-toothed comb and seeing what improvements can be made to improve quality of care,” Chen said, adding that his own charts are being scrutinized as well.
One of the issues that Newman Regional Health is dealing with is patients and families that are going to other hospitals for treatment, including emergency room treatments. Chen wants to figure out why and change that view.
“I want Newman to be the go-to hospital,” Chen said.
To help improve patient satisfaction, the hospital is planning focus groups of former emergency room patients. Newman is partnering with Emporia State University for the project, said Beth Hammond, marketing and business development specialist at Newman. Hammond said the hospital is working with ESU’s marketing professors and students in the university’s new focus group lab, which is one of the top labs of its kind in the nation.
“It’s good constructive criticism,” Hammond said. “The ultimate goal is to improve the quality of care and get information from the patients at Newman.”
spectator (anonymous) says...
The e.d. has had a "standard of care" for ages. The past few years it hasn't been worth a tinker's d@*n but it was there. From the bully-ing doctor who was slammed up against the wall at least once by a patient to an on-call nurse who often couldn't be found to a doctor who refused to treat a patient until she had a very expensive test. Didn't matter that her e.d. chart reflected previous visits to the e.d. for the same chronic condition. I sincerely wish you the best of luck; you've a formidable challenge before you.
Newman's e.d. has a poor reputation at best. I've had my own issues (plural) with the e.d. and I am personally aware of the 3 mentioned previously.
I'm reasonably sure the fact that I did not capitalize e.d. is not wasted on you.
September 1, 2010 at 2:04 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
hawks422 (anonymous) says...
FYI to community- Don't ever let Newman's Hospital care for your loved ones...the level of care is in line with a 3rd world country...
September 1, 2010 at 2:15 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Renew (anonymous) says...
Obviously the hospital recognizes there are issues with the ER and is working to improve. Kudos to the hospital for taking these important steps to getting better.
September 1, 2010 at 3:25 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
dale011 (anonymous) says...
All I can say is the Newman ER saved my wifes life 2 years ago when I brought her in there while she was having a heart attack. She would have died right then if they had not taken care of her. I've heard a lot of negative feedback about Newman but in my book they shine.
September 1, 2010 at 4:44 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
mchen (anonymous) says...
Dear Spectator,
Thank you for your comments. Again, many of the things you mentioned occurred in the past, and I think they hired me recently to improve this quality and make sure it does not happen again. If you would like to speak to me directly about your concerns about Newman's ED, feel free to call at 620-343-6800, ext 1035 and I would be happy to speak to you.
Take care
Dr. Chen
September 1, 2010 at 4:47 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
neighbor (anonymous) says...
Dr Chen, my suggestion for improving service in the ER. Most patients that enter the ER are there because they are injured and are very sick. They cannot wait until the next day to get treated by their regular doctor.
STOP MAKING THEM WAIT HOURS FOR TREATMENT WHILE THE GD PAPERWORK IS FILLED OUT!!!!!!! In every experience I have ever had with the ER, you sit and wait for 4-5hrs, AFTER mountains of paperwork even if you're the only patient there. You get the bandaid treatment, perhaps an aspirin, a whole slew of tests and xrays, and then you're finally sent out the door thousands of dollars poorer, and told to go spend more with your doctor the next day to get the real treatment for the injury.
And for crying out loud, many of us cannot afford a flight on the helicopter! Stop shipping every other patient out on it! Treat us at home, and stop charging us thousands of dollars before shipping us off elsewhere only to return home later in the day in our own vehicle after having been charged over $20k for the little 60 mile venture that could have been handled at home. I have friends who experienced such circumstances, our hospital is a joke to other hospitals because of it.
September 1, 2010 at 5:42 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
justthefacts (anonymous) says...
An old phrase comes to mind..."You get what you pay for." I for one am glad all those options are available at Newman. I'd rather be poor and alive than dead.
September 1, 2010 at 7:22 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
EmporiaMama (anonymous) says...
I have to say in the past year I have had to utilize the ER at Newman 3 times. Twice for my young child and once for myself. Everytime we have received great care. The wait time was reasonable, the paperwork was minimal and much of it was done in our room after care had been started, and most importantly the nurses were competent and kind. Is there room for improvement... always... but I think the ER staff Newman currently has is great and should be commended for the progress they have made and their desire to continue to improve!
September 1, 2010 at 9:49 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
knute (anonymous) says...
I recall seeing many horror stories about Newmans outpatient online and I heard about a doctor demanding a family member AND THE PATIENT leave the hospital and never return basically because the doctor had his panties in a knot. I know a letter was written to somebody of some importance and the family had a meeting with the doctor supervisor, ER supervisor and some other person who supposedly had an interest. These 3 sat, listened and -seemed- interested and that was the end of it. No apology, NOTHING, from ANYONE and no, the patient or the family did anything to warrant the treatment they did receive. This doctor was probably the same one the spectator mentioned about being introduced to the wall.
Then there was the man who went to the ED with chest pain. He was examined and sent home. He felt real bad and went to his personal physician and they took him to the ED in a wheelchair. He was examined again, put on the helicopter ASAP and flown to Topeka for some serious heart issues.
Doctor Chen, you invited the spectator to make contact with you. Personally, I'd not bother you with a one-on-one; you have more than enough to do. No doubt, on occasion the ED has done well but if you should bother to ask about Newmans' reputation at the Burlington ED, you just might get a realistic view of Newmans.
Best of luck. I hope you can pull this off.
September 1, 2010 at 11:16 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
nmse_s (Shannon Standard) says...
Those of you who are unhappy about Newman's ED, are you ones who complain about it and choose to go elsewhere? Are you ones who complain about it but still go because it's the closest place around? Are you ones who complain about it and are vocal about your concerns or perhaps even quiet about it? Positive change only happens by people voicing their opinions respectively and honestly. I applaud Dr. Chen's efforts and hope he is successfull.
September 2, 2010 at 12:53 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
apierich (anonymous) says...
Two years ago I broke my foot and went there to get treatment, the doctor told me that the x-ray looked fine to her and that the person who would actually read it and decide if it was broke or not wouldn't be able to for a few hours and I should just treat it as a sprain and she actually promised me personally that she would call if it were broken, which I told her was important because my insurance was up at the end of the week and I would not be able to afford any for a few months after that. I received no call, so I figured it was just a sprain and went to my primary care three days later because I had never broken a bone before and wanted to trust the doctor. When I got to my primary care I was informed that it was broken and the paperwork said I was informed but I was not and since I only had one more day on my insurance that she would not be able to get me in to an orthopedic doctor to insure it didn't need anything beyond the ace bandage and terribly painful shoe before my insurance was up. I am still angry about that E.R. doctors treatment of me, as well as the extremely rude nurse who not only told me that it wasn't that bad and that if his wife can drive with a sprained ankle I should be able to drive just fine with this sprained foot! I still limp sometimes because of it.
The latest issue my family had with the emergency department was when my fifteen-month-old daughter fell playing with her brother and had an inch and a half cut in the side of her head. We waited with that poor baby bleeding in the emergency room for 3 hours AFTER being triaged because "she doesn't seem to be in pain." She had three staples in her head, which took a total of 2 minutes. If we asked a question about how long it would be in the waiting room we were brushed off. There was a woman in there that night that got out of hand demanding to see her mother in back and they had to call the police to have her escorted off the premises, but I could not then or now say that I was not within mere minutes of being that raving lunatic myself.
Right now I am up reading this paper in the middle of the night because I am having severe issues breathing that have gotten progressively worse for the last two days, but because of the way my family and I have been "treated" in the past I would rather stay up struggling for air and waking my children up throughout the night to wait to see my primary care tomorrow, even if I got to the point of stopping breathing completely, than go to the emergency room for the fact that I feel I would probably go into respiratory arrest or get to the point my whole throat is swollen shut before being treated. I would rather do that at home.
And yes, every time I or anyone in my family I am responsible for their medical care have gone to that department for care I have received a "random survey" and put exactly my feelings and thoughts of the experience. I have had a good experience there, one out of six.
Best of luck to you Dr. Chen!
September 2, 2010 at 2:35 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
mchen (anonymous) says...
Thank you to everyone who posted on this article. All your comments and concerns I take very seriously. Like someone posted earlier, I cannot make good, positive changes if I do not hear about these issues.
Neighbor - we have implemented a new registration protocol, where after a nurse triage you, you are brought back into an ED room, where a physician and nurse should be with you asap. Registration now will be done at your bedside, so there is no delay in your care.
Knute - I invite anyone and everyone who is willing to share their ED experiences with me. Feel free to call my number - 620-343-6800 ext 1035 anytime, and if I do not pick up, leave a voicemail. I will call you back shortly.
apierich - thank you for your comments. If you ever feel like you have a medical problem, please do not hesitate to come into Newman's ED or the closest ED to you. If any of your experiences are still not to your expectations, please let me know and I will take care of the issue. You and every patient should be treated with the best care possible.
EmporiaMama - thank you for your comments. I hope all your experiences in the future will be just as good as your previous ones.
Many changes have been made at Newman, and many more to come. Some of the experiences posted above (doctor being slammed into wall, etc) should never happen. Some of the physicians mentioned above no longer work at Newman's ED, and there has been many changes to staffing since then too.
Take care and thanks for all the comments
- Dr. Chen
September 2, 2010 at 9:46 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
allintogether (anonymous) says...
I think it is refreshing that Dr. Chen is actively seeking out the feedback of the community. I appreciate it.
The best coach I ever had always stressed fundamentals. He would say always play within yourself, meaning that we should stick to what we knew we could do. Newman is in a tough position. It is big enough to offer relatively robust service lines to a community of 35,000 people. However as the severity and complexity of the condition increases, Newman simply can't handle the cases and must do what is best for the patient by turfing them out to a hospital that can properly treat them. That is a hospital sticking to the fundamentals. Now charging exorbitant fees for transferring patients is a practice that should be discouraged.
I have experience with patient satisfaction scores. From Gallup to Press Ganey the thing I always hear with respect to emergency services is "Why don't they hustle more in the ER"? The honest answer is that they really can't and shouldn't hustle. It really is a catch 22. If they hustle sure the patient is happier with the brisk service they received but a host of problems can crop up if due attention isn't given to the patient and the information surrounding them.
Exposing the organization to legal action is a career killer in healthcare so diligence at the expense of speed is necessary. The wait times experienced in the ER are often a result of waiting on information and documentation to catch up with the actions being taken and initiating the next step in the process.
It is possible to improve the velocity and visibility of information in an ER without a perceptible loss of quality with regard to service level, outcomes and cost by leveraging technical and human assets of the organization. Particularly in a relatively low volume environment like Newman's ER.
Best of luck Dr. Chen!
September 2, 2010 at 11:30 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
neighbor (anonymous) says...
Thanks for the response Dr. Chen, I appreciate you taking the time considering how negative and piercing my attitude is towards your profession. In the last 20 years, I have had nothing but negative experiences with the Emporia medical community and NMCH, not only for myself, but also with the way members of my family have been treated there. I wish you success in your attempts to change how things are done there in the ED. There's still the board and the way things are done over all that will impede your progress, good luck.
September 2, 2010 at 4:01 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )