Okay, I'm guilty! Pretty catchy title though, hugh? This question was actually sent to me recently by one of my colleagues. Well, the answer is this..........
It has been a little while since my last Blog. Following the Transition of our University Medical Center hospital in April over to our main campus, consolidating operations at the Community Regional Medical Center, I have been a bit overwhelmed with patient flow issues and a multitude of other items. The days have run long and my energy short. No excuses, actually, the Blog writing is a nice escape from all that and I should have returned to this much sooner!
Just to give you a glimpse of some of the items that have needed attention following the Transition, here's a brief listing:
- Converted 3 ancillary spaces to patient hold processing areas creating 13 beds to pull patients out of our Emergency Department and into the patient care areas.
- Reviewed surgical block schedules and reallocated block schedules to create more time for orthopaedic surgeons and neurosurgeons.
- Reviewed weekly issues related to security concerns, waiting rooms, supply and medication distribution and we are continually implementing improvements to address feedback from our staff and patients.
- Multiple meetings with physicians related to the flow of patients and timely exchange of information to expedite patient care.
- Opened a new Endoscopy service.
- Preparing for the construction of 104 new patient beds for acute care operations, and a new 57 bed Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
- Working to create an environment where staff want to stay to advance their careers and where we can attract new staff to work.
There are so many more things our team is doing, but this gives you a sense of the focus.
The time has passed quickly and it is already well into the Fall of the year. Halloween has passed (my two sons dressed up, one as a Knight and the older as a "Gool") and we are rolling right into Thanksgiving. The Fall is my very favorite time of the year. I grew up in the midwest in Iowa, where the Fall air is cold and crisp and the leaves turn bright beautiful colors. I like the Fall here too, the weather getting cooler, though I could do without the fog. I'll sign back on soon.