Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1076559
45 FINANCE CMO / CARE DELIVERY Florida hospital CEO: 'Misunderstanding' led to outcry over new policy By Alyssa Rege T he president and CEO of Naples, Fla.- based NCH Healthcare System said the system's new policy placing hos- pitalists in charge of patient care has been largely misunderstood as distressing toward physicians, according to Fox 4 News. NCH Healthcare System's new policy limits independent primary care physicians' ability to admit and care for patients at NCH hospi- tals. e policy change is based on a pilot pro- gram that embedded hospitalists in inpatient units and substantially reduced 30-day read- mission rates during a 10-week period. NCH physicians have claimed the policy limits their admitting status, and at least one med- ical executive has resigned over the change. A group of physicians and patients have reached out to Collier County leaders and the board of commissioners, asking them to step into the controversy, according to the Naples Daily News. Allen Weiss, MD, president and CEO of NCH Healthcare Systems, told WINK the new pro- gram will be just as beneficial to physicians as it was to patients this past summer. "We're not shutting out independent doctors; we're inviting them to come in. We want them to come in and work with the hospitalists di- rectly, so I think the idea of getting people working together, partnering, collaborating with the patients' interest as the common goal will help everybody," he said. "Everyone will benefit and I think folks, when they keep an open mind and see what's actu- ally happening and look at the objective mea- sures, I think we're going to see that people in this community will get over this communi- cation misunderstanding," he said. n Stethoscopes carry broad range of bacteria — even after cleaning By Mackenzie Bean S tethoscopes used in hospitals often contain a broad range of bacteria, according to a study published in In- fection Control & Hospital Epidemiology. For the study, researchers analyzed the DNA of bacterial pop- ulations found on 40 stethoscopes in one hospital's intensive care unit, including 20 reusable scopes used by practitioners and 20 disposable stethoscopes used in patient rooms. Of the 20 disposable stethoscopes, half were clean and unused. Researchers swabbed stethoscopes both before and after they were cleaned via different methods. Stethoscopes used by practitioners had the highest bac- terial contamination levels, although researchers de- tected significant contamination on all 40 scopes. The stethoscopes contained a broad range of bacteria, in- cluding pathogens responsible for healthcare-associat- ed infections. Staphylococcus bacteria were found on all stethoscopes and had the highest relative abundance on practitioner scopes. While cleaning clinicians' scopes via standardized or prac- titioner-preferred methods reduced bacterial contamina- tion levels, only two got as clean as new stethoscopes. "Stethoscopes used in an ICU carry bacterial DNA reflect- ing complex microbial communities," researchers con- cluded. "Commonly used cleaning practices reduce con- tamination, but are only partially successful at modifying or eliminating these communities." n How this Intermountain nurse comforts deceased patients' families By Mackenzie Bean A registered nurse at Salt Lake City-based Inter- mountain Medical Center is responsible for spear- heading an initiative to comfort the families of pa- tients who died at the hospital's respiratory intensive care unit, reported KSL TV. To comfort patients' relatives, Lisa Beglarian, RN, prints a patient's EKG strip and places it in a laboratory tube with the following message for the individual's family: "May my heartbeat always be a gentle reminder of the love I have for you." Ms. Beglarian said Dec. 10 she discovered the idea on Pin- terest about 18 months ago. Since then, most of the nurses in her unit have adopted the practice. "[The EKG strip] tells a story of the patient — it's something of their life and their legacy," Ms. Beglarian told KSL TV. "Some [families] are very tearful and have really appreci- ated it — especially, I think, for our younger patients who unfortunately have passed on." Ms. Beglarian said the gesture also brings her solace as a nurse. "You know, [nurses are] human as well," she told KSL TV. "[A patient's' death] affects us, too, and we really do care about the patients and their family members." n