December 10, 2015 | (10) Comments

Each fall, we ask you to get the flu shot to protect yourself and our patients against a potentially deadly infection. As many of you who have worked in other health care organizations know,  getting a flu shot is very often mandatory at  any place else that provides care.

But at Texas Children’s, we have always felt that people who work here are innately driven to do the right thing for our patients. Therefore,  our approach to  flu vaccinations  has always been very  simple – it’s the right thing to do for our patients, and we’re all here to do the best we can by our patients. That means getting vaccinated against the flu so that we have the best chance possible at keeping our patients healthy.

Even U.S. News & World Report recognizes that the rate of flu vaccine compliance at an organization is an indicator of the quality and safety of its environment. That is why they have now included  flu vaccination compliance as one of the measures in their annual best children’s hospitals assessment. While our driver for encouraging you to get vaccinated isn’t primarily about our U.S. News ranking, I can’t fathom that one of the nation’s top children’s hospitals would ever struggle to get complete compliance with flu vaccination.

We ask that you get vaccinated against the flu to protect yourself and to protect those around you who  depend on you to be healthy. When you’re healthy, the patients in our care – children and women – have a much better chance of having a better outcome . Being healthy also allows you to be here for your team and co-workers during one of our busiest times of the year.

I realize that  some people have very strongly held beliefs against getting a flu shot. But  this is so critical. We need everyone at Texas Children’s  to get vaccinated by December 31. Encourage your colleagues to do the right thing, make sure everyone in your family is vaccinated, and educate those around you about getting the flu shot.

This is not about us. It’s about the people we care for. I’m not asking you to do it for you, or me for that matter. I’m asking you to do it for our patients. Please take this responsibility to heart – we owe this simple act to our patients and their families.

Flu vaccinations are free and available in Employee Health at our Main and West campuses. If you receive your vaccination elsewhere, your Texas Children’s insurance will cover the cost. Please call Employee Health at Ext. 4-2150 if you have questions.

 

November 23, 2015 | (55) Comments

One thing that I have been acutely aware of since I was a small child is that those who are blessed should do all they can to be a blessing to others. This is something that I always tried to teach my own children, and it’s something I have kept in mind my entire life.

My wife, Shannon, shares this belief, and has one of the most generous spirits of anyone I know. A while back, Shannon had the idea of giving homeless people backpacks filled with items for their basic needs. I thought it was a great idea, so it’s something we do from time to time to help those in need.

I understand that homelessness is incredibly devastating. So I know that our distributing backpacks to homeless people in our community does not solve their greater problem of needing a place they can call home, but it’s just one way that Shannon and I are able to directly give to people in our community.

One day, as Shannon and I were about to deliver backpacks, she said, “Mark, we should make sure to ask people their names.” It was such a simple statement, but so thought provoking. The people we encounter on any given outing are indeed someone’s brother or sister, friend … some mother’s child. But we didn’t ask questions when we were handing out the backpacks. Our hearts and intentions were good and we wanted to help, but we didn’t want to intrude on their personal space or pride.

It had never occurred to me how meaningful it might be to simply ask their names. That day for the first time, however, we did, and the first couple we met made the most lasting impression on us. We introduced ourselves and then asked their names, and just recalling the look on their faces gives me chill bumps. First, there was complete and obvious shock and then appreciation that we’d simply acknowledged them as we would any new person we encounter. We learned their names were Sarah and John, but beyond that, we realized how such a small gesture was really the simplest, most respectful thing we could have done.

I know many of you volunteer year-round and especially through the holidays, helping others. So I know you’re already showing thanks for your blessings in ways that impact so many. But sometimes I think it’s important to remember that how we give, care and serve is often much greater that what we give. That’s true whether we’re serving in the community or caring for our families at Texas Children’s.

I hope that you will remember that – and think of Sarah and John – every time you enter a patient room or an elevator or walk through the hospital, crossing the paths of our patients and their families. Every one deserves respectful acknowledgement. It only takes a moment and a simple question or two. Just ask – and then really listen. You have no idea how thankful someone may be for your kindness.

With much gratitude, I wish you all a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving.

October 1, 2015 | (28) Comments

As we move about the day, working alongside our colleagues, we might be surprised at the journeys some of them have traveled.

Take Kathy Green and her husband, Kurt. Both are Texas Children’s employees. In fact, Kathy has been at Texas Children’s about as long as I have. She met her husband here, and they have two children, ages 6 and 8. Kathy and Kurt are not only employees, they are also one of our patient families. Their children have used the services in about 60 percent of the departments at Texas Children’s.

Most of the family’s visits are for the Greens’ son who has major medical complexities, including immunodeficiency. For six years, Kathy has been his advocate and care manager, and she’s endured the challenges of coordinating care for a child who requires multiple specialists.

Because she’s a nurse and she’s immersed in the Texas Children’s system, Kathy’s an experienced, informed advocate for her son. But she has said that she often wonders how others do it. How do families who can’t afford the critical care and treatments needed for children with major medical complexities get the support they need? How do they even begin to understand the medical issues or navigate the complex, patchwork health care system for their children? Who’s looking out for them to make sure they receive the right care when and where they need it?

We are, Kathy. Yesterday, the Health and Human Services Commission of Texas announced a new contract with Texas Children’s Health Plan that will help close the gap for children who have major medical complexities.

This is a milestone several years in the making. Five years ago, I received a letter from Texas State Representative John Zerwas with a call to action. In response to the Affordable Care Act, Rep Zerwas asked for Texas Children’s help in developing an innovative approach to the way we serve children. He is a physician as well as a legislative leader, so he knows that the basic and most fundamental tenet of the Affordable Care Act is being able to provide access to the right care, at the right time and the right place — a fundamental tenet of Texas Children’s model of care.

Right away, I met with Texas Children’s Health Plan President Chris Born to discuss how we could create a better model for care, decreasing costs for the state while increasing efficiency for our patient families. Since then, Chris has worked diligently to re-configure the way we support families of medically complex children.

Currently, the system lacks proper coordination of care for children with medical complexities. Often, their physicians don’t communicate, which leads to a gap in what happens to these children once they leave the hospital or clinic setting. And their parents are left in charge of navigating the extraordinarily complicated health care system.

For the past few years, Chris worked intensely with the state to advocate for and develop a different approach to care for this population, which means moving these kids out of a fee-for-service model into a managed care model, where case managers can help take the burden off parents. Ultimately, the state supported the idea of a more comprehensive, coordinated approach to care for medically complex children and created the STAR Kids Program. And yesterday, almost five years to the day after that call-to-action letter from Rep Zerwas, Texas Children’s Health Plan was awarded STAR Kids designation to provide Medicaid Managed Care for children with medical complexities.

Through Texas Children’s Health Plan and a handful of other designated plans throughout the state, the STAR Kids Program will provide health coverage to children and teens with special health care needs, including benefits such as prescription drugs, hospital care, primary and specialty care, preventive care, personal care services, private duty nursing, and durable medical equipment and supplies.

The STAR Kids contract will allow the Health Plan to increase its reach to about 40,000 new children and teens in 54 counties. These children see multiple specialists and therapists, and many receive home care services. They typically see at least one physician every week. We will hire nearly 400 new case managers to help these patients coordinate care between their multiple providers and assist them in navigating the complicated facets of health care. Coordination and management of care helps prevent children with significant intellectual development disabilities or complex medical problems from falling through the gaps and provides a structure where their progress can be followed throughout the system.

This new care model is a huge step in supporting the unique needs of these patients and their families, and improving their access to health care services, while also reducing preventable events or unnecessary visits to the hospital or care provider.

This milestone and Texas Children’s involvement is the result of Chris’ passion and hard work over the years. He has spent countless hours pursuing better options for these children and encouraging the state to adopt a more robust, coordinated model of care. Now, it is a reality with Texas Children’s Health Plan leading the way.

We’ve responded boldly to Kathy’s question of “who?” From Day One, Texas Children’s has always answered the call, and because of the passion and vision of so many here, we will continue to do so for decades to come. It’s our mission.