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In This Issue:
BWH President Betsy Nabel congratulates members of the Embryology Department during a staff appreciation event.
BWH’s Ambulatory Obstetrics and Gynecology Department is constantly focused on improvement. The department is in the midst of a two-year multidisciplinary plan intended to improve patient safety, quality and the patient experience.
The department kicked off 2011 by teaming up with Environmental Services and Engineering to give several spaces new paint, curtains, countertops and sinks, as well as new equipment, including ultrasound machines. They also spent time updating patient education materials and consent forms.
In addition, department leadership and staff from Nursing, Embryology, Medicine and Information Services are currently working on phase three of the Ambulatory OB/GYN Division’s innovative computer software program, ARTSite, which offers an interactive platform (flow sheet) for managing and documenting all aspects of a patient’s care during an infertility cycle, including testing, orders, medications, special instructions, procedures and cycle results.
“Phase three will integrate the work of the Embryology Lab and manage and maintain intricate data regarding the lab procedures and the quality and disposition of patient embryos,” said Sandra Harmon, MSN, RN, nursing director of the Center for Infertility and Reproductive Surgery. “It will also encompass the conversion of existing databases into an improved format that will capture and report all necessary quality and compliance data to the CDC and other outside agencies, as well as provide a rich source of data to be used for research.”
In recognition of the department’s commitment to excellence, Embryology Department and hospital leaders hosted the BWH’s first Embryology staff appreciation event. BWH President Betsy Nabel, MD, Sharon Vitti, MS, vice president of Women’s Health and Ambulatory Services, and Mark Hornstein, MD, director of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, attended and thanked staff for their dedication and commitment to patients.
The department also welcomed staff into new leadership roles. Jennifer Kay, MBA, joined BWH from the Cleveland Clinic to become the administrator of Ambulatory OB/GYN, and Kimberly Smelstor, RN, MSN, was promoted to nursing director of Ambulatory OB/GYN. Together they oversee clinical and administrative operations in Maternal Fetal Medicine, the Center for Fetal Medicine, the Resident OB/GYN clinics, Brigham Obstetrics and Gynecology Group, Urogynecology, Minimally Invasive Gynecology and GYN Oncology.