On October 27, Peter D. Banko, our President & CEO, will lead a recorded Town Hall discussion with Eddie Sim, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Dean Sanpei, Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, and Shauna Gulley, MD, Senior Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer. We will discuss how this pandemic continues to impact our communities across Colorado and western Kansas and answer your questions. Due to social distancing, the forum will be recorded and made available for viewing through your local newsletter.

It is important that we address your questions and learn from your perspective of COVID-19, so please submit your questions and comments prior to noon on October 26 to OfficeoftheCEO@Centura.org.

We are committed to supporting you and ensuring Kronos Workforce Dimensions (WFD) provides a top-notch user experience for our people. In response to your feedback and our continuous evaluation of opportunities to streamline your experience and maintain accurate timekeeping records, two new WFD enhancements will soon be available.

On Oct. 25, cost center transfers will come back to the clock for non-exempt (hourly) associates. This capability will save managers/timekeepers from having to manage all transfers and makes this process more efficient. Some key changes:

• A new button will be added on the second screen when entering a transfer.
• Associates will need to do a search for the cost center number instead of typing in the number. Make sure you know your cost centers, and check with your leader if you are not sure.
• Managers/timekeepers will need to verify the cost centers are correct and make any job code transfers if needed. This additional review and validation is critical to maintaining accurate timekeeping and payroll records.

All associates must submit proof of flu vaccination or an approved religious or medical exemption by Sunday, Nov. 15. Receiving a flu shot or submitting an approved exemption is a condition of employment. Click here for a schedule of associate vaccination opportunities.

An annual influenza vaccine is the best defense against seasonal flu, keeping you healthy and making a meaningful impact in the lives of those around us. It is our responsibility to the people we serve to help protect the whole health of our communities by preventing the spread of illness – and getting immunized against the seasonal flu is extra important this year as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. 

Make sure to get your flu shot by Nov. 15. Flu shots remain a requirement for all health care workers, in accordance with state regulation, regardless of current COVID-19 masking and social distancing measures. 

Associate vaccination opportunities are available across our system through the end of October. The health and safety of our incredible people remains our top priority, and as the COVID-19 pandemic continues, flu vaccination options may look a little different this year. Each Centura facility will be delivering associate vaccines in the way that makes the most sense for that location, but options may include:

• Roaming vaccination carts that come to you
• Traditional clinics with social distancing and enhanced preventative measures in place
• Vaccination by appointment with your local occupational health nurse

• your name
• the date you received your vaccine
• the manufacturer, lot number and expiration date of the vaccination

This 12-week mentoring program is designed to connect newly hired associates and leaders (mentees) with colleagues (mentors) who will provide personalized guidance and enhance the new hire’s onboarding experience, ultimately laying a strong foundation for success.  

Newly hired associates and leaders are invited to participate in the program as mentees.  Associates who have been with Centura Health for at least six months, are in good standing, and are invested in welcoming and onboarding new associates are invited to participate in the program as mentors.  Sign up to mentor a newly hired associate or leader using this link.
Click here:  MentorNomination

Mentors and mentees will build a supportive, professional relationship over the course of three months to ensure mentees have all the information they need, develop a network, and feel a sense of belonging.  Key areas of focus for the newly hired mentoring program include Department Knowledge (tools and resources, key people, and core business functions) and Organizational Knowledge (2025 strategy and goals, system/ entity structure, and system/ entity culture). To further enhance the mentoring experience, mentoring pairs will have access to virtual mentoring technology, MentorcliQ.  This software will support the mentor and mentee throughout their mentoring partnership.

Questions?  Email: mentoring@centura.org

Information Technology will go-live with a new version of our Lawson software resulting in suspended access to Lawson from 4 p.m. (16:00) Friday, Oct. 23 to 5 p.m. (1700) Sunday, Oct. 25. 

Lawson will be unavailable during this upgrade. Associates are asked to refrain from using the Lawson application after 4 p.m. (1600) Friday, Oct. 23.  Use of the application can begin again once the upgrade is complete at approximately 5 p.m. (1700) Sunday, Oct. 25.

The new version of Lawson boasts many enhancements including:
•    Additional functionality to help Centura Health continue to meet the needs of our incredible caregivers
•    Ongoing vendor support for software updates and resolution issues
•    Ability to implement the latest security and feature enhancements

The following applications or services will be impacted:
•    Lawson
•    MSCM
•    Landmark (process flow and Inbasket)
•    Punch Out
•    Expense Management
•    LBI

If you experience any issues regarding the Lawson Upgrade, please submit a ticket using the Self Service Hub:

1. Launch My Virtual Workplace.
2. Select the Work Tools > Non-Clinical Tools > Self Service Hub.
3. Enter Lawson in the Enter Search Criteria Search field. The Lawson Upgrade Command Center request displays in your search results.
4. Select the Lawson Upgrade Command Center request.
5. Enter all required fields.
6. Click Submit.

At our core, we are people helping people, and we are strongest when we unite in an offering of love, kindness and support. Despite the challenges throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen our associates provide genuine and selfless support for our patients and each other.  

As one of the many ways we collectively show support for our Centura family, our Foundations have often hosted Associate Campaigns across our ministry each fall, highlighting opportunities for associates to donate to their local Foundation and make a meaningful difference. Recognizing the hardships felt across our communities during the COVID-19 pandemic, our Foundations will not be hosting associate fundraising events or delivering pledge forms for Associate Campaigns through the remainder of calendar year 2020.

There are many ways to support our Associate Campaign programs that benefit fellow associates, patients and those in need locally and globally. Associates and physicians can opt-in to donate via a payroll deduction, make a one-time gift or donate unused PTO. Please contact your local Foundation for more information.

These funds help our Foundations support programs across our hospitals and corporate service center, including associate financial assistance, which supports our caregivers and associates facing unexpected financial challenges. In addition to helping associates, these gifts help ensure that all patients in our communities have access to high-quality, whole person care, regardless of their ability to pay.

If you are currently participating in a payroll deduction or recurring gift, no additional action is needed. If you donate via a payroll deduction equal to one hour per pay period and would like to update your gift based on annual pay adjustments, please contact your local Foundation. We extend our sincere gratitude for those of you who demonstrate compassion and generosity with your participation.

This pandemic has significantly impacted our communities, making it more important than ever to provide relief, hope and healing through our individual and collective generosity. Thank you for your unwavering commitment to saving lives, soothing souls and influencing a brighter future in the coming year.

Questions?
Learn more and connect with your Foundation at centura.org/foundations.

Information Technology (IT) will perform monthly maintenance and updates starting at 12 p.m. (1200) on Tuesday, Oct. 20, until 2 a.m. (0200 MT) on Wednesday, Oct. 21. This will involve planned downtime for the following applications (please reference the Workaround for each application):

Tuesday, Oct. 20, from 12 p.m. (1200) until 4 p.m. (1600) MT

Tuesday, Oct. 20, from 6 p.m. (1800) until 10 p.m. (2200) MT

Tuesday, Oct. 20, 10 p.m. (2200) until Wednesday, 10/21/2020 2 a.m. (0200) MT

We appreciate your patience as we conduct these maintenance activities, to keep our incredible people equipped with the latest tools and to ensure you can provide the highest quality, whole-person care.

Questions?
If you have any questions regarding this Monthly Maintenance Window, please contact your Clinical Informaticists by Facility.

 

Centura Health is pleased to announce we are now accepting applications for our Sterile Processing, Pharmacy Tech and Medical Assisting Apprenticeships that will begin in January 2021! Apprenticeship programs offer a unique earn while you learn model allowing apprentices to complete education requirements and clinical hours concurrently while being a Centura associate. 

Medical Assistant: Offered through Arapahoe Community College, Front Range Community College (Denver Metro and Colorado Springs locations) or NIMAA (Durango, Kansas, Canon City and Summit County locations)
Requirements:
Demonstrated customer service and leadership skills; through high school organizational involvement and or previous employment.
Demonstrated basic office and computer skills.
Demonstrated basic knowledge of Microsoft Word, and E-Mail.
Attention to detail
HS Diploma/GED
BLS, Basic Life Support (BLS) from American Heart Association is required within 90 days of employment
 
Sterile Processing Tech: Offered through Front Range Community College (Classes take place at Avista Adventist Hospital)
Requirements:
Computer skills, required
HS Diploma/GED
 
Pharmacy Tech: Offered through Front Range Community College (Westminster Campus)
Requirements:
Previous experience within a pharmacy setting, preferred
Working knowledge of computer systems
HS Diploma/GED

For more information on the training programs and to apply, click here.

Questions?
Email CareerGrowth@centura.org 

On Sunday, Nov. 1, Daylight Saving Time ends and the clocks will move back one hour, resulting in a second 1 a.m. hour. For all Centura Health hospitals and clinics this will impact activities that are dependent upon a timing sequence (including patient transfers, hourly medications and flowsheet documentation).

As part of our Fall Daylight Saving Time process, device integration will be taken down from 11:59 p.m. (23:59) Saturday, Oct. 31 until 2 a.m. (0200) Sunday, Nov. 1. (Kansas: 12:59 a.m. (0059) to 3:00 a.m. (0300) Sunday, Nov. 1 . Please refer to the instructions below for specific directions regarding how to handle this additional hour within Epic so we may continue to provide top quality, whole person care for our patients. 

Tip sheets are also available via the Learning Home Dashboards that provide further step-by-step instruction.

Inpatient Transfers and Discharges
Overall, activity for transfers and discharges should be limited during the two 1 a.m. hours. If you must do a discharge or transfer during the second 1 a.m. hour, you will need to wait until the original event time has passed. The system will not allow a subsequent event to happen before the time of the previous event. 

• Example: Patient is admitted at 1:15 a.m. (0115). Patient needs to be transferred to a different unit during the second 1 a.m. hour at 1:00 a.m. (0100). Event management will see this as an error. User will need to wait until original admit time has passed and therefore can transfer the patient at 1:16 a.m. (0116).

• Example: Medication is given at 1:15 a.m. (0115), please document at 1:15 a.m. (0115) with comment “daylight saving time”, the second hour medication is given at 1:10 a.m. (0110), please document at 1:16 a.m. (0116) with comment “Actual time given 0110 standard time”. For Alaris Pump Recovery, follow the “Fall Daylight Savings Time – Alaris IV Pumps” tip sheet.

• Example: A trauma patient enters the OR at 1:40 a.m. Then, as 1:59 a.m. passes it becomes 1:00 a.m. again. The case ends at 1:20 a.m. The case tracking event should reflect “In Room” at 1:40 a.m. and “Out of Room” at 2:20 a.m. This will correct the time in the room to 40 minutes (instead of -20 minutes). The nurse will write a note explaining the alteration in times.
• OR Manager/Directors: If there are any cases during the DST event, you must manually enter the anesthesia start and stop event for hospital billing purposes.

• Patients who have an event that caused a status change during the first 1 a.m. hour will incorrectly revert during the second 1 a.m. hour until that event time is reached again. This can cause track boards to filter incorrectly. If statuses are incorrect, they will need to be manually corrected.
• Emergent situations normally done in specialty narrators such as codes, traumas, strokes and STEMIs must be documented on paper during the two 1 a.m. hours and then scanned back into the system.
• Providers will need to manually adjust their shift times in Epic to account for the extra hour.
• ED alerts will be unreliable during the two 1 a.m. hours. 
• Transfers and discharges of patients during the two 1 a.m. hours should be limited. If errors occur while trying to move the patient in the system, change the event times manually.

Security Awareness Month kicked off on Monday, Oct. 5 and will continue through Oct. 25! During October, the Risk Management team is emailing security awareness training to all associates each week on topics that support our ongoing efforts to protect and secure Centura Health’s patient data and network infrastructure.

Complete each of the four videos, and you will be entered into a drawing to win one of several great prizes. Complete all four weeks of training, and you will have a chance to win one of two grand prizes – a Yeti Flip 8 Cooler or a Cornhole set! Ten weekly winners will be announced every Friday. 

Please join us in congratulating last week’s winners:

• Ashley Sutton, RN Flex Team
• Debra Culter, RN Educator
• Susan Becker, Phlebotomy Services Tech
• Sean Leroux, Credentialed Trainer II
• Amy Tichy-Smith, Physical Therapist
• Susie Howe, Food Service Representative
• Joseph Magliolo, RN Flex Team
• Troy Dority, Supply Chain Auditor
• Doreen Amirault, Supply Chain Tech
• Lawrence Baggs, Security Officer