May 12 - COVID-19 Daily Update

Mobile Heartbeat personal device changes coming tomorrow

Tomorrow, Thursday, May 13, at 8 a.m., Mobile Heartbeat personal device users will see the following changes: 

• The four-digit PIN requirement to access the app will be removed when a user either swipes the app out of memory, or upon logging out of and back into the app.
• The persistent session timeframe will also be decreased from 30 days to seven days.

If you have questions, please contact the Service Desk at 888-481-2448.

Do you know how to Bwell? Learn how your colleagues boost their well-being with Bwell

If you don’t usually take advantage of Bwell, Beaumont Health’s Employee Wellness offerings, check out what some of your colleagues say about their experience to learn how it can benefit you.

Bwell exists to support your well-being. The myriad classes and sessions give you opportunities to cherry pick what you’d like to participate in, so you can customize your wellness goals.

Dionne George, properties assistant in Property Management at Beaumont, Royal Oak, knows the benefits of Bwell as a program ambassador. She looks forward to getting the monthly ambassador toolkit email.

“I really like the quick sessions, like Bwell WellCheck webinars,” she said. “I watched one on diabetes and another on decluttering your life and found both interesting. I always like to learn something new.”

Dawn Geisert, senior vice president and chief compliance officer for Beaumont Health, had the Bwell team visit her department to help with ergonomics, offering tips for reducing stress on the body.

A particular favorite class of Dawn’s is the mindfulness course offered through Bwell and the Beaumont Center for Mindfulness. With a busy career and kids in sports, mindfulness techniques help her maintain balance in her busy lifestyle.

“The classes taught me techniques for actively listening and de-escalating situations, which work when I’m communicating in general, even with my kids,” Dawn said.

She also found the practices for coping with stress beneficial, such as looking for signs of stress in the body.

“Bwell courses have kind of trained my brain to think differently and to be more mindful of my breathing and listening,” said Dawn. “The techniques help me maintain an even keel. I think it’s really important to recognize those stress cues in our bodies.”

For Stephanie Founteas, RN, assistant nurse manager in the Nursing Short Stay Unit at Beaumont, Dearborn and a Bwell ambassador for nearly a decade, meditation-related programming is a favorite.

“I participated in the meditative, silent retreat in 2019,” said Stephanie. “I think it’s helpful to unplug from electronics. I need that break because I am bombarded with electronic devices every day at work.”

She posts Bwell offerings in her team’s break room or mentions them at Huddles. “In general, it seems nurses put patient care before their own,” said Stephanie. “My favorite Bwell initiative I worked on was opening a relaxation room, a quiet space where my teammates and I can step away for a moment to relieve fatigue or stress during a shift.”

Stephanie also liked Eat Right for Life classes and found sessions with a Bwell coach helpful. “It has been a struggle during the pandemic to stick to my personal health habits because my job is busy and I have less time,” she said. “Bwell is helpful in getting back to my good habits.”

Only 30 days until the Annual Education deadline

Annual Education assignments are in HealthStream now, so don’t delay! The deadline is June 11—that’s only 30 days away.

Annual Education is a key component of our Compliance Program. It helps you understand relevant and ever-changing laws, regulations and internal policies, so you can adhere to the required practices in your daily work. Annual Education also provides you information to identify and report compliance, quality or safety violations you may witness and to proactively spot potential issues before a violation occurs.

In general, these requirements come from the federal and state government, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Joint Commission as well as HIPAA and various safety laws. Whether you’re a nurse, lab tech, billing assistant, administrative assistant, security officer, physician, manager or even a board member — the government’s emphasis on compliance with health care regulations requires everyone to have the same basic understanding and training.  

Annual Education is required of all of us and helps Beaumont meet its Mission of providing compassionate, extraordinary care every day. Your position and job responsibilities determine whether you are assigned additional education that provides specific information for your job functions.

By completing your Annual Education, you also contribute to patient safety, reduce liability risks and allow Beaumont to operate more effectively by identifying gaps or concerns before they become an issue or impact patient care.

Annual Education is a requirement of employment at Beaumont Health; non-completion may result in disciplinary action, up to and including termination.

Can you spot phishing emails? 

Did you know, the IT Cybersecurity department runs an email phishing awareness program? As a Beaumont Health team member, you periodically receive simulated phishing emails that imitate real attacks. These emails are based on actual phishing schemes and designed to give you a realistic experience in a safe and controlled environment. This method allows you to become familiar and more resilient to tactics used in real phishing attacks.

While there is no penalty if you are hooked by the phishing simulation, you are required to read and understand the brief education material that is presented afterward.  

“Unfortunately, it only takes one click to potentially jeopardize Beaumont’s ability to deliver patient care and expose data records we are trusted with safeguarding,” said Dawn Geisert, Senior Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer. “In this case, practice really does help make perfect. With phishing attacks against healthcare entities increasing by almost 200%, learning how to spot and handle a phishing attempt is a key job responsibility for all of us.” 

As the program progresses, you should be able to better spot phishing attacks, both at home and in the workplace. 

What do I do if I receive a suspicious phishing email? 
Forward as an email attachment in Outlook to phish@beaumont.org.

Where can I learn more about phishing?
Review the HealthStream module “2021 Confidentiality and Information Security” and the Beware of Email Phishing Scams handout.

Who can I contact for more information?
Denise Kitchen or Joe Schimp from the Governance, Risk and Compliance team.