From nurse to leader – Amy Poso is one of the many leaders guiding Texas Children’s into our biggest expansion yet in Austin. Read Amy’s full story. Read More
June 1, 2022
Tashia Bush reflects on Mental Health Awareness month and how Texas Children’s is focused on expanding care for behavioral health patients. Read More
During Patient Experience Week April 25-29, we celebrated the special moments Texas Children’s team members and providers create every day that lead to positive patient experiences.
A Scavenger Hunt and Magical Moments captured in team photos, posters and videos kicked off the week’s activities highlighting our teamwork and values. Thank you for your creative entries! Hopefully you had the chance to join the live Teams staff prize drawing events Monday through Wednesday during the week. See the photo gallery for some of the team entries and winner celebrations, and link to one of the video entries here.
Patients and families joined in the fun throughout the week during activities such as BINGO, crafts and prizes.
A fun-filled toolkit was delivered to patient care and ancillary departments to help teams commemorate the week and celebrate the magical moments they created.
Congratulations to the 2022 Caught You Caring of the Year Award winners! The Patient Experience Team received more than 50 nominations from across the organization. Hundreds of phenomenal examples of Texas Children’s team members living compassionately and amplifying unity were shared!
Join us in celebrating this year’s Caught You Caring of the Year Award recipients:
Luis Espinoza, Patient Care Assistant, Main Campus Acute Care
Sygnore Valdeavilla, Registered Nurse, West Campus Emergency Center
Katherine (Kate) Cole, Pediatric Rheumatology Nurse, Austin Specialty Care
Dylan Marshall, Ambulatory Services Representative, Austin Specialty Care
Paul Lopez, Registered Nurse, The Woodlands Vascular Access Team
Veronica Lucatero, Ambulatory Services Representative, Main Campus Virtual Visit Support Center
Aaron Weitz, Care Coordinator, Main Campus Cancer Center
Paloma Salazar, Registered Nurse, Main Campus Acute Care
Maricela Yanes, Behavioral Health Medical Assistant, Texas Children’s Health Plan
DeAntoinette (De) Riggins, Ambulatory Services Representative, The Woodlands Pathology
Lillian Dickerson, Ambulatory Services Representative, Pavilion for Women
Almea (Mea) Montillo, Patient Care Manager, West Campus Acute Care
Dianne Woodard, Guest Services Representative, Main Campus Guest Services
Theresa Lazarte, Nurse Practitioner, Main Campus Cancer Center
Wendy Humphreys, Sonographer, Pavilion for Women
Be on the lookout for an upcoming Connect article highlighting these individuals for their commitment to providing an exceptional experience for our patients and families.
In a last look at Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May, our team members reflect on their identity and culture. Read More
One year ago, under the Ambulatory Redesign Initiative, the Pediatric Ambulatory Operations team launched a new service that is revolutionizing how we deliver care and support to the patients we serve – the first Virtual Visit Support Center (VVSC). On May 10, 2021, as the COVID-19 pandemic was in its second year, the team introduced a video orientation and virtual rooming service where patients are offered the convenience of virtual pre-appointment device testing along with real time appointment support.
Within virtual “rooms,” Medical Assistants (MAs) collect all of the necessary patient information they would normally ask in-person, prior to a provider visit (e.g., medication review, pharmacy preference, etc.). In addition, the VVSC assists patients with device and MyChart support (i.e., basic computer and phone best practices) prior to their telemedicine appointment date to ensure a seamless and stress-free virtual appointment.
Since the VVSC launch, the team of nine staff consisting of Ambulatory Services Representatives and MAs is now supporting 10 Ambulatory Pediatric sub-specialties across The Medical Center, West Campus, The Woodlands Campus and Austin. The team is currently expanding to other pediatric sub-specialties with the intent to expand to surgical and women’s sub-specialties in the future.
Some highlights from the VVSC’s efforts in FY22 include:
- The MA team has roomed over 30,000 virtual appointments
- Over 1,800 patients have received telemedicine video orientation prior to their appointments
- Patient satisfaction scores for telemedicine appointments are 2 percent higher within supported specialties compared to non-supported specialties
- MyChart Visit completion rate is 4 percent higher across supported medical specialties against their baseline
Every member of the VVSC team plays an important role in delivering quality, convenient and timely service and care to our patients and their families.
Monica Garcia, a MA within the VVSC, helps virtually room patients during their pre-appointment assessments. “I enjoy the convenience of virtual visits for families,” she said. “We are providing a service for families that relieves some of the stressors of a doctor visit. Driving in traffic, finding parking, missing a lot of school or work, and if one parent is out of town, they still have the opportunity to join in virtual and not miss any information pertaining to their child’s care.”
The first provider to experience the VVSC, Pediatric Pulmonologist and Sleep Medicine physician, Dr. Amee Revana, also shared her experience working with the team. “The handoff was great, I was able to spend more time with patients than reviewing the chart,” she said. “Patients did not mind having the Medical Assistant on…they actually liked it as it is similar to the in-person visit.”
The launch of the VVSC is one of the many reasons why Texas Children’s remains one of the leading women’s and children’s hospitals. Look out for more updates from this amazing team as they grow and expand to more specialty areas within Texas Children’s.
To learn more about this initiative and/or if you have questions, please reach out to the VVSC team at virtualvisitsupportctr@texaschildrens.org.