Gynecologist Opens Patient Centered Practice on Long IslandFor many women a visit to the gynecologist means sitting in a waiting room for what feels like an eternity, then a visit with a doctor that feels like a flash. A quick exam, the chart abruptly closes and the doctor vanishes.Dr. Leslie Farrington has reversed this trend for her patients. Looking for a new mode of healthcare delivery, Dr. Farrington has opened a “ patient centered” practice in Freeport, New York. “Patient centered” is when doctors treat patients as partners, involving them in planning their health care and encouraging them to take responsibility for their own health.
Research shows that patients’ health is more likely to improve when they are allowed to help shape their treatment plans. To do this, Dr. Farrington has slowed down the pace with patients. Because she schedules no more than two patients an hour, Dr. Farrington is able to offer more personalized care and help patients to better understand and get more involved in their own care – however long it takes.Farrington worked for 26 years as obstetrician-gynecologist, delivering babies and performing surgeries in a large, busy medical practice. But the scheduling crush left her scant time to partner with patients on their healthcare. Her decision to move to a different model stemmed from her involvement in the patient safety movement.
Four years ago, Dr. Farrington joined PULSE of NY, a community based patient safety organization. She studied Compassionate Communication – a system that helps people speak and listen in ways that inspire compassion. She applied those techniques to her practice, eliciting more information from patients by asking them what they felt or thought about their healthcare information. Later, Dr. Farrington, joined the PULSE Board of Trustees and became an advocate for doctors partnering with patients to improve healthcare and reduce medical errors. “Patients should be treated as members of the team, with respect, honesty and compassion,”
Dr. Farrington said. “I want to be able to spend more time with patients so I can learn more about them and diagnose them with care.” Dr. Farrington opened a new modern doctor’s office in Freeport that puts the patient in the center. Her office is equipped with a table that lowers to allow easy access for patients in wheelchairs. She makes patient safety literature available, invites patients to ask questions and encourages them to participate in their care.
PULSE President Ilene Corina applauded the principals of a patient centered practice: “Putting the patient on center stage helps improve health care quality and reduce medical errors. A stronger alliance between doctor and patient takes time to build and provides a higher level of care and patient satisfaction.”
To learn more call Dr. Farrington at: 516-355-0101 or email drfarrington@ vzw.blackberry.net To learn more about choosing a doctor who is “patient centered” or making your practice patient centered, call PULSE of NY at (516) 579-4711.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(October 6, 2010) Long Island’s first community based patient safety advocate training will be held on November 1, 2010 in Lake Success. The PULSE of NY, program called Family Centered Patient Advocacy Training will focus on the family, friends and community helping a patient through medical treatment including an injury, long term diagnosis or surgery.
According to a 1999 report by the Institute of Medicine, as many as 98,000 people die in hospitals each year from preventable medical errors. Many more are injured or die in nursing homes or at home. A 2006 IOM study showed that medication errors injure 1.5 Million people and cost billions of dollars annually. The recommendation for improvement includes steps to improve communication and interactions between health care professionals and patients.
In 2006 PULSE of NY, a grassroots patient safety organization, studied the role of the patient and family and the expected relationship between the patient’s community support system and the healthcare system. Through focus groups, surveys and interviews, PULSE of NY developed the handbook “Family Centered Patient Advocacy.” A curriculum was built around the information from that book and small group trainings have been offered since 2007. The training has evolved to include Critical Communication skills, simulations of true experiences and quizzes to test the audience’s skills.
This full day of training will cover skills needed to help a family member feel empowered, understand the healthcare system better, or begin a new career of advocacy.
“We focus on safety,” says Ilene Corina, President and founder of PULSE of NY. “While we are being encouraged to partner with the medical team, no one has given us the skills to do that.” Corina has been a bedside advocate and has been helping families understand their rights in hospitals for the past three years. She has been a patient safety educator on Long Island since 1997 and lectures extensively throughout the country at medical conferences and communities about the patient and family role in patient safety.
Classes will be small so early registration is encouraged. Register here.
Patient Safety Advisory Council Issues Final Report
Safe care requires communication, honesty between patient and provider
(September 9, 2010) PULSE of New York, a grassroots patient safety advocacy organization headquartered in Nassau County, NY, today released the final report of its Long Island Community-Based Patient Safety Advisory Council (PSAC). This advisory council was formed more than a year ago by Ilene Corina, founder of PULSE and the first Long Islander to be named an American Hospital Association Patient Safety Fellow. The PSAC itself became her fellowship project and through her interactions with PSAC members the unique needs of different patient populations, such as the disabled, transgender, and Hispanic, were revealed.
“The purpose of the Patient Safety Advisory Council was to learn from those representing different patient populations about each groups’ specific needs to ensure they receive safe, quality care no matter their situation,” said Corina. “The next step is making all health care providers aware of the needs of these patient populations who may have been overlooked in the past.”
The Long Island hospital community, which has long focused on patient safety and quality improvement efforts, provided partial funding for the AHA Fellowship project through the Nassau-Suffolk Hospital Council (NSHC), the association that represents all hospitals on Long Island, by a separate grant from the 15-hospital North Shore-LIJ Health System, also a Hospital Council member and the Long Island Community Foundation.
“The overarching goal of the PSAC is to enhance communication between patient and provider which is the best way to improve health literacy”, says Corina. The report outlines projects to meet that goal. Transgender patients, for example, typically encounter health providers who are insensitive, often unknowingly, to the physical and emotional needs of this transforming patient group. The report suggests staff training using films and testimonials as one way to improve the delivery of care for these patients. Among many Spanish-speaking patients there is little to no comprehension when it comes to advanced directives. Two PSAC members produced films in both Spanish and English that introduce patients to their right to have a translator and present an overview of advanced directives. Another project seeks to mitigate the misuse of prescription drugs, especially pain killers, through an educational pamphlet distributed at the time of hospital discharge, when medication is prescribed in the physician’s office, and when medication is purchased at the pharmacy.
“We were very pleased to support PULSE of New York and the work of Ms. Corina and the Patient Safety Advisory Council,” said Kevin Dahill, president/CEO of the Nassau-Suffolk Hospital Council and the Northern Metropolitan Hospital Association. “Our hospitals engage in patient safety and performance improvement initiatives every day. An organization like PULSE helps improve outcomes for all with its emphasis on communication and an empowered patient.”
“With the leadership of Ms. Corina, a compassionate and highly knowledgeable advocate, PULSE of New York has helped patients and families across the region cope with adverse medical events experienced in healthcare facilities,” said Kenneth Abrams, MD, North Shore-LIJ’s senior vice president of clinical operations. “The final PSAC report demonstrates that hospitals must be patient-centered; create open and honest dialogue among healthcare providers and patients; and emphasize patient safety at every level of an institution.”
PULSE of New York is seeking funding to continue the Patient Safety Advisory Council and its work with these and other community groups that represent different patient populations and their unique safety concerns.
About PULSE: PULSE is a nonprofit 501 (c)3 grassroots organization dedicated to raising awareness about patient safety and reducing medical errors through advocacy, education, and support. We work to empower the public to make informed decisions, increase effective communication and respect between healthcare providers and the public, and create community partnerships that will foster and ultimately lead to safer healthcare environments.
About Nassau Suffolk Hospital Council: The Nassau Suffolk Hospital Council helps enhance health care for all Long Islanders by representing the interests of its member hospitals before lawmakers, regulatory agencies, the media, and the public.
Contact: Ilene Corina, PULSE of NY, Inc.(516) 579-4711FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEAugust 30, 2010Transgender Patients Will Never Be AloneAuntie M’s Helping Hands and PULSE of NY, Patient Safety Advisory Council, partner for patient’s SafetyAccording to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, a branch of US Health and Human Services, quality health care means taking an active role in decisions about your care. If you’re facing a difficult medical decision, it’s a good idea to bring someone with you who can help you take an active role in your care when you’re not fully up to it.But, how do you choose an advocate to help you take an active role in your care? Some people do not have close family and may have to look outside their circle for support.That’s why the PULSE of NY and Auntie M’s Helping Hands have partnered to assist the Long Island transgender community through The Trans Solidarity Project in having the support they need.“Many transgender people become estranged from their family when they ‘come out’ to them and begin their transition,” explained Donna Riley, LMSW member of the PULSE Patient Safety Advisory Council and founder of the Trans Solidarity Project, a Long Island based organization dedicated to the engagement of effective advocacy for Transgender/Gender Variant people. “They often have to look outside their family for their support system,” Riley said.Through ongoing fundraising events, sponsorships and donations, Auntie M’s has supported organizations focusing on the needs of the Long Island GLBT community.Advocates and volunteers who assist transgender patients in participating in their medical care may now be able to receive financial assistance, if helping is found to be a financial hardship for the advocate.Through Auntie M’s Helping Hands, advocates who face a financial loss may apply to receive a portion through reimbursement. Although there is never a guarantee that monies will be reimbursed, every effort will be made to assist applicants.Applicants must:• Show a hardship through lost wages, travel costs or lodging,• Show proof of cost through receipts,• Submit a letter signed by the patient why your services were chosen and what you did for the patient.A panel will then review the information and a decision will be made. Applicant will be informed in approximately 4-6 weeks of a decision. To learn more or receive an application call (516) 579-477 or e-mail pulse516@aol.com.About Auntie M’s Helping Hands: Each year Auntie M’s Helping Hands, Inc. (AMHH, INC.), a 501(c)(3) Not-For-Profit Charity, is dedicated to helping others. Through our ongoing fundraising events, sponsorships and generous donations, both corporate and personal, we have seen many lives changed for the better.
About PULSE: PULSE of NY is a nonprofit 501 (c) 3 organization dedicated to raising awareness about patient safety and reducing medical errors through advocacy, education, and support. We work to empower the public to make informed decisions, increase effective communication and respect between healthcare providers and the public, and create community partnerships that will foster and ultimately lead to safer healthcare environments
