May 27, 2015

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More than 125 people recently attended the 25th Annual Specialist Education in Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Conference organized, in part, by Texas Children’s Hospital.

Neonatologists, critical care physicians, surgeons, nurses and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) specialists gathered for three days in the Texas Medical Center to exchange information and ideas about the technique that can provide both cardiac and respiratory support to patients whose hearts and lungs are unable to provide an adequate amount of blood flow and oxygen to sustain life.

ECMO works by removing blood from a person’s body, pumping it through an oxygenator, and then returning the blood via a continuous circuit. Generally, it is a life-sustaining therapy that can be used in the later stages of heart or lung failure to provide an opportunity for proper treatment of the disease process and, hopefully, organ recovery.

“The relative infrequence of utilization, in addition to the high mortality and morbidity, makes proper education and training an absolute necessary component for personnel involved in the care of patients supported with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation,” said Dr. Matthew Musick, the activity director for the conference and PICU physician at Texas Children’s Hospital. “The goal of the conference is for participants to enhance their fund of knowledge and practical management strategies to better care for their patients.”

Many of Texas Children’s experts in the field of ECMO were highlighted at the conference as multiple presentations were given by our esteemed faculty and staff, including Dr. Darrell Cass, Dr. Lara Shekerdemian, and Dr. James Thomas. A wide scope of practice including sessions regarding therapeutic options for patients with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, the innovative use of ECMO for trauma patients, emerging ECMO technology for isolated heart failure, and the utility of simulation in ECMO programs were covered.

April 28, 2015

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On October 1, Texas Children’s will join other hospitals across the nation and switch from ICD-9 code sets to the expanded ICD-10 code sets to report patients’ diagnoses and procedures. For the first time in more than 30 years, this transition to ICD-10 will streamline the management of health care records to ensure even better outcomes for our patients.

The implementation of the ICD-10 coding system was delayed last year after Congress passed a new law to postpone cuts to the Medicare reimbursement rate for physicians. President Barack Obama recently signed legislation on April 16 that permanently replaces Medicare’s sustainable growth rate formula, putting a rest to the likelihood of another ICD-10 delay.

For more than a year, Texas Children’s ICD-10 preparedness teams have worked diligently to ensure all employees are prepared for the mandatory October 1 conversion. The most important action we can take is to educate ourselves and be ready for the transition, as it will impact physicians, coders, billing staff, nurses, labs, front desk and many other areas.

“We believe that communicating the change clearly and consistently will help ensure a smooth transition,” said Texas Children’s Chief Safety Officer Dr. Joan Shook. “Some of the tools we’ve developed – like a fact sheet that answers frequently asked questions – are specific to this change, while other times we use existing hospital and provider publications to keep everyone informed.”

Unlike the ICD-10 coding system, the 30-year-old ICD-9 codes use outdated terminology, lack specificity and is running out of room as hundreds of new diagnosis codes are submitted annually. The United States is the only country that uses ICD-9, and the switch to ICD-10 will enable more accurate comparisons of health care data with other countries.

With more than 140,000 diagnostic and procedural codes, ICD-10 will give our physicians, researchers and others a more accurate picture of our patient care by allowing greater specificity and precision in describing a patient’s diagnosis and classifying inpatient procedures.

ICD-10’s more expansive coding system also will help health care providers better track data to measure the quality and safety of care, process claims for reimbursement, and improve clinical, financial and administrative performance.

The two roles most affected by the ICD-10 conversion are physicians and coders. Texas Children’s has partnered with Baylor College of Medicine to provide e-learning videos for physicians to explain how the new coding system will affect their specialties. Coding staff have completed “boot-camps” to learn about the ICD-10 codes and have begun coding some accounts in ICD-9 and ICD-10. For others, the ICD-education team has prepared an area-specific curriculum that is available online through Healthstream.

The deadline for Physician providers to complete required online training is Tuesday, September 1. Click here to access the e-learning modules specific to your specialty.

“We want to ensure our providers are prepared as the ICD-10 implementation moves forward,” said Texas Children’s Director of Health Information Management Austin Frazier. “The latest education completion statistic is 10 percent, but our goal is to achieve 100 percent compliance by September 1.”

Texas Children’s continues to train its staff on the ICD-10 system and make system upgrades to the hospital’s electronic health record and other ancillary systems to ensure it is compatible with the ICD-10 code set.

Below are links to a quick fact sheet and helpful sites with basic information on ICD-10 to see how this change will impact your own medical record documentation.

For more information:
ICD-10 Video
ICD-10 Fact Sheet
ICD-10 Industry Updates
ICD-10 Myths and Facts

March 31, 2015

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The Department of Pediatrics has been selected to edit the 23rd edition of the classic textbook Rudolph’s Pediatrics. First written in 1897 as Disease of Infancy and Childhood by L. Emmett Holt, M.D., the book is today one of two principal textbooks of pediatrics used around the world.

“This is a major milestone in the transition of editorial responsibilities for an iconic 119-year-old pediatric text- the first such editorial transition in more than 30 years, Said Physician-in-Chief Dr. Mark W. Kline. “It is also a potentially transformative event in the history of Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor Pediatrics.”

The most recent, 22nd edition published in 2011 by McGraw-Hill Professional includes 2,488 pages and a companion DVD featuring more than 1,700 figures, 1,100 tables and 30,000 references.

Abraham M. Rudolph, M.D., now professor of pediatrics emeritus at the University of California San Francisco, assumed the editorial reins in 1977 with the 16th edition of the book, then known simply as Pediatrics. In 1991, with the 19th edition, it was renamed Rudolph’s Pediatrics in his honor. Editor-in-chief for the 22nd edition was Abraham Rudolph’s son, Colin, Rudolph, M.D., Ph. D., vice chair of Clinical Affairs of the Department of Pediatrics at the Medical College of Wisconsin.

“It’s a huge honor to be selected for editorial responsibility for such a high profile textbook,” said Physician-in-Chief Dr. Mark W. Kline. “It takes a big, diverse department like this one to pull this off.”

February 17, 2015

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Texas Children’s Hospital recently participated in Junior Achievement’s largest youth gathering called JA Inspire to provide thousands of eighth graders hands-on exposure to some of the region’s best employers.

Representatives from Human Resources, Nursing and the Emergency Center spent three days at the event’s career fair in Pasadena and another three days at the event’s career fair in Cypress encouraging students to explore and prepare for potential career opportunities in health care. They talked to the students about how multi-faceted the health care industry is and provided the students with information that will help them learn about relevant coursework and curriculum as they prepare for high school and beyond.

“It was so nice to see the look on the students’ faces when we described working at a pediatric hospital,” said Liz Wuestner, a clinical specialist for the Emergency Center. “These young people are our future health care providers, and it was a great opportunity to inspire them to pursue a degree in nursing.”

Chief of Emergency Medicine Dr. Paul Sirbaugh was a featured speaker at the event in Cypress and said afterward that he “had forgotten how rewarding it is to interact with middle school students who have so much passion and excitement for the future.”

“They see no barriers, only possibilities,” he said.

The JA Inspire event is just one of the many ways Texas Children’s Hospital continues to grow its footprint in the community. Our organization will continue to have a presence at events similar to JA Inspire to help build the future talent pipeline.

March 18, 2014

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We see it all the time on the news. Heartbreaking stories of tragedy when a suspect with a history of mental illness turns an ordinary day into a devastating scene. People are often left wondering what more could have been done to prevent the incident. It’s a widespread issue that’s now being tackled nationally.

Mental Health First Aid is a program that trains community members to spot and assist people who are having mental health issues or facing a mental health crisis. Texas Children’s is offering a free course for anyone interested in taking action!

“We decided to offer the class here because there were an increasing number of encounters with patients or patient families with mental illnesses,” said Brent LoCaste-Wilken, Employee Assistance Program Manager. “It was disrupting patient care or interaction with the staff.”

LoCaste-Wilken said mental health is not just a problem at Texas Children’s but the crises families often face in this setting can accentuate mental health issues. He said the class is not just for clinical staff but it can be useful for everyone.

Course participants will learn to identify mental disorders and rather than be afraid, actually help the person through the crisis and get the appropriate help. Dr. Brett Perkison, medical director of Employee Health and Wellness, said he found the course to be critical in helping recognize signs of mental distress.

“We all encounter friends and colleagues who are in a state of mind where they need help,” said Perkison. “This class helps one recognize those symptoms early. It is also useful to help take the stigma out of mental health and treat it appropriately.”

“It removes the stigma than can prevent people from giving help,” said LoCaste-Wilken.

Similar to a first aid course, the class will help identify dangers and train you in steps that can be done to help in a situation.

“It goes beyond patient care,” said LoCaste-Wilken. “It could help employees in situations with co-workers or even outside of work with friends, neighbors or anyone in the community.”

Each participant who completes the course and passes the competency is certified as a Mental Health First Aider by the National Council for Behavioral Health.

Class information:
Mental Health First Aid – click to register on Connect

1 day course (8 hours)
Friday, April 4 – 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. – Pavilion Conference Center fourth floor, Room B (F.0475.50)

2 day course (4 hours each day)
Monday, May 5 – 8 a.m. to noon – Pavilion Conference Center fourth floor, Room B (F.0475.50)
Monday, May 12 – 8 a.m. to noon – Pavilion Conference Center fourth floor, Room B (F.0475.50)

February 25, 2014

The March of Dimes Texas Chapter has awarded a grant to Texas Children’s Health Plan to support “Becoming a Mom,” a program that delivers prenatal education in a group setting.

Texas Children’s Health Plan is currently offering the “Becoming a Mom – Comenzando bien Program” in Houston and Huntsville locations. The program’s goal is to provide supportive environments that promote healthy behaviors and positive birth outcomes. The “Becoming a Mom” program helps women overcome barriers to care and become informed of prenatal services.

As a managed care organization serving more than 360,000 members, Texas Children’s Health Plan provides Medicaid and CHIP insurance coverage for individuals in 21 counties, including Harris and the surrounding seven counties. Texas Children’s Health Plan supports pregnant women through the provision of “Becoming a Mom” classes, childbirth classes, home visitation programs and community events, spreading awareness of early prenatal visits and the benefits of waiting until after the 39th week of gestation before delivery.

March of Dimes is the leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health. With chapters nationwide and its premier event, March for Babies, the March of Dimes works to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. For the latest resources and information, visit marchofdimes.com or nacersano.org.