Minnesota Hospital Association

Newsroom

June 22, 2015

MHA Newsline: June 22, 2015

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 [email protected]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 websitereturn 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