2011 CAHHS Conference Recap   CAHHS Conference Recap       Recap compliments of Bonnie Butler-Sibbald, Glendale Memorial Hospital and Health Center   Opening Day Presentations: The six opening day speakers represented Sacramento and hospital administrations. They were highly educated, credible and pragmatic. Their theme was consistent – there will be significant changes nationwide to health care systems, patient care delivery and payment structures.   Health care in the near future will be focused on outcomes. Hospitals and physicians will receive pay for performance based on a DRG payment model using uniform care standards and best practices. “If your patient does not get better you don’t get paid.”   The goals of the new government healthcare systems are likely to be targeted to: Access – medical service to everybody High Quality- measured and reported Affordable – insurance plans for individuals, employees (company/corporate) and/or nationwide groups Efficient – integrated and coordinated care (MD, hospitals, therapies, home care) Focus – will be on healthcare vs. sick care (prevention & education) Portable - it will be “yours not theirs”      Principles of Volunteer Management: Operations and Managing Risk AHVRP – Module 5 – Mary McCormack , CAVS   Run the (volunteer) program, as a risk manger would – stress quality and safety!   Interview! Past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior.   Position description: Use the HR policy format in place at your hospital. List essential duties, and use the hospital standards for physical requirements. Look at people’s abilities not their disabilities – but be aware that you/the program are not a rehab program/facility AND you/the program are not a career-counseling program. If the prospective volunteer does not have the skills when they start then they are being set up to fail. Revise the position description annually and get by-in from the appropriate department supervisor or manger. Make sure the volunteers know that they cannot sign as a witness to wills, DNR, durable power for medical decisions because they are considered a hospital representative.   Retention: – the greatest turnover is in the first 30-60 days. Selection and placement are the keys to keeping volunteers. Use a volunteer satisfaction survey annually. Work with your HR department to add to the individual department supervisors’ job description: ‘to be willing tosupervise and evaluate volunteers”. The volunteer evaluation formincludes questions for the supervisor about the volunteer’s attitude, behavior and attendance.   Disciplinary:– when counseling for improvement –develop the discussion around statements: positive / needs improvement / positive      Joint Commission Requirement for Health Care Volunteers: 2011 Update Presenter: Mark A. Crafton, MPA.                         Privacy and Confidentiality – Review with volunteers the Hospital’s written policy addressing the privacy of health information. Mr. Crafton reviewed and stressed the penalties (fines and terminations) regarding Facebook postings, “tweets”, and improper accessing of medical records by staff regarding family members, athletes and celebrities.   Rights of the Individual – Patients are to be informed of their responsibilities to interact with staff in a civil manner and the hospital’s obligation to maintain a respectful and considerate relationship with all patients.   Provision of Care – The hospital is to educate staff members (volunteers) about how to recognize the signs of possible abuse and neglect and their roles in follow-up.   Ethics – How and when hospital leaders excuse staff members from a job responsibility, ensuring that care, treatment and services are not affected in a negative way.   Infection Control – The hospital must communicate responsibilities about infection prevention; compliance with hand hygiene guidelines; screening for exposure/immunity to infectious diseases; assessment, testing, immunization, treatment or counseling when diagnosed with an infectious disease and establish an annual influenza vaccination program.   Environment of Care – Review the written fire response plan and drills to include fire alarms, containment of smoke and fire, fire extinguisher use and evacuation routes to areas of refuge. Review methods for eliminating and minimizing physical risks in performance of job duties, and how to do an incident report.   Emergency Management – Staff and volunteers are to be trained and to know their assignments in response to an emergency, internal and external.   Human Resources – ORIENTATIONS are a must! - Hospital wide, unit specific, job specific, patient safety, cultural diversity and patient rights. Use your current hospital policy to determine volunteer program specifics on background checks, health screenings, performance evaluations and competencies specific to patient care. Determine the need and schedule ongoing education and training in a timely manner.     Tools and Tactics for Engaging Your Supporters with Social Media:  Presenter: Nedra Kline Weinreich.      There was some information that I needed to know, but not as much on how to get started, as I would have liked. She was on target when she stated: “The on-line community is the word of mouth on steroids!” She did encourage us to realize that the best use of social media is to build a movement and ongoing interaction, not a “campaign” which would typically start and stop.   When determining whether to advance into the social media arena - first determine your capacity to engage: your time, staffing and expertise. Will you be doing the entries or will you assign a volunteer that you monitor? If it is to be a student volunteer -close supervision is encouraged.    Nedra recommends if you decide on a Facebook account, that you do a fan page not a group. If you choose to blog, you will have longer content, but you should be on at least two to three times a week. Use visuals – i.e. Flicker. By using and answering the following questions you can build a case to determine if a social media project is feasible for your program.   Why are you considering this means of communication? Goals and objectives Target audience Tools and tactics Capacity Measurement and evaluation tools     Human Resources and Legal Issues: Presenter: Carol Blanchard-Saiger CHA attorney   California Labor Code 1720.4 – make sure that your volunteers sign and date a statement of intent. I use the one that was presented at the Sacramento conference last year, printed on a separate sheet of paper in each volunteer file; regardless of the volunteer’s age!   “I agree that as a volunteer I am performing work for civic, charitable or humanitarian reasons without promise, expectation or receipt of any compensation for work performed. I have not been offered, promised or guaranteed future employment or compensation as a result of my volunteer services.” Also brought up by the attorney was the fact that hospitals are required to offer flu vaccines to volunteers if they are offered to employees; but volunteers do have the right to decline. The hospital has the right to limit volunteer service if declination is chosen.