SCA Health’s 2nd Annual Clinical Leader Connection

In August 2023, SCA Health facility clinical leaders from across the United States met in Austin, Texas to meet and discuss topics such as becoming a high-reliability organization (HRO), leading with purpose, and modeling inclusive leadership.

Along with these discussions, 16 teammates were recognized for their efforts during a special Night of Honor ceremony. Below are those who were honored and a description of their award.

Operations Clinical Partner of Choice Award: Bill Pethick, SCA Health Operations, Pioneer

This award recognizes an SCA Health operations leader who helps drive and elevate clinical quality within their scope of authority through extraordinary leadership and partnership.

Rising Star Award: Cheryl Accomazzo (University Ambulatory Surgery Center), Jane Chapman (KU Medwest Surgery Center), Natasha Granado (Texas Health Surgery Center Arlington), & Marissa Ridgley (Parkway Surgery Center)

The Rising Star Award recognizes an emerging nursing leader who demonstrates significant impact on clinical quality and safety in their facility through clinical excellence, leadership, innovation, and a focus on improved safety and patient outcomes.

Clinical Leadership Award: Sharron Becerra (Laguna Woods Surgery Center), Melissa Wilson (Surgery Center at South Ogden), Lisa Flinn (Texas Health Surgery Center), Kristy Norman (Premier Surgery Center of Louisville), & Regina Mongiello (Western Connecticut Orthopedic Surgery Center)

This award recognizes facility clinical leaders who consistently make significant contributions to their facility, collogues, patients, and/or community through leadership and service as an engaged member of the Core Leadership Team.

Phoenix Leadership Award: Cheryl Sheffield (Panama City Surgical Center)

The Phoenix Leadership Award recognizes a facility or regional who has led and/or applied efforts to overcome challenges and/or improved a situation in their facility or region in the past 18 months, resulting in identifiable, positive change.

Mountaintop Award: Michelle George (Clinical Quality Team)

This award recognizes a nursing leader for impacting and/or elevating the nursing profession in the perioperative setting through innovative solutions research and educational programs.

Nightingale Award: Lisa Berus (Clinical Quality Team)

This award recognizes a nursing leader for modeling and creating a culture of trust, compassion, mutual respect, professional development, and ethical behavior. Common leadership themes or characteristics include: Catalyst for Change, Servant Leadership, and inspiring others to hope and change.

Clinical Leader Connection Poster Presentation

First Place: Wendy Luber, Stop Me Now

Recognizing the risk of patient harm, this facility was experiencing surgeons not completing certain documentation or preop processes. To take action, they implemented a tool to encourage teammates to speak up and stop the line. By implementing a HARD STOP sign on patient charts, they alerted all teammates and surgeons that something was missing. This implementation led to increased communication, between teammates, surgeons, and patients. It also led to decreased time for patients to enter the procedural room. As a result, the facility has seen reduced medical mistakes and documentation errors, and improved patient safety.

Second Place: Natasha Granado, Teammate Satisfaction

This project has been in the works since 2018. Focusing on the Culture of Safety Survey and our Teammate Satisfaction Survey, this facility wanted to increase their scores. By diving into these surveys and listening to the feedback of teammates, they implemented multiple patient safety measures. These included improved teammate communication, encouraging others to speak up, developmental educational offerings, and more employee recognition. These in turn led to improved employee retention and increased teammate satisfaction scores.

Third Place: Jamie Thibodeaux & Christina McKenney, Wait Time Satisfaction

This facilities patient satisfaction scores were low due to increased wait times before surgery. After some investigation, and the facility CEO speaking with patients individually in the waiting room, the facility learned the patients were distraught since they were not anticipating the long wait time. It then became their mission to improve patient satisfaction scores by improving communication with patients and keeping them informed on possible delays regarding arrival time and what to expect on the day of surgery. They recognized the significance of effective communication transparency in improving patient satisfaction scores.

Congratulations to all of our award recipients and thank you for your hard work and dedication!