This program will include Alta Bates Summit, Eden and Sutter Delta medical centers; Sutter East Bay Medical Foundation (SEBMF); and Sutter Care at Home.

What AIM means to patients

Sutter Health’s AIM pilot reduced hospitalizations and improved care transitions, contributing to an improved quality of life for patients enrolled in AIM. The success of this pilot was crucial to Sutter Health receiving a Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) grant. Since 2010:

• AIM has reported a 75 percent reduction in ICU days, an average decrease of one or more days for hospital stays, and a more than 50 percent reduction in hospitalizations at 90 days post-enrollment.
• Patients and families have reported high satisfaction (4.7 out of 5) with the program, which strives to meet patients’ changing short-term and long-term care goals.
• The program reduced costs for payers by $5,000 per patient at 90 days post-enrollment.

What AIM means to physicians and care teams

Trained teams provide support to your most seriously ill patients in the safety and comfort of their own homes. AIM improves care coordination and communication between primary care physicians and specialists, and among inpatient, ambulatory and home-based services.

We hope you will appreciate the benefits this innovative program will provide your patients, and work with us to continue our mission of providing patients with the right care, at the right time, and in the right place.

After a successful pilot in our Sutter Health network, the AIM program was awarded a three-year, $13 million Health Care Innovation Award from the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) to support Sutter Health’s expansion of this program to patients facing advancing chronic illness throughout our entire Northern California network of care.

We expect to launch AIM throughout our network by the end of 2013. Expanding AIM system-wide perfectly complements our mission and values, and will provide additional services to coordinate care across the network for patients with advancing chronic illness.

If you have any questions, contact the AIM Intake and Information Line at 877-775-7728 or visit http://www.sutterhealth.org/quality/focus/advanced-illness-management.html.

Alta Bates Summit’s new Patient Care Pavilion, under construction February 2013

Sutter Health’s Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Oakland began construction on its new Patient Care Pavilion and new parking garage in October of 2010.

The center of this project is a new building that will offer Oakland residents a calming and healing environment–continuing more than 100 years of Alta Bates Summit’s tradition of providing patient care to the community.

Advancing patient care in the San Francisco East Bay Area

Aesthetics of the new 250,000-square-foot building reflect the quality health care that will be provided within its walls–modern, transparent and technologically advanced. With 238 private rooms that are patient-centered, as well as family-friendly, and that offer panoramic views of the San Francisco Bay, downtown Oakland and the neighboring hills, the Oakland Campus will be completed in approximately one year.

New patient-centered care pavilion receives Technology in Architectural Practice Award

The $350 million project is on schedule to open in the first quarter of 2014, designed by Devenney Group Ltd, with general contractor DPR Construction.

The exterior of the new pavilion is essentially complete–with 977 permanent panels that are 15 feet wide and include interior and exterior walls. The architectural feature referred to as “the slice” is now clearly visible.

With an early commitment to green design and sustainability, the new patient-care facility has targeted LEED Silver certification. Working together, the project team collaborated on a 3D-modeling system Building Information Model (BIM) to virtually build the hospital before actual construction began.

Using the BIM system provided great benefits, ranging from planning the logistics for a congested urban site to constructability analysis; all of which helped avoid potential construction “clashes,” saving an estimated $l.8 million in potential problems.

A 2012 AIA / TA (Technology in Architectural Practice Award) was earned in recognition of harnessing BIM technology and processes for design, construction and project excellence.

Pavilion numbers:

• 11 Floors (above ground, two below ground level)
• 238 patient rooms (all private)
• 7 elevators
• Over 900 doors
• 463 concrete pilings drilled 30 to 95 feet below ground in January for the new building to sit on, requiring 3100 yards of grout to fill. These pilings result in an earthquake-safe structure.
• 1600 tons of rebar
• 3700 tons of steel
• 14,000 yards of concrete
• 650,000: number of construction hours to date
• Estimated workforce: Approx. 270 max. (Currently 200)
• 1.2 million sq ft of dry wall
• Electronic health record
• Electronic patient registration

Conveniently located in Oakland with ample parking

The new $35 million, 1,067-space parking structure opened in April–offering ample parking for patients, families, physicians and employees. With seven parking levels (six above ground, one below), the new structure features an open-air design, screened by trellis walls and vines, beautiful planted areas and secured access.

Thanks to Sutter Health’s investment in Oakland, Alta Bates Summit’s new Patient Care Pavilion and Providence Parking Garage are becoming a reality.

For more than 40 years, dedicated groups of volunteers through Alta Bates Summit Medical Center’s Tele-Care Program have reached out to members of the San Francisco East Bay Area who live alone, are isolated, home-bound, disabled, convalescing from an illness or in need of a caring, friendly voice.

Berkeley gathering to celebrate volunteers and their clients

On Wednesday, Feb. 20, volunteer workers, their clients and members of the community will gather at His Lordship’s Restaurant in Berkeley, to celebrate 43 years of relationships (some life affirming and life saving) and bonds of caring–all made and nurtured over the telephone. This free community service was started in 1970. Tele-Care statistics include:

• Volunteers call more than 300 people every day (365 days a year)
• Calls are made to communities in Alameda, Contra Costa and San Francisco counties
• There are currently 35 volunteer with another 10-15 serving as occasional support
• There are currently as many as 10,000 calls made every month
• Volunteers placing the calls range in age from 23-92
• There is no charge for this community service
• We have two volunteers who have been with us over 40 years!

Clients have ranged in age from 37-111. Born in 1901, our oldest client is 111 years old and lives in Oakland. A member of Tele-Care since 2000, she lives on her own with a part-time caregiver (her daughter lives on a separate floor). She answers her phone every day to speak with her longtime friends. When asked for her secret to aging so gracefully, she replied, “Be happy.” The youngest client, also an Oakland resident, is 68 years old.

Extending volunteer opportunities throughout Alameda, Contra Costa and San Francisco counties

Every day, teams of Tele-Care volunteers make hundreds of phone calls to members of the community who have signed up for this unique, free service. Check-in calls are made 365 days a year to over 300 individuals in Alameda, Contra Costa and San Francisco counties. “Our clients depend on hearing from us, and it’s proven to be a life-saving service in a number of instances,” says Sabra Leaned, manager of the Tele-Care Program.

Several situations have literally saved the life of a Tele-Care client. If a Tele-Care volunteer cannot reach the client, an alternate number is called. Often this is a friend, a neighbor or a relative. In the event the alternate is unavailable, emergency services are called.

“At least 25 times every year we find that one of our clients has fallen, had a stroke or heart attack and without this daily check-in and the ability to alert emergency services, they may not have survived,” Learned said.

Oakland’s Alta Bates Summit giving back to the East Bay community

The Tele-Care Program is a free community service of Oakland’s Alta Bates Summit Medical Center and available to residents of Alameda, Contra Costa and San Francisco counties. Telephone volunteers stay connected to others in the East Bay while giving back to their community.

Tele-Care has received national and local recognition and funding from groups such as: American Hospital Association, National Volunteer Awards, MacEachern Award, JC Penney Golden Rule Award for Alameda and Contra Costa counties and George H. Sandy Foundation.

Take advantage of volunteer opportunities in your area. Anyone can enroll in Tele-Care by phoning their offices, Monday-Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. at 510-204-4487.

Alta Bates Summit Medical Center has been honored with an “A” Hospital Safety Score by the Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit run by employers and other large purchasers of health benefits.

Hospital safety in the San Francisco East Bay Area

The A score was awarded in the latest update to the Hospital Safety Score, the A, B, C, D or F scores assigned to U.S. hospitals based on preventable medical errors, injuries accidents and infections. The Hospital Safety Score was compiled under the guidance of the nation’s leading experts on patient safety and is designed to give the public information they can use in choosing a hospital to protect the health of themselves and their families.

“I’m extremely proud of our outstanding staff and physicians for their ongoing excellence in patient safety,” said Steve O’Brien, M.D., vice president of Medical Affairs at Alta Bates Summit in Oakland. “This A rating demonstrates our commitment to our patients and community.”

Alta Bates Summit recognized as one of the best East Bay hospitals for healthcare safety

Leah Binder, president and CEO of the Leapfrog Group said, “I congratulate Alta Bates Summit Medical Center for its safety excellence and look forward to the day when all hospitals will match this standard.”

To see Alta Bates Summit’s scores as they compare nationally and locally, visit the Hospital Safety Score website at hospitalsafetyscore.org, which includes hospital ratings for the East Bay. The site also provides information on how the public can protect themselves and loved ones during a hospital stay.

On Wednesday, Dec. 19, the community of Alta Bates Summit Medical Center joined hands in making their 20th annual Holiday Food and Gift Basket Collection a huge success.

“I am just delighted!” said Rev. Carrie Buckner, director of chaplaincy services at Alta Bates Summit. “Thanks to the amazing generosity of our Alta Bates Summit community, we collected 118 food baskets, hundreds of gifts for children and families, and $1,400 in grocery gift cards that were distributed to families in need this holiday season–including 24 beautiful food baskets from our Surgery Center alone.”

The staff at Alta Bates Summit also collected 48 specially-designated Angel Tree gifts for children who have an incarcerated parent. “These children especially appreciate their gifts,” said Buckner. “These items included coats, clothing, toys, sports equipment, and even a brand new bicycle and helmet!”

Buckner sent a big THANK YOU to the dedicated team of chaplains, shuttle drivers and engineers who helped with transporting all the food baskets and gifts to First AME Church, Oakland, and St. Paul’s AME Church, Berkeley.

“Every year, I am in awe of the generous spirit of our employees, physicians and departments that make this event a success. When the food, gifts and gift cards were distributed, the sense of gratitude on the faces of the people receiving them was overwhelming,” said Buckner. “We can all be proud of the generosity displayed and we look forward to working with you all again next year!”

Watch Barbara describe why she volunteers at the Redwood 4H in Castro Valley, helping kids gain leadership skills as they learn about animals, gardening, photography–even robotics!

Alta Bates Summit Medical Center is one of only 28 hospitals in the U.S. and the only East Bay hospital recognized for exemplary surgical patient care by The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP^®).

Dr. Eileen Consorti

ACS NSQIP recognized Alta Bates Summit’s Surgery Services and its team of surgeon champions: Eileen Consorti, M.D., Steven Stanten, M.D. and Carrie A. Bouderka, NSQIP, surgical clinical reviewer for Alta Bates Summit, in helping to achieve exemplary outcomes for surgical patient care.

As a participant, Alta Bates Summit tracks outcomes of inpatient and outpatient surgical procedures and collects data that directs patient safety and the quality of surgical care improvements. Doctors Consorti and Stanten pioneered and introduced the program to Alta Bates Summit.

“I’m extremely proud of the commitment to excellence of our team and our medical center,” said Dr. Consorti. “This recognition reflects their hard work, experience and dedication to our patients.”

The ACS NSQIP recognition commends a select group of hospitals for achieving exemplary outcome performances related to patient management in five clinical areas: DVT (deep vein thrombosis, thrombophlebitis and pulmonary embolism); cardiac incidents (cardiac arrest and myocardial infarction); respiratory (pneumonia); SSI (surgical site infections-superficial and deep incisional and organ-space SSIs); and urinary tract infection.

The 28 hospitals achieved the distinction of reaching exemplary results in two or more of the five areas listed. Risk-adjusted data from the July 2012 ACS NSQIP Semiannual Report were used to determine which hospitals demonstrated exemplary outcomes.

ACS NSQIP is the only nationally validated quality improvement program that measures and enhances the care of surgical patients. This program measures the actual surgical results 30 days postoperatively as well as risk adjusts patient characteristics to compensate for differences among patient populations and acuity levels.

The goal is to reduce surgical morbidity (infection or illness related to a surgical procedure), surgical mortality (death related to a surgical procedure) and to provide a firm foundation for surgeons to apply what is known as the “best scientific evidence” to the practice of surgery.

Furthermore, when adverse effects from surgical procedures are reduced and/or eliminated, a reduction in health care costs follows. ACS NSQIP is a major program of the American College of Surgeons and is currently used in over 500 hospitals.

The American College of Surgeons is a scientific and educational organization of surgeons founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical practice and to improve care of surgical patient. The College is dedicated to the ethical and competent practice of surgery.

Its achievements have significantly influenced the course of scientific surgery in America and have established it as an important advocate for all surgical patients. The College has more than 78,000 members and it is the largest organization of surgeons in the world.

If you are caring for a loved one, come to this free community event that offers support and resources for the many family caregivers living in our diverse community. The day will include presentations on a variety of topics and a resource fair, providing opportunities for attendees to be educated and inspired.

The Ethnic Health Institute (EHI) is a community program of the Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Oakland and Berkeley. EHI’s mission is to enhance the health and well-being of all people in the community, focusing on the underserved and minority populations that experience disparities in healthcare and disease. They promote community health awareness and education, organizational alliances, health-provider training and research.

“The damage caused by superstorm Sandy is indescribable,” said Pat Fry, president and CEO of Sutter Health. “Our thoughts go out to everyone affected. We hope our donation brings comfort to our fellow Americans in their time of great need.”

In recent years, Sutter Health has supported the American Red Cross’ humanitarian efforts close to home and across the globe, with donations for disaster relief work following the earthquake in Haiti; the earthquake and tsunami in Japan; Hurricane Katrina; and fires in California.

Sutter Health physicians and hospitals share a common commitment to creating healthier communities through programs and services that respond to community needs. In 2011, our network invested $756 million in care and services for the poor and underserved.

For information on how you can help support relief efforts, visit the American Red Cross at www.redcross.org.

About Sutter Health
Serving patients and their families in more than 100 Northern California cities and towns, Sutter Health doctors, not-for-profit hospitals and other health care service providers share resources and expertise to advance health care quality and access. The Sutter Medical Network includes many of California’s top-performing, highest quality physician organizations as measured annually by the Integrated Healthcare Association. Sutter-affiliated hospitals are regional leaders in cardiac care, women’s and children’s services, cancer care, orthopedics and advanced patient safety technology.

For more information about the not-for-profit Sutter Health network, please visit:
SutterHealth.org/about/ | www.Facebook.com/SutterHealth | www.YouTube.com/SutterHealth | www.twitter.com/SutterHealth

Read Roger’s volunteer story, the next in our series featuring employees who give back to our community by volunteering.

“As a registered nurse for 39 years, I’ve had the opportunity to provide not only physical healing for my patients but also emotional support. For about a year and a half, I’ve been the administrative nursing supervisor at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center. It’s my job to solve problems for the staff and patients whenever it’s needed. Before working at Alta Bates Summit, I was an emergency department nurse.
“When you help heal, you get immediate gratification and positive feedback—whether it’s a look of gratitude in a patient’s eyes or a squeeze of your hand—it’s very emotionally rewarding to take care of others.

“Caring for patients on the job and during a disaster relief effort has different challenges. In a hospital setting, things are more fixed and constant. In the eight years I’ve been volunteering with the Bay Area Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT, CA-6), things rarely go exactly according to plan during a disaster.

“CA-6 is one of 40 level one teams that are part of the national medical disaster system. We deploy with eight-hour notice and have responded to federal disaster areas that need health care, such as Hurricanes Katrina, Ike and Rita, fires in southern California and the Haitian earthquake in 2010.

“I’ve also volunteered with a local Catholic church and have gone to remote villages in Vietnam to provide basic health care screening in their leper colonies and orphanages. I’ll also be helping with the Honor Flight, which flies World War II veterans back to Washington, D.C., to visit the memorials.

“I get such a great sense of satisfaction knowing I’m contributing and making a difference in people’s lives. Being there for others is so rewarding.”