www.epmg.com

Fall 2014

DESTINATION: UGANDAA MEDICAL RELIEF EFFORTBy: Lois VanderCook

Destination: Uganda .................................... 1

Patient Safety Initiative ............................... 2

ACEP Leadership & Advocacy .................. 8

Red Cross Blood Drive .................................. 9

Science in the News .................................... 10

Update: Patient Safety ................................ 11

Laughter is the Best Medicine ................. 11

National SHRM.............................................12

Update: Employee Relations ................... 14

Well Done .........................................................15

Social Media Explained .............................15

Announcements ........................................... 16

Future of Emergency Medicine ........ Insert

IN THIS ISSUE:

As we landed in Entebbe, Uganda, I could hardly believe that I had actually arrived in Africa. I had been given the opportunity to serve on a medical team partnering with a local orphanage started by Pastor Isaac. I don’t think anything can truly prepare you for Africa – it is a place you need to experience yourself to fully appreciate it.

There were twenty-four members on our team: two pastors, three teachers, one resident, eight nurses, eight students and two laypeople. We prepared for weeks: collecting shoes, conducting fundraisers, learning the culture, getting vaccinations, collecting basic medical and school supplies, gathering soccer balls, buying medications to stock the pharmacy. It was a three-pronged mission: provide medical care for the orphanage and the surrounding villages, provide supplies for the local orphanage school, and a pastor revival.

After traveling for seventeen hours we arrived at Jinja, the second largest city in Uganda, a three hour trip from the airport. Miraculously, the forty-two plastic totes that we had packed with all our supplies made it through customs without any problems.

Continued on page 3

Lois VanderCook with daughter Jordan Goble

EPMG CONNECTION

P.3P.2

PATIENT SAFETY

INITIATIVEBy: Keenan Bora, MD

Fall 2014

The way that medical providers think about patient safety is in many ways the opposite of the problem that Justice Stewart had – we don’t know it when we see it. Just as it is difficult to define what it means to be healthy without talking about disease, we have a hard time speaking about safety without focusing on those times when things went wrong. However, if all we do is focus on what is going wrong, then we miss the chance to truly enhance safety through primary prevention. As the Medical Director for Patient Safety for EPMG, my challenge is to foster a culture of safety throughout the company.

As you can imagine, this is no small task. I am working to develop care and decision support tools, improve reporting systems and communicate ideas that can work throughout the company. This will not be done by me alone. Working closely with the Quality and Safety Department, we have already had success in improving the online event reporting system, expanding out chart reviews, and getting a quality and safety section on the EPMG website.

Additionally, I am chairman of EPMG’s new Innovations Committee. This committee will gather ideas from all providers and determine what we need to do to realize the potential of the best ideas out there. We will be keeping track of the great things you are doing and spreading the word to all of our sites.

We are in medicine at an exciting time. The rate of change and innovation is increasing, as is our ability to communicate and collaborate. If you have any suggestions about how we can do things better either at your site or at EPMG headquarters, please let me know at kbora@epmg.com. Take care.

“ BE OF SERVICE. WHETHER YOU MAKE YOURSELFAVAILABLE TO A FRIEND OR CO-WORKER, OR YOU MAKE TIME EVERY MONTH TO DO VOLUNTEER WORK, THERE IS NOTHING THAT HARVESTS MORE OF A FEELING OF EMPOWERMENT THAN BEING OF SERVICE TO SOMEONE IN NEED.”

At 6 AM we were awakened, to put it mildly, by a loudspeaker playing music and updating news and events for the whole village. This is the primary means of keeping the local people informed since they do not have televisions or radios. The announcements went on for thirty minutes every morning, negating the need for any alarm clock. Even though it was Saturday, the children were running around the grounds to finish up morning chores before walking to school. They were very excited to see us, coming up to us and taking our hands to show us around the orphanage.

Our first day was spent acquainting ourselves with the ninety-five children living at the orphanage and getting prepared for the week to come. We took a tour of the compound – roughly a ten acre area. The nucleus consists of several dorms for the children, a cookhouse, a kindergarten schoolroom, a store, a medical clinic, administrative offices, a chapel, and an open air shelter. Walking out of this gated area, we headed for the school, located at the back of the property. Squatters were living all along the road and the first overwhelming impression was the degree of poverty. Children were dressed in tattered clothes, houses were leaning and half finished, trash was scattered everywhere. Schoolrooms have 70-80 children per class, teacher wages are $10 per month, and the school day goes from 7 AM to 5:30 PM. Schools are government run but require an annual tuition payment of $30. Children must also provide all their own school supplies and uniform. Since so many local children cannot afford tuition, the orphanage sponsors 60-70 children to ensure they get educated. They also provide a daily lunch to make sure all the children are fed at least one meal a day.

Continued on pg. 4Gillian Anderson, American actress

DESTINATION: UGANDA, A MEDICAL RELIEF EFFORT CONTINUED

DESTINATION: MOZAMBIQUE, A MEDICAL RELIEF EFFORT CONTINUEDDESTINATION: MOZAMBIQUE, A MEDICAL RELIEF EFFORT CONTINUED

They grow corn, sweet potatoes, cabbage, carrots, and beans. They also have cattle, goats, and chickens. Fresh fruit is abundant; bananas, mangoes, and pineapple are grown on the property. The children make beads for jewelry, weave baskets, and make purses to sell in a small shop on the grounds. Even so, it is not enough to cover the costs of caring for the children, so they depend on donations and child-sponsorship to meet those needs. After having spent so much time with them, it made us want to adopt them all and bring them home, but since that wasn’t possible, my family sponsored Jane. She is an eight year old who was left parentless due to AIDS. Her elderly grandfather was unable to care for her and brought her to the orphanage where she has lived since she was three.

After our walking tour, the whole group settled down to preparing for the week to come. All of the totes had to be sorted according to item and day to be used. Vitamins, ibuprofen, and acetaminophen were separated into thirty day supplies. Toothbrushes and toothpaste were banded together. School supplies were sorted for appropriate age groups and clothes were separated by size. We found these preparations to be essential to the smooth running of the medical clinics.

We ran a clinic for only the orphanage children on Saturday, seeing about seventy-five orphans and their dorm leaders. For the most part these kids were healthy and happy and were just excited to be around us. They all received vitamins and hygiene bags, along with OTC remedies for stomachache and body aches. I sent two boys over to the clinic that day for malaria, though, as they were pretty sick with high fever and headache. We completed seeing all the children and orphanage staff on Sunday after participating in worship service together.

Monday we opened our doors to the surrounding villages. The teachers headed to the school where they spent the day teaching and singing in the classrooms and handing out supplies. The clinic was scheduled to open at 9 AM, but people started lining up at seven. The clinic consisted of an intake area where name, age, basic health information, and history were obtained through a translator. Vital signs were taken and patients were placed in “exam rooms” for a medical screening. Health forms were completed and taken to the pharmacy, while patients were directed to a common Integrated Health area where hand-washing and teeth-brushing procedures were reviewed. Patients were then given their medications and a hygiene pack (soap, shampoo, lotion, toothbrush and toothpaste). Some patients were referred to our “reader” clinic, where team members fitted them with reading glasses. We were able to see over 270 patients that day.

Continued on page 6

EPMG CONNECTION Fall 2014

P.5P.4

THE ORPHANAGE TRIES TO BE AS SELF-SUFFICIENT AS POSSIBLE.

Fall 2014EPMG CONNECTION

Wednesday found us in the mountains, a one-hour drive away. The clinic was held in brick buildings and the villagers had woven mats to cover the red dirt floor and to create walls in the open space. Patients were again lined up, but had already been given numbers. The locals were assisting with translation and directing the patients. The revival was held in a tent in front of the clinic. Again the school teachers assisted us with scribing and moving patients to Integrated Health.

DESTINATION: MOZAMBIQUE, A MEDICAL RELIEF EFFORT CONTINUEDDESTINATION: MOZAMBIQUE, A MEDICAL RELIEF EFFORT CONTINUED

Tuesday’s clinic was held in a forest village one-and-a-half hours away. Driving allowed us to see some of the local industry, a glass plant and sugar factory, along with farmed fields. But, again, it is the pervasive poverty that overcomes you. Two large tents with plastic chairs had been set up for us on a hill. Under a tree over 100 people were already lined up and we had passed more walking up the road. Open clinic areas are always a little harder to contend with since crowd control can become an issue. We had several people trying to cut in line for assessments and take medications from the pharmacy. We were right next to the church where the pastor revival was being held. The teachers were there with us that day and were very helpful in scribing and directing patient flow. We quickly set up our medical areas and started seeing patients. We saw several sick patients here, including two children we sent immediately to the hospital. Our team picked up the cost for their treatment. The first was a two year old with a septic elbow that required five days of care at a cost of $40. The second was an eighteen month old with a large area burn who received three days of debridement and antibiotic treatment for $25. We were all fairly certain that the two year old would have died if we had not intervened and sent her to the hospital. We also treated a ten year old with cerebral palsy whose mother had walked with him on her back for two hours, just for us to attend to the wounds from the now too-small leg braces he wore. By the end of the day we had seen over 250 patients.

Thursday we traveled three hours to a second orphanage that had been started by Pastor Samuel, Pastor Isaac’s son. There were thirty children living there, with ongoing construction to expand the compound. The clinic was set up in a half-walled building with a dirt floor. We saw the children the first day along with villagers who lived close by. On Friday we opened up the clinic to the surrounding area. These folks were even poorer than those we had seen previously and I know several of the people we treated had never before received any medical care. They were so thankful for a few Tylenol or vitamins – things we take for granted. It was a very humbling experience.

It was so hard to leave on Sunday – amazing how attached you get to the children and staff in such a short time. They are a friendly people, easily showing love and affection, and inviting you to do the same. As a team we had also bonded and the simplicity of the days working side-by side, without our usual electronic distractions, was coming to an end.

OVERALL WE MET OUR MEDICAL MISSION GOALS: 950 patients were treated2300 medication packs were handed out,and 350 pair of reading glasses were fitted.

The school received a reading program and enough supplies for a year’s worth of students. Pastors had been rejuvenated. Some of those had been close to saying they had had enough, but they were now ready to face the challenges of tomorrow.

AFRICA IS A BEAUTIFUL AND UNFORGETTABLE PLACE, FULL OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE SO LITTLE BUT LOVE SO MUCH. IT IS TRULY A PLACE YOU SHOULD EXPERIENCE FOR YOURSELF.

P.6

WE ALSO TREATED A TEN YEAR OLD WITH CEREBRAL PALSY WHOSE MOTHER HAD WALKED WITH HIM ON HER BACK FOR TWO HOURS, JUST FOR US TO ATTEND TO THE WOUNDS FROM THE NOW TOO-SMALL LEG BRACES HE WORE.

P.7

P.9P.8

Fall 2014

ACEP LEADERSHIP AND ADVOCACY CONFERENCEBy: Gregory Gafni-Pappas, MD

EPMG CONNECTION

HEATH CARE SAFETY NET ENHANCEMENT ACT (HR.36/S.961)This legislation would deem emergency and on-call physicians who provide EMTALA-related services as federal employees under the Public Health Safety Act. The purpose is to provide liability protection to ensure that emergency medical care will be available from emergency physicians and on-call specialists throughout the country. The legislation will also help reduce defensive medicine to improve patient care and decrease cost of health care. Previous similar legislation was approved by the House but never addressed by the Senate.

RESIDENT PHYSICIAN SHORTAGE REDUCTION ACT (HR.1180/S.577) This legislation addresses the impending physician shortages and aims to expand the current cap on the number of Medicare-supported GME slots throughout the country. The number of Medicare-supported hospital residency positions has been frozen since 1997 despite population growth and physician shortages. The bill would create 15,000 new residency slots over five years. ACEP is working to ensure all specialties are eligible to compete for new GME spots, including emergency medicine.

HELPING FAMILIES IN MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS ACT (HR.3717)Emergency departments are seeing an increasing number of psychiatric patients. This legislation addresses the inadequacy of mental health resources throughout the country. The act focuses on improving research, data collection, and efficacy of existing mental health programs to promote evidence-based medicine and create systems of care for patients with mental illness. The legislation also includes training of emergency medical and law enforcement personnel in recognition of mental health issues and removes regulations that currently prohibit same-day billing under Medicaid for treatment of these patients in the same location on the same day.

ACEP continues to work hard on other important issues as well. There is wide support for a bill to repeal and reform the SGR and avoid a 24% cut to Medicare physician payments. ACEP also supports a bill to provide legal safe harbors to physicians who demonstrate that they followed best practice guidelines developed by a multidisciplinary panel of experts.

The ACEP Leadership and Advocacy Conference provides a glimpse into the inner workings of Capitol Hill. But even more than this, it allows EPs from all over the country to discuss the issues that affect us every day. It is certainly one of my favorite conferences each year and I highly encourage you to make the trip to DC in future years. The dates for the next conference are May 3 – 6, 2015. You can get more information here: www.acep.org/lac

In May, a contingent of emergency physicians from Michigan met up with EPs from all over the country in Washington, DC for the annual ACEP Leadership and Advocacy Conference. This year, the big-ticket items for discussion were EMTALA Services Medical Liability Reform, Graduate Medical Education Funding, and Mental Health. Though congress is unlikely to act on any of these issues this year, we spent time educating our representatives and senators on these important topics. Here is a synopsis of the bills:

YOU DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE – YOUR HELP IS STILL NEEDEDBy: Nancy MacNiven Ely

Let me begin with thanking all of those who have volunteered their gift of time, their financial gift and/or the gift of life through blood donations to the American Red Cross. For many charitable organizations, including the Red Cross, it is a constant struggle to maintain the donations necessary to fund all of their critical programs. There continues to be a serious gap in donations provided versus the critical needs of our community. Did you know that 900 units of blood are required each day in southeastern Michigan, just to keep up with patient demand? That number may seem alarmingly high, but it has held steadfast at that level for years. Thankfully, one donated pint of blood can save up to three lives. So just think of the difference you can make! It is only through your donations that the American Red Cross can continue to deliver its services and uphold its mission since its founding in 1881.

I am so pleased to share some statistics with you regarding EPMG’s on-site blood drives since our organization began sponsoring them in 2009:

2009 UNITS DONATED 33 2010 27 2011 292012 26 2013 292014 26 TOTAL UNITS DONATED 170

The number above definitely helps, but keep in mind that the Red Cross requires 900 units per day. Nevertheless, through EPMG’s collaborative effort with Altarum and Black & Veatch, approximately 150 units of blood are gathered annually. Multiplied by three (the number of lives saved per

unit donated), this equates to saving up to 450 lives per year. So with just our three organizations working together and sponsoring these blood drives over the past six years, the total number of potential lives saved is 2,700!

There are a myriad of other programs offered by the American Red Cross in addition to their blood services division. The Red Cross responds to disasters nationwide (fire, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes), operates a special division that assists in conveying emergency messages between our Armed Forces personnel and their families, and provides international relief services. The Red Cross also trains members of our community to respond to emergency and disaster situations, and provides educational programs on health and safety (First Aid, CPR, AED).

We encourage all of our readers to contact your local chapter of the American Red Cross (http://www.redcrossblood.org) to learn how you can support them through donating blood, volunteering or making a donation.

So you may ask … how can I help? To start, if you are willing and able to donate, please consider donating at our next blood drive on October 23rd at Altarum’s Ann Arbor headquarters. To do so, or to find another blood drive near you, visit: http://www.redcrossblood.org/make-donationWe are working on the 2015 blood drive schedule and will release that soon.

The American Red Cross cannot serve and do their work without the help of caring, community-minded people like you. A special thank you to Nancy Wu and Deb Moening for their continued assistance with EPMG’s annual on-site blood drives. Our heartfelt gratitude goes out to all of you!

FUTURE 2015 BLOOD DRIVE DATES TO BE ANNOUNCED SOON.Thank you to everyone who has donated or will donate in the future! Your gifts are needed and so greatly appreciated.

Fall 2014EPMG CONNECTION

P.10

SCIENCE IN

THE NEWS

“ I CANNOT KNOW WHAT YOUR DESTINY WILLBE, BUT ONE THING I DO KNOW IS THAT THE TRULY HAPPY AMONG YOU WILL BE THOSE WHO HAVE LEARNED TO SERVE.”

Candida albicans is a common yeast fungus found on the skin and in the gastrointestinal tract of humans. Most of the time it is a harmless resident along with the other microbes that use people as hosts. However, when mucosal surfaces are damaged or a person’s immune system is compromised, the Candida population can explode into a serious disease-producing infection. It is the most common human fungal infection worldwide.

In the mouth, this infection is called candidiasis or thrush. Esophageal candidiasis is often seen in patients with HIV, where, in a person already debilitated by the virus, it can cause trouble with swallowing, potentially further weakening the afflicted. In extreme cases, superficial infections may enter the bloodstream and cause systemic candidiasis, with a mortality rate of up to 50%.

In healthy humans, the Candida population is held in check by the dryness of the skin, the immune system or by competition with other microorganisms. It has long been thought that competition from bacteria was a significant factor in limiting oral Candida infections. Recent research at Case Western Reserve University indicates that this might not be true. Researchers at CWRU compared the oral flora found in individuals with HIV to that of healthy people. Their research failed to find any significant differences in the bacterial population between the two groups. The data about fungal populations was strikingly different. Healthy people had far more species of fungi present in their mouths.

One particular fungus, Pichia, stood out. Where large numbers of Pichia were found, concentrations of Candida were lower. When incubated together, the Pichia fungus thrived and the Candida populations declined. Suspecting that Pichia was producing a chemical that inhibited Candida, the research team created a chemical soup from Pichia cultures. Given to mice with Candida infections, the mixture killed the Candida fungus on the tongues of the mice. The Pichia treatment proved to be even more effective than the standard treatment for candidiasis, nystatin.

Further experiments indicated that the Pichia solution also worked to inhibit the growth of other disease-causing fungi, notably Aspergillus and Fusarium. Pichia anomala has been used to protect pistachio trees from Aspergillus flavus, where the growth of the unfavorable mold can be reduced by almost 97%. These results suggest that Pichia derivatives may have promise as a broad-spectrum antifungal. The researchers also envision a mouthwash with live Pichia being used proactively by HIV patients or others at risk for Candida infection. Cheers!

Albert Schweitzer (1875 – 1965)Theologian, Organist, Philosopher, Physician, and Medical Missionary in Africa.

P.11

LAUGHTERISTHEBESTMEDICINE

UPDATE: PATIENT SAFETYEPMG LAUNCHES TWO PATIENT SAFETY EVALUATION SYSTEM (PSES) INITIATIVES

The EPMG Event Reporting System (ERS)This icon is located on the Clinician Services page of the EPMG website. Through the ERS you can report any quality or patient safety issue you encounter at your site (near misses, errors, serious reportable events, etc.). Clicking the icon opens an easy-to-use electronic event reporting form. This form will capture pertinent information in the most succinct manner. Documents can be attached securely to this form by using the upload feature at the bottom of the page.

New “Patient Safety” web pageAlso available from the Clinician Services page, here you will find the latest resources:

• EPMG’s PSES policy• Links to Patient Safety Resources (AHRQ, EMPSF)• Patient Safety Alerts• Best Practice Guidelines• Twitter Timeline – #patientsafety

EPMG is committed to improving patient safety and hopes that these two initiatives give us the foundation to build our culture of safety. Events are being reported on a regular basis. We anticipate that information gathered from these events will allow us to improve patient safety at all of our sites.

POULTRY WAS RUNNING ALL OVER THE ED!

Over 100 tales of feathers flying in the ED were received during our Event Reporting Competition in April

With the launch of our Patient Safety Event Reporting System, EPMG providers at all sites were encouraged to enter test events. The purpose of the competition was to raise awareness of the new system and to demonstrate how easy it is to use. Over 100 of our providers took advantage of the opportunity and treated us to humorous events involving chickens in the emergency department. We have some very creative providers! Watervliet Hospital (Watervliet, MI) took home the coveted We Did It trophy. Look for an opportunity to have the trophy at your site in the near future! Great work by all!

EPMG CONNECTION

P.13

Fall 2014

P.12

SHRM CONFERENCEBy: Amy Sexton

We also heard from Thomas Friedman, New York Times columnist, three time Pulitzer Prize winner, and author of The World is Flat. Tom spoke about how technology and globalization are dramatically redefining education and the economy, making the once coveted jobs obsolete and squeezing out high-wage, middle skilled workers. Tom drives home his message that “average is officially over” and there is no room for routine or average in the future workplace. Even professions such as law, medicine and teaching are being transformed by software, robots, and online programs. For instance, Tom noted that as much as 14% of Google’s technology teams never graduated from college. Instead, Google hiring is based not on what has been learned, but on what can be applied. “Google doesn’t care what you know,” said Friedman. “The Google machine knows everything. All Google cares about is what you can do with what you know. And they don’t care how or where you learned it – from Matchbox University, MIT or studying at home.” How can organizations and their employees prepare for tomorrow’s workforce? Tom shared three strategies: be innovation ready, the 4 C’s: creativity, communication, collaboration and critical thinking, and “the big M,” otherwise known as self-Motivation.

Yum! Brands Inc. CEO, David Novak, is a very charismatic speaker and my personal favorite. Yum! Brands operates over 40,000 KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell restaurants in more than 125 countries. Novak leads his organizations by “Unleashing the Power of the People” and by saying “Thank You.” Under Novak’s leadership, Yum! Brands has experienced double-digit growth for ten consecutive years. He was named CEO of the Year by Chief Executive in 2012 and was named one of Harvard Business Review’s “100 Best Performing CEOs in the World.” Novak recognizes that he didn’t grow his company by making tough calls alone in a corner office or at a boardroom table. Rather, he listened to his employees and created a culture of recognition. “You’ve got to celebrate other people’s ideas more than your own,” Novak said. He is always looking around the company for great things so that he can learn more and say “thank you.” Inclusion and transparency guide Novak’s leadership

development programs. Acknowledging employees by recognizing them in fun ways has driven sales and increased morale. For instance, he began by giving KFC employees rubber chickens with a $100 bill. He takes a picture of himself with each employee when he gives it to them and he hangs a copy of that picture in his own office as a visual. Novak believes that a good leader listens and believes in “the power of positive intentions” – the idea that at the end of the day, people want to work hard and do well. “You have to unleash the power of the people,” Novak says. “Once you feel like you’re not needed, you’re through.” Today, Novak has expanded his recognition program to include giant cheese heads, life size taco sauce packets and large wind-up teeth for his special “Walk the Talk” award. His office walls are now completely full of employee recognition photos. He’s even begun hanging photos on the ceiling.

One of my highlights at the conference happened in the SHRM Certification Lounge, a gathering place for certified HR professionals. During the breakfast session I stopped in to grab some coffee and a quick bite to eat. Walking towards the table was another HR professional, hands full, searching for a place to sit. The lounge was quite full, as you can imagine with thousands of certified attendees. I simply offered this woman a chair at my table and a place to set down her items and comfortably enjoy her breakfast. We began chatting for a couple short minutes when I glanced at her nametag. It was at this moment I realized that of the 13,000+ HR Professionals in Orlando, I had offered a seat to Deanne, a member of the Human Resources team at Southern Ohio Medical Center. Minutes later after introducing ourselves and chatting about this awesome chance encounter, Deanne called her manager Vicki over, as well as Ken, her other team member. We were able to learn more about each other’s organizations and gain insight into the HR experience at our partnering organizations. This chance encounter transformed my perspective of Southern Ohio Medical Center. The knowledge and relationships I’ve gained in speaking with our HR partners there, as well as with Dr. Angelos after the fact, will forever transform my HR approach.

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Annual Conference & Exposition was held this past June in Orlando, FL. With over 200 sessions on HR strategies and topics, world-class speakers and limitless networking opportunities with 13,000+ HR professionals from around the globe, the conference proved to be a valuable experience. The theme of the conference was Transform, which signifies a major change.

Opening speaker Robin Roberts, anchor of ABC’s Good Morning America, spoke of the ups and downs she’s recently faced and how these experiences have transformed her life. Robin reached the pinnacle of her broadcasting career when she became a GMA anchor in 2002. Five years later she was battling breast cancer, only to learn in 2012 that she also had a rare bone marrow disease. Roberts was initially reluctant to share her message, but her mother urged her to “make your mess your message.” Robin urges all of us to remember that everybody’s got something and we are all stronger than we think we are. We can transform our message on a regular basis to focus on the fight, not the fright, and have the strength to raise our hands and admit when we need help. Whether it is working on a project independently and realizing the value of bringing others in to diversify, expedite or simply share the workload, or a personal issue in which reaching out to others may provide you mental, physical or emotional relief.

Back row:Amy Sexton, Senior HR Generalist, EPMG and Vicki Noel, VP of Human Resources at Southern Ohio Medical Center.

Front Row:Deanne Malone, Manager of Total Compensation and Ken Applegate, Director of Human Resources, both from Southern Ohio Medical Center.

SHRM CONFERENCE CONTINUED

P.15

Fall 2014EPMG CONNECTION

P.14

UPDATE: EMPLOYEE RELATIONS & ACTIVITIES COMMITTEE

WELL DONE By: Nancy MacNiven Ely

With the first year of employee relations initiatives and events under our belt, the Employee Relations & Activities Committee gained a few new members and ramped up to make 2014 another successful year. Through quarterly employee events, community outreach and interest-based activities, the committee focuses on activities that promote relationships and employee recognition.

The committee partnered with the American Red Cross on a volunteer event entitled, “The Blanket Breakfast.” Employees donated over twenty-five blankets that were given to veterans in Washtenaw County that are homeless, wheelchair bound or recovering from surgery. The NCAA Basketball Tournament March Madness brackets were a fun way to engage in healthy competition. Karen Caudill finished first, Karen Knapp second, and Donna Hartman third!

The committee hosted Bring a Child to Work Day, which gave HQ employees the opportunity to bring a young family member or loved one to work with them on April 24th to gain insight into their job, EPMG as a company and the field of emergency medicine. EPMG departments organized fun learning opportunities for participants on a variety of topics including: how to write a marketing campaign, budgeting business

expenses, effective communication, and identifying skills, talents and abilities. The Wellness Committee hosted a popular hand-washing activity where children could use a black light to view the germs on their hands both before and after washing. They also led a fun-filled walk in the surrounding area for a wellness-related activity break. EPMG’s Safety & Disaster Planning Committee hosted a session on being proactive in case of emergency. Dr. Stefanie Simmons and Lois VanderCook, RN, held sessions with participants involving basic CPR skills and how to respond to common emergencies.

Summer initiatives include a Toledo Mud Hens outing and the annual HQ summer picnic. June served as a “Random Act of Kindness” month where HQ employees were encouraged to participate in voluntary acts of kindness both inside and outside of the workplace. In that spirit, onsite, ten minute massages were offered to HQ employees to reward their dedication to EPMG.

The committee has been strategizing on ways to extend our initiatives beyond Green Road and integrate clinical with non-clinical employees across all EPMG locations. Should you have any suggestions or wish to participate in this effort, please feel free to contact Amy Sexton in the Human Resources Department (asexton@epmg.com).

Kevin Boehm, DO, FACOEP, FACEP, FAAEM – EM Residency Program Director Medical Director It is our distinct pleasure and honor to announce the selection of the new St. Mary Mercy Hospital (Livonia, MI) EM Residency Director, Dr. Kevin Boehm. After five years as Associate Residency Director and Residency Research Director at Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital, Dr. Boehm will now extend his academic leadership responsibilities to Livonia where he will lead the EM residency program, now in its fifth year. A round of applause to Dr. Boehm in his new position!

Timothy Billups, MD –ED Assistant Medical Director A warm congratulations to Dr. Timothy Billups, who was recently awarded the position as the new ED Assistant Medical Director at Lodi Community Hospital (Lodi, OH). Dr. Billups has taken on a leadership role in just three years since becoming a clinical partner with EPMG in June 2011. Great job in your new management role!

Keenan Bora, MD – Appointed new MCEP Executive Board Member Congratulations to Dr. Keenan Bora who was recently appointed as a new executive board member of the Michigan College of Emergency Physicians (MCEP) in the role of Secretary. This announcement was made at the MCEP Annual Membership Meeting on Mackinac Island in July 2014. Dr. Bora wears many hats including that as EPMG’s Medical Director of Patient Safety and St. Joseph Mercy Hospital (Ann Arbor, MI) Faculty Physician , just to name a few. A job well done on this deserved honor!

Henry Ford Health System/Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital (Wyandotte, MI) Nanticoke Health Services (Seaford, DE) Riverside Medical Center (Kankakee, IL) Southern Ohio Medical Center (Portsmouth, OH) Congratulations to these EPMG sites that were recently named by Becker’s Hospital Review in the top 150 Great Places to Work in Healthcare. Compliments to all four hospitals and their staff for receiving this distinct honor. We are all so proud of the work you do every day, taking care of patients and serving your communities so wonderfully! To check out the full story, look here: http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/leadership-management/108-hospitals-health-systems-that-are-great-places-to-work.html

Hayes Green Beach Memorial Hospital (Charlotte, MI) Congratulations to Hayes Green Beach Memorial Hospital, a facility that is the recipient of the 2014 Governor’s Award of Excellence for outstanding inpatient and outpatient clinical achievement in the critical access hospital setting! “This award demonstrates Michigan’s deep commitment to providing high quality, safe and efficient health care,” said Governor Snyder. “By using proven, evidence-based practices, these organizations are making sure individuals get the right care at the right time.” Congratulations to all for their hard work and continued dedication to the community!

And now a helpful message from the EPMG Social Media Committee.

SOCIAL MEDIA EXPLAINEDTwitter I am eating a #Donut

Facebook I like donuts

FourSquare This is where I eat donuts

Instagram Here is a vintage photo of a donut

YouTube Here I am eating a donut

LinkedIn My skills include eating donuts

Pinterest Here is a donut recipe

Last.fm Now listening to ‘Donuts’

Google+ I am a Google employee who eats donuts

GINI ELLIOTT, Administrationgelliott@epmg.com

JEFF DANIELS, IT jdaniels@epmg.com

NANCY ELY, Recruitingnely@epmg.com

EDITORIAL STAFF

www.epmg.com

FUTURE COPY DEADLINES: OCTOBER 31, 2014 (Winter 2014)JANUARY 31, 2015 (Spring 2015)APRIL 30, 2015 (Summer 2015)JULY 31, 2015 (Fall 2015)

The EPMG Connection welcomes your feedback. Tell us what you like, what you would like to see more of, what you would change. To submit articles for consideration, email us at epmgconnection@epmg.com.

ANNOUNCEMENTSNEW MEDICAL DIRECTOR, HAYES GREEN BEACH MEMORIAL HOSPITAL David Elwell, MD, Hayes Green Beach Memorial Hospital (Charlotte, MI), is to be congratulated and welcomed as the ED’s newest Medical Director. Dr. Elwell brings extensive leadership experience with him to EPMG. Best wishes!

NEW ASSISTANT MEDICAL DIRECTOR, STURGIS HOSPITAL & HAYES GREEN BEACH MEMORIAL HOSPITAL Mark Shank, DO, is the newest member of the Hayes Green Beach Memorial Hospital (Charlotte, MI) and Sturgis Hospital (Sturgis, MI) staffs, serving as the Assistant Medical Director for both emergency departments. Having held several key positions prior to joining us, please join us in welcoming Dr. Shank to the team!

OFFICE CLOSINGSThe EPMG corporate office will be closed on: Thursday, November 27th and Friday, November 28th for the Thanksgiving holiday Thursday, December 25th for Christmas Thursday, January 1, 2015 for New Year’s Day