Skip to content

Campaign URL Copy

͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ͏ ‌ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­

| | | | | | | View this email in your browser

|

| | | | |

| | | | | | | | | | |

|

|

| |

Hospitalist Happenings

| |

UNC Division of Hospital Medicine Newsletter

Volume 26, Issue 19

|

|

|

| | | | | | | | | | |

| | | Good afternoon,I hope to use some of this Newsletter space to review some details about the upcoming schedule and our hope to make it easier for providers to make use of their PTO time. While many elements of our benefits and compensation are out of our direct control (SOM, University, Hospital, etc.), we should take advantage of opportunities to control what we can internally (primarily in the form of scheduling). To begin, it is important to make sure we’re all on the same page about the language used for this discussion:

| | | | | | | | | | | |

  • PTO (Personal Time Off). This is a reduction in the number of shifts worked over a scheduling period.
  • Vacation time/requests. These are the specific days you request off in Lightning Bolt.
  • Sick Leave. Accrued hours which you may during periods of illness for yourself or a family member.

By example: You want to go to Disneyland for a week in September and so you block these days off in Lightning-Bolt. This is a Vacation Request (not PTO). Rules for Vacation Requests pertain to our Off Preferred and Off High Priority requests in LB. Because LB may schedule your required shift total around this vacation, it does not necessarily use PTO. You can request vacation days with or without using PTO. Conversely, you can potentially use PTO but not technically request vacation days if you don’t put any requests in LB.
There are two common ways to consume PTO days. First, give shifts up to moonlighters. We know that for providers who primarily cover rounding services this tends to be a difficult strategy. Second, submit a request for a reduced shift total for a particular quarter. In this fashion, we may be able to incorporate your PTO time into the schedule as it is built. In current state, we survey providers prior to each quarter to see who may be interested in built-in moonlighting or built-in shift reduction (PTO). Ideally, these two values would nearly offset each other; otherwise, the system would have no chance to build a workable schedule with available FTE.
As we have discussed at length, the hazard of Backup also complicates the use of PTO days. One idea which gained support with the recent Scheduling Task Force was to cluster Backup shifts for our providers. This would not only have the benefit of providing continuity should we need coverage of a rounding service, but also create a more predictable period of jeopardy compared to our current scattered approach.
Here is the proposed mechanism:

  1. Providers identify which quarter in which they would most prefer to use PTO. You may have already completed this during the recent Qualtrics Survey.
  2. Lightning-Bolt prioritizes scheduling your block of Backup in whichever quarter you were least likely to take PTO.

In theory, this will mean that you have two (maybe three) quarters of the year with no Backup responsibility and thus would be at liberty to take PTO without issue.
With all of this in mind, I’d like to point out a few points in hopes of making this all go as smoothly as possible.

  • As noted above, some providers’ ability to take PTO relies on other providers’ interest in built-in moonlighting during the same quarter. “What are the chances of this?”, you may ask! Well…pretty good apparently. Historically, these numbers are not that disparate. Tallies for the July-September quarter of 2026 are nearly equal. I point this out mainly to encourage providers to offer even a single shift or two of built-in moonlighting in quarters that they don’t intend to take PTO as this helps give your colleagues a better chance to take the break they’re hoping for.
  • If you don’t have a strong preference for which quarter you would like to take PTO, it is okay to not submit a rank in the survey. In fact, it is incredibly helpful if you do not submit a ranking as this gives us the flexibility to use your schedule to balance out the requests of others. The system cannot account for everyone taking PTO in Quarter 1. If you do not submit a rank, we will still cluster your Backup into one or two quarters which means you will still have opportunities to take PTO in other non-Backup quarters.

| | | | | | | | | | | | I know that this does not provide the full picture. I have omitted information regarding accrual and rollover of the various categories. I have also omitted details about the calculations of equity for backup coverage. This is not to avoid the topic, but only because I have a limit to how long a Newsletter can be. I can focus future newsletters on these other topics, or am happy to discuss them during any Monday Operations meeting. Please join if interested. Thank you.
-Andy Donohoe, MD , Associate Chief for Clinical Operations, Division of Hospital Medicine

|

| | | | | | | | | | | | Kudos!
“Andy Donohoe took one for the team — he scheduled himself to work overnight on 3/31 AND a rounding shift on 4/1…. ! Thank you, Andy, for all your work on our schedules and trying hard to get people the time off they want and need!” -Raquel Reyes, MD

| |

|

| | | | | | | | | | |

| | | Hillsborough Updates
Hillsborough Nursing-Provider Communication As we continue to improve secure chat communication with nursing staff, we are also working to improve bedside communication and collaboration with our nursing colleagues at Hillsborough. After discussions with nursing leadership, we have established the following best practices:

| | | | | | | | | | | |

  1. Please notify the HUC when you arrive on the unit. They will notify RNs to be available to discuss the plan of the day.
  2. If the nurse is unavailable while you are rounding, please send a secure chat with the update for the day.
  3. For patients who have complex care needs expected overnight (ie pain management, delirium), please touch base with the nurse in the afternoon to confirm the plan of care for the following shift. This will help minimize messages to the nocturnist and ensure consistency of care across shifts.

| | Admission of Surgical Patients After Hours In collaboration with general surgery, we have established the following protocol for management of surgical patients after hours. PRIMARY TEAM DESIGNATION:-If the general surgery attending on call accepts a patient in transfer to Hillsborough, the patient will be admitted to general surgery team as primary. -If the general surgery team does not feel this patient should be surgery primary, they will ask the PLC to contact the MAP for medicine to review and accept if appropriate. If appropriate, MAP will accept to hospitalist as primary team with surgical consultation.PLAN OF CARE COMMUNICATIONIf patients are accepted/arriving after hours and will be admitted by hospitalist to the general surgery team, a hand-off will be provided about the plan of care. A handoff can be done in one of three ways:

  1. If after 7PM, the accepting attending can ask the PLC to have the MAP join the call.
  2. A detailed telephone or treatment plan note can be written in the patient’s medical record
  3. A secure chat can be sent to the admitting hospitalist with the patient attached and a plan of care for overnight

If there is no hand off provided, the hospitalist will reach out to the on call surgical attending for clarification of the plan of care.
-Emily Sturkie, MD , Associate Chief for Clinical Operations at Hillsborough, Division of Hospital Medicine

|

| | | | | | | | | | |

| | | Using Evidently to highlight the complexity of our patients and the exceptional care we provide in our notes We know that we care for some of the most complex North Carolinians and we all know that we are doing exceptionally good work. Externally, our performance, as a hospital, is measured by multiple Ratings and Rankings: some of our most visible external measures are CMS, Leapfrog, Vizient, and US news. We have been using drop-downs, templates, tip sheets, queries, and continued education to emphasis certain diagnoses that matter to these external measures for years. Evidently can surface these conditions and can help us document the true complexity of the patients we care for.

| |
The goal is to make sure the severity of illness and work of care are accurately reflected in the record.The Ask:

  1. ON ADMISSION: Use the Evidently note drafter for the A &P section to augment, your A&P – launching this section AFTER you have all your orders in will make this section most accurate and useful.
  2. ON DISCHARGE: Use the Evidently note drafter and use the Evidently list of “Hospital Diagnoses” following your hospital course.

Choose: Discharge -- “Full Note”Depending on your style and preferences, you may choose to use all of these sections or selected sections; however, the Hospital Diagnoses section is MOST IMPORTANT for inclusion as this section contains those diagnoses that will most affect the complexity of the patient’s care
For the A &P, to reduce the burden of load time (usually about 45 seconds)

  1. See the patient and place orders first
    -The note drafter is most useful after your evaluation and key orders are in. At that point the chart contains better encounter-specific information, which usually improves the quality of suggested diagnoses.

  2. Start the note drafter, then do other work -The processing time is usually under a minute, but staring at the screen makes 45 seconds feel like a hostage situation. Use that time for pages, consult calls, or family communication.

  3. Review the diagnosis list actively and add them to your note -Do not paste blindly. Promote major active problems, combine redundancies when appropriate, and delete diagnoses that are not clinically accurate.

When editing your A &PMove up : Move major active problems above the “Secondary Problems” line or into the main hospital course/problem list.Keep : Keep diagnoses that are clinically present, evaluated, and relevant to the care delivered.Combine : Combine redundant diagnoses when appropriate for your style and clarity. In some notes, separate sections for related issues may still be reasonable.Delete : Delete diagnoses that are not clinically appropriate.Clarify : Clarify if a diagnosis was considered but ultimately not supported, consider documenting that it was ruled out. This practice will improve clarity and reduce later query risk.
Practical Pearls: Open Evidently early so load time happens in parallel with your work. The drafter is often strongest after orders are in. Use summaries for orientation, not just the diagnosis list. Think of the output as a way to surface what you are already noticing and managing. Keep note quality high. Better documentation is not the same thing as longer documentation.
Common Pitfalls:Pitfall : Accepting every diagnosis because it is present in the generated listBetter approach : Review and reconcile the list activelyPitfall : Deleting related diagnoses too aggressively and losing legitimate complexityBetter approach : Combine thoughtfully, but do not erase active conditions that are being managedPitfall : Using Evidently too early, before there is enough encounter-specific dataBetter approach : Review early, Place Orders first, Draft laterPitfall : Letting the output inflate the noteBetter approach : Use sections and prioritization to keep the note readablePitfall : Treating Evidently as template fillerBetter approach : Use it to support clinical thinking and documentation, not replace them
-Paul Ossman, MD, Lead Physician Advisor for Clinical Documentation Integrity

|

| | | | | | | | | | |

| | | Administrative Updates & Reminders
Required Learning Updates LMS Modules & TeamSTEPPSPlease ensure all assigned LMS modules and TeamSTEPPS training are completed by June 30, 2026. You still have the opportunity to sign up for the TeamSTEPPS training with our very own Jenn Mcentee on 5/20 from 8-12pm or 1-5pm, in Bondurant room G100. Please let Saranya know if you want to join!

| | | | | | | | | | | | New Administrative Team Member Please join me in welcoming Elisa Barrera, Administrative Specialist, to our Hospital Medicine administrative team! We’re excited to have Elisa join us and look forward to the skills and experience she brings.

| | | | | | | | | | | | “Hi Everyone! My name is Elisa Barrera, and I'm excited to join the team as a new Administrative Specialist. I studied business administration and marketing at UNCP and have lived in North Carolina my whole life, growing up in Chatham County. I bring over 7 years of administrative experience in healthcare, including working in family medicine, pediatrics, and podiatry. Outside of work, I have a 3-year-old daughter who keeps me busy, and I love spending time with my family and friends. In my free time, I enjoy exploring coffee shops and thrifting. I'm looking forward to getting to know all of you and being part of the team! GO HEELS!”

| |

| | | | | | | | | | | | Final Reminder: FY’26 CME Reimbursement Deadline From Charlotte – FINAL REMINDERThis is a final reminder that the FY’26 CME reimbursement deadline is May 18, 2026.Please disregard this message if you have already exhausted your available CME funds.Key reminders:

  • All CME receipts and reimbursement requests must be submitted by May 18, 2026.
  • Late requests cannot be honored. Any submissions after this date will be applied to next fiscal year funds, which begin July 1, 2026.
  • Any ordered items must be received by May 18 so expenses can be deducted from FY’26 funds.
  • UNC employees: Travel expenses, memberships, and subscriptions must be purchased using your T&E card by May 18.
  • After purchase, please upload receipts in Concur under the Expense tab (not the Request tab) or email a PDF copy so charges can be reconciled and processed promptly.

-Taylor Herndon, MHA , Associate Chief of Administration, Divisions of Hospital Medicine and Geriatrics

|

|

|

|

| | | | Logo

| | Copyright (C) 2026 UNC Division of Hospital Medicine. All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is:

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe

| | | Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp