When a patient services representative (PSR) at the Carle Health Mahomet Clinic couldn’t understand a caller, she knew the patient was in distress.
She immediately used caller ID and the Carle Health unified health record system to get the patient’s name, date of birth and address, then handed the phone to nurses, who called 911 and stayed with the patient until emergency medical technicians arrived to administer care.
The PSRs detective work began the chain of survival that saved the patient’s life.
“Whether it’s using the Carle Health resources to save a caller at home, trusting your instincts that something isn’t right with a patient, making sure our inpatients can vote on Election Day or spending extra time with a distraught parent, our Carle Health team members go out of their way every day to serve our patients and their families,” Theresa Green, MSN, executive director of Carle Experience, said.
Carle Health believes in honoring team members who exceed expectations. One way is through Way to Be! awards in which team members honor co-workers, teams and leaders who demonstrate the Carle Health Values of Excellence, Integrity, Inclusivity, Compassion and Accountability. Each quarter, Carle Health honors Way to Be! winners who represent each Value, as well as Leader and Team winners.
The quick work of the PSR resulted in a quarterly Way to Be! award for Excellence for Nikki Dennis, a patient services representative at the Carle Health Mahomet Clinic.
Dennis’ story, and the experiences of all seven Carle Health quarterly Way to Be! winners, follow:
EXCELLENCE
Nikki Dennis, patient services representative at the Carle Health Mahomet Clinic
A call came to the Mahomet clinic and Nikki Dennis, a PSR, answered but couldn’t understand the caller. Using caller ID and EPIC, the Carle Health unified health record system, she found the patient’s name, date of birth and address. Then she transferred the call to nurses Ally Jackson and Mandy Jared, both RN, BSN, who confirmed the patient was at home, called 911 and kept the patient on the phone until EMTs arrived. EMTs confirmed the patient had stroke symptoms and took them by ambulance to the Carle Foundation Hospital Emergency Department.
“It was a really good group effort,” Dennis said. “Ally trusted my gut feeling that something was wrong with this patient. Then, Mandy and Ally worked as a team. It was amazing.”
Sara Hissong, RN, BSN, the clinic’s patient care manager, said, “Nikki always has that out-of-the-box thinking. She’s always wondering, ‘Is there anything else we should be doing for the patient?’”
INTEGRITY
Larry Fortner, maintenance mechanic at Carle BroMenn Medical Center, Normal
Fortner, a maintenance mechanic at Carle BroMenn, was making small talk with a patient as he was working in their room when they made a strange noise, stopped talking and their face began to change color.
Fortner immediately stopped what he was doing and got a nurse who recognized the patient was in cardiac arrest. She initiated an adult medical code, and the rapid response team began CPR, restoring the patient’s heart rhythm and saving the patient’s life.
“None of this is surprising,” Mike Bastian, director of facilities for the Carle Health Bloomington-Normal Service Area, said. “Larry is very attuned to people. He makes conversation very easily. Seeing someone in distress, it’s not surprising that he found a way to assist them.”
Fortner said, “If something doesn’t seem right, it probably isn’t.”
INCLUSIVITY
Page Harris, occupational therapist in inpatient rehabilitation at Carle Foundation Hospital, Urbana
Page Harris, an occupational therapist at Carle Foundation Hospital’s inpatient rehabilitation unit, became aware that two patients were distraught because they were in the hospital on election day in November and didn’t think they could vote. Harris worked with the inpatient rehabilitation staff and election officials and the patients were able to vote.
“The patients were grateful,” Harris said. “One expressed that she couldn’t believe we cared this much. I really believe my job is to rehab a whole person and not just their physical symptoms. Our engagement with our communities, routines and traditions are part of our humanity and I was glad to facilitate that.”
Holly Mills, physical therapist and Certified brain injury specialist and supervisor for inpatient rehabilitation at Carle Foundation Hospital, said “Proactively considering patient goals or interests and seeking creative ways to incorporate these are key to providing meaningful, person-centered care.”
COMPASSION
Wendy Price, certified medical assistant at the Carle Health Monticello Clinic
When Wendy Price, a certified medical assistant for the Carle Health Monticello Clinic, was working with a nurse to care for a teenager who was considering suicide, Price recognized that the patient’s parent also needed help. Using her compassion and experience, Price immediately provided support and resources.
Amy Cherry, licensed practical nurse, CMA and LPN supervisor at the Monticello clinic, said Carle Health team members know that family members of patients also need support.
“It doesn’t cost anything to be kind,” Price said. “Sometimes, a person just needs a hand to hold, a shoulder to cry on, and someone who will listen without judgment.”
ACCOUNTABILITY
Neil Mashruwala, MD, critical care surgeon and burn and wound specialist at Carle BroMenn Medical Center, Normal
One evening, a nurse practitioner in the Carle BroMenn Emergency Department, asked Neil Mashruwala, MD, a critical care surgeon and burn and wound specialist, if he would manage care for an ED patient with a significant hand wound. Dr. Mashruwala agreed, even though it was after hours, he wasn’t on call and it wasn’t his patient.
That night, he gave the nurse practitioner instructions on how to clean the wound. The next morning, Dr. Mashruwala saw the patient, developed a treatment plan and discussed it with the patient. But when Dr. Mashruwala told the patient that they couldn’t smoke in the hospital, they left against medical advice.
While frustrated, Dr. Mashruwala said he developed and documented a patient care plan and his experience is that sometimes patients agree later.
Shelly Yoder, MSN, RN, manager of outpatient pulmonology, ICU, CVCU and central telemetry at Carle BroMenn, said Dr. Mashruwala’s priority “is to ensure that the patient gets the care they need, no matter what.”
LEADER
Kevin Steffes, director of Food and Nutrition Services with Carle Health
Lynette Marx, MBA, BSN, nurse retentionist, asked Steffes, director of Food Services, to purchase 2,500 cookies for nurses celebrating Carle Health East Region Magnet with Distinction Recognition.® Instead, Steffes and his team figured out how to bake, individually wrap and label 2,500 large cookies for distribution throughout East Central Illinois.
“I couldn’t have done any of this without the support of everyone in the department,” Steffes said. “The team was amazing. No one said ‘Kevin, you’re crazy!’ They said. ‘What can we do to help?’ Then, they dug in and figured out a solution to each challenge.”
TEAM
FirstCarolinaCare (FCC) Provider Relations
FirstCarolinaCare (FCC) Provider Relations team, led by manager Elizabeth Perkins, credentialed 140 providers in a little more than a month, just in time for them to be included in a directory for members shopping for Medicare Advantage plans. Then, they credentialed another 110 providers during the subsequent three months. Their teamwork credentialed a record number of providers before the annual Medicare Advantage Enrollment Period opened.
“I am beyond proud of how they worked together to get this large volume of work completed in a short period of time,” Perkins said. “They showed extreme dedication to their job, knowing their work had a direct impact on the organization meeting the annual enrollment period membership goals.”
Join our team
Would you like to work for an organization that empowers and equips team members to do the right thing for patients and then rewards team members for doing so? If so, find it here.
She immediately used caller ID and the Carle Health unified health record system to get the patient’s name, date of birth and address, then handed the phone to nurses, who called 911 and stayed with the patient until emergency medical technicians arrived to administer care.
The PSRs detective work began the chain of survival that saved the patient’s life.
“Whether it’s using the Carle Health resources to save a caller at home, trusting your instincts that something isn’t right with a patient, making sure our inpatients can vote on Election Day or spending extra time with a distraught parent, our Carle Health team members go out of their way every day to serve our patients and their families,” Theresa Green, MSN, executive director of Carle Experience, said.
Carle Health believes in honoring team members who exceed expectations. One way is through Way to Be! awards in which team members honor co-workers, teams and leaders who demonstrate the Carle Health Values of Excellence, Integrity, Inclusivity, Compassion and Accountability. Each quarter, Carle Health honors Way to Be! winners who represent each Value, as well as Leader and Team winners.
The quick work of the PSR resulted in a quarterly Way to Be! award for Excellence for Nikki Dennis, a patient services representative at the Carle Health Mahomet Clinic.
Dennis’ story, and the experiences of all seven Carle Health quarterly Way to Be! winners, follow:
EXCELLENCE
Nikki Dennis, patient services representative at the Carle Health Mahomet Clinic
A call came to the Mahomet clinic and Nikki Dennis, a PSR, answered but couldn’t understand the caller. Using caller ID and EPIC, the Carle Health unified health record system, she found the patient’s name, date of birth and address. Then she transferred the call to nurses Ally Jackson and Mandy Jared, both RN, BSN, who confirmed the patient was at home, called 911 and kept the patient on the phone until EMTs arrived. EMTs confirmed the patient had stroke symptoms and took them by ambulance to the Carle Foundation Hospital Emergency Department.
“It was a really good group effort,” Dennis said. “Ally trusted my gut feeling that something was wrong with this patient. Then, Mandy and Ally worked as a team. It was amazing.”
Sara Hissong, RN, BSN, the clinic’s patient care manager, said, “Nikki always has that out-of-the-box thinking. She’s always wondering, ‘Is there anything else we should be doing for the patient?’”
INTEGRITY
Larry Fortner, maintenance mechanic at Carle BroMenn Medical Center, Normal
Fortner, a maintenance mechanic at Carle BroMenn, was making small talk with a patient as he was working in their room when they made a strange noise, stopped talking and their face began to change color.
Fortner immediately stopped what he was doing and got a nurse who recognized the patient was in cardiac arrest. She initiated an adult medical code, and the rapid response team began CPR, restoring the patient’s heart rhythm and saving the patient’s life.
“None of this is surprising,” Mike Bastian, director of facilities for the Carle Health Bloomington-Normal Service Area, said. “Larry is very attuned to people. He makes conversation very easily. Seeing someone in distress, it’s not surprising that he found a way to assist them.”
Fortner said, “If something doesn’t seem right, it probably isn’t.”
INCLUSIVITY
Page Harris, occupational therapist in inpatient rehabilitation at Carle Foundation Hospital, Urbana
Page Harris, an occupational therapist at Carle Foundation Hospital’s inpatient rehabilitation unit, became aware that two patients were distraught because they were in the hospital on election day in November and didn’t think they could vote. Harris worked with the inpatient rehabilitation staff and election officials and the patients were able to vote.
“The patients were grateful,” Harris said. “One expressed that she couldn’t believe we cared this much. I really believe my job is to rehab a whole person and not just their physical symptoms. Our engagement with our communities, routines and traditions are part of our humanity and I was glad to facilitate that.”
Holly Mills, physical therapist and Certified brain injury specialist and supervisor for inpatient rehabilitation at Carle Foundation Hospital, said “Proactively considering patient goals or interests and seeking creative ways to incorporate these are key to providing meaningful, person-centered care.”
COMPASSION
Wendy Price, certified medical assistant at the Carle Health Monticello Clinic
When Wendy Price, a certified medical assistant for the Carle Health Monticello Clinic, was working with a nurse to care for a teenager who was considering suicide, Price recognized that the patient’s parent also needed help. Using her compassion and experience, Price immediately provided support and resources.
Amy Cherry, licensed practical nurse, CMA and LPN supervisor at the Monticello clinic, said Carle Health team members know that family members of patients also need support.
“It doesn’t cost anything to be kind,” Price said. “Sometimes, a person just needs a hand to hold, a shoulder to cry on, and someone who will listen without judgment.”
ACCOUNTABILITY
Neil Mashruwala, MD, critical care surgeon and burn and wound specialist at Carle BroMenn Medical Center, Normal
One evening, a nurse practitioner in the Carle BroMenn Emergency Department, asked Neil Mashruwala, MD, a critical care surgeon and burn and wound specialist, if he would manage care for an ED patient with a significant hand wound. Dr. Mashruwala agreed, even though it was after hours, he wasn’t on call and it wasn’t his patient.
That night, he gave the nurse practitioner instructions on how to clean the wound. The next morning, Dr. Mashruwala saw the patient, developed a treatment plan and discussed it with the patient. But when Dr. Mashruwala told the patient that they couldn’t smoke in the hospital, they left against medical advice.
While frustrated, Dr. Mashruwala said he developed and documented a patient care plan and his experience is that sometimes patients agree later.
Shelly Yoder, MSN, RN, manager of outpatient pulmonology, ICU, CVCU and central telemetry at Carle BroMenn, said Dr. Mashruwala’s priority “is to ensure that the patient gets the care they need, no matter what.”
LEADER
Kevin Steffes, director of Food and Nutrition Services with Carle Health
Lynette Marx, MBA, BSN, nurse retentionist, asked Steffes, director of Food Services, to purchase 2,500 cookies for nurses celebrating Carle Health East Region Magnet with Distinction Recognition.® Instead, Steffes and his team figured out how to bake, individually wrap and label 2,500 large cookies for distribution throughout East Central Illinois.
“I couldn’t have done any of this without the support of everyone in the department,” Steffes said. “The team was amazing. No one said ‘Kevin, you’re crazy!’ They said. ‘What can we do to help?’ Then, they dug in and figured out a solution to each challenge.”
TEAM
FirstCarolinaCare (FCC) Provider Relations
FirstCarolinaCare (FCC) Provider Relations team, led by manager Elizabeth Perkins, credentialed 140 providers in a little more than a month, just in time for them to be included in a directory for members shopping for Medicare Advantage plans. Then, they credentialed another 110 providers during the subsequent three months. Their teamwork credentialed a record number of providers before the annual Medicare Advantage Enrollment Period opened.
“I am beyond proud of how they worked together to get this large volume of work completed in a short period of time,” Perkins said. “They showed extreme dedication to their job, knowing their work had a direct impact on the organization meeting the annual enrollment period membership goals.”
Join our team
Would you like to work for an organization that empowers and equips team members to do the right thing for patients and then rewards team members for doing so? If so, find it here.
Categories: Culture of Quality
Tags: Awards, Experience, recognition, team, values