Lehigh Valley Hospital-Hazleton

Lehigh Valley Hospital-Hazleton (lvh-h) is part of Lehigh Valley health network (lvhn), a multi-hospital system located in allentown, Pennsylvania. Lvh-h is the only inpatient health care provider in the greater hazleton area serving a population of over 80,000 people within three counties, including a significant increase in the hispanic population. We offer quality continuum of care services beginning at birth in the family birth and newborn center, acute inpatient medical and surgical services, emergency services, inpatient rehab at the gunderson center for inpatient rehabilitation and home care services through Lehigh Valley home care-hazleton. Outpatient diagnostic testing and rehab services are provided at the health & wellness center at hazleton (pa), the health center at mountain top (pa) and lvhn-station circle (hazle township, pa), as well as outpatient cancer treatment at the lvhn cancer center-hazleton. Lehigh Valley physician group (lvpg), a subsidiary of lvhn, is a multi-specialty medical outpatient care provider. Lvpg-hazleton (lvpg-h) is the outpatient medical provider group aligned with lvh-h. additionally, lvh-h has a robust community engagement program that delivers health and wellness education programs and health screenings free of charge to the community. A community health needs assessment (chna) is conducted every three years. We deliver our programs and services with compassion and high standards of quality to the residents of greater hazleton regardless of race, sex, religion, or economic status.strategic directionstrategic planning in health care organizations involves creating objectives and setting goals for where the organization sees itself long term and how it can strengthen access to efficient and affordable care to the community served. Lvh-h's three-year strategic goals and priorities include increased patient satisfaction, provider recruitment, improved emergency department services with focuses on transfers and admissions, reduction in length of stay, integration of musculoskeletal (msk) services and building of a new cancer center. The master facilities plan that was developed in fy 2022 continued into fy2023, to include the health & wellness center at hazleton and clinics at station circle and 1000 alliance drive (dessen center), to best determine what services would best be located at these facilities to allow greater access to primary and specialty health care to meet the growing needs of our community.quality carequality health care is care that is safe, effective, patient-centered, timely, efficient, and equitable. At lvhn, our mission is to heal, comfort and care for our community. This is done through collaboration with all levels of health care providers. Standard of care and best practices are always the goal. Through continuous quality improvement activities, we strive to identify ways to bring about improvements that result in improved outcomes for our patients. This involves a team effort that strives to encourage collaboration across all disciplines and enable best use of our available resources. Processes specific to quality management include monitoring and evaluating data, formulating strategies for improvement, and sharing information with key stakeholders to initiate process changes as needed. Specific areas of attention includes: care of patients with stroke, heart failure, sepsis, all cause readmission rates, mortality, patient safety and risk management along with compliance with state department of health regulations as well as those of the accreditation commission for healthcare. Below are some examples of programs at lvh-h and some recognitions from fy23 that illustrate our commitment to best practices and quality patient outcomes:- achieved leapfrog safety grade "a" for spring 2023- cms 4 star rating for 2023- received american heart association get with the guidelines 2023 stroke gold plus with target: stroke honor roll elite and target: type 2 diabetes honor roll achievement award- received american heart association get with the guidelines 2023 heart failure gold plus with target: heart failure honor roll and target: type 2 diabetes honor roll achievement award- achieved chest pain center accreditation from american college of cardiology june 2023- accredited with atls as level iv trauma center through october 2025. - recognized by healthgrades for clinical achievement for care of heart attack, hip fracture treatment, stroke treatment and c-section delivery. - lvh-hazleton is a member of vizient, inc., the nation's largest health care performance improvement company that compares hospital quality and patient satisfaction. Hazleton ranked 120 out of 267 hospitals in our cohort fy2023 and continues to focus on patient safety and evidence-based guidelines to provide quality care to patients. New/expanded serviceslvh-h is always looking for ways to provide our community with access to quality medical care, whether it is through new or enhanced services or by directing them to specialized care at one of our sister hospitals at lvhn. Here are just some of the new or enhanced services lvh-h provided in fy 2023.comprehensive cancer centerin fy2023, construction occurred on the cancer center at lvh-hazleton. Completed in summer 2023, the new 32,000 sq. Ft., $20 million cancer center houses medical oncology with seven exam rooms, a procedure room and a phlebotomy lab; radiation oncology with two exam rooms, a procedure room, a linear accelerator and a ct/sim; an infusion suite with 14 private infusion rooms; and a session suite with two exam rooms and one procedure room for rotating providers. Previously, infusion services were provided at an off-site medical office that quickly outgrew its space, and patients who needed radiation therapy needed to travel to other locations due to lack of service in the community. The need was clear, and this expansion allows patients to receive many of their treatments in a centralized location without the need to travel long distances.emergency services since becoming a level iv trauma center in 2015, the trauma program at lvh-h has continued to provide optimal care and reduce the likelihood of death or disability to injured patients who enter its emergency department (ed). Because of the continued efforts of incessantly being prepared to stabilize and treat the most serious life-threatening and disabling injuries prior to transfer to a level 1 trauma center, the Pennsylvania trauma systems foundation (ptsf) in fy 2022 has reaccredited lvh-hazleton as a level iv trauma center for the next four years. This is the maximum number of years a trauma center may be accredited.lvh-hazleton emergency department (ed), along with all our health network hospitals, continues to be challenged with high patient volumes. An emergency department patient flow team was expanded to focus on improvement in efficiencies of operations of the ed, reduce patient wait times, patient experience and improve patient throughput. This multi-disciplinary team consisted of ed staff, lab, radiology, pharmacy, housekeeping, food service, ems, and registration. Initiatives were developed resulting in a decrease in left without being seen (lwbs) from 18 percent to 2 percent. Hospice services in partnership with Lehigh Valley hospice, inpatient and home care hospice services are provided to our local community. This is the only inpatient hospice program serving the greater hazleton area. The program model is designed to deliver patient-centered care rather than disease-centered care and to provide comfort and care to terminally ill patients and their families. In fy23, hospice services were provided to 46 lvh-h patients for a total of 221 days of care which was an increase from prior year. Telehealth servicesas technology has advanced, the ways health care can be provided have changed and advanced too. At lvh-h, patients are benefiting from secure telehealth technology that allows them to access and receive quality, specialized care conveniently. In fy 2023, lvh-h added inpatient telehealth heme/oncology to its growing list of telehealth services that include infectious disease, neurology, advanced intensive care unit (aicu), burn, neurosurgery, toxicology, psychiatric evaluations, maternal fetal medicine, and palliative care.

Orthopedic and occupational health lvhn acquired coordinated health, a regional leader in orthopedics and sports medicine, in 2019. In fy23, lvh-h and lvpg-h continued to plan for operational and clinical musculoskeletal and occupational medicine integration to provide better, quicker access to our patients and to meet the growing needs of our patients. School-based behavioral health programan athletic training contract between lvh-h and the hazleton area school district (hasd) continues for the next nine years. The contract includes a non-athletic component whereby lvhn brought physical and mental health education to the classrooms in both virtual and in-person methods. Lvhn continues to pursue recruitment for the addition of a school-based behavioral health program for hasd. This program's goal will be to measurably improve students' mental health and resiliency in the hazleton area school district by launching evidence-based individual therapy and case management services for students along with mental health education for faculty to help students address their trauma, improve their school performance, and strengthen their overall well-being.provider and staff recruitment significant investment into recruitment of primary and specialty physicians and advanced practice clinicians to meet the growing needs of our community continued for lvh-h and lvpg-h in fy 2023. Despite the historical challenges to attract providers to our small community, lvpg-h was successful in recruiting the following number of clinicians: orthopedic surgery (5), ob-gyn (5), family medicine (5), internal medicine (4), cardiology (4), and pediatrics (2). In addition, one clinician in each of the following areas: general surgery, hematology-oncology, occupational medicine, sports medicine, urology, inpatient physical medicine and rehab, endocrinology, and bariatric medicine during the fiscal year. A comprehensive strategic plan continues to identify and validate the number of new providers needed to sufficiently care for our community and the best locations to place these providers.clinical staffing was and continues to be a high priority for the health network, particularly for nurses. Nursing shortages persisted, requiring a costly labor force to provide care to the community. Lvh-h focused on reduction of temporary labor and recruitment of permanent staff. Initiatives and offerings that were undertaken to recruit nurses and other health care professionals include:- emergency staffing operations committee (esoc)- nursing recruitment events regionally and expanded to puerto rico and international locations - visiting area colleges with medical programs- offering sign-on bonuses- colleague referral bonuses- crisis pay- competitive wages- building relationships with area colleges and universities with nursing and other clinical programstechnologyequipmentfacili... facility renovations to the hospital, which were not included in the most recent hospital renovations and modernization project, began in fy22. These include renovating and updating equipment in two of the hospital's operating rooms, a new roof for the renovated section of the emergency department, changing of air handler units and waterproofing the building, upgrading interiors of the patient and staff elevators, miscellaneous window and plumbing repairs/replacements and upgrading patient bathrooms. These renovations continued into fy23 along with upgrade the fire alarm and replacement of the elevator in the employment technology center building, parking lot repairs, replacement of rooftop a/c unity pharmacy/purge unit chiller, renovations of floors and walls and addition of corridor doors in basement of hospital, and paving of parking lot at dessen center.- increased education and utilization of language technology to ensure adequate delivery of healthcare and patients' understanding and partnership in their decision-making. Community health needs assessment a community health needs assessment (chna) conducted in 2019 was concluded in december 2022.access to care for vulnerable populationsinitiatives:- medication assistance- connection to health insurance and financial assistancehealth promotion and prevention - promote free and low-cost health-care screenings in communities with underserved populationsinitiatives:- preventative health screenings and services- health promotions and fairsinclusion and diversityinitiatives:- worked to enhance even further language and communication efforts through interpreter services (virtual and trained interpreter staff)- supported development of a culturally competent organization through cultural awareness and staff educationsocial determinants of health - improve access to health food and reduce obesity rates in our communitiesinitiatives:- partnered with local community organizations that provide access to healthy food - provided fitness and nutrition education within the communitybehavioral health need to better address behavioral health in the community with focus on mental health, substance abuse and suicide preventioninitiatives:- developed a centralized referral process for outpatient behavioral health services. - continued partnership with northeast counseling to provide psychiatric evaluation services in the lvh-h emergency department.- implemented the use of tele-psychiatry for inpatients.- educated staff in psychiatry, surgery, family medicine, neurology and internal medicine about substance use disorder and opioid-related issues.- continued to collaborate with the county drug and alcohol council to deliver warm hand-off services in both the ed and inpatients settings. There were 143 warm hand-offs at lvh-hazleton in fy 2022.the next community health needs assessment (chna) was conducted in mid-2022 and based on the results of the assessment, priority areas were identified for the three-year period 2023-2025.specific initiatives were developed and implemented around the following priorities through partnerships with community organizations:- school-based behavioral health and preventative health services for youth.- provide mental health services and preventive health services to children in hazleton, including dental services and immunizations. - address language barriers in health care to improve health outcomes for vulnerable populations.- diversify staff at lvh-hazleton to be more reflective of the community being served, including through human resource recruitment and workforce development efforts.community engagement- lvh-h held its annual free community drive-thru flu shot clinic in fy 2023. The clinic provided more than 300 free vaccines and was well received by the community. Vaccines were again provided to adults and children 6 months to 12 years of age. - lvh-h continued to support community non-profit organizations through monetary sponsorships. In fy 2022, approximately $75,000 was awarded to support chna-related and other activities.- lvh-h continued its outreach to seniors in our community through the vitalchoice program. The program is designed to help members in their personal health and wellness journey by providing them with more choices, services, convenience, and wellness programs. In addition, the program features an lvhn fitness center discount, enrollment in silver sneakers (if insurance applies), free annual wellness assessment, and complimentary, personalized training session. Vitalchoice also keeps members engaged and active through social and enrichment programs including free picnics and "lunch and learns" on healthcare topics and services and partnership presentations with the Pennsylvania state police for seniors.- lvh-hazleton was the proud winner of the 2023 standard speaker reader's choice awards in the following health categories: - best hospital-lvh-hazleton- best patient care-lvh-hazleton- best place to work medical- best medical practice- best orthopedic services- best pediatrician- best obstetrician/gynecologist- best podiatrist- best physical therapy- best rehabilitation center- best surgeon