TJC Concludes Site Survey at Duke Hospital

The Joint Commission has concluded their triennial unannounced visit to survey Duke University Hospital and we are very pleased with the comments site reviewers made regarding all areas related to heart care services. TJC reviewers were impressed by the complexity of the patient cases our teams see on a regular basis as well as the technology we have available to support the care of patients with complex heart disease and other comorbidities. It was evident to the reviewers that our teams are comprised of exceptionally skilled personnel. In particular, the reviewers enjoyed speaking with Ray Kim and learning more about our cardiac MRI suite and the best practices we have developed around safety to protect not only patients but all staff members. They also enjoyed engaging with David Kong and learning about our application of healthcare informatics to patient care and our dedication to continuous improvement. Overall, the visit went very well for each area within Duke Heart.

It takes extraordinary effort to do what we do every day – but a site visit  can add to stress levels and certainly adds to work load while surveyors are on-site. On behalf of Duke Heart’s leadership, thank you for all that each of you did to support this site visit while also delivering outstanding patient care. Special thanks to the members of our leadership team, including the Nurse Managers, for their work to ensure each unit/area was well prepared and for their overall engagement with the surveyors.  Pictured here are our Duke Heart Nurse Managers (left to right): Kasey Williams, Terri DeMuro, Heather McKinney, Monica Harper, Eric McClenny, Lisa Duncan, Kelly Kester and Elizabeth Watts.

March Madness

We love when the ACC Scientific Sessions, the ACC Tournament and Match Day provide a trifecta of opportunity to showcase our Duke (Heart) pride. For all of you who have joined us in New Orleans, we hope you’re enjoying the Sessions and connecting with colleagues and friends – please share your photos and stories with us!

Earlier this week, the rankings for U.S. Medical Schools were released and Duke’s SOM came in at #13 (story here) – which dovetailed nicely with National Match Day, which was Friday.

Speaking of Duke SOM… We thought it would be fitting to share this photo from Tanzania, shared with us by Maitreya Thakkar – that’s his daughter Aarti Thakkar (a Duke medical student) with two of her friends (plus their guide) on the top of Kilimanjaro last month, hoisting a Duke flag. Aarti is on a Doris Duke Scholarship doing clinical research in Eldoret, Kenya under the mentorship of Gerry Bloomfield. She has been there since August and will be back in May. Her friends are Emma Fixsen and Claire Edelman (also Duke medical students) who were on an OB/GYN elective rotation at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center with Emma’s research mentor, John Schmitt (OB/GYN & Global Health) – they were in Tanzania for the month.

And of course we were happy to see that Zion was back in action last week just in time for round three with Carolina!

ICYMI

What other cool thing happened this week? Deepak Voora was at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, for the VA/Sanford Health announcement regarding PHASeR, which he will be leading here at Durham VAMC. Read more here as well as in this week’s news coverage. Way to go, Deepak!

Best Hospitals Voting Ends March 27!

Please take a moment to check your Doximity account and look for your opportunity to vote in the U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals survey. Voting will close on March 27. This makes a difference and should take just minutes to complete. Thank you!