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Focusing
on you
Samaritan Healthcare
finds best value in patient-
and family-centered care
A new value statement adopted by
Samaritan Healthcare early in 201—
Samaritan Healthcare will provide
high-value, patient-centered and family-
centered care and services—is not only
integral to the internal workings of
Samaritan, but also meaningful in our
approach to serving our patients, fami-
lies and community.
In 2011, a committee of board mem-
bers, physicians, senior leaders, employ-
ees and community members met and
committed themselves to enhancing
the patient and family experience. The
Patient and Family Centered Care Team
(PFCC Team), composed solely of dedi-
cated and caring volunteers, meets twice
monthly, with the explicit goal of enrich-
ing and strengthening the care everyone
in our organization gives to our patients,
family members and friends.
Positive changes
Large improvements
don’t happen overnight, but when a
change happens, it can make an im-
mediate impact. A seemingly simple, yet
effective, improvement was when Samari-
tan changed to an open visiting policy,
allowing patients to receive family and
visitors when most convenient for their
unique situation, including allowing them
to stay the night if they desired.
Anyone who has ever spent the night
with a family member in the hospital
setting can attest to stress, worry and
most likely discomfort. Another marked
improvement found at Samaritan is the
new patient room sleep chairs. These
sleep chairs are available to family or
support persons when an overnight stay
(or even just a short rest) is needed.
Sometimes a patient has more family
or support people than can fit comfort-
ably in one room. For this purpose, the
PFCC Team created a special waiting
room on the second floor of the hospital.
This space is intended for larger groups
to gather in for comfort or celebration.
Often just as meaningful are smaller
changes, such as the move to presenting
each new or expectant mother with a
plush, comfortable robe upon checking
in to Samaritan’s Mother/Baby Unit. New
moms keep this robe for use during their
stay and are welcome to take them home
upon discharge.
Give us your input
The PFCC Team
feels that positive improvement can start
with patients and families who are willing
to provide their point of view or share sto-
ries of their own experiences at Samaritan.
The team encourages interestedmembers
of the community to become patient and
family ambassadors to serve on the team
as they work to fulfill the organization’s
value statement: Samaritan Healthcare
will provide high-value patient-centered
and family-centered care and services.
If you are interested in joining the
Samaritan PFCC Team or willing to share
an experience with the team, please call
Karen Thompson at
-
or email
her at
patientserviceteam@
samaritanhealthcare.com
.
IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU: Samaritan volunteer Jim Colee explains to community members
the benefits of involving a patient and his or her family in health care.
Help for going home
Before you or a loved one leaves the hospital to go home or to
another care facility, Samaritan’s multidisciplinary team will
help you prepare by coordinating the transition to the next
level of care. Assessment will be done by referral, with either
a care manager, a social service coordinator or both.
This team can:
●
Find out who you should contact if you have questions about
medication or care information once you’ve left the hospital.
●
Arrange for any follow-up appointments or tests.
●
Assess whether there are any activities that you or your
loved one may need help with at home, such as bathing, dress-
ing or eating.
●
Evaluate whether you, a friend or a family member may need
training in caregiving responsibilities, such as how to provide
wound care, help with a feeding tube or deal with a catheter.
●
Determine whether insurance will cover home health aides,
durable medical equipment or transportation by ambulance.
It’s especially important to let your coordinator know whether
you have any concerns about your ability to care for yourself or
your loved one—physically, financially or in any other way—
before you leave the hospital.
Staying well
ways to prevent a return
trip to the hospital
Having to stay in the hospital is probably not
your idea of a good time. And when you’re
discharged, chances are you don’t want to
return. It’s nice to have skilled, compassionate
care you can depend on when you need it. But
staying healthy—and avoiding a return trip to
the hospital—is everyone’s preference, and it’s
what we want for you too.
Unfortunately, a significant percentage of
people discharged from hospitals nationwide
are readmitted within 30 days, which is why
reducing readmission rates is a goal of the Af-
fordable Care Act. It’s a goal we take seriously at
Samaritan. But it’s one that we need your help
to achieve.
When you leave the hospital, we’ll strive to
make it a smooth transition. We ask that you
help us by doing the following:
1
Make sure you understand your condition.
Ask:
●
What you should do to help yourself get
better.
●
What—if any—limitations you now
have.
●
What potential problems you should
watch for.
●
What to do if problems occur.
If you’ll be handling certain medical tasks
on your own or with the help of a family
caregiver—things like changing a dressing, for
instance—ask a member of the hospital staff
to go over the procedure with you until you’re
comfortable with it.
2
Review your medications.
Ask if you should
continue taking everything you were taking
before you were admitted and if any new medi-
cations have been prescribed. If you do need to
take some new ones, be sure you know when
and how to take them, how much to take, and
for how long. Also be sure you understand why
you’re taking the new medicines.
It’s a good idea to keep a list of all your medi-
cations. That list—or other tools ranging from
simple pillboxes to more high-tech gadgets—
can help ensure that you take your medicines
correctly.
3
Keep your medical appointments.
Often
follow-up tests or doctor visits are scheduled
before you leave the hospital. It’s essential that
you keep them. They’re necessary for monitoring
your progress and keeping you well.
4
Speak up if you need help.
Can you bathe
and dress yourself and cook your meals? If you
have concerns about your ability to handle these
and other tasks, don’t hesitate to say so. We can
arrange to get you some help.
If you’re worried about things like paying for
your medications or getting transportation to
your doctor visits, mention that as well.
5
Get a name and number.
You may have
questions or concerns after leaving the hos-
pital. Be sure you’re clear about whom to call
for answers.
We’re confident that by working together, we
can help keep you healthy and out of the hospital
as much as possible, which will help lower health
care costs for everyone.
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N E W S , V I E W S & T I P S
S A M A R I T A N H E A L T H