ICE: A PVMC Newsletter

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Welcome Dr. Cristian Dinescu

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Platte Valley Medical Center is pleased to welcome Internal Medicine Physician Cristian Dinescu, M.D. Dr. Dinescu joined the Integrative Internal Medicine practice to provide general internal medicine care as well as comprehensive primary care for his patients. He also helps patients manage and treat COPD, asthma and various lung diseases, hypertension, diabetes, chronic kidney diseases, rheumatological and other endocrine-related conditions, heart failure and cardiovascular disease.

Dr. Dinescu received his medical degree from the Institute of Medicine and Pharmacy University of Medicine in Bucharest, Romania and performed his residency at Huron Hospital/Cleveland Clinic. He’s board certified and prides himself on following consistent evidence-based medicine principles. He strives to offer quality patient-centered care where patients are actively involved in their decisions and treatment options. In his free time, he enjoys skiing, fishing and reading.

You can view and share Dr. Dinescu’s online profile at pvmc.org, or make an appointment at Integrative Internal Medicine by calling (303) 659-4476.

A Good Catch Saves a Life

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While rounding towards the end of her shift last night, Singmi, a CNA in our MST department, became concerned when a patient told her “I don’t feel right.” Singmi quickly alerted a nurse, Tasha, who checked the patient and discovered a potentially life-threatening issue. Tasha called a RAT, and the patient was quickly stabilized. The great instincts and quick actions of these two people meant that the patient’s issue was solved before it became a bigger and more serious situation. Thank you Singmi and Tasha – your care and skills saved the day, and we appreciate how deeply you care for your patients on a daily basis!

Platte Valley Medical Group Goes Live with Epic

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Last week, on March 1, our Platte Valley Medical Group clinics transitioned to Epic, bringing our clinic patients’ medical care to a level of connectedness we’ve never been able to achieve before now. Some of the great benefits of this transition include our ability to coordinate care across the health system, which includes a unified connection to MyChart, as well as a more streamlined billing process.

Although only a few days have passed since the Go-Live, our clinic staff are handling the transition well, despite all of the challenges that come along with the introduction of a new system. We appreciate the support of our IS team, as well as staff from across the system. If you have an appointment with a PVMG clinic this week, or you have friends among the clinic staff, make sure to give them a hearty congratulations!

You’ve Got Ideas. Pitch Them in the 2018 Innovation Challenge!

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SCL Health believes the best solutions to solving today’s toughest healthcare challenges come from within. That’s why we are again inviting all associates to put on your thinking caps, form teams and come up with innovative ideas that improve care during the second annual Innovation Challenge. You could win up to $150,000 to turn your idea into reality, plus $1,000* in take-home cash!

This year we challenge you to come up with ideas that will help improve care for communities and populations – not just individuals with immediate health needs – by focusing on the social determinants of health.

We’re calling this concept “360˚ of Caring,” and we can’t wait to hear your ideas!

To submit your team’s idea and learn more about the challenge, visit SCLHealthInnovation.org. The deadline for submissions is March 25 at noon.

Ready to get started? Here is what you need to know:

  1.  Read the additional materials on the website to help inform and shape your idea!
  2. Form a team and get to work on the solution. When your idea is ready for primetime, submit it online: http://www.sclhealthinnovation.org
  3. Ideas will be evaluated by an Innovation Council consisting of the Innovation and Virtual Health team, clinical experts, and senior leaders, using criteria such as:
    • ‘Degrees of caring’ (inclusion of social determinants of health – read section below)
    • Positive impact on the patient journey or quality
    • Feasibility
    • Time-to-execution
    • Return on investment or Cost Avoidance
  4. Ideas will also be posted online and subject to popular vote. Semi-finalists will be asked to supply additional details required to further vet the viability of their ideas. Finalists will receive special training and be asked to present ideas to senior leaders. Winners will be provided funding and resources to implement their ideas.

Good luck!

*In accordance with Internal Revenue Service (IRS) regulations, items of value given to associates are considered compensation subject to federal, state and employment tax withholding.

Safety Behavior of the Month: Reducing Power Distance and Leveling Authority Gradient

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Why is Reducing Power Distance and Leveling Authority Gradient Important?

A key part of organizing for high reliability includes a focus on continuous learning. We rely on inviting and giving feedback, and respecting the voices of all of our associates and providers as we create our culture of One Safety. We are responsible for speaking up when problems arise by asking questions, questioning answers and sharing our observations and recommendations. When others are intimidated by us because of our position/title, body language, and/or verbal communication, they may not feel comfortable speaking up, and this can result in harm for ourselves and others that we could have prevented. The harm caused can be physical (e.g., a patient fall), but failing to create a safe environment where others can speak up can cause mental and emotional harm in the form of stress and an unhealthy work environment, too.

What is Psychological Safety?

We each must feel psychologically safe to speak up and share our opinions and knowledge. Psychological safety can be defined as “being able to show and employ one’s self without fear of negative consequences of self-image, status or career” (Kahn 1990, p. 708). In psychologically safe teams, team members feel respected and accepted.

High Reliability Organizing (HRO): Tones

By applying the HRO tones to reduce power distance and level authority gradients we can create caring, trusting and respectful relationships with others that allow timely and honest communication. These tones should be the routine way that we interact with our patients and each other.

We can improve patient and associate safety by making it easy for others to speak up and interact with us by practicing the following behaviors:

  1. Smile and greet others (eye contact, say hello)
  2. Refer to others by preferred (usually first) name
  3. Listen with empathy and intent to understand
  4. Provide opportunities for others to ask questions

To download a flyer version of this information, click here.

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