October 27, 2020

The health plan’s Member Services department has recently captured attention for record-setting performance. Even amid an onslaught of change, their service has increased and improved.

Could it get any better?

With the implementation of Epic Tapestry next summer, health plan leaders say YES! The performance of the department – and the value they bring to members – is about to be better than ever.

Let’s start with our workforce …

“One of the most significant benefits Epic Tapestry will bring to our team is the use of one system,” said Opera Wagner-Ross, director of Member Services. “Right now, the team must use multiple systems to serve our members, which can be time consuming and complicated. Tapestry will eliminate this.”

Wagner-Ross adds that the implementation will also streamline the communication between all parties involved in a member’s care.

“It’s a domino effect,” she said. “Improved workflow brings improved employee satisfaction. And satisfied employees are certainly more productive.”

So, what are the primary benefits to our members?

In two words – CONVENIENT ACCESS.

Tapestry will allow for the development of an enhanced member portal. Through the portal, families can access a number of convenient tools 24 hours a day/seven days a week, which may reduce the number of phone calls they make or time they have to wait for information.

According to Wagner-Ross, only 5,000 members used the portal last year out of more than 400,000 members. She says the low numbers are due to the portal’s limited functionality and the inability to adequately meet our member’s needs. “We are very hopeful that this will change.”

Moreover, the enhanced portal will improve care for members who are also patients of Texas Children’s Hospital because the portal will integrate with MyChart.

The member portal also includes …
  • Benefit Information: Provides information about the member’s benefits associated with the coverage and links to metered benefits and out-of-pocket benefits.
  • Referrals: Gives members access to information, such as the provider who referred them, who they were referred to, the status of the referral, the start and expiration dates of the referral, and the number of authorized and remaining visits.
  • Claims: Allows members to view their Tapestry claims and paperless explanation of benefits. Members can take a look at what claims have been posted for services rendered to them.
  • TCHP/TCH linked access: Members who are also patients of Texas Children’s Hospital will have expanded access to view Health Plan member features and Texas Children’s MyChart patient features.
  • Temporary ID card: Members can access and print a temporary ID card and request replacements electronically.
  • PCP update: Gives members the ability to electronically request a PCP change via the portal.

Missed the first story in our series? It’s all about Healthy Planet.

Read all about Member Services’ stellar performance.

Social Media is used by billions of people all across the globe. Many of us use social media to communicate with friends and family, post photos and videos, market products, promote brands, connect to customers and foster new business relationships. When it comes to social media restrictions involving patients in health care, potential risk may expose patient information, breach of data, and violation of patient privacy.

Are you balancing patient privacy through Social Media?

Restricting the privacy of patients’ protected health information (PHI) is one of the most significant concerns related to social media use. In view of the fact that boundaries between appropriate versus inappropriate and personal versus professional use of social media can easily be obscured, managing privacy risks can be challenging. For example, numerous instances have occurred in which healthcare workers have posted pictures of, or confidential information about, patients on professional or personal social media pages without the patients’ consent. Therefore whether intentional or not, the likelihood of exposure and patient privacy rights is increased.

What are the risks?

The risks of sharing too much information on social media platforms can have devastating effects on both healthcare organizations and employees if patient specific information is shared. Healthcare employees should avoid potentially hazardous mistakes while using social media and medical blogs to avoid Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) violations altogether.

Common examples of social media HIPAA violations include:

  • Posting verbal “gossip” about a patient to unauthorized individuals, even if the name is not disclosed.
  • Sharing of photographs, or any form of PHI without written consent from a patient.
  • A mistaken belief that posts are private or have been deleted when they are still visible to the public.
  • Sharing of seemingly innocent comments or pictures, such as a workplace lunch which happens to have visible patient files underneath.
What can you do to reduce risks?

It has become common practice for people to discuss the events of their day via social media, but for a healthcare provider, doing so maybe illegal. To reduce risk to your organization, you can start by following company policy in accordance with social media and patient privacy. You want take responsibility and use your best judgment to avoid making costly mistakes. If you think twice before you post patient information, you align with HIPAA compliance involving patient data. Patient privacy is vital and should be protected at all times.

Prohibit or set limitations on the photographic use of cellphones and other portable electronic devices as part of organizational policy.

When posting content containing patient identifiable information to the organization’s social media sites, ensure patient consent is obtained. The consent should explicitly state how the information will be used. Have someone who is familiar with HIPAA and state privacy regulations review social media content to ensure information does not violate patient confidentiality.

Be aware that responding to a patient post or review on a social media site might violate HIPAA or state privacy laws.

Understand the technical limitations and terms and conditions of any social media sites that you plan to use. For example, information sent via messaging functions likely is not encrypted, and the site might maintain the right to access any personal information.

October 20, 2020

Courtney Prewitt shares creative ways our nurses can stay connected virtually and non-virtually while adhering to social distancing guidelines to ensure everyone’s safety. Read more

Providing the highest standard of care for obstetrical patients has always been paramount for the team at The Center for Children and Women. The Southwest location of The Center has recently received the stamp of approval from the state of Texas thanks to a new Level II Maternal Designation issued by Texas Department of State Health Services to CHI St. Luke’s Hospital in Sugar Land.

With more than 90 percent of the obstetrical patients at The Center–Southwest delivering at CHI St. Luke’s, this is a big win for our families and the entire Sugar Land community.

This achievement was spear headed by one of our own, Dr. Michelle Jones. As the Maternal Medical Director at CHI St. Luke’s Hospital in Sugar Land, she led the team through a two-day hospital survey conducted by the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologist and state health services.

“This Level II Specialty Care designation validates that we can safely and competently provide high quality care for moderate-to high-risk antepartum, intrapartum, or postpartum conditions,” said Dr. Jones, Maternal Medical Director at CHI St. Luke’s Hospital in Sugar Land. “This state-issued designation means that we understand and have implemented the standards of care identified as necessary to provide quality care for obstetrical patients. Recognizing and addressing early warning signs which will help us decrease obstetrical complications is a key focus of our in-patient teams.”

Dr. Jones goes on to say that the designation sends a strong message to patients that we are doing what is best to improve the quality of care for them.

Why is this so important?

Unfortunately, national data shows a continuing trend that although we are one of the richest countries we lag behind other developed countries in the category of insuring good health care for expecting mothers. Maternal mortality and morbidity has increased by at least 200 percent from 1993 to 2014. Black women have a 3.3 times greater risk of complications compared to non-Hispanic white women.

And to make matters even more challenging, three out five pregnancy-related deaths in the US are preventable. Reducing the number of preventable deaths has been the primary goal of reducing maternal mortality initiatives in Harris County.

“We are working with standards of care that will save more lives,” Jones said. “And this designation will ensure that we are accountable for the care with provide. I am proud of our team and excited for our patients.”

October 19, 2020

What’s your voting plan for the 2020 general election?

Will you vote by mail? At the polls?

On what day? At what time?

If you don’t have a plan, you are planning to fail. And with so much at stake during the 2020 election, everyone’s voice should be heard.

Early voting starts Tuesday, October 13 and ends Friday, October 30. The general election is Tuesday, November 3. During Early voting and on Election Day, more voting options will be available to you depending on your county of residence. These include 24-hour poling locations, drive-through voting, and county-wide voting.

This information along with all you will need to help make your plan to vote can be found at TexasChildrens.org/Vote. See below for additional resources.

Facebook Live event

Texas Children’s will be hosting a “Voter Plan” FB live event with the Harris County Clerk’s Office, the League of Women Voters, the East Harris County Empowerment Council and the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials to discuss the voting process and the tools available to every voter during this election season. Join the conversation for helpful tips or to ask questions about create your voter plan!

Log on at 7 p.m. Thursday, October 15, using this link to the East Harris County Empowerment Council’: http://www.facebook.com/ehcec

Our providers urge you to go to the polls

Once you’re registered to vote, it’s important to make a voting plan. In this video, Texas Children’s Dr. Shubhada Hooli shares why it’s important to be prepared when you head to the polls. Whether you’re voting early from October 13 to October 30, voting by mail or in person on Election Day on Nov. 3, make sure you’re prepared and informed. Visit the League of Women Voters of Houston’s website at lwvhouston.org to find a polling location near you.

Social Media reminders

Social media is a great way to share glimpses of your life with family and friends. Engaging on social media is a part of our daily routines, so it’s more important than ever that everyone at Texas Children’s understands their responsibilities around social media use, especially as it relates to the upcoming election.

With that in mind, the Marketing/PR and Human Resources departments developed a short video about the appropriate use of social media. You can watch the video here and keep it front of mind whenever you use any social media platform.

VOTE! Then tell us about it – post a photo of yourself with your “I voted” sticker on social media, tag @TexasChildrens @OneAmazingTeam and include the following hashtag: #IVoted

Texas Children’s Time Off to Vote policy

Texas Children’s employees are expected to vote either before or after work, and encouraged to cast their ballot during the early voting period, October 13 to 30. More information available here time off for voting in section seven of the Texas Children’s Time Off policy.

Texas Children’s non-partisan voter education activities are executed in collaboration with the Children’s Hospital Association guidelines on Permissible Nonpartisan Candidate and Voter Education Activities, found here. Texas Children’s policy on non-solicitation and distribution is found here. All materials and publications associated with Texas Children’s voter education and registration activities are in no way intended to reflect an endorsement for, or opposition to, any candidate or political party.

On October 19, Texas Children’s Specialty Pharmacy celebrated another milestone with a brand new, specially designed space that will enhance operational efficiency and service to more than 1,700 patients. The Specialty Pharmacy’s call center and dispensing operations moved from the Abercrombie and Mark A. Wallace Tower buildings to its new home on the eighth floor of the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute (NRI).

“Previously, the Specialty Pharmacy dispensing team worked from the Abercrombie basement in small rooms making work flow processes difficult,” said Josephine Hurtado, Director for Specialty Pharmacy. “Additionally, the operation had so many manual workflows requiring checks and balances to be in place to minimize the opportunity for error. Not only is the new space at the NRI ergonomic and lean, new technology from McKesson HVS has been implemented to improve the prescription filling process such as integrated bar code technology and workflow automation which guarantees efficiency and the safest patient care. The team is excited to embark on this new endeavor.”

Specialty Pharmacy began four years ago and serves numerous clinics including Neurology, Endocrine, Rheumatology, Pulmonary, Renal, Hematology-Oncology, Dermatology, Gastroenterology, Retrovirology, Pulmonary Hypertension, Transplant Services, Allergy and Immunology, Prader-Willi, and also serves Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus and Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands.

The Specialty Pharmacy team provides service to many patients with complex and chronic conditions that require comprehensive, ongoing communication and management for their medications which are typically expensive. The team collaborates with physicians to manage medication-related issues as part of the plan of care. Texas Children’s Specialty Pharmacy patients have direct access to pharmacists who are dedicated liaisons to assist them in navigating the many complex aspects of specialty drugs including insurance authorization, financial assistance and therapy adherence.

For over the last several months, the Specialty Pharmacy team has been engaged in the design of the new space and have considered every aspect of the project to bring this massive undertaking to fruition.

“Every detail has been addressed in the most thoughtful manner,” said Rosemary Nguyen, assistant director of Specialty Pharmacy. “This expansion will enable us expand our patient volume and to provide the best patient care. The ability to improve our workflows allows the team to continue to focus on improving health outcomes by reducing the administrative burdens that patients typically experience with specialty medications and therefore provide an extraordinary level of service and patient experience as part of an overall plan of care.”

 

In an unprecedented year, Texas Children’s is celebrating National Health IT (HIT) Week to honor our Information Services (IS) staff. The organization salutes IS especially for their performance in meeting the multiple unanticipated challenges of COVID-19 while keeping the organization’s day-to-day operations safe and secure.

It’s also an opportunity for Texas Children’s to recognize and celebrate the amazing accomplishments resulting from partnerships between IS staff and our clinical and operational collaborators. For example:

Click here to learn how Jackie Ward, Vice President of Nursing and Dr. Eric Williams, System Chief Quality Officer, use technologies like Teams to support Texas Children’s clinical operations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Click here to learn how Mark Mullarkey, Executive Vice President and President of Texas Children’s Health Plan; and Weldon Gage, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, use technologies like Teams to support Texas Children’s business operations during the pandemic.

Since 2006, the Healthcare Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS) has observed National HIT Week to demonstrate the power of information and technology to transform health.