issue 03-02
issue 03-02
February 2003
With a background that includes two Master's Degrees, Information Technology's (IT) manager, Dennis Masiello, brings a new vision of possibilities to the Health Care Agency. His experience in health care began at Stanford University where he was the Administrative Services Manager for the Core Clinical Laboratory. Later at Cedars-Sinai Hospital, he served as Director for Pediatrics and Medical Genetics. While in that capacity, he assumed responsibility for the clinical as well as the administrative functions. He then moved over to IT at Cedars-Sinai as Director of Implementation and Support. Dennis comes to HCA from St. Joseph's Hospital in Orange.
With degrees in Library Science and Public Administration, he has been an effective administrator in his varied positions. As an innovator, he brought vision to several public organizations. In the early 1980s, Dennis was a pioneer in converting the Hayward, California Public Library card catalog to be fully integrated online—something that is taken for granted by Internet users today. Before that, he implemented early computer technology to switch Tempe, Arizona's Public Library to a computerized check-out system. Dennis considers his computer knowledge to be the result of hands-on learning and is looking forward to exciting possibilities for the future.
With the IRIS system (Integrated Records Information System) a reality for HCA, Dennis feels his coming on board now to be serendipitous. For those who are still learning about the IRIS system, it is an enterprise-wide solution that provides a common electronic medical record, common registration system and common billing system. IRIS will give HCA greater ability to assure patient safety through a common record. It will also have better data and reporting capability and have the ability to enhance quality assurance. "With the development of new technology arriving so rapidly, it won't be long before we will be logging
Among those offering their congratulations to Herb on the occasion of his retirement were Orange County Fire Authority Fire Chief Chip Prather, CalOptima Chief Executive Officer Mary Dewane, and Dorothy Hendrickson, who represented First District Supervisor Charles V. Smith at the event. Through video presentations and live comments, Agency Executive Team members and staff from Medical and Institutional Health Services added their own touch to the farewell for their Deputy Agency Director.
While Herb has officially retired, he will still be using his expertise on behalf of the Health Care Agency, working on special projects. Thanks, Herb, for your tremendous contributions to HCA and our best wishes for the future!
Mark your calendars and save the date for Sunday, May 25th! Plan a Family Day and come out for a 1 p.m. ball game at Edison International Field. Join the Anaheim Angels in celebrating Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Week and enjoy tailgates, food and a variety of demonstrations.
Mark your calendars and save the date for Sunday, May 25th! Plan a Family Day and come out for a 1 p.m. ball game at Edison International Field. Join the Anaheim Angels in celebrating Emergency Services (EMS) Week and enjoy tailgates, food and a variety of demonstrations.
By now, most of the health care community knows about the basic requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA, and that the HIPAA Privacy Rules take effect on April 14, 2003. The rules govern the use and disclosure of Protected Health Information (PHI). We know it's coming and many of us have been to seminars at which HIPAA has been discussed, but the real key is: What does all this mean for me and my job with the Health Care Agency? Let's look at some of the key issues facing us for HIPAA implementation:
Consent Requirements
A change in HIPAA regulations has eliminated a requirement that patients sign a consent form to allow use of their PHI for treatment, payment and operations. HCA is currently reviewing the Agency's policy on consent to determine its continued use of consent for treatment.
Notice of Privacy Practices Form
HIPAA requires that a privacy notice, called a Notice of Privacy Practices, be distributed to all patients and clients on their first visit to our facilities on or after April 14, 2003. This notice tells patients how the County will use or disclose their PHI. It also informs them of their rights under HIPAA, the County's obligations to protect their privacy and how they can file a complaint if they feel their privacy is not being protected. This notice will be available in English, Spanish and Vietnamese and will be posted in every clinic. HCA staff will be provided training on the distribution of the notice, its content and our obligations to our patients and clients.
Procedures for accounting of Disclosures and Amendments
These are new concepts introduced by HIPAA—just what are they and what will we need to do? HIPAA requires the County (in this case, HCA) to maintain an accounting of certain disclosures of PHI. Our patients and clients have the right to ask for an accounting of these specified disclosures for up to six years prior to the date requested (but not before April 14, 2003). Patients and clients also have the right to request limitations
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The Orange County Board of Supervisors gave their approval this month for the first operational phase of a project important to protecting the quality of Orange County's beaches—a water quality laboratory on Shellmaker Island in Upper Newport Bay.
The project is a cooperative effort involving the Health Care Agency, City of Newport Beach, California Department of Fish and Game, the California Coastal Commission, Orange Coast College, Newport Bay Naturalists and Friends, the University of California at Irvine and other County agencies. In this first phase, HCA will begin using a temporary building provided by the City of Newport Beach to conduct water quality testing and research. Eventually, the laboratory will be part of a larger Marine Studies Center in the effort to improve water quality in Upper Newport Bay, Newport Harbor and the San Diego Creek watershed.
The Center will include an aquarium, interactive exhibits, an amphitheater, walking trails and tide-pool simulations. The Orange County Board of Supervisors previously allocated $1.2 million from the Tobacco Settlement for the County's portion of the project. Construction of the permanent Marine Studies Center is pending the availability of additional state funding for the project.
Hats off to Marian
Congratulations to Marian Duthie, RN, on receiving recognition from Agency Director Julie Poulson for a job well done. Julie awarded Marian with a Supervisor Spotlight coupon after she received a phone call from her neighbor who was a client at HCA/Employee Health Services. The client commended Marian for the excellent and friendly service she provided.
Mark your calendars for the upcoming Dietary Supplements Conference, "Consumer Health Reality Check: Making Informed Health Decisions" for Friday, May 2nd. The conference will be held at the Food & Drug Administration building in Irvine from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The popular event designed to educate health professionals and consumers in the area of dietary supplements aims to educate attendees on how to promote optimal health for consumers.
Interesting and informative speakers will present on topics including popular sports and dietary supplements; dubious doctors and phony radio advertisements; and alternative medicine. A $30 registration fee includes both lunch and parking. For more information about the conference or to request a registration brochure, call Isabel Simard from the Nutrition Services program at (714) 834-7874 or by e-mail at isimard@ochca.com.
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on how their patient information is handled. Both program staff and the Custodian of Records will be involved in maintaining and documenting these disclosures.
Posters, Forms and Training
The Notice of Privacy Practices, along with instructions to patients and staff on how to report a privacy violation, will be posted at all clinics. Numerous forms will be revised or written to assist in processing PHI and documenting patient rights, as well as HCA's obligations to respect those rights. There will be training, training and more training, ranging from the general to program specific.
Release of Information Procedures—Are our current procedures going to change?
HIPAA requires a valid authorization form be signed to disclose health information. There are specific requirements for the content of this authorization form as well as the circumstances under which it is to be used. The Custodian of Records and County Counsel are developing this form, which will be used Countywide to authorize the release of PHI.
Patient Access to Records—What happens when a client wants to review their PHI?
Under HIPAA, patients do have the right to access their PHI. Staff training will include patient rights and HCA's obligations to protect the patient's privacy, including how a patient may access their medical information. Current California law already allows clients to review their own PHI and HCA staff will be trained on any changes from HIPAA that apply to our current law.
We know that's lots of information, but there's lots of things happening with HIPAA. Information is being added on a regular basis to the HIPAA page on HCA's Intranet and there will be much more to come!
The HCA Compliance Program offers a confidential telephone hotline to voice your concerns about any situation that may conflict with Compliance Program principles. You may call the hotline 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at:
(866) 260-5636
February has been designated "Children's Dental Health Month" by the American Dental Association. HCA's Teeth-4-Ever program emphasizes the importance of good oral hygiene to prevent dental diseases in children. Tooth decay is the single most common chronic childhood disease with evidence showing that dental caries is a transmissible and infectious disease.
Although children are not born with the decay causing bacteria in their mouths, they are able to acquire them from others and are most likely to catch it from family members and/or primary caregivers. Studies also suggest that a mother with an untreated dental disease is more likely to pass on the bacteria to her children.
To help prevent dental disease in children, all family members should practice good oral hygiene. Brushing and flossing thoroughly and visiting the dentist regularly is imperative. Also remind family members and caregivers not to share food, drinks or eating utensils with babies to prevent the transmission of decay causing bacteria. For more information, call the Teeth-4-Ever program at (714) 834-8408.
In celebration of American Heart Month, become involved by helping to prevent coronary heart disease—the single leading cause of death in the United States, killing more women than men each year. By increasing awareness and participating in reducing the risk factors, knowing the warning signs and understanding how to respond quickly and properly if warning signs occur, we can help ourselves and others prevent a heart attack.
Fifty percent of men and two-thirds of women die from a heart attack without having had any previous symptoms. Learn how to keep your heart healthy by leading a healthy lifestyle. Start by being physically active, developing good eating habits and taking advantage of preventive health screenings. Taking part in these activities can significantly help reduce the onset of heart disease.
By helping to spread the word about the effects of heart disease and encouraging individuals in leading healthy lifestyles, we can do our part to help ourselves and others prevent heart disease. Take part in American Heart Month by being physically active or take a class to learn how to perform Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR). For more information about American Heart Month, visit the American Heart Association's web page at www.americanheart.org.
March 2003 Multicultural
Behavioral Health’s Cultural Competency Program in collaboration with the Health Care Agency and Pacific Clinics Institute will host the 2003 Multicultural Conference on Wednesday, March12th at the Irvine Marriott from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The conference entitled, “A Proud Past, A Powerful Future” is intended to enhance and build upon the multicultural skills of mental health professionals and assist in furthering the development of best practices that include our diverse communities.
Conference information and a registration form is available on the web at www.ochealthinfo.com/conference. A $70 registration fee includes a hosted continental breakfast and lunch as well as the day’s schedule of events. For additional information, call the Cultural Competency program at (714) 796-0188.
"Gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love."
—Albert EinsteinThe Employee Recognition Awards ceremony held on Thursday, January 9th at the Board of Supervisors Hearing Room honored HCA employees for their years of service and outstanding dedication to the Agency. The ceremony also recognized HCA's 2002 United Way coordinators and presented them with award of excellence certificates. The following is a listing of the awards presented:
5 Years of Service 26
10 Years of Service 8
15 Years of Service 7
20 Years of Service 3
25 Years of Service 9
Supervisor Tom Wilson, HCA Director Julie Poulson and Fire Chief Chip Prather honored Helena Jacobsen with the proclamation of an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) resolution at the Board of Supervisors meeting held at the Board Hearing room on January 14th. The resolution created jointly by HCA, the Board of Supervisors, Sheriff's Department and the Orange County Fire Authority, supports the placement and implementation of public access to AEDs in Orange County facilities to help save lives from Sudden Cardiac Arrest.
The use of the portable, laptop size device that monitors heart rhythms and can restart a heart, if needed, aims to reduce the more than 450,000 Sudden Cardiac Arrest deaths that occur each year. Helena Jacobsen was further recognized for her efforts in educating and informing the Orange County community about Sudden Cardiac Arrest and ways in which AEDs can help save lives by allowing public access to defibrillation.
On your mark, get set, go! The 405 W. 5th street building is getting Active for Life and participating in a 10-week program designed to help employees lead active, healthy lives. Beginning March 3rd,employees will begin many physical activities ranging from walking, bike riding and dancing to jogging, running and aerobics. Each participant earns one point per minute of activity with a goal of 100 points per week or a total of 1,000 total points as a starting point. An HCA project formed in partnership with the American Cancer Society, Active for Life aims to get everyone up and moving. For employees in Building 38 who are interested in becoming a participant, please contact Kim Pickering at (714) 667-8336 or via e-mail at Kpickering@ochca.com.
The 2002 United Way campaign came to a successful end with the generous donations, fundraising events, activities and payroll deductions from HCA employees. This year the agency raised more than $95,000, which will go to help local communities and those in need.
Some innovative events hosted by each service area included sales of Krispy Kreme cards, breakfast burrito sales, a Jeopardy Challenge and a scrap booking party. Special thanks go out to everyone who contributed in making this year's campaign a huge success. With the coming of the New Year and United Way 2003, ongoing support is essential in order to continue to help those who are in need.
Behavioral Health's Cultural Competency Program presented Sholeh Askari with the January 2003 Spotlight on Excellence Award. As an Office Technician for the Perinatal Program at the Aliso Viejo clinic, Sholeh always goes above and beyond the call of duty when assisting clients and is dedicated to the cultural issues of all. Sholeh began her career with the Health Care Agency in 2002 as an extra help employee for Alcohol & Drug Abuse Services and first came to the U.S. from Iran in 1987.
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into the server directly which will make access faster and more efficient," he remarked.
Eventually, Dennis sees advances that will eliminate the need for individual hard drives, making it easier to upgrade hardware and software on the main frame. This would also be more cost effective and with the current state and county budget uncertainly, that is a definite plus! By being able to focus staff more efficiently, Dennis says IT will be able to target those who really need a technician to come out. "I want to bring technology to people to make their lives easier and better," he added. Streamlining IT operations is a consistent goal for Dennis. With his staff able to access users' computers from a centralized location, they are able to troubleshoot and ascertain many problems without the need to go on site.
Masiello's managerial style could be described as user-friendly. "I believe you should treat other people the way you want to be treated, with fairness and kindness," he said. This style will help to guide a program that supports a workforce of over 3,000 computer users!
Outside the office, Dennis has a wide range of interests. A love of the great outdoors has taken him horseback riding and hiking from Wyoming to Utah to Yosemite. As an experienced home remodeler, he has no problem keeping up with his wife's "Honey Do" list. You can also add in weight training, jogging, and a love of old cars for good measure. He and his wife, Catherine, are the proud parents of four children and recently became grandparents for the first time. Animals are also an important part of their family, which includes two ocicats (a mixture of Abyssinian, Siamese and American Shorthair) and two dogs.
New Behavioral Health Program
The Centralized Assessment Team (CAT), a new program of Adult Mental Health, provides community crisis evaluation services to adults in the areas of Anaheim, Fullerton and Westminster. Funded though Tobacco Settlement Revenue, CAT provides 5150 evaluations, outreach and intervention to eligible adults; improves access to psychiatric services through community resource linkages; assists police, fire and other public agencies in psychiatric evaluation emergencies; and links family members to support services within the community. Individuals who identify a need for intervention to assist a person during an emotional crisis may call 1-866-830-6011.
You can check out the latest issues of the Health Care Agency's newsletters by using this URL: http://www.ochealthinfo.com/newsletters/
We will keep current issues on line for a year. Let us know how you like the convenience!
March Health Observances
American Red Cross Month
National Nutrition Month
National Kidney Month
Mental Retardation Awareness Month
Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Awareness Month
Save Your Vision Month
National School Breakfast Week 3-7
National Poison Prevention Week 16-22
Pulmonary Rehabilitation Week 17-21
American Diabetes Alert Day March 25
What's UP is a newsletter for employees of the County of Orange, CA, Health Care Agency.
Editors Tricia Landquist
Howard Sutter
Anne Fialcowitz
Your Input
Phone (714) 834-6644
E-mail TLandquist@ochca.com
FAX (714) 834-7644
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