Van Tassel 1

Journal #3: Habersham Medical Center

Taylor Van Tassel

Dr. Lindstone & Dr. Kaninjing

KINS 4306: Internship in Public Health

2 February 2019
 Van Tassel 2

Week Three:

(1/28/19 8:20am-12:00pm; 12:30pm-4:30pm.; 1/29/19 8:30am-12:00pm; 12:30pm-1:30pm.;

1/30/19 8:30am-12:00pm; 12:30pm-4:15pm.; 1/31/19 7:30am-12:00pm; 12:30pm-4:40pm.;

2/1/19 8:30am-12:00pm; 12:30pm-3:00pm)

Total Hours this week: 34.05 hours

Overall hours: 103.4 hours

I began this week with a meeting about the education with staff members and what can be

improved. Each staff member must renew different certifications every year. The education

coordinator, Kristina Adamson, feels that the hospital should get every staff member on the same

expiration date. This would easier to monitor when everyone’s certifications expire on the same

month. She feels that this could all be done on hospital week, which is the second week in May.

Patient education is important; however, staff education is equally important. The employees are

key component to keeping the hospital running.

This week I primarily worked with case management aiding them in anything that they

needed assistance in. Every day I begin by printing out the inpatient census and going over what

patients might be considered high to moderate risk for readmission. Miriam Duncan has insisted

that I should also go to each patient that is covered by Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans

and get them to sign a Medicare Rights letter stating that the patient has the right to appeal their

discharge if they feel that it is too soon for them to be discharged. I really enjoy interacting with

the patients. There is never a dull moment.

For my project, I am striving to reduce the readmission rate by incorporating a

community resource manual. I am hoping to alter the discharge packets. As of right now, they

are too “wordy”, and the patients are not understanding them. This could easily be avoidable by
 Van Tassel 3

altering the discharge instructions and using the teach back method with the patients. I am well

aware that it all falls on the patient to seek out the appropriate care. However, I feel that if we

exhaust all resources before they leave the hospital to prevent them from readmitting is an

accomplished goal. I am going to continue to call back moderate to high patients and follow up

with their care to ensure that they are following the instructions given to them.

I am really enjoying working with case management. There is diversity in each day.

Along with working to incorporate additional ways to reduce readmissions, I am working on

insurances to ensure that the hospital is paid for the patients visits. The hospital highly relies on

insurance companies to keep them afloat. Thursday, I attended a meeting with Miriam Duncan

about Grace Gate at one of the local churches. Grace Gate is a Christian based local clinic that is

a resource for those that cannot afford medical assistance. The meeting included pastors from

surrounding churches and doctors that volunteer at the clinic. This is a great resource for the

residents of Habersham county.

Overall, I am looking forward to making an impact on the Habersham community. This is

already a very rewarding opportunity. I cannot wait to see what else it brings. I hope my project

is the best approach to take on the community and hospital.