Top Stories

System Updates

Ballad Health Medical Associates opens fully staffed urgent care in Smyth County, Virginia

MARION, Va. – Patients in Southwest Virginia now have a new healthcare access point, thanks to the new Ballad Health Medical Associates Urgent Care in Marion. Ballad Health Medical Associates Urgent Care in Marion is the only urgent care clinic in Smyth County, and it brings valuable healthcare resources to the area. The clinic is located on the campus of Smyth County Community Hospital and will provide residents access to immediate care when and where it is needed. “Opening this new urgent care bolsters Ballad Health’s commitment to bringing high-quality, accessible healthcare to all who seek it,” said Dale Clark, chief executive officer of Smyth County Community Hospital. “Plus, with resources from the hospital extremely close by, the community can be confident we are ready to help right when and where people need care.” Now open, Ballad Health Medical Associates Urgent Care in Marion is located at 245 Medical Park Drive in Marion, Virginia, and…

System Updates

A ‘thank you’ to Ballad Health ‘for being there’ for the community

As we embark upon a new year and look back at every challenge and triumph of 2022, it’s always good to hear about a job well done. That’s essentially what the STRONG Accountable Care Community (STRONG ACC) organization did late last year. STRONG stands for Striving Toward Resilience and Opportunity for the Next Generation. The STRONG ACC is an independent, multi-sector coalition of 360 organizations working together to improve physical, social and economic health in the 21-county region of Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia, and Ballad Health is one of the group’s lead organizations. At the STRONG ACC’s annual symposium, the group recognized Ballad Health for the hard work and sacrifices it has made during the pandemic – and for our team members being there when the community needed us most. This is a reminder of the gratitude we have for all Ballad Health has done to protect us, to treat us and to get…

System Updates

B-Well

Take the RealAge Test in the Sharecare app to measure your health — and possibly win a Visa rewards e-gift card!

As part of our B-Well wellness program, Sharecare is offering the RealAge Test Sweepstakes – a chance to see what your “real” age is, plus possibly win a $100 Visa rewards e-gift card! The sweepstakes runs from Feb. 1 to March 31. What is the RealAge Test? The RealAge Test is a scientifically-based assessment that takes about 15 minutes to complete. It shows you the age of the body you’re living in – the first step toward improving your well-being. All eligible Ballad Health team members and their medically-enrolled spouses/partners who create a Sharecare account and complete the RealAge Test can participate. This test is a great way to review all aspects of your health. The questions will help you assess your eating, exercise and sleep habits, along with family health history, behaviors and existing conditions. Including personal wellness indicators such as blood pressure and cholesterol levels also helps you get a truer picture of…

B-Well

System Updates

Kingsport physician Dr. Marta Wayt joins Ballad Health Board of Directors

A widely respected physician and leader, Dr. Wayt brings broad clinical, community volunteerism and high-value healthcare expertise JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – The Ballad Health Board of Directors has unanimously elected Marta Wayt, DO, to serve on the 11-member body governing Ballad Health and its subsidiaries. Dr. Wayt is board-certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and practices in Kingsport. She also holds a certification as a Physician Executive from the American Association for Physician Leadership and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Tennessee. She has been licensed in Tennessee for 20 years and also held medical licensure in Pennsylvania. “The board of Ballad Health values the input of physicians who practice in the region as they make important decisions, and I feel privileged to be able to provide that perspective on behalf of our patients,” Dr. Wayt said. “I understand the importance of ensuring access, quality and affordability in healthcare delivery,…

System Updates

Benefits & HR

Ballad Health offers team members continuing education, career growth opportunities

Ballad Health supports the continuing professional education and career development of our team members by offering tuition reimbursement and scholarships for specific organizational need programs. Applications for the upcoming fiscal year (programs that start after July 1, 2023) are being accepted through March 31. Scholarship requests can be submitted at any time throughout the year. Scholarships for team members Ballad Health will provide full scholarships for any eligible team member who pursues higher education in certain clinical disciplines. Based on the educational program, Ballad Health will cover 100% of tuition, fees and books for team members who pursue higher education for an initial degree in the disciplines listed below. Additional details are listed below: These scholarships cover tuition, fees and books up to: $1,500 a term for LPN $2,500 a semester for team members pursuing an associate degree (RN, surgical technology, catheterization lab technology, medical technology, imaging (general radiology, CT and MRI) or respiratory therapy) $4,500…

Benefits & HR

System Updates

Save the date: Diabetes Symposium set for April 28

The annual Diabetes Symposium is set for April 28 in the Monarch Auditorium at Bristol Regional Medical Center. There will also be a virtual option. This event could be of interest to physicians, NPs, RNs, LPNs, PTs, registered dietitians and pharmacists, among others. More information to come as details are set.

System Updates

IT & Epic

SharePoint upgrade will mean slight change to reimbursement links on Finance intranet site

As part of a SharePoint upgrade, effective Tuesday, Jan. 31, team members will see a very minor change when they use the mileage, expense and CME reimbursement links. The process for submitting these forms will not change, and the location for accessing them will remain the same on the Ballad Health intranet. The only difference will be for team members who have those links bookmarked as favorites/shortcuts on their computer; those bookmarks will no longer work once the upgrade takes place. Anyone who prefers to access the links that way will need to update their favorites or bookmarks with the new URL. Pending reimbursement submissions will be available to approve on the new site. Any pending submissions older than six months will be deleted. How do I find these reimbursement links? As a reminder, to find the links for these types of reimbursement requests: Go to the Ballad Health intranet main page and click on…

IT & Epic

System Updates

Ballad Health Medical Associates announces new online scheduling and virtual care options to improve patient access

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – Ballad Health Medical Associates is further expanding access to care through new digital and virtual options to help people find primary care when and where they need it. A full range of primary care options includes in-person visits at a primary care clinic or urgent care clinic, virtual visits with a patient’s physician or a fast and easy online service that allows patients to describe their symptoms and receive a diagnosis and treatment recommendation within an hour by email. “We are listening to our patients and working to improve their access to care,” said Mark Patterson, MD, president of Ballad Health Medical Associates. “Our new digital options make it easy for patients to schedule appointments and receive the appropriate level of care without sacrificing the quality of care.” Virtual healthcare options are accessible by visiting www.balladhealth.org, the Ballad Health app or calling 833-8-BALLAD (833-822-5523). The health system can provide immediate access…

System Updates

CEOC & COVID-19

CEOC memo: Reminder on masking, COVID-19 booster shots

TO: Ballad Health All FROM: Ballad Health Corporate Emergency Operations Center DATE: Jan. 17, 2023 TITLE: Masking reminder ACTION: Please post and cascade to all team members. COVID-19 inpatient cases: 111 COVID-19 patients in ICU: 22 COVID-19 patients on ventilators: 2 COVID-19 pediatric inpatients: 0 While the flu and RSV are on the decline, COVID-19 cases are on the upswing in the region, including among team members – which impacts staffing and patient care. It is crucial that team members follow Ballad Health guidelines on masking and on staying at home when showing symptoms of being sick, in order to prevent further spread. We also strongly encourage all team members to get the latest COVID booster shot. New COVID subvariant – XBB.1.5 A new COVID subvariant – XBB.1.5 – is surging in the Northeast and is expected to spread nationwide over the coming weeks. It accounts for at least 28% of U.S. cases, according to CDC estimates. World…

CEOC & COVID-19

Compliance

Reminder: Make sure you’re following Ballad Health’s dress code policy

As a reminder to all team members, please follow our dress code policy. In particular, T-shirts from the Ballad Health family of brands are acceptable to wear on Fridays, but must be worn in compliance with the other elements of our dress code. This means no sweatshirts, hoodies, denim/jeans or unbranded attire. Remember – dress code compliance is considered a security measure. It is important for patients and visitors to be able to recognize us as Ballad Health team members when they see us. It is also important that we present ourselves in a professional and respectful way as we represent Ballad Health to the community. Related to that, please maintain a professional appearance when in a video meeting on Microsoft Teams. In addition, it is crucial that team members properly display their Ballad Health ID badges while they are at work. NOTE: Ballad Health dress code requirements also apply to all Ballad Health Medical…

Compliance

Benefits & HR

Pay increase is the perfect time to increase contribution to your retirement plan

With a pay increase coming to many Ballad Health team members this month, Lincoln Financial is encouraging everyone to put some of that toward your retirement plan. Use the contribution planner in your online account to see what a big impact – to your savings – a small increase can make. For more information, set up a meeting with your Lincoln retirement consultant at LincolnFinancial.com/balladschedule.

Benefits & HR

IT & Epic

Reminder: VDI users to see change in how they access Outlook email, effective Friday, Jan. 13

Effective Friday, Jan. 13, Virtual Desktop Interface (VDI) users will no longer be able to access email through the Outlook app. Instead, team members in VDI will use the “Ballad Email” icon that is located in the Start menu. Please note, this change will only affect team members working in a VDI environment; these are mostly clinical and remote users. Any team members not using VDI will continue to access their email as before. While the Outlook app will no longer function in VDI starting Jan. 13, the app icon will still be visible to anyone who has pinned it to their taskbar. It is advised that users unpin this “dead” icon from the taskbar using the following steps: Right click on the Outlook icon in the taskbar Select “Unpin from Taskbar” Users can then pin the Ballad Email icon to their taskbar if they want to keep their email readily accessible. See our list of…

IT & Epic

Benefits & HR

HSA contribution from Ballad Health to be deposited in your account soon

Team members enrolled in the Choice medical plan will soon receive a cash contribution from Ballad Health to their health savings accounts (HSAs), which can be used to pay for deductibles, co-insurance and other eligible out-of-pocket expenses related to their health, dental and vision plans. The amount of the January contribution is $250 for those enrolled in individual coverage and $500 for those enrolled in family coverage. We anticipate these funds to be deposited into the HSA accounts by Jan. 6, 2023. This contribution will be for the 2023 calendar year. As a reminder, you can also elect to make your own contributions into the health savings account. Contributions can be increased, decreased or stopped any time during the calendar year. The HSA contribution change form is located on the Benefits page on the Ballad Health intranet. The new 2023 HSA contribution limits are listed below (employer and employee contributions count toward the IRS maximum):…

Benefits & HR

IT & Epic

Cybersecurity tips: Protect your mobile devices from cyberattacks

Mobile device use is on the rise and so is the number of cyberattacks. Hackers are developing more sophisticated malware targeted toward smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices. Here are 20 tips to help safeguard your device, yourself and others. Wi-Fi Don’t allow your device to auto-join unfamiliar networks. Always turn off Wi-Fi when you aren’t using it or don’t need it. Never send sensitive information over Wi-Fi, unless you’re absolutely sure it’s a secure network. Apps Only use apps available in your device’s official store — NEVER download from a browser. Be wary of apps from unknown developers or those with limited or bad reviews. Delete apps if they’re no longer supported by your store. Keep them updated to ensure they have the latest security. Don’t grant administrator or excessive privileges to apps unless you truly trust them. Browser Watch out for ads, giveaways and contests that seem too good to be true. Pay…

IT & Epic

System Updates

As cold weather arrives, here’s a reminder about Ballad Health’s class cancellation policy

Clinical Education, Organizational Development and Epic have an INCLEMENT WEATHER POLICY FOR CLASSES (OD-100-007-BH on the Ballad Health intranet). The policy was created out of concern for team members attempting to travel to classes when the roads are not in good condition. PLEASE NOTE: This process for notifying team members about class cancellation has been updated from previous years: Team members will be notified of the decision to cancel educational classes via the Ballad Teams mobile app and Ballad Health News. In the event of bad weather, team members should check these two resources to receive the most up-to-date communication concerning schedule changes. An inclement weather message line has also been created to allow team members the ability to call to check the status of classes. A recorded message will alert callers if classes will be hosted as scheduled, or if the decision has been made to cancel based on weather concerns. This messaging can…

System Updates

Benefits & HR

Are you making the most of your retirement plan?

Lincoln Financial can help you review your contribution rate and see if you can boost your savings. Remember, you’ll never have more time to save than you do today!

Benefits & HR

IT & Epic

Cybersecurity scenario: Attacks using LinkedIn information

This message comes from Ballad Health’s IT team. Here’s a mock scenario in which someone is victimized by a cybercrime due to information provided on social media. George, a social engineer, or “hacker,” follows thousands of people on LinkedIn who work in healthcare, watching for opportunities to gain access to patient, organizational or financial information that can be turned into cash or used to cause harm to an organization, its team members or its patients. Carrie, an ABC Healthcare team member, posts on her LinkedIn account that her organization recently sent out an enterprise-wide team member satisfaction survey. Carrie expresses how grateful she is to work for a company that cares about its culture so much that it proactively seeks team member feedback. The Hack George sees that Carrie’s LinkedIn profile includes her cell phone number in the “About” section, and he targets Carrie with a smishing campaign, which is the text version of phishing….

IT & Epic

VDI users to see change in how they access Outlook email, effective Jan. 13

Effective Jan. 13, 2023, Virtual Desktop Interface (VDI) users will no longer be able to access email through the Outlook app. Instead, team members in VDI will use the “Ballad Email” icon that is located in the Start menu. Please note, this change will only affect team members working in a VDI environment; these are mostly clinical and remote users. Any team members not using VDI will continue to access their email as before. While the Outlook app will no longer function in VDI starting Jan. 13, the app icon will still be visible to anyone who has pinned it to their taskbar. It is advised that users unpin this “dead” icon from the taskbar using the following steps: Right click on the Outlook icon in the taskbar Select “Unpin from Taskbar” Users can then pin the Ballad Email icon to their taskbar if they want to keep their email readily accessible. See our list…

IT & Epic

System Updates

Important announcement about chemistry lab equipment changes, impact on turnaround times

As part of an effort to standardize chemistry equipment across Ballad Health, the laboratories at Johnson City Medical Center and Bristol Regional Medical Center are transitioning on Monday, Dec. 5, at 8 a.m. from using Beckman equipment to the Ortho Vitros platform. For facilities that send chemistry testing to these two hospital labs, PLEASE BE AWARE of expected delays in turnaround time for test results. The transition period is expected to last 6 to 8 weeks. The new instruments have been set up in a temporary location in the labs and initially will not have the benefit of an automated delivery/loading system. This means a challenging interim stage that will result in longer turnaround times. Every attempt will be made to minimize delays, but an increase is unavoidable. Who and what will be affected? Laboratory teams at Johnson City Medical Center and Bristol Regional Medical Center will stop running specimens on the Beckman equipment at…

System Updates

IT & Epic

Cybersecurity tip: Protect your information

For years, we’ve been warned not to share too much personal information online. Now, you can shop online for almost any product, manage your finances with online banking services and chat with friends and strangers on social media platforms. While you enjoy all the conveniences of modern technology, are you paying attention to all the ways it can be used against you? Let’s take a look at how you can protect your personal information. Guard your login credentials If cybercriminals steal your login credentials, they can access your accounts and find your personal or professional information. Follow these tips when browsing the internet: Don’t enter your login credentials unless you are certain a website or app is secure. Use unique passwords for each of your accounts. A password manager can help you keep track of all your passwords, and multi-factor authentication (MFA) can add another layer of security. Use passwords and update the security software…

IT & Epic

CEOC & COVID-19

CEOC: Scheduling guidelines for surgery; updated eye protection guidelines

TO: Ballad Health All FROM: Ballad Health Corporate Emergency Operations Center DATE: Dec. 12, 2022 TITLE: Scheduling guidelines for surgery; updated eye protection guidelines ACTION: Please post and cascade to all team members. COVID-19 inpatient cases: 115 COVID-19 patients in ICU: 17 COVID-19 patients on ventilators: 5 COVID-19 pediatric inpatients: 1 Scheduling guidance for surgery Operative scheduling guidelines for COVID-positive patients: For ALL patients with a recent (within the past 10 days) COVID-19 positive test: • Incidental/low risk: Schedule 10 days after positive test. • Mild to moderate symptoms without hospitalization: Schedule 4 weeks out from positive test. • Hospitalization: Schedule 7 weeks out from positive test. Eye protection in all clinical settings Eye protection is required in treatment of all patients confirmed or suspected to have COVID-19. This includes students. All other patient encounters should follow standard precautions or the appropriate isolation precautions. Remember: Standard precautions recommend the use of eyewear if there is…

CEOC & COVID-19

Benefits & HR

Limited spaces available at Ballad Health childcare centers

Ballad Health offers childcare services to team members, at competitive rates — and there are a few openings right now at our three childcare centers. These childcare services are part of Ballad Health’s effort to make things easier on working families. Spaces are limited and are reserved for team members before opening the spots to the community. The available spots vary by location and are not available in all age groups. Team members can find out more by calling the centers at the following numbers: Hospitots, Johnson City – Call 423-431-6930; director Kacye Peters The Children’s Center, Elizabethton – Call 423-431-6930; acting director Kacye Peters Child Development Center, Bristol – Call 423-844-5225; director Tracy Barbour Team members can also email Amy Doran, corporate director of early childhood care and education for Ballad Health, at amy.doran@balladhealth.org. There are plans to create more Ballad Health childcare centers, so be on the lookout for updates.

Benefits & HR

System Updates

Marsh Regional Blood Center has critical need for O-negative blood; donors are needed

Marsh Regional Blood Center is in critical need of type O-negative blood. Due to our hospitals treating several different trauma cases over the last two weeks, the supply has been severely depleted. O-negative blood is extremely important because it can be transfused to anyone, regardless of blood type. Because it is universal, it’s what our hospitals use in trauma cases, and it is carried on rescue aircraft for in-flight transfusion, if necessary. (Unfortunately, those who have type O-negative can only receive O-negative, so it is vital to have a supply for that population, as well.) Marsh Blood is asking for donations at any of their three centers or through any of the upcoming blood drives. All O-negative donors from Thursday, Nov. 3, through Sunday, Nov. 20, will receive a long-sleeve holiday T-shirt plus a $10 Food City card. Appointments are preferred for in-center donations, but walk-ins are welcome. Appointments can be made by calling the…

System Updates

IT & Epic

Don’t take the bait: How to recognize charity and disaster scams

Cyber criminals know one of the best ways to rush people into making a mistake is by creating a heightened sense of urgency. And one of the easiest ways to create a sense of urgency is to take advantage of a crisis. This is why cyber criminals love it whenever there is a traumatic event with global impact. What most of us regard as a tragedy, cyber criminals view as an opportunity, such as the breakout of a war, a major natural disaster such as a volcanic explosion, and infectious disease breakouts like COVID-19. For example, during a natural disaster, they may pretend to be a charity asking for donations to save children in need. How can we protect ourselves the next time there is a big crisis or disaster, and cyber-criminals seek to exploit it? How to detect and defend against these scams The key to avoiding these scams is to be suspicious of…

IT & Epic

B-Well

Be on the lookout for more from B-Well powered by Sharecare!

As many team members are aware, Ballad Health is partnering with Sharecare to provide a great wellness benefit to our team members through our B-Well program. Team members who join “B-Well powered by Sharecare” can securely store and access health data and take part in wellness programs and challenges. Consider it a great boost in your fitness and wellness journey! Be on the lookout for messages in Ballad Health News about B-Well and the features and challenges Sharecare provides. Right now we’ve got two activities going on through B-Well powered by Sharecare: 1, Golden Ticket campaign – Any team member who has signed up for Sharecare has a chance to win a $50 Visa rewards e-gift card. All you have to do is create a Sharecare account and then check your timeline. If you’ve got a Golden Ticket displaying in your timeline, you’re a winner! This promotion ends Nov. 30. Click here for more information!…

B-Well

IT & Epic

MyChart: Good for patients. Good for you

Are you using MyChart? We encourage all team members to take advantage of it for their own health, and for team members to encourage everyone else to use MyChart. It’s a great way to take an active role in managing your care. You can access MyChart through the Ballad Health app, which is our public-facing app. (Remember, you can also access the external Ballad Health app through Ballad Teams, our team member-only app.) When you download the Ballad Health app, you can do a range of things within MyChart to manage your care – all from your smartphone, laptop or tablet. MyChart connects patients with their care teams and allows safe, convenient and confidential online access to a range of information and services. It’s easy to access your health records 24/7, from home or wherever you are, using your smartphone, laptop or tablet. What can you do in MyChart? View test results Schedule appointments Check-in…

IT & Epic

Cybersecurity scenario: Recognizing cybercrime opportunities through social media

This message comes from Ballad Health’s IT team. Here’s a mock scenario in which someone is victimized by a cybercrime due to information provided on social media. Suzie lists her place of employment on Facebook. She hasn’t enabled privacy features, so her personal profile is visible to the public. She hasn’t considered the connection between her public profile and her clinic. George knows that protected health information (PHI) or personal identifying information (PII) will fetch a fantastic price, so George is on the hunt for a healthcare employee to exploit. He sees on Suzie’s profile that she works at a medical clinic. He also sees Suzie’s post that she’s on vacation in The Bahamas. THE HACK George calls the clinic, and Patti answers. George: Hello, I’m William Lyons, and I’ve been working with Suzie on quoting a new backup server for the clinic. Is she available? George doesn’t know if the clinic has a server…

IT & Epic

System Updates

Ballad Health offers several great clinical resources to team members — including EBSCO and Dynamic Health

We follow evidence-based practice to make the best clinical decisions for our patients – a key to improving patient outcomes and overall healthcare quality. To make the latest evidence-based practice resources accessible for all team members, Ballad Health offers EBSCO (Elton B. Stephens Company) on the Ballad Health intranet main page and within Epic. With a single click, team members can access medical databases, expert-based clinical decision support content and also a nursing resource called Dynamic Health. Dynamic Health for nurses Dynamic Health is designed to help nurses and allied health professionals master skills, obtain fast answers to questions and foster a culture of evidence-based practice and critical thinking, with opportunities for continuing education. It is an evidence-based system with patient skills videos, information about nursing skills and resources on tests, labs, disease processes, conditions and treatments. There’s also a detailed drug guide for health professionals and resources about physical/occupational therapies, speech, nutrition and social…

System Updates

Compliance

Reminder about appropriate access of Epic: If it’s not necessary for doing your job, then don’t access it

The Ballad Health Epic journey has moved us to one electronic health as an organization. We’ve just completed our Epic Phase 2 transition for those services and departments that were not already on the Epic system, which means now is a good time to review some rules about appropriate access to a patient’s medical record in Epic. Benefits of using Epic There are plenty of benefits to using Epic, including: Clinicians can see a patient’s complete story. Inpatient and outpatient charts are combined, increasing patient safety. Patients are empowered with Epic’s online health management tool, MyChart. With one electronic health record, more of the patient’s protected health information (PHI) is now available for access for treatment, payment and healthcare operations, as permitted by HIPAA. PHI is not just the clinical data but also includes demographic information such as name, address, telephone number, birthdate, Social Security Number, email address, visit and medical record numbers, admit/discharge date,…

Compliance

System Updates

Reminder: How to download the Ballad Teams app

More than 9,000 of our team members are using Ballad Teams, our mobile team member app. Have you downloaded it yet? Ballad Teams offers important system news, B-Well powered by Sharecare and easy access to an array of other useful resources like your pay statements, PTO balance, team member discounts, IT support and benefits, as well as a link to log into Smart Square scheduling. We continue to add new features. For any team members who downloaded Ballad Teams previously but have since lost the app – perhaps from updates to your phone, or you may have a new phone altogether – or if you’ve never had the app before, here’s how to get it. Installing or reinstalling the app To do so, follow this link for instructions. For iPhone/Apple devices, you will need a code to download the app. The code is provided by following the above link. NOTE: Only one code should be needed per Apple…

System Updates

COVID-19

Recommended: Protect yourself by staying up-to-date with your COVID-19 booster shots

Given the increase of COVID-19 in our region, now is a good time to ensure you’re up-to-date on the boosters. Our COVID-19 inpatient census has risen to more than 150, while the region’s positivity rate is higher than 35%. In addition to an initial booster, many people might also be eligible and recommended to receive the second booster and either don’t realize it, or simply haven’t gotten around to it yet. But the vaccine boosters can help protect you, especially as the effectiveness of a previous COVID-19 vaccination wanes over time. People are protected best from severe COVID-19 illness when they stay up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines, which includes getting all recommended boosters when eligible. There are different COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for people who are moderately or severely immunocompromised. It is never too late to get the added protection offered by a COVID-19 booster. Who can get a booster? Everyone ages 5 years and older should…

COVID-19

System Updates

Seasoned nurses: Consider becoming a mentor in our Nurse Mentorship Program

As we work to strengthen our nursing workforce, Ballad Health is looking for some of our experienced nurses to join our Nurse Mentorship Program and serve as mentors for our nurse residents. The program promotes professional development for our new nurses, which benefits all our clinical teams by improving nursing skills, satisfaction and retention – and it ultimately helps improve patient outcomes. There is no substitute for experience, but this sharing of wisdom is the best substitute as our new nurses develop. Becoming a Nurse Mentor is a chance to invest in the future of nursing. Serving as a Nurse Mentor is voluntary and not a paid duty, but it does provide an opportunity for financial incentive through the PACE program. What does a Nurse Mentor do? The Nurse Mentor will be assigned a mentee (new nurse) and will set up the agenda for the initial meeting. The mentor will communicate on a consistent basis,…

System Updates

Everbridge to test emergency alert system with monthly notifications

As you may know, we recently rolled out Everbridge for emergency team member notifications. Everbridge is an international leader in emergency communications and is used in multiple industries, including healthcare, to coordinate notifications during emergent events. This is the system that Ballad Health uses to communicate critical information during events such as a pandemic, natural disasters, manmade disasters, power outages or workplace violence. Starting this month, the Everbridge team will be running monthly tests of communication channels. If you are signed up for alerts, you will receive an announcement by email, as well as by text or by phone call if you have opted in for notifications through those methods. These emails will come from Ballad Health Emergency Alerts, at noreply@everbridge.net. How do I sign up for facility updates? If you are not registered for emergency updates for your facility, you can click the link in the test email to update your account settings. If…

System Updates

Sharecare

Manage your health and wellness through the Ballad Teams app

Ballad Health has partnered with Sharecare, a digital health company, to offer team members more resources to help you manage your overall well-being and health. The Sharecare platform provides personalized health profiles, where you can easily connect to information, programs and professionals to help you live your healthiest and happiest life. To access these programs, enter the B-Well powered by Sharecare portal under the resources tab in the Ballad Teams team member mobile app. You can also click here to visit the registration/login page at: https://balladhealth.sharecare.com/ Benefits of B-Well powered by Sharecare The B-Well powered by Sharecare platform also gives you the ability to access the evolving story of your health, where you can securely store and access your health data and take part in wellness programs and challenges. RealAge Test Your health profile is compiled using the scientifically based RealAge Test, which team members have access to through the B-Well powered by Sharecare platform….

Sharecare