A good place
Terry Lambert - CEO Newman Regional Health
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
WE AT NEWMAN Regional Health have found ourselves in the news a lot lately. Healthcare is extremely complex and I can understand that some of the recent newspaper articles may be concerning and confusing for the public.
The Board, administration and staff of Newman Regional Health take our responsibility to serve the healthcare needs of this community very seriously. While we have many responsibilities, there is none more important to us than providing safe patient care. It is at the center of everything we do, and we constantly strive to make improvements.
Highly trained professionals in hospitals across the country safely provide care to thousands of patients every day. Over the past decade the healthcare industry has developed and implemented countless safeguards to make our hospitals safer and decrease the risk of unexpected events and negative outcomes. At Newman, we continually receive and review ideas and alerts from numerous healthcare organizations and implement changes which improve patient care. These actions can be as simple as installing hand sanitizers outside each patient room; or as elaborate as the nearly half million dollar computerized bedside medication and blood administration. This electronic system, which took over 18 months to develop and implement, enhances safety through barcode technology.
It would be impossible to list all the efforts we have undertaken to better serve our community in the last year or two at Newman, but here are a few:
- Recruitment of two orthopedic surgeons, two Ob/Gyn physicians, and several visiting specialists
- Remodeling to create more private rooms
- Rapid Response Teams to quickly address a patient’s changing condition
- Bedside barcoding for medication, blood draws and blood administration
- Software which cross-checks the patient’s medication for any allergies and potential drug or food/drug interactions.
- Bed/chair alarms to reduce patient fall rate
- Implementation of National 5 Million Lives and 30 Safe Patient Initiatives
- Home Health improved its national ranking to 98%
- Increased availability of interpretation services
- New scheduling office in Newman Medical Plaza to improve patient convenience
- New Pain Clinic
- Contracted with new Emergency Room physician company
- Improved Operating Room start times
- New generator to provide more emergency power
- New beds, lights, TVs, microwaves, sofa sleepers and call lights for the 4th floor Women’s Life Center.
- Electronic patient signature at registration, scanning of medication orders to pharmacy and other steps toward electronic medical records
- Bariatric equipment to better serve obese patients.
The last few years have proven to be turbulent times for the healthcare industry, and Newman has certainly not been sheltered from difficult times. However, through our commitment to excellence, we have made great strides in improving patient safety, technology and quality services. Our country is facing an age of healthcare revolution. How do we improve access to care for those who cannot afford it? How can we use technology to improve diagnosis, treatment and efficiency? How can we better meet the needs of our patients? These are questions we ask ourselves every day.
There are so many good things to share about our hospital. We are passionate about quality and patient safety, and work diligently to improve the care provided here.
We comply with strict quality control procedures, federal and state oversight, as well as inspection and review by various accrediting agencies. There is also constant self-examination to assure that standards of care are being met. Feedback from our patients and medical staff is an important part of this evaluation as well. We embrace physicians, administration and the Board working together as a team and exploring ways we can provide better services and access to those who need healthcare.
Thank you for the support and positive comments we have received during the past few weeks. Excellent healthcare starts with excellent people. During National Hospital Week, May 11-17, we wish to honor the dedication and professionalism of all those who make up our team here at Newman. Please take a moment to express your appreciation to your friends and neighbors who help care for our community.
Comments
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Posted by Iloveemporia (anonymous) on May 14, 2008 at 5:14 p.m. (Suggest removal)
seems to me that you are spending the money on the wrong stuff instead of getting better nurses and doctors you are buy new tv's and microwaves. to many horror stories about this hospital i will not be checking in to this one i would rather drive myself in pain to topeka!!!!
Posted by railroadhorn (anonymous) on May 14, 2008 at 7:36 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I'm just not comfortable with an institution that doesn't have good relations with its doctors, which is my interpretation of all that's been written and said. I'm most disappointed after learning that the hospital doesn't work hard to retain physicians. I don't know that any other place has solid leadership and good relations with its doctors, but I won't go to Newman's anymore until I hear that things are better.
Posted by eiggohp (anonymous) on May 14, 2008 at 8:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I certainly won't let my physician enter me in Newman's. I will gladly drive to Topeka or even Burlington....which I understand is doing a good job with health care.
Posted by admireed (anonymous) on May 14, 2008 at 9:28 p.m. (Suggest removal)
When you have your heart problem or your child is hit by a truck please go to Burlington/Topeka and stay true to your feelings
Posted by kelly (anonymous) on May 14, 2008 at 10:22 p.m. (Suggest removal)
It is not the improvments the "hospital" gets. It is the level of care the patient gets. I have had major bad experinces in Empoiria. One was as simple as strep throat and the ER refusing to treat it. Telling me to go home and go to bed. I ended up in ICU and 3 weeks in a hospital (within 6 hrs of leaving the ER in empoira). All because they did not want to give a antibiotic. There is a lack of communication and care. Yes some of the nurses are great, i will say that. But once a bad impression is set it is hard to change it. I personal would go to Burlington any day, before I go back to Newmans.
Posted by dj2879 (anonymous) on May 15, 2008 at 6:56 a.m. (Suggest removal)
This all comes back to no one is ever satisified with anything. We are all human, NO ONE is perfect. You can have bad experiences anywhere you go.
I find humor in the entire matter though, because I know there are many people in Burlington who would rather drive to Emporia or Topeka for medical treatment because of a bad experience they've had in Burlington.
So, stop complaining and if you want to take out the element of human err, design a machine to treat yourself, but remember you better make it perfect, because even machines malfunction!
Posted by create (anonymous) on May 15, 2008 at 7:39 a.m. (Suggest removal)
That is an impressive list of improvements, Mr. Lambert, and it's good to review them; certainly it's good to have them. I am one of those who wants to see Newman's continue to improve so we can have a hospital that will not only attract medical support personnel, but new citizens from many other professions as well. I don't want to go out of town when I am ill. I want to be here at home where my family is nearby.
Please, won't you speak to the problems introduced by Dr. Barnett? You refer to the newspaper articles being concerning and confusing, but then you add more confusion by listing improvements. That's a smoke screen, and it doesn't help your case to ignore the elephant in the room.
Again, I support having a strong medical facility we can all count on and respect. I have no complaints except for that dang elephant.
Posted by proverbs18_21 (anonymous) on May 15, 2008 at 2:31 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Create - I think you said it best. Let's discuss and deal with the elephant.
Posted by irish_setter (anonymous) on May 15, 2008 at 3:32 p.m. (Suggest removal)
It seems to me that Mr. Lambert did discuss the "elephant." Dr. Barnett spoke about patient care and the relationship between doctors and administration. This article is specific about the hospital and administration's focus on patient care and how they are contantly trying to focus on it and make improvements. Previous articles have already also discussed various reasons why there can be tension between medical staff and administration/hospital.
I feel like all of the comments from the board and administration have been about the issues rather than using this opportunity to take blows at Dr. Barnett. I'm glad they have chosen to respond with integrity and professionalism rather than stooping to personal attacks.
Posted by mythoughts (anonymous) on May 16, 2008 at 1:11 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I would certainly think twice, and three times before I would consider being admitted to Newman RH. I've had too many friends who have lost or nearly lost dear ones due to poor hospital-doctor communication and/or care. I'd like to see the data on intakes that have to be sent elsewhere because Newman RH either can't treat them or screwed it up so bad they had to rush them to a better medical facility.
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