June 3, 2014

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When you think of Texas Children’s Neuroscience Center, two distinct attributes come to mind: integrated expertise and comprehensive patient care.

“Every single day, our neurologists, neurosurgeons and clinical researchers work together to pioneer innovative therapies to improve the lives of children with neurological disorders,” said Dr. Gary Clark, chief of Neurology and Developmental Neuroscience at Texas Children’s. “We needed a name that communicated this partnership and our firm commitment to providing high-quality comprehensive care to all of our patients.”

As a result, the neurology and neurosurgery divisions merged under one marketing umbrella to become the Neuroscience Center which focuses on a multidisciplinary team approach for treating childhood neurological disorders. If a neurologist diagnoses a brain disorder in a patient that cannot be treated by medication alone, for instance, then surgical treatment may be required.

Expert teams of neurologists collaborate with neurosurgeons daily to deliver complete care in more than 12 pediatric specialty clinics. Our Neuroscience Center brings together a diverse group of pediatric specialists representing different areas of expertise:

  • Neurology
  • Neurosurgery
  • Neurophysiology
  • Neurological Critical Care
  • Genetics

“By combining clinical care with easy access to surgery, our Neuroscience Center offers patients and their families access to treatment in one centralized location,” said Dr. Thomas Luerssen, chief of Neurosurgery and chief quality officer of Surgery at Texas Children’s. “From diagnosis to treatment, whether it involves surgery, inpatient rehabilitation or access to a clinical trial, our patients will have the full complement of services.”

Texas Children’s has consistently been ranked among the nation’s top children’s hospitals in neurology and neurosurgery by U.S. News & World Report.

“Since neurology and neurosurgery are measured as one specialty program by U.S. News & World Report, it makes sense to market them together as the Neuroscience Center,” said Dr. Clark.

Texas Children’s is one of the largest pediatric neurological service providers in the country. On average, more than 30,000 clinic visits take place every year and more than 900 surgeries are performed by providers in our Neuroscience Center.

Click link to learn more about Texas Children’s Neuroscience Center.

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Information Services (IS) will introduce several customer improvements this month to simplify service requests, solve problems more quickly and track service better.

“Information Services continually works to assess the effectiveness of our customer services, and we are aware our Service Desk customer care does not currently meet our standards or our customers’ needs,” said Myra Davis, senior vice president of IS.

Within the next few weeks, IS will implement several service enhancements, including improved staff, self-service options and a new support portal that allows customers to:

  • Report an issue or submit a request to IS online.
  • Check the status of any open service ticket previously submitted (with or without the ticket number).
  • Add comments to your ticket for the service analyst working on your issue.
  • Search articles and answers to common questions to help quickly resolve issues that may not need a service analyst.

How will this affect me?
Davis said customer improvements will provide a better, more efficient experience for all.

“We have renovated our customer service model to introduce enhancements like a new customer portal for online status updates and staffing improvements to reduce wait times,” she said. “New self-service options will help resolve issues without having to call the IS Service Desk. Everything is designed to improve the customer experiences of employees by helping our staff be more efficient.”

What employees need to do
The new customer support portal will pull contact information from each employee’s Connect Profile. Click here to check your Connect profile to make sure all of your contact information is current.

Questions?
Information Services is dedicated to providing a secure, reliable technology environment. If you have questions about IS customer service improvements, please call the IS Service Desk at Ext. 4-3512 (external 832-824-3512).

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Watch the newest “Super Star” video featuring Felicia Cruise in Ambulatory Services. “I have an attitude to pursue great customer service,” Felicia said. “I seek to treat people the way I want to be treated.”

Check out her video, and find out how you can nominate a Super Star to be featured in the “Super Star” section on Connect.

By Amy Aiken Puglia

When Steven and I decided to grow our family, we had no idea it would happen so soon. It really took us by surprise when those two pink lines appeared! That’s why it was so comforting to know that I would have access to great quality care just a hop, skip, and a jump away at the Pavilion for Women. While I haven’t been skipping, hopping, or jumping to any of my recent appointments being seven months pregnant, it is with an even greater confidence and trust that I check in at each visit with my new women’s specialist, Dr. Codi Weiner. I have found the Women’s Specialists of Houston, and particularly Dr. Weiner and her staff, to be very responsive to all of my worried first-time-mom calls and emails. Also, they have readily worked with me in re-booking appointments when I have any scheduling blunders that need sorting out.


Click above to view the very creative announcement “trailer.”

Some of the most amazing experiences we’ve had since the three of us started this new journey include hearing our daughter’s heartbeat for the first time when she was just seven weeks old and then seeing her for the first time during our anatomy scan sonogram appointment at nineteen weeks. As we looked into my “womb with a view” and saw our little girl, it was as though she knew mommy and daddy were watching. She began to wiggle, stretch, and tap dance her way deeper into our hearts. Towards the end of the appointment, she began to get sleepy (as you can tell from the clip at the end of our video). She let out a big yawn and then nestled down for a nap. So cute! We just cannot wait to meet her and get to know her as the newest member of the Puglia family. 

​About Amy Puglia: Amy is the manager of emergency management. She and her husband, Steven, are expecting their first on July 25.

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The Clinical Research Center presented the Clinical Research Award for First Quarter 2014 to Catherine Loffredo, research nurse, Department of Molecular and Human Genetics-Clinical Program.

The award was established by the Clinical Research Center in collaboration with the Research Resources Office to recognize and honor individual contributions to protecting the best interest of the research subjects and compliance with applicable rules and regulations.

Ms. Loffredo’s research activities in the CRC focus on genetic syndromes.

May 27, 2014

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Texas Children’s recently received an impressive report card from The Joint Commission with surveyors commending the hospital for demonstrating several best practices.

“Our survey results are a great indication that we are meeting the expectation of quality care for our patients,” said Texas Children’s President and CEO Mark A. Wallace. “This should only propel us to continue our focus on providing safe, quality care every single day for every one of our patients.”

Every three years, Texas Children’s undergoes an accreditation process by The Joint Commission survey team to ensure our delivery of high-quality patient care. Five surveyors arrived at Texas Children’s for a five-day survey on May 12. The survey team included a pediatrician for inpatient areas and the medical staff, and another pediatrician for ambulatory areas, an Ob/Gyn specialized nurse, pediatric nurse and a life safety engineer.

What Joint Commission noted

The survey is intended to assess the organization’s compliance in patient care areas that contribute to positive outcomes and to measure and improve performance. The Joint Commission team was very impressed with our improved outcomes in asthma, diabetes, radiology efficiency and flow, patient flow and surgical complications. The team also identified several best practices observed during the survey, including:

  • Time out processes across the system
  • Error prevention technology in the anesthesia ad pharmacy areas
  • Use of data to improve patient outcomes

“The Joint Commission survey team visited several Texas Children’s facilities to evaluate patient care processes through on-site observations, interviews and tracer methodology,” said Mary Jo Andre, Texas Children’s senior vice president of Quality and Safety. “Surveyors use tracer methodology to retrace the specific care processes that a patient experienced by observing and talking to staff in areas where the child received care.

“The surveyors were very impressed with the knowledge and confidence of the staff and faculty who participated in the tracer interviews. They complimented them also on their ability to navigate Epic and explain the continuum of care. Most importantly they were impressed with their ability to talk about quality projects and outcomes. We are very proud of their performance.”

How we prepared for the survey

Preparing for regulatory surveys is an ongoing process underscored by Texas Children’s daily focus on patient safety and high quality programs. About six months before our anticipated Joint Commission survey, Texas Children’s hires a consultant to review our processes and evaluate our survey readiness. The information provided by the consultant helps the organization fine tune.

“The results we get from area tracers during that preparation process provide information we need to develop and implement an organization-wide readiness education program,” said Trudy Leidich, Texas Children’s director of Quality and Safety and Medical Staff Services. “But we regularly evaluate our internal processes against regulatory guidelines to identify opportunities for improvement. Regulatory surveys are valuable evaluation tools, but we have a deliberate focus on the quality and safety of our patients’ care every day.”

An independent, not-for-profit organization, The Joint Commission accredits and certifies more than 20,500 healthcare organizations and programs in the United States. Approximately 77 percent of the nation’s hospitals are accredited by The Joint Commission. Accreditation surveys are unannounced, so preparation is a crucial, on-going process.

“Accreditation by The Joint Commission means Texas Children’s meets the highest quality and safety standards in patient care,” Wallace said. “It gives patients peace of mind knowing that our facilities are surveyed routinely and that we meet or exceed a comprehensive assessment of the care we provide.”

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The Center for Children and Women has been honored by The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) as the first obstetrics practice in Texas to receive the Patient-Centered Specialty Practice Recognition (PCSP). Practices that become recognized under Patient-Centered Specialty Practice Recognition have demonstrated commitment to patient-centered care and clinical quality through: streamlined referral processes and care coordination with referring clinicians, timely patient and caregiver-focused care management and continuous clinical quality improvement.

“We are proud to be the first obstetrics practice in Texas to receive the PCSP recognition,” said Dr. Lisa Hollier, medical director of obstetrics and gynecology at Texas Children’s Health Plan – The Center for Children and Women. “Our care teams work hard to provide the best, comprehensive care for our patients and to empower our patients to become healthier,” she concluded.

Earning NCQA PCSP Recognition shows consumers, private payers and government agencies that the practice has undergone a rigorous review of its capabilities and is committed to sharing information and coordinating care. Recognition also signals to primary care practices that the specialty practice is ready to be an effective partner in caring for patients.

“The Center for Children and Women is honored that our operations and healthcare team meets and exceeds the qualities worthy of the Patient-Centered Specialty Recognition,” stated Tangula Taylor, director of operations at Texas Children’s Health Plan – The Center for Children and Women. “We continue to pursue excellence as we strive to find new and innovative methods to deliver outstanding care to our patients.”

NCQA is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations. It also recognizes clinicians and practices in key areas of performances. NCQA is committed to providing health care quality information for consumers, purchasers, health care providers and researchers.