Reports national top-decile quality measures; lower cost for patients, employers and taxpayers; improved patient satisfaction; and state findings of public benefit against backdrop of material financial impact of COVID-19 pandemic JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – Ballad Health today announced fourth-quarter and year-end results from its 2020 fiscal year. Excluding the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the results demonstrate significant reductions in the cost of healthcare for employers, patients and taxpayers; substantially higher quality that shows top-decile performance in certain measures; and improved patient satisfaction. During the quarter, Ballad Health reported it has successfully deployed the first phase of a more than $200 million technology conversion, bringing more than 80 care sites live on the new Epic electronic health record platform. According to Epic, despite deploying the system during a global pandemic, Ballad Health’s successful conversion was among the best the electronic health record company’s staff had observed, with Ballad Health achieving 100% of the key…

Ballad Health is encouraging all registered nurses to complete the 2020 NDNQI RN Survey from Press Ganey. We need to hear from everyone to obtain an accurate picture of the RN work climate on every participating unit in our hospitals. The deadline for the survey is Aug. 23. If you want the best nursing environment we can possibly provide, please take this survey. We need your feedback! Key things to know about the survey: The link to the survey is https://members.nursingquality.org/rnsurvey/. Eligible RNs should have already received a letter mailed to your home, with a hospital-specific code to the survey. You must have the code to access the survey. If you don’t have the access code for the survey, your manager can provide it. The survey takes 20-30 minutes. Responses are anonymous and you do not provide your name. You can complete the survey from any computer. It’s extremely important that we get enough participation…

The next submission for PACE participation is coming up with application submission by Sept. 1 for the Nov. 1 application period. Eligible nursing and therapy team members are encouraged to consider participation in the PACE program and can refer to the link on the HR web page under the PACE icon/button. PACE is the Professional Achievement of Clinical Excellence program, developed to recognize the value of the clinical bedside care provider. All current PACE participants who submitted their original PACE application last December (Dec. 31, 2019, during the transition from legacy system to PACE) are required to submit their application by Sept. 1 for the Nov. 1 application period in the current fiscal year, FY 2021. Application information submission may include documentation within the application from the previous 12 months (Sept. 1, 2019, through Aug. 31, 2020) even if used on the previous application (may be duplicated if it occurred within the prior 12 months). We…

Ballad Health’s SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner) program recently received a grant from the State of Tennessee that allowed the purchase of $20,000 in equipment for use in multiple facilities. The equipment will improve the care provided to victims of sexual assault and abuse. “We’re very excited to get this equipment so we can improve and grow our Ballad Health SANE program,” said Nikki Vanburen, AVP and chief nursing officer for behavioral health. “This is a crucial program and there’s a great need in the community, so this will help us provide better service to the people who’ve suffered from sexual assault or abuse.” The equipment will be used in examining victims of sexual assault or abuse, and includes: 5 swab dryers – Used to dry evidence swabs while protecting them from cross-contamination. 5 digital cameras – Used to document findings while doing a forensic exam. 3 EVA systems – The EVA (enhanced visual assessment)…

BRISTOL, Tenn. – Team members from Bristol Regional Medical Center and other facilities came together to help sexual assault victims by donating more than 100 bags of much-needed items to the Branch House Family Center, to be distributed to local sexual assault response teams and to emergency departments. Each bag contained a shirt, pants, underwear, blanket, shampoo, conditioner, soap, lotion, deodorant, toothbrush/toothpaste, and a brush. They will be given to sexual assault survivors who present at the ER and often end up without proper clothes to wear home, because it’s common practice for their clothing to be taken and submitted as evidence. Thus they’re left with a hospital gown, paper gown or scrubs to wear upon discharge. The bags were the result of a two-month-long “Hope and Healing Backpack Drive,” spearheaded by Theresa Southard, SANE coordinator for Ballad Health, that netted 105 completed bags and other extra items. “Often our victims feel as if they…

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – Ballad Health has announced several additional steps to reduce out-of-pocket costs for patients who are burdened by the high cost of healthcare, in addition to measures previously taken to address the issue. In September 2019, Ballad Health announced an average 17% price reduction for all physician practices and urgent cares, and it increased the discount for people who are uninsured to 77%. These steps and others have been demonstrated to have reduced the overall cost of healthcare. Recently, the Mayor of Washington County, Tennessee, credited steps Ballad Health has taken with an up to 10% reduction in insurance premiums for county employees and a reduction in overall healthcare costs. In addition to making free and discounted care available to more qualifying uninsured families and individuals, these new steps also include assisting patients with insurance who have incomes up to 450% of the federal poverty level and who have suffered with higher deductibles and co-pays imposed on them…

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – Even though local physician leader Dr. S. Hughes Melton tragically passed away in August, his memory lives on, both in the hearts and minds of those who cherished him and in a newly announced namesake residency program. The Dr. S. Hughes Melton Family Medicine Residency Program at Johnston Memorial Hospital in Abingdon, Virginia, provides advanced, innovative and specialized training in family medicine, preparing physicians to serve the community with compassionate and comprehensive care for diverse populations. The creation of the family medicine residency program at Johnston Memorial Hospital was a labor of love for Dr. Melton, and it has now been rechristened in honor of his dedication to family medicine, trailblazing work in the fields of behavioral health and addiction medicine and leadership in recruiting healthcare professionals to an underserved part of the country. “In his time with us, Hughes made remarkable contributions to our health system, our region and the…

Are you or is someone you know in an abusive relationship? Domestic violence is a serious health issue that plagues people at every level of society, in all parts of the country. It’s more prevalent than most people realize, and it can be a cycle that’s difficult to break. According to data provided by the state of Tennessee for 2017, there were nearly 78,000 incidents of domestic violence. Of those, nearly 36,000 were flagged as “boyfriend/girlfriend.” Females accounted for 71.5% of those reported. According to statistics from Virginia in 2016, there were more than 62,000 calls to domestic and sexual violence hotlines across the state, and nearly 56,000 emergency protective orders were issued to protect the health and safety of victims and their family members. But there is help. Free resources are available regionally, whether it’s a safe place to spend the night or just someone to talk to. Several of these resources can assist…

Our first-ever Ballad Health Team Member Survey ends tonight, Oct. 29, at midnight. We encourage every Ballad Health team member to participate. So far, about 68% of our team members have completed the survey. That’s great, but we want even more participation! You should have received an email invitation from Press Ganey with your unique link to the survey. Note: The final bingo prizes will be drawn today. We want to know how team members across the system feel about working for Ballad Health. This is a chance for you to let your voice be heard anonymously through a survey administered by Press Ganey. The results will go directly to Press Ganey and no one from Ballad Health will see how any particular team member responded; instead, Ballad Health will only see the overall results of the survey. This is important for us to recognize, as a system, where our strengths lie, as well as…

Our first-ever Ballad Health Team Member Survey, scheduled to end today, has been extended for another week, until Oct. 29 at midnight. We encourage every Ballad Health team member to participate. So far, about 60% of our team members have completed the survey. You should have received an email invitation from Press Ganey with your unique link to the survey. We want to know how team members across the system feel about working for Ballad Health. This is a chance for you to let your voice be heard anonymously through a survey administered by Press Ganey. The results will go directly to Press Ganey and no one from Ballad Health will see how any particular team member responded; instead, Ballad Health will only see the overall results of the survey. This is important for us to recognize, as a system, where our strengths lie, as well as our opportunities for improvement. We hope everyone will…

Our first-ever Ballad Health Team Member Survey is underway and runs through Oct. 22 – which is only one week away. We encourage every Ballad Health team member to participate. So far, about 40% of our team members have completed the survey. You should have received an email invitation from Press Ganey with your unique link to the survey. We want to know how team members across the system feel about working for Ballad Health. This is a chance for you to let your voice be heard anonymously through a survey administered by Press Ganey. The results will go directly to Press Ganey and no one from Ballad Health will see how any particular team member responded; instead, Ballad Health will only see the overall results of the survey. This is important for us to recognize, as a system, where our strengths lie, as well as our opportunities for improvement. We hope everyone will participate…

Our first-ever Ballad Health Team Member Survey is now open and runs Oct. 8-22. We encourage every Ballad Health team member to participate. You’ll receive an email invitation from Press Ganey with your unique link to the survey. We want to know how team members across the system feel about working for Ballad Health. This is a chance for you to let your voice be heard anonymously through a survey administered by Press Ganey. The results will go directly to Press Ganey and no one from Ballad Health will see how any particular team member responded; instead, Ballad Health will only see the overall results of the survey. This is important for us to recognize, as a system, where our strengths lie, as well as our opportunities for improvement. We hope everyone will participate and give honest answers. Team members can elect to enter their name into drawings, done by Press Ganey, for great prizes…