August 25, 2015

Texas Children’s is committed to providing the highest quality patient care, a critical component of which is how our patients and their families experience that care. As we continue to grow, it is our responsibility to ensure we provide a consistently exceptional experience system wide.

Recognizing the importance of the patient experience and its integral role in quality patient care, we have created several teams to drive improvements in our patient and family experience. During the past 10 months, hundreds of leaders, physicians, and employees on those teams have reviewed the feedback we receive on our patient satisfaction surveys and helped implement more than 25 projects aimed at improving the patient and family experience throughout Texas Children’s.

The patient satisfaction survey is administered by Press Ganey to patient families on all three of our campuses (Main Campus, West Campus and the Pavilion for Women). Every patient encounter is eligible for a survey, including the scheduling process, the courtesy of our staff members and our billing procedures.

We track our performance in 14 clinical areas across the system and our scores are compared to those of similarly sized children’s and women’s hospitals across the country. This year, we set our goals to ensure we perform better than at least half of the other hospitals surveyed by Press Ganey. This goal is aligned with our organizational goal to raise satisfaction score performance system wide.

We survey families throughout the year, therefore families you encounter each and every day will be surveyed about their experience. We need to work together to ensure they receive the best possible experience. According to our patients who are surveyed, two things we need to focus on are: showing concern for their needs and keeping them informed about any delays that might occur. If you have not participated in one of the many improvement projects this year, talk to your leader about the efforts in your area targeted to enhance the patient and family experience.

In the words of Texas Children’s President and CEO Mark A. Wallace: “If our care is absent of compassion, we are not fulfilling our promise to our patients and their families. From the moment a family member calls to schedule an appointment, their experience with us begins, and every single thing that happens thereafter will leave a lasting impression.”

We encourage all employees and physicians to watch Mr. Wallace’s video on this subject and think about how you and your teams can improve the experience starting now.

82615AnnualReport640

Texas Children’s Hospital recently unveiled its 2014 Annual Report, a commemorative publication that celebrates our remarkable contributions and historic milestones over the last 60 years.

Centering on the core elements of our mission – patient care, education and research – this 88-page book spotlights our early pioneers and shares the work and accomplishments that have made Texas Children’s such a stellar organization for more than six decades.

As you read through the report, you’ll find beautiful images and inspirational stories that chronicle our hospital’s humble beginnings and the illustrious history that continues to define us. The front and back cover feature a then and now photo of Texas Children’s first patient, Lamaina Leigh Van Wagner.

“Since 2014 coincided with Texas Children’s 60th birthday, our goal was to create an annual report that was memorable, impactful and inspiring,” said Annual Report Editor Rosanne Moore, a member of Texas Children’s Corporate Communications team. “Our efforts involved months of intensive research, creative writing and design and multiple rounds of edits to bring this project to fruition.”

The success of this monumental endeavor would not have been possible without the collaboration from our talented Creative Services team, who meticulously designed this masterpiece with a retro feel in mind.

“We used different color tones, vintage designs and characters to help readers navigate through different time periods in Texas Children’s 60-year history,” said Assistant Director of Creative Services Owen Sears. “All of the design elements came together perfectly to produce this top-notch commemorative publication.”

Click here to read a flip book version of Texas Children’s 2014 Annual Report.

August 18, 2015

Flanked by a group of former Texas Children’s Hospital patients and hundreds of supporters, Texas Children’s President and CEO Mark A. Wallace looked on as a 7-foot-tall Mexican White Oak tree was hoisted to the top of what will soon be Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands.

“Go, go, go!” Wallace and the children cheered until the tree with was in place. “We did it!”

The tree hoisting was the highlight of an August 14 tree topping ceremony at the site of Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands. The milestone event marked the halfway point in the construction of the hospital, which will open its doors in 2017.

Adorned with promises made by Texas Children’s employees to The Woodlands community, the tree will remain atop the unfinished hospital for a week before being planted on facility grounds.

“All of you who are here today are here because you share our commitment, our promise, to provide the very best care when and where our families need it most,” Wallace said. “That is why we are topping out The Woodlands campus with this very special tree.”

Following the tree-topping ceremony, guests took shelter from the almost three-digit temperatures under a cooling tent, sipped lemonade and nibbled ice cream and popcorn. Some event goers got a tour of the construction site. The tours were led by Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands team members and crew from Tellespen Builders, the company that is leading the construction project.

“You coming out today means you join in our excitement about a project that will bring children the best pediatric hospital right to their community,” Tellespen CEO Howard Tellespen Jr. told the crowd. “You have helped fulfill our legacy of being part of something bigger than ourselves.”

Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands President Michelle Riley-Brown and Chief Medical Director Dr. Charles Hankins shared their excitement about what’s to come for the hospital and The Woodlands community during a BBQ lunch at tables set up on what will be the first floor of the hospital.

“At Texas Children’s, we are not only committed to meeting the needs of patients and families we serve, but we are committed to doing that in a way that works for them,” Riley-Brown said. “For so many, this means providing care close to home; that’s exactly why we are building Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands.”

The hospital will serve children and families in the Woodlands, Kingwood, Conroe, Spring, Magnolia, Humble, Huntsville and beyond, and will build on a decade’s worth of relationships Texas Children’s has built in the community through our primary and sub-specialty care at Texas Children’s Pediatrics locations and the Texas Children’s Health Center The Woodlands.

The hospital will complete that picture, offering services in more than 20 areas of specialty care at a facility with 32 acute care beds, four operating rooms, 10 radiology rooms with 2 MRI’s, an emergency center with 22 patient rooms, a helipad, 1,000 free parking spaces and, by the end of 2017, an intensive care unit with 12 beds. Opening in 2016, the hospital also will include an outpatient facility with 74 exam rooms, 23 subspecialty clinics and a Texas Children’s Pediatrics Primary Care Clinic.

Hankins said he and The Woodlands team already have hired several top-notch physicians in hematology-oncology, endocrinology, neurology, otolaryngology and sports medicine, and that they are continuing to recruit the best and the brightest from across the world to serve patients at The Woodlands campus.

“As a resident of The Woodlands, you will have your very own community hospital right here in your own backyard,” he said. “Patients at The Woodlands campus will receive the same high quality care as those at Main Campus without having to drive more than 30 miles.”

81915TexansJuniorCheer640Patients got a special treat last week when the Houston Texans cheerleaders paid them a visit and hosted a mini Jr. cheerleading camp at Texas Children’s Hospital.

“We are going to teach you to dance like we do during the games,” one of the cheerleaders told the crowd as her squad mates handed out fluffy red and white pom-poms. “Show me how to shake ’em.”

For the next hour, the cheerleaders worked with the patients on their dance routine, played games, signed autographs and posed for photos. Excitement filled the room as the patients showed spirit for their hometown NFL team.

“I loved it!” 8-year-old Zoe Rosales squealed. “I want to be a cheerleader and practice all the time at home.”

Following the camp, the cheerleaders visited heart patients, bringing along pom-poms and autographed posters. For cheerleader Ashley S., the August 10 visit was extremely meaningful since she used to be a patient at Texas Children’s Hospital.

Ashley was diagnosed with a potentially deadly disease nine years ago and stayed at Texas Children’s Hospital for four weeks. During her time at the hospital, she enjoyed Radio Lollipop, our fully-equipped, on-site radio station that broadcasts to patients’ rooms via Texas Children’s television system.

“The staff at Texas Children’s Hospital worked really hard to make me feel like I was more than just a patient,” Ashley said. “It’s a blessing to be able to give that experience back.”

Texas Children’s teamed up with the Houston Texans earlier this year to inspire children to lead healthier, more active lives through camps, programs and events all year long. We are working alongside the Texans through community engagement and education programs to give Houston-area kids the tools necessary to make healthy choices throughout their lives. Last week’s mini Jr. cheerleading camp is just one of many of the exciting events we’ll take part in throughout the year. Click here to learn about some of the other ones.

The pitter patter of tiny feet is a welcome distraction through the halls of the House office building where U.S. Representatives often meet with lobbyists on a multitude of issues. Today, the lobbyists are from children’s hospitals. To lobby is the act of attempting to influence decisions made by officials in a government, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies.

The term lobbyist often garners a suspicious look, carrying with it a connotation of someone who wines and dines politicians until they agree to legislation that favors the lobbyists’ interests. But today, the sound of the tiny shoes of a two year old running down the halls of legislative offices is a stark contrast to the idea of lobbying for many. The little girl running around and causing a lot of smiles is Audrina Cardenas, born at Texas Children’s Hospital in 2013 with a condition called Ectopia Cordis. Simply put, a third of Audrina’s heart was outside her chest. It took many specialties and several hours of surgery to fix her condition and Audrina is still undergoing surgeries to fix the issues that continue well past her initial surgery. Audrina is the definition of a complex medical case and in her role today, she is helping legislators understand why the Advancing Care for Exceptional Kids Act of 2015 (ACE Kids Act) is needed to reform Medicaid. She will meet with representatives and senators who will hear her story from her mom and Texas Children’s representatives and try to help them understand how this legislation will impact other children like Audrina for the better.

The bill is a proposal to improve how care is delivered to America’s children with complex medical conditions on Medicaid by creating federally designated centers of excellence at children’s hospitals that care for these patients. Texas Children’s Director of Government Relations Rosie Valadez-McStay has been meeting with representatives and senators for months advocating for the passage of ACE Kids but today she’s bringing the patients to them to tell their own stories.

“If you’re going to be a lobbyist, being a lobbyist for a children’s hospital is the best job,” Valadez-McStay said. “We try to bring real life stories to our elected representatives and help them understand how the legislation they are proposing, or considering approval, impacts our mission and most importantly, our patients at Texas Children’s and other children’s hospitals across the country.”

Valadez-McStay and her team represent the organization in both Washington D.C. and Austin where legislation that affects hospitals is debated. They advocate for Medicaid and other issues that determine how care is delivered, who receives it, and how we sustain critical health programs such as trauma care, child abuse training, immunizations and disaster preparation, to name a few.

They also host legislators during their time back in their districts or when they are passing through Houston. For the government relations team, the purpose of these visits is to provide better insight to legislators about the importance of children’s hospitals and what distinguishes these facilities from their adult counterparts.

“How we shape and influence our elected and appointed officials with regards to health care law and policy will affect the way care is delivered at Texas Children’s for decades to come,” said Senior Vice President Alec King. “Our strategies and initiatives reach far and wide to tell the story of Texas Children’s to these decision makers, ensuring that our mission is supported and protected.”

On an August trip to the hospital, Congressman Joe Barton, the US House of Representatives co-author of ACE Kids, met with hospital executives, physicians, nurses, administrators and patient families about how our system is planning and designing better models of care for children with medically complex conditions.

“Barton was a supporter of the concept of his legislation – designating children’s hospitals as pediatric centers of excellence,” Valadez-McStay said. “But it wasn’t until he went through our hospital, spoke to providers, administrators and parents, that he truly appreciated our role in not only the care of these children, but also in the health and wellbeing of their families in and out of the hospital and into adulthood.”

Back in D.C., the visits from Audrina and other patient families resulted in 145 additional House co-sponsors and 24 US Senate co-sponsors to the ACE Kids Act; legislation that could ultimately make a major difference in the care of patients like Audrina who are covered by Medicaid.

Direct lobbying of policymakers is combined with outreach to key stakeholders and constituents back home, also known as, grassroots advocacy. The team encourages grassroots advocacy by employees, families and supporters of Texas Children’s. To join the grassroots advocacy network, click here and find out how you can participate in the legislative process and help shape public policy that affects the care we deliver every day.

81915woodlandsurgentcare640Texas Children’s has expanded its urgent care network, adding a location in The Woodlands next door to the community’s children’s museum on West Panther Creek Drive.

The new facility is the third urgent care center to open during the past year. The other two centers are in the Cinco Ranch and Memorial areas and already have served more than 20,000 children and adults up to age 18.

“Our urgent care centers were created to respond to the growing need for expert pediatric urgent care,” said Texas Children’s Pediatrics Vice President Lou Fragoso. “The result is a clinical system that provides outstanding customer service through high-quality, efficient and affordable care – right in our patients’ neighborhoods.”

Open weekday evenings and weekends, the centers are staffed by board-certified pediatricians and are equipped to diagnose and treat common pediatric illnesses and injuries. If a patient’s illness or injury requires a higher level of care, our staff is able to stabilize and transfer that patient to an appropriate pediatric hospital.

“Our efficient processes allow us to register, diagnose, treat and discharge a child in less than one hour for a majority of patients,” Fragoso said. “By the time a child is discharged, their prescription will have been sent to the pharmacy and a summary of the visit sent to their pediatrician.”

Texas Children’s will continue to grow its urgent care network in the Houston area with more locations opening in the upcoming year.

For more information about Texas Children’s Urgent Care, go to http://www.texaschildrens.org/urgent care. You also can join the network’s Facebook page to receive the latest news and updates.

81915autismwalk640Ready to lace up to support a worthy cause? The Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s and Baylor College of Medicine invite you to join their team for the 2015 Walk Now for Autism Speaks.

The walk will be held on Saturday, September 19, at the Houston Sports Park at 12131 Kirby Drive. The event is part of a nationwide fundraising effort to raise money and awareness for autism research and quality programs to improve the lives of children and adults with autism spectrum disorders.

All participants who raise $150 or more will receive a commemorative T-shirt on Walk Day.

Click here to join the NRI and Baylor team for the 2015 Walk Now for Autism Speaks. For more details about the event, click here.