Avera Bulletin June 2008
South Dakota Among 12 Communities Selected for Electronic Medical Records Demonstration Project
On Friday, June 13, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt visited Sioux Falls to provide details on a first-ever national electronic medical record (EMR) demonstration project and what it means for South Dakota communities. Earlier in the week it was announced that South Dakota was among only 12 communities selected from 30 applications to participate in the demonstration.
Avera Rural Health Institute grant writers were instrumental in submitting the application, which Leavitt noted was among the top four and unique for its collaboration between private entities and the state, and for crossing state lines.
In the application, Avera partnered with the members of the South Dakota e-Health Collaborative to serve as a community partner for CMS, assisting with outreach, education and recruitment of 200 area physician practices in the demonstration. From the pool of 200, 100 clinics will be selected randomly to participate in the incentive portion. The remaining 100 serve as controls, asked only to complete a short survey in years 2 and 5 for modest compensation. More details will become clear over the next few months.
Over the five-year project, financial incentives will be provided to as many as 1,200 primary care physician practices nationwide. In addition to the incentive payments, bonus payments may be awarded based on a standardized survey, which measures the number of EMR functionalities a physician group has incorporated into its practice. Total payments under the demonstration for all five years may be up to $58,000 per physician or $290,000 per practice.
To be eligible for the demonstration, physician practices must:
- Have fewer than 20 providers (87 percent of practices in South Dakota have five or fewer)
- Provide primary care
- Have or install a Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT)-certified EMR by the end of the second year (CCHIT is a private, not-for-profit organization that serves as the recognized United States certification authority for EMRs and their networks)
- Use the EMR to perform specific minimum core functionalities that can positively impact patient care processes
- Bill Medicare for services on a CMS-1500 claim form
De Smet Memorial Hospital to Become Avera Entity
Effective July 1, De Smet Memorial Hospital will become Avera De Smet Memorial Hospital, part of the Avera Queen of Peace Health Services region and related to Avera Queen of Peace in a manner similar to that of Avera Weskota Memorial Medical Center. The administrator and employees will become employees of Avera Queen of Peace; the hospital will become part of the financial operation there; and Ron Combs, a member of the De Smet Memorial Advisory Board, will attend the Avera Queen of Peace Board of Directors meetings.
During the past several months, departments of Avera Queen of Peace have been working with their counterparts in
De Smet to assist in making a smooth transition. A July 1 visit to meet the Avera De Smet Memorial Hospital Board, Administration, department directors and city council members is planned by Avera Queen of Peace Board members, their spouses and the Avera Queen of Peace Administrative Council.
Avera St. Luke’s Long-Term Care Satisfaction Among Nation’s Best
Avera Mother Joseph Manor, an 81-bed skilled nursing facility and part of Avera Mother Joseph Retirement Community in Aberdeen, S.D., ranked in the top 1 percent of 401 nursing facilities nationwide for resident satisfaction, according to the latest survey by Press Ganey Associates Inc., the leader in health care satisfaction measurement and improvement.
Avera Eureka Health Care Center, a 62-bed nursing facility and part of Avera St. Luke’s Long-Term Care Division, exceeded its ranking from last year to move into the top 3 percent nationwide in resident/family satisfaction for the first quarter of 2008.
“This is an impressive accomplishment. It reflects the dedication of our staff to meeting and exceeding the expectations of our residents and their families while they are in our care,” said Tom Snyder, vice president of Avera St. Luke’s Long-Term Care Division. “It’s particularly exciting because this is a nationwide ranking that compares us not only in South Dakota, but also all across the United States,” he added.
New Brain Injury Unit at Sunset Manor/Avera Health in Irene
Besides dealing with their current physical challenges, South Dakotans recovering from traumatic brain injury (TBI) are forced to travel out of state for long-term treatment. That will change this year through a new partnership involving the state; the South Dakota Department of Social Services (DSS); Village Northwest Unlimited of Sheldon, Iowa; Ability Building Services; Avera Health; and Avera Sacred Heart.
Sunset Manor/Avera Health in Irene, S.D., will become home to South Dakota’s first long-term care facility specifically designed for TBI patients. The skilled nursing home has been in the process of renovating its former independent-living facility for the TBI center.
Sunset Manor/Avera Health was chosen because of its location and facility, explains Tony Erickson, executive director of Avera Sacred Heart Senior Services. State officials had sought proposals for the TBI center from facilities around South Dakota. “Not only is this part of our mission, but also we have very suitable space that works well for this type of care model,” Erickson notes.
Plans call for the TBI unit, known as Sunrise Villa, to open by mid-July after undergoing a projected $500,000 in remodeling, says administrator Becky McManus. “This will enable patients with traumatic brain injury to live in a community setting. The units are specifically equipped to meet the needs of these individuals and are designed by consultants experienced in TBI care.”
Motor vehicle accidents, war injuries, radiation for brain tumors, anoxic brain injury, stroke and many other different scenarios can leave people with brain injuries. “It’s very individualized. In one case, it could be blurred vision and an unsteady gait. It’s not necessarily someone in a wheelchair,” McManus explains.
The Irene center will develop criteria for accepting residents but will be geared toward younger adults. The patients will be individuals whose injury occurred after age 21. The length of stay will depend on the individual’s goal for future living.
The facility will house up to eight TBI patients in one-bedroom apartments. But this won’t come near to meeting existing needs. It is estimated that more than 20 individuals who are out of state could utilize this kind of unit. Each apartment will have a kitchenette, refrigerator, microwave and fully accessible bathroom.
“Avera really stepped up to the plate, helping us work through several issues,” says DSS Secretary Deb Bowman. “When we approached them about this project, their response was, ‘What can we do to help?’”
The new facility could create as many as 15 new jobs including nurses, certified nursing assistants, a recreation therapist and possibly a social worker. The TBI unit will offer occupational, physical and speech therapy. The ability to remain closer to home will have a major positive impact on the TBI patients, McManus predicts.
Wall Street Journal Health Blog Touts Avera McKennan ER
The Wall Street Journal Health Blog recently gave kudos to Avera McKennan for tackling the issue of ER wait times. Noting that the state of South Dakota had the shortest wait times in the nation last year, the article summarizes the efforts undertaken to streamline services at Avera McKennan during the creation of the new ER.
Francie Miller, assistant vice president for Emergency and Adult Specialty Services is quoted, saying that Avera McKennan cut its average times in the ER by about 20 minutes since early 2005, and that last month the figure was just shy of the 2-hour mark, beating all South Dakota averages. Patients spent an average of 4 hours and 5 minutes in ERs in the United States last year.