October 2023

Finding HH's Flow: NTOCH Aims to Improve Patient Movement, Build Transparency

Nurse Transition of Care Handoff (NTOCH) is the next Better Flow communications processes initiative that aims to optimize the time it takes to transition a patient from the ED to a unit through instantaneous visuals to indicate when and where a patient is ready to move to the next phase of care.

The NTOCH tool helps nurses initiate a handoff in eRecord, optimizing efficiency through technology. When updating patient information in eRecord, real-time notifications and icon changes are created, alerting staff when the patient is ready to transition to the next phase of care. This visibility is multi-disciplinary, allowing unit secretaries to assist with notifying staff of patient flow changes.

Spotlight on Highland’s New Palliative Care Unit

Highland’s new Palliative Care Unit received its first patients on October 10. Located on East 6, the eight-bed unit is led by Palliative Care Division Chief Chin-Lin Ching, M.D., East 6 Medical Director Brandon Wilcoxson, M.D., and East 6 Nurse Manager Kelsey Parnell, RN, BSN. The unit is primarily for patients with terminal illnesses, who are not receiving life-prolonging interventions and whose needs require hospitalization. The team gives patients comfort care and assists them with managing symptoms often experienced during end-of-life, such as pain, delirium, and agitation. An interdisciplinary team also provides emotional support to patients and their support persons. Patients who have a serious illness but are not at the last stages of their condition may also receive care in this unit.

Advocating for More Accessible Health Care in Rural Areas

Finding ways to make health care more accessible in rural areas is a passion of mine. Rural Americans face a wide range of health disparities compared with their urban counterparts. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) more than 46 million Americans, or 15 percent of the U.S. population, live in rural areas as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau and are more likely to die from heart disease, cancer, unintentional injury, chronic lower respiratory disease, and stroke than their urban counterparts. Residents of rural areas in the United States tend to be older and sicker than their urban counterparts.

Grant to Support Family Medicine Residency Program Rural Health/Maternal Health Initiative

A three-year $750K HRSA grant to the University of Rochester Medical Center will support the training of Family Medicine residents in a rural setting and help increase access to Family Medicine and Obstetrics for historically marginalized and low-income rural residents and all women of reproductive age in Allegany, Livingston, Steuben and Wyoming counties.

New Inpatient Pain Management Consultation Service Introduced at Highland

Highland Hospital is now offering inpatient pain management consultations. Dr. Chin-Lin Ching, Director, Palliative Care Division at Highland and Dr. Rajbala Thakur, Director of Cancer Pain Services at URMC and Palliative Care Consultant, and their departments are working in collaboration to offer the service which will expand advanced medication and procedural options to relieve pain.