january 2014our passion. your possibilities.

inside this issue

achieving an HCAHPS leap p.6

receiving “the call” p.4

squeaky cLEAN p.10

pusecrothallcrothall pusecrothallcrothall

SpecialistdeFinitiOn:

a person who devotes himself

or herself to one subject

or to one particular

branch of a

subject or

pursuit

p.8

12

spOtlight AkRoN gENERAl

Looking for ways to improve patient satisfaction is a high priority at Akron General Medical Center in Akron, Ohio, where Crothall performs Patient Transportation and the hospital performs its own housekeeping. So when patients started to complain about room wait times associated with a new UV disinfection system, hospital administrators asked, “Is there anything that can be done to automate and improve our cleaning process?”

Crothall Healthcare’s patient transport and IT teams quickly joined with the hospital’s internal environmental services and IT teams to find a solution. Within a matter of weeks, the patient complaints went from three or four per night to zero, proving that teamwork and a well-executed process change can dramatically affect outcomes.

GREAT PATIENT EXPERIENCES AT AKRON

Technology and Teamwork:

By Jeff LaFlame, Patient Transport Operations Supervisor

THE CHALLENGE

A UV disinfection machine was introduced to Akron General in September 2012 to kill harmful microorganisms in isolation rooms that were occupied by patients diagnosed with Clostridium difficile (C. diff), Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus MRSA), and other such pathogens. While important, this extra cleaning step disrupted the housekeeping flow, leading to the initial patient complaints.

The problem was that housekeepers would clean the isolation rooms, then complete their task in Crothall’s TeamThroughput program without the UV process being completed. Staff members in the Operations Center were then notified through Team ThroughPut that rooms were ready when they were not.

If a room needed UV cleaning, the unit clerk had to manually tell the Operations Center and call housekeeping to bring the UV machine. Often, miscommunication would happen, and patients would be transported to rooms early to find out they had to wait for the UV cleaning.

THE SOLUTION

The problem was solved by taking information for the isolation rooms—which already existed and was assigned by infection control in the hospital’s HIS (hospital information system) program for PT—and interfacing that with Crothall’s TeamThroughput program on the housekeeping side. This way, rooms needing UV cleaning are now flagged in TeamThroughput.

This change in technology removed the possibility of human error in the process. Also, a dedicated housekeeping employee is now assigned to zone and clean isolation rooms, and the Operations Center’s computer dashboard is interfaced with TeamThroughput so Operations staff can see when isolation rooms are ready.

‘TREMENDOUS IMPROvEMENT’

Since these changes were implemented, “there has been tremendous improvement in the patient experience,” said Akron Environmental Services Director Todd Shiplett. Lynette Vanhorn in the Operations Center said, “This system upgrade has helped with decreasing length of stay, ER admissions, room transfers and normal admissions.” Vanhorn reported that, to help decrease

the hospital infection rate, the UV machine is also now being used in every ICU room, and a goal moving forward is to use

it in all critical care units.

Ultimately, it’s about creating a better, safer patient experience. Teamwork by Crothall and the hospital staff helped accomplish this and enhance operations at Akron General.

CROTHALL PULSE JANUARY 2014