Weekly Quick Hits — Friday, Nov. 8, 2019

Weekly Quick Hits recaps announcements and events from The Daily Brief email. Check your email inbox for more.

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PEOPLE

O’Donnell’s Cycling Raises $13,486

Tiffany O’Donnell, a medical office assistant in the Penn State Health Breast Center, raised $13,486 in the Tour de Pink, a cycling charity event. O’Donnell, who is a breast cancer survivor and was diagnosed in June with metastatic breast cancer, rode 111 miles over three days. The event raised more than $360,000 to help young women with breast cancer.

Braund Wins Alumni Fellow Award

The Penn State Alumni Association honored Penn State College of Medicine alumna Dr. Wendy Braund on Oct. 23 with the Alumni Fellow Award, the Alumni Association’s highest award. Braund, who graduated from the College of Medicine in 2001, is considered a national leader in public health practice. Read more.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Hand Hygiene at St. Joseph

Penn State Health St. Joseph places a high priority on safe patient care. Knowing that the Centers for Disease Control estimates that one in 30 patients will acquire a hospital-onset infection, they have made good hand hygiene a top safety priority. What started as a 2018 campaign, in which staff pledged to wash in and out of patient rooms, continues with regular education. Today, secret shoppers provide a non-biased method for monitoring compliance at St. Joseph Medical Center. Providers see good hand hygiene as second nature. While the most recent review indicates compliance has increased to the low 80s, St. Joseph Medical Center continues to pursue its goal of 100% compliance.

Hershey Earns Highest Grade on Leapfrog Group Ranking

Hershey Medical Center has once again earned the highest grade on The Leapfrog Group’s latest safety ranking report card. The Medical Center achieved an A on the Fall 2019 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade. This represents the seventh consecutive A grade for Hershey Medical Center. Read more.

Compliance: Hotline Available

The toll-free Compliance hotline, 800-560-1637, is your connection for reporting any illegal or unethical conduct. Manned 24 hours a day, the hotline should be used to report issues such as patient rights violations, fraud, integrity issues, sexual harassment, confidentiality issues and more. Anyone who makes a report can do so anonymously or directly and will be protected from retaliation.

Compliance: Review the Code

Financial losses, security breaches, poor patient care, license revocations and a damaged reputation are just a few potential consequences of health care noncompliance. That’s why Penn State Health developed its Compliance Code of Conduct so employees understand the complex laws and perform their jobs honestly. It also empowers you to recognize ethical dilemmas you may encounter and know when and how to report them. Review the Code of Conduct here.

Compliance: Patient Safety

Compliance takes many forms in health care, but it’s especially important as it relates to patient safety. Our Compliance team conducts monthly checks to ensure that all active employees and vendors have not engaged in fraud or abuse and are authorized to participate in federal and state health care programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid. To learn more, review our Excluded Parties Verification policy.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Charity Ball

Penn State Health St. Joseph will host the 2019 Jardin du Chateau charity ball on Saturday, Nov. 9, from 7 to 11 p.m., at the Crowne Plaza, 1741 Papermill Road, Reading. The charity ball has been one of Berks County’s premier philanthropic events since 1927. Over the years, millions of dollars have been raised for St. Joseph Medical Center. Tickets are $200 per person. Contact Ann Marie Haus, development services coordinator, at 610.378.2477 or ahaus@pennstatehealth.psu.edu.

“Engineering Orthopaedic Surgery”

Gregory Lewis, assistant professor in the Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, will present “Engineering Orthopaedic Surgery: The Cutting Edge” on Wednesday, Nov. 20 at noon in Junker Auditorium, HG316, or via Zoom. The lecture is part of the Research Quality Assurance Lunchtime Lecture series. Register by Friday, Nov. 15. Food will be provided to those who RSVP by the deadline.

“Rethinking General Anesthesia”

Dr. Emery N. Brown, Warren M. Zapol Professor of Anesthesia at Harvard Medical School, will present “Rethinking General Anesthesia” on Thursday, Nov. 21, noon to 1 p.m. at the College of Medicine, Junker Auditorium. Lunch will be provided. Continuing Medical Education credit will be provided to those who attend in person. The lecture will be livestreamed and available for viewing afterward.

“Of Thee I Sing”

Save the date: Tuesday, Nov. 26 at 5 p.m. for Dr. David Goldenberg’s inaugural lecture as chair of the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery. The lecture, entitled “Of Thee I Sing: The Anatomy, Physiology and Health Benefits of Song,” will take place in Penn State College of Medicine’s Junker Auditorium and be livestreamed at med.psu.edu/oto-chair.

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction

Penn State Health will offer two new sessions of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction – one class on Monday evenings at the University Fitness Center and another class on Wednesday evenings at Penn State Cancer Institute, starting this January. The eight-week course teaches participants effective ways to deal with stress and the demands of daily life. The program features body awareness exercises, meditation, gentle yoga and guided discussion. Orientations are scheduled on Monday, Jan. 6, and Wednesday, Jan. 8. Tuition is $500 for most participants. Some scholarships are available. Register at ufc.pennstatehealth.org. Learn more about the program on abc27.

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