Hunting for Wabbits

This past weekend I participated in an Indoor Triathlon. Sandy C., the prior winner of this event for several straight years, stated after taking second place, "these are always humbling events".

Each of us challenging ourselves and one another. All trying to better ourselves - that could mean over a prior race, the accomplishment of finishing, the challenge of going against long time favorites, etc. In a many ways, it felt like we are "Hunting for Wabbits" as they used to say on Bugs Bunny. The constant challenge of wanting more and the desire to be better than yesterday. Needless to say there were a lot of fast rabbits that day...I was just one of the dogs chasing the rabbits.

In our professional world, hospitals are very similar. It is that constant journey of challenging ourselves to do better than the day, the week, the year before. As we follow our mission and key strategies, we have a constant tension and balance among the competing priorities - all while staying true to our core purpose.

It made me think of the following article, Enterprise is Better Than Ease by Jim Rohn.

If we are involved in a project, how hard should we work at it? How much time should we put in?

Our philosophy about activity and our attitude about hard work will affect the quality of our lives. What we decide about the rightful ratio of labor to rest will establish a certain work ethic. That work ethic - our attitude about the amount of labor we are willing to commit to future fortune - will determine how substantial or how meager that fortune turns out to be.

Enterprise is always better than ease. Every time we choose to do less than we could, this error in judgment has an effect on our self-confidence. Repeated every day, we soon find ourselves not only doing less than we should, but also being less than we could. The accumulative effect of this error in judgment can be devastating.

Fortunately, it is easy to reverse the process.

Any day we choose we can develop a new discipline of doing rather than neglecting. Every time we choose action over ease or labor over rest, we develop an increasing level of self-worth, self-respect and self-confidence. In the final analysis, it is how we feel about ourselves that provides the greatest reward from any activity. It is not what we get that makes us valuable, it is what we become in the process of doing that brings value into our lives. It is activity that converts human dreams into human reality, and that conversion from idea into actuality gives us a personal value that can come from no other source.

So feel free to not only engage in enterprise, but also to enjoy it to its fullest along with all the benefits that are soon to come!

TJC Day 4 Wrap-up: Our Patients are in Great Hands

A note I shared today with our associates, volunteers and medical staff:

Day 4 of our Joint Commission survey has come to an end.

Wow...we did exceptionally well. Kudos to all of our associates, physicians, Board members and volunteers. The surveyors shared that our team should be extremely proud of the work we have done over the past three years. They were very impressed with everyone they met. This is great cause to celebrate and continue to manage to our high standards.

We still have our Life Safety Survey pending. This will also be unannounced. Once that survey is complete, we will know how we did overall.

Again, congratulations on your amazing work. I am so proud and appreciate all that you do to live out our mission. Our patients are in great hands at St. Joseph Medical Center & Carondelet Health.

Rachelle, Susan, Lindsay, Larry, Cynde, Jane and Nan - thank you for your non-stop leadership and guidance leading up to and through this week!

Do We Get To See a Real Heart?

What an amazing day we had with the 4th graders from Prairie Star Elementary. Due to weather (our 8th snowstorm), Lone Jack Elementary was unable to attend. The kids learned about eating healthy, how we take care of patients, how they can take care of themselves and a crowd favorite...they had a chance to see an animal heart. This was put on by the Carondelet Heart Institute and Kansas City Heart Foundation. Thank you Barb L. and Dr. Eric H. for leading a great event.

Details went out in a press release:

Children Learn about Healthy Hearts at the Carondelet Heart Institute

What’s an echocardiogram? What does my heart sound like through a stethoscope? What is “blood pressure” and what does it mean? Fifty students from Lone Jack Elementary School and 100 students from Prairie Star Elementary will be learning the answers to those questions, and a lot more about heart health during the Kansas City Heart Foundation’s Your Healthy Heart event at the Carondelet Heart Institute at St. Joseph Medical Center on Friday, February 25, 10-11:45 a.m.

The day is the highlight of a week-long program sponsored by the Kansas City Heart Foundation. In the days preceding the field trip, nurses and other health professionals visit the classrooms to teach the students about the anatomy of the heart, risk factors for developing heart disease and how to reduce those risks.

During Your Healthy Heart at St. Joseph, the students will visit eight interactive stations covering topics such as cardiac rehab, pacemakers/stents and blood pressure and EKG checks. Students will also learn how to prepare easy, heart healthy snacks.

“Heart disease is the number one cause of death in the United States,” says Eric Hockstad, MD, cardiologist and president of the Kansas City Heart Foundation. “By educating children on the importance of heart health we can show them how to develop habits now that will help prevent heart disease later in life. We’ve received a lot of positive feedback from the parents of students who have participated in this program in the past. They tell us that the information their children have brought home has inspired the whole family to take better care of their hearts.”

Thank you to the many volunteers, physicians, nurses, staff, Kansas City Heart Foundation and Prairie Star's Principal Farthing for making today event possible...and a major success.

Check out the great pictures from the event as Seen in the Kansas City Star.

Still Smiling After the Kaizen Event

Attendees:

Cynde Gamache, Collette Culver, Yolanda Ross, Carolyn Stewart, Abby Kurtz, Angela Dreckmeier, Catherine Gieseke, Denise Camacho, Linda Fleeks, Vikki Hinkle, Donna Sumner, Susan Ward, Lindsay Alexander, Rachelle Babin

Thank you Lean Team...a picture from the Kaizen Event team:
Discharge Room Turnover Process

This team redesigned our process making the it so much smoother as patients flow through our system. The team identified a plan to reduce the bed turnover time by 70%. This helps our ability to place a new patient needing an inpatient bed. Just amazing work.

Thank you to all who participated. This was a huge undertaking.

The Fit Execs and Companies of Kansas City

It's that time of year again...Ingram's second annual Fittest Execs and Fittest Companies Challenge. The "fittest" individuals, "fittest" teams and "most improved" teams are posted above.

A special acknowledgment to the high scores in each category:

- Dermatology & Skin Care Center

- A. Zahner Co.

- Glen Posladek

- Eileen Mertz

- Scott Strohm

- Joyce Goldstein

And of course, a special shout out to the team members who represented us at St. Joseph Medical Center under Cynde G., our CNO's leadership. This year, the SJMC team placed 9th on overall improvement out of 40 teams. Larry R. and Cynde G. both placed in the Top 10 most improved for their age category...amazing work!

Congratulations to everyone who participated. As a community we can continue to promote health and learn from each other.

Go Lean Team....Graduating Class Celebrates

Today we had the graduation of our first Lean Six Sigma graduates who all received their Green Belt certification today. Our training was in collaboration with Johnson County Community College - thank you JCCC! The Graduates reporting on 5 projects that will positively impact our quality, safety, patient flow, satisfaction, growth and financial improvement. We will continue to build on our culture of high reliability. Congratulation Graduates:

- Lisa M.
- Jesse A.
- Amy M.
- Jeff K.
- Mindy C.
- Faith P.
- Lee V.
- Jenn L.
- Brad S.
- Andrew B.
- Lori B.
- Barbara B.
- Cynde G.
- Susan W.
- Vikki H.
- Donna S.

Thank you Lindsay, Rachelle, Russ and the JCCC Leadership team. Amazing work by everyone.

TJC Day 2 - Sharing Our Story

Surveys by any regulatory agency can add stress to the day. I met with our TJC surveyors this morning and they shared observations, recommendations and best practices from yesterday. The common theme - when we share our story, why we provide the care the way we do and how we go about providing it, those are best practices. And the key is not only learning from the surveyors. We keep learning from other departments across the hospital and from other hospitals.

Last week I met with several large health systems to discuss new and "better" practices towards improving the healthy food and drink options in each of our facilities (e.g., "Fryless" Fridays). Even though a few of us are competitors, we found common ground and were able to discuss ways that we could help improve the health of our own workplaces and our communities as a whole.

The Joint Commission survey allows another forum for those shared ideas and practices.