January 8, 2004
5th Emergency Room physician to join Skiff Medical Center
Dr. Ryan Bakke will join the Emergency
Room medical staff at Skiff Medical
Center in July 2004, completing the hospital’s five-physician ER staff.
As a result, the Skiff E.R. will
be covered by a Skiff physician 24
hours a day, seven days a week
(see story below).
Bakke (pronounced Back-ee), 30,
is currently a third-year family
practice resident at Broadlawns
Medical Center in Des Moines.
He will begin at Skiff on July 15,
2004, covering three to four 12hour shifts each week.
Dr. Bakke received his underRyan Bakke, D.O.
graduate degree from Drake
University. He received his medical
degree from Des Moines University in
2001.
Dr. Bakke said he and his wife, Janna,
chose Newton because of its small-city
environment with the amenities of Des
Moines nearby.
“Janna and I are from a small town, and
we feel very comfortable in Newton,” he
said. “We want to be close to Des Moines
because of all the advantages it has, but
we also want to live outside the big city.
Newton just fits for us.”
Dr. Bakke and his wife are from Garner,
Iowa, a community of 3,000 near Clear
Lake in north central Iowa. They currently live in Des Moines, with plans to move
to Newton in May or June. They have one
daughter, Alayna, age 2-1/2, and are
expecting another child in February.
On a personal note, Dr. Bakke is a deacon for Crossroads Reformed Church and
enjoys golf, volleyball, basketball, running. Janna is a graduate of the Des
Moines Area Community College dental
assistant program who plans to stay home
with the children.
Skiff-employed physicians set to cover Emergency Room 24-7
Dr. Chance
Dr. Shover
Dr. Wright
Dr. Mallick
With the recruitment of Dr. Ryan
Bakke, the five-physician Emergency
Room medical staff at Skiff Medical
Center is complete.
“A year ago we set a goal of building up
our E.R. so we could cover basically
every shift with our own Skiff physicians,” said Dr. Tammy Chance, E.R.
Medical Director. “Now with Dr. Bakke
coming we’ll be able to do it.”
Chance and her colleagues, Dr. Todd
Shover, Dr. Jeffrey Wright, Dr. Tariq
Mallick and Dr. Bakke, plan to staff the
E.R. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Each
of the five physicians will work three to
four 12-hour shifts each week.
“It’s really an advantage for the patients
to be seen by a Skiff physician when they
need emergency care,” said Dr. Chance.
“It makes for excellent continuity of care
because over time we get to know the
patients, plus we know their local doctors.
We understand the kind of problems the
patients have and we can help make sure
they follow up with their primary care
physicians to get the health care services
they need.”
Until recently, Skiff (like most rural hospitals) relied on outside physician services
to provide E.R. coverage after-hours and
on weekends. While the quality of medical
care was excellent, the ever-changing staff
of physicians could be confusing to
patients, and follow-up with patients after
E.R. visits could be difficult.
With Skiff physicians working all shifts
(Please turn to page 5)
Cardiac scoring covered by
Skiff health insurance
Our sympathy...
• To Ann Cutts of
Pharmacy, on the death
of her mother.
• To Bret Vos on the
death of his grandmother, Mabel Vos of Ankeny.
2004 calendars
available now
The 2004 pocket calendars are available in
the Nursing Service and
Human Resources
offices. Feel free to stop
by and pick yours up.
(Only one calendar per
employee, please.)
W-2 form is
included with
today’s paycheck
Your 2003 W-2 Wage
and Earning Statement is
included with today’s
paycheck. You will need
to save this important
document in order to file
your tax return for 2003.
Please keep your W-2 in
a safe place until you
need it.
— Human Resources
Skiff Medical Center’s Human
Resources department recently received
an update from SISCO insurance regarding cardiac calcium scoring for Skiff
employees and/or spouses covered by
SISCO, the hospital’s health insurance
carrier.
Cardiac calcium scoring is now covered
by our insurance and is considered preventative care under the “Maximum
Annual Benefit for Routine Exams for
Persons Age 7 and Older” benefit listed
on page 10 of the hospital’s Health Care
Plan. Reminder: Preventative care has a
$250 annual maximum per individual per
calendar year. Several other examples of
preventative care are a routine physical,
cholesterol test, screening colonoscopy,
and a hemocult test.
The cardiac calcium scoring test will
require a physician referral in order for
SISCO to cover the test. If no physician
referral is received prior to testing, the
employee is required to pay out-of-pocket.
Catering thanks
Thanks to all employees who ordered
catering during the holidays and
throughout the year. Your patronage is
very appreciated! We look forward to
serving you in this New Year 2004!
— Judie Chance and the
Nutrition Services staff
New Skiff cookbooks
Skiff’s new cookbook, Recipes for
Living is now available! The cost is $10.
Pick one up in the cafeteria or gift shop.
Cookbooks also are available through
Deb Nilles (ext. 4341) or Jenny
Thompson (ext. 4303).
2
Skiff birthdays
Linda Kepler
Jennifer Larsen
Krindy Hendricks
Kathy Fifer
Diane Larson
Carol Blackwood
Steve Smith
Bill Patton
Janis Free
Susan Carzoli
Carol Wheeldon
Ruth Gorter
Jan.
Jan.
Jan.
Jan.
Jan.
Jan.
Jan.
Jan.
Jan.
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Educational Offerings
Here are some upcoming educational
opportunities presented by the Skiff
Education Services department:
• CPR Instructor Class, Jan. 22, from 8
a.m. to 4 p.m, Inservice Room. Must be
certified in BLS at Healthcare Provider status to participate.
• PALS/ACLS Recertification classes:
Feb. 4
8 a.m. to 1p.m.
Feb. 12
1-6 p.m.
Feb. 17
4-9 p.m.
All classes are in the Inservice room. Staff
who need to recertify must call the
Education Department at ext. 4871 to
schedule a class time. Books are limited
and may be obtained in Education
Department. Call early!
• Advanced Fetal Monitoring (for OB
staff): Feb. 24, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. in
the Skiff Boardroom
• Certified Donor Requestor Training
(CDR): Staff members who are required to
attend will be contacted by the Education
Department. The training will be offered
on Feb. 25 from 8 a.m. to noon in the
Dining Room Conference
Questions? Call Lisa Guldberg, RN, in
Education Services.
Resolution Solution
January 11 – February 21
Retirees to meet
at Skiff Medical
Center on Feb. 3
A group of retired Skiff
Medical Center employees enjoyed their first
get-together last week at
Country Kitchen, with
14 retirees braving the
sub-zero temperatures.
Among those who
attended were Darlene
Koppin, Char Catlett,
Byrdene Kendall, Liz
Braun, Tom Stephenson,
Clarice Thompson, Ruth
Gorter,Barb Dunlavy,
Kay Vriezelaar, Marlys
Colyn, Carolyn Hobbs,
Lois Vogel, Ruth
Cleverly and Shirley
Smith.
The group agreed to
change their meeting
place to the Skiff
Medical Center cafeteria
in the future. Their next
gathering is scheduled
for 9 a.m. on Tuesday,
Feb.3 in the cafeteria.
The holiday goodies have been polished off, and it’s
time to think about those perennial New Year’s resolutions: exercise more and eat less. You’ll be more
successful keeping your New Year’s resolutions if
you put them in writing. Resolve to do something
you can really carry out and then make it a SMART
goal. A SMART goal is Specific, Measurable,
Attainable, Realistic and Timed. This Fitness Frenzy
Challenge will help you keep track of the important
things you want to do for your health this New Year.
You will automatically earn 10 points for every realistic resolution you set for
yourself in the SMART Goal format. Goals can pertain to improved eating habits or
exercise. Earn 10 additional points every week that you accomplish your goal. Goal
forms can be found on the Fitness Frenzy Bulletin Board outside the cafeteria. There
is a limit of 3 goals allowed for points.
Examples of SMART goals include:
• I will eat 3 servings of high fiber foods (foods with more than 3 gm. of fiber per
serving) at least 5 days a week for the next 6 weeks.
• I will consume 3 servings of dairy foods at least 5 days a week for 6 weeks.
• I will eat fresh fruit instead of pretzels for a bedtime snack for the next 6 weeks.
• I will buy (and consume) light microwave popcorn instead of regular or extra
butter for the next 6 weeks.
• I will park in the parking spot farthest away from the door whenever I go to WalMart. (But you can’t collect points for the weeks you don’t go to Wal-Mart).
At the end of the challenge, record your SMART goal points and return your goal
sheet to Deb Nilles in the Nutrition Services/Wellness Department by Friday,
February 27 to collect your incentive prize.
50 points = $3 coupon book for Skiff Cafeteria or Coffee Shop
100 points = $6 coupon book for Skiff Cafeteria or Coffee Shop
150 points = $9 coupon book for Skiff Cafeteria or Coffee Shop
New Skiff employees
Steven Ferguson graduates,
becomes Air Force officer
Steven Ferguson, son of Jack and Jean
Ferguson, RN, Home Care, graduated
from the University of Iowa Business
College with a degree in finance, on
December 20, 2003. Two days later, he
was commissioned into the United
States Air Force as a 2nd Lt. He will be
stationed at Los Angeles Air Force Base
in February, working in Acquisitions.
Kevin Clayton
Plant Operations
Sam Hotchkin
Nutrition Services
3
First baby of the year
The first baby of the new year at
Skiff Medical Center was Brayden
Regan Bill, born at 1:27 a.m. on
January 1, 2004. Brayden’s parents
are Tracy Cook and R.J. Bill of
Grinnell; and he has one sister,
Breanna. Brayden weighed 7
pounds, 10-1/4 ounces, and was
20-1/2 inches long.
Skiff eliminates some abbreviations from accepted use
To protect the health and safety of its patients, Skiff Medical Center has removed a number of
abbreviations from its list of acceptable abbreviations. Look below to see the unacceptable abbreviations, along with suggested replacements and the rationale for their removal from the list.
NON ACCEPTABLE ABBREVIATIONS
NO
YES
Apothecary symbols Metric system
AU
Both ears
U or u
Unit
cc
ml
qd, QD
Every day or daily
qod, QOD
Every other day
><
Greater than, less than
/
Separate doses or write “per”
NO
Example:
1.0mg
Example:
.5 mg
YES
AND TERMS
RATIONALE
May be misunderstood or misread
May be misread as OU – each eye
May be read as zero or four
May be misread as U
May be misread as qid, QID
May be misread as qid or QID
Often misinterpreted
May be misread as number 1
USE ZEROS APPROPRIATELY
RATIONALE
1 mg.
Misread as 10 mg if decimal point not seen.
**Do not use terminal zeros for doses
expressed in whole numbers.
0.5 mg.
Misread as 5 mg - **Always use zero
before a decimal when the dose is less than
a whole unit.
**Skiff Medical Center will be working to eliminate these abbreviations from forms, etc. but the
main focus for now will be written orders. If any of these abbreviations or symbols are used in a written order, the order must be clarified with the physician and rewritten to reflect the appropriate
terms.
4
New carpet for first floor
of Skiff Medical Center
Carpet installers from the Floor
Store Inc. are busy replacing the carpet in the main corridors around
Skiff’s 1st floor. The carpet being
replaced was installed in 1992 and
1993. Please note that new carpet
will not be installed in the south
and west corridors until construction work is completed in the 1922
building.
Skiff Emergency Room physicians
(continued from page 1)
in the Emergency Room, communication
between the physicians, hospital staff,
patients and their personal physicians will be
much more effective, according to Dr.
Chance.
“It’s so much easier to follow up with a
patient when all the physicians involved
work at the same hospital and live in the
same community,” she said.
Skiff President Eric Lothe said the hiring of
five new E.R. physicians represents one of
the single greatest improvements in quality
of care in the history of the Newton hospital.
“I don’t think people realize how important
this could be,” he said. “Not only have we
managed to hire five very skilled physicians,
but we’ve also got a committed group of
young doctors who will be living and working in Newton. They’re buying homes and
raising their families here. They’re part of the
community, and that can make a big difference.”
Dr. Bakke will begin working full-time at
Skiff in July, 2004. Until his arrival, Skiff will
continue to use outside E.R. physicians on a
limited basis.
Are you or a family member missing
out because of a hearing problem?
HAVE A FREE
HEARING SCREEN!
A FREE hearing screening at Skiff
Medical Center’s Audiology Department may be the first step toward
better hearing. It’s a simple, noobligation way to find out if you
need help with your hearing.
Audiology service. A Skiff
Audiologist can evaluate your
hearing, prescribe hearing aids if
necessary, or refer you to a
specialist for medical treatment if
appropriate.
The FREE screenings will be offered
(by appointment only) on Tuesday,
January 13, from 8:30 a.m. until 4
p.m. Just call 787-3070
787-3010 to arrange
for your time.
Skiff Medical Center offers the area’s
only complete, hospital-based
5
204 N. 4th Ave. E.
Newton