KishHealth System Recognizes Achievement in Cancer Services
June 15, 2011
At its award banquet in May, KishHealth System honored individuals, teams, and departments who have demonstrated significant achievements toward the health system’s organizational Pillar Goals in the areas of Service, People, Quality, Finance, and Growth. Kevin Poorten, KishHealth System president and CEO, said, “Our winners bring compassion, dedication, a love of their work, and a commitment to living our Standards of Behavior.”
Jodi Diehl, patient navigator for Cancer Services received this year’s Service Pillar Award. The Service Pillar is dedicated to patient satisfaction. Jodi Diehl has demonstrated excellence in service to patients, staff, and physicians. Diehl’s work has impacted the quality of care and the experiences the patients are receiving. Under her direction, the retention of patients receiving a portion of their treatment, after diagnostic tests, at Kishwaukee Community Hospital has increased from 92% to 95% in the last two years. In addition, her leadership has been essential in cutting the average time from suspicious mammogram to confirmed diagnosis down from 18.5 days to less than five days, boosting Kishwaukee Community Hospital to the competitive average.
Cancer Services of KishHealth System was also honored for their initiatives in patient care and safety improvements as the Quality Pillar Award recipient. The Quality Pillar encompasses organizational goals that focus on creating a safe, patient centered, outcome-focused environment for patients and staff. Last year, primary care nursing was implemented so that now each nurse treats the same patient throughout the patient’s cancer journey. Patient centered improvements have also been made to the education process. A patient will now bring their support system to a dedicated teaching appointment before the first day of treatment, reducing some of the uncertainty and anxiety the patient and their family experience. The decreased anxiety leads to better cooperation and increased quality outcomes.
