May Message from Steven L. Strongwater, MD, CEO

The information below is an employee update of activities at Stony Brook University Medical Center prepared by Stony Brook University Hospital CEO, Steven L. Strongwater, MD. Dr. Strongwater distributes a monthly update that is sent to all Hospital faculty and staff to communicate initiatives and activities undertaken at the Medical Center to reach goals in the areas of patient safety, patient satisfaction and community connections.

Progress continues on many fronts at Stony Brook University Medical Center (SBUMC). Just this past month U.S.News & World Report ranked SBUMC within the top 10 hospitals in the metropolitan area. Construction of the most modern Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in the region is nearly complete. The Unit has all single-bed rooms and ample space for parents to spend as much time as they would like with their newborns. The new NICU is a critical part of Stony Brook Long Island Children’s Hospital. Of note, on April 4 we raised more than $700,000 at the Stars of Stony Brook Gala in support of Stony Brook Children’s, which is being matched by an anonymous donor. Phase two construction of the Emergency Department (ED) is nearly complete. This phase of ED expansion will allow for the provision of care for adults and children in separate larger, brighter and more appropriate space along with a new Clinical Diagnostic Unit (CDU), which is composed of 10 single rooms where patients can be evaluated, treated and sent home, avoiding unnecessary hospitalizations. Additionally, construction of the new Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program is well underway and is expected to be complete by November 2011.

Efforts to enhance our patient experience are continuing with great success. Hourly rounding, distinguished dining, Internet access, smaller geographic physician and nursing teams, enhanced coordination and communication (e.g., patient white boards), real time reporting of problems (e.g., Allegiance System) to facilitate immediate solutions, proactive rounding by Patient and Guest Relations and Dietary (e.g., First Touch), discharge phone calls, Patient and Family Advisory Councils, enhanced language assistance, and shortly, activation of a very robust patient education channel are all helping to improve the experience of patients and their families at SBUMC.

We will welcome nearly 40 new faculty this fall who have selected SBUMC. Of special note is the appointment of Dr. Vincent Yang as Chair of the Department of Medicine by Dr. Kenneth Kaushansky, Senior Vice President of Health Sciences and Dean of the School of Medicine. Dr. Yang, formerly the Director of the Division of Digestive Diseases at Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, will begin in September. In addition to his role as Division Director of Digestive Diseases at Emory, he served as a Professor in the Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology of the Winship Cancer Institute. He has authored well over 100 original papers and numerous book chapters, provided many national presentations, served as a member of several national scientific associations and is a well respected scientist. His research is focused on mechanisms that control the growth and differentiation of intestinal epithelial cells. We are thrilled that Dr. Yang will be leading our Department of Medicine. Of interest, is that Stony Brook’s Division of Gastroenterology has already been named as one of the top 50 programs in the nation by U.S.News & World Report.

I know that many of you are awaiting further information about the impact of New York State budget cuts. We will continue to share updates with you as more information becomes available. At the present time, we do not yet know how the State’s budget cuts will be apportioned by the State University of New York (SUNY) system among the three SUNY hospitals (Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn and Stony Brook). Once that is known, our plans will be finalized. 

Our top priority as we move through this process is to minimize the impact on patient care. In that regard, our cost-cutting initiatives have been focused in priority order on 1) reducing non-salary expenses where possible; 2) eliminating vacant positions; and 3) reducing non-clinical and administrative staff who are not involved in work that directly generates revenue for the Hospital.

More importantly, we are focused on deploying Hospital staff to other vacant or new positions as they occur. We value the dedicated efforts of our staff, and we are making every effort we can to minimize the overall impact on our employees.

We are committed to keeping you informed as we move through this process, and we will notify staff when it has been completed. We remain a growing organization, and we will be successful by working together through this difficult time.

STONY BROOK PRIDE

Stony Brook University Medical Center (SBUMC) was recognized by the National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems (NAPH) as a recipient of the 2011 NAPH Safety Net Patient Safety Award. The award is given to organizations for implementing evidence-based patient safety initiatives and specifically to the Medical Center for its efforts in the reduction of severe sepsis mortality. From 2006 to 2010, the Medical Center has demonstrated a 50.8 percent reduction in the incidence of severe sepsis mortality. The Medical Center will be honored at the 2011 NAPH Annual Conference in June.

SBUMC was selected to receive an Outstanding Leadership Award for achievements in eliminating central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI). Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Critical Care Societies Collaborative, this national award program recognizes teams of critical care professionals and healthcare institutions that achieve excellence and notable, sustained improvements in preventing healthcare‐associated infections, specifically in the critical care setting. SBUMC was awarded for dramatically decreasing its hospital-wide CLABSI rates by 59 percent from 2008 to 2010, resulting in a decrease of 1,144 patient days and an estimated cost savings of $7.6 million.

The Second Annual Venous Symposium took place last month, with more than 300 physicians and other healthcare professionals in attendance. The directors of the two-day course were Antonios P. Gasparis, MD, Associate Professor of Surgery and Director of the Stony Brook Vein Center, and Nicos Labropoulos, PhD, Professor of Surgery and Director of the Stony Brook Non-Invasive Vascular Laboratory. The symposium offered a comprehensive educational opportunity for those who treat or want to be involved in the diagnosis and treatment of venous disease, covering all aspects of venous pathology and presenting the latest in therapy.

Stony Brook University Hospital (SBUH) reduces its carbon footprint, saving an estimated $169,628 in operating expenses. According to a semi-annual report by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Hospital reduced its carbon footprint by 5,763 MTCO2e (Metric Ton Carbon Dioxide Equivalent), which is equivalent to 646,076 gallons of gasoline, or 13,402 barrels of oil. Thus far, the Hospital has increased its carbon footprint reduction by 88 percent. The report stems from a Memorandum of Understanding signed between SBUH and the EPA in 2009 when the Hospital pledged to be an environmental steward and advance its hospital-wide green initiatives.

Stony Brook receives accreditation for its residency programs. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) is responsible for the accreditation of post-MD medical training programs within the United States. Accreditation is accomplished through a peer-review process and is based upon established standards and guidelines. Recently, the ACGME reviewed and accredited Stony Brook residency programs in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Anatomic and Clinical Pathology. The ACGME also approved two new fellowship programs in Selective Pathology/Surgical Pathology and Hematopathology, effective July 1, 2011. This program joins one of a select few in the U.S. that can offer ACGME-accredited fellowship training in surgical pathology.

Kenneth Kaushansky, MD, Senior Vice President, Health Sciences, and Dean, School of Medicine, has been elected as a Council Member of the Association of American Physicians (AAP). Part of the governing body of the AAP, the 10-member Council oversees the annual membership nomination process of physician-scientists and other medical researchers nationwide who have helped advance medicine through scientific discovery. Dr. Kaushansky has been a member of the AAP since 1998.

Congratulations to the May Employee of the Month. Cheryl Schoedler, RN, MS, ACNS-BC, CCRN, Clinical Nurse Specialist for Orthopedics and Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, has been named Employee of the Month for May. Described as consistently pleasant and optimistic, Ms. Schoedler attends to her work with excellence, dedication and a smile. She is always professional and patient focused. She uses all resources at her disposal to assist her staff in caring for their patients and is innovative in the face of multiple challenges. She presents creative ideas to improve nursing care and communicates the benefits effectively. Ms. Schoedler exudes authority and command of her field while remaining approachable to her coworkers. Through her extraordinary leadership, she inspires the staff to provide the best care possible.

Use of cardiac CT reduces unnecessary hospital admissions at SBUMC. Hospital admissions at SBUMC were significantly reduced when using coronary computed tomographic angiography (CCTA) to evaluate patients with acute chest pain (ACP) in the Emergency Department, according to research results presented at the American College of Cardiology’s 60th Annual Scientific Session and Expo. Michael Poon, MD, Professor of Radiology and Medicine, and Director of the Center for Advanced Cardiovascular Imaging, presented the data, which stems from studies conducted at Stony Brook that applied CCTA with a 64-slice CT in evaluating ACP patients.

Stony Brook hosts a successful organ donor conference. The conference titled, “Thinking about Consent and Procurement in Organ Donation,” was sponsored by the SBUMC Organ Donor Council, the Center for Medical Humanities, Compassionate Care and Bioethics, and the New York Organ Donor Network. Attended by 250 people, the conference featured presentations on presumed consent, individual consent and family resistance, and organ donation after cardiac death. Thanks to all who made the conference such a success.

Stony Brook Cath Lab nurses help revive man at Port Jefferson Station gym. On the morning of April 1, Cath Lab nurses Lori Fink and Anthony Tirella were off duty at the Fitness Plus Gym, when a 43-year-old man who was exercising fell unconscious. The nurses, joined by off-duty Sixth Precinct Crime Section Officer Michael Williams and off-duty Suffolk Corrections Officer James Zahn, administered CPR and utilized an automatic external defibrillator (AED) on the man, Robert Kubal, of Port Jefferson Station. His breathing was restored and he regained consciousness. Mr. Kubal was transported to Stony Brook University Hospital where he was treated.

The first phase of the renovated tower elevator lobby opened on April 16. Staff, patients and visitors are now using a new pedestrian route from the Medical Center main lobby to access the Hospital elevators, resulting in changes to the current routes to the Blood Bank, Nursing Recruitment, Cashier, Health Sciences Center tower and Cafeteria. Admitting/Registration has been temporarily relocated during renovation work of the department’s existing space. The work, which is part of the Major Modernization Project, is expected to take 10 weeks, at which time the remaining areas of the lobby will be reopened, pedestrian routing will be restored to its former state and all elevators will be restored to their normal use.

PATIENT SAFETY

Stony Brook Quality and Safety Department presents at the UHC Quality, Risk and Safety meeting. At the April 14 University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC) Quality, Risk and Safety meeting, under invite from the UHC Vice President of Performance Improvement, Carolyn Santora, MS, RN, NEA-BC, Associate Director, Patient Safety and Regulatory Affairs, delivered a presentation developed in collaboration with William Greene, MD, Chief Quality Officer. The presentation addressed the Hospital’s safety efforts, including Patient Safety First, the Deep Dive process and the tracking and trending of Serious Safety Events (SSEs). Outcome data demonstrated improvements made over the past year.

UHC selects Stony Brook abstract and poster for its 2011 annual conference. An abstract titled, “Getting Serious about Serious Safety Events,” has been accepted for the upcoming University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC) 2011 Annual Conference, “LEAP: Lead, Excel, Achieve, Perform.” The abstract, one of nearly 700 submitted, will be presented by William Greene, MD, and Carolyn Santora, MS, RN, NEA-BC, at the September conference. Also accepted for presentation was a poster titled, “Implementation of a Surgical Safety Checklist (SSCL) to Improve Communication and Patient Safety,” submitted by Kathy Scheriff, RN, OR Nurse Manager, and Pam Boremski, RN, Continuous Quality Improvement. Utilization of the SSCL in the main OR has resulted in improved compliance with prophylactic antibiotic administration, signing of intraoperative orders, surgical counts, laboratory tests, as well as other significant improvements. The poster was one of 60, chosen from over 300 submissions, to be part of the poster session.

Sorrel King’s National Patient Safety Awareness Week presentation is available to view on the Hospital Intranet. Ms. King, author of Josie’s Story, was the keynote speaker during Stony Brook’s observance of National Patient Safety Awareness Week, March 6 to 12. Her presentation, attended by more than 200 people, was a personal, moving story and reinforced the message that patient safety is Stony Brook’s primary focus. To view the presentation, visit the Hot Topics section on the home page of the Intranet.

PATIENT SATISFACTION  

Hospital inpatient satisfaction ratings improved in the first quarter. The improvement is primarily due to increases in ratings for the admission process and ratings for tests and treatments. 19N, 05EP (postpartum), 9N and 17N scored significantly above the Hospital average. The staff of 19N improved satisfaction ratings by 10 points in the first quarter using several proven strategies including post-discharge calls, bedside report, nurse manger rounds, service recovery and hourly rounding. 19N’s satisfaction rating is the highest it has ever been.

Emergency Department satisfaction improved in the first quarter. Compared to other hospital emergency departments, Stony Brook now ranks in the 63rd percentile. Compared to other emergency departments in the University HealthSystem Consortium, Stony Brook ranks in the 73rd percentile, the highest ranking it has ever received.

Hospital outpatient satisfaction improved slightly in the first quarter. Registration and overall ratings improved most. The survey item most strongly correlated to overall satisfaction, “Staff worked together to care for you,” improved most in the first quarter. Eighty percent of survey respondents rated this item “5” on the Press Ganey 5-point scale. The Cath Lab and Tech Park Cardiology received the highest ratings and scored significantly above the Hospital average. Patient surveys also showed patients were slightly more satisfied with outpatient oncology services.

The Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) continues to receive high ratings from patients. The survey item that improved most is “Ease of scheduling and appointment.” Tom Halton, RN, Assistant Director of Nursing, ASC, credits the improvement to rearranging and adjusting the block time that Ophthalmology, Orthopedics and ENT surgeons are assigned.

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS  

The Stars of Stony Brook Gala raises more than $2.3 million. Over 700 special guests, alumni and faculty attended the Stars of Stony Brook Gala on Monday, April 4, at Chelsea Piers in New York City and generated over $2.3 million to benefit Stony Brook Long Island Children’s Hospital and scholarships for Stony Brook University students. World-renowned Academy- and Grammy-Award winning actress Julie Andrews and her daughter, Emma Walton Hamilton, a New York Times best-selling author and esteemed member of the Stony Brook University faculty, were honored. It was a wonderful evening for all who attended and helped to generate significant funds for the Medical Center’s youngest patients and deserving students.

Stony Brook cardiologist Lloyd Lense, MD, and cardiology fellow Swapna Mamidipally, MD, serve as presenters during the William Sidney Mount Elementary School’s Fifth Annual Career Laboratory. The event, held on April 15 for fourth to sixth graders, exposed students to as many different professions as possible in a fun and engaging way. The presentation, “Get to the Heart of the Matter,” provided information about the heart and how to keep it healthy. Drs. Lense and Mamidipally demonstrated the use of diagnostic tools, including blood pressure measurement, EKG, and a stethoscope to hear the heart and measure its performance.

On March 26, the American Cancer Society’s Patient and Family Services’ Camp Adventure Program hosted “A Day at Camp” for pediatric patients and their families at the Cancer Center. Nearly 50 attendees were present including pediatric oncology patients, their family members, Camp Adventure staff and volunteers. The program was supported and attended by Pediatric Oncology staff, Rosemary Mahan, RN, MS, CPNP, CPON, and Maria Narine, RN, CPNP, CPON. Everyone enjoyed refreshments, games and activities including a pie-throwing contest, hula hoop contest, face painting, and camp songs and cheers. For more information about Camp Adventure, call the American Cancer Society at 1-800-227-2345.

Burn Center receives donation from Cliff's Tattoo, Inc. of Centereach. The owners of Cliff’s Tattoo wanted to give back to the Burn Center after one of their fellow firefighters in the Selden Fire Department suffered extreme rope burn and received exceptional care at SBUMC. They held a fundraiser at their shop on St. Patrick’s Day and donated $665 in proceeds generated from that day. The donors presented Steven Sandoval, MD, Assistant Professor of Surgery and Medical Director of the Burn Center, with a check, took a tour of the unit and learned more about the Burn Center and the Skin Bank.

Dine Out for Kids initiative generates over $5,000 for Stony Brook Children’s. In January, 33 Suffolk County restaurants came together to participate in “Dine Out for Kids,” an initiative to raise funds for Stony Brook Children’s. Participating restaurants offered a special $29.95 prix fixe menu and allocated $5 from each meal to Stony Brook Children’s. Thanks to all of the participating restaurants and their patrons.

The Office of Compliance and Audit Services will sponsor Stony Brook’s Second Annual Compliance and Ethics Day on Wednesday, May 4. Meet the Compliance team at an information table in the Medical Center lobby from 8 am to 4 pm. Educational materials will be available for employees, visitors and patients. 

Talk about “team” work. A group of employees from different departments and divisions throughout the Stony Brook campus have been participating in pick-up soccer games on Thursday nights. There are additional games held on different days and times at the University. Those who would like to participate can contact David Harris at 444-4710 or David.Harris@stonybrook.edu for more information.

Join SBUH professionals and community-based organizations at Stony Brook’s 6th Annual Kids Health & Safety Expo. This free event, to be held on May 21 from 10 am to 2 pm at Country Fair in Medford, will offer resources and information on how to keep children healthy and safe throughout the warmer months and all year long. Topics include car seat safety, pool safety, nutrition and much more. For more information, call (631) 444-4000.

John W. Engeman Theater in Northport presents Guys and Dolls to benefit Stony Brook Children’s. On May 22, at 7 pm, join family and friends for an evening at the John W. Engeman Theater for a special benefit performance of Guys and Dolls. The theater is offering a special rate of $55 per ticket and will donate $10 for each Stony Brook ticket sold to Stony Brook Children’s. To reserve tickets, call the box office at (631) 261-2900 and mention the code SBF to receive the special rate.

Golden Globe Award winner and three-time Emmy nominee to inspire Stony Brook patients at National Cancer Survivors Day®. Ann Jillian will be the keynote speaker at Stony Brook’s seventh annual National Cancer Survivors Day celebration. The event to be held on Sunday, June 12, 11 am to 4 pm, brings cancer survivors and their families together to celebrate living beyond cancer with their physicians, nurses and Cancer Center staff. National Cancer Survivors Day is an annual, worldwide celebration of life held in hundreds of communities throughout the United States, Canada and other countries. Ms. Jillian’s address is being made possible through the generous sponsorship of Gloria and Mark Snyder. The event at SBUMC is free, and the celebration honors all people living with and beyond cancer, regardless of where they received treatment. For more information, call 444-4000. To register online, visit www.StonyBrookMedicalCenter.org/cancercenter/registration.

My Last Touch

Is it possible for you to become a persistently positive person and does it matter?

One of our faculty, Stephen G. Post, PhD, Professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine and Director of the Center for Medical Humanities, Compassionate Care and Bioethics, has recently published a book titled, The Hidden Gifts of Helping. It is subtitled, “How the Power of Giving, Compassion and Hope Can Get Us Through Hard Times.” Dr. Post’s book describes an important formula for happiness. His recommendations are grounded in science, complete with hundreds of references. From time to time, you read something special and you want to pass it on. This is one of those books.

Though not doing justice to the elegant simplicity contained in this book, here are the basics. Giving or helping others is the secret. The literature suggests that happy people live healthier and longer lives. Giving to others in both large and small ways makes you feel better. In this context, giving does not mean giving money. It means giving of yourself, through encouragement, providing support, volunteering, and nearly any other form of giving you can think of. Deep happiness grows from giving to others as Dr. Post describes his own formula of four elements for happiness (page 94).

1. Love others…let their happiness be as important to you as your own.
2. Cultivate moral integrity. Be consistent in the values and virtues that matter to you.
3. Enjoy thankful simplicity. An attitude of gratitude does bring happiness, and staying materially simple allows for gratitude rather than endless accumulations and it keeps you from being diverted to meaningless goals.
4. Stay true to your higher purposes. Stay on course, have good non-material goals in life…

Dr. Post shares many insights:

“Eventually, of course, everyone stumbles on hard times. After all, no one gets out of life alive. Today, even those who had considered themselves protected from hardship are being tested and having their lives changed by volatile economic markets, job insecurity, forced moves, and the sudden isolation of placelessness.” (“Placelessness” describes the loss of comfort and familiarity when moving to a brand new place.) (page ix)

“Bad things happen to all people, no matter how good they are. But on the whole, it’s good to be good.” (page 126) 

“Creativity, hope, gratitude, joy, and just about every human asset wither under the pressure of resentment and bitterness.” (page 133) 

“Just as we have a first aid kit in the house in case of emergency, having a basic set of spiritual values—compassion, love, the habit of giving to others, a higher purpose that guides us, and plain and simple gratitude—will always help us flourish.” (page 164) 

We all face many challenges in our lives. Without any illusion, being happy and positive takes discipline, but it may not be as hard as you think. You have little to lose and the upside is well, happiness. Dr. Post’s book is well worth the read.

Enjoy the journey to world class.

Steven L. Strongwater, MD

Chief Executive Officer
Stony Brook University Hospital