Saturday, October 30, 2010

Client News: Hospitals Rev Up Recycling Efforts

Source: Melissa Burden / The Detroit News
Photo Credit: Clarence Tabb Jr. / The Detroit News
Hospitals in southeastern Michigan and across the country are reprocessing everything from drill bits to surgical staplers used in operating rooms, a move that not only saves money but spares trash from landfills.

The growing recycling effort of single-use medical devices comes as hospitals strive to cut expenses and become more green-friendly. A recent Johns Hopkins University study estimates hospitals can save millions by reprocessing or resterilizing single-use medical equipment, devices that otherwise are thrown out.
U.S. health care facilities send more than 4 billion pounds of waste each year to landfills and incinerators, according to a report in Materials Management in Health Care magazine. Medical waste is five to 10 times more costly to dispose of than solid waste, experts say.
 
"Reprocessing saves over 2 million pounds of medical waste from being sent to landfills each year," said Darren J. Wennen, vice president of marketing and business development for Minnesota-based SterilMed Inc., a reprocessing company with 1,700 customers nationally and about 100 in Michigan.

Hospitals typically ship the devices to a company such as SterilMed, which decontaminates, thoroughly cleans, inspects, repackages and sterilizes them before sending the devices back to the hospital.

The St. John Providence Health System, a six-hospital system in southeastern Michigan, will save about $1.2 million this year by reprocessing, according to SterilMed.

The system's largest hospital, the 804-bed St. John Hospital & Medical Center in Detroit, will save about $400,000 by reprocessing and will keep more than 12,000 pounds of medical waste from landfills.

"Health care is just a tremendous wasteful organization," said Vicki Boyce, a clinical nurse specialist who chairs St. John Hospital's Go Green committee.

Single-use medical reprocessing — which has come under fire over patient-safety concerns but has been deemed safe by the federal government — is just one way hospitals are cutting waste. Several Metro Detroit hospitals also have growing solid-waste recycling programs, where they're able to keep thousands of tons of waste from landfills.

Reprocessing saves millions

Hospitals and health systems such as the Detroit Medical Center, Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, Oakwood Healthcare Inc. and the St. Joseph Mercy Health System also are reprocessing devices, while some such as St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor have branched out to use reusable sharps' containers instead of disposable containers.

Most Michigan hospitals use reprocessed devices, said Dave Finkbeiner, senior vice president of advocacy at the Michigan Health & Hospital Association.

"Since we started the program here in 2006, we've saved more than $2 million by using reprocessed devices," said Bruce Lawrence, supply chain project manager for the eight-hospital Detroit Medical Center, which since 2006 has reprocessed 16 tons of devices such as clamps, tourniquet cuffs and electrophysiological catheters.

Over the past year, Beaumont Royal Oak sent 8,155 single-use devices to SterilMed for reprocessing, diverting 14,537 pounds from landfills and saving $500,000, said Beaumont spokesman Robert Ortlieb and Eric Tenner, manager of its central processing department. The hospital and the University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers also donate working but unused medical instruments.

And hospitals increasingly are switching disposable sharps' containers that handle needles, syringes and scalpel blades for reusable containers.

Prior to making its switch four years ago, St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor had been using more than 22,000 disposable containers a year. Now the Ann Arbor hospital and hospitals in Saline and Howell collectively use about 1,500 reusable containers a year, said Wayne Root, manager of central sterile reprocessing for St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor.

And Dearborn-based Oakwood Healthcare Inc.'s four hospitals believe the move they are planning will cut up to 13 percent of its medical waste and reduce medical waste costs by up to 11 percent, said Keith Cottrell, Oakwood's resident regional manager over environmental services.

The increased acceptance among hospitals to reprocess single-use devices, though, hasn't come without some people's concerns that using refurbished devices isn't safe.

Legislation introduced last year in the state legislature would have prohibited using devices labeled for single use that had been reprocessed, but the hospital association successfully pushed to amend the law to allow hospitals to use reprocessed medical devices as long as it's done by a reprocessor registered and regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Finkbeiner said.

"The FDA has reported consistently that there is no evidence that reprocessed single-use devices … create an elevated health risk to patients," Finkbeiner said "In all, the reprocessed devices account for approximately 2 percent of all medical equipment labeled for single-use."

The U.S. Government Accountability Office also has issued reports, most recently in 2008, that confirm the safety of reprocessing.

SterilMed said its reprocessed devices are "substantially equivalent to a new product with respect to cleanliness, functionality and sterility," Wennen said.

Solid waste recycled, too
Hospitals also are expanding solid-waste recycling.

In 2009, St. John Hospital was able to cut about 10 percent from its annual waste stream by recycling 105 tons of paper, 54 tons of cardboard, six tons of single-use devices, four tons of plastic, three tons of batteries and one ton of cooking and motor oil, plus a half-ton of chemicals, Boyce said.

And last year, the University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers recycled 28 percent of its total waste stream or 2,433 tons, while Detroit's Henry Ford Hospital recycled 1.7 million pounds.

Oakwood's hospitals and two long-term care centers now partner with a vendor who recycles up to 65 percent of its solid waste, Cottrell said. An energy facility also burns some waste, captures the steam and recycles that into electricity, he said.

"The main reason we do this is because we want to be very accountable in how we manage our waste," Cottrell said.

"Managing our waste in landfills is a very responsible thing to do."

Friday, October 29, 2010

Client News: Trinity Mother Frances Opens Epilepsy Center

Source: Trinity Mother Frances Press Release

TYLER, TX -- Officials with Trinity Mother Frances Hospitals and Clinics announced the opening of the region's only continuous inpatient monitoring unit, The Trinity Mother Frances Epilepsy Center, located at Mother Frances Hospital-Tyler.

Officials said the Center provides comprehensive care for patients with seizure disorders, offering inpatient and outpatient diagnostic testing capabilities, medication management, inpatient monitoring and surgical procedure options to treat epilepsy.

"For patients with epilepsy and seizure disorders, everyday life is anything but ordinary," said Ashley Lesniewski, Program Coordinator. "Helping you get your life back to normal is the first priority we have at The Epilepsy Center. Continuous monitoring helps the medical team to localize your seizures so that an individualized treatment plan can be formulated. We are excited to be able to offer this new facility to our patients."

According to the Epilepsy Foundation, epilepsy is a medical condition that produces seizures affecting a variety of mental and physical functions, but it is also called a seizure disorder. When a person has two or more unprovoked seizures, they are considered to have epilepsy. A seizure happens when a brief, strong surge of electrical activity affects part or all of the brain.

The World Health Organization estimates that 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy.

About the TMF Epilepsy Monitoring Unit

Using state-of-the-art technology in a specialized environment, the Trinity Mother Frances Epilepsy Monitoring Unit provides 24-hour continuous video electroencephalographic (EEG) monitoring under controlled conditions to assess seizure activity. The six-bed inpatient unit is not only comfortable but also equipped for the patient’s caregiver to stay in the room with them. The team of caregivers, including specialized nursing staff and neurodiagnostic technologists, work with the patient’s neurologist to ensure that the experience is positive and the patient’s needs are met.

The purpose of inpatient monitoring may include:

· Establishing the diagnosis of epilepsy, separating it from other intermittent non-epileptic events that mimic epilepsy
· Differentiating seizure types
· Localizing the brain region of seizure onset
· Determining seizure frequency
· Identifying candidates for surgical treatment options

Information gathered from seizure activity is analyzed by the physician so that an individualized treatment plan can be developed.

Epilepsy Treatment Options

The main treatment options for epilepsy include medication, surgical procedure options, vagus nerve stimulation and for some patients, the ketogenic diet. The ketogenic diet is primarily used in children with epilepsy and is a high fat diet, low on carbohydrates and is thought to reduce seizures.

There are numerous medications on the market used to treat epilepsy and all have different benefits and side effects.

A complete evaluation by a specially trained physician can help determine the best medication for each individual patient.

A patient who does not respond well to medication alone may be a candidate for surgery. For patients suffering from partial seizures, a surgical procedure can be performed to remove damaged tissue in the brain, or the area of the brain tissue where seizures begin. Trinity Mother Frances surgeons use specialized techniques to ensure that important brain functions are not adversely affected.

Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is also used to treat partial seizures and may reduce seizure frequency and intensity in some patients. The vagus nerve stimulator is surgically implanted under the skin near the collarbone. The stimulator sends weak signals to the vagus nerve in the neck and to the brain to help control seizure activity.

To schedule an appointment with a Trinity Mother Frances Neuroscience Institute physician, call (903) 525-7995 or (877) 233-0018. For more information, visit www.tmfneuroscience.com.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Client News: Huntsville Hospital Among Nation’s Top Hospitals

Source: Huntsville Hospital Press Release

For the ninth consecutive year, National Research Corporation has recognized Huntsville Hospital for its quality with the 2010 Consumer Choice Award.  Alongside UAB Hospital in Birmingham, Thomas Hospital in Fairhope, Baptist Medical Center in Montgomery, DCH Regional Medical Center in Tuscaloosa and Providence Hospital in Mobile, Huntsville Hospital is one of six hospitals statewide to receive this year’s honor.

NRC annually conducts a comprehensive survey of more than 250,000 households representing more than 450,000 consumers across the nation to determine which hospitals have the highest quality and image in more than 300 major health care markets.

Ginny Martin, president of NRC’s Ticker Division, said winners are determined by consumer perceptions on multiple quality and image ratings. “Health care has become an increasingly important issue across the country and empowered consumers are making decisions for themselves and their families when selecting their health care facilities and services,” Martin said. “As care options multiply and financial challenges remain strong, consumer perception of quality continues to grow in importance.”

Huntsville Hospital Chief Executive Officer David Spillers said the NRC award exemplifies how Huntsville Hospital’s physicians and staff are accomplishing the hospital’s vision to be one of the best in America. “This honor is very important because it reflects how our patients feel about the clinical and service excellence available at Huntsville Hospital,” he said.

The 268 national Consumer Choice award winners were listed in Modern Healthcare magazine, Oct. 18, 2010, edition. NRC has more than two decades of experience in health care performance measurement and improvement.

Friday, October 22, 2010

Client News: Elkhart General Hospital is Among the Top 5% in the Nation for Joint Replacement Care

Source: Elkhart General Hospital Press Release

ELKHART, IN – HealthGrades’ annual study released today ranks Joint Replacement care at Elkhart General Hospital in the top 5% in the nation. HealthGrades, the nation’s leading independent ratings organization, evaluates patient outcomes for 5,000 hospitals. This research is the only comprehensive analysis based solely on patient mortality and complication rates.

The public is demanding increased public reporting of quality measures, and recent government reform efforts support this call to action. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, more than 40% of adults report that they believe there are major differences in hospital quality in their immediate geography. Additionally, since 1996, the number of consumers that indicated they would choose a hospital based on a high quality rating over familiarity has increased to 72% from 59%.

2011 Clinical Achievements include:

* Recipient of the HealthGrades Joint Replacement Excellence Award™ For 3 Years in a Row
* Ranked Among the Top 5% in the Nation for Joint Replacement For 2 Years in a Row
* Ranked Among the Top 10% in the Nation for Joint Replacement For 3 Years in a Row
* Ranked #4 in Indiana for Joint Replacement For 3 Years in a Row
* Five-Star Rated for Joint Replacement For 3 Years in a Row (2009-2011)
* Five-Star Rated for Total Knee Replacement For 3 Years in a Row (2009-2011)
* Five-Star Rated for Total Hip Replacement For 3 Years in a Row (2009-2011)
* Ranked #7 in Indiana for Overall Cardiac Services
* Ranked #6 in Indiana for Cardiology Services
* Five-Star Rated for Treatment of Heart Failure For 9 Years in a Row

“The fact that we have once again been honored by HealthGrades is a testimony to the excellence of our physicians and staff at Elkhart General,” said Gregory W. Lintjer, President of Elkhart General Hospital. “Consistency in quality and dedication to our patients are the key ingredients that have led to this success.”

The HealthGrades study, the largest annual report of its kind, analyzed patient outcomes in nearly 40 million Medicare hospitalization records from the years 2007, 2008 and 2009. Among the findings related to inhospital complications in this year’s study are:

* Across all procedures in which complications were studied, there was an 80% lower chance of experiencing one or more complications in a 5-star rated hospital compared to a 1-star rated hospital.

* Across all procedures studied, there was a 63% lower chance of experiencing one or more inhospital complications in a 5-star rated hospital compared to the U.S. hospital average.

* If all hospitals performed at the level of a 5-star rated hospital, 185,875 inhospital complications may have been avoided among Medicare patients over the three years studied.

The new 2011 HealthGrades hospital ratings were posted today and are free to the public at www.healthgrades.com.

# # #

About Elkhart General Hospital
Elkhart General Hospital is an independent, not-for-profit, community-owned healthcare system located in Elkhart, Indiana. The full-service, 325-bed main hospital is comprised of 330 physicians representing 30 medical specialties, and over 2,000 employees serving in nursing, technical, administrative, and support capacities. The Elkhart General Hospital website is www.egh.org.

About HealthGrades
HealthGrades’ hospital ratings and awards reflect the track record of patient outcomes at hospitals in the form of mortality and complication rates. HealthGrades rates hospitals independently based on data that hospitals submit to the federal government. No hospital can opt in or out of being rated, and no hospital pays to be rated.

For 26 procedures and treatments, HealthGrades issues star ratings that reflect the mortality and complication rates for each category of care. Hospitals receiving a 5-star rating have mortality or complication rates that are below the national average, to a statistically significant degree. A 3-star rating means the hospital performs as expected. One-star ratings indicate the hospital’s mortality or complication rates in that procedure or treatment are statistically higher than average. Because the risk profiles of patient populations at hospitals are not alike, HealthGrades risk-adjusts the data to allow for equal comparisons.

More information on the Thirteenth Annual HealthGrades Hospital Quality in America study, including the complete methodology, can be found at www.healthgrades.com.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT
Peggy Randolph
Elkhart General Hospital, Project Coordinator
Phone: (574) 523-3303
Email: prandolph@egh.org
Website: www.egh.org

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Client News: Robertson resigns as President/CEO of Mon General and Mon Health System

Source: Mon Genral Press Release

Mon Health System President and Chief Executive Officer David Robertson has announced his resignation effective January 31, 2011, hospital officials confirmed today. Robertson has accepted a position as Senior Vice President of Irving, Texas-based VHA, Inc and Executive Officer of the VHA Oklahoma/Arkansas region.

“I have always been immensely honored to be a part of the Mon Health System,” Robertson said. “I will always be proud of our significant accomplishments such as developing the Hazel Ruby McQuain Tower as part of a five-year, $92 million expansion and modernization project, improving and expanding our cardiac care program, developing Mon General Hospital into an all private patient room facility, focusing on meeting the needs and expectations of our patients, and ensuring our patient safety as first priority. The last eight years have been tremendous.”

Robertson joined the Mon Health System in January 2003 after serving 18 years as CEO of Duncan Regional Hospital in Duncan, Oklahoma, and five years as CEO of Shelby County Myrtue Memorial Hospital in Harlan, Iowa.

Under Robertson’s leadership, Mon General Hospital achieved the HealthGrades Patient Safety Excellence Award for an unprecedented five consecutive years, the only West Virginia hospital to receive such a designation and one of less than 40 hospitals nationally to achieve this accomplishment. This distinction puts Mon General in the top five percent of all hospitals in the nation in terms of patient safety.

“We have expanded and remodeled 90% of our facilities at Mon General, and now all 189 of our rooms are private for added comfort and safety,” said Robertson. “We have updated surgical support areas, enhanced public spaces, developed a new Emergency Department and Intensive Care Unit and improved access to Outpatient departments. These are significant improvements to the facility and they continue to have significant and positive impacts to our growing patient base.”

Since 2008, Robertson has guided Mon General to add dialysis services and most recently, Mon General received its three year accreditation from the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO). Surveyors on site for this described the hospital as “Outstanding.”

Throughout his tenure, patient satisfaction scores skyrocketed. Press Ganey, the nation’s leading healthcare performance management company, currently show Mon General’s inpatient satisfaction to be at the 98th percentile nationally and outpatient satisfaction at the 92nd percentile. Further, Medicare surveys place global satisfaction at Mon General higher than any other hospital in the state of West Virginia.

“This decision has been an extremely difficult one to make, but the opportunity to be closer to both my wife’s and my family was a compelling factor,” Robertson said.

Robertson will assume his new duties with VHA on February 1, 2011. The VHA Oklahoma/Arkansas region, with offices in Little Rock and Oklahoma City, coordinates and directs VHA efforts to serve a 19 member system, including 43 hospitals and hundreds of non-acute care organizations in the two states. The organization deploys staff to implement strategies and improve clinical performance to improve health care operations overall. The region also supports several member-owned businesses including AROK, a regional supply network; LifeCare Health Services, which provides numerous health care-related services including employee benefit management services, a nurse advice line, managed care services, and clinical and operational risk management support services; and Heartland RRG, a professional liability insurance company.

VHA Inc., based in Irving, Texas, is a national network which serves 1,400 not-for-profit hospitals and more than 24,000 non-acute care health care organizations nationwide. Its 16 regional offices, including VHA Oklahoma/Arkansas, serve member health care organizations in 46 states and the District of Columbia.

Elkhart General Hospital selects Unibased's Physician Order Collection and Enterprise Tracking (POCET)





PRESS RELEASE: Unibased Systems Architecture, Inc. (Unibased), the leading provider of patient access and enterprise wide resource management solutions and surgery management systems to healthcare known as ForSite2020®, announced today that Elkhart General Hospital (EGH), located in Elkhart, Indiana has selected the Unibased solution Physician Order Collection and Enterprise Tracking (POCET) standalone version POCET Lite to be their order consolidation solution. Elkhart General, like the industry in general, recognizes the resource intensive processes of tracking, collecting, reviewing, documenting, and archiving physician orders from several disparate sources. Additionally, assuring that the appropriate diagnosis code and local managed care criteria are addressed at the time of order submission impacts denials. Physicians may become sensitive to the numerous calls to their office by providers attempting to address the order management issues and, with the need for improved consumer services in the industry, market share may be at risk.

According to Jeff Fulmer, Director of Patient Accounts and Admitting at EGH, “Unibased carries a great reputation for product development and customer service; both rated #1 in the industry for many years. After assessing POCET, and talking to other Unibased users, EGH felt comfortable moving forward.” Dawn McCaskill, Manager of Integrated Patient Scheduling, added, “We selected POCET because Unibased consistently went above and beyond with EGH, providing top-notch customer service. I’m most impressed with their willingness to listen and tap into our talent, creativity, and ideas. This open communication will positively impact our end users and help gain acceptance in our physician offices.”

Elkhart’s scheduling and financial department leadership embarked on a year long evaluation of the leading order consolidation solutions available. POCET Lite was ultimately selected. In addition to very robust, web based, order submission functionality, POCET Lite also addresses the majority of orders that continue to come via a fax from EMRs and elsewhere by using its Optical Character Recognition software. All orders, regardless of source, are legible, indexed, and consolidated in a central repository. Bob Grass, Principal Consultant, for Unibased said: “I am elated about the significant financial impact we will make for Elkhart General. In addition to the efficiencies of improved order management, Elkhart will be able to truly jump start the revenue cycle by having all payor and clinical questions answered prior to service. These features, which are based upon more than 15 years of product performance history are what separated POCET Lite from the pack."

About Elkhart General Hospital: Elkhart General Hospital is an independent, not-for-profit, community-owned health care system in Elkhart, Indiana. The full-service, 325-bed main hospital serves more than 19,000 patients a month and the medical staff is comprised of 330 physicians representing 30 medical specialties, and over 2,000 employees serve in nursing, technical, administrative, and support capacities. For more information on Elkhart General Hospital, visit www.egh.org.

Friday, October 15, 2010

Client News: WellSpan Aspers Health Center Community Open House TOMORROW

Location: 2060 Carlisle Road, Aspers, PA 17304
Date: 10/16/2010,
Time: 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

The new WellSpan Aspers Health Center offers numerous health services in one convenient location. These services include Adams Cumberland Family medicine, Biglerville Family Medicine, as well as imaging, laboratory, and rehabilitation services of Gettysburg Hospital. Tour of the facility! Light refreshments provided. No registration required.

http://www.wellspan.org/

Client News: WellSpan Rehabilitation Slates Open House

WellSpan Rehabilitation is holding an open house:

When: Sunday, Oct. 12
Time: 12noon to 2 p.m.
Where: 1575 Bannister Street, Suite 4, York.

It’s an opportunity to learn more about breast cancer risk, prevention and rehabilitative options.

Attendees will be able to:

Learn risk factors and prevention for breast cancer from occupational therapists.
Test their balance and learn fall prevention techniques from physical therapists.
Tour the new facility and see the latest in rehabilitation therapy.
Talk with licensed therapists about rehabilitation treatment options.

For more information about the open house, call 812-5850.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Matt Llewellyn Joins Unibased Team!

Matthew A. Llewellyn has joined Unibased as Vice President of Product Management and Marketing.

Matt came to us from McKesson Information Technologies where he was the Vice President of Channel Strategies for RelayHealth, a division of McKesson. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering Management from Missouri University Science & Technology (formerly University of Missouri - Rolla) and a Masters in Business Administration from St. Louis University. Matt's healthcare industry knowledge and business successes in the areas of revenue cycle management and clinical systems will blend well with our current needs and will be a great asset to our team. Welcome aboard Matt!

[Disclaimer: Image is copyrighted material of Unibased Systems Architecture, Inc. - All rights reserved. This image may not be published, broadcast or redistributed without permission. Please send requests for permission to use the image to speth@unibased.com.]

Monday, October 11, 2010

Client News: WellSpan Physicians Sharing Their Notes With Patients

Source: WellSpan Newsletter

Before Ann Hagerty left Apple Hill Internal Medicine after her appointment with Dr. Brian Pollak, she received a preliminary copy of his notes pertaining to her visit.

The sheet included the physician’s assessment, orders needed and future plan of care. “Having a copy of the notes is very valuable to me,” said Hagerty.

“It lets me know what transpired. If I didn’t pick up on something during the appointment, I’ll be able to re-read the notes.

“The notes are clear and understandable,” she added. “I took a copy of the notes of my most recent visit with me when I traveled to Russia.

I knew they would come in handy if I had any medical emergency.” “By sharing our notes with patients, they are better informed, have a chance to make any corrections or amendments to the notes and are more of a partner in their care,” said Pollak.

Pollak said Apple Hill Internal Medicine physicians have shared their notes with patients for about three years. Physicians at Aspers Health Center also share their notes.

“Our patients appreciate receiving the notes,” he said. “I believe it helps strengthen the relationship between physicians and patients.

It’s also an excellent communication tool, which is valuable to patients as well as other physicians.” While the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA, gave all patients the legal right to read and even amend their own medical records in 1996, few practices share notes with their patients.

“Our hope is that more practices will share notes with their patients,” said Dr. Hal Baker, vice president and chief information officer for WellSpan. Baker also practices at Apple Hill Internal Medicine.

Physicians have long cited a number of concerns about sharing notes. The concerns include: patients misinterpreting medical information and diagnoses, creating unnecessary stress and patients’ unfamiliarity with medical terms and abbreviations.

“The same concerns come up time and time again,” said Baker. “But, there’s little evidence to support those concerns.”

Baker hopes that an on-going study, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, will alleviate physicians’ concerns and demonstrate the value of sharing notes.

Open Notes, the largest study of open access, was initiated this past summer. The study involves more than 100 primary care physicians and approximately 25,000 patients from three large health care centers across the United States.

In the study, patients who have just seen their doctors will receive an email message directing them to a secure website where they can view signed physician notes.

Researchers will analyze the expectations and experiences of patients and physicians. They also will examine the number of additional phone calls, emails and visits that may arise as a result of more patients viewing their doctors’ notes.

Friday, October 8, 2010

Client News: Lancaster General Health CEO Thomas E. Beeman Called to Active Duty

Thomas E. Beeman
Source: Lancaster General Health Press Release Photo Credit: Nashville Post

(LANCASTER, PA) Lancaster General Health (LG Health) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Thomas E. Beeman, a Captain in the U. S. Navy Reserves, is being called by the Navy to spend up to one year on active duty in Bethesda, MD, beginning Friday, Oct. 15.

On Oct. 21, the LG Health Board of Trustees will grant Beeman a sabbatical and appoint him the position of Strategic Advisor to the Board. In that capacity, he will remain on the LG Health Board of Trustees and continue to report to the Trustees and its Chairman, Alexander Henderson III.

Since Beeman became CEO in 2005, the LG Health Board of Trustees had prepared for the possibility of his being called to active duty. During his absence, the Board has appointed Executive Vice President Jan Bergen as CEO of the LG Health system, and Executive Vice President Marian McGowan as system Chief Operating Officer and President of Lancaster General Hospital (LGH). Their appointments will be officially voted on Oct. 21.

Bergen and McGowan, who have decades of executive leadership in healthcare and previously served as hospital CEOs, will also serve as members of the Boards of Trustees of LG Health and Lancaster General Hospital.

“We consider the U.S. Navy’s decision an honor for both Tom and LG Health,” said Alexander Henderson. “It speaks highly of his leadership, ethics and experience in addressing complex healthcare issues. In addition, we feel fortunate to have a talented, experienced executive team, and a highly engaged Board of Trustees, which will ensure seamless leadership in his absence.”

Beeman will serve as Deputy Director of the National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE), an advanced facility dedicated to research, diagnosis and treatment of military personnel and veterans suffering from traumatic brain injury (TBI) and psychological health issues.

NICoE is a 72,000 square foot, two-story facility located on the Navy campus at Bethesda, MD., adjacent to the new Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. NICoE is designed to provide the most advanced services for advanced diagnostics, initial treatment plan and family education, introduction to therapeutic modalities, referral and reintegration support for military personnel and veterans with TBI, post traumatic stress, and/or complex psychological health issues.

Further, NICoE will conduct research, test new protocols and provide comprehensive training and education to patients, providers and families while maintaining ongoing telehealth follow-up care across the country and throughout the world.

To continue reading, click here.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Client News: St. Joseph's Hospital's 2010 Georgette's Holiday Fashion Show

Join St. Joseph's Hospitals Foundation and Georgette's & The Shoe Salon for the 22nd Annual Georgette's Holiday Fashion Show, presented by Georgette Diaz and Tasha Diaz. Watch Tampa Bay's top celebrities model the latest fashion trends and then wrap up your holiday shopping!

This exciting event is the perfect start to the holiday season, featuring a Broadway-style fashion show with special guest models, entertainment, 50/50 raffle drawings and live and silent auctions.

Individual tickets are $75. Table sponsorships start at $1,000. All proceeds will benefit the St. Joseph's Women's Hospital Shimberg Breast Center.

It's not too late to reserve your seat today! For more information, please call the St. Joseph's Hospitals Foundation at (813) 872-0979.

WHEN: Thursday, December 9, 2010; 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

WHERE: Hyatt Regency, Downtown Tampa

CHAIRS: Sally Sierra and Lisa Pearson

Monday, October 4, 2010

Client News: Advantages of Hospital Mergers: Q&A With Marty Bonick of Jewish Hospital in Louisville


Pictured: Marty Bonick
Source: Becker's Hospital Review 
Written by Leigh Page 

Marty Bonick has been president and CEO of Jewish Hospital in Louisville for two and one half years and maintains a blog, called Hospital Life. The 517-bed hospital is part of Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s HealthCare, which is in merger talks with 404-bed University of Louisville Hospital.

Question: Your system has been exploring a partnership with University of Louisville Hospital. How is that coming along?
Marty Bonick: My board is still negotiating and final details have not been worked out yet. It's looking more like a merger. We already have a close working relationship with University of Louisville Hospital. For example, we have been jointly operating the Cardiovascular Innovation Institute in Louisville. We have several complementary service lines. For example, we have transplant and heart and they have cancer, obstetrics, a NICU and trauma. We have some of those services, too.

This would not be the first merger for us. We merged with St. Mary's [331-bed Sts. Mary & Elizabeth Hospital] in 2005. But the market would stay competitive. There are four large health systems in the area, and we are second in market share. In the past six to eight years, we've had a strategy of developing outpatient centers with their own surgery centers, imaging, labs and women's health centers. We now operate four outpatient centers and they have started to have market penetration. We don’t have plans for any more right now. Kentucky is a CON state, so it's quite a process to set up a new one.

Q: Hospital consolidation seems to be the wave of the future. Would you agree?

MB: All indications show consolidations are going to be important to healthcare. They offer an opportunity for hospitals to broaden access and improve quality. A relationship with University of Louisville Hospital would help us grow our service lines and we could also reduce administration costs and centralize services like medical records and billing.

Q: Another trend is for hospitals to buy up physicians' practices. Are you doing that as well?
MB: Employment of physicians is a relatively new concept here. It has been occurring just in the past five or six years. Some doctors will always want to be independent. We what to try to achieve a consensus among all the doctors on staff.

Q: Are you interested in forming an accountable care organization?


MB: Like everybody, I'm waiting for the details but we've been doing a lot of planning. Healthcare reform will dramatically alter the environment. Hospitals and physicians need to work together in a stronger way than before to improve access.

An ACO could be formed by employing physicians or through clinical integration. The FTC has already condoned clinical integration. In this model, physicians use clinical IT to share information about outcomes and cost. We are in the midst of organizing independent physicians right now, like Advocate Physician Partners has done in Illinois. It's too early to say how many physicians would join, but we want a large group of them to demonstrate value to insurers. The numbers of could be in the hundreds and maybe in the thousands, especially if you include University of Louisville Hospital. There are four to five examples of clinical integration already running around the country, and we have been studying them.

Q: Humana is based in Louisville. Are you planning any ACO-like pilots with Humana?

MB: We are in initial discussions with Humana. It's just exploratory at this point. Insurers are still trying to figure out their role.

Q: Do you have electronic medical records?


MB: We don't have EMR yet. We are working on that. We do have an IT system, but not a full-blown EMR. It will take a few years.

Find out more about Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s HealthCare.

Client News: Mon General A Night in Old Hollywood


When: Saturday November 6, 2010 (Cocktails 6:30 pm & Dinner 8:00 pm)

Where: The Morgantown Event Center at Waterfront Place Hotel

Entertainment: The Glenn Miller Orchestra & Latin Band "Azucar"

Attire: Black Tie

RSVP by October 29, 2010

Click here, to download invitation.

Friday, October 1, 2010

Client News: Jewish Hospital Opens Kentucky’s Most Comprehensive Center for Advanced Heart Failure and Cardiothoracic Transplantation

Source: Jewish Hospital & St. Mary's Healthcare Press Release 

Louisville, Ky.—Jewish Hospital today announced the opening of The Center for Advanced Heart Failure and Cardiothoracic Transplantation, Kentucky’s most comprehensive center dedicated to the treatment of advanced heart failure and other cardiac-related services.  The new center is located on the 10th floor of the Rudd Heart & Lung Center on the hospital’s main campus.  It will be a single convenient location for:
• Initial evaluation for advanced heart failure
• Heart transplant clinic
• Ventricular Assist Devices or VADs (including bridge-to-transplant and destination therapy)
• Lung transplant clinic
• Access to clinical trials
Cardiovascular diseases, such as heart failure, are the leading cause of death in Kentucky, accounting for a third of all deaths in the state.  This Center for Advanced Heart Failure and Cardiothoracic Transplantation is the first center in the region dedicated to a full continuum of care for patients suffering from advanced heart failure in a single location.
Jewish Hospital does more heart procedures than any other facility in the state and has long been a pioneer in heart care and cardiothoracic transplantation.  The first adult heart transplant in Kentucky was performed at the hospital in 1984 and first heart/lung transplant in 1988.
“Jewish Hospital has achieved many firsts in heart and lung care throughout our history,” said Marty Bonick, president/CEO of Jewish Hospital Medical Campus. “We’re pleased to further that tradition with the opening of The Center for Advanced Heart Failure and Cardiothoracic Transplantation, which will enable us to further our mission of providing the highest quality care and a strong emphasis on research and education.”
“The Center is a great opportunity for Louisville and Kentucky residents, allowing patients access to advanced comprehensive care,” said Mark Slaughter, M.D., director of Heart Transplant and Mechanical Assist Device program at Jewish Hospital.  “We offer the most complete range of diagnostic and intervention heart care services available anywhere in the state. Our team will care for patients throughout their treatment protocol from evaluating treatment options to rehabilitation.”

Transplant and VAD coordinators will walk the patients through every step of a transplant or VAD. Research managers will manage multiple clinical trials, ensuring that patients have access to the latest medical advancements, such as Levacor, HeartWare II, and C-Pulse VADs that are currently underway at Jewish Hospital.  In addition, physicians are on site holding clinics for interested patients.

To continue reading this article, click here.

Cleint News: Oakwood Physicians get HOUR Detroit Magazine’s Top Doc Mention

Source: Oakwood Press Release

Thirty-six Oakwood physicians were nominated by their peers and are featured in the much-anticipated October issue of HOUR Detroit magazine as Top Docs in southeastern Michigan.

Top Docs issue will be on newsstands Oct. 1. This is a great way for you to read about the great care provided by these top Oakwood physicians, some of whom have been honored in the magazine’s Top Docs issue in previous years.


To read more of this press release, click here.

HiMSS 2011 Annual Conference & Exhibition

Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS)

2011 Annual Conference & Exhibition
February 20-24, 2011
Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL

We will be in BOOTH 1407, if you are attending please stop by or call Stephanie Speth at 314-878-6050, ext. 143 to set up a time to see a private demo.

For more information, go to: http://www.himssconference.org/

UPCOMING EVENTS

We would like to visit with you if you are attending any of the events below! If you prefer to reserve some time in advance, please contact Stephanie Speth at
314-878-6050, ext. 143.

2010 Fall Educational Conference presented by Michigan Alliance of Healthcare Access Professionals & the Michigan Patient Accounting Association - Region
I
October 6-8, 2010
Comfort Inn Hotel & Conference Ctr., Mt. Pleasant, MI
Click Here to View Conference PDF

ANESTHESIOLOGY 2010

October 16-20, 2010
San Diego Convention Center - San Diego, CA
For more information, go to: http://anesthesiology2010.com

Northeast Regional NAHAM Conference
October 18-19, 2010
Holiday Inn, Stamford, CT

Client Visit - Inova Fairfax Hospital

During a recent trip to Inova Fairfax Hospital (Falls Church, VA), Cynthia Borders and Peggy Pittenger visited the Inpatient Rehab Scheduling Department to review the unique requirements surrounding the use of Unibased products in an inpatient rehabilitation setting. The staff at Inova have done an outstanding job in being creative and successful in their approach to using RMS to meet their needs. Each day the rehabilitation department at the Fairfax campus schedules and treats over 300 inpatients. The large number of patients, combined with patient care (sometimes patients can only see one therapist based on their diagnoses) and the complexities of running a rehabilitation unit speaks to the creativity and dedication of those who maintain these daily schedules. To support Inova's scheduling needs, they use RMS Provider Schedules along with 9 custom Crystal Reports, and have had great success. If you have questions about how RMS can be used to support your hospital's inpatient rehabilitation center, please call:

Cynthia Borders ext 120.