Quality Improvement: A Crash Course

If you've been to Lean training, or involved in Idea Board huddles, or just heard the chatter in certain circles of the hospital lately, you're probably aware that there are a lot of new Quality Improvement concepts circulating around UMass Memorial.

In the SHARE office, we recently came across a quick introduction to the general idea of Quality Improvement. I've posted this animated video below. I get the sense that many hospital leaders and QI aficionados are forwarding this amongst themselves, and it's a fairly painless introduction to some of their lingo.  

The video includes an interesting take on curiosity by Don Berwick, founder of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement  (and candidate for Massachusetts Governor during the last election.) 

The video also discusses the IHI "100,000 Lives" campaign, which our hospital participated in. 

The whole thing is just over ten minutes long. See what you think. . . . 

In the News: Nationwide Pension Policy Revision

Congress has recently reached a deal that would create an unprecedented nationwide reduction of pension benefits for some current retirees. The deal was tied to a 1.1 trillion dollar spending bill designed forestall a government shutdown.

The change will not have any affect on UMMHC pensions.

SHARE leadership is taking note, however, because the retirees who will be affected have already been pledged--and begun receiving--a certain level of pension income. Thus far, all pensions have been guaranteed under the law (except in certain kinds of employer bankruptcies).

The Washington Post explains: "The deal reached would apply to multi-employer pensions, where a group of businesses in the same industry join forces with unions to provide pension coverage for employees." Nearly 1.5 million retirees could see their regular pension payments reduced by up to 30%. The Huffington Post reports that "talks between Rep. John Kline, R-Min., and George Miller, D-Calif., were designed to preserve benefits of current and future retirees at lower levels than currently exist, but higher than they would be if their pension funds ran out of money."

The Defined Benefit Pension at UMMHC is provided to all SHARE members once they have reached the three-year vesting mark, and will be unaffected by this legislation. UMMHC's Pension program is secure, well-funded, and continues to be protected by law. Still, SHARE will be attentive to these kinds of legal precedents, as we have worked hard to develop and negotiate a sustainable pension system in our own workplace, one that ensures reliable retirement income.

Clinical Engineering Contracting Out -- Update

As you may remember from last year, UMass Memorial had agreed to the BioMed Techs' proposal to save money while keeping the service in-house, rather than contracting out the service to save money for the hospital. The BioMed Techs worked on the process improvement through the year (while maintaining high level of service), saving over $800,000 by SHARE's calculations. (See prior post.)

However, this year UMass Memorial has decided that they need to take advantage of the savings to the hospital that contracting out provides, after all.

UMass Memorial has expressed interest in helping the Biomed Techs with this transition, beyond what the contract provides for layoffs, because of their work above and beyond the call of duty with the process improvement project. Dr. Eric Dickson has been clear that the hospital appreciates their all their efforts over the last year and the money that their ideas saved the hospital.

With SHARE, the Biomed Techs have a decision to make: Whether to object to the outsourcing, attempting to bring the question to the whole UMass Memorial community. Or, do they want to view the contracting out as inevitable, and focus on what appears to be a good faith effort on the hospital's part to help them with their transitions.

In general, SHARE opposes outsourcing. Outsourced companies typically pay their employees less and provide less good benefits. Employees of a vendor often do not have the same loyalty and commitment to the patients and to the hospital.We believe that this decision to out-source Clinical Engineering will have a negative impact on the quality of service to departments, which will impact patient care.

The hospital has responded that the impact to patients and the hospital will be worse if they don't take this opportunity to cut costs. The SHARE leadership also has an obligation to put these SHARE members in the best possible position going forward. SHARE will back the techs in either direction -- negotiating a settlement, or campaigning against the contracting out.

Currently, we are working on the idea of packages for the Biomed Techs, in discussions with management. We are cautiously optimistic that we will be able to work something out that the Biomed Techs feels is a respectful and dignified end to their careers as UMass Memorial employees.

SHARE Leaders Help Out with United Way Campaign

The SHARE Executive Board and Organizers pitched in to create this gorgeous chocolate basket. The basket is a prize to be raffled off among employees who donate to the United Way.

Can Idea Boards and Huddles Make Work Better for SHARE Members?

SHARE is interested in hearing about your experience with idea boards and huddles:

• Does your department use an idea board and huddle regularly?
• If so, do the idea board and huddles help make your day-to-day work experience better?
• Do they help you and your co-workers to improve your work processes?

Come to a SHARE lunch-time information meeting about idea boards and huddles. We'll discuss what makes them work well in some departments, and not so well in others. We'll also talk about what kinds of help are available to SHARE members who want to improve their department's idea board and huddles.

The dates and times of the meetings are listed below. Come during your lunch break, and feel free to bring your lunch with you.

Monday, Oct 20         11:30am - 1:30pm          University, room S2-351
Thursday, Oct 23       11:30am - 1:30pm           WBC, Thom McCann rm 1st floor 
Friday, Oct 24             12pm - 2:00pm                CBO, 4th floor conference room 
Thursday, Oct 30        11:30am - 1:30pm          Memorial 1 conf rm, near the caf.
Monday, Nov 3           11:30am - 1pm               Hahnemann 2nd floor conf room 
Thursday, Nov 6          11:30am - 1pm               Barre Health Center         
Thursday, Nov 13        11:45am - 1:30pm         Tri River Community room 

Clinical Engineering - Contracting Out

UMass Memorial leadership has decided to contract out the Clinical Engineering Department. There are thirteen Biomedical Technicians in the department, ten of whom are SHARE members. CEO Dr. Eric Dickson and President Patrick Muldoon met with the Techs and SHARE representatives Tuesday to announce the decision.

As you may remember, UMass Memorial had decided over a year ago to contract out the Biomed Techs' work in order to cut costs. Working together, we had persuaded the Hospital to give the department a chance to save money without contracting out. The Techs worked hard, and successfully, to find savings. Unfortunately, UMass Memorial leadership believes that it is in the best interest of the Medical Center to proceed with the contracting out..

The Biomed Techs and SHARE Organizers are continuing to talk as we evaluate our options in the wake of this decision.

SHARE Information Meetings -- Health Insurance: What's coming in the future?

Join us for a conversation about possible health insurance changes (for 2016), and what we think of them. Come for your lunch break -- feel free to bring your lunch. Hope to see you there!

Monday, Sept 15 -- 11:30-1:30 pm -- University S2-351

Thursday, September 18 -- 11:30-1:30 pm -- Memorial 1 conference room

Monday, September 22 -- 11:30-1:30 pm -- WBC Assumption room, 1st floor

Wednesday, September 24 -- 12:00-2:00 pm -- CBO 4th floor conference rm

Tuesday, September 30 -- 12:00-1:30 pm -- Biotech 3 room #227

We're setting up information meetings at more locations (PTC, 328 Shrewsbury St, Barre, Hahnemann). We'll be in touch with the details.

Coming soon: Keep your eyes out for the SHARE survey about health insurance!

SHARE Raises in October

Raises for SHARE members are scheduled to go into effect on October 5th. (That's a Sunday -- really they go into effect at 11pm on Saturday night, October 4th.) Payroll says that the raises will be in paychecks on October 16th.

For more information about the raise, look here.

Saving for retirement almost painlessly: This is a great time to start a 401K or to increase the amount you have deducted for your 401K. If you start the deduction at the same time as your raise comes, you won't miss the money! (At least not as much.) For more info, register on the Fidelity website, or call Fidelity at 800-343-0860. 

Changing the Culture to Listen to Your Good Ideas

Something really important is happening at UMass Memorial. Eric Dickson, the CEO, is leading a campaign to change the culture so that front-line employees’ ideas are welcomed in every department. This would be a big change in many areas, and a positive one for SHARE members, our patients and, we believe, the success of our hospitals.

As SHARE members have always said, we know our work, we know our patients, and we have good ideas about how to fix problems. We just need to be free to say them, and to know that we will be listened to.

That means changing how managers manage at UMass Memorial. In the past, I think that many managers learned a “command and control” model of supervising. When the manager’s only job is to tell employees what to do, employees learn to keep their ideas to themselves.

In case you haven't read the Worcester Telegram and Gazette article about this, here's what I said:

"It's a process of changing the culture, from having managers tell the staff what to do, to one where the staff feel appreciated and listened to. The employees have good ideas, and they want to be respected partners in figuring out how to solve some of these problems." 

 Dr. Dickson said in the interview:

"Some managers have this feeling that good ideas can only come from the managers," he said. "That is the hardest thing, getting managers to believe that people on the front lines have better ideas than they do." 

To involve front-line staff in improving the patients’ experience, work flow, and the staff's own day-to-day work experience, Dr. Dickson is promoting idea boards with huddles in every department.

SHARE believes that idea boards and huddles are a great first step toward changing the culture. What I like best about idea boards -- when they’re done well -- is that everybody is equal at an idea board huddle. When the staff operates as a team, it changes how it feels to come to work. 

If you'd like to know more about idea boards and huddles, or you'd like some help with how to make them work well in your department, email Will at SHARE. 

2014 Employee Engagement Survey: Why It's Important

SHARE members in 30 areas and departments got emails last Monday asking them to fill out an Employee Engagement survey. UMass Memorial wants to measure how employees feel about their jobs, and about how UMass Memorial involves employees.

SHARE encourages SHARE members to fill out the survey. UMass Memorial has committed to sharing the results of the survey with SHARE, and with you. This is an opportunity for SHARE members to be heard, and to make this a better place to provide and receive care.

Confidentiality is a big question for many SHARE members. UMass Memorial hired an outside company, Avatar Solutions, to conduct the web-based survey and analyze the results. Avatar Solutions will give UMass Memorial results for groups only, not individuals. Small groups will be combined to help protect anonymity -- the smallest group will be 15 people. You have to enter your employee ID number to take the survey -- that's to make sure only employees take the survey, that each person only takes it once, and that your responses are grouped with your teams' responses.

We believe that most SHARE members want to be respected participants in fixing problems in their areas. SHARE members want to feel like they do a good job, in a productive department, where co-workers at all levels treat each other with kindness and respect. Some areas needs a lot of culture change to get to there. This is an opportunity to see what's working well, and what departments need more help engaging employees.

Departments will be surveyed in three phases. The first phase includes the Admissions Unit, Patient Access Services (Registration and Scheduling), Dermatology, Renal Division, GI Clinic, Cardiology Clinic, Anticoagulation, and Physician Billing (Medical Group). The second phase will include inpatient departments, and the third phase will include more ambulatory departments, administrative areas, and the community hospitals. (Not all departments will be surveyed this fiscal year.)

Managers will be responsible for creating action plans to fix problems identified by the survey in their areas. Areas will be surveyed again in 90 days to see how well the action plans worked.

Here's what UMass Memorial tells managers that success with this survey looks like:

• Employees understand how their experience supports our success.
• Teams have reached the survey participation goal of 90%.
• Employees are actively involved in improvement efforts.
• Fun and enthusiasm are an everyday part of creating goals and monitoring success.
• Teams have celebrated their success.

If you have any thoughts or questions about this survey or SHARE's participation with it, give the SHARE office a call. 508-929-4020. (If you get the answering machine, my extension is 13 -- Janet.)

SHARE Dues Increase Delayed -- Small Retro Next Week

There was a snafu with implementing the SHARE dues increase this year for SHARE members at UMass Memorial. We notified UMass Memorial Payroll of the 12 cent increase at the beginning of this year, but the new amount didn't start being deducted from members' paychecks until last week.

Payroll will deduct the small amount of retro from SHARE members' paychecks next week, March 13th. For most SHARE members, the amount of the one-time catch-up retro will be $.72. (It will be less for those SHARE members budgeted for 20 hours.)

We're sorry for the confusion, folks.

Scholarship Opportunity

SHARE got a letter recently announcing scholarships that SHARE members can apply for, and an application form to make available to you. Check it out, if you have a child or a grandchild are headed to college!


To: All Affiliated Locals of the Central Mass AFL-CIO, 

We are pleased to announce that we will be awarding six $1000.00 scholarships as well as a number of $500 Platinum sponsored scholarships.

The scholarship recipients will be drawn by lottery at the May community services committee meeting and the winners will be announced at the Annual Scholarship Golf Tournament on Friday, June 6, 2014.

The scholarships will be presented at the Labor Day breakfast, September 1, 2014.

To be eligible, the student must be a 2014 graduating high school senior going on to college and a child, grandchild or member whose local is affiliated with the Central Ma. AFL/CIO. Union members must live or work in the jurisdiction of the Central Ma. AFL/CIO.

All names must be submitted by April 25, 2014 and returned to:

Paul Soucy

AFL/CIO Labor Community Services

Central Ma. AFL-CIO

400 Washington St

Auburn, Ma. 01501

If you are a SHARE member at the hospital, you are a member of SHARE / AFSCME Local 3900. If you are a SHARE member in the Medical School, you are a member of SHARE / AFSCME Local 4000. Both SHARE locals are affiliated with the Central Ma. AFL/CIO.

Please click here for a printable .pdf version of the application form to send to Paul Soucy at the above address.

Dues Increase for 2014

SHARE dues will increase in January:

• The regular dues rate for 2014 is $8.24/week. (The 2013 rate was $8.12.)
• For employees budgeted for 20 hours/week, the 2014 rate is $6.18/week (the 2013 rate was $6.10)

Below are some Frequently Asked Questions about dues:

Why are the dues going up now?

The dues increase is set by our national union, AFSCME. If there's a rate change it's in January.

How much do the dues increase each year?

The dues increase is calculated by AFSCME (our parent union) based on the average raise that all 1.5 million members across the country got in the previous year. Many AFSCME members have had small, or no, raises over the past few years, and some have had pay cuts or unpaid furloughs. This has resulted in small, or nonexistent dues increases over the past few years, even though SHARE members at UMass Memorial were getting raises.

dues rates stayed the same from 2010 to 2012

Where do the dues go?

Most of the dues go to pay for the SHARE staff, the office rent, office supplies, mailings, etc. The money supports the work of the union here at the UMass Memorial (and in our sister unions at UMass Medical School, Harvard University, and the Cambridge Health Alliance) helping members with issues at work, building connections across the campuses, supporting people who have been laid off, distributing information about issues of importance to SHARE members, negotiating contracts, etc. 

A portion of the dues goes to the national union in Washington -- they spend that money on advocating for AFSCME members as a whole, including research and lobbying about issues. (Support for political candidates comes from AFSCME's Political Action Committee, not from dues money.)