What's New

'I Promise' campaign launched (04/18/08)

Northfield Hospital is giving its word. Staff members in the hospital and clinics pledge to give patients their best effort, every day, every patient visit.

The “I Promise” campaign, launched earlier this year as part of a patient safety initiative, is designed to reduce medical errors. Tammy Hayes, Nursing Division Administrator, at Northfield Hospital, says this is the right thing to do for patients.

“In recent years, there’s been a real push nationally to reduce medical errors,” said Hayes. “Patient safety has always been our first priority at Northfield Hospital and we want to do everything in our power to make sure patients receive the best care possible.”

The campaign has three parts. One is to remind caregivers to be vigilant with the basics, such as washing hands before giving care, matching the patient’s name with the medical record before giving medicine or performing a procedure and explaining the care and medications before they are delivered. The second part extends the campaign to auxiliary personnel, from Housekeeping and Dietary to Pharmacy. They are promising to provide a clean, comfortable environment and to honor patients by treating them with respect.

The third part is inviting patients to be partners in care. This idea builds on a national “Speak Up” campaign launched in 2002. It urges patients to take an active role in preventing health care errors by becoming involved and informed participants in their healthcare team.

The “I Promise” pledge includes a commitment to listen to patients’ questions and concerns and to stop any procedure if it doesn’t seem right to the patient.

“No system is perfect,” Hayes said. “But if patients feel comfortable working together with caregivers there will be better patient outcomes and fewer safety issues.”

Auxiliary announces book fair dates (03/05/08

The Great Northfield, Minnesota Book Raid, the Northfield Hospital Auxiliary's annual book sale, will be Tuesday, April 22, to Saturday, April 26, at the Northfield Ice Arena, South Highway 3, Northfield.

Book donations will be welcome at the arena beginning Monday, March 31. Hours of collection will be 4 to 6 p.m. Monday-Friday and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays.

During the week of April 14 through April 19, the arena will be open to receive book donations from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.

People who have books to donate but cannot hold them until March 31, may call Mary Schwake at 507-645-5446 or Linda Barck, co-chair, at 507-645-0517.

Sale hours will be 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Tuesday, April 22; 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, April 23-April 25; and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 26.

The hospital auxiliary uses funds from the book sale to support the Northfield Hospital and other community health projects.

Safety is first priority at Northfield Hospital
(02/11/08)

By Mary Quinn Crow, Chief Operating Officer, Northfield Hospital

Over the past few weeks, there have been news reports both good and bad about the safety of patients receiving healthcare. The sobering news about the infant twins of Dennis Quaid receiving nearly lethal wrong dosing of heparin was disturbing. That story was followed by the release of information by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) that in 2007 patient care in Minnesota was 20% safer than the previous year.

Northfield Hospital participates in the MDH report. We were fortunate not to experience any of the 27 “never events” in 2007, but we remain acutely aware of the ongoing potential for harm to patients who come to us for care. Because of this, Northfield Hospital has initiated a number of activities to improve patient safety.

In 2006 and 2007, our patient safety program focused on areas identified as potentially ”high risk”. These include the operating rooms, the emergency department and the inpatient care areas. For example, improved processes were implemented to properly identify patients prior to performing any procedures or giving medications. Another step was to begin requiring a “time out” in the operating rooms so the surgeon and surgery staff can confirm that we have the right patient for the right procedure on the right site, before any surgery is started.

All serious errors and near misses undergo the scrutiny of what we refer to as “root cause analysis”. This investigation presumes that serious error is the result of systems and processes that fail and seeks to identify exactly what that failure was. In 2007, we completed 7 root cause analyses that led to improvements intended to prevent the same errors from happening in the future. It was interesting that in each of the cases studied, we noted an element of failed communication that contributed to the error. Based on this knowledge, the hospital provided staff training based on the Crew Resource Management model that has been successful in improving aviation safety. This training provides all members of the healthcare team with the tools to communicate more effectively in high-risk situations.

Our plans for the year ahead reflect our ongoing dedication to the patient safety effort. In the very near future, we will be initiating an “I Promise” campaign involving every staff member in a promise to utilize safe practices in the care of patients. A key element of the “I Promise” program is an invitation to patients to give us feedback on how well we are doing and to speak up if they question why or how anything is being done.

In 2007 we implemented an Omnicell medication dispensing system. This technology interfaces with our electronic medical record system to assure correct medications are dispensed. In the spring, we will begin utilizing a Bar Code Medication Verification system for medication administration. This involves the use of computerized technology to verify that the right medication in the right dose is given to the right patient at the right time. We will be among the first in the state to implement this technology, which research has demonstrated significantly reduces the incidence of medication error. It is the kind of technology that could have prevented the type of incident that occurred to the infant twins of the Quaids.

The hospital is also actively involved in several state and national safety efforts. Through the Minnesota Hospital Association we take part in the “Safe Site”, “Safe from Falls”, and “Safe Skin” initiatives. On the national level, we are a participating hospital with the Leapfrog Group, the Institute of Medicine’s “5 Million Lives Campaign” and National Patient Safety Goals. As a result, we measure and regularly report our progress in implementing over 75 processes to improve safety.

Knowing that the delivery of healthcare in hospitals has become increasingly complex and fast paced, we do not presume that errors can never happen at Northfield Hospital. We remain committed, however, to do our best to create an environment that is as safe as possible for our patients. We will do this by improving processes, by implementing new technology, by training staff on safe practices, and by encouraging patients to partner with us in every way possible to keep care safe.

Center for Sports Medicine
opens rehab clinic in Lakeville
(01/18/08)
The Center for Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation (CSMR), a service of Northfield Hospital, is bringing rehabilitation services to the Lakeville-Farmington area.

The new clinic will open Monday, Feb. 4, in 5,000 square feet of customized space in the new Train America facility located off County Road 70, near Jacquard Avenue. CSMR will offer physical and occupational therapy and athletic training services. It will be supported by a full range of rehabilitation services, including speech and pediatric therapy, offered at its clinic in Northfield.

“This new clinic will make rehabilitation services more accessible to those who live and work in the Lakeville and Farmington communities,” said Kevin Johnson, co-director of CSMR. “This will allow patients to spend more time on their rehabilitation and spend less time away from school or work.”

If you want more information, call 952-985-2020 or stop in for a visit. All major health plans are accepted.

CSMR offers the largest and most comprehensive rehabilitation services between the Twin Cities and Rochester. Their progressive rehab programs focus on injury prevention, recovery from injury, surgery or illness and coping with chronic illness. Services include: physical therapy, sports medicine, occupational therapy, pediatric rehabilitation, industrial rehab or injury prevention, hand therapy, speech and language therapy.

Mayo Clinic provides cardiology services (01/18/08)
Cardiologists from Mayo Clinic are now providing care for adult patients at FamilyHealth Medical Clinic --- Northfield.

Six cardiologists will provide outreach services on a rotating basis on the second and fourth Fridays of the month at the clinic on the Northfield Hospital campus. They are Donald Johnston, MD; Farris Timimi, MD; Wayne Miller, MD; David Foley, MD; David Hayes, MD and R. Thomas Tilbury, MD.

They will work closely with the community physicians to provide care for patients with cardiovascular problems. The Mayo Outreach Services of echocardiography and nuclear imaging also will be available. If needed, Mayo Clinic could provide more complex cardiovascular and diagnostic testing in Rochester.

The addition of Mayo Clinic cardiology services in Northfield significantly expands the local access to these services, said David Oliver, clinic operations administrator for Northfield Hospital.

“The opening of this practice will reduce wait times and give local residents more flexibility for scheduling testing if it is needed,” Oliver said. “Any time we can provide more specialty care locally, patients and their families benefit.”

This is the third specialty practice established by Mayo Clinic outreach at FamilyHealth Medical Clinic --- Northfield. A Maternal-Fetal Medicine practice for high-risk pregnancies and a medical oncology practice opened last fall. Mayo Clinic will begin providing pediatric cardiology services at FamilyHealth in Northfield in February.

Patients can be referred by their primary physician by calling 507-646-1494.

Mayo Clinic provides medical oncologists (09/27/07)
Medical oncologists from Mayo Clinic will begin seeing patients at FamilyHealth Medical Clinic --- Northfield in October.

Robert Dalton, MD, a Mayo Clinic physician with specializations in Internal Medicine, Medical Oncology and Hematology, will be the primary provider in the practice. He will be in clinic in Northfield every other Thursday. Kevin Cockerill, MD, Mohammad Ranginwala, MD, and Glenn Harman, MD, will support the practice.

Medical oncology is a specialty practice for treating cancer with medications. Medical oncologists develop a patient’s plan of care and oversee the administration of chemotherapy. Dr. Dalton and his colleagues work closely with Judy King-Harvey, and other oncology nurses at Northfield Hospital, to provide outpatient chemotherapy at Northfield Hospital.

King-Harvey said the addition of Dr. Dalton to the clinic significantly expands the oncology services available locally.

“Dr. Dalton’s clinic hours will reduce wait times for appointments and provide patients with another local option for oncology and hematology services,” she said.

David Oliver, Clinic Operations Administrator for Northfield Hospital, said the development of this practice is a direct result of Northfield Hospital’s partnership with Cannon Valley Clinic --- Mayo Health System. Many physician services at the hospital’s FamilyHealth Medical Clinic are provided by Cannon Valley Clinic --- Mayo Health System. This partnership paved the way for Mayo Clinic specialists to see patients in Northfield.

“We’re delighted to be able to bring additional high-quality oncology services to the community,” Oliver said. “Any time we are able to make more medical care available locally, it is a benefit to patients and their families.

Mayo Clinic specialists provide care locally for high-risk pregnancies (9/12/07)
Mayo Clinic physicians who specialize in high-risk pregnancies are now seeing patients at the Women’s Health Center of Northfield Hospital.

Maternal-Fetal Medicine specialists William Watson, MD, Carl Rose, MD, and Norman Davies, MD, now visit Northfield on a rotating basis on the first Wednesday of each month. They work closely with Deb Suppes, MD, Ann Friedmann, MD, Melanie H. Dixon, MD, and Justine Politz, WHNP, to provide care locally to women with more complicated pregnancies.

“This is a real benefit to our patients,” said Dr. Dixon. “With Drs. Watson, Rose and Davies coming to Northfield, patients who need more specialized pregnancy care no longer have to travel to the Twin Cities or Rochester to receive that care. Even patients who may need to deliver at a hospital with a neonatal intensive care unit can have their prenatal visits and regular consultation closer to home in Northfield.”

Generally high-risk pregnancy refers to pregnant women 35 years or older or those with a variety of medical conditions that have the potential to complicate a pregnancy. Those conditions include pre-pregnancy diabetes; heart disease; cancer; renal disease; women with a history of obstetric complications, such as pre-term labor, women with twins or triplets; and women carrying fetuses with known or suspected medical problems, such as genetic disorders or birth defects.

Advanced ultrasonography is an important tool for managing these pregnancies. Northfield Hospital has the same ultrasound equipment used at the Mayo Clinic. Northfield Hospital sonographers have been trained by their counterparts at the Mayo Clinic.

Dr. Watson said less than 5 percent of pregnancies fall into the category of high risk. But the number is increasing as more women delay childbirth until later in life.

Mayo Clinic specialists coming to Northfield is more convenient for patients. But Dr. Watson said it also means a closer working relationship with local physicians.

“Seeing them face-to-face will help us develop a good coordinated care plan for each patient,” Dr. Watson said.

Women’s Health Center of Northfield Hospital is owned and operated by Northfield Hospital. Physician services are provided by Cannon Valley Clinic --- Mayo Health System. To make an appointment, call 507-646-1478.

Back to top of page