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Spring Increase
Since today is April Fools Day, I want you to know that the following announcement is not a hoax: Based on a variety of factors, all eligible non-management Allen associates will receive a 1.5 % increase effective starting with the pay period of April 17 to 30. This percentage increase is across the board and does not differ by job category. It will actually show up on May 6th associate paychecks.
The 1.5% increase comes during a time when the economy’s financial indicators related to growth and stability still are not strong.
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In truth, many health care providers, as well as other businesses, are not offering increases. We feel however that this increase is justified and within the funds we budgeted for 2011. Allen regularly conducts a separate market analysis that looks at the pay ranges of positions compared to data we receive from the Iowa Hospital Association. That process will be conducted later this year. Adjustments may be made as a result of that comparison.
As we have discussed in Open Forum meetings, our ability to routinely update our wages and remain competitive from a salary perspective is largely dependent upon our ability to run Allen Health System efficiently and control our costs. We successfully accomplished this during the month of February, and from a year-to-date standpoint we are back on track and slightly ahead of our budget. With hard work and a focus on controlling our costs, I am hopeful we will continue to operate within our budget guidelines. It appears that our patient satisfaction scores have also improved significantly during this time, but I will have a more concrete report for you on this in early April. Thanks again for all that you do at Allen.
Are We a Great Place to Work?
We’re asking all Allen associates to participate in the Great Place to Work® confidential survey, and share your candid feedback about our organization
The survey will be available through April 22, and will take approximately15 minutes to complete. The responses are sent directly to the Great Places to Work Institute and will be used to identify specific strengths and opportunities for improvement.
Please make sure you mark the correct department that you are in at the end of the survey. Smaller departments may be grouped with other departments to ensure responses remain anonymous, so keep looking if your department isn’t listed by itself.
Password: AHSH1
For more information or survey problems, please contact Steve Sesterhenn in Human Resources at 235-3605 or sestersp@ihs.org
Important Information for Second Quarter Associate Form Schedule
Click here for schedule for Q2 Open Forums June 1-16. Review the schedule and work with your supervisor to attend in June.
- Be sure to check your attendance record in Net Learning for the Q1 Forum. (Don’t wait until the end of the year to check this!) We want to make sure your attendance is verified. If you attended and do not find your attendance recorded in Net Learning, contact your supervisor and have them email Candis Smith at SmithCK@ihs.org to verify your attendance by April 8th.
- To verify your attendance, log into the Net Learning Student Interface and click on ‘Completions’. A listing of your completed classes will appear. Be sure to check beyond Page 1 in your listing if you do not see it listed on the first page.
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CODE STRONG REMINDER
There are two different ways to summon help, depending on circumstance:
- Call Code Strong for help with an unmanageable patient
- Call Security or 911 for help with an unmanageable visitor or associate
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Iowa Health System and Methodist-Peoria Explore Affiliation
As we reported March 30, Iowa Health System and Methodist Health Services Corporation of Peoria, Ill., have entered into a non-binding letter of intent to explore a strategic partnership. If things work out, Methodist will become a senior affiliate hospital of IHS, like Allen Hospital. Click here for details.
Bette Wubbena Celebrates the Gift of Life
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Bette Wubbena, Allen Foundation board member and director of membership retention for the Greater Cedar Valley Chamber of Commerce and Alliance, shared a note with us this week. As you may know, Bette suffered a severe heart attack in 2001, so serious no one thought she would survive. But that’s not how things turned out. Here’s her note:
“Yesterday, March 27th, was the 10th anniversary of my massive heart attack…..I arrived at Allen ER Code Blue. I was a resident of the hospital for one month. After many Code Blues, suggestion of turning off life support, open heart surgery and implant of a defibrillator and pacemaker, I am alive today and enjoying life. As Jim and Matt know, my family and I credit my survival and recovery to the dedicated and caring staff at Allen.”
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Anybody who knows Bette knows she loves life. She’s as busy as we all are, juggling tasks, meetings and conflicting constituencies all day long. But Bette has a unique perspective that’s worth keeping in mind. She knows every day is a gift, and she is living proof that what we do every day at Allen really does make a difference. In case you can’t make out the cake, it says, “Takes a lickin’, and keeps on tickin.” The famous Timex watch campaign dates from the ‘50s.
You Can Show Your Skills and Help the American Heart Association
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The challenge is on!Show us your cooking, canning, woodwork, sewing, jewelry, etc. skills in "edible" or "non-edible" categories. Edible will be judged on uniqueness.
We'll judge those items best of show and then you can donate them to the Silent Auction for the Heart Walk.
Click here to see all details of this very fun event!
We know you are out there - show us Your Skills!
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Save the Date
May 4, 2011
Watch your mail and articles in the Friday Edition for your invitation for a great trip to Pella to see the tulips!
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Admission's Week, April 3 - 9, 2011
Please acknowledge our Registration/Centralized Scheduling/Pt Access staff during Admission’s week, April 3-9th. They are proving that “Bringing Their A-Game” to work everyday is resulting in reaching and surpassing their department Press Ganey scores. Both ER and Outpatient staff have their scores proudly displayed so that everyone can see their scores improving from month to month. If you get a chance to stop by, please thank them for the great job that they do, everyday!
Interesting Stats:
301,148 Accounts created during 2010
15,400 Ambulatory
26,671 ER
12,551 INPT
2,849 Observation
243,482 Outpt/Series/Client
Supplies used:
6,240,000 sheets of paper
144,000 labels
36,000 armbands
3600 paperclips
624 pens
36 toners
Incoming Phone calls received:
Scheduling- 3200+ calls a month
Pt access- 4000+ calls a month
Switchboard- 4000+ calls a month
Scheduling staff- 6
Registration staff- 26
Pt Access staff- 3
Kudos to the ER Registration staff, for the challenging task of collecting insurance co-pays as of 01/17/11. They have attributed to over $60,000 in their efforts- just over a two-month span. Outstanding!
And, did we mention that Admissions was the CUPCAKE champions for 2011!
(Had to get that in there, Ambulatory.)
Thanks to everyone at Allen for making our jobs interesting, challenging, and rewarding!
More Recycling Comes to Allen Hospital and UMP
Allen Hospital is partnering with Pepsi to begin recycling of pop cans and bottles. Please click here to read the flyer and start looking on April 8 for the bins that will be throughout Allen Hospital and UMP. If we are successful here, the goal is to implement it throughout the system. Together, we do make a difference!
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Ticket Drawing
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast
Saturday, April 9
7:30 p.m. curtain
To qualify for the drawing, click here. Simply click on the name of the event that you wish to register for and fill in your name, email and associate ID number in the comments box.
All registrations MUST be online – associates are free to use the computers in the café to register. E-mail and phoned registrations will not be eligible. Please be sure you will use any tickets you may win, and do not enter if you have won other GBPAC tickets in 2011. We will draw two winners at noon on Wednesday, April 6.
The winners of the Johnny Mathis tickets are Steve Cusher and Linda M. Moore.
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Allen Information Spot
Click the Information Spot button (on the right) for the questions and answers from the March 2011 Allen Open Forum.
A new informational area has been added to AllenNet. The “Allen Information Spot” is the place to go for postings of information you need to know such as the Share Our Success Plan; associate forum survey link, Q & A, and summary; flu shot info, open enrollment info, etc.
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Graduate Students Presenting Projects at Allen Cafe South Dining Room
Allen College MSN graduate students are completing their programs by presenting their graduate projects on Friday, April 15th. Presentations will be held in Learning Centers A & B and in the South Dining Room. The presentations are excellent examples of Evidence Based Practice projects. A list of presenters, the titles of their presentations, the room location, and APPROXIMATE presentation time can be found by clicking here.
Please drop by to hear these presentations and enjoy some refreshments!
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Every Mom-To-Be Could Use A Little Support
and a $100 Gift Card |
A healthy baby begins with prenatal care. To help moms and dads to be, Allen Hospital invites enrollees in the Iowa Health System Health Insurance Plans to participate in the free, Prenatal Care Program, through Principal Life Insurance Company.
As a member of the Prenatal Care Program you’ll receive support and education, a popular pregnancy book, regular contact from an obstetric nurse and a $100 gift card from Target after completion of the program.
To be eligible, you must enroll in the program by the end of the 16th week of pregnancy or be grandfathered in the program if you enroll by June 1, 2011. The program must be completed by participating in all phone calls with the nurse at the Prenatal Care Program and respond to any correspondence requests for information.
To enroll in this confidential program, call 800-248-5447, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Learn more about this program through Your Benefit Source under the Benefits section.
Allen Pharmacies’ $5.00 Medication Plan Update
Are you saving money on your generic medications? Taking advantage of the $5.00 medication plan available at the Allen pharmacies will save you money on medications not offered at a discount through other retail pharmacies!
Don’t get stuck paying your co-pay somewhere else when you can get your medications right here for $5.00! Click here to see the updated $5.00 list.
Some of the new classes of medications added to the list in 2011 include
antibiotics, dermatological products, ophthalmic products, and other acute care products. Some of the medications added in 2011 include omeprazole 40mg (generic Prilosec), alendronate 35mg and 70mg (generic Fosamax), labetolol, indapamide, benazepril, labetolol, mirtazepine and many others.
Allen Clinic Pharmacy 235-3777
United Medical Park Clinic Pharmacy 833-5725
Allen Clinic Pharmacy News!
Allen Clinic Pharmacy has received great feedback about Discharge Medication Delivery from both patients and staff! Remember that the $5.00 generic list applies to your patients as well! If your floor needs more discharge medication fax forms or if you have any questions, call us at x3176.
Drug Take Away Program
Allen Clinic Pharmacy can help you, your patients, family and friends
dispose of medications in an environmentally friendly manner with the
Take Away Program! Bring in any of these prescription or over-the-counter medications:pills, tablets, or capsules; ointments, creams, lotions or liquids less than 120ml, powders, inhalers, or nebulizer solutions.
We can take back your non-controlled medications everyday during working hours:
9:00 am - 5:30 pm Monday – Friday.
Our next Take Away Day for Controlled and Non-Controlled Medications is:
April 15, 2011 from 9am-1pm. Bring your labeled bottles in their original containers!
Medications not eligible for the Take Away Program: sharps, needles, products over 120ml, DME supplies or Home Care Supplies (hydrogen peroxide, rubbing alcohol).
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Save the Date
The Beat Goes On - April 15, 2011
Click here for registration information and form.
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Allen Gift Shop News
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April 25 and 26
Books Are Fun
May 26 and 27
Scrubs and Beyond
June 8
Egyptian Sheets Sale
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Justin Jasper Benefit
Son of Kris Jasper,
UMP Ambulatory Surgery Center |
Justin Jasper is an 11 year old student at St. Edward’s Catholic School in Waterloo. He was diagnosed with Scleroderma and Interstitial Lung Disease, a progressive autoimmune disorder, in 2008. Justin has been accruing extensive medical expenses, while undergoing chemotherapy treatments at the University Children’s Hospital in Iowa City.
Justin fights his battle along with his family, parents Joel & Kris Jasper, brothers Ben & Jay. He enjoys fishing, soccer, golf, baseball & football. The Jasper family LOVES the Iowa Hawkeyes and enjoy any time they can get to a football game.
The Justin Jasper Benefit will be held Saturday, May 14th beginning at 5:00 p.m., at the Knights of Columbus Hall 1955 Locke Avenue in Waterloo. There will be a silent auction, pork sandwich meal and two bands providing entertainment.
Donations or questions about donations can be directed to Laura, runyanl2@ihs.org, or (319)-415-8718. Thanks, The Friends and Co-workers of the Jaspers
Bake Sale to Benefit the Jasper's
UMP on Wednesday, April 20 from 9:00 am - 2:00 pm
Allen Hospital on Wednesday, May 11 at the South Dining Room
Note: Cash Only
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You Can't Beat This Deal!
Junior League is collecting donations of prom dresses, bridesmaid dresses, shoes and accessories through April 6th. They will then hold an event on April 9th from 10:00am -5:00pm at Crossroads Center to dress young ladies for prom who may not be able to afford a new dress at full price.
Click here for details and locations for dropping off dresses and accessories.
Proceeds will be donated to the Northeast Iowa Food Bank.
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Allen Auxiliary Blood Drive
April 7
7:30 – 10:30 AM
To schedule go to www.bloodcenterofiowa.org or call the Volunteer office at 3692
Thank you for your support!
