4 secrets to improve internal communications in rural healthcare
DESCRIPTION
A common challenge in rural health today that leaves many administrators scratching their heads is internal communications and how to improve it. It seems virtually impossible to keep staff in different locations working different shifts aware of frequent updates and vital information. Email blasts, bulletin boards, mailbox flyers, and paycheck inserts just don't seem to get the job done. So what is a hospital with alot of communication needs and limited resources to do? That is exactly the question that led the founder of HospitalPortal.net to create a collection of modules to help hospitals meet those needs with limited IT staff nearly 15 years ago. Since then, HospitalPortal.net's intranet solution has continued to evolve, adding new functionality and modules several times a year based on enhancement requests from clients. This educational session will be co-presented by Regan Sonnabend of HospitalPortal.net and HospitalPortal.net client Catherine Todd. Catherine is Sr. Director of Business Development and Community Relations at North Valley Hospital in Whitefish, MT. Catherine joined North Valley Hospital in 2010 and is responsible for marketing, communications, media relations and community relations, in addition to functioning as the Public Information Officer for the hospital and its outreach clinics. Her previous experience in the medical products and services industries include Director of Worldwide Marketing for Paragon Vision Sciences, Senior Brand Manager for Commercial Infection Control Products at the Dial Corporation, and Certified Cytogenetic Technologist for Genetrix, all in the Phoenix, Arizona metro area. Catherine earned her BS degree in Zoology and MBA with a focus on Marketing from Arizona State University.TRANSCRIPT
4 Secrets to Improve Internal Communications in Rural Healthcare
About North Valley Hospital • Critical Access Hospital
• Whitefish, Montana
• Planetree Affiliate
• 350 employees; 60 active medical staff
The Situation
Variety of Communication Vehicles • Hard copy monthly newsletter • Two e-mail systems • Staff break room bulletin
boards • Flyers in department
mail boxes • Payroll stuffers • Old intranet
The Situation
Previous Intranet Home Page
Goals for New Intranet 1. One-stop shop for staff news, information and
resources 2. More timely dissemination of information 3. Up-to-date information 4. Easy remote access 5. Increase efficiencies &
tracking of documents 6. Central document repository 7. Password protected sections 8. Easy to create and maintain
Implementation Steps/Timing
Kick-off meeting
Branding and Imagery; Home page template
Governance Committee; Role ID
Input from departments
Internal Page Template
2-day build & training
Launch
Optimization
10/30/12 3/1/13
New Intranet Home Page
New Intranet Home Page with Password Protected Pages
North Valley Hospital Intranet Features
Place A Request
North Valley Hospital Intranet Features
Submit Feedback Incident Notices
North Valley Hospital Intranet Features
Calendars & On-Call
Schedules
Department Pages
Clinic Pages
North Valley Hospital Intranet Features
Education
& Training
North Valley Hospital Intranet Features
“Newsletter”
North Valley Hospital Intranet Features
Electronic Bulletin Board to post personal information & events
Launch Activities
• Ice Cream Social
• “Scavenger” hunt
• Department Champions
• Weekly e-News Blast
Launch Activities
Intranet Usage
Average hits on Home Page per day in first
6 months
700
Intranet Usage Page Statistics
Tues - Thurs
Intranet Usage Page Statistics
Keys to Success • Senior Management Buy-In • Project Leader • Super users • Easy to use software that incorporates a
well organized design • Activities to encourage awareness,
education and participation • Continual optimization • Keep content fresh
Future Plans
• Policies & Procedures
• Contracts
#1 Define Governance and Standards
#2 Centralize Communications
#3 Leverage Technology
Document Management: Policies and Procedures, Contracts, Forms
Moderator Step Author Step
Approval Step Publishing Step
POLICY APPROVAL WORKFLOW
#4 Evolve
Intranet Benefits
• Improved organization-wide communications Instant access to information
Content search-ability
Content management decentralization
• Promote regulatory compliance Joint Commission, CMS, HIPAA, etc
• Improved policy and procedure management
• Enhanced patient care
• Reduced risk of lawsuits
• Significant savings Paper and printing/distribution
Productivity
• Boost employee satisfaction Eliminated tedious and time-consuming content publishing tasks.
Q & A
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• Contact us at 866-580-7700x276 or [email protected] with any questions, feedback, or thoughts.
• www.HospitalPortal.net