www.RUMCSI.org November 2014

CHRONICLE

A PUBLICATION FOR EMPLOYEES, PHYSICIANS, TRUSTEES, AND VOLUNTEERS OF RICHMOND UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER

The Joint Commission recently visited Richmond University Medical Center to conduct an accreditation survey. Joint

Commission standards go beyond the basics of state and federal regulations, and consistently set high expectations

for quality and safety. President & CEO, Dan Messina shares “Our greatest resource is our dedicated team of caring

professionals. The unannounced visit brought out the best in our team, and I would like to thank every employee who

went above and beyond to ensure this survey was a success. I would also like to congratulate the senior administra-

tion for overseeing the process and guiding the hospital toward this success. The report showcased an exceptional

team and the outstanding care we provide our patients.”

Excellent Joint Commission Survey:

Special Thanks to Staff

Hospital Conducts Emergency Preparedness Exercise

On September 24, 2014 the hospital held its largest full scale Emergency/Trauma exercise utilizing internal/external resources and agencies to test the response of a mass casualty disaster. Our Emergency Preparedness team and Trauma team worked with a number of outside agencies (Port Richmond CERT, FDNY, NYPD, NYCDOH, Seaview Hospi-tal, Priority One, ARES, SIUH, Clove Lakes, NYCOEM, Verrazano Nursing Home) to make the experience as realistic as possible with over a dozen “patients.” A special thanks goes out to all who were involved with the planning and staffing of the incident command center. The exercise al-lowed us to test the hospital’s response to a disaster situation and evaluate areas for improvement.

At the conclusion of the drill Senior Leadership sat down with the disaster preparedness committee and community members to recap the day.

Three Employees to Receive Community Service Award

The Staten Island Not For Profit Association will hold its Community Service Awards Brunch on Sunday November 16th,

11am at the Grand Oaks Country Club. This year, Richmond University Medical Center will be honoring three hospital

employees for their dedication to our team and to the community: William Amaniera, Director of EMS, Rita Magnuski,

Assistant Vice President of Medical, Surgical, Critical Care Services, and Trientina Campbell, Safety Officer/Emergency

Preparedness Coordinator. We congratulate Billy, Rita, and Tina on this recognition. Limited seating is available. If you

would like additional information about the event, please contact Andrew Burt at x 2100.

On October 17th the hospital with Fran and Frank Reali, joined forces

to other cardiac screenings to freshman athletes at Staten Island

Academy. In recognition of Richmond University Medical Center’s

support of the cardiac screening program, Fran and Frank Reali

presented the Medical Center with a donation in the amount of

$25,000.

On November 20th, President & CEO Dan Messina,

will conduct the first of a series of roundtable

meetings with employees from around the hospital

who have new and exciting ideas about improve-

ments and changes they would like to see made.

The first meeting will be held at Joe & Pats Pizzeria

on November 20th at 5:30pm. For details and to

RSVP, please call x2100.

President’s Update

Over the past six months, I have witnessed hospital employees become more engaged with the community and with each other. It is exciting to see our growth and transformation as we strive toward new levels of excellence. The sky is the limit!

I am so grateful for the dedication and commitment of the hospital staff. Your hard work is certainly reflected in the Joint Commission survey. Since the last unannounced survey in 2011, the hospital has made great strides. Out of over 560 standards there were at the

exit conference only 5 direct recommendations and 9 indirects with no national patient safety findings and no conditional findings, an exceptional survey! It is great to be recognized for going beyond the basics of state and federal regulations, and to have our quality and safety recognized. You truly place our patients first!

As Thanksgiving nears, I share my gratitude for the wonderful oppor-tunity to lead this great team, and I am thankful for your continuing support. Remember the power of one, you make a difference!

Wishing you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving!

Message from the President & CEO

Daniel J. Messina, Ph.D., FACHE, LNHA

It is so important to think about HCAHPS in our

daily patient care activities. There are 32 Survey

questions, which includes 21 care-focus questions,

4 screener questions, and 7 demographic ques-

tions. HCAHPS is administered by participating

hospitals to a random sample of adult patients be-

tween 48 hours and 6 weeks after discharge.

The questions focus on topics that are important to

patients and are easier for a patient to rate than

commenting directly on clinical quality. The

survey asks the patient to rate the frequency of

events during their care by answering never, some-

times, usually, or always. These questions are

Patient Perspectives of Care and they are as fol-

lows:

Nurse Communication

Doctors Communication

Cleanliness of the Environment

Quietness of the Environment

Responsiveness of Staff

Pain Management

Communication and Medications

Provision of Discharge Information

Transition of Care

Change begins with you. Remember the

importance of HCAHPS, you make a difference!

Employee Roundtables with the CEO

November 2014

Rosemarie Stazzone To Be Honored By

Richmond County Medical Society

Sheenali Patel is currently a sophomore at Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsyl-

vania pursing a pre med track. In the next few years she wants to continue volunteer-

ing, completing research, and performing community service. Sheenali would like to

attend Drexel’s College of Medicine for four years and then pursue a residency in pediatrics, followed by a

fellowship in oncology. Her goal for her future is to become a pediatric oncologist/hematologist at a children’s

hospital. “Volunteering at RUMC gave me the opportunity to ensure that medicine is the field I want to con-

tinue in.”

Shivali Patel currently an undergraduate sophomore in the accelerated Doctor of Physical Therapy/Physician

Assistant Program at Drexel University. She plans on becoming board-certified in pediatrics, with concentra-

tion in orthopedics and hand therapy. “Volunteering has given me the opportunity to learn about the different

fields of medicine. I interacted with medical students, interns, residents, physician assistants, physical thera-

pists, and attendings.”

Have you heard? As part of our Employee Wellness Initiative, we will launch a

special weight loss challenge, running from Nov. 17th through Feb. 13th. To

register for the challenge, come to a meeting on Friday, November 7th at 11am

in the cafeteria. Your BMI, weight, and blood pressure will be documented and

each registrant will receive a $100 travel voucher. Contest winner will receive

a FREE CRUISE to Bermuda for two! Special thanks to our travel sponsor,

Pete Fanizzi & My Going Places Travel. Good luck!

On November 10th, the Richmond County

Medical Society will honor Rosemarie

Stazzone, Chief Operating Officer and Chief

Nurse Officer with the Hygenia Award. The

event will be held at the Hilton from

7-11pm. In addition, they will honor

Dr. James Reilly, Dr. Allan Perel, Dr. Ginny

Mantello, Donna Proske, and Councilman

Steven Matteo. For more information on

the event, please call Stefanie at x2103.

Volunteers of the Month:

Sheenali & Shivali Patel

Quality & Patient Care

An HCAHPS Scores Comparison

Press Ganey April-June July-

September

Rate hospital 0-10 51 47

Recommend the hospital 51 52

COMM W/ NURSES 73 71

Nurses treat with courtesy/respect 80 76

Nurses listen carefully to you 70 69

Nurses explain in way you understand 69 69

RESPONSE OF HOSP STAFF 62 60

Call button help soon as wanted it 59 60

Help toileting soon as you wanted 66 60

COMM W/ DOCTORS 76 78

Doctors treat with courtesy/respect 82 86

Doctors listen carefully to you 74 76

Doctors explain in way you understand 73 72

HOSPITAL ENVIRONMENT 54 56

Cleanliness of hospital environment 60 59

Quietness of hospital environment 47 52

PAIN MANAGEMENT 68 65

Pain well controlled 65 57

Staff do everything help with pain 70 73

COMM ABOUT MEDICINES 62 56

Tell you what new medicine was for 78 73

Staff describe medicine side effect 45 39

DISCHARGE INFORMATION 75 75

A community member recently wrote a letter

expressing their gratitude and sharing their

appreciation of our employees. We acknowledge

the staff who assisted the patient, and thank

everyone for going above & beyond with patient

care!

Please see the letter below:

Patient Satisfaction:

A Letter of Thanks

Jen R.

The staff at RUMC is by far the most dedicated, caring and profes-

sional group of people I have ever encountered at any hospital.

My brother was admitted to the ER at RUMC 2 months ago after

no one could figure out what was wrong with him. It too the ER

staff 1 hour to find the problem and scheduled surgery for him the

following day. They saved his life after every other doctor and

hospital tried to figure out what was wrong and failed. Thank

you, RUMC.

A Great Facebook Review

Press Ganey April-June July-

September

Rate hospital 0-10 51 47

Recommend the hospital 51 52

COMMUNICATION W/ NURSES 73 71

Nurses treat you with courtesy/respect 80 76

Nurses listen carefully to you 70 69

Nurses explain in way you understand 69 69

RESPONSE OF HOSPITAL STAFF 62 60

Call button help soon as wanted it 59 60

Help toileting as soon as you wanted 66 60

COMMUNICATION W/ DOCTORS 76 78

Doctors treat you with courtesy/respect 82 86

Doctors listen carefully to you 74 76

Doctors explain in a way you understand 73 72

HOSPITAL ENVIRONMENT 54 56

Cleanliness of hospital environment 60 59

Quietness of hospital environment 47 52

PAIN MANAGEMENT 68 65

Pain well controlled 65 57

Staff do everything to help with pain 70 73

COMMUNICATION ABOUT MEDICINES 62 56

Tell you what new medicine was for 78 73

Staff describe medicine side effect 45 39

DISCHARGE INFORMATION 75 75

I would like to let you know about the excel-

lent care I received while an ambulatory

patient. First, I was registered by Linda

Pernell in pre-registration and then by

Barbara Gattulo in PAT. They were efficient

and caring. Then on the day of my surgery I

was lucky enough to have Vanise Johnstone to

prepare me. She was very calming to me and

helped me get ready.

The anesthesiologist Dr. Dadeck was so

concerned for me and also very caring. My

wonderful surgeon Dr. Michael Lacqua,

explained everything to me before and did a

wonderful job on me surgically. Finally I had

the best nurse in the recovery room. Her

name is Amelda Moriarty. She was so

attentive, professional, and genuine.

I wanted you to know about your wonderful

staff.

Yours Truly, Karen

Human Resources News

Human Resources News:

Employee Recognition

Employee Recognition is now scheduled for

November 3, 2014, from 1:00-2:00 in the

SIPP Auditorium. Let’s recognize the

employees that make a difference and raise

our HCAHPS scores.

Amboy Medical Practices Welcomes

Family Practice Physician

Manisha Rayavarapu, DO has joined

the team at Amboy Medical Practice

and the Women’s Comprehensive

Center. As a family practice physi-

cian, Dr. Rayavarapu is able to serve

both adults and adolescents. She is

certified by the American Osteopathic Board of Family

Physicians. Dr. Rayavarapu is a member of the American

Osteopathic Association, the American College of Osteopathic

Family Physicians, and the Florida Osteopathic Medical

Association.

Dr. Rayavarapu earned her bachelor’s degree in biomedical

science at the University of South Florida in Tampa. She then

earned her doctorate in Osteopathy at Lake Erie College of

Osteopathic Medicine in Bradenton, FL. Dr. Rayavarapu

completed her residency in family practice at Peninsula

Hospital Center in Far Rockaway, NY.

Dr. Rayavarapu joins Drs. Beylinson, Kudej, and Moretti who

provide primary care, endocrinology and OB/GYN services,

respectively.

Social Security Accounts are Online

The U. S. Social Security Administration is working to notify people of a new tool available. You can now create and manage your own “My Social Security” account online, at www.socialsecurity.gov/my account. Current employees can access their annual Social Security statements, check their earnings record, and see estimates of future retirement, disability, and survivors benefits they or their families may receive.

Carols Herrera OR Tech.

Sherene Bond Resident

Michael Piccarelli Program Director

Justin Pointer Resident

Raisa Tsvaygenbaum Resident

Lisette Salom Medicaid App. Rep.

Gabrielle Ciulla Food Services

Rebecca Davis Dietician

Ruth Arsenec Nursing Assistant

Mehala Mahaparan Nursing Assistant

Tiffany Smith Nursing Assistant

Katina Bryant Unit Clerks

Sierra Allen Nursing Assistant

Harriet Hewlett Registered Nurse

David Solano Central Sterile Cert Wrkr

Robert Marachilian Clinical RN Spec/Liaison

Richard Ortiz Registered Nurse

Nursing Recruitment Sessions

Please refer your experienced ED, OR, Cath Lab and Behavioral Health RN’s to our Registered Nurse Open House on:

October 30th from 2-4pm Human Resources Office Villa Building 2nd floor

Welcome October New Hires

Masquerade Ball

Thank you for helping to make the Masquerade Ball a success!

To see more photos, visit our Facebook page at

www.facebook.com/RichmondUniversityMedicalCenter

Around Town

Healthy Baby Fair with Babies R Us

SIEDC Health and Wellness Expo

Councilwoman Rose’s Community Fair

Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk

ROME Through Richmondtown Event

Holy White Mass honoring Dr. Otterbeck

Women’s Health/Fitness Day in the Lobby

Thanks to everyone who joined us in our

community during October!

We hope you can continue to

help us with our outreach.

See the back page for November community

events or visit

www.RUMCSI.keepandshare.com

November Calendar

Employee Wellness Calendar

RUMC “Elves” Needed

The Richmond University Medical Center Elves will be sponsoring the ADOPT-A-FAMILY program again this year. The program will focus on the families that utilize our clinics and families in need in our community. Any department, group of people or person who wishes to adopt a family, or make a contribution towards the program, should contact Jennifer Dominguez at x3106.

Your continued support is greatly appreciated.

Walk with the Doctor—Saturday, November 8th, Silver Lake Park (start at reservoir bridge) at 10:00am with Dr. Otterbeck

November Community Outreach Calendar

Wednesday, November 5th, Veterans Event at the Old Bermuda

Inn from 9:00am—1:00pm, Vendor Table

Wednesday November 5th, 11am-2pm

Lung Cancer Awareness Fair in the Lobby

Tuesday, November 11th, Lung Cancer Screenings Information

Lobby Table from 11:00am—2:00pm

Sunday, November 16th, Living Kidney Donation: Expanding

Your Transplant Options with NY Presbyterian Lecture in the

Sipp Auditorium from 1:00pm—2:00pm, Info Table

Saturday, November 22nd, Fall Flat 5k, 10-2pm Sponsor Table

To participate as a community outreach volunteer at any of the

above events, or for more information, please call x2100.

Save the Date! Thursday, November 20th,

Great American Smokeout

Details will be shared via email or call x2391