April 2015
Volume LV, Issue 4
HIPAA Rights Include Communications by
Alternative Means and Locations for Patients
By Anita Westbrook
One of a patient’s rights under
the HIPAA rules is to request
communications by alternative
means or at alternative locations
when the communications contain protected health information. Examples include:
1. A patient with an abusive
spouse may request to receive
mail from UAMS at a work
address instead of their home
address.
2. The legal guardian of an elderly patient may request
that communications from UAMS be sent to the legal
Dear Colleagues,
We can all probably agree that often performance or
practice improvement requires some type of change.
Most likely, we would also agree that all change
doesn’t necessarily represent improvement. It is not
possible to ensure that all changes made within the
UAMS clinical enterprise (or even within the nursing
areas) will be without flaw, or in the final analysis
even deemed to be an improvement. I can assure you,
however, that we are working hard to improve our
processes around change to increase the odds that the
outcomes are positive.
guardian instead of the
elderly patient.
3. Patient may request
telephone communications be limited to home
telephone.
UAMS will honor
reasonable requests and
does not require the
patient to disclose an
explanation or reason
for the request. If necessary, we will require the patient
HIPAA Rights Continued Next Page
Being creatures of habit, humans generally do not
like change. However, when the benefit of the change
outweighs the effort required to make that change,
we become more open and may even ultimately
welcome the change. Beginning next month, we will
be unveiling a new “change” process that will help lay
the foundation for better planning, communication
and implementation of changes. I am confident that
using this systematic and consistent approach will
enable you to engage in the change process, be better
informed and have a greater understanding of details
surrounding changes. All of this will serve to produce
better outcomes that are not just successful but are
also sustained (the real challenge).
I love Benjamin Franklin’s quote, “When you’re
CNO Spotlight Continued Next Page
HIPAA Rights
Continued from Page 1
to identify how payments will be made. UAMS will
not honor a patient’s request if it is unreasonable. An
example of an unreasonable request would be a patient
who requests that all communications containing
protected health information be sent by overnight
mail to an address in Canada. UAMS will work with
the patient to communicate with them by alternative
means that are reasonable or at alternative locations
that are reasonable.
For patients registered in Epic, if the patient requests
that their mail (appointment reminders, bills, etc.) be
CNO Spotlight
Continued from Page 1
finished changing, you’re finished.” We can rest assured
that healthcare is not “finished” as the changes are
coming faster than we can handle sometimes. As we
strive to go about change in a “smarter” way, I am asking
for your patience, open-mindedness and feedback as
we work through the kinks that always come with
new processes. I truly believe that this new approach
will support better communication, collaboration and
adaptability which are critical to the achievement of
the outcomes we all desire related to nursing practice,
clinical quality, patient/family experiences and financial
viability of our institution.
As always, I appreciate all you do each and every day for
our patients and families. You are our greatest asset!
I want to recognize the following recipients of
our monthly recognition awards:
• Outstanding Nurse of the Month:
Jennifer Washington, RN III – PRI
• MVP:
Tamekia Walter, PSA – Unit F7
• Outstanding Area of the Month:
Surgical Specialties – Unit F9
• DAISY:
Shane Cate, RN I – Unit F7
Best Regards,
sent to an address other than their home address (or
requests that phone calls be made to a phone number
other than their home or work phone numbers),
the temporary address and guarantor fields in Epic
will be utilized as appropriate depending on the
request. Although the patient is not required to give
an explanation or reason for the request, pertinent,
available information regarding the request should be
documented in the notes field.
If the patient specifies an address or phone number
that should never be utilized, even in the case of an
emergency, that information should be left out of or
removed from the system. For example, if a patient
says that they never want to be called at work, the
work phone number should not be included.
Employees communicating with patients must take
care to use information present in the temporary
address fields in Epic with current effective dates for
all communications. Supervisory approval must be
obtained prior to using any information outside of
the temporary address fields to contact the patient.
If the patient cannot be located by the alternative
method requested, any available contact information
may be used to locate the patient in the event that:
A. UAMS determines there is a situation where there
is a medical emergency or similar situation where
the patient’s health may be at risk if he/she is not
contacted immediately
OR
B. If the patient has not provided adequate
information on how payments will be made
For additional information regarding patient requests for
alternative communications, contact the UAMS HIPAA
Office at (501) 603-1379.
Circle of Excellence
Awards Ceremony
Tuesday, May 12 – 1:30 p.m.
Hospital Lobby Gallery
Helen May Compassionate Care Award
Department Honorees
Washington Named April Nurse of the Month!
By Nisa Trenthem, RN, BSN, ADON – Image Council
Please join the Image Council of the Professional
Nursing Organization in congratulating Jennifer
Washington, RN III as our Outstanding Nurse of the
Month for April. Jennifer graduated with a BSN degree
from our off-campus program in Hope, Arkansas. Her
entire career has been spent at UAMS beginning on one
of our Medical/Surgical floors then transferring to our
adult inpatient psychiatric unit in 2009. Currently, she
works at the Walker Family Clinic and our inpatient
unit at the Psychiatric Research Institute.
When Jennifer was asked about her favorite part of being
a nurse, she replied, “I love the joy I feel knowing that
I have helped someone. I also love the fact that there
are so many different aspects of nursing and so many
opportunities for nurses. I absolutely love my co-workers
both inpatient and outpatient.”
Her greatest inspiration to become a nurse started
when she was just a child. She stated, “For as long as
I can remember,
I have wanted to
become a nurse.
I have always
enjoyed helping
others. I always
knew that nursing
would give me the
opportunity to
make a difference
in someone’s life.”
Jennifer spends
some of her free
time shopping and
reminiscing with
Continued Next Page
Tamekia Walter
is April MVP!
Jennifer Washington, RN III
Psychiatric Research Unit
By Traci Altman, RNC-OB, BSN
Tamekia Walter,
Patient Services Associate
Unit F7
The Professional
Nursing
Organization’s
Image Council is
proud to announce
that Tamekia
Walter, Patient
Services Associate
(PSA) on Unit
F7-Stem Cell
Transplant, is our
Most Valuable
Partner (MVP)
for April 2015.
Tamekia has been a member of Team UAMS since 2010!
Co-workers praise the compassion she has for her patients and
feel that she exemplifies patient- and family-centered care.
Her nomination form stated:“She has gone above and
beyond by providing a care package of food for a low
blood sugar patient to take home until he could make
travel arrangements to the store. She has also purchased
emery boards and air freshener for a patient that had been
admitted unexpectedly. Tamekia not only provides great care
to patients, but also provides excellent support for the F7
team with her calm demeanor and thoughtful care.”
UAMS is excited to have such a a wonderful patient
advocate on staff. Congratulations and thank you, Tamekia!
National Certifications
Congratulations to the following nurses who
achieved their national specialty certification
between December 2014 and March 2015!
Name/Unit – National Certification Achieved:
• Lorrie Baker, F5 – RNC-NIC
• Melissa Brothers, F5 – RNC-NIC
• Angela Brown, F5 – RNC-NIC
• Alan Caffrey, Dialysis – CDN
• Caitlin Castellani, H8 – MED/SURG
• Christina Chamness, F8 – MED/SURG
• Ted Clowers, H4 – CCRN
• Joshua Davis, ED – BCEN
• Jennifer Divino, E6 – MNN
• Sarah Doss, Float Pool – MED/SURG
• Tiffany Edwards, OR – CNOR
• Audrey Fier, F8 – MED/SURG
• Sarah France, F9 – MED/SURG
• Nicholas Joubert, OR – CNOR
• Stephanie Miller, H4 – CCRN
• Reagan Mitchell, F4 – MED/SURG
• Renee Shaide, F8 – MED/SURG
• Kaylee Sisoukrath, F9 – MED/SURG
• Lydia Steele, F5 – NICN
• Michael Waldron, H4 – CCRN
• Renee M. Wells, H6 – CDE
April 2015 –
F9 - Surgical Specialties
Congratulations to F9 – Surgical Specialties for being
selected as the Outstanding Area of the
Month for April! Jami Travis is the
Clinical Services Manager.
Nursing staff members say
they enjoy working in F9 – Surgical
Specialties because:
• “Nursing is all I’ve ever wanted to do.”
• “I enjoy taking care of patients and seeing them happy.”
• “I love it.”
Patients who visited F9 – Surgical Specialties shared the
following patient satisfaction comments with surveyors:
• “The nurses were all great and did everything to make
sure I was happy and comfortable.”
• “I have been in all Central Arkansas hospitals, and
these are the best nurses I’ve ever had!”
• “I was extremely impressed with each and every one of
my nurses. They all were wonderful.”
Keep up the good work with patient satisfaction and
customer service, F9 – Surgical Specialties!
If you received your national specialty
certification between December 2014 and
March 2015 and are not listed, please email the
[email protected].
Nurse of the Month
Continued from Page 3
childhood friends, but the majority of her time is spent
with her family. She shared, “I have a beautiful sevenyear-old daughter who is my world. Everybody in my
department knows my Madison. She keeps me very busy
with all of her various activities, but I wouldn’t trade it
for the world!”
We are blessed that Jennifer chose to work at UAMS and
is a part of our team. If you see her, please take time to
let her know how much she is appreciated!
DEADLINE!
Articles for the May 2015 issue
of the Capsule are due by 5:00
p.m. on Friday, May 8.
Please e-mail them to Janie Runkle:
[email protected]
Articles received after that date will be
included in the June issue.
Finley Wins State Award
Congratulations
to Shannon
Finley, MSN,
RN in the
UAMS Quality
Management
Department for
being named
the Arkansas
Association
for Healthcare
Quality (AAHQ)
Member of the
Year for 2015!
The award, which
was presented
earlier this
month at the
AAHQ spring
conference, is
awarded annually to an individual member who
has demonstrated leadership in the organization as
well as a commitment to quality improvement and
patient safety in the state and at the national level.
Bone Marrow Donor Drive
UAMS nurses Eric Peppers, RN – F6 (left), Joe
Jimmerson, RN – Center for Nursing Excellence,
Mark Rowe, RN – CVL Clinic, and Norman Swope,
RN – F7 are members of the Little Rock Chapter of
American Assembly for Men in Nursing (AAMN).
The group held a bone marrow donor drive at
UAMS in February where 425 employees registered
as potential donors to help Delete Blood Cancer.
UAMS Blood Drive
May 21 & 22 — ED II Concourse
10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Nursing Compassion and
Outstanding Nurse Educator
Annual Awards
First Tuesday Ethics
Discussions (FTEDs)
This year’s Nursing Compassion and Outstanding
Nurse Educator Awards ceremony is scheduled for
Saturday, June 8 at Chenal Country Club in West
Little Rock.
Join us as healthcare workers across the state present
and discuss a variety of current ethical topics.
UAMS Nursing Ethics Committee provides two
locations on campus to view Arkansas Children’s
Hospital’s monthly multi-disciplinary forum.
Nominations will be accepted through May 15. A
form is available on the following page.
Training Tracker credit is given and attending counts
toward your professional development hours and
your annual performance appraisal. 2015 dates:
May 5
August 4
Nov. 3
June 2
July 7
Sept. 1
October 6
Dec. 1
TIME: 3 to 4 p.m.
AR SAVES
Strauss-McCaskill Classroom (10th floor, Cancer Institute)
and the F5 NICU Conference Room
Remote link provided by the Nursing Ethics Committee.
STROKE is an Emergency
Every minute counts
What is AR SAVES?
Stroke Assistance Through Virtual
We’re searching Arkansas to find the one nurse we can say is the most outstanding in our state. Do you know a nurse that
you feel is the most compassionate, caring and empathetic caregiver? A nurse who has given comfort or care to you, a family
member or a friend. It may be a nurse you work with. We are asking you to send us their name, where they work, phone
number and a short message expressing why you think they are the most deserving nurse in Arkansas.
For the fourth year we are also honoring the outstanding nurse educator of the year. We are searching for an educator that
has been a driving force in development and support of nursing careers. Send in your nominee’s name, place of work and a
short story of why they should receive the award. Be sure you include your contact information for us to get back in touch
with you.
Nominate a candidate from your school or facility today. Deadline is May 15, 2015
Your nomination should include:
Name:
License#
School or place of Employment:
Address:
Phone:
Include a short essay on why the nominee deserves the honor. (Please feel free to add extra pages.)
Contact information of person nominating:
Name:
Phone:
Email Address:
It is important that the individual making the nomination includes their contact information for follow up.
Please email or send your nominations to the address below by no later than May 15, 2015.
Suzanne Ramsel
Nurse Compassion Award/Nurse Educator Award
P.O. Box 17427
Little Rock, AR. 72222
[email protected] ext. 101
Presented
by:
THE NATION’S LARGEST PUBLISHER OF
STATE BOARDS OF NURSING JOURNALS
UAMS’ biggest family medicine conference of the year
features 29 hours of content to nurses (8 pharmacology) such as anticoagulants, chronic sinusitis, diabetic
neuropathy, dizziness. Register at cme.uams.edu.
Special Feature: FREE 5-hour session on “Leaving a
Trail of Smoke: Tobacco’s Impact on Health” May 14.
Register for this session only.
For more information, call 501-526-5439.
Discounts to nurses who register 3 or more at a time!
we
the heart of UAMS
UAMS nurses
You Are Our Best Asset!
Check out our RN Refer A Nurse
and Hotel Lodging Programs
http://nurses.uams.edu/
or access via mobile device nurses.uams.edu
Go Live April 1
UAMS Celebrates
Nurses
Week
May 1-8
7th Annual
NURSING PROFESSIONAL
PRACTICE FAIR
Wed., May 6, 2015
7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
EDII Concourse
Don’t miss this showcase of
all of the great things UAMS
nurses are doing this year!
Presentation of the
4th Annual Nursing
Recognition Awards
11:30 a.m.
EDII Room G137
For more information, contact Tina Davis
at (501) 686-7328 or email:
[email protected].