Allegheny Valley Hospital president unveils plans for new year

Gaspar-Yoo was the fourth physician hospital president Allegheny Health Network appointed since 2016. Leadership by physicians and other clinicians who work directly with patients is the norm at the network’s hospitals, spokeswoman Stephanie Waite said.

Waite said Allegheny Health Network’s CEO Cindy Hundorfean “believes that in order to build a patient-centered, clinician-led health care organization, physicians and clinicians must have a say in decision-making, and must have more seats at the table.”

When she came in, Gaspar-Yoo said she had to change the hospital’s culture to focus on improving patient experience and satisfaction. Doing that leads to patients saying they were treated well at the hospital, and others feeling confident in coming there.

One way to accomplish that has been to reduce observation times on the hospital floor from an average of 30 hours to 23. Another measure of success has been to stop central-line-associated bloodstream infections — serious problems that originate in central lines used to deliver medicine or fluids. The hospital hasn’t had one in 200 days, Gaspar-Yoo said.

“I intend to have a whole year of no bloodstream infection,” she said. “That’s a major quality indicator.”

Samantha Callen, 30, of New Kensington started as manager of patient experience in June, just before Gaspar-Yoo came on. When they met, Callen said Gaspar-Yoo “looked at my name tag and told me we were going to be working very closely together. I knew that she took patient experience just as serious as I did.”

Callen said Gaspar-Yoo asks patients about their stay and how the hospital can improve.

“She is very engaged on the patient experience and wants to be able to be a part of the patient experience,” Callen said. “She is probably one of the most unique leaders that I have worked for. She will help deliver lunches to patients. She will get some coffee. She will get them ice cream if they want it. She understands their needs and is able to talk to them.”

Gaspar-Yoo attributes much of the hospital’s improvement to increased efficiency in its emergency department, where the average wait time has dropped from 21 minutes to just six.

She attributed much of that improvement to Misty Baer, director of emergency services, who has been at the hospital for 13 months.

Baer, 39, of Allegheny Township said she interacts with Gaspar-Yoo daily, sometimes several times a day.

“She’s very approachable. She’s not intimidating at all,” Bear said. “She’s created a pretty clear vision of what the future looks like for Allegheny Valley. Her vision for the hospital is to continue to grow and provide services to the community and be able to advance our care and continue to provide great care and continue to grow the services available here.”

The 24-bed emergency department at Allegheny Valley sees from 80 to 100 patients a day, Baer said.

She said it’s been helpful for the hospital’s president and CEO to have a physician’s background.

“They have a better understanding of the clinical operations of the hospital and also a better understanding of what experiences patients are having,” she said. “We’re glad that she’s here.”

Baer described Gaspar-Yoo as an involved, transparent and visible leader.

“The visibility and transparency she has brought to the facility has created a culture change,” Baer said. “Employees feel more engaged, leadership feels more engaged. She’s doing a really great job changing the culture, lifting spirits and putting the focus on the patients and ensuring that we’re doing the right thing for patients every time.”

Upon making a secret visit to the hospital before she was interviewed for the job, Gaspar-Yoo said she was taken by how helpful hospital employees and volunteers were, and how much pride they took in the hospital.

“We have a big following. We have a lot of loyal employees here,” she said. “We have a strong connection with the community coupled with outstanding health care.”

Marketing the hospital and making the community aware of what services it offers is a challenge, Gaspar-Yoo said.

“I’m excited with the growth,” she said. “We’re going to do a lot in 2020.”

For this year, Gaspar-Yoo said the hospital plans to expand in-patient rehabilitation by adding more beds; bring back women’s health services with a focus on cardiology; grow its occupational medicine program and vascular services; and grow a pain management program to minimize the use of opioids.

The hospital needs more specialists, she said, particularly in gastroenterology and urology.

Allegheny Valley marked its 110th anniversary in 2019. Gaspar-Yoo said its old infrastructure is a weakness — “I’m going to work on that.”

The hospital’s people are its strongest asset, she said.

“From nursing to dietary to environmental services to maintenance, the people make the difference,” she said. “They’re proud of being here. It makes the culture.”