In this issue
Member
spotlight: Sara Lorenz, RN, honored with 2015 Good Catch of the Year Award
This past spring, Sara Lorenz, RN, at Mayo Clinic Rochester
Hospital, Methodist Campus received the 2015 Good Catch of the Year Award for
her attention to detail and willingness to speak up which prevented a patient
from harm. In preparation for a procedure, the patient's implantable cardiac
device was deactivated and the pacemaker underwent programming changes. Since
the procedure was performed under monitored anesthesia care, the patient
returned to the ambulatory surgery area from the operating room, bypassing
PACU. Following the procedure, Sara noticed the devices had not been reset to
their original settings. Had Sara not identified the issue, the patient could
have been discharged with the implantable cardiac device turned off and the
pacemaker not at its original setting. As a result of this case, heightened
attention is given to handoffs, especially those directly from the OR to phase
II recovery. In addition, the hospital is consistently debriefing as part of
the surgical safety checklist.
The Good Catch for Patient Safety nomination form was recently updated and all
nominations are now done electronically through the MHA website. MHA encourages
individual and team nominations, and system or organizational process and
safety improvements that were made to prevent near misses and good catches from
reaching patients. To submit a nomination, click here. return to top
Funding
opportunity available for CAHs
The Helmsley Charitable Trust’s Rural Healthcare Program has
launched the CT Scanner Replacement Initiative, a new funding opportunity for
qualifying Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) in the Midwest, including CAHs in
Minnesota. Qualifying CAHs may apply for up to $400,000 to purchase a new 32
slice or higher CT scanner through a two-year grant. For specifics on
eligibility, read the Request for Proposals.
A Letter of Inquiry for interested CAHs is due
by 4 p.m. CDT July 17, 2015 and the projected start date for the project is
Nov. 1, 2015. For more information, visit the Helmsley Trust website or email questions to rhc@helmsleytrust.org. return to top
MERS-CoV
update
The Minnesota Department of Health recently issued a health advisory on the outbreak of Middle East
Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV). Health care providers are asked to
continue to routinely ask patients about international travel, including visits
to health care facilities during that travel time and be prepared to detect and
manage cases of MERS. Health care providers are also asked to have a heightened
vigilance for patients suspected of having MERS based on the Persons Under
Investigation (PUI) criteria included in the health advisory. Health care
providers should adhere to recommended infection control measures, including
standard, contact, and airborne precautions while managing patients who are
PUIs. Clinicians should contact MDH at 651-201-5414 or 877-676-5414 for
consultation and arrangement for testing. For more information, visit the MDH website. return to top
Newborn
screening infographic, provider webinar available
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has a new newborn
screening infographic available to providers to help educate parents about
newborn screening and their options after screening. View the infographic.
MDH is offering complimentary educational webinars to help providers understand
how to use the new infographic and explain the information to new parents.
Click on the links below to register.
For more information, contact Amy Gaviglio,
Newborn Screening Program, MDH, 651-201-5451. return to top
Human
trafficking and exploitation intervention training available
The Minnesota Chapter of the American College of
Emergency Physicians is providing a free training for frontline health care
workers to identify and intervene with patients who may be trafficked or
exploited. The training will include review of a screening tool for identifying
patient-survivors, a discussion on strategies for having conversations, and
participants will learn how to access existing local resources.
The training will be held Thursday, July 2 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Woodwind
Health Campus, Woodbury. For more information and to register, click here. return to top