Advocate Health Care

Oak Brook , IL
2566 staffed beds

Based in Oak Brook, Advocate Health Care has more than 200 sites of care, including 9 acute care hospitals and 2 children's hospitals

STEEEP

Equitable - All outpatients are now wrist-banded, in addition to all inpatients and patients presenting in the ED.

Patient Centered - Patients are asked to show photo identification and verify their identity to protect against identity theft.

Safe - Patients are assigned a medical record number and wristband before they are treated, to ensure that previous medical history is carried forward.

Team Members

 Nancy Caldario, Director Patient Access, Christ Medical Center, Process Owner
Susan Clarke, Director Patient Access, Good Shepherd Hospital, Process Owner
Rozanne Hickok, Director Patient Access Good Samaritan Hospital, Process Owner
Donna Jordan, Director Patient Access, Condell Medical Center, Process Owner
Karen Livaich, Manager Patient Access, Trinity Hospital, Process Owner
Darla Lopez, Director Patient Access, South Suburban Hospital, Process Owner
Nichia McDowald, Director Patient Intake, Lutheran General Hospital, Process Owner
Dominic Nakis, Chief Financial Officer, Advocate Support Center, Executive Sponsor
Michael Sciarabba, Director Patient Access, Illinois Masonic Medical Center, Process Owner

The Right Patient All The Time

The Problem

Incorrect patient identification through the registration process increases the potential for patient harm in the short term, with long-term downstream effects that include increased financial liability, diminished reputation, and decreased physician loyalty and associate satisfaction.

The Solution

 Advocate decided on a system-wide initiative at: Christ Medical Center, Condell Medical Center, Illinois Masonic Medical Center, Lutheran General Hospital, Good Samaritan Hospital, Good Shepherd Hospital, South Suburban Hospital and Trinity Hospital

The goal was to create a consistent, standardized, system-wide process for patient identification during registration and intake that accurately identifies patient at point of registration with accurate subsequent verification to provide the right care to the right patient in all settings 100 percent of the time. 

Frontline staff was actively involved in a series of facilitated events to create solutions to root cause issues in the patient identification process. After multiple events, standard work was created and a four-hour, instructor lead course was developed. The course covers standardized naming conventions, search guidelines, wrist-banding and verification procedures, as well as the FTC Red Flag Rules. Best practices were incorporated to address process issues, such as the implementation of stat registration in the ED.

The Results

Since implementation began in January 2009, Good Samaritan Hospital has seen a 64 percent reduction in the percentage of duplicate medical records created per total registrations. The hospital has sustained a defect rate below the baseline for 7 consecutive months.

Illinois Masonic Medical Center has had a 36 percent reduction in the percentage of duplicate medical records created per total registrations.  The hospital has sustained a defect rate below the baseline for 5 consecutive months.

Good Shepherd Hospital has had a 43 percent reduction in the percentage of duplicate medical records created per total registrations. The hospital has sustained a defect rate below the baseline for 4 consecutive months.

Team Members by Hospital

Christ Medical Center

Mary Burciaga, OP Registration Manager

Mary Jo Cavanaugh. ED Clinical Manager

Beth Griffin, ED Registration Manager

Mary Mottl, Patient Access Supervisor

Mary Smith, Business Associate ED Registration

Mary Swanson, Project Manager Patient Access

Laticia West, Business Associate OP Registration


Condell Medical Center

Debbie Drake, ED Patient Access Manager


Good Samaritan

Lyle Belcina, Systems Analyst – Patient Access

Susan Brown, RN, Nurse Clinician

Cathy Budach, Radiology Manager

Maureen Burck, RN, ED Nurse

 Pam Carlson, Coordinator CT Technician

Cheryl Coleman, Ultrasound Technician

Usha Dunn, Coordinator Ultrasound

Jill Hamann, RN, Nurse Clinician

Rozanne Hickok, Director Patient Access

Judy Kepshire, Mammography Technician

Meaghan Conway Markus, Supervisor Financial Counseling and Education

Debra Petersen, ED Patient Access Manager

Jorge Verduzco, Pre-Access Manager


Good Shepherd

Rick Cornwall, OP Systems Analyst

Lori Davis, Patient Intake Educator

Carol Gitze, Patient Intake Representative

Joan Grossman, Coordinator Radiology Informatics

Samantha Joyce, ED Patient Access Manager

Mary Linsner, Manager Patient Access

Kimberly Mescha, Patient Intake Representative


Illinois Masonic

Linda Berdecia, Cancer Center Coordinator Business Services

Mercy Cendana, Same Day Surgery Patient Representative

Latosha Green, Patient Access Representative

Carmen Martinez, Patient Access Financial Services Representative

Judy Roberts, Patient Access Manager/Educator

Philip Quick, ED Patient Access Manager


Lutheran General

Marcia Campbell, Central Scheduling Representative

Marshalla Chandler, Patient Intake Manager

Matthew Laitala, Patient Intake Supervisor

Pamela Lang, ED Patient Access Manager

Mary Jane Mangan, ED Patient Access Staff

Antonella Rio Salerno, Patient Intake Supervisor and Educator

Sandy Thomas, Medical Records Specialist


Oak Brook Support Center

Beth Buttliere, Patient Accounts Specialist

Beth Halperin, Patient Safety Consultant


South Suburban

Jean Corsiglia, Scheduling Analyst

Faye Jones, Patient Access Educator

Kathy Smallwood, Registration Representative

Karl Storch, ED Information Systems Coordinator

Susan Tavrides, Patient Registration Coordinator

Jane Robinson, Patient Access Educator


Trinity

Octavius Jones, Patient Access Coordinator

Karen Tabola, Reservation Ambassador