April 15, 2014

Hospital photographers place first and fourth in national competition

Texas Children’s Hospital is excited to host the 2013-2014 Children’s Hospital Association (CHA) Photo Exhibit, a biennial competition that celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. The national exhibit, which will be on display on the fourth floor of Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women during the month of April, features photographs by Texas Children’s Hospital photographers Paul Vincent Kuntz and Allen S. Kramer. Visit childrenshospitals.net/photoexhibit to view the images.

Kuntz and Kramer received special recognition as their photos were selected as “top 5” photos, chosen from more than 250 photographs submitted by 56 children’s hospitals across the country and internationally. Kuntz placed first in this competition, the second time he has won this honor, and Kramer placed fourth and fifth. This marks the third competition in a row that Kuntz and Kramer have both placed in the top five. Additionally, there are four other images from the duo in the exhibit.

The CHA Photo Exhibit is comprised of 50 poignant and powerful images that portray the everyday heroes in children’s hospitals – brave patients, supportive families and compassionate health care providers.

Additionally, the exhibit’s presence at the hospital coincides with an international Arts & Health conference hosted by Texas Children’s, the Global Alliance for Arts & Health’s 2014 Annual International Conference, Enhancing Lives Through Arts & Health: 25th Anniversary Conference & Celebration. This exhibit truly embraces the goal of the conference which aims to bring much needed attention to the transformative impact the arts have on the healing process.

The CHA photo exhibition has been traveling around the country since last year and will be on display June 23-24 on Capitol Hill in Washington in conjunction with the Association’s Speak Now For Kids Family Advocacy Day event.

April 8, 2014

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Intense study focuses on critical needs of main campus core areas

At the beginning of this year, some pretty exciting things happened at Texas Children’s: a new system-wide mission statement announcement, celebration of the organization’s 60th birthday and the groundbreaking of the new Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands. But something even bigger and more imperative was going on behind the scenes: CareFirst.

In January, Texas Children’s launched CareFirst, an intense study of the core areas throughout the main campus. It involves a rigorous, eight-month planning process to help evaluate the hospital’s critical needs and set the right course for the future.

CareFirst initially will center around the needs of three areas:

  • the Emergency Center
  • Critical Care
  • Operating Rooms/PACU.

View this video to see why these areas need our attention.

“In the past several years, we’ve grown our programs and our physical footprint in the community to provide care where there was growing need,” said President and CEO Mark A. Wallace. “CareFirst is about focusing on the pressing needs at our main campus and reinvesting in the core clinical areas.”

In a video Wallace distributed last week, he documented a recent visit to the three core areas. In the videos, Dr. Paul Sirbaugh takes Wallace through the Emergency Center, which receives 50 percent of all 911 and EMS transports in Houston. In the Operating Rooms/PACU, Dr. David Wesson and Judy Swanson explain how some rooms barely accommodate the advanced technology required to take care of our patients. And in Critical Care, Dr. Lara Shekerdemian and Dr. Paul Checchia describe the balancing act involved in taking care of patients who now are surviving because of the care we provide and subsequently requiring longer hospital stays in our over-crowded ICUs.

CareFirst is such a high priority that Texas Children’s Board of Trustees, administrative leaders at all levels, physicians and many Texas Children’s employees have been engaged in the effort. The work teams are dedicating considerable time to CareFirst to move thoughtfully, but swiftly, and Wallace plans to unveil the findings and plans for the next stage of CareFirst at the beginning of fiscal year 2015.

“This will be one of the most difficult initiatives we have ever undertaken,” Wallace said. “Many areas will be impacted, and at times, this is going to challenge us. But I know it is the right thing to do for our patients and their families. It’s about ensuring that exceptional care continues to be first and foremost at Texas Children’s.

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Everyone hears that proper nutrition plays a significant role in your overall health though it’s not often as easy as it sounds. A healthy meal is the best start to achieving your optimal health and wellness goals but where do you start?

Texas Children’s is dedicated to supporting you as you strive to meet your health and wellness goals. Employee Health and Wellness is sponsoring an upcoming nutrition program, MyPlate Challenge, so gather your co-workers and join together or start planning goals of your own to make Texas Children’s a healthier campus all around.

Don’t eliminate, just add! It’s a refreshing and positive way to shift the way we look at food and have fun with your coworkers along the way.

Follow these simple weekly themes and eat at least the recommended amount of a particular food group four days a week or more. It’s about being consistent, not perfect!

Week Number
Dates
Weekly Theme
Week 1
April 21-27
Fruit
Week 2
April 28- May 4
Whole Grains
Week 3
May 5-11
Lean Protein
Week 4
May 12-18
Vegetables
Week 5
May 19-26
Dairy
Week 6
May 27-June 1
Eat Well
 

Throughout the program, participants will receive an incredible amount of nutrition information and support through such things as Motivational Monday emails, interactive discussion boards, and online resources. In addition, all participants will receive a Texas Children’s MyPlate mouse pad and have the opportunity to earn bonus points toward a drawing for one of ten Fitbits.

The challenge begins Monday, April 21.

Click here to join the challenge! (This link will only open internally)

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April marks Child Abuse Prevention month. The Child Abuse Pediatrics team hopes this is a reminder for all of us to pay attention to the signs of abuse and take action. Last year, more than 1,400 children who came through the Texas Children’s Hospital doors were identified as being abused or neglected. Twenty-six of them died as a result of suspected abuse or neglect. The CAP team relies on you, the staff, to take action.

Child maltreatment can take on many forms. While a list of indicators would be very long, here are some red flags to watch out for:

  • If a child tells you they are being mistreated, take action. Call the child abuse hotline to help make that child safer.
  • Sudden unexplained changes in child’s behavior (regressive, aggressive, or sexualized).
  • Unexplained burns, bites, bruises, or black eyes particularly to the head, neck, torso, buttocks and insides of the thigh.
  • A parent who shows little evidence of care or concern for the child, or even expresses that the child is a burden.
  • Parents who appear to be overwhelmed or use unusually harsh forms of discipline. Offer comfort and support instead of criticism.

Ways to prevent or stop child maltreatment include:

  • Share information regarding appropriate child development. This may reduce unrealistic parental expectations on a child.
  • Offer resources for parents struggling emotionally and physically. When provided in a supportive and helpful manner, most parents are appreciative. 2-1-1 is available in most communities, and is an excellent general resource.
  • Listen to children when they are talking about their lives. Stay calm and do not show emotional reactions. Many children who have been the victims of chronic maltreatment may not be able to correctly interpret your emotions.
  • Call Children’s Protective Services if you suspect child maltreatment. CPS exists to help families get stronger, while keeping children safe.

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On March 27, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to delay the implementation of the ICD-10 coding system for hospitals and providers – which was to replace the current ICD-9 coding system – by one year. Originally, all hospitals and providers were to have implemented ICD-10 by October 2014. The new deadline for implementing ICD-10 is October 2015.

The Senate passed the legislation on April 1, and the bill was signed into law April 2. The law is called the Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014 and is effective immediately.

How Does This Affect Texas Children’s?

The hospital has been working on its education plan for providers for more than a year. The education component will move forward as planned.

Providers still can access the education modules that explain how the new coding system will affect their specialties, beginning this month.

What does change is the deadline to complete the education courses. That deadline has been extended to July 2015.

In the meantime, the hospital will continue to train its billing staff on the ICD-10 system, and will continue to make system upgrades to the hospital’s electronic health record (EHR). Those upgrades ensure that our EHR is compatible with the ICD-10 system.

By continuing with our efforts to make the switch to ICD-10, the transition will be that much easier come next October.

The annual Doctors’ Day celebration took place during a luncheon honoring the hard work of our physicians. The event was attended by doctors and members of the leadership team who stopped by to say thank you.

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Nine years ago, I was sitting in a meeting with the St. Luke’s CEO when I learned that they were looking to get out of obstetrics and gynecology and maternal fetal medicine. I raised my hand and let them know we were interested to take over. I knew we were about to do something that would change women’s health care in Houston forever. Texas Children’s would assume responsibility for St. Luke’s ob/gyn and MFM services until we were able to build our own facility.

Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women opened its doors for inpatient services on March 26, 2012. It was a monumental day for everyone who had been a part of planning and executing this new state-of-the-art hospital. I knew it would make a difference in the lives of countless women. What I didn’t know then was that I would one day have a personal experience at the Pavilion as a family member.

On February 10, 2014 at 6:29 p.m., Clark Wallace was born at Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women. What a full circle moment. From the day I raised my hand in that meeting with St. Luke’s, to my own grandbaby being born here, it was surreal. This was a very special and exciting experience from a number of different perspectives.

First, it was our son Ben’s first baby. Emily, our daughter, has four sons and one daughter, but they live in Chicago, so this was also our first Texas-born grandbaby. Of course it was also impressive to experience the Pavilion as a grandparent and to be here for such a special moment in my personal life.

My wife, Shannon, and I patiently waited at home to get the news of Clark’s arrival and came to the hospital the following morning to meet the newest grandbaby. To see our Pavilion team in action – from Dr. Belfort to everyone in the delivery suite, the floor nurses, diagnostic and therapeutic services, radiology and pathology, food and nutrition – was incredible. To see it all come together in such a beautiful way and know that it wasn’t just for Clark Wallace but that it’s what all our patients are experiencing was a proud moment for me, both as President and CEO and as a grandfather.

I knew we had the right vision for this new hospital and for the thousands of babies born here every year, including my grandson. I have great pride in knowing that our grandson and daughter-in-law had the very best care. Seeing that care firsthand as member of a patient’s family and knowing it’s the same care every mother and baby receives here was truly an incredible feeling.

Now it might be hard to believe, but I promise I saw Clark smile as soon as he saw me and I might have even heard him say “TCH.” He looked exactly like Ben did when he was born, a really good looking fella with a big head and fat cheeks.

Watching the team at work from a patient family perspective and seeing the quality of care and service – from valet to the delivery room and room service – made me swell with pride for what we’ve created at the Pavilion for Women. It’s one of a kind, and there’s nothing like it in Texas, the U.S. or the world.