Health promotion staff Arlita and Kara have been deployed to assist the NSLHD COVID-19 contact tracing team
Making the Call Meet the latest recruits to NSLHD’s COVID-19 contact tracing team. Arlita and Kara (pictured) are just two of 17 health promotion staff who have been deployed to the cause. In recent months the health promotion team has been busy adapting existing programs and creating new ways to support the health and wellbeing of the community during lockdown. But when the call came from the Public Health Unit to work on the COVID ‘front line’ they overwhelmingly put their hands up. Health Promotion Director hospital-wide clinician and coder education of good documentation practices as it is rolled out over the next 12 months. Clinical documentation is a key component to optimal patient care and financial reimbursement and relies on staff accurately documenting all aspects of the care provided to patients during an admitted episode of care. Three members of the coding team, Christine Senior, Wending Zhang and Svetlana Ilin have received further training to become clinical documentation specialists (CDS).
Paul Klarenaar said: “Contact tracing is a crucial part of our health system response to COVID. “It is an exhausting process but our Health Promotion team have been very willing to join colleagues from across the LHD to help limit the spread of COVID. “Ultimately it has been a rewarding experience for the team.” Public Health Unit contact tracing lead Rachel Wilkins has appreciated the extra hands on deck and also the positive attitude shown by the team.
“The delightful attitude of the staff has really contributed to the team spirit in the Public Health Unit,” Rachel said. “We also appreciate the distance support and work the service is doing to keep Health Promotion afloat with so many staff absent.” Lower COVID-19 positive case numbers and the easing of restrictions means the Health Promotion team can look forward to getting back to what they do best – working face-to-face with local government, schools and the community to keep the whole population healthy. importance of accurate documentation skills ahead of Clinical Documentation Week, which will run from 15 to 19 November. Health Information Services will present a number of live and pre-recorded sessions as part of the week, covering a variety of topics, with a focus this year on documenting during a pandemic. All staff are welcome to attend. Sessions can be booked via My Health Learning, with details on available sessions found here. If you would like more information, please email NSLHD-HIS-INTAKE@health. nsw.gov.au.
New specialists aiming to enhance clinical documentation A new clinical documentation program will aim to provide As part of this program, the trio are working closely with 16 medical
and surgical specialties to improve the quality of their documentation, consulting with the clinicians to clarify the diagnoses and procedures that have not been accurately or clearly documented. In just one month, the CDS’s reviewed 250 documents and found close to 60 instances of unclear documentation which would have result in $550,000 of possible financial reimbursement that had not been captured initially. Staff are being encouraged to learn about the
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