Trending in ITBe Prepared for Hurricane Season: Update Your Contact Info in MARS IV Pump Integration with Epic Launches at HMTW MyChart: Two-Step Verification Required - Important Update If You Use HM Virtual Urgent Care
View HM Organizational Charts in MARS
Security Matters- Ransomware Attacks Elevated to Same Priority as Terrorism
Launch AlertsEpic UpdatesNew BPAs Identify Hypoglycemic Patients on Antidiabetic Meds Task Removed from Telepsych Consult Orders New Opioid BPA for Thyroid and Parathyroid Surgeries Removing Disaster Documentation in Epic
For Everyone
Be Prepared for Hurricane Season: Update Your Contact Info in MARSJune marks the beginning of hurricane season, and weather experts are predicting an active season this year. If a storm or severe weather threatens the Houston area, we may need to communicate important information to you. Please be sure your contact information is up to date in MARS so you can receive special systemwide texts and/or email announcements in case of an emergency. To update your contact information, go to the MARS portal. Log in with your user ID and password, find the
Personal Details section, and click Contact Details. Under Phone click the + icon to add a phone number. You can also click on an existing phone number to change or delete it. Your mobile phone number must be labeled as mobile to receive emergency texts. Since many of us no longer have a landline, we sometimes list our mobile number as our home number, but this will prevent you from receiving important emergency text messages. Make sure your mailing and email address are current, too. This is also a good time to register for text
messages if you haven’t done so – it’s quick and easy.
For Everyone
IV Pump Integration with Epic Launches at HMTWOn Tuesday, June 8, the IV pump integration with Epic program successfully launched at HMTW. This integration improves patient safety while also promoting greater nursing documentation efficiencies. “Thank you to everyone who participated in the training, visited the open labs and supported all of the efforts to make this operational and technical change a success,” said Kerrie Guerrero, DNP, MBA, HMTW chief nursing officer. HMTW is the second campus to go live with IV pump integration, following HMSL in 2019. HMH is next, with a scheduled launch on Sept. 28. “This is
another step forward as we continue improving medication administration safety, and ensure accurate documentation and consistent charging for infusions,” said Ghalib Abbasi, PharmD, MS, MBA, system director of pharmacy informatics. “We’re excited to bring these additional safety and efficiency tools to HMTW now and eventually to all remaining campuses.” If you are part of the HMTW launch, see the article in the Launch Alerts section below or visit it.houstonmethodist.org/ivpump/.
For Everyone
MyChart: Two-Step Verification Required
Effective NowHM MyChart now has a two-step verification process for our patients as an extra layer of security. A verification code will be sent to your identified email or mobile phone when you log in to MyChart from a device the system doesn’t recognize. Entering this code ensures that only you can access your account, and your personal health information stays safe.
For Everyone
Important Update If You Use HM Virtual Urgent CareHM has refined its virtual health care offerings and as a result, you will be required to sign up for a new Virtual Urgent Care account to complete your first visit. To sign up, go to your MyMethodist app and click here for instructions.
Note: Virtual Urgent Care visit summaries are now found in MyChart, allowing you to easily access your visit records. As a reminder, Virtual Urgent Care is free for all HM employees and any dependents that are on our insurance plan.
For Everyone
View HM Organizational Charts in MARSYou can view HM organizational charts in MARS by clicking the LMS Success Factors tile.
From LMS Success Factors, scroll down until you see a tile called Org Chart. Click it to see your organizational chart and click ^ Up One Level to view more.
For Everyone
Ransomware Attacks Elevated to Same Priority as TerrorismThe U.S. Department of Justice is elevating investigations of ransomware attacks to a similar priority as terrorism. This is due to the increased damage caused by cybercriminals. Many of the hacks that you hear about in the news result from websites without two-factor authentication. We work hard to ensure all our sites are protected with two-factor authentication, and your continued vigilance and reporting of suspicious emails is also critical to keep our data safe. Below are other HM security fundamentals that we have in place to protect us. - Remote access, including VPN, is
protected with two-factor authentication.
- VPN access only works on HM laptops.
- Remote and system access are removed for terminated employees and contractors.
- Vendor accounts are automatically terminated after six months of inactivity.
For HMTW Nurses
IV Pump RemindersThe following medications are exempt from IV pump integration and will require manual pump programming: - Investigational drugs
- PCAs
- Certain combination chemo meds
- Normal saline bolus
- Lactated ringers bolus
Your feedback is needed to help us prepare others as we continue to roll this out systemwide. Please take a few minutes to share your
thoughts on IV pump integration post-launch survey. It takes less than five minutes to complete. To report issues, contact the IT Service Desk at 832.667.5600 or email helpdesk@houstonmethodist.org. When reporting an issue, please be prepared to provide: - Tower/unit location
- Module serial
number or barcode number (should be the same)
- Error code on pump (if one is presented)
- Medication in use
Charge Nurses/Managers/Directors: An on-site command center is available through June 18 in Main Conference Room 4 (room 3444). To escalate an issue, submit an Incident Request to the IT Service Desk first (it.houstonmethodist.org/help), then contact the Command Center at 832.856.3689 (conference ID: 495 697 744#). For more information or
support, contact Brenda Lee (bklee@houstonmethodist.org) or visit it.houstonmethodist.org/ivpump/.
For All IP Nurses
New BPAs Identify Hypoglycemic Patients on Antidiabetic Meds
Effective Now Starting today, you will see one of two new BPAs fire if a patient has a POC glucose < 70 and is on an antidiabetic medication. This will alert the care team of hypoglycemia to start intervention promptly. The first BPA will fire if Hypoglycemia Standing Orders are not active. You should enter the orders, initiate treatment and notify the provider. If the Hypoglycemia Standing Orders are active, the second BPA will just prompt you to initiate treatment and notify the provider.
For All Nurses
Task Removed from Telepsych Consult Orders The task generated when Consult for Telepsych Initial Consult or Consult for Telepsych Services Follow Up orders were placed was removed. You no longer need to complete these orders before the physician sees the patient.
For All Providers
New Opioid BPA for Thyroid and Parathyroid Surgeries
Effective Monday, June 14 Starting Monday, June 14, you’ll see a new BPA when writing opioid discharge prescriptions within two days of a thyroidectomy or parathyroidectomy. Studies have shown that most patients undergoing parathyroid or thyroid surgeries don’t need opioid prescriptions for pain. This alert will remind you to consider alternate pain medications for these patients.
For All Inpatient Nurses
Removing Disaster Documentation in Epic
Effective Monday, June 21 Starting Monday, June 21, the Disaster Navigator, Disaster Acute Care and Disaster ICU flowsheets will be removed from Epic. These abbreviated disaster documentation tools were added to Epic in April 2020 to expedite inpatient charting during COVID-19. With this change, you'll need to resume using the detailed Admission Navigator, located under RN Navigators, as well as the Complex Assessment, Cares and Safety, Vital Signs and Restraints flowsheets. Previous requirements for frequency of documentation
will also resume on June 21.
Planned Downtimes or MaintenanceIf you experience issues during a planned maintenance, including missing computer icons or shared drives, please be patient and restart your computer. To ensure minimal impact, save your work often before and during any planned maintenance.
HMH Mobile Wi-Fi (systemwide)
Thursday, June 10, 11 p.m. – Friday, June 11, 3 a.m. This impacts MyMethodist Patient and telerounding iPads on HMH_MOBILE wireless. Expect a five- to 30-minute downtime during this timeframe. Use your department’s usual downtime procedures. Impacted devices include: - Patient-to-family calls
- Vidyo/Vidyo mobile/Caregility/Telerounding
- Telestroke
- Telepsych
- Stratus interpretation iPads
- Medtronic iPads in ED
- MyMethodist Patient tablets with MyChart bedside and entertainment apps
- D3 Security MVSOC
- MyRounding
- ObservSmart
- LifeSize
- RollCall/CVENT
- Stratus (currently AMN Interpreting)
- GE SEER 1000
HMB – Network Maintenance
Friday, June 11, 11 p.m. – Saturday, June 12, 4 a.m. You may experience intermittent internet and application slowness, lasting up to three minutes.
MARS FSCM (Financial only)
Saturday, June 12, 4 p.m. – 11 p.m. To prepare, complete any transactions before the downtime.
Note: MARS Portal and MARS HCM are available during this time.
Saturday, June 12, 11 p.m. – Sunday, June 13, 6 a.m. LMS won't be available due to maintenance.
EPSi
(Impacting cost management, budget and compliance, PLA and other financial business groups)
Now Through Monday, June 14, 8 a.m. Update will improve security, speed and ease of use. When you log-in after the downtime, you should experience faster performance and easier information access.
Tuesday, June 15, 10 p.m. – midnight
Thursday, June 17, 10 p.m. – midnight Be prepared for intermittent or no access. Follow your department’s standard downtime procedures.
Radiology and Cardiology VPN Connection Systemwide
Tuesday, June 15, 10 a.m. – noon (GE only)
Thursday, June 17, 10 a.m. – noon (Siemens only) Vendors will lose VPN connections to radiology and cardiology GE and Siemens systems and medical devices. IT-Radiology and IT-Cardiology can still remote in and provide support, if needed. Impacted devices should reconnect automatically.
Saturday, June 19, 6 p.m. – Sunday, June 20, 6 a.m. During this downtime, Pyxis Medstations will be in critical override to ensure access to medications while minimizing impact on bedside nurses. Patient and order updates will not be received from Epic, so temporary patients may be created for new admissions. Pharmacy IT and your local pharmacy will also coordinate additional downtimes away from heavy med pass times for each Medstation to apply the software update, starting Wednesday, June 23. Click here for
more information.
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