The Pulse

A memo recently released by the National Hospital Association provided clarification on guidance for requirements from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Guidance for Infection Control and Prevention of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) in Hospitals, Psychiatric Hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals (Ref: QSO-20-13-Hospitals-CAHs). Per their guidance, self-screening as it relates to temperature-taking is no longer considered adequate. Temperatures must be taken by another staff member for all staff who encounter a patient before they begin their work.  

Based on this guidance, Children’s will now require that staff working in, or may be traveling to, buildings with patients will be required to get their temperature taken daily and indicate compliance by wearing a “Screened Sticker” indicating that they have had their temperature taken. It will be the responsibilities of each department (patient care and non-patient care) to determine how to operationalize this in their area.

Click here to review tips on how to implement this process.  

With the cardiac and hematology/oncology patient populations shifting to new units within the Hubbard Center in the fall of 2021, Med/Surg leadership had a unique opportunity to reassess patient placement within the three units. Leaders met with key groups of providers to understand how programs might grow in the next five years and account for any new patient populations that might be added. Leaders then used this information, as well as projected volumes and adjacencies, to create a tentative plan.

The plan was presented to administrative leaders, providers and nursing staff for feedback and support. We are now sharing the plan more broadly so other areas can prepare their services accordingly over the next year. Changes happening in 2021 are listed below. When a timeline is available, it will be shared on myChildren’s and The Pulse.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Lauren Maskin, M.D., medical director, Med/Surg or Crystal Smith, nursing director, Med/Surg.

Click here to see the changes that will occur in 2021.

In this week’s video, Chris Maloney, M.D., Ph.D., reminds us that we must rise above the feelings of pandemic fatigue and continue modeling our best practices for COVID-19, as community spread in our area is increasing. This includes wearing masks when we are in the parking garage and in elevators. He also encourages everyone to think creatively about rounding and gives a friendly reminder to get your flu vaccine. He also shares what we know about the future plans for a COVID-19 vaccine.

Please plan to call in to one of the upcoming Town Hall sessions happening this week – starting tonight. These quarterly sessions are a great way to hear from Children’s senior executives regarding the organization’s strategic initiatives and stay up-to-date on what’s happening throughout the organization. In addition, it provides an opportunity to submit questions to be addressed during the sessions.

Town Halls will be held at the following times:
Tuesday, Oct. 13 from 6:15 – 6:45 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 14 from 10 – 10:30 a.m., 10:45 – 11:15 a.m. and noon – 12:30 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 15 from 8 – 8:30 a.m., 8:45 – 9:15 a.m. and 3 – 3:30 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 17 from 10:30 – 11 a.m.

Click here for the Zoom links to these sessions.

Children’s United Way campaign starts this week, so watch for your first email on Wednesday, Oct. 14. As always, the campaign has one simple goal in mind: to make lasting change in people’s lives. This year, in addition to meeting expected needs, United Way is also working hard to provide resources to those affected by COVID-19.

Donating online is easy; just follow the instructions in the United Way email you will receive. Donations not only help those in need, but also help young people succeed in school and prepare for the work world. Gifts of all sizes make a difference. The campaign runs through Wednesday, Nov. 11.

As an incentive to give, Children’s is offering small gifts with donations. Those pledging $25 – $60 will receive a microfiber cleaning cloth, those who pledge $61 – $199 will receive a stainless steel water bottle and those who pledge $200 or more will receive a wireless phone charger. Gifts will be delivered via interoffice mail or to your home address if working remotely.

Congratulations to Heidi Killefer, M.D., who has been named associate medical director & interim division chief of Children’s Urgent Care, effective immediately. Dr. Killefer has been with Children’s since 2008 in Pediatric Hospital Medicine until transferring to Children’s Urgent Care in 2017.

“I am excited to work closely with Heidi to increase collaboration between Urgent Care and Children’s Physicians,” said Mel St. Germain, M.D., vice president & medical director of Children’s Physicians and Urgent Care. “She is very committed to continuous quality improvement and to the growth of Urgent Care services.”

Dr. Killefer received her medical degree from Mayo Medical School in Rochester, Minn., and completed her Pediatrics residency at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. She is an assistant professor of Urgent Care at UNMC College of Medicine.

The 2020 Virtual Fall Pediatrics Conference will be offered by the Nebraska Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) will be held on Friday morning, Oct. 30, via Zoom. It is free to attend; advance registration is recommended, but not required. Three and one half hours of CME is available; you may attend as much as your schedule allows.

The Grand Rounds topic at 8 a.m. is “Environment & Child Health,” followed by more presentations, including:

• Environmental Health: Endocrine Disruptors
• COVID-19 & Kids: Update on What we Know
• Update on Pediatric Cardiology
• Update on Pediatric Gastroenterology

To view full agenda and register: https://nebraska-aap.org/neaapfallconference2020/ 

Join Zoom Meeting

https://childrensomaha.zoom.us/j/99706906237?pwd=ZU5CWklrWUNpVXV1V0VFcWVJd0RHUT09

Meeting ID: 997 0690 6237

Passcode: 646120 Contact CME Coordinator, Patti Carstens with questions.

Epic will be upgraded on Sunday, Oct. 18, with multiple new features for inpatient, outpatient and mobile applications. The most noticeable change for providers will be the transition to Storyboard, which moves the traditional Epic header to the left side of the screen. Storyboard, which keeps demographics, visit information, lab results, and medication lists in easy-to-access locations, has been in use at UNMC for several months. 

Highlights for each of these are outlined in the tip sheets. If you would like to see Storyboard in action before the upgrade, please contact Stephen Dolter, M.D., interim CMIO. If you have any issues that require IT assistance after the go-live, please call 402-955-8888.

Inpatient Highlights Tip Sheet
Outpatient Highlights Tip Sheet
Mobile App Tip Sheet

Children’s was recently awarded one of The Beryl Institute’s 2020 Patient Experience Research Grants. As part of its ongoing commitment to expanding the global conversation on the human experience in health care and the need for rigorous research to understand and address its impact, The Beryl Institute will award grants to ten health care organizations and two doctoral students. These programs broaden the dialogue on the value and impact of focusing on the patient experience and increase the volume of data-driven and evidence-based practices in support of improving the human experience in health care. Additionally, these programs support insights around the eight strategic lenses of the experience framework that can guide and inform health care strategy and actions.

Children’s grant will support research on Preparedness for Transition to Adult-Centered Care in Pediatric Patients with Sickle Cell Disease. Principal investigators are Chittalsinh Raulji, MBBS, M.D., Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, and Jordan Fritch, M.D., Pediatric Hematology/Oncology fellow.

Congratulations to the 2020 Robert E. Murphy, M.D., award winners: 

• Becky Clifford, RN, BSN, CPN – Spirit of Caring Nursing Award
• Rob Harding – Heart of a Hero Award

Thank you, Becky and Rob, for your service to Children’s and to our patients and families! Videos recognizing their contributions can be found here:

Becky Clifford, Spirit of Caring Nursing Award
Rob Harding, Heart of a Hero Award

Robert E. Murphy, M.D., was a pediatrician who dedicated his life to the health and well-being of children and who held great respect for Children’s team. The Spirit of Caring Nursing Award honors a nurse who exemplifies the qualities that provide comfort and support to children and their families. The Heart of a Hero Award recognizes a non-nursing staff member who demonstrates an exemplary work ethic and caring heart. Both awards include a $2,500 monetary gift and an engraved plaque.