Blogs

June 21, 2012 - Escort Service

Jun 21, 2012 by Marc Strode, CEO
Folks,
OK now, get your mind out of the gutter.....not that kind of escort service! 

I do want to talk about something very important both from a patient safety and patient experience standpoint.  We've spent a bit of time on this one w/ the teams in Women's Services, Registration & Admitting as well as the Emergency Department. 

From an over-arching philisophical standpoint, if someone needs direction to get somewhere within these four walls, we ought to take the time and walk them to their destination.  I do it 100% of the time and know a lot of you do, too.  Sid preaches it when he's here.  It's bonus time for me to form that relationship with the patient and puts coins in my emotional bank.  My expectation is that you do it, too.  You are not "too busy" to do this little act of kindness unless you are in the middle of a Code Blue.  Then I'll give you a kitchen pass.  I have timed how long it takes to get to the most extreme locations on campus.  From the cafeteria to the front entrance.  From the ED to Women's.  At most we're talking a few minutes one-way.  round trip, maybe 5 minutes.  Maybe.  And as Sid says to us, if you are worried about this amount of time in your day, "you are a dead man walking!"  If you are busy on the unit, you ought to have a team member or a buddy who will either cover you while you are doing a good deed or go ahead and offer to do it for you.  Get it done.  This is the expectation of how we roll at VVRMC and I don't want to leave any doubt of how I want you to handle yourself when presented this opportunity.

It becomes even more important if we have a lady who presents who is pregnant and needs to move between departments.  If a pregnant lady presents to the ED and ultimately needs to get to Women's, she will NEVER, NEVER be sent alone.  This is now in Policy.  This has happened in the past, and we not only have a service issue but a safety issue.  What if she gets lost and has to deliver that baby in route?  Could happen.  And doesn't matter how flat her belly is or how much she's smiling etc. etc.  We don't want to assume anything and let's get her escorted safely and careingly. 

We've also had situations where someone pregnant presents to Women's and then we send them down to registration.  If we have to do this, NEVER, NEVER send them alone.  But let's think about this one.  If the service is ultimately going to be provided in Women's, let's bring registration to them and not have her have to go anywhere.  This is the element of critical thinking that I want to draw out in every decision we make.  It's not about us, but about the patient. 

As far as escorts, if you can't do it, can't find a buddy to do it, then call the house sup.  We have one now 24/7.  They are ready to help and support you.  If you can't find your house sup or they are tied up and you still can't spare the 3 minutes, call your CNO or CEO.  We'll do it.  No one's above it or too busy to do it.  It's one of the many, many things that will continue to set us aside from other hospitals.  Service, service, service (and safety.)

Now, during the summer in case you haven't noticed we have the good fortune of bringing back our Junior Volunteer program.  It's great to have these high school students (and future health care leaders) here with us.  They are greeting, smiling and doing a lot of escorting.  I like having them in and around the admitting area so that--pregnant or not--if we need to get a patient somewhere, we can walk them there.  It's been so successful that I have asked Cookie to figure out a way when school starts in September that we don't loose momentuum....we need volunteers in the admitting/registration area. 

This is a real important one guys.  If you have any questions about it, holler. 

Keep the Spirit,
Marc