Modern Practice Podcast

Addressing Hospital-Acquired Conditions (HACs) after COVID-19 – Part 2

Hospital-Acquired Conditions (HACs) have risen in frequency since the outbreak of COVID-19 after years when rates were falling. This series examines the reasons and steps we can take to reduce these infections. On this episode, we focus on central line-associated bloodstream infections, or CLABSIs.
 
Guest speaker:
Richard Beaver, B.S. Chem, MBB, CPHQ
Senior Consulting Director
Vizient
 
Moderator:
Tomas Villanueva, DO, MBA, FACPE, SFHM
Principal
Clinical Operations and Quality
Vizient
 
Show Notes:
[00:31] Effect of placement on line management
[04:12] Impact of shaving
[06:18] Actions for preventing CLABSIs
[08:23] Engaging physicians and nurses – not dictating to them
 
Links | Resources:
Rick Beaver’s contact email: richard.beaver@vizientinc.com
CMS Hospital-Acquired Condition (HAC) fact sheet Click here
CMS Hospital-Acquired Condition (HAC) reduction program Click here
Information on Vizient’s Clinical Data Base (CDB) Click here
AHRQ tools to reduce HACs Click here
 
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Addressing Hospital-Acquired Conditions (HACs) after COVID-19 – Part 1

Even before the pandemic, health care organizations struggled with Hospital-Acquired Conditions (HACs), and the outbreak of COVID-19 only worsened infection rates. In this five-part series, we will examine four leading HACs to discuss why their rates went up and proven approaches hospital staff can use to reduce them.
 
Guest speaker:
Richard Beaver, B.S. Chem, MBB, CPHQ
Senior Consulting Director
Vizient
 
Moderator:
Tomas Villanueva, DO, MBA, FACPE, SFHM
Principal
Clinical Operations and Quality
Vizient
 
Show Notes:
[01:05] Situation today regarding HACs, as seen in the Vizient Clinical Data Base (CDB)
[01:45] Major HACs
[02:21] Effect of the pandemic
[03:17] Insights post-COVID
[07:15] Line placement: who owns the lines
[08:52] Impactful HACs
[10:06] Role of clinician resilience
[11:24] Financial implications/penalties
 
Links | Resources:
Rick Beaver’s contact email: richard.beaver@vizientinc.com
CMS Hospital-Acquired Condition (HAC) fact sheet Click here
CMS Hospital-Acquired Condition (HAC) reduction program Click here
Information on Vizient’s Clinical Data Base (CDB) Click here
AHRQ tools to reduce HACs Click here
 
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Care approaches for COVID-19 long-haulers – Part 3

“We are seeing increased demand, lots of questions out there from people who’ve had COVID, and questions that, quite honestly, primary care physicians aren’t comfortable being able to answer.” So says Dr. Maddie McDowell of Sg2 about care for COVID long-haulers. She continues, “This is a field that’s very new, it’s evolving weekly, and so being able to provide expertise in this specific area is really important for all communities.” In this episode, we finish our examination of the COVID clinic at the University of Texas Medical Branch that does provide that expertise.
 
Guest speakers:
Madeline McDowell, MD
Principal, Intelligence
Sg2
 
Rex McCallum, MD
Chief Physician Executive
UTMB Health
 
Justin Seashore, MD
Director, Post Recovery COVID-19 Recovery Clinic
UTMB Health
 
Moderator:
Tomas Villanueva, DO, MBA, FACPE, SFHM
Associate Vice President
Clinical Resources
Vizient
 
Show Notes:
[00:40] Continuing COVID long-hauler clinics
[02:56] Getting started
[04:54] Patients with hypertension and diabetes
[05:40] Significant improvement
[07:15] Support of leadership and staff
[07:41] Telemedicine
[09:09] Post-COVID symptoms
[10:14] Dealing with vaccine hesitancy
[10:56] The future of the clinic after COVID
 
Links | Resources:
UTMB Health: Post COVID Recovery Clinic Click here
COVID “Long Haulers”: Long-Term Effects of COVID-19 Click here
Vizient webcast: Care approaches for COVID-19 long-haulers Click here
 
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Care approaches for COVID-19 long-haulers – Part 2

In this episode, we continue our discussion on COVID long-haulers, those who contracted COVID-19 and cannot shake off the effects weeks or months later. We feature a clinic developed to care for long-haulers and examine treatment approaches.
 
Guest speakers:
Madeline McDowell, MD
Principal, Intelligence
Sg2
 
Rex McCallum, MD
Chief Physician Executive
UTMB Health
 
Justin Seashore, MD
Director, Post Recovery COVID-19 Recovery Clinic
UTMB Health
 
Moderator:
Tomas Villanueva, DO, MBA, FACPE, SFHM
Associate Vice President
Clinical Resources
Vizient
 
Show Notes:
[00:34] Developing the care plan
[01:35] Types of patients
[03:32] Defining post-COVID patients
[04:30] Leading symptoms
[06:53] Results of clinic care
[07:59] Getting paid
[10:07] Approach to imaging
[11:19] Significant improvement
[12:39] The fatigue component
 
Links | Resources:
UTMB Health: Post COVID Recovery Clinic Click here
COVID “Long Haulers”: Long-Term Effects of COVID-19 Click here
Vizient webcast: Care approaches for COVID-19 long-haulers Click here
 
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Care approaches for COVID-19 long-haulers – Part 1

“Long-haulers” are those who contracted COVID-19 and cannot shake off the effects weeks or months later. These patients can experience continual impaired lung function, mental incapacity, dizziness, tiredness and other maladies lingering on from the disease. This podcast features excerpts from a recent webcast that discussed one health care organization’s clinic outreach to COVID long-haulers as well as Sg2 research into the various conditions represented.
 
Guest speakers:
Madeline McDowell, MD
Principal, Intelligence
Sg2
 
Rex McCallum, MD
Chief Physician Executive
UTMB Health
 
Justin Seashore, MD
Director, Post Recovery COVID-19 Recovery Clinic
UTMB Health
 
Moderator:
Tomas Villanueva, DO, MBA, FACPE, SFHM
Associate Vice President
Clinical Resources
Vizient
 
Show Notes:
[02:05] Conditions caused by long-term COVID
[02:20] Treating with multiple specialists
[02:54] The time is now
[04:36] Becoming aware of other symptoms associated with COVID
[06:39] Defining the post-COVID patient
[08:10] Getting the word to the community
[09:41] Referrals
[10:03] Patient assessments
 
Links | Resources:
UTMB Health: Post COVID Recovery Clinic Click here
COVID “Long Haulers”: Long-Term Effects of COVID-19 Click here
Vizient webcast: Care approaches for COVID-19 long-haulers Click here
 
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Stress First Aid – Part 2

In this episode, we continue our discussion about a novel approach to alleviate the stress on health care workers. Developed for the US Army, Stress First Aid is proving beneficial to dealing with the ongoing crises and challenges faced in health care organizations every day, particularly during the pandemic.
 
Guest speaker:
Courtney Gidengil, MD, MPH
Senior Physician Policy Researcher
Director, Boston Office
The Rand Corporation
Associate Physician in Pediatrics
Boston Children’s Hospital
 
Moderator:
Tomas Villanueva, DO, MBA, FACPE, SFHM
Associate Vice President
Clinical Resources
Vizient
 
Show Notes:
[00:26] Stress First Aid model—the color code designations
[02:03] Seven Cs
[03:14] Benefits of participating
[04:24] First steps
[05:46] Individual participation
[06:53] The site champion
 
Links | Resources:
Vizient’s SFA Overview for Health Care Professionals Click here
Workplace Stress Impacts Health Care Workers (U of Michigan) Click here
 
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Stress First Aid – Part 1

Already in a high-stress occupation, health care workers have been severely tested by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. While others have stayed at home, health care workers have been unable to practice isolation but have had to go into a workplace where they confront the sickest in the population, where staffing has often been inadequate and e. Burn-out is rife and finding a way to deal with stress a priority. Stress First Aid is a program developed to allow health care workers to use their peer-to-peer relationships to increase resilience and improve their well-being.
 
Guest speaker:
Courtney Gidengil, MD, MPH
Senior Physician Policy Researcher
Director, Boston Office
The Rand Corporation
Associate Physician in Pediatrics
Boston Children’s Hospital
 
Moderator:
Tomas Villanueva, DO, MBA, FACPE, SFHM
Associate Vice President
Clinical Resources
Vizient
 
Show Notes:
[01:05] Defining “Stress First Aid”
[02:24] Impact of COVID
[03:30] Clinical decisions and stress
[04:40] Using peer-to-peer connections
[06:30] The Stress First Aid program
 
Links | Resources:
Vizient’s SFA Overview for Health Care Professionals Click here
Workplace Stress Impacts Health Care Workers (U of Michigan) Click here
 
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Vaccine hesitancy among health care workers – Part 3

On this episode, we continue our discussion on the reasons and remedies for COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among the health care staff.
 
Guest speakers:
Michele Andrasik, PhD, EdM, MS, MA
Senior Staff Scientist
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Clinical Assistant Professor
Department of Global Health
University of Washington
 
Tony Reed, MD, PhD, MBA
Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer
Temple University Health System
 
Moderator:
Tomas Villanueva, DO, MBA, FACPE, SFHM
Associate Vice President
Clinical Resources
Vizient
 
Show Notes:
[00:39] Issues around incentives
[02:30] Vaccine choice
[04:33] Issues around mandates
 
Links | Resources:
COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy: 12 Things You Need to Know (Johns Hopkins) Click here
How to Talk to Someone About Vaccine Hesitancy (Cleveland Clinic) Click here
Vizient webinar on addressing vaccine hesitancy among health care workers Click here
 
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Vaccine hesitancy among health care workers – Part 2

Health care workers can be hesitant to take the COVID vaccines for a number of reasons. To address this challenge, organizations can take a number of approaches, from vaccine mandates to incentive payments, yet these tactics may not really address the strong, even deep-seated, concerns staff members may have about vaccination. On this episode, we continue our discussion about addressing vaccine hesitancy.
 
Guest speakers:
Michele Andrasik, PhD, EdM, MS, MA
Senior Staff Scientist
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Clinical Assistant Professor
Department of Global Health
University of Washington
 
Tony Reed, MD, PhD, MBA
Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer
Temple University Health System
 
Moderator:
Tomas Villanueva, DO, MBA, FACPE, SFHM
Associate Vice President
Clinical Resources
Vizient
 
Show Notes:
[01:30] Temple University Hospital: vaccines not mandatory, all groups consulted
[06:00] Getting out the news and the staff voice
[09:28] Easy access: walk-in clinic
[11:06] Strategies for listening to those who are vaccine hesitant; vaccine “equity”
 
Links | Resources:
COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy: 12 Things You Need to Know (Johns Hopkins) Click here
How to Talk to Someone About Vaccine Hesitancy (Cleveland Clinic) Click here
Vizient webinar on addressing vaccine hesitancy among health care workers (Drs. Villanueva, Andrasik, Reed) Click here 
 
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Vaccine hesitancy among health care workers – Part 1

For a variety of reasons, from concerns about side effects to lack of trust of societal institutions, many health care workers are hesitant about taking COVID vaccinations. In this episode, Tom discusses this hesitancy with two leading experts in the health care field to examine why this response is occurring and what organizations can do to encourage staff members to have the vaccines.
 
Guest speakers:
Michele Andrasik, PhD, EdM, MS, MA
Senior Staff Scientist
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Clinical Assistant Professor
Department of Global Health
University of Washington
 
Tony Reed, MD, PhD, MBA
Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer
Temple University Health System
 
Moderator:
Tomas Villanueva, DO, MBA, FACPE, SFHM
Associate Vice President
Clinical Resources
Vizient
 
Show Notes:
[00:50] Vizient survey results on vaccine hesitancy at member organizations
[03:09] A lack of trust in institutions and systems
[06:30] A different way of looking at side effects
[07:06] COVID and social determinants of health
[08:24] Health care staff who are often the most hesitant
 
Links | Resources:
COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy: 12 Things You Need to Know (Johns Hopkins) Click here
How to Talk to Someone About Vaccine Hesitancy (Cleveland Clinic) Click here
Vizient webinar on addressing vaccine hesitancy among health care workers (Drs. Villanueva, Andrasik, Reed) Click here
 
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