Friends of the LSH Geriatric Surgical Care Rehabilitation Service

Master Planning Study

2008-01-18T11:17:00.000-05:00

> Thank you for your inquiry.

> The long-range plans you have requested for the Shattuck Hospital are still in a formative stage.

> The real estate management agency for the Commonwealth is funding and directing a Master Planning Study that is examining all aspects of the hospital's future.

> Decisions about the facility's infrastructure needs are secondary at this stage to the primary task of projecting the Shattuck's clinical future.

> The study is lead by the Commissioner of Public Health and involves all major stakeholders on the campus.

> It is not yet focused on specific inpatient services, such as geriatric care, as larger questions about the hospital's clinical direction are still being evaluated.
> Sincerely,
> Paul Romary Executive Director

Important communications. Patients. Families. Friends.

2008-01-10T18:04:00.000-05:00

Problematical communications at the geriatric surgical care rehabilitation services of the Lemuel Shattuck Hospital isolate patients from families and friends. Leadership is in a state of learned helplessness. While wallwired landline telephones are installed on demand for medical conferences patients have not any convenient wallwired landline telephones.

What's problematical is that clinicians are diverted from their important clinical work handling telephone calls to patients from families and friends. What's problematical is that patients' stays are longer for the lack of better contact with their families and friends. What's problematical is that lacking at geriatric surgical care rehabilitation services are the good communications of up to date medical centers where patients' families and friends are better able to let clinicians know of any concerns overlooked or not yet brought to the attention of clinicians.

Isolating patients without good communications increases the work of front line clinicians and there are the other increased costs from longer patients stays. Easier access to telephone calls reduces costs, offsets the costs of providing more accessible telephones.

2008-01-10T17:53:00.001-05:00

Lemuel Shattuck Hospital

Committee Chairs

2008 Committee Chair Listing
Committee
Name
Title/Position

Blood Utilization Committee
Andalkar, MD
Anjali
Director, Blood Bank; Pathologist,

Division I Committee
Pariser, MD
Kenneth
Chief of Rheumatology

Division II Committee
Homsy, MD
Farhat
Chief of Surgery

Environment of Care Committee
Sullivan, PT
Mary
Director, Physical Medicine & Rehab

Ethics Committee
Tricarico, RN
Maria
Exec V-Pres Patient Care Services

Infection Control Committee
Quirk, MD
James
Infectious Disease Internist

Information Management Team
Noonan, MSLIS
Kathryn
Director, Information Management

Management of Human Resources Team
Dugan, MPA
Mary Ellen
Special Projects

Medical Executive Committee
Stone, MD
David
President, Medical Staff; Infectious Disease Internist

Medical Record Committee
Otuechere, RHIA
Love
Director HIM,

Operative & Invasive Procedures Committee
Sparks-Hallisey, RN
Donna
Op & Invasive Services, Director

Patient Safety Committee
Chapin, RN
Roseann
Risk Management, Director

Performance Improvement/Patient Care Assessment Committee
MacLaughlin, RN
Barbara
Quality Management, EVP

Pharmacy Therapeutics/Medication Mgmt
Cohen, MD
Joseph
Medical Director

Provision of Care Team
Cheetham, CCC-SLP
Catherine
Speech Therapy

Radiation Safety Committee
Polak, MD
Joseph
Radiology

Main Number: 617-522-8110 Lemuel Shattuck Hospital
Departmental Directory
170 Morton Street
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
Department/area Telephone/extension
Addictions Services 3009
Administration 3201
Admitting/Registration 3595
Ambulatory Care Center 3354
Anesthesia 3389
Business Office 3718
Campus Police 3441
Cardiology 3326
Case Management 3780
Cashier's Office 3217
Central Supply Rm 3241
Clin Lab/Path 3313
Clinical Marketing 3658
Clinical Support Srvs 3550
Communications Office 3396
Contracts 3760
Credentialing 3363
Day Care Center 3473
Dental 3305
Dental-OR 3166
Dialysis 3470
Dept of Corrections - Admin 3676
EEG 3304
Employee Health Office 3611
Employee Services 3468
Engineering/power plant 3292
Environmental Srvs 3438
Facilities Pest Control Hotline 7378
Facilities Management 3233
Fiscal Srvs 3236
Food & Nutrition Srvs 3263
Gastroenterology Endoscopy Suite 3533
Goldfarb Behavioral Health 3796
Health Info Management 3323
hopeFound, Inc. Administration 617-983-0351
hopeFound, Inc. Shattuck Shelter 3229
Page 1 1/8/2008
Main Number: 617-522-8110 Lemuel Shattuck Hospital
Departmental Directory
170 Morton Street
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
Department/area Telephone/extension
hopeFound, Inc. Women's Treatment Center (617) 983-0351
Human Resources 3531
ICU 3277
Infection Control 3497
Information Technology Help Desk 4357
Interpreter Srvs 3115
IV Team 3539
LARC/Victory 3449
Mail Room 3329
Maintenance 3209
Mass Mental Health Center MMHC Administrative Srvs 617-626-9300
Metro Boston Mental Health Units (MBMHU) MBMHU Administrative Srvs 3488
MBMHU - 10 North 3280
MBMHU - 10 South 3281
MBMHU - 8 South 3506
MBMHU - 9 North 3437
MBMHU - 9 South 3309
MBMHU-Administration 3483
MBMHU-Nursing Administration MBMHU Nursing Supervisor 3444
MBMHU-Rehab MBMHU Rehab 3180
MBMHU-Risk Assessment 3727
MBMHU-Social Services 3487
MBMHU-Support Services 3188
McGinnis Health Group 3575
Medical Library 3225
Medical Services 3338
Methadone Clinic 3472
Neuropsychology 3387
Nursing Nursing Sprvsr-medical 3549
Nursing NP/PA Office 3290
Nursing Nursing Admin. Office 3495
Nursing Education 3211
Nursing Unit 5 North 3282
Nursing Unit 5 South 3249
Nursing Unit 6 North 3352
Nursing Unit 6 South 3250
Page 2 1/8/2008
Main Number: 617-522-8110 Lemuel Shattuck Hospital
Departmental Directory
170 Morton Street
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
Department/area Telephone/extension
Nursing Unit 7 North 3253
Nursing Unit 7 South 3347
Nursing Unit 8 North 3256
Occupational Therapy 3359
Operating Rm 3389
Orthopedics 3255
PACU 3390
Pastoral Care 3944
Pathology 3311
Patient Accounts 3207
Performance Improvement 3077
Pharmacy Pharmacy Outpatient 3925
Pharmacy Main Pharmacy 3308
Pharmacy Pharmacy Staff Office 3798
Pharmacy Adverse Drug Reaction Hotline 3237
Pharmacy Pharmacy IV Room 3873
Physical Therapy 3360
Pt. Advocate 3460
Quality Management 3023
Radiology Radiology File Rm 3367
Radiology Nuclear Medicine Rm 3423
Radiology Radiologists Office 3088
Radiology 3646
Radiology Radiology Reading Area 3639
Radiology MRI 4674
Radiology CT Scan 3417
Recreational Therapy 3073
Respiratory 3301
Risk Management Risk Management Hotline 3498
Safety 3474
Social Srvs 3372
Speech Therapy 3272
StoreRm 3220
Surgery 3381
Tel-Communications 3101
Transportation - Motor 3325
Page 3 1/8/2008
Main Number: 617-522-8110 Lemuel Shattuck Hospital
Departmental Directory
170 Morton Street
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
Department/area Telephone/extension
Treasurer's Office 3662
Volunteer Srvs 3895
Page 4 1/8/2008

Noise levels

2007-12-22T17:21:00.000-05:00

Noise levels at Geriatric Surgical Care Rehabilitation Services at Lemuel Shattuck Hospital reach levels that interfere with communication. Personnel yell with one another in corridors rather than communicate at more reasonable volumes.

For one hour a day the lights should be dimmed a bit and everybody instructed to try a lower voice volume. This has been done at medical centers with great success.

Heimlich Maneuver

2007-12-22T16:38:00.000-05:00

Training is needed in the Heimlich Maneuver for geriatric surgical care rehabilitation services. Geriatric Surgical Care Rehabilitation Services personnel did not know how to act other than slaps on the back for a choking patient.

2007-11-23T16:26:00.001-05:00

Lemuel Shattuck Hospital
Healthcare Acquired Infections (HAI)
January 1, 2006 - October 31, 2007

Month
*Hospital HAI Rate (%)
* Percentage equals number of total hospital HAI's
divided by the number of total patient days.

**Geriatric HAI Rate (%)
** Percentage equals number of total Geriatric unit
HAI's divided by the number of total Geriatric unit
patient days.

Data as of November 23, 2007

HAI Rate % HAI Rate %
Hospital Geriatric

2007
Average 0.057 0.092
October 0.100 0.490
September 0.050 0.000
August 0.050 0.000
July 0.020 0.000
June 0.080 0.280
May 0.090 0.000
April 0.040 0.000
March 0.040 0.150
February 0.030 0.000
January 0.070 0.000

2006
Average 0.131 0.446
December 0.026 0.000
November 0.137 0.000
October 0.090 0.150
September 0.040 0.150
August 0.092 0.150
July 0.380 0.150
June 0.040 1.700
May 0.026 0.000
April 0.540 0.160
March 0.090 2.900
February 0.044 0.000
January 0.066 0.000

11/23/07

2007-11-08T08:40:00.000-05:00

Noise levels at Lemuel Shattuck Hospital get too high for a healing environment.

2007-11-07T13:03:00.000-05:00

Who designed the architecture for the Lemuel Shattuck Hospital?...

What information is there about the masterplan, long range planning for the Lemuel Shattuck Hospital?...

2007-11-02T11:39:00.000-04:00

What are the infection rates for Boston's Lemuel Shattuck Hospital?... and at the LSH Geriatric Surgical Care Rehabilitation Service?

Update

2007-10-31T13:35:00.000-04:00

.
The telephone made available continues to have dropouts and warbling.

.
There appear to be no advisory groups at the LSH Geriatric Surgical Care Rehabilitation Services available to people interested, concered or affected by the services.

2007-10-27T07:07:00.000-04:00

> Have you looked at "cordless" systems such as this:

http://www.spectralink.com/files/literature/Assisted%20Living%20MM.pdf
http://www.spectralink.com/products/linkwts/index.jsp

> BTW, were there never any in-room phones, no old wiring to re-use ??
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Thank you !

Question
Are there any other systems like at
http://www.spectralink.com/files/literature/Assisted%20Living%20MM.pdf
http://www.spectralink.com/products/linkwts/index.jsp

There could be old wiring. What's problematical is the bureaucracy and
lack of leadership with respect to telecommunications.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

The difficulties with the cellular and the cordless telephones are the
hospital equipment interference, telephone signal dropouts, telephone
signal garbling and telephone signal warbling.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

What can be done where cellular and cordless telephones do not work in
many areas of an old 1950's hospital building?...

There are no bedside telephones for patients unable to get out of bed
at Boston's old Shattuck Hospital that has repositioned itself as a
community medical center with 26 ambulatory care specialties and
geriatric acute rehabilitation services for traumatic injury, surgery,
a cardiac or neurological event, cancer and such.

It's a technical problem and a problematical bureaucracy!
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

> Many healthcare environments are putting in
> Ascom systems for on-site wireless...
http://www.ascom.us/products_ws_us/
freenet-vowifi-communication-system.htm

http://www.ascom.us/products_ws_us/
freeset-dect-communication-system.htm

Telecommunications specialists needed at Boston's Lemuel Shattuck Hospital

2007-10-25T08:37:00.001-04:00

Boston's Lemuel Shattuck Hospital should have a telecommunications specialist on staff to look into telephone communications for Geriatric Surgical Care Rehabilitation Services patients. Routinely, temporary telephone setups are done for professional conferences. Just as routinely, temporary telephone setups should be done for patients unable to get out of bed. The logistics of moving patients to other areas of the building for telephone calls taxes a nursing department that could be attending to the more direct care of the patients.

Each patient counts

2007-10-25T08:35:00.000-04:00

Each patient counts at the Geriatric Surgical Care Rehabilitation Services of Boston's Lemuel Shattuck Hospital. Fulfilling that ideal at Shattuck Hospital is problematical. Geriatric Surgical Care Rehabilitation Services patients not able to get out of bed have no telephones. It's 2007 not 1950. Isolating patients is costly. Isolating patients keeps families and friends out of the loop. Recovery is longer. Hospital stays are longer. Nursing department resources are taxed in fielding telephone calls from families and friends trying to keep in touch with patients. Patients' telephones keep patients in touch with families and friends advocating for patients care. Signal interference create battlefield conditions, dropouts, garbling and warbling with cellphones' signals and cordless telephones' signals. Wallwired landline telephones are needed bedside for Geriatric Surgical Care Rehabilitation Services patients at Boston's Lemuel Shattuck Hospital.

For example, an iatrogenic skin infection developed in a patient. The hospital acquired infection had not been attended to early on and family and friends were unable to keep in touch by telephone conveniently. Not having a working bedside telephone keep family and friends at too long an arms reach from advocating for more attentive care for the hospital acquired infection and then having a secondary infection checked out that developed.

A state of learned helplessness develops in the Geriatric Surgical Care Rehabilitation Services patients at Boston's Lemuel Shattuck Hospital. Not only the patients. The learned helplessness is evident among the frontline staff and hospital leadership. Weeks have gone by with the telephone communications difficulties unresolved, the leadership unable to fix communications at LSH. There's no board of trustees. No advisory group of stakeholders has been available to look into hospital communications difficulties.

2007-10-25T07:45:00.000-04:00

October 22, 2007
Elderly not receiving proper amount of care
http://blog.case.edu/ccrhd/2007/10/22/elderly_care
Health Disparities Blog

First we learned that children were getting less care than adults. Now it seems the elderly are also receiving less than optimal care.

From HealthDay:
http://healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=609256

The study found that vulnerable elderly patients -- those at risk of death or functional decline -- received only 65 percent of tests and other diagnostic evaluations and treatments recommended for a number of illnesses and conditions, including diabetes and heart disease.

"Thirty-five percent of the medical care interventions they should have received were not provided, indicating significant room for improvement. We'd much rather have everything higher -- say, at least 90 percent," lead author Dr. David S. Zingmond, assistant professor of general internal medicine and health services research at UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine, said in a prepared statement.

The original study can be found in the journal Medical Care.

Posted by: dmp26 (David Porter) October 22, 2007 02:58 PM | Category: Health Disparities
http://blog.case.edu/ccrhd/2007/10/22/elderly_care
Health Disparities Blog

Vendors of healthcare telecommunications services

2007-10-19T10:19:00.000-04:00

Vendors of healthcare telecommunications services specialize in solving institutional telephone communications difficulties. Tufts New England Medical Center's telecommunications vendor is an example. Geriatric Surgical Care Rehabilitation Services at Lemuel Shattuck Hospital needs such services immediately. The consequences of delay affect the health of patients.

Wallwired landline bedside telephones

2007-10-04T14:05:00.000-04:00

Wallwired landline bedside telephones are needed for Geriatric Surgical Care Services patients unable to get out of bed at Boston's Lemuel Shattuck Hospital in Massachusetts .

.
Keeping in closer contact with famlies and friends improves healthcare quality for patients.

.
Patients in closer contact with families and friends can recognize any health difficulties sooner.

.
Nursing Department is allowed more time for nursing instead of taking time to field telephone calls for patients.

.
Shorter lengths of stay. More convenient contact with families and friends lowers anxieties. Less isolated patients are more motivated.