The Quality Quest Awards are presented annually within Horizon, promoting and recognizing quality improvement work across the organization. In April, after reviewing 13 impressive submissions, Horizon recognized three outstanding quality improvement projects. Quality improvements must have been: • Developed and implemented by a multidisciplinary team composed of at least three or more staff and/or physicians; • Developed and implemented within the last two years; and • Reflective of Horizon’s vision, mission, and values. And the winners of the 2019 Quality Quest Awards are… Here’s a look at the winning project and two runner-ups: WINNER Saint John Therapeutics Open Access Booking Model Project Becky McCollum and her Therapeutics team at Horizon’s Saint John Regional Hospital aimed to reduce the expanding outpatient waitlists and increasingly long wait times experienced by patients for their services.
• Our community developer completed the needs assessment and is linking community partners to address some of the needs; • Our RN took on ambulatory care and community program – such as breastfeeding support, school activities, prenatal classes for Francophone patients; • Our LPN makes sure all the patients are up to date with screening and calls patients who have been discharged from hospital to see if they need follow and have the best access; co-ordinates same day and urgent appointment for the providers so the patients do not access after-hours clinics or ER; and knows every patient by name and genuinely care for every patient. She keeps the flow through the office and makes it easier for all concerned; • Our NPs and physician have taken approximately 5,000 patients off the registry and now hold a case load of rostered patients of 2,500. Because the population is transient, the providers are continually uploading patients; • Our NP does episodic care to Oromocto First Nations one day per week, started a walk-in clinic two days a week, and took on Sexual Health care and needs for patients without a provider, including IUD insertion and therapeutic abortions; • Our clerical staff always keeping everyone happy and organized — they are the core of the team; • Our social worker is addressing one of the biggest identified needs in the community: mental health care. She goes above and beyond the call of her job and is very passionate about the people she sees. She also offers a community program, helping people maneuver through the system, partnering with other primary care providers to meet needs of their clients, delivers Root of Empathy; and • Our dietitian is addressing another challenge in the community: obesity. The dietitian does cooking classes at the schools, links patients with the food bank, and helps with the backpack food program at the schools, as well as supporting access for diet counselling at Oromocto First Nation. This is just a few of their accomplishments in such short time. It almost brings tears to my eyes to see their compassion and love for their jobs. This is more than a couple of sentences but if only I could live up to their expectations of themselves as a professional and their passions to the residents of the Oromocto and surrounding area. I know they can move mountains. Isabel Camp Manager of Horizon’s Oromocto Health Centre and Queens North Community Health Centre The nurses I work with inspire me every day, but the wound care nurses in particular really work hard to educate, provide support and resources, and make themselves readily available to help out. I know where I work I have the privilege of working with specialized wound care nurses. They have taught me more than any textbook/workshop/conference combined with their bedside skills and knowledge. Kayla Arseneault RN, General Surgery, Horizon’s The Moncton Hospital McKinnon is the definition of a true leader. Claudia Foran is the best manager one could work for and she always has your back. Teena Robichaud always makes you feel valued and appreciated – no matter how small the task. Erin Crandall may come across as quiet, but when she isn’t — look out. Anne Kilfoil is a lifelong learner and full of knowledge. Lynn Boone is quick witted and always keeps you on your toes. And last, but certainly not least is Kerry Kennedy, always the life of the party with her comic relief. I really am a blessed individual who gets to work with this group and learn from them! HR Rocks! Angie Williston HR Process Improvement Project Lead, Human Resources, Miramichi I work with the absolute best team of leaders in Horizon – the HR Leadership team. They are a fantastic group of individuals who bring their own uniqueness to the team. Maura
change for the better. I couldn’t ask for a better team of people to work with. Sheena Matchett Registered Nurse, Public Health, Miramichi The group of individuals that inspire me the most is the whole Electrophysiology (EP) Team on 5AN at Horizon’s Saint John Regional Hospital: Dr. Satish Toal, Dr. Samuel Wang, nurse associates, EP Nurses, nurses on 5AN and Radiology Technologists. I get to work with this amazing group of people twice a week and they always do the very best for our patients with a multitude of heart rhythm issues. Peter Triantafillou Anesthesia Assistant, Main OR/NB Heart Centre, Horizon’s Saint John Regional Hospital I have a particularly close relationship with the Human Service Counselors on the adult treatment team. What a team we make! We complement each other. They are especially amazing at helping my clients get their basic needs met and will help them with things like navigating government offices (income tax, income assistance), reviewing their monthly budgets, figuring out what community services are available for them and linking them with these agencies, and providing support when going through a situational crisis. Without them, my work would be much more difficult and I would not be able to focus on my role with these individuals. Great job Jeannette, Tricia, Ross and JP. It is an honour to work with you. Brigitte Dutcher Occupational Therapist, Addiction and Mental Health Services, Moncton our department is still as comfortable as it can be. Whether it’s a warm blanket, holding your hand during the procedure or watching your child during your scan, we do what we can to help. My fellow technologists and I are an important part in the day-to-day of patient care, whether it’s patients coming in through the ER, inpatients or patients coming in for appointments. Krista Gautreau Medical Radiation Technologist, Medical Imaging, Horizon’s The Moncton Hospital The group of people that I work with in Medical Imaging are fantastic. We work well as a team and I feel we all go above and beyond for our patients every day to make sure their visit, although short in The behind-the-scenes work of lab technicians allows us to provide the best care possible for our hemodialysis patients. When we get our lab results back we can determine what adjustments are appropriate for their dialysis prescriptions as well as medications that we use to optimize hemoglobin, PTH, phosphorus and calcium balance. They are an essential part in the care we provide to our chronic disease population. When we need a critical value to make decisions for a patient treatment we depend on their quick response attention to detail and accuracy. Our nephrologist, nursing staff, pharmacist and dietitians depend on the lab to guide our clinical decisions on a daily basis. Nanette J. Walker Nurse Manager, Nephrology (Hemodialysis Units), Fredericton and Saint John The Oromocto Health Centre team is small but mighty; every team player makes this new busy centre efficient and effective. They all inspire me to be the best me and I will never reach their passion for the patients and their community. This team has very little space and they utilize every inch (hardly ever complaining). They are here for the community and the patients we service. Clerical, nurse practitioners, physician, LPN, RN, social worker, dietitian, respiratory therapist and community developer — we have only been a complete team for 2.5 years and the things they have accomplished include:
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Thank you to everyone who shared a health care profession that inspires them. We received 10 submissions, each highlighting the strengths and skills of the people you work alongside every day. These professions and people encourage you to do your job a little better, and are instrumental in providing the best and safest care to your patients or clients. We heard from readers from seven facilities or regions, eight units or teams, and nine different positions. Since there were exactly 10 entries, these are listed in no particular order. If you have a suggestion for a future Top10 list, please email HorizonStar@HorizonNB.ca. If you have an idea for another interactive feature, we’d love to hear that, too! We look forward to reading your submissions for the next Top 10 list! 1 The profession that inspires me are administrative professionals. Erica Silliker and Erica Robichaud at Miramichi Public Health are critical to my success as a dietitian. Their organization, support, knowledge, and positive attitudes make my work life worlds better! Their ability to manage their workload inspires me to keep organized as well. I would love to see them and their profession recognized. Jessica Bowie Dietitian, Public Health, Miramichi I am always inspired by the professionals that work in Radiation Therapy. I always have thought this job is something I would never be able to do. My husband is one; his job, I think, is one of the most difficult ones in a hospital environment. You are dealing with the same person for weeks on end, mostly every day and they are really sick and the treatment you are giving them is probably going to make them temporarily sicker. When I meet these professionals in the hallway most often I get a great big smile and a hello. They are wonderful people. I am praying that I never have to see them professionally but for those who do I think the experience must be mostly positive, and in many cases, a 2
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At one point, the combined wait list reached 1,000 people, no-shows were an issue, and patients were dissatisfied with the times of appointments that had been booked for them. Through a LEAN Six-Sigma approach, the team transitioned to an open access booking model. Patients would receive the referral from their referral source and could call to book an appointment at a time convenient for them. The project was successful: the waitlist was reduced from 1,000 patients to zero, and there was a 25 per cent decrease in wait time experienced by the patient and a 42 per cent increase in available appointments. RUNNER-UP Stan Cassidy Centre for Rehabilitation GAPSS Project The project was led by Dr. JoAnne Savoie, psychologist at the Stan Cassidy Centre for Rehabilitation. She wanted to create a sustainable and interdisciplinary process for reviewing practice standards to ensure adherence to best practice. The goals of this project were to create a process that would increase staff knowledge and familiarity with current best practice, as well as identify gaps in adherence to standards along with prioritized action items. To do this, the team used innovative Communimetrics, which are measures that provide transparent outcomes that are immediately translatable into actions. The patient experience advisor for Stan Cassidy also weighed in on what “best practice” meant from a patient’s perspective. The project provided quantitative and qualitative results that forged a clear path for each discipline to make informed decisions about how to improve their service. This project was led by Kathy Kowalski, Director of Electrodiagnostics and Respiratory Therapy, along with her team and a project manager. INSPIRED stands for Implementing a Novel and Supportive Program of Individualized Care for Patients and Families Living with Respiratory Disease. The INSPIRED care approach helps patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) self-manage their health and avoid hospitalization by acting on their signs and symptoms of exacerbation. The project began with a pilot site in Saint John. Using an interdisciplinary approach with strong stakeholder engagement, the INSPIRED model was successfully spread to all regions within Horizon. This project saw over 2,100 bed days saved and a soft savings of $2.1 million. As well, over 80 per cent of INSPIRED participants have action plans for flare-ups. RUNNER-UP The Regional INSPIRED Implementation Project
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From left: Saint John Therapeutics Open Access Booking Model Project team members Sandra Surette, manager of Audiology, Speech and ENT Clinic; Tracy Underwood, manager of Occupational Therapy; Nancy Carr, manager of Physiotherapy; and Rebecca McCollum, director of Therapeutics, Saint John area accept their award from Karen McGrath, Horizon’s President and CEO.
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From left: Stan Cassidy Centre for Rehabilitation GAPSS Project teammembers Gillian Hoyt-Hallett, administrative director of the Stan Cassidy Centre for Rehabilitation and Dr. JoAnne Savoie, psychologist accept the award from Karen McGrath, Horizon’s President and CEO.
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healing experience. Roxanne McKnight
Financial Reporting Co-ordinator, Financial Services – Reporting, Horizon’s Saint John Regional Hospital
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I have the pleasure of working with some extraordinary people in Public Health. Our team consists of nurses, dieticians, administrators, coordinators and management. Their work in
From left: Kathy Kowalski, Director of Electrodiagnostics and Respiratory Therapy, accepts the award on behalf of the Regional INSPIRED Implementation Project team from Karen McGrath, Horizon’s President and CEO.
preventative health care is inspiring. They are hard- working, professional, caring and motivated to create
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