Christiana Care Health System is one of the largest health care providers in the mid-Atlantic, serving all of Delaware and parts of PA, MD and NJ.

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American Academy of Nursing

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American Nurses Credentialing Center: Advanced Nurse Executive

Association of Perioperative Registered Nurses Foundation: Board of Trustees

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The Synergy Model and the Role of Clinical Nurse Specialists in a Multihospital System

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Lengthy emergency department wait times are nothing new. This has been a national issue since the 1980s. It’s a challenge for every health system – a challenge with no easy solutions.ChristianaCare is home to America’s 15th busiest ED, and in the third installment of our year-long series, “The Toughest Questions in Health Care,” Dr. Kert Anzilotti, ChristianaCare Chief Medical Officer, and Ric Cuming, ChristianaCare Chief Operating Officer, deliver insightful answers to the question, “Why can ED wait times be so long?”Together, we walk the complex maze of healthcare efficiency, examining the intricacies behind long queues. Learn how factors like hospital-wide patient volume, case severity prioritization and the ripple effects of post-acute care facility shortages contribute to a significant bottleneck. And explore a data-driven approach to improving patient flow and emergency department functionality.Finally, we provide guidance on choosing the most suitable venue of care for a variety of medical needs, a major way the public can be part of helping hospitals reduce wait times in the ED.Ric. Cuming is chief operating officer of ChristianaCare. In this role, Ric oversees the delivery of efficient and fiscally responsible system operations. He also works with other leaders to ensure high-quality and safe patient care. Ric joined ChristianaCare in 2016 as the system’s first chief nurse executive.Dr. Kert Anzilotti is chief medical officer for ChristianaCare. His work focuses on the optimization of care delivery across the health care system through strategic visioning, network development, clinical technology implementation and leveraging medical informatics.LinksShould I Go To the Emergency Room, Urgent Care or Primary Care?Emergency Care at ChristianaCareER visits are getting longer amid hospital staffing shortagesThe Complexities Of Emergency Medicine And Prolonged ER Wait TimesThanks for listening and subscribing! Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.

The Toughest Questions in Health Care: Why Can Emergency Department Wait Times Be So Long?

Richard G. Cuming, EdD, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, is the Chief Operating Officer at ChristianaCare. his role as COO, Cuming oversees the delivery of efficient and fiscally responsible system operations. He also works with other leaders to ensure high-quality and safe patient care.

A highly experienced and nationally respected nurse leader, Ric has more than 35 years of health care experience.

Cuming was inducted into the American Academy of Nursing in 2016. American Academy of Nursing Fellows are recognized among the most respected nursing leaders in education, management, practice and research.

On January 11, 2021, Cuming administered the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to then President-elect Joe Biden.

Operations Management

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FIU alumnus Ric Cuming EdD '09 currently the chief nurse executive at ChristianaCare, vaccinated President Joe Biden with the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in January.

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Ric Cumming

Health care is about more than broken bones and blood pressure readings. Join For the Love of Health hosts Michael Chesney and Megan McGuriman every other Thursday for engaging conversations about fascinating treatments, innovative programs, groundbreaking research and cutting-edge technology. Learn how medical experts are creating health today and delivering the care of tomorrow.

For the Love of Health

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Chief Operating Officer

ChristianaCare has increased its minimum wage to $16.50 an hour effective July 21, 2024. The new $16.50 per hour minimum wage exceeds federal, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania minimum wage rates. 

“At ChristianaCare, we are committed to creating health so that people can flourish, and that begins with our caregivers,” said ChristianaCare System Chief Operating Officer Ric Cuming, Ed.D., RN, NEA-BC, FAAN. “By investing in our caregivers and supporting their wellbeing, we support their ability to provide the very best care to our patients."

ChristianaCare is the largest private employer in Delaware with nearly 14,000 employees. This is the second time in recent years that ChristianaCare has raised its minimum wage; in 2019, ChristianaCare was among the first health systems in the region to raise its minimum wage to $15/hour.

This new increase to ChristianaCare’s minimum wage impacts approximately 850 caregivers who were below or near $16.50/hour.
 
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"It's important for us to lead by example in paying wages that support the financial wellbeing of our workforce,” said Chris Cowan, MEd, FABC, ChristianaCare’s Chief Human Resources Officer.
"Substantially increasing wages is one way we continue to attract and keep top talent at all levels in this highly competitive market. By recognizing the valuable contributions of our caregivers, we can enhance staff retention, boost morale and support an exceptional experience for everyone we serve.”

The increase is a part of ChristianaCare’s overall Total Rewards package for its caregivers, which includes a wide variety of benefits and support for caregivers and their families through all stages of life. Learn more about ChristianaCare’s Total Rewards here. 



ChristianaCare, Delaware’s Largest Private Employer, Raises Minimum Wage to $16.50 an Hour

richard-g-cuming-appointed-chief-operating-officer-of-christianacare

(WILMINGTON, Del. – June 26, 2023)

Richard G. Cuming, Ed.D., MSN, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, has been named ChristianaCare’s chief operating officer (COO).

Cuming has been serving as interim COO since the beginning of this calendar year. He joined ChristianaCare in 2016 as the system’s first Chief Nurse Executive.

In his role as COO, Cuming oversees the delivery of efficient and fiscally responsible system operations. He also works with other leaders to ensure high-quality and safe patient care.

“Ric has been an invaluable asset to ChristianaCare over the past seven years, especially in navigating the many challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic” said Janice E. Nevin, M.D., MPH, ChristianaCare president and chief executive officer. “As leader of our extraordinary, Magnet®-designated nursing staff and president of ChristianaCare HomeHealth, he has improved the lives of patients and caregivers alike. I look forward to him flourishing in this new role.”

Prior to coming to ChristianaCare, Cuming oversaw the operations and strategic direction of nursing services, perioperative and emergency services at Einstein Medical Center Philadelphia, Einstein Medical Center Elkins Park, MossRehab, Einstein Center One and Willowcrest, a skilled nursing center. Ric also previously worked at Jackson Health System in Miami as senior vice president and chief nursing executive, and he served as senior vice president and chief administrative officer at Jackson South Community Hospital.

Cuming serves on the board of directors of the DAISY Foundation and board of trustees of the Association of Perioperative Registered Nurses Foundation. He was inducted into the American Academy of Nursing and is an alumnus of both the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Executive Nurse Fellowship Program and the Wharton School of Business General Management Program.

Cuming earned his diploma of collegial studies in nursing at John Abbott College in Montreal, his Bachelor of Science in nursing from the University of Ottawa, his Master of Science in nursing at the University of Miami and his doctorate in adult education and human resource development with a minor in advanced nursing administration from Florida International University.


Richard G. Cuming Appointed Chief Operating Officer of ChristianaCare

meet-moxi-christianacare-introduces-innovative-collaborative-robot-to-give-nurses-more-time-to-deliver-care-and-patient-education

  ChristianaCare is the first health system in the Philadelphia region piloting an innovative tool called Moxi, a collaborative robot — or “cobot”— that can assist in the hospital by making deliveries and performing other non-clinical tasks so that nurses and other clinical staff can spend more time focused on what they do best—caring for patients.

With a landmark $1.5 million grant from the American Nurses Foundation, ChristianaCare will deploy a total of five Moxi cobots at Christiana Hospital. It is the largest single grant in the history of Nursing at ChristianaCare.

Research published in the Journal of Nursing Management shows that nurses spend a significant amount of time — up to 33% of their shifts — on time-consuming but simple tasks such as dropping off lab specimens, collecting supplies or picking up medications from the pharmacy. By taking over these time-consuming but simple tasks, Moxi enables nurses to focus on patient care, where their skills are most needed.

“Nurses need the time and space to deliver care and patient education at the top of their license,” said Ric Cuming, Ed.D., MSN, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, chief nurse executive and president, ChristianaCare HomeHealth.

“Moxi will be doing those hunting and gathering tasks such as getting equipment and supplies, which nurses are doing today but don’t need to be doing.”

Cobots are designed to share workspace and interact directly with people. In ChristianaCare’s initiative, the Moxi cobots will be integrated with the Cerner Corporation electronic health record (EHR) platform and use artificial intelligence to proactively identify when nurses will need equipment, supplies, medications and lab tests.

The Moxi cobots will be deployed to 11 inpatient units, partnering with more than 400 nurses. The American Nurses Foundation grant will enable ChristianaCare to evaluate the impact of cobots on nursing practice with the goal of scaling the technology if successful.

“Moxi is not a replacement for a nurse or nursing position — or any position,” Cuming said. “It is an additional resource for nurses and their teams.

“With robotic technology, we are using resources wisely and effectively, creating more efficient workflows, reducing repetitive tasks and freeing up nurses’ time for the complex clinical work that they excel at doing.”

 Reimagining Nursing ChristianaCare is one of 10 grant recipients from the American Nurses Foundation Reimagining Nursing (RN) Initiative.

“We are proud that the American Nurses Foundation has the confidence in bold nurse-led ideas that will lead to large-scale, replicable change,” said Katherine Collard, MS, RN-BC, chief nursing informatics officer at ChristianaCare.

“This grant will support nurses at ChristianaCare and our nursing colleagues across the nation in realizing their full potential, giving them the tools, resources and power to improve health care now and in the future.”

With the American Nurses Foundation grant, ChristianaCare will conduct research on driving nursing outcomes through robotics.

“We have a transformative opportunity to generate new knowledge and to move the science forward around robotics in nursing and in health care,” said Susan Birkhoff, Ph.D., RN, nurse scientist at ChristianaCare.

“Through research, we will study Moxi’s impact to nursing caregivers that will have broad implications for nursing practice, workforce and education,” she said.

ChristianaCare began exploring the potential of robotics to support Nursing with two Moxi cobots acquired in February, funded through the generosity of donors including Good Samaritan, Inc. and E.J. “Woody” Rice.

With the grant, said Birkhoff, ChristianaCare will take Moxi to the next “bold frontier,” adding three more cobots with the goal of automating and optimizing nurses’ workflow without interrupting care. With five total cobots, ChristianaCare will be home to the largest number of Moxi robots in health care.

The Little Bot That Can Before Moxi can become fully part of the care team, it must learn to navigate the hospital and respond to the nurses’ needs. Using artificial intelligence, Moxi is mapping out Christiana Hospital through sensors and other machine-learning technology so that the cobots can ultimately navigate and work autonomously.

“When the Moxi cobots are fully integrated, we anticipate that they will complete up to 200 delivery tasks a day,” Collard said. “By making point-to-point deliveries, Moxi can save nurses hours of time and thousands of steps.”

Designed to be compatible with the busy environments of hospitals, Moxi’s features include:

Social intelligence: Moxi won’t bump into people or objects in hallways, waves when it sees someone new and happily poses for selfies. Mobile manipulation: Moxi can learn to use its robotic arm to operate existing automatic doors and elevator panels. Human-guided learning: The more Moxi is used, the more Moxi learns and adapts to the environment and specific ways of doing things. Friendly and safe design: With heart-shaped eyes and a friendly appearance, Moxi is designed to navigate safely and get the job done so nurses can focus on patient care.  “What Moxi is doing in health systems like ChristianaCare is really transforming the way we think about health care and allowing staff to focus on the people in the hospital as opposed to the tasks,” said Dr. Andrea Thomaz, CEO and co-founder of Diligent Robotics, which created Moxi.

“Robots are not something way in the future. Our robots work side-by-side with humans to ease the stress and workload of one of the most demanding jobs in society, nursing. The partnership between Diligent and ChristianaCare shows that the future is now.”

Hospital Helper Directly from the Cerner EHR, Moxi will be able to anticipate clinician and patient needs and perform tasks without human involvement. Examples could include:

Delivering items to patients based on nurses’ order requests. Making rounds across units to deliver lab samples on collections completed in the electronic health record. Making just-in-time deliveries of pharmaceuticals not stocked on the floor. Prioritizing tasks based on the nursing workload in a unit, so that the busiest nurses will get help first.  “Connecting Moxi to the existing technology that clinicians use on a daily basis is key to making it easier to anticipate needs so clinicians can spend more time on patient care,” says Eva Karp, DHA, MBA, RN-BC, senior vice president, chief clinical and patient safety, Cerner.

“Moxi could make a real difference in a nurse’s day — alleviating burnout and staffing shortages, which have become especially prevalent since the pandemic.”

Incorporating the electronic health record into Moxi is part of the study funded by the American Nurses Foundation.

“It’s absolutely in the best interest of our patients that Moxi can work alongside nurses so we can spend more time working directly with our patients to do what we do best,” said Pam Owen, MSN, RN-BC, nurse manager on 7E, one of the pilot units. “And Moxi brings a smile to people’s faces.”

Fast Facts About Moxi Works in 22-hour shifts. Needs only two hours of charging time. Weighs about 300 pounds. Can carry a total weight of 70 pounds. Gender-neutral. Pronouns are “it” for a single Moxi cobot and “they” for more than one. Named one of America’s Greatest Disruptors in 2021 by Newsweek and one of the Best Inventions of 2019 by Time Magazine.  About ChristianaCare Headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, ChristianaCare is one of the country’s most dynamic health care organizations, centered on improving health outcomes, making high-quality care more accessible and lowering health care costs. ChristianaCare includes an extensive network of primary care and outpatient services, home health care, urgent care centers, three hospitals (1,299 beds), a freestanding emergency department, a Level I trauma center and a Level III neonatal intensive care unit, a comprehensive stroke center and regional centers of excellence in heart and vascular care, cancer care and women’s health. It also includes the pioneering Gene Editing Institute.

ChristianaCare is nationally recognized as a great place to work, rated by Forbes as the 2nd best health system for diversity and inclusion, and the 29th best health system to work for in the United States, and by IDG Computerworld as one of the nation’s Best Places to Work in IT. ChristianaCare is rated by Healthgrades as one of America’s 50 Best Hospitals and continually ranked among the nation’s best by U.S. News & World Report, Newsweek and other national quality ratings. ChristianaCare is a nonprofit teaching health system with more than 260 residents and fellows. With its groundbreaking Center for Virtual Health and a focus on population health and value-based care, ChristianaCare is shaping the future of health care.




Meet ‘Moxi’ – ChristianaCare Introduces Innovative Collaborative Robot to Give Nurses More Time to Deliver Care and Patient Education

Nursing is the nation’s most trusted profession. As partners in health, nurses care for patients and families at some of the important — and challenging — times of their lives in hospitals and communities, medical offices, hospices and homes. Nurses have an enormous impact on health care and health policy as advocates, educators, researchers and leaders on local, regional and national levels. In today’s society, no other health care professional has such a broad and far-reaching role. Learn more about nursing today from Christiana Care’s first chief nurse executive.

What Is Nursing Today?

Lengthy emergency department wait times are nothing new. This has been a national issue since the 1980s. It’s a challenge for every health system – a challenge with no easy solutions.

ChristianaCare is home to America’s 15th busiest ED, and in the third installment of our year-long series, “The Toughest Questions in Health Care,” Dr. Kert Anzilotti, ChristianaCare Chief Medical Officer, and Ric Cuming, ChristianaCare Chief Operating Officer, deliver insightful answers to the question, “Why can ED wait times be so long?”

For more information on this episode, visit ChristianaCare.org/podcasts

The Toughest Questions in Health Care: Why Can Emergency Department Wait Times Be So Long

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