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February
You’ve Got Questions, We’ve Got Answers
When you talk, we listen
That’s right! We’ve been named one of the best places to work in the nation! One reason—your input is valued and inquiries taken seriously. Here are answers to questions on your mind:
Safety
1. How can we ensure patients and colleagues are safe inside our hospitals?
You asked for changes to our security system, and we’ve made them because we want everyone to feel safe inside our buildings. Automatic doors used to stay open for 30 seconds when you swiped your identification card. To ensure someone doesn’t walk through the doors behind you, doors now close in about 10 seconds. Plus, security colleagues now sign in at nurses’ stations when they make rounds in the hospital. This gives you peace of mind knowing they have kept and will continue to keep your unit safe. We anticipate further security enhancements in the coming year.
2. Does security patrol the employee parking lots at all our campuses?
Yes, quite regularly. Additionally, every parking lot has a blue alarm that immediately puts you in touch with a security colleague. If you feel unsafe and would like someone from security to walk you to your car, call ext. 8220 at any time. If you forget the phone number, you can find it on new signs at the entrance of every hospital building.
Health Insurance
1. Why don’t we offer medical insurance to retirees? Can retirees purchase medical insurance?
Because health care costs increase with age, offering any health care coverage to retirees would be extremely expensive. We have a self-insured health plan and are not permitted to include those who are not employed in our plan. An option we have is to find a carrier who would offer group insurance to our retirees at a reasonable rate. We repeatedly have tried to find a carrier to provide such coverage but have been unsuccessful. Consequently, we have no plans to offer this benefit to retirees at this time.
2. Will we have to pay for health insurance in the future?
This past fiscal year, it cost us more than $60 million to provide health insurance to full-time colleagues. Plus, we’re constantly looking to improve our benefits package. While there are no plans to charge colleagues for health insurance, we don’t know what the future holds. Our financial stability could change due to a rise in health care costs or weakening economy. However, your continued commitment to keeping costs low and quality high goes a long way toward preventing the need for colleagues to pay for health insurance.
3. Why do part-time and newly hired colleagues have to pay for medical benefits?
New colleagues have to pay for medical insurance during their first three months because we want people to be committed to working here before we absorb potentially high medical expenses. Part-time colleagues have to pay because they work fewer hours than full-timers. It wouldn’t be fair to offer the same benefit to both groups. However, all colleagues pay the same amount for eye and dental coverage.
4. Are there plans to increase the amount of infertility coverage?
Choice Plus covers up to $7,500 of in-network infertility treatment over your lifetime. In addition, 60 percent of the cost of in vitro fertilization is covered. Most insurance providers do not offer any coverage for infertility. We are not planning any changes at this time, but will continuously review this benefit.
Salaries and Benefits
1. Does our pay increase match the cost-of-living increase?
We determine the amount of our pay raise through an independent market survey. It’s more comprehensive than just looking at the cost-of-living increase because it takes into account several economic factors, including inflation, our not-for-profit status, our local market and the health care industry. Last year’s survey resulted in a pay increase of more than 3 percent. When combined with our Shared Success Plan (SSP) bonus, colleagues averaged a 5 percent pay increase. That’s among the highest salary increase of any Lehigh Valley employer. Our annual pay raises are typically higher than the cost-of-living increase.
2. Who is eligible to receive tuition reimbursement, and who pays for it?
Full- and part-time colleagues are eligible as long as the course being taken is part of an approved college degree program. Per-diem colleagues do not qualify, and non-credit courses do not apply. Reimbursement amounts were increased for 2007. Full-time colleagues receive 85 percent of their tuition up to $4,000 a year. Part-time colleagues receive up to $2,000 annually. To apply, tell your immediate supervisor you’re interested and fill out a tuition reimbursement form. Like your health insurance, the reimbursement is funded by LVHHN and does not come from your individual department budget.
3. Will there be a bonus or pay raise for colleagues who have worked here for a significant number of years?
Since 1996, we’ve based compensation on merit, not seniority. It’s simple. If you work hard to become the best at what you do, you’ll be rewarded for it. That’s not to say we don’t value our longtime colleagues. We recognize their years of service by offering more PTO and celebrating their dedication at events like Star Celebration.
4. Why might someone hired from outside the network make more money than someone who was promoted internally?
Every job has a pay range. Let’s say we’re looking to fill a position that has a $15-20 an hour pay range. We find the perfect candidate with an exceptional amount of experience outside the network who already has a $17-an-hour job. To attract her here, we may offer her $19 an hour.
Now, let’s say a colleague earning $13 an hour applies for a job with the same $15-20 an hour pay range. If she gets the promotion, her pay increase will typically put her in the lower half of that pay range, say $16 an hour. If she performs her new job well, it won’t be long before she gets a raise.
5. Why aren’t nurse managers entitled to the same pay raise adjustment as R.N.s?
Nursing is very competitive. The demand for nurses is high while the number of nurses looking for work is low. To attract and retain Magnet-quality nurses, we do a separate pay raise adjustment for R.N.s to ensure we stay competitive.
Nurse managers are in a higher pay range than R.N.s. However, because managers receive a salary and R.N.s receive an hourly rate, it is possible for nurses who work overtime to earn more money than a manager.
6. Could I be penalized for taking sick time even if I have several hours accumulated?
No. Here’s how our sick-time policy works. Full-time colleagues accumulate eight hours of sick time per month, and part-timers earn four hours per month. However, you can’t use it until you’ve completed your six-month probationary period. If you are sick during your first six months, you can use your PTO time. After six months, the amount of sick time listed on your pay stub is yours to use when you’re not feeling well. Just remember, you can’t use sick time like PTO time. You only can use it if you’re ill or unable to work.
Parking
1. Who can park in the new parking decks?
Our three new parking decks are designed for patients and visitors. However, while construction continues on employee parking lots, 500 colleagues have been assigned to park in the deck along Cedar Crest Boulevard When The Center for Advanced Health Care opens, we will determine whether or not these colleagues will continue to park there. If you park illegally, a sticker will be placed on your window, and your license plate number will be recorded. Multiple violations will result in your car being towed.
2. What’s being done to improve parking for LVH–Cedar Crest colleagues?
We’re increasing the number of employee parking spaces. A parking lot adjacent to the Cedar Crest Boulevard deck is already open for 3-11 p.m. shift colleagues. A new lot will open in the spring near the maintenance building.
We’re making sure the condition of our temporary lots is kept up to par. Even though they will not be paved, we’re filling potholes, plowing and salting during winter storms, and making sure they’re well lit. No matter where you park during and after the construction project, parking for colleagues will continue to be free.
3. Will anything be done to improve safety and traffic flow in the Cedar Crest parking deck?
We’ve already taken steps to make this deck safer. Two parking spaces have been eliminated from each floor to improve visibility around the turns. Yellow arrows were painted, and more signs were added to direct motorists and pedestrians to the entrance and exit. Rumble strips and speed bumps also were installed to remind people to drive slowly.
4. Are there plans for a parking deck at LVH–17th and Chew?
There are no plans to create more parking at LVH–17th and Chew. The lot at 17th and Liberty contains 240 spaces and is never full. We are looking at the possibility of providing shuttle service from all parking lots to the hospital.
5. Will employee shuttle service continue after the LVH–Cedar Crest construction project?
Yes. The current shuttle schedule has been working smoothly. No changes are anticipated.
Construction
1. Are there plans to remodel any patient care areas at 17th and Chew?
Yes. The construction of two new operating rooms is nearly complete. Patient lifts are being installed in 10 transitional skilled unit rooms. New flooring will be installed in the ambulatory surgery unit. We recently renovated the inpatient hospice unit, and over the past few years renovated the short-stay hospital, the emergency department (ED) and front entrance. While there are no definitive plans to make more changes to the ED, we are studying all three of our EDs to better understand their capacity and address their needs.
2. Are there plans to expand the pediatrics unit or create a children’s hospital?
There are no plans to build a new hospital, but we continue to look for ways to improve our pediatric program to better serve our community’s children. We already have the area’s only pediatric intensive care unit and Level III neonatal intensive care unit, as well as an inpatient pediatric unit, pediatric ambulatory surgery unit and Pediatric Specialty Center. All are staffed by a team of physicians and nurse specialists who are experts in caring for the sickest children. We’ve expanded the Pediatric Specialty Center to include a pediatric neurologist, two pediatric gastroenterologists, a pediatric rheumatologist, a second hematologist-oncologist and pediatric surgeon, and an allergist.
3. Are there plans to expand the LVH–Cedar Crest Early Care and Education Center?
We have preliminary plans to build a brand-new center somewhere on campus. But right now we’re focusing on construction projects that are already under way. Construction is not planned to begin for several years.
4. How will the LVH–Cedar Crest expansion project affect the following areas?
Emergency Department (ED) The current waiting room will be remodeled to create space for seven more beds. Outside, we’ll be building an addition to house the new waiting room, and more parking. During construction, there will be changes to the current ED entrances and exits.
Express Admissions Unit (EAU) South The only effect construction had on EAU South occurred about eight months ago when it was moved to the sixth floor. Intensive care beds occupy its former space.
The current Burn Center space We haven’t determined what will occupy this space when the Burn Center moves to the new tower. The space the Burn Center is moving out of almost certainly will remain a patient care area.
Rapid Response Lab We’re making improvements to the pneumatic tube system to decrease the time it takes specimens to get to the lab for diagnostic testing. On average, a transfer takes one minute. New blowers and a redesigned infrastructure cut that time in half. Construction will not affect corridor access to the lab.
5. Will there be a walkway across Cedar Crest Boulevard, connecting the hospital with the Cedar Crest Professional Park?
There are no immediate plans to build a bridge across Cedar Crest Boulevard.
6. Will there be an access road from Fish Hatchery Road into the LVH–Cedar Crest campus?
Yes. This entrance will alleviate traffic congestion at the Cedar Crest Boulevard entrance. It was designed specifically for colleagues because it will directly lead you to employee parking areas. The entrance will be located 700 feet from Cedar Crest Boulevard Turning lanes will be built along Fish Hatchery Road The new road will run through what is currently lot 4A. Construction will begin in the summer of 2007 and should be complete before year’s end.
Nursing/Improved Care
1. Is there any service available to help colleagues learn basic Spanish?
As part of the Puerto Rican Initiative grant, we are offering Spanish classes to physician residents only. There is a possibility the grant may be extended in the future to include nurses. If you would be interested in taking Spanish classes, call Maggie Hadinger from our division of education at 610-402-2475.
To help you care for our growing Spanish-speaking population in the meantime, we have more than 50 educated medical interpreters on staff to ensure medical information is communicated accurately. For a Spanish or Arabic interpreter at LVH–Cedar Crest or Muhlenberg, call 610-402-8221. At LVH–17th and Chew, call 610-402-2892.
2. What are we doing to retain nurses and our most experienced staff?
This past year, nurses and human resources staff conducted a study to learn how we can help nurses of AARP age (older than 52) remain comfortable while spending hours on their feet at the bedside. Based on their results, some units have implemented new nurse-to-patient ratios, and others plan to in the coming year. Also, some units are offering nurses a mixture of eight-hour and 12-hour shifts, and nurses considering transferring to a new unit have the opportunity to spend time on that unit before making a decision. In addition, we offer a benefits plan (pension and PTO) that grows the longer you work here.
3. Are we doing anything to inform the community of our weight-loss surgery programs?
Two surgeons currently are performing gastric bypass surgery at LVHHN, and we’ve spread the word about it in various ways. We featured patient success stories in Healthy You magazine, CheckUp and on lvh.org, and advertised in print and on the Internet. We also promoted The NEW You (Nutrition, Exercise and Weight Management), a program offering medical care from bariatrician Theresa Piotrowski, M.D., including nutrition, exercise, counseling and medications when needed. We also provide pre- and post-surgery education, counseling and support groups, and are developing community weight-loss programs. Surgeon Richard Boorse, M.D., now also offers lap band weight-loss surgery. It is reversible, but you will lose less weight than with gastric bypass.
Our Culture
1. How will Lou Liebhaber’s departure affect our organization?
In his 12 years as chief operating officer, Lou Liebhaber contributed a vision from which we all benefit. His leadership and boundless energy helped make our hospital what it is today. To prepare for the future, he built and mentored a team that is carrying on his legacy. We’re fortunate to have in place a strong leadership team, high standards of performance, a caring culture and efficient systems, all of which will help our organization’s strength continue well into the future. Our leaders, including Stuart Paxton, chief operating officer, and Terry Capuano, R.N., senior vice president for clinical services, know our organization and our culture, and the enthusiasm, affection and commitment each of us brings to our work make our hospital the place it is today.
2. If we are financially strong, why were colleagues asked to contribute to a fund-raising campaign?
We operate our hospital efficiently and are caring for more patients than ever before. This means we are financially strong. But no matter how strong a hospital’s resources, it is impossible for any hospital to remain on the leading-edge of care without philanthropy. When our hospital administrators met with leading physicians and clinical experts to forecast our community’s future health care needs earlier this year, we learned we can only fund about two-thirds of the requests, even with our financial strength. That’s why our colleagues’ voluntary support of our fund-raising campaign, Investing in Excellence Here at Home, was so vital. Colleagues helped raise more than $1.3 million, which will help us make all areas of our network stronger.
3. How will we enforce the new nonsmoking policy for colleagues, patients and visitors?
We have to work together to create a smoke-free hospital. First, if you haven’t quit smoking yet, consider signing up for our Tobacco Treatment Program. It’s covered under Choice Plus.
Second, we have to remind patients and visitors that smoking is not permitted. We understand you might feel uncomfortable confronting someone who is smoking. That’s why we created a smoke-free tool kit. In it, we’ve outlined several different scenarios with suggestions on what you should say to encourage people to put out their cigarette. To read it, click on the smoke-free icon on the intranet (www.lvh.com).
Finally, all managers will be enforcing this new policy. A violation will result in an incident report being filed with human resources.
4. How are we reaching out to the growing Latino population?
We continue to offer interpreter services in Spanish and specialized care for Latinos from bilingual and bicultural caregivers at Centro de Salud LatinoAmericano. And because Latinos are at greater risk for having, and dying from, diabetes, we recently collaborated with Latinos for Health Communities to provide diabetes education to Latino patients at Lehigh Valley Physicians’ Practice, The Caring Place and Casa Guadalupe. Participants learn to improve their diet, fitness and blood-sugar levels.
5. Why does The Morning Call continue to write negative stories about us?
Many newspapers take pride in their role as a watchdog for the community. Newspaper reporters are not our spokespeople; they exist to ask provocative questions and create reader interest. During a calendar year, we are featured in numerous newspaper, television and radio stories, a great majority of which are positive. However, because we are so connected to our organization and feel so strongly about the good things that happen here, we tend to notice the negative stories more than the positive. Rest assured that our positive messages are impacting our community. We recently surveyed more than 600 of our community members, and of those who read last August’s Morning Call story about hospitals and community benefit, more than 90 percent said they see our hospital in a positive light.
6. Why did The Morning Call article say we value volunteers at $17 per hour?
More than 1,100 volunteers donate their love, compassion and enthusiasm for our patients. Our gratitude to them is immeasurable. However, a statute called Act 55 requires all not-for-profit organizations in Pennsylvania to measure the value of volunteer services. The act provides a formula for calculating this based on the Pennsylvania Workers Compensation Act. We follow that formula.
Community Care
1. Are there plans to expand our service or recruit physicians outside of the Lehigh Valley in places like Boyertown or Pottstown?
We are actively looking to build relationships with these communities and the doctors who provide care there, so more people may benefit from the services we offer.
2. Have we considered partnering with Gnaden Huetten and Palmerton hospitals?
We want our neighbors to have the same access to quality care as we do here in the Lehigh Valley. That’s why we’ve always had a very good relationship with the Blue Mountain Health System (Gnaden Huetten and Palmerton hospitals). For example, they’re using our Cardiac Alert program to get patients having a heart attack to our hospital faster. Through the program, we strive to treat them with angioplasty in 90 minutes or less—the gold standard for heart attack care. We’re looking into further developing our relationship by possibly providing services like stroke alerts and telehealth technology.
3. Will the Home Ownership Program extend beyond the immediate 17th Street area?
The Home Ownership Program is still a pilot. At this time, we are not considering expanding the program, but will look at the possibility of doing so in the future.
4. Why don’t we accept Aetna insurance? Will that change?
In the past, Aetna offered us payment rates below the cost of caring for the patients it insures. Since then, we've continued to have contact with Aetna as a result of the approximately 300 Aetna patients who turn to us for trauma and emergency care every year. We’ve had conversations with Aetna about an agreement, but are not negotiating with them at this time.
Want more questions and answers? For details about Culture of Wellness, improved services at LVPG practices and the greatest challenge we face, click here.
This page last updated 2/12/08 04:08 PM
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