Madelin Oquendo - Special Employee Commendation

I want to share with you as to why I am blessed to have Madelin Oquendo as part of our clerical team.
Yesterday she was involved in 2 patient care issues that proved to be a big satisfier to both patient and clinic.
 
The first patient was Xxxxxx who’s GFR came back as 44 and was scheduled for a CT exam with contrast. Her first plan of action was to contact the Neuro Radiologists to see if IV Hydration was needed. With the clinical information she found in Allscripts (not written in Imagecast) she was able to inform the Radiologist  that Mr.  Xxx. has Stage III Chronic Kidney Disease, to which his response was to have the patient scheduled for IV Hydration. Madelin was concerned about the Hydration process which includes eight hours of hydration in the department for Mr. Xxxx , who is 90 years old.  Instead of sending the hydration request over to UN to be scheduled, Madelin took one more step.  She called the ordering doctor to let him know about the recommendation for his patient and the need for hydration because of dept protocol for IV contrast with a GFR of 44. Knowing the condition of his patient the physician asked that the patient be done without contrast. I appreciate the extra steps Madelin took on behalf of the patient. We have guidelines in place to make sure that correct and safe exams are done for our patients, but the patient’s ability to withstand some processes needs to be considered. The exam was completed without any risk to the patients kidneys and with a result that was satisfactory to the ordering doctor.
 
The second patient was Xxxxx. She was seen at the  Dana Farber clinic yesterday. She has uterine cancer, and surgery scheduled in a few weeks. Her doctor was hoping to get a CT Chest Abdomen and Pelvis done as soon as possible, but it couldn’t be accommodated at Dana Farber that day, so Mr. Xxxx  called Memorial, as this is where she had had previous scans. He spoke with Maureen who tried to transfer him to Central Scheduling, but the department was closed and the call came back to her. As Madelin was on her way out, Maureen stopped her and asked what could  be done for the patient. Madelin took her coat off, and spoke with Mr. Xxxxx. Because he was still at the clinic, Madelin was able to secure the order, labs and insurance information. As the CT scheduled had an opening for later in the evening, the clinic and the Xxxxx were relieved that a scan could indeed be done as soon as possible. When the couple arrived in Radiology last night, they were very grateful to Maureen and Madelin for working extra to help them get the care they needed.
 
It’s not every day the clerical staff gets to have such an impact on patients lives, but when the opportunity comes, I am glad that this staff jumps at the chance to make a difference. I’m sure Madelin went home last night feeling blessed and satisfied to have been able to help these patients.
 
Kara B. Wormell
Sr. Clerical Lead