Security Matters

For Everyone
Updated External Tag on Emails
Effective Now

To better help you identify potential phishing attacks, all emails coming from an external sender (someone outside of HM) will now include the following message in the body of an email. This will remind you to confirm you know and trust the sender and to take extra precaution when clicking on items in these emails. Just as before, the external tag will also continue to show in the subject line.

Launch Alerts

For HMH Smith Tower
IT System Maintenance – Keep Devices Turned On
HMH Smith Tower: Tuesday, April 6, 5 p.m. to Wednesday, April 7, 4 a.m.

IT system maintenance will take place for HMH Smith Tower on Tuesday, April 6, 5 p.m. to Wednesday, April 7, 4 a.m. Everyone will lose network connection to all business systems and medical devices for about three minutes during this timeframe, but devices should reconnect automatically. If your devices don’t reconnect, please reboot.

This interruption includes systems and devices like Vocera badges, Zebra smartphones with Rover, pneumatic tubes, air conditioning, MRIs, CTs, laptops, WOWs, desktops, printers and more.

To prepare

• Keep your systems and devices turned on and online.
• Save your work often between 5 p.m. Tuesday and 4 a.m. Wednesday.

For HMH Nurses, PCAs, Mental Health Techs, RTs, ED Phlebotomists and Lab Staff
HMH Specimen Scanning Launches Tuesday, May 4

Specimen Scanning launches at HMH on Tuesday, May 4 for nurses, PCAs, mental health techs, respiratory therapists, ED techs and lab staff. This tool reduces the risk of specimen labeling errors, improving patient safety. Increased accuracy helps reduce lab processing turnaround times, so providers can make patient care decisions sooner than previously possible.

Required online training will be assigned to impacted nurses, PCAs, mental health techs, respiratory therapists, ED techs and lab staff. Look for training information coming soon.

For more information, visit it.houstonmethodist.org/specimenscanning.

Epic Updates

For All Providers and Nurses
More Options in VTE Risk Tool

There are now more options in the VTE Risk Tool. This will help facilitate ordering and improve efficiency. Be sure to review the VTE section of any personalized order set to ensure it’s consistent with the new changes.

New changes include:

• Options to select Moderate or High Risk when a patient currently has an active order for therapeutic anticoagulant or VTE risk prophylaxis.
• Mechanical prophylaxis options now available on Surgical and Non-Surgical Moderate Risk options.
• Pharmacy Consult now paneled with the Apixaban order in the High Risk Surgical (Hip or Knee) option.
• Pharmacy Consult paneled with Rivaroxaban order in the High Risk Surgical (Hip or Knee) option.

To view screenshots of these new options, click here. 

For Hospital Scheduling, Front Desk, Registration Staff
New CMS ADT Event Notification Requirement
Starts Monday, April 12

Starting Monday, April 12, patients’ hospital admit, discharge and transfer (ADT) event notifications will be sent to their primary care providers, aligning with the new Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ADT event notifications requirement.

Important

To ensure the patient’s provider accurately receives notification of the patient’s hospital admit, discharge or transfer:

• During patient registration, the patient’s primary care provider information must be entered, active and verified.
• You must also complete the Notify PCP on Adm? field within Registration.
• Note: This doesn’t apply to SPG/PCG staff.

For more information, review the tip sheet.

Planned Downtimes

Reminders

You can see previous issues of IT Matters and more at it.houstonmethodist.org.

For Everyone
New LaborWorkx Login Process

For Everyone
Microsoft Warns – You Must Update Your Devices

For HMW/HMCCH Nurses, PCAs, ED Techs, Paramedics and Respiratory Therapists
Specimen Scanning Successfully Launches at HMW/HMCCH

For All Outpatient Clinicians
New Outpatient Epic Wound Care Module Successfully Launches at HMB, HMH, HMSL, HMW/HMCCH and HMWB Outpatient Clinics

For All Providers, Nurses and Pharmacists
Tacrolimus FK506 Level Monitoring BPA

For PAS and Clinical Staff
Post-Discharge Charting Access Changing for Specific Groupers
Effective Saturday, May 1

For Providers and Pharmacists
Adult Diabetes Discharge Prescriptions

For Inpatient and ED Nurses
National Institute of Health (NIH) Scale Score – BPA Reminder

For Everyone-Everyone