August 11, 2020
Hi Team –
Progress continues in our fight to prevent spread and reduce prevalence of COVID in our community. While we experienced a small uptick in cases across the state over the past week, we are doing far better than we were a few weeks ago. And here at TriHealth and across the greater Cincinnati region, we have gradually decreased and stabilized the number of new daily cases and COVID hospitalizations – no doubt due to more widespread community acceptance and use of masks!! Now six months into our COVID new reality, it’s clear that this virus will not disappear on its own. And while we wait for a vaccine, our BEST and really ONLY defense continues to be our collective and consistent adherence to wearing masks, social distancing, and limiting the size of social gatherings. Thank YOU for continuing to lead the way in modeling these practices – both at work and in our community – as we do our part to ensure the health and safety of all during this prolonged period of co-existing with COVID!
We’re Here for You – Now More than Ever!
In addition to helping each other stay safe and healthy, we recognize there are so many other ways our team members need assistance due to the truly unimaginable stresses and strains caused by COVID – socially, emotionally, physically, and economically! We want to remind you that TriHealth and our Team Member Resource Center is here to support you for as long as COVID is a threat to the livelihood and wellbeing of our TriHealth Family! Whether you are worried about family members safely returning to school or work, struggling to meet household expenses, feeling overwhelmed or afraid due to a family member testing positive for COVID, or any other COVID-related hardship, the Team Member Resource Center is here to provide assistance – so please don’t hesitate to call if you need help! Click here for a full list of support services.
We recognize these are unusual and often stressful times, so please know, you are not alone! We will get through this together, supporting one another every step of the way! And speaking of support, I’d like to, once again, give a special thanks to bi3, Bethesda Inc’s grantmaking initiative, and the Bethesda Foundation for their generous financial support of the COVID-19 Hardship Fund and the Team Member Resource Center operations.
TriHealth Participates in Cincinnati Business Courier’s Road to Recovery Series.
This summer, TriHealth was asked to participate as a panel member – and leading local expert – in Cincinnati Business Courier’s three-part Road to Recovery virtual series. Each conversation addresses top of mind concerns for local business leaders related to this new COVID-19 reality involving shutdowns, business interruptions, rising unemployment, and civil unrest. As part of our participation, TriHealth was also asked to write a series of supporting guest essays about how the healthcare industry is responding to Get Healthcare Right in Our New Post Pandemic Reality. Click here to read the first article in this series. It’s a testament to how well our system – and all team members and physicians – stepped up to lead the way throughout this pandemic that we are now being looked to as a regional expert and community model on the Road to Recovery ahead!
TriHealth Achieves Major Wins to Improve Patient Care Quality and Safety!
I’m thrilled to share that thanks to the dedication and diligence of our TriHealth teams, we’ve achieved national recognition for and major improvements in the quality, safety, and efficiency of our care:
- C-difficile prevention efforts result in safer care, healthier patients, and lower costs! Over the past year, our Infection Prevention Team – led by TriHealth’s Infection Prevention Officer, Paul Yates and Dr. Steve Blatt, Medical Director for Infectious Diseases – has worked closely with physicians, nurses, and clinical teams throughout the system to hardwire infection prevention best practices to reduce the transmission of c-difficile (c-diff). TriHealth’s consistent adoption of these practices – ranging from standardized hand hygiene protocols, isolation precautions, and bleach disinfection to ultraviolet light disinfection, Epic best practice alerts, advanced new laboratory testing algorithms, and more – have resulted in improvements that are absolutely remarkable!! In just one short year, we’ve been able to reduce c-diff cases by more than 75% – from 93 cases in FY19 to just 22 cases in FY20 across all of our hospitals!! As a result, it’s estimated, based on national mortality rates, that we’ve been able to prevent four deaths and avoid more than $1 million in care costs for often very sick c-diff patients. These improvements have moved TriHealth from the 75th percentile for c-diff prevention to the top decile (top 10%) in the nation, according to National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN)!
- TriHealth’s Bariatric Service Line achieves Center of Excellence (COE) designation from United Health Care’s Optum. COE designation is an important achievement demonstrating that we’ve met or exceeded the rigorous clinical and safety standards necessary to provide world-class bariatric care, as measured by clinical outcomes, surgical quality, and cost-effectiveness. In 2019, our Bariatric team, led by Medical Director, Dr. George Kerlakian, successfully reduced re-admissions to Optum’s best practice threshold of less than 5%, while dramatically reducing the use of post-operative opioids! In addition, our re-operation and complication rates now exceed national standards! TriHealth also has COE designations from Anthem and Aetna.
These wins are more evidence of our team’s strong commitment to take TriHealth from Good to Great, as we work to get healthcare right for all those we serve!! Thank you to all of our physicians, nurses, clinical and operational teams who have made these achievements possible – we absolutely could not do what we do without you!
TriHealth EAP Request-a-Counselor and Ask-a-Counselor
The TriHealth Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is making it easier for you to find the support you need – for your concerns large and small.
The new Request-a-Counselor option allows you to request the name and contact information of a counselor via email. Use Ask-a-Counselor to email a question and get practical information or resources for the daily challenges of living. All requests are confidential. Click here for details.
Visit TriHealthEAP.com (Employee and Family > Services) for more information on these extended EAP services.
Ready to Earn Your Degree?
At TriHealth, we provide you with opportunities for professional growth. One way to sharpen your skills is by taking advantage of your education benefits online!
We’ve partnered with Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU), an accredited leader in online learning for busy adults. SNHU offers College for America degree programs that empower you to reach your education and professional goals, even on a tight schedule. Visit Bridge for more information.
The improvement in C dif cases is remarkable! Darned good work. Goes to show what systematic and consistent application of best practices can do to help patients and save lives. don't let up.
Posted by: Stephen Eby on August 13, 2020
Reply/View Reply
Thank you Mark, always a pleasure to read your update.
Posted by: Karen Smith2 on August 12, 2020
Reply/View Reply