Okay we are coming to the end of our first week on the new system. I recently heard a very funny story that I thought would make you smile. This made me wonder whether you may have ironic or funny Meditech stories. If you do, or have heard some, please share! They can be coping stories or just incidental things that have come up.
Joe Assante, facilities, was in the cafeteria in Mountainside when Pat De Martino, director of IT and point man on the whole magilla, came in with Joe Dobosh, CFO. Assante gives DeMartino and odd look and says to Pat "Why are you here? Isn't today is the big day? I am sure of it. I have seen signs all over the place. Isn't today the big Meditech Lunch?”
Pat completely deadpan responds "It's launch, not lunch. Today is the big launch."
Joe was of course pulling his leg trying to lighten the moment but I did laugh out loud.
How about you? Any stories?
I keep hearing threats to "dress" the cows with skirts so they look like Rosie the maid from the Jetsons! I’d love to see that!
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
All of The Above
Okay, so I know we’re all feeling it - tension, stress - all of the above.
I too have been feeling the pressure… for me it’s mostly a numbers game. The health benefits we provide to our employees has increased a whopping $800,000 and our reimbursement from insurance companies and the state has either remained flat or decreased; between the 2010 CSH budget and the continuing battles over health care reform - it has been a tough couple of months and as you can relate, it’s hard to stay focused.
I was asked to participate in a panel discussion at the national NACHRI conference last week about how health care reform impacts kids with special needs. I was going to be on a panel with 3 other hospital CEO's and they told me I could do a brief overview and we would open it up for questions. I figured, I can do this in my sleep. I have been living it, breathing it, it will be a no brainer.
So imagine my surprise when I realized the intimate panel discussion was not so intimate but before the ENTIRE NACHRI MEETING and not a break out session that I had thought. Not 40 people in the room but 400 people. We all know I’m a type A personality and something like this just floored me.
In the end the presentation went fine, I made them laugh, made them cry. And of course I told them about the amazing work you do with our kids and why it is so important. I put a face on our story telling them about a little boy who was never going to live a “normal” life who is now fully mainstreamed and has more dates than I do!
Has that happened to you? Please, tell me that I’m not alone here. Have you been distracted, doing too much, trying to get it all in and you realize that you are flying by the seat of your pants?
Let's break the ice a little and share your stories… You don’t have to post your name, just share a laugh.
I too have been feeling the pressure… for me it’s mostly a numbers game. The health benefits we provide to our employees has increased a whopping $800,000 and our reimbursement from insurance companies and the state has either remained flat or decreased; between the 2010 CSH budget and the continuing battles over health care reform - it has been a tough couple of months and as you can relate, it’s hard to stay focused.
I was asked to participate in a panel discussion at the national NACHRI conference last week about how health care reform impacts kids with special needs. I was going to be on a panel with 3 other hospital CEO's and they told me I could do a brief overview and we would open it up for questions. I figured, I can do this in my sleep. I have been living it, breathing it, it will be a no brainer.
So imagine my surprise when I realized the intimate panel discussion was not so intimate but before the ENTIRE NACHRI MEETING and not a break out session that I had thought. Not 40 people in the room but 400 people. We all know I’m a type A personality and something like this just floored me.
In the end the presentation went fine, I made them laugh, made them cry. And of course I told them about the amazing work you do with our kids and why it is so important. I put a face on our story telling them about a little boy who was never going to live a “normal” life who is now fully mainstreamed and has more dates than I do!
Has that happened to you? Please, tell me that I’m not alone here. Have you been distracted, doing too much, trying to get it all in and you realize that you are flying by the seat of your pants?
Let's break the ice a little and share your stories… You don’t have to post your name, just share a laugh.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Concerns About Meditech
It is hard to believe October is here already. There has been so much going on at Children’s Specialized and with federal health care reform it doesn’t really feel like we had much of a summer "break."
Here at home, I’m hearing a lot of concern from employees about Meditech. The issues are two fold.
First, I am hearing that people are just uncertain. Will the system work as well as what we have now? What happens if it doesn’t work? We don’t have enough time to practice before we go live. It is never going to happen.
Let’s all take a deep breath. There is a lot of information to take in and many hours of training. But just like anything else, you only master a new skill when you are working with it everyday. All the practice in the world doesn’t replace the real time process.
It is important to remember that we used our finest clinicians from Children's Specialized to customize the drop down fields and made the modifications necessary to suit our special needs.
Is everything going to be perfect day one? No. Nothing in this world works that way.
We will have our bumps but the test of both an individual and an organization is how we perform when trouble arises. In this organization, time and time again, we have risen to the occasion through a thoughtful, practical process. This is exactly what we do with the kids we serve. We identify the problem. We develop a plan and we will fix it. There won't be finger pointing that says “you should have anticipated this” or “you should have done it better.” That isn't part of our values and that isn't who we are.
Will we be scared and frustrated over the coming weeks? Sure, but we need to remember the pay offs. The ability for all of our systems to speak to each other will allow us provide our patients with the highest quality of care.
For example, Meditech will allow an outpatient therapist to access a patient’s records and see the actual doctor's notes or what the child’s goals were as an inpatient. This type of immediate access to crucial information is huge. Let alone having everything in one place for the insurance authorization, coding and billing.
Secondly, the automation will give people the thing that we all want more of - time. A therapist recently shared with me that she is most excited about using Meditech because she will “have her life back,” so she doesn’t have to do her notes at home any more.
Let's all agree to keep the lines of communication open. We know there will be pitfalls and we will figure it out together and our work productivity, process and performance will be much better as we move forward.
I’d like to ask employees to share their comment, excitement and even concerns for using this new aplication. Please leave comments below.
One favor to ask of you. This week marks my first set of employee meetings for Fall 2009. I have updates on our corporate goals, updates on the Meditech project, federal health care reform and other strategic plan objectives.
Are there other things you would like me to cover? Please let me know – shoot me an email. Also, check our intranet for the employee meeting schedule.
Looking forward to seeing each of you at the employee meetings.
Amy
Here at home, I’m hearing a lot of concern from employees about Meditech. The issues are two fold.
First, I am hearing that people are just uncertain. Will the system work as well as what we have now? What happens if it doesn’t work? We don’t have enough time to practice before we go live. It is never going to happen.
Let’s all take a deep breath. There is a lot of information to take in and many hours of training. But just like anything else, you only master a new skill when you are working with it everyday. All the practice in the world doesn’t replace the real time process.
It is important to remember that we used our finest clinicians from Children's Specialized to customize the drop down fields and made the modifications necessary to suit our special needs.
Is everything going to be perfect day one? No. Nothing in this world works that way.
We will have our bumps but the test of both an individual and an organization is how we perform when trouble arises. In this organization, time and time again, we have risen to the occasion through a thoughtful, practical process. This is exactly what we do with the kids we serve. We identify the problem. We develop a plan and we will fix it. There won't be finger pointing that says “you should have anticipated this” or “you should have done it better.” That isn't part of our values and that isn't who we are.
Will we be scared and frustrated over the coming weeks? Sure, but we need to remember the pay offs. The ability for all of our systems to speak to each other will allow us provide our patients with the highest quality of care.
For example, Meditech will allow an outpatient therapist to access a patient’s records and see the actual doctor's notes or what the child’s goals were as an inpatient. This type of immediate access to crucial information is huge. Let alone having everything in one place for the insurance authorization, coding and billing.
Secondly, the automation will give people the thing that we all want more of - time. A therapist recently shared with me that she is most excited about using Meditech because she will “have her life back,” so she doesn’t have to do her notes at home any more.
Let's all agree to keep the lines of communication open. We know there will be pitfalls and we will figure it out together and our work productivity, process and performance will be much better as we move forward.
I’d like to ask employees to share their comment, excitement and even concerns for using this new aplication. Please leave comments below.
One favor to ask of you. This week marks my first set of employee meetings for Fall 2009. I have updates on our corporate goals, updates on the Meditech project, federal health care reform and other strategic plan objectives.
Are there other things you would like me to cover? Please let me know – shoot me an email. Also, check our intranet for the employee meeting schedule.
Looking forward to seeing each of you at the employee meetings.
Amy
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Oreos and Obituaries
A few weeks back, I got to watch our Brain Injury team in New Brunswick do wheelbarrow races. You know the eggs on spoons and all sorts of team building exercises. Everyone was really competing and having so much fun. Watching them reminded me of how important these activities are. I was at an organization where they made us do them a lot.
I also understand that our Brain Injury team did the Oreo cookie analysis. I included the key at the end so you can see the way you eat an Oreo cookie is very telling about your personality.
Honestly the one I dreaded most was the "write your obituary and share it with the group." My eyes would roll in the top of my head and I would have rather stuck a fork in my eye than participate.
What’s important to keep in mind is each time I did any of these activities; I learned something new about someone I had been working with for years. I took the opportunity to share something about myself that gave my coworkers insight into who I am and why I do things a certain way. These activities, when done correctly, give people the tools to work together well, especially as a team.
Are there any activities that you have participated in, at CSH or beyond, like the Oreo cookie quiz that you want to share? Maybe we could even incorporate one of these activities into our next round of employee meetings?
Let me know what you think.
Amy
PS - I am a "dunker"
Psychologists have discovered that the manner in which people eat Oreo cookies provides great insight into their personalities. Choose which method best describes your favorite method of eating Oreos:
1. The whole thing all at once.
2. One bite at a time
3. Slow and methodical nibbles examining the results of each bite afterwards.
4. In little feverous nibbles.
5. Dunked in some liquid (milk, coffee...).
6. Twisted apart, the inside, then the cookie.
7. Twisted apart, the inside, and toss the cookie.
8. Just the cookie, not the inside.
9. I just like to lick them, not eat them.
10. I don't have a favorite way because I don't like Oreos.
Your Personality:
1. The whole thing: This means you consume life with abandon, you are fun to be with, exciting, carefree with some hint of recklessness. You are totally irresponsible. No one should trust you with their children.
2. One bite at a time: You are lucky to be one of the 5.4 billion other people who eat their Oreos this very same way. Just like them, you lack imagination, but that's okay, not to worry, you're normal.
3. Slow and Methodical: You follow the rules. You're very tidy and orderly. You're very meticulous in every detail with every thing you do to the point of being anal retentive and irritating to others. Stay out of the fast lane if you're only going to go the speed limit.
4. Feverous Nibbles: Your boss likes you because you get your work done quickly. You always have a million things to do and never enough time to do them. Mental breakdowns and suicides run in your family. Valium and Ritalin would do you good.
5. Dunked: Every one likes you because you are always up beat. You like to sugar coat unpleasant experiences and rationalize bad situations into good ones. You are in total denial about the shambles you call a life. You have a propensity towards narcotic addiction.
6. Twisted apart, the inside, and then the cookie: You have a highly curious nature. You take pleasure in breaking things apart to find out how they work, though not always able to put them back together, so you destroy all the evidence of your activities. You deny your involvement when things go wrong. You are a compulsive liar and exhibit deviant, if not criminal, behavior.
7. Twisted apart, the inside, and then toss the cookie: You are good at business and take risk that pay off. You take what you want and throw the rest away. You are greedy, selfish, mean, and lack feelings for others. You should be ashamed of yourself. But that's ok, you don't care, you got yours.
8. Just the cookie, not the inside: You enjoy pain.
9. I just like to lick them, not eat them: Stay away from small furry animals and seek professional medical help - immediately.
10. I don't have a favorite way, I don't like Oreo cookies: You probably come from a rich family, and like to wear nice things, and go to up-scale restaurants. You are particular and fussy about the things you buy, own, and wear. Things have to be just right. You like to be pampered. You are a priss.
I also understand that our Brain Injury team did the Oreo cookie analysis. I included the key at the end so you can see the way you eat an Oreo cookie is very telling about your personality.
Honestly the one I dreaded most was the "write your obituary and share it with the group." My eyes would roll in the top of my head and I would have rather stuck a fork in my eye than participate.
What’s important to keep in mind is each time I did any of these activities; I learned something new about someone I had been working with for years. I took the opportunity to share something about myself that gave my coworkers insight into who I am and why I do things a certain way. These activities, when done correctly, give people the tools to work together well, especially as a team.
Are there any activities that you have participated in, at CSH or beyond, like the Oreo cookie quiz that you want to share? Maybe we could even incorporate one of these activities into our next round of employee meetings?
Let me know what you think.
Amy
PS - I am a "dunker"
Psychologists have discovered that the manner in which people eat Oreo cookies provides great insight into their personalities. Choose which method best describes your favorite method of eating Oreos:
1. The whole thing all at once.
2. One bite at a time
3. Slow and methodical nibbles examining the results of each bite afterwards.
4. In little feverous nibbles.
5. Dunked in some liquid (milk, coffee...).
6. Twisted apart, the inside, then the cookie.
7. Twisted apart, the inside, and toss the cookie.
8. Just the cookie, not the inside.
9. I just like to lick them, not eat them.
10. I don't have a favorite way because I don't like Oreos.
Your Personality:
1. The whole thing: This means you consume life with abandon, you are fun to be with, exciting, carefree with some hint of recklessness. You are totally irresponsible. No one should trust you with their children.
2. One bite at a time: You are lucky to be one of the 5.4 billion other people who eat their Oreos this very same way. Just like them, you lack imagination, but that's okay, not to worry, you're normal.
3. Slow and Methodical: You follow the rules. You're very tidy and orderly. You're very meticulous in every detail with every thing you do to the point of being anal retentive and irritating to others. Stay out of the fast lane if you're only going to go the speed limit.
4. Feverous Nibbles: Your boss likes you because you get your work done quickly. You always have a million things to do and never enough time to do them. Mental breakdowns and suicides run in your family. Valium and Ritalin would do you good.
5. Dunked: Every one likes you because you are always up beat. You like to sugar coat unpleasant experiences and rationalize bad situations into good ones. You are in total denial about the shambles you call a life. You have a propensity towards narcotic addiction.
6. Twisted apart, the inside, and then the cookie: You have a highly curious nature. You take pleasure in breaking things apart to find out how they work, though not always able to put them back together, so you destroy all the evidence of your activities. You deny your involvement when things go wrong. You are a compulsive liar and exhibit deviant, if not criminal, behavior.
7. Twisted apart, the inside, and then toss the cookie: You are good at business and take risk that pay off. You take what you want and throw the rest away. You are greedy, selfish, mean, and lack feelings for others. You should be ashamed of yourself. But that's ok, you don't care, you got yours.
8. Just the cookie, not the inside: You enjoy pain.
9. I just like to lick them, not eat them: Stay away from small furry animals and seek professional medical help - immediately.
10. I don't have a favorite way, I don't like Oreo cookies: You probably come from a rich family, and like to wear nice things, and go to up-scale restaurants. You are particular and fussy about the things you buy, own, and wear. Things have to be just right. You like to be pampered. You are a priss.
Monday, June 29, 2009
NEW THINGS GOING ON
I am trying to think of a way to get more traffic, and therefore your comments to the blog. When I heard about the video that the Make Friends with Autism team had done, I decided to post the following memo sent to me by that team. Maybe there are more things going on that you want to share with your colleagues? If so, you can do it under the post, ask questions of the people and I will make sure they are answered. Innovation is running wild around Children's Specialized. There are so many incredible ideas being presented and programs going on, I thought this might be a good place to share.
There is an exciting program coming this fall that may interest the families and staff of Children's Specialized. Make Friends with Autism, a community focused autism education initiative, will be officially launched during National Disability Awareness Month this October. This program is made possible by a generous grant Children's received from Kohl's. The program focuses on improving community autism awareness and inclusion. There will be tools, guides and resources to enhance relationships between businesses, recreation providers, community members, and people with autism. There will be a video available for download featuring an original song, "That's What Friend's Do." The film provides an in-depth view of the challenges people with autism may face when participating in community outings. The film production company follows three families' struggles and triumphs while visiting a supermarket, playing with other children, and having a meal in a restaurant. The project will also include workshops and meetings with businesses across the state to discuss how to encourage inclusion .
Don't forget the Public Service Announcement contest! There are 3 categories for entrants: kids, adults, and Children's employees and there families . The goal is to create a brief video that promotes inclusion for people with autism . For more details contact Adrienne Robertiello at extension 5343. The winner will be announced in the fall.
There is an exciting program coming this fall that may interest the families and staff of Children's Specialized. Make Friends with Autism, a community focused autism education initiative, will be officially launched during National Disability Awareness Month this October. This program is made possible by a generous grant Children's received from Kohl's. The program focuses on improving community autism awareness and inclusion. There will be tools, guides and resources to enhance relationships between businesses, recreation providers, community members, and people with autism. There will be a video available for download featuring an original song, "That's What Friend's Do." The film provides an in-depth view of the challenges people with autism may face when participating in community outings. The film production company follows three families' struggles and triumphs while visiting a supermarket, playing with other children, and having a meal in a restaurant. The project will also include workshops and meetings with businesses across the state to discuss how to encourage inclusion .
Don't forget the Public Service Announcement contest! There are 3 categories for entrants: kids, adults, and Children's employees and there families . The goal is to create a brief video that promotes inclusion for people with autism . For more details contact Adrienne Robertiello at extension 5343. The winner will be announced in the fall.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Changes For Children's Specialized Hospital
Children's Specialized Hospital's commitment has always been first to the very special children we serve and to those dedicated employees who provide those services. I am writing today to tell you of a change that will be made within the coming weeks.
With the State Department of Education mandate to keep children in their home school districts and the competition from community day care programs, our programs have been unable to flourish in a way that equals the quality service our staff provide. We are also impacted by the thousands of children on our outpatient wait lists whose needs we cannot currently meet. This has caused our attention to be more focused on our core healthcare services and to re-examine our continued role in two long standing CSH programs: the pre-school and child care programs. The Board has directed us to find the best partner that would allow our pre-school and child care programs to continue to meet the needs of the children, while continuing opportunities for present staff.
To fulfill the Board's charge to us , we have long been searching for the right partner to take over the operation of our pre-school and child care programs in Fanwood. We have found that partner in "First Children" which will be operated by Mr. Joe Hess. Mr. Hess is committed to program growth and continuing the culture and quality of what Children's Specialized created. All of the teachers, teaching assistants and nurses will be given the opportunity to stay on with the new company; the therapists who work in the school will continue to work for Children's Specialized Hospital. While we are very sad we are losing part of the Children's Specialized family, we are confident that with "First Children's" expertise and dedication, these programs will be able to serve even more children in the future.
Our Early Intervention program, which presently meets in Fanwood, will move to Roselle Park and our Cog Re program will eventually move to our Fanwood Plaza site.
I know this is a big change not only for the people in the programs impacted but also for the entire staff. I am more than willing to respond to questions and concerns that you have on this blog or you may email me. Please join me in offering our support to those going through this transition and best wishes for the future success of "First Children".
With the State Department of Education mandate to keep children in their home school districts and the competition from community day care programs, our programs have been unable to flourish in a way that equals the quality service our staff provide. We are also impacted by the thousands of children on our outpatient wait lists whose needs we cannot currently meet. This has caused our attention to be more focused on our core healthcare services and to re-examine our continued role in two long standing CSH programs: the pre-school and child care programs. The Board has directed us to find the best partner that would allow our pre-school and child care programs to continue to meet the needs of the children, while continuing opportunities for present staff.
To fulfill the Board's charge to us , we have long been searching for the right partner to take over the operation of our pre-school and child care programs in Fanwood. We have found that partner in "First Children" which will be operated by Mr. Joe Hess. Mr. Hess is committed to program growth and continuing the culture and quality of what Children's Specialized created. All of the teachers, teaching assistants and nurses will be given the opportunity to stay on with the new company; the therapists who work in the school will continue to work for Children's Specialized Hospital. While we are very sad we are losing part of the Children's Specialized family, we are confident that with "First Children's" expertise and dedication, these programs will be able to serve even more children in the future.
Our Early Intervention program, which presently meets in Fanwood, will move to Roselle Park and our Cog Re program will eventually move to our Fanwood Plaza site.
I know this is a big change not only for the people in the programs impacted but also for the entire staff. I am more than willing to respond to questions and concerns that you have on this blog or you may email me. Please join me in offering our support to those going through this transition and best wishes for the future success of "First Children".
Monday, April 13, 2009
Employee Meeting Take-Aways
We are now in the fifth year of employee meetings. The first four years were pivotal in helping steer and achieve our corporate goals.
The purpose of these meetings are two fold. First is to give you all a chance to hear directly how we are doing on our corporate goals and receive updates on our big projects. Secondly, and more important it gives us a chance to dialogue about the questions and suggestions you have.
The folks on Stevens Rd shared with me their real passion to support more clinical research. They are doing great work with one of the partnerships on sensory integration I mentioned in last week's wrap up. In Mountainside we tried a little exercise looking at the top things the organization should be focused on. We got great suggestions from our discussions. In EIP I heard loud and clear that when we do the construction fro the new therapy site, they want to be included! The doctor's reminded me how important it is that we stay focused on making sure our children can continue to get services, in light of the health care reform discussions that are going on nationally.
Her are some of the things we did immediately since the meetings started. I know more suggestions are still to come. If you go to the intranet, you will see a listing of all of the presentations and posters that people within the organization have done. Make sure your presentations are included if you do not see them there. More importantly, it provides with the information of what resources are available to you. Check it out if you want to know who is an expert in a certain area.
Human Resources will be reaching out to employees to do a check on how things are going. A very good point is that we meet with people when they leave for exit interviews but maybe we should be touching base, "just because". With 1200 employees it is not going to be an easy task. We know from our employee satisfaction survey that our 5to 10 year employees have lower satisfaction scores than the rest of the organization, so we will begin there. It is all about extending ourselves in many different ways to make sure we are meeting your needs as employees.
You can post questions anonymously here if you feel intimidated in large groups or email me directly. I want to hear from you and truly appreciate the chance to have these conversations.
I wan to thank all of you for what you do for our children and for Children's Specialized Hospital. It is truly an honor to work with each of you.
The purpose of these meetings are two fold. First is to give you all a chance to hear directly how we are doing on our corporate goals and receive updates on our big projects. Secondly, and more important it gives us a chance to dialogue about the questions and suggestions you have.
The folks on Stevens Rd shared with me their real passion to support more clinical research. They are doing great work with one of the partnerships on sensory integration I mentioned in last week's wrap up. In Mountainside we tried a little exercise looking at the top things the organization should be focused on. We got great suggestions from our discussions. In EIP I heard loud and clear that when we do the construction fro the new therapy site, they want to be included! The doctor's reminded me how important it is that we stay focused on making sure our children can continue to get services, in light of the health care reform discussions that are going on nationally.
Her are some of the things we did immediately since the meetings started. I know more suggestions are still to come. If you go to the intranet, you will see a listing of all of the presentations and posters that people within the organization have done. Make sure your presentations are included if you do not see them there. More importantly, it provides with the information of what resources are available to you. Check it out if you want to know who is an expert in a certain area.
Human Resources will be reaching out to employees to do a check on how things are going. A very good point is that we meet with people when they leave for exit interviews but maybe we should be touching base, "just because". With 1200 employees it is not going to be an easy task. We know from our employee satisfaction survey that our 5to 10 year employees have lower satisfaction scores than the rest of the organization, so we will begin there. It is all about extending ourselves in many different ways to make sure we are meeting your needs as employees.
You can post questions anonymously here if you feel intimidated in large groups or email me directly. I want to hear from you and truly appreciate the chance to have these conversations.
I wan to thank all of you for what you do for our children and for Children's Specialized Hospital. It is truly an honor to work with each of you.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)