Nursing the Top Issues on CNOs’ Agendas Today

Interview with: Sheri Matter, Chief Nursing Officer, Vice President of Nursing, Pinnacle Health

Las Vegas, NV, September 30, 2010 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

With the length of patient stay much shorter than it used to be, figuring out how to do everything is a main cause of frustration for nurses today, says Sheri Matter, Chief Nursing Officer, Vice President of Nursing, at Pinnacle Health. To ensure that patients receive the care they need, Chief Nursing Officers (CNOs) have to find ways of giving nurses back some of their time. A speaker at the marcus evans National Healthcare CNO Summit Fall 2010, taking place in Las Vegas, Nevada, October 24-26, Matter shares her ideas for overcoming the issues on top of CNOs agendas today.

What do nurses need right now?

Sheri Matter: The most challenging issue for nurses right now is ensuring quality and service to patients while their organization is keeping its eye on the bottom line. To overcome this, we are involving staff in our decision making processes as we really do have to mind the bottom line.

Some might think this is more costly, but they are the ones closest to the care process and are able to see the waste around the organization, supplies and the way things are done. We have seen very positive outcomes due to more involvement of staff.

What initiatives have you undertaken to improve efficiency and to reduce costs?

Sheri Matter: One of our biggest processes involving the entire system is our throughput initiative to increase patient satisfaction and to decrease costs. It is by improving throughput that hospitals can backfill their beds. We have also found that getting a patient into the right level of care early on reduces their length of stay. We used the Six Sigma process in the emergency room of our smallest hospital and achieved great gains; we are now implementing the same process changes at other hospitals.

How will the Health Care Reform affect nurse executives?

Sheri Matter: This is a tough one, as I believe the Health Care reform is going to continue to evolve. Right now, I see it as being positive for nursing although it is still in its infancy phase.

Chief Nurse Executives need to stay on top of the game, and not invest in everything that the reform says it is going to be; in several years, it will look very different than it does today. The CNO has to keep an eye on what is happening and follow the changes.

How can nurses’ schedules be freed up in order to spend more time at the bedside?

Sheri Matter: That is an initiative we are working on at Pinnacle right now, and we have found that nurses were spending too much time on documenting data. Our staff nurses and the Chair of our nursing IT committee are going through the nursing documentation, screen by screen, to see if there is a way to streamline so that nurses can be at the patient’s bedside instead of on the documentation system.

We have also made process changes that have put the nurses back closer to the patient, such as with the electronic change of shift report that we do now. The handoff of the patients is done in front of the patient, with a conversation on the care they have received and are about to receive. We have found that this has given at least half an hour on both ends back to the patient at the bedside, which is very positive.

What long-term strategies would you recommend to CNOs?

Sheri Matter: The CNO’s main charge now is improving quality, figuring out how to have staff engage more with patients and have more time for doing so, in order to achieve everything they want to. This is a cause of frustration for nurses. The patient’s length of stay is so much shorter than it used to be, yet there is so much education that has to happen. Nurses cannot get all of this done, so we have to help them find ways of alleviating the tasks that are not necessary for delivering the care that patients need.

Contact: Sarin Kouyoumdjian-Gurunlian, Press Manager, marcus evans, Summits Division

Tel: + 357 22 849 313

Email:press@marcusevanscy.com

Aboutthe National Healthcare CNO Summit Fall 2010

This unique forum will take place at the Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa, Las Vegas, Nevada, October 24-26, 2010. Offering much more than any conference, exhibition or trade show, this exclusive meeting will bring together esteemed industry thought leaders and solution providers to a highly focused and interactive networking event. The summit includes presentations on the healthcare reform, redefining technology in healthcare and developing a culture of quality.

For more information please send an email to info@marcusevanscy.com or visit the event website at http://www.healthcare-summit.com/SheriMatterInterview

Please note that the summit is a closed business event and the number of participants strictly limited.

About marcus evans Summits

marcus evans Summits are high level business forums for the world’s leading decision-makers to meet, learn and discuss strategies and solutions. Held at exclusive locations around the world, these events provide attendees with a unique opportunity to individually tailor their schedules of keynote presentations, think tanks, seminars and one-on-one business meetings. For more information, please visit http://www.marcusevans.com

All rights reserved. The above content may be republished or reproduced – kindly inform us by sending an email to press@marcusevanscy.com