SoutheastHEALTH’s Hospice service has been named a 2020 Hospice Honors Elite recipient by Deyta Analytics, a division of HEALTHCAREfirst, the leading provider of Web-based home health and hospice software, outsourced billing and coding servings and advanced analytics.
Hospice Honors is a highly regarded program that recognizes hospices providing the highest level quality care as measured from the caregiver’s point of view. Southeast Hospice, established in 1986 as the region’s first hospital-based hospice, has offered quality, compassionate care to thousands of families.
There are more than 5,300 hospices that participate in the Medicare program in the U.S. Of those, 350 U.S. hospices earned Honors status, and only 79 received Elite status. Award recipients were identified by evaluating hospices’ performance on a set of 24 quality indicator measures. In order to receive Elite status, a hospice must outscore the national benchmark of all 24 questions asked on the satisfaction survey.
SoutheastHEALTH Home Care Services Administrator Vickie Schnurbusch, MSN, RN, CHPN, said Southeast Hospice defines its mission with “an unwavering commitment to providing the highest quality of care, delivered with expertise and compassion, for both patients and their caregivers. We are honored to be a part of their lives during this difficult time.”
She noted that Southeast Hospice averages 621 visits a month and recorded 7,448 visits in 2019. Southeast Hospice served 599 patients and admitted 202 patients last year.
Southeast Hospice serves patients in the home setting as well as in skilled nursing homes in Cape, Bollinger, Scott, Perry and Stoddard counties and portions of New Madrid and Mississippi counties. The service also has a partnership with Perry County Memorial Hospital.
About Southeast Hospice
Southeast Hospice is a not-for-profit agency that is Medicare certified, Medicaid approved, state certified and accredited by The Joint Commission.
Hospice team members include an RN nursing staff with more than 100 cumulative years of hospice experience and a dedicated medical social worker who provides bereavement services for 13 months after the loss of a loved one. Additional team members include a medical director, nurse practitioner, patient care technicians, social workers, spiritual counselors, administrative assistants, volunteer coordinator and volunteers.
SoutheastHEALTH announced today the organization is a recipient of an ‘A’ award in the spring 2020 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, a national distinction recognizing Southeast’s achievements providing safer healthcare. The Leapfrog Group is an independent national watchdog organization committed to healthcare quality and safety. The Safety Grade is a letter grade assigned to all general hospitals across the country and updated every six months, assessing how well the hospital prevents medical errors and other harm to patients.
“I’m proud of the entire Southeast team for this incredible accomplishment, especially given the critical demands of the COVID-19 pandemic. This accolade speaks to their incredible resilience and dedication to delivering high quality patient outcomes,” said Ken Bateman, President and CEO of SoutheastHEALTH. “Receiving this award further validates SoutheastHEALTH’s position as the premier quality, low cost healthcare provider in our region.”
“As the nation copes with a challenging pandemic, our gratitude extends to hospital leadership and healthcare workers everywhere for their tremendous dedication,” said Leah Binder, President and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “We hope this ‘A’ helps to thank the people who work and volunteer for Southeast. They are role models in putting patients first, and their service has been extraordinary in our country’s time of need.”
Developed under the guidance of a national Expert Panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses up to 28 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to more than 2,600 U.S. acute- care hospitals twice per year. The Hospital Safety Grade’s methodology is peer-reviewed and fully transparent, and the results are free to the public.
SoutheastHEALTH was awarded an ‘A’ grade today, when Leapfrog updated grades for spring 2020. To see Southeast’s full grade details and access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit hospitalsafetygrade.org and follow The Leapfrog Group on Twitter and Facebook.
About SoutheastHEALTH
At SoutheastHEALTH, the region's premier healthcare system in southeast Missouri, our patients receive excellent care of the highest clinical quality, close to home. Within our network are more than 50 care locations in 13 communities, including hospitals, primary and specialty care clinics representing over 30 clinical specialties and extending care for patients in a four-state area. Learn more at SEhealth.org.
About The Leapfrog Group
Founded in 2000 by large employers and other purchasers, The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit organization driving a movement for giant leaps forward in the quality and safety of American health care. The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey and new Leapfrog Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) Survey collect and transparently report hospital and ASC performance, empowering purchasers to find the highest-value care and giving consumers the lifesaving information they need to make informed decisions. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, Leapfrog’s other main initiative, assigns letter grades to hospitals based on their record of patient safety, helping consumers protect themselves and their families from errors, injuries, accidents and infections.
Southeast Announces Unique COVID-19 Testing Regimes Designed to Save Lives and Get People Back to Work
Cape Girardeau, MO - SoutheastHEALTH has announced its laboratory in Cape Girardeau has been verified to perform COVID-19 rapid result molecular and serology testing, for fast turnaround times, quicker clinical response and reduced quarantine time, thus lowering the risk of transmission to others.
Southeast Laboratory team has worked closely with three national testing companies to bring these capabilities to Southeast’s Laboratory. These advanced options will allow in-house COVID-19 processing and the ability to enter these results directly into the patient’s ‘mySeHEALTH’ electronic medical record. The most critical and highly suspicion tests will receive priority. Result time will depend on volume. However, most test results will be returned in a few hours and inpatient tests that are considered urgent based on the patient’s condition can be returned within an hour.
In the upcoming weeks, Southeast will communicate additional services utilizing these advanced testing options for community and employer groups requiring workforce screenings to further assist in getting their businesses operational again.
“We are incredibly proud of the teamwork involved in making this happen so quickly. This will benefit our patients, health care workers and the general public. The health and safety of our patients and communities are of the utmost importance to Southeast,” said Ken Bateman, President and CEO of SoutheastHEALTH. “We hope the addition of more testing capabilities that expedite results will calm worries and jumpstart this community’s economic engine again.”
“Thanks to my team’s extensive background in disease pathology, we have the expertise and resources to accomplish this,” said George Wettach, MD, Medical Director of Southeast Laboratory Services. “Getting this completed so quickly took amazing teamwork by our laboratory staff. We all are working together in the best interest of patients and residents of southeast Missouri. With any new test platform, there is a rigorous validation process, making sure the equipment provides accurate and timely results for our patients,” noted Wettach.
All completed test results will be sent to the state for COVID-19 reporting purposes. Patients with positive test results will be contacted with instructions on how to care for themselves at home, symptom management and when to contact a healthcare provider if symptoms worsen.
Southeast’s Laboratory in part was chosen to be the first lab in the southeast region to obtain this advanced testing, due to their expansive outreach lab footprint, currently serving over 680 clients in 10 states across southeast region of the U.S. In addition, SoutheastHEALTH provides services for over 50 employer group with direct contracts supporting over 30,000 covered lives in southeast Missouri.
To learn more about Southeast’s ongoing strategies to address COVID-19 visit sehealth.org/COVID19.
About SoutheastHEALTH
At SoutheastHEALTH, the region's premier healthcare system in southeast Missouri, our patients receive excellent care of the highest clinical quality, close to home. Within our network are more than 50 care locations in 13 communities, including hospitals, primary and specialty care clinics representing over 30 clinical specialties and extending care for patients in a four-state area. Learn more at SEhealth.org.
SoutheastHEALTH Continues to Offer Pre-Screens, Testing for COVID-19
Cape Girardeau, MO - SoutheastHEALTH is continuing to offer pre-screening and testing for COVID-19 as we work through this healthcare challenge. Individuals who are concerned that they may be infected with COVID-19 may call the SoutheastHEALTH hotline, 573-519-4983. This is a 24/7 hotline staffed by a nurse who will ask callers about symptoms.
If pre-screening questions warrant further investigation, individuals are directed for testing at Southeast Primary Care. If callers do not have a primary care physician, SoutheastHEALTH will connect callers with providers. This screening process is currently focused on symptomatology, including fever, shortness of breath, cough and travel history.
As of April 15, the drive-through testing site at Arena Park was closed due to a rapid decline in the number of tests performed at the site each day, partly due to Missouri’s Stay at Home order. If the region experiences a surge in positive COVID-19 cases, the center will reopen.
SoutheastHEALTH continues to monitor and respond as necessary to the COVID-19 situation in and around Cape County. SoutheastHEALTH encourages individuals to follow Stay at Home orders as much as possible while also practicing social distancing and good hand hygiene.
Also be reassured that during these challenging times, SoutheastHEALTH will continue to provide all patients with the quality care they expect and deserve.
About SoutheastHEALTH
At SoutheastHEALTH, the region's premier healthcare system in southeast Missouri, our patients receive excellent care of the highest clinical quality, close to home. Within our network are more than 50 care locations in 13 communities, including hospitals, primary and specialty care clinics representing over 30 clinical specialties and extending care for patients in a four-state area. Learn more at SEhealth.org.
Dexter, MO - Southeast Health Center of Stoddard County, in collaboration with the Stoddard County Ambulance District, Stoddard County Health Center and other members of the Homeland Security Response Team, will be erecting a portion of the Region E mobile hospital in front of the facility. The tent structures will allow the staff to triage patients before they enter the hospital who might have symptoms associated with COVID-19. Those individuals will be routed into a separate area to avoid potential exposure to other patients.
We continue to monitor and respond to the COVID-19 situation in our community. The construction of these tents should not be alarming or cause concern. It should help reassure you that our highest priority is patient, staff and community safety. Also be reassured that during this challenging time we will continue to provide patients with the quality care they expect and deserve.
About SoutheastHEALTH
At SoutheastHEALTH, the region's premier healthcare system in southeast Missouri, our patients receive excellent care of the highest clinical quality, close to home. Within our network are more than 50 care locations in 13 communities, including hospitals, primary and specialty care clinics representing over 30 clinical specialties and extending care for patients in a four-state area. Learn more at SEhealth.org.
