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ANI: The Healthcare Finance Conference 2010

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Alegent Health: Financial and Clinical Collaboration through Technology and Best Practices

Track : Finance and Accounting Operations and Results

Program Code: F05

Date: Wednesday , June 23, 2010

Time: 1:45 PM to 3:00 PM EST

Location: Veronese 2405

CO-PRESENTER (S):

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Scott Wooten, Sr. Vice President Finance / CFO, Alegent Health

Connie Blietz,, RN, BSN, MBA, NE-BC, Chief Nursing Officer, Alegent Health

Connie Blietz, RN, BSN, MBA, NE-BC, is the Chief Nursing Officer for Alegent Health. She also serves as the Chief Nurse Executive (CNE) for Alegent Health Mercy Hospital, a position she has held since 1998. Alegent Health has 10 hospitals and more than 100 sites of service in eastern Nebraska and southwest Iowa. It is the largest private employer in Nebraska, with more than 1,300 physicians and 9,000 employees. Recognized as the top-quality health system in 2008 by the Network for Regional Healthcare Improvement, Alegent Health has also been named one of the top ten most integrated health systems several times and is consistently recognized for innovation and leadership in health care consumerism. Alegent Health is a faith-based health ministry sponsored by Catholic Health Initiatives and Immanuel Health Systems, which is affiliated with the Nebraska Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Under Blietz leadership Alegent Health Mercy Hospital earned Magnet designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) in 2005. It was the first hospital in the Alegent Health system to earn the recognition. In March, the hospital received re-designation from ANCC with a unanimous decision by the ANCC Magnet Program commission. Only five percent of the hospitals in the country have Magnet designation, and only three percent have been re-designated. Blietz provided administrative guidance for two significant hospital-wide multidisciplinary team initiatives improving patient satisfaction scores and improving processes to ensure high-quality, evidence-based care for patients with pneumonia, congestive heart failure and acute MI. The hospital now scores in the 95th percentile nationwide for patient satisfaction as measured by Professional Research Consultants and Alegent Health ranked number one in the U.S. in 2008 for quality/patient satisfaction according to the Network for Regional Healthcare Improvement (NRHI). Alegent Health Mercy Hospital also has achieved, and maintained, a 99 percent consistency score on the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Core Measures for patients with pneumonia, congestive heart failure and acute MI. Like others in health care, Alegent Health is focused on maintaining exceptional care while reducing labor costs. Blietz played a major role in achieving reductions through the use of contingency labor and achievement of labor dollar financial targets. Part of this accomplishment was due to input that she and her peers gave to the development of reporting tools allowing daily, weekly, and monthly monitoring and analysis of staffing patterns, as well as staffing costs. Blietz is a member of the Iowa Organization of Nurse Leaders (IONL), the Iowa Nurses Association, the American Organization of Nurse Executives, the American Nurses Association, the Iowa Healthcare Collaborative Data Committee, the Research Committee for IONL, and a member of area nursing school advisory boards. She shares her knowledge and passion for nursing through several publications and presentations.

SPEAKER (S):

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Connie Blietz, RN, BSN, MBA, NE-BC, CNE, Mercy Hospital, Alegent Health

Scott Wooten, Sr. Vice President Finance / CFO, Alegent Health

SUBMITTER :

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Connie Blietz, RN, BSN, MBA, NE-BC, CNE, Mercy Hospital, Alegent Health

Description

Alegent Health, a nine-hospital system based in Omaha, NE, embraces technology to develop accurate staffing matrices that marry clinical necessities with financial realities. By developing and implementing staffing grids using a consistent template with standardized formulas and naming conventions, integrated staffing becomes a reality. Nursing Leaders are able to follow industry Best Practices, which promote alignment of a units labor budget to the desired model of nursing care for the patient population; they become empowered to make staffing decisions that both meet their patient demands and their bottom- line. With the aid of Scheduling and Financial Dashboards and progressive variance reporting, Alegent Health is able to measure results daily, if needed, to identify and address potential trends before they negatively impact productivity. This technology, and the commitment to exchange old habits for new, efficient procedures has helped make the Alegent Health system the national leader in clinical quality and exceptional patient experience as reported by the Network for Regional Healthcare Improvement.

Describe how interactive dashboards can help identify potentially negative trends before they affect productivity
Identify how staffing decisions are affected by the bilateral relationship between a units labor accounting and nursing care model
Summarize how a standardized staffing grid facilitates integrated staffing

Audio Synchronized to PowerPoint

(Code: F05M/F05)

Member:$29 USD

Non-Member $39 USD - Your Price

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(Code: F05)

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