Colleagues
As we head into a new year, we should not lose sight of the resilience and dedication that brought us through the challenges of the last few years. We have faced unprecedented obstacles and have come out stronger for it. Many stories defined us in 2022, like the dedicated staff at Randall Children’s Hospital at Legacy Emanuel helping children vaccinate against COVID-19 and breaking ground on the Legacy Silverton Medical Center expansion to provide the Silverton community with enhanced services. We will continue to work together to write another chapter of our story in 2023 by supporting one another and providing high-quality care for our patients.
The new year is also a time for reflection and looking ahead. My son will be a senior in high school in the fall, so I’ll be embarking on a new phase of life and paperwork—advice is welcome! I’ve also been in the role for approximately a month and still learning the issues on your minds. I appreciate the frank comments I’ve heard, recognizing that sharing isn’t always easy. With the new year, I am setting time aside to get out to the sites regularly to hear more directly from you. I see 2023 as a time to regroup and think about our new normal – how do we want to move ahead knowing that things are going to be different? We need new solutions to our unique challenges, and I welcome your partnership in that work.
In 2023, let’s stay focused and committed to positively impacting the health of our community. Let us strive for excellence and continue to make a difference.
Happy New Year and thank you for your extraordinary efforts.
Thanks,
Melinda Muller, MD
Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer
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New standards for communicating via Secure Chat and pagers to reduce the burden on providers |
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Clinical leadership worked with cross-functional care team members from our medical centers to codify expectations for how clinical team members in the hospital setting will use communication channels to communicate with one another about patients. With communication related ICARES being Legacy’s most significant category of ICARES, the aim is to reduce communication delays that result in adverse patient impacts.
Beginning February 6, we ask that inpatient and ED staff involved in communicating about patient care start to adhere to these standards.
What you need to do:
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Learn how to set and maintain your Secure Chat status. Maintaining an accurate Secure Chat status will ensure that the sender understands how quickly you can respond. In addition, it will prevent messages from being sent to you if you are not available to respond at all.
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Familiarize yourself with the new Clinical Communication Standards and begin to apply them. There are five new standards and specific etiquette for using Secure Chat, pagers, Vocera and phone calls.
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Our People Profile: Emily Coombes, DO |
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Some of the earliest childhood memories for Emily Coombes, DO, come from the time she spent shadowing her mother as a speech pathologist at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center. “I feel like I grew up in the halls there,” she said.
Today, Emily is the site medical director for Legacy Inpatient Medical Services at Legacy Good Samaritan Medical Center. She co-manages both the Portland hospital sites with Kevin Breger, MD. In our conversation, Emily talks about her journey at Legacy and how she drew inspiration for her career by watching her mother’s work. |
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Legacy Medical Group welcomes Randall Children’s Pediatric Intensivists |
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In partnership with Randall Children’s Hospital at Legacy Emanuel, Legacy Medical Group is excited to welcome the nationally recognized pediatric intensivist team formerly of Northwest Pediatric Critical Care PC. Seven pediatric intensivists officially joined Legacy Medical Group on December 26, 2022. |
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Washington State Medical Commission and Oregon Medical Board mandatory education |
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To increase awareness and assist Legacy providers easily locate their mandatory CME requirements, CME staff have produced a quick reference guide for licensees of the Oregon Medical Board and the Washington State Medical Commission. This one-page guide covers the boards’ mandatory and strongly encouraged education covering topics such as Cultural Competency, Pain Management, Suicide Risk Assessment, and Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia Care. |
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Documentation of student supervision is easier |
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If you teach medical, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner students, CMS has changed the documentation guidelines, making it easier on preceptors. Fully licensed MD, DO, PA, NP, CNS, CNM, and CRNA providers may document supervision of students by attesting to the students' notes (as opposed to re-documenting the encounter) with phrases like these:
- I was present with the student during the entire history taking and exam of the patient. I discussed the history, physical, pertinent studies, and medical management with the student. I have reviewed the student's note for accuracy and agree with the findings and plan as documented in the student’s note.
- I independently repeated the history and physical examination of the patient. I discussed the history, physical, pertinent studies, and medical management with the student. I have reviewed the student's note for accuracy and agree with the findings and plan as documented in the student’s note.
You must document that you were either present in the room the entire time or independently repeated the history and physical. However, the entire student’s note can be used for documentation of record. Please ensure that you read the student’s note and document the correction of any errors in the note.
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Mark your calendars - upcoming medical staff updates |
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Feb. 14, 12:15 p.m. Virtual Update
Feb. 21 Email Update
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In case you missed it
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Looking ahead to 2023 – Legacy’s SVP and Chief Strategy Officer Anita Iyenger shared a December update on what she does in her role as well as a look ahead.
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- More people in the Northwest are going to the hospital with the XBB.1.5 variant of COVID-19. This variant is low in Oregon but is expected to spread quickly.
- While fewer people are in the hospital with RSV or flu, the number of people in the hospital with COVID is steady. This suggests COVID may not be a strictly seasonal virus and is more likely to infect people consistently.
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Looking for more information?
Click here for more COVID-19 information on MyLegacy.
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