Volume 11, Issue 6 March 14, 2003
Dr. Art Clevenger, above left, was one of the featured speakers at Senior Health Day at the Sunnyside Senior Center, Wednesday March 12th. The event, sponsored by the hospital drew a large and appreciative audience.
In This Corner by Jon D. Smiley, C.E.O.
My thanks to Penny Duren and everyone else who took part in our Senior Health Day Wednesday at the Sunnyside Senior Center. I was very pleased with the turnout. I hope those of you who took part were also made to see the benefit of getting out into the community we serve.
As our hospital comes fully on line with new privacy regulations (the laws we call HIPPA) it is going to become more and more important that we get to the people who don't come into the hospital. The privacy regulations will be fully in force next month. We will have more educational meetings to help you become prepared for what the changes mean to you. In general - if you don't need to know a piece of information to help treat a patient - then you (or I) will not have access to that information.
There will also be changes in access to the Medical Records Department that will take shape later this month as well. The Medical Records area will no longer be an area to access for quick use of a copy machine or to visit with a friend. As such, patient care areas will be more restricted. If you have a reason to be in a patient care area, that is fine. But, if we do not, then we shouldn't be there.
The release of information to the public and the news media will also have tighter controls. It is important to note that these new regulations are not something that the healthcare industry was terribly excited about. While we believe in protecting patient information these laws are seen by many as expensive and VERY intrusive. They are, however, the laws adopted by Congress and we are committed to making sure we are fully compliant.
Women's Health Night Moves to September
Our annual Women's Health Night is moving to September this year. Held in May the past three years, it was felt that the night would be more effective this year if held just prior to Sunshine Days.
Full implementation of "HIPPA" will be done by then (see previous article), we will also have at least three new physicians in Sunnyside/Grandview who will be accepting new patients by that time.
Women's Health Night has attracted as many as 400 people into the hospital to view of a variety of health displays and participate in free or low cost health screenings. Last year, four celebrity chefs shared special cooking demonstrations, and the Sunnyside High School Jazz Band provided musical entertainment.
Elisa Moving On
Elisa LaFountain, left, completed her second year of UHS/Kansas City Medical School training at Sunnyside March 12. She will go into a residency program later this summer in Pennsylvania, after completing two additional third year rotations out of state. Elisa was the "pioneer" of the medical student program here at the hospital and everyone wishes her well as she heads toward residency. Aaron Rowland, pictured, and Michelle Coleman are second year students completing their first year in Sunnyside. (The first year of the UHS medical school program is done on campus.)
Open Enrollment Period for Insurances
Open enrollment for our Premera Blue Cross Insurance (medical, dental and prescription) and AFLAC supplemental insurance is scheduled for all this month. This is your opportunity to enroll, add or delete insurance coverage for yourself and/or dependents. The last day for open enrollment is Friday, March 28th.
Keep in mind, if you want to make changes you must do it now or you will have to wait until next year’s open enrollment period. If you would like to make changes, please click here.If there is anyone who is interested in purchasing Long Term Disability through UnumProvident, we will have a special enrollment period during the month of March. A UNUM representative will be on site March 18th and 25th to conduct informational meetings and enroll employees in this plan. Keep in mind, to maintain this voluntary benefit we need at least 25% of our employees enrolled in this plan and we currently have approximately 12%.
Special Recognition PlannedWe will be honoring six employees who maintained perfect attendance (didn't use sick leave) in 2002 with our First Annual Sunnyside Community Hospital Perfect Attendance Luncheon. The Steak and Crab luncheon will be held on March 27th.