August 23, 2022

Regional & Divisional News

Click to see what's happening locally:

• Central WI Region
• UP Region
• North WI Division
• Northeast WI Division
• Northwest WI Division
• South WI Division
• Southeast & Southwest WI Division

Don't know your region or division?

Click the map to find out.

In This Edition

• Performance Appraisals Launch Aug. 24
• Student Nurse Internship Graduation
• COVID-19 Visitor Screening Update
• Benefits of Open Notes
• To a Better Epic: Take survey
• Aspirus Competes in Minocqua Dragon Boat Races
• The Dog (and Cat) Days of Summer
• Ladder Safety Principles
• EAP Frontline Newsletter
• Help Us Help You Reach Your Financial Wellness Goals: Take poll
• Build Wealth by Fighting Lifestyle Creep

Performance Appraisals Launch Aug. 24

Employee performance reviews will automatically launch in Halogen on Wednesday, August 24, for all Aspirus Health team members.

It is recommended that all team members complete your self-appraisal within the first two weeks after launch to allow your manager adequate time to meet with you to set goals prior to the October 15 deadline for completing performance reviews.

This year, all team members will be assigned cascaded performance goals for fiscal year 2023 (FY23). These goals will be visible in Halogen and focus on engagement and waste reduction/continuous process improvement.

Refer to the Annual Performance Appraisals page on the intranet for additional details and helpful resources for completing your appraisal. Look for the link under the “Life & Career” menu.

Student Nurse Internship Graduation

Twenty-four student nurse interns graduated August 19 from their internship at Aspirus Wausau Hospital. 

Aspirus had a total of 39 student nurse interns across our system. Eighty percent of program graduates stay within the Aspirus system. 

View the Central WI Region News for more information and to watch a WAOW news report about the program. 

COVID-19 Visitor Screening Update

Passive COVID-19 visitor screening is underway in most Aspirus Health locations. Key items to know about our transition away from dedicated screeners at our entrances include:

• Wristbands and stickers have been discontinued.

• “First point of contact” at each location should have supplies and ask patients/visitors the screening questions. Please see your manager if you have questions regarding the new process.

• Our new signage asks visitors to scan the QR Code or report to the closest desk to answer the questions. This information will be reviewed by our Infection Preventionists and is only for internal use. Signs are available through the Aspirus Brand Center (order #: COVID-065A).

• Masking is still required of all patients and visitors in patient locations. It is everyone’s responsibility to ask non-compliant patients and visitors to mask to keep our patients safe.

Benefits of Open Notes

Preparing for Phase 2 of 21st Century Cures Act

Aspirus Health is going live on August 31 with “Open Notes” for all nurses and other stakeholders who interact with Aspirus EMR information as part of Phase 2 of federal legislation called the 21st Century Cures Act. Phase 1 went live in April 2021 and included physicians, APCs and other clinical stakeholders. Leading up to August 31, we are highlighting helpful information and tips related to the information blocking provision of the Cures Act.

This week, we highlight benefits of Open Notes and providing patients with near-immediate access to their electronic medical record (EMR) information. This has been shown to have multiple benefits for patients, their support systems and care team members.

Some key findings from research on Open Notes include:

63%

Of 1,628 clinicians surveyed did not perceive an increase in time spent charting

Only 3.3%

Of more than 20,000 patients reported feeling very confused after reading their notes.

>50%

More than half of patients believed access to their notes helped them to remember their care plans, feel more in control, and take care of their health.

75%

Of second-language English-speakers found having a written record helpful in understanding the reason for a medication.

Continue to refer to the Information Blocking page available under the “Key Initiatives” menu on the intranet to find additional resources and all previous communications.

To a Better Epic

Take survey to make our EMR experience better

The June 28 edition of Aspirus News Now announced the kickoff of an Epic Refuel Optimization Project that aims to improve the Epic user experience and better position our organization for success in a value-based environment.

As part of the Refuel efforts and other technology initiatives, Aspirus IT is asking employees and clinicians who use Epic to take a brief survey regarding our electronic medical record (EMR). Your participation will provide valuable insights to help our IT and Clinical Informatics teams identify where we need to focus our improvement and optimization efforts going forward. 

Aspirus Competes in Minocqua Dragon Boat Races

Aspirus Health entered two teams in the 2022 Minocqua Dragon Boat Festival, a fundraising event for the Howard Young Foundation. Check out the North WI Division News to discover how the competition panned out.

The Dog (and Cat) Days of Summer

Celebrate our pets!

Pictured: Guinea pigs Piña and Colada. Their superpower is instant endorphin release. Submitted by Eileen Emond, Aspirus Tomahawk Hospital.

Pictured: This is Giuseppe, but his family calls him “Jeppy” or “The Jepster.” His superpower is feelin’ dapper. Submitted by Daniel Accinelli, Aspirus Information Technology (Wausau).

Pictured: Catarina is ruler of her house. Submitted by Kathryn Sue Duchan, Aspirus Antigo Health & Performance Center.

Thank you to everyone who posted photos of their pets to our Pet Photo Gallery. So far, nearly 450 photos of adorable pets are posted. Check out all the cuteness and upload a photo of your pet(s) by clicking the links below.

If an image you uploaded isn’t showing up correctly, please reach out to Stephanie Dray.

Click here

Click here

Click here for the August 2 article about how pets are good for our well-being.

Pictured: This is Pancetta the Hedgehog. Her superpower is she bites toes. Submitted by Lindsey Peterson, Aspirus At Home - Wausau.

Pictured: Nosey horses Hank, Oscar, Jake and Magnum. Submitted by Shelley Suckow, Aspirus Ironwood Nursing.

Ladder Safety Principles

Aspirus Health cares about your safety. When using ladders, please do the following:

• Inspect the ladder before use.
• If anything is found wrong, please tag it for “No Use” and contact maintenance.
• All ladders must be inspected and in good working condition to meet regulatory standards.

• Face the ladder while climbing.

• Do not carry anything while navigating up/down the ladder.

• Follow the 3-Point-Contact Rule.
• At least two hands and one foot or two feet and one hand should always be in contact with the ladder.

• The ladder should be on a firm and level base.

• Do not stand on the top two steps of the ladder.



• If you must place your ladder in front of a door, ensure the door is blocked off or locked.

EAP Frontline Newsletter

Check out the August edition of Front Line, Aspirus Employee Assistance’s monthly newsletter.

Topics include:

• Could keeping a happiness journal lengthen your life?
• What you forgot about dietary fat
• Dial 988 for suicide prevention
• Family goals: Making good stuff happen
• Chronic pain and the family
• Don’t skip your health checkups
• Renewing relationships at work
• What women should know about alcohol

Help Us Help You Meet Your Financial Wellness Goals

Your route to retirement is a unique journey made up of financial milestones along the way. The next few stops on your roadmap may be building an emergency fund, paying off student loans and improving your credit score while your co-worker may be approaching stops like expanding their investment portfolio, saving for a child’s education and creating an estate plan.

Wherever you are on your journey, we want to meet you there!

Please answer the two questions below to help in planning future financial learning opportunities for employees.

Don’t forget Francis Investment Counsel, Aspirus Health's financial partner, offers a variety of financial tools and resources. Be sure to visit the MoneyAdvice@Work® tab here to check them out!

Build Wealth by Fighting Lifestyle Creep

Master your money with MoneyAdvice@Work live webinars from Francis Investment Counsel, Aspirus Health’s retirement plan investment advisor.

Tuesday, September 13

• Noon (Central)
• 4:30 p.m. (Central)

Did you get a raise or promotion? Did all that new income seem to just disappear? This is called lifestyle creep. Learn more about this phenomenon and ways to mitigate the negative effects on wealth building.

Remember to Check Out Your Local News

Click the links below for your region/division below to see what's happening locally.

Regional & Divisional News

• Central WI Region
• UP Region
• North WI Division
• Northeast WI Division
• Northwest WI Division
• South WI Division
• Southeast & Southwest WI Division

Don't know your region or division?

Click the map to find out.