Unibased Systems Architecture

Press Release: Bay Area Hospital Selects Enterprise Scheduling, Consumer Portal and Fax Order Management Solution from Unibased Systems Architecture

2012-01-12T08:33:00.002-06:00

Unibased Systems Architecture, Inc. (Unibased) announced today that Bay Area Hospital (BAH) in Coos Bay, Oregon, has signed an agreement to expand the use of the ForSite2020® application suite to include ForSite2020® Resource Management System (RMS) for enterprise scheduling and access management, ForSite2020® Consumer Access & Scheduling for Healthcare (CASH) consumer portal for patient self-scheduling, and the ForSite2020® Fax Order Collection Utilization & Storage (FOCUS) fax management solution addressing faxed physician orders. BAH selected Unibased after conducting an extensive evaluation process to find the best solution available to facilitate enterprise scheduling and access management across a major outpatient service expansion as well as set the stage for enabling patient self-scheduling via the Internet for streamlined coordination of care and enhanced interoperability.

Key factors in the Bay Area Hospital decision included the advanced capabilities offered by the more mature Unibased web portals as well as the availability of the integrated ForSite2020® FOCUS module that will allow BAH to initiate the patient scheduling process upon receipt of faxed physician orders. Scheduling through ForSite2020® FOCUS also automatically attaches the physician order to the pre-registration associated with the scheduled event, eliminating the current need for staff in the service-performing departments to manage, track and store paper faxes. BAH has been successfully using ForSite2020® periOperative Resource Management System (ORMS) for surgery management since July 2011; and this solution expansion will now provide coordinated scheduling for all patient services and departments along with surgeries that were already being scheduled in ForSite2020® ORMS. This will streamline the scheduling of pre-surgical diagnostic procedures, such as radiology, and ensure that they have been completed prior to the day of surgery, and efficiently coordinate follow-up care and post-discharge activities.

Brenda Curtner, BAH Director, Clinical Informatics, stated, “BAH is undertaking a major outpatient service expansion so we decided that this is the right time to expand our scheduling capabilities as well, enabling total outpatient service and surgical procedure coordination for our patients and physician offices. We believe Unibased has the tools we need, and can help us achieve this in a short timeframe while we continue with other projects that are already underway.” Bob Adams, Director, Information Services added, “We are excited about enhancing our relationship with Unibased and expanding our use of ForSite2020® to include the #1 ranked enterprise scheduling system.”

"Bay Area Hospital has done a tremendous job of taking full advantage of the capabilities in the ForSite2020® ORMS surgery management solution and Unibased is looking forward to assisting BAH in doing the same with the rest of the ForSite2020® application suite,” stated Phil Amelung, Principal Consultant with Unibased. “Bay Area Hospital’s decision to move forward with Unibased not only reflects their desire to acquire the most functional solution available but is also a testament to the close partnership we have built based on trust and top notch service as well as the tight integration we have achieved with Siemens MedSeries4®.”

Download Full Press Release Here [PDF]

Client News: Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s HealthCare and Saint Joseph Health System Merge to Form Kentucky's Largest Health System

2012-01-06T17:36:00.032-06:00

[Source: Press Release - Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s HealthCare]

(LOUISVILLE, KY) Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s HealthCare and Saint Joseph Health System today announced a merger of the two organizations forming KentuckyOne Health. KentuckyOne Health, the state’s largest health system, was effective retroactively to January 1, 2012. Ruth W. Brinkley, FACHE, has been named president and chief executive officer of the new organization. She is a nationally recognized health care leader and former executive at Ascension Health and Catholic Health Initiatives.

Ruth W. Brinkley, FACHE

Press Release: Unibased Systems Architecture Achieves "Best in KLAS" for 9 Consecutive Years

2012-01-04T10:41:00.003-06:00

According to the annual year-end "Best in KLAS Awards: Software & Services" report published on December 15, 2011 by KLAS Enterprises, LLC., Unibased Systems Architecture, Inc (Unibased) received the "Best in KLAS"¹ Award for the market segment of Enterprise Scheduling for the 9th consecutive year, reflecting outstanding product quality, system reliability and support, and unmatched client satisfaction. Unibased, within the KLAS evaluation metric of “Full Disclosure” meaning that consultants had access to all Unibased clients for interview purposes, had the highest Product Quality Rating of 8.5 out of 9.0, far outweighing any of its competitors. The runner-up, Epic Cadence, had a quality score of 8.1. 100% of Unibased clients indicated that they would buy again as compared to the runner-up, only 97%. Besides Epic Cadence, the other competitors were: Cerner Scheduling Management, McKesson Pathways Healthcare Scheduling, QuadraMed Enterprise Scheduling and SCI Solutions Schedule Maximizer. Siemens Soarian Scheduling did not have enough evaluations to be ranked, and StatSchedules StatScheduler was not ranked because it is a regional solution.

The "Best in KLAS"¹ Awards report also singled out 16 vendors as having excelled in their respective market segments, some vendors having multiple segments. Of the vendors and products recognized, Unibased had the highest product score of 92.2 for its ForSite2020® Resource Management System (RMS).

Larry Covington, Unibased President & CEO, expressed gratefulness to Unibased's clients for their kindness and loyalty. Covington added, "This is no time to rest on our laurels. We recognize that improvements must be made and we are working on that in several areas. We will continue to provide 3 major product feature upgrade releases annually. Our markets of access management and surgery systems are demanding products and services that improve our clients’ quality and coordination of care, consumer relations and competitiveness, productivity and bottom line. Our product in the KLAS market segment of Enterprise Scheduling imbeds an integrated surgery management system, physician and consumer portals, a multi-facility EMPI, registration and admission, inpatient census, order management, analytics, fax management, security and privacy, resource management and utilization reporting, physician order tracking, and of course, enterprise scheduling. We were the first vendor in our market segment to be certified for Meaningful Use, and all new releases will be certified as well. The most significant component within our array of modules associated with ForSite2020® RMS is a massive library of interfacing and file conversion software, providing optimal interoperability and the ability to easily work and integrate with other vendors. This is one of the reasons we can respond quickly to the unique needs of our clients, and a critical component for Accountable Care Organizations."

“Since 1998, KLAS has been committed to helping healthcare providers make decisions based on candid peer feedback,” says Adam Gale, KLAS president. “Best in KLAS rankings mark those vendors who best keep their promises in their market segments for offering a combination of superior products, strong service and high customer value. We hope these ratings continue to help providers find transparency from their vendors in making purchasing decisions.”

View/Download PDF of Full Press Release Here.

Client News: Robert L. Walker, Executive V.P. & Administrator of Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children Elected to Texas Hospital Association’s Board of Trustees

2011-12-28T15:11:00.006-06:00

[Source: Press Release - Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children]

Robert L. Walker, FACHE, executive vice president and administrator of Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children in Dallas, has been elected to the Texas Hospital Association’s Board of Trustees. He will take office on Jan. 1 for a three-year term.

Hospitals; Ten-Step Plan for Increasing Service Income and Ensuring Quality Outcomes

2011-11-17T07:20:00.005-06:00

Market and promote service availabilities to physicians and consumers.
Expeditiously collect the physician orders and patient diagnosis, and convert orders to facility procedures.
Identify and confirm the patient, guarantor, insurance plan(s) and eligibility, including medical necessity when applicable.
Ensure proper service, service(s) sequence through clinical review of patient's history, linking to pre-service testing when warranted.
Arrange payment program with patient/guarantor and insurance plans.
Solicit patient preferences and special needs related to times, locations, transportation, and caregivers.
Schedule and coordinate applicable resources for services, special needs, preferences, and set up patient reminder program.
Expeditiously deliver services.
Arrange for follow-up services prior to discharge.
Monitor and manage process activities, including automatic priority-driven alerts.

Client News: Casas Named Chief Nursing Officer at ETMC Henderson

2011-11-15T09:18:00.002-06:00

Miguel Casas, MBA, MSN, RN, has been named chief nursing officer at East Texas Medical Center (ETMC) Henderson. Casas will assume his duties on Nov. 14. In his new position, he will oversee all nursing staff, coordinate care among all hospital departments and ensure compliance with all federal and state regulations, among other duties.

Casas most recently served as nurse manager for the ETMC Specialty Hospital in Tyler, a 36-bed facility offering long-term, acute care for patients with complex medical conditions. Prior to joining ETMC in 2005, he served in clinical positions in the oncology and emergency departments at Mother Frances Hospital in Tyler and in the intensive care unit at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Tyler. He served in the United States Air Force from 1989 to 1996.

Casas recently earned dual master’s degrees in nursing and business administration from the University of Texas at Tyler, where he previously earned his bachelor’s degree in nursing.

“We are excited to have Mr. Casas join our team at ETMC Henderson,” said Administrator Mark Leitner. “His nursing and management experience across a variety of clinical areas, coupled with his education, will make him a tremendous asset to our hospital and community.”

Visit ETMC online at: http://www.etmc.org/

Happy Veterans Day!

2011-11-11T12:44:00.001-06:00

Today we honor the courage & sacrifice of our U.S. military veterans and their families!

Client News: East Texas Medical Center Regional Healthcare System Goes Mobile with iTriage

2011-11-02T11:31:00.000-05:00

Source: ETMC Press Release

East Texas Medical Center Regional Healthcare System has expanded its presence in the growing mobile market through a partnership with iTriage® -- a consumer healthcare application that gives users on-the-go access to medical information and providers.

Mobile users have quick and easy access to symptoms, diseases and hospital information. iTriage is available as a free download through the app stores for iPhone® and Android® mobile devices, and any Internet-enabled device at http://www.itriagehealth.com/.

According to the most recent Nielsen statistics, 40 percent of mobile consumers in the U.S. now own a smartphone, with 50 percent adoption predicted by the end of 2011.

This growing trend has led ETMC to reach out to mobile users in the community by providing convenient access to information about its facilities and services.

Schumacher Group, the nation’s third largest emergency and hospital medicine management firm, is partnering with ETMC to bring iTriage to ETMC hospitals throughout the region. This state-of-the art technology gives East Texas residents the resources to learn more about a specific medical condition and make the most informed decision about where to seek treatment. iTriage lets users:

Research medical symptoms
Learn about possible causes and treatment options
Obtain medication information for treatment of a specific condition
Find detailed ETMC information like services, specialties, hours of operation and turn-by-turn directions

“Our partnership with iTriage allows us to provide more information about the services we offer throughout East Texas and helps our patients make informed decisions about where to seek attention for their medical needs,” said Art Chance, vice president of operations for ETMC. “We are proud to offer the latest technology to our community, which reinforces our commitment to enhancing the patient experience.”

“ETMC’s decision to partner with iTriage speaks directly to their belief in providing cutting-edge medical care through advanced technology,” said Peter Hudson, MD, iTriage co-founder. “At iTriage, we are leading the way in creating new opportunities for healthcare providers to engage with patients by using integrated mobile technology, and we look forward to working with this experienced hospital to increase patient engagement.”

About iTriage, LLC
Headquartered in Denver, CO and co-founded by two emergency physicians, iTriage offers a unique Symptom-to-Provider™ pathway that empowers patients to make better healthcare decisions. iTriage helps people answer the two most common medical questions: “What condition could I have?” and “Where should I go for treatment?”

Millions of consumers around the globe have downloaded iTriage on their mobile devices and thousands of healthcare providers use iTriage to reach and communicate critical facility and service information to patients.

For more information, please visit www.iTriageHealth.com.

ACO UPDATE: Final ACO Regs Include Bigger Bonuses

2011-11-01T13:46:00.000-05:00

Source: ModernHealthcare.com
Written by: Melanie Evans

Medicare accountable care organizations could see larger bonuses and face fewer quality measures under rules issued by the CMS.

In final rules for Medicare accountable care organizations (PDF), published today, the CMS said it would no longer require all ACOs to face potential penalties, and it increased possible bonuses. The final rule also proposed half the number of quality measures included in draft rules released last March. Under accountable care, healthcare providers that reach quality and cost-saving targets are eligible to share in the savings.

Federal officials, speaking to reporters after the rules were released, stressed the changes were a response to the crush of comments on draft rules. CMS Administrator Dr. Donald Berwick described the volume of replies as a “mountain” of comments.

Hospitals and physician groups largely rejected draft proposals as too risky and too demanding. High-profile physician groups that tested an early model of accountable care declared the draft rules unworkable in a letter that said none would participate without significant changes.

The CMS also proposed an advanced-payment program for small physician-owned and rural hospitals that lack capital to start an accountable care group. Under the program, up to 50 small ACOs will quality for upfront payments that will be paid back as providers reduce Medicare costs. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation will award up to $170 million under the program.

Agreements for Medicare ACOs and the advanced payment program will begin next year on two dates: April 1 and July 1.

Under the Medicare accountable care final rules, the CMS would monitor quality performance using 33 measures instead of the 65 measures proposed in March.

As proposed in March, ACOs may choose one of two incentive options under the final rule. However, providers no longer face possible penalties under both options. Previously, providers that failed to achieve quality and savings targets could be at risk for penalties either for one year or three years, depending on the option. The CMS eliminated the possible one-year penalty under the final rules.

The CMS also increased the amount of bonuses that providers may earn. Now, once providers clear a savings target, the CMS agreed to share savings earned from the outset. Previously, providers were eligible to share savings after the first 2% in cost-reductions.

The CMS also relaxed one major capital-intensive requirement. Primary-care providers in accountable care organizations no longer face a requirement that at least half must have earned “meaningful use” designation by the second year.

The CMS also removed from the final rule some quality measures tied to electronic health records. One measure of EHR use remained, but somewhat altered: percentage of primary-care physicians who qualify for electronic health record incentive programs. The CMS said the measure will be weighted higher than quality measures.

Patients will no longer be assigned to accountable care organizations retrospectively, the CMS said. Medicare enrollees will be assigned to ACOs prospectively, every three months, but the CMS will review assignments at the end of each year.

Client News: TMF Announces New Senior VP And Chief Marketing Officer

2011-10-21T07:53:00.000-05:00

Source: Trinity Mother Frances Hospitals and Clinics Press Release

Officials with Trinity Mother Frances Hospitals and Clinics announced the appointment of Darin Szilagyi, FACHE as Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. Szilagyi is responsible for Business Development and System Marketing.

Previously, he served as Assistant Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Memorial Hermann Healthcare System in Houston and in similar capacities For AT&T Wireless, Primeco PCS and Halliburton.

Szilagyi received his Master of Business Administration with highest honors from Texas Christian University and his Bachelor of Arts at the University of Texas.

He is a fellow of The American College of Healthcare Executives and is a member of the American Hospital Association Society for Healthcare Strategy & Market Development, American Marketing Association-Houston Chapter, and American Marketing Association Healthcare SIG.

Client News: Tenet Announces Des Peres Hospital Appoints New Hospital CEO

2011-10-17T14:24:00.000-05:00

Source: Des Peres Hospital Press Release

John A. Grah, FACHE

Tenet Healthcare Corporation (NYSE:THC) today announced that Des Peres Hospital has appointed John A. Grah as its chief executive officer, effective October 24, 2011. Grah previously served as chief operating officer of Providence Memorial Hospital and The Children's Hospital at Providence in El Paso, TX. As CEO, Grah will oversee strategic, operational and clinical activities for the 143-bed acute care hospital located in St. Louis, MO.

"During his tenure at Providence, John has demonstrated exceptional leadership capabilities and a true vision for growing the hospital," said Robert L. Smith, senior vice president of operations for Tenet's Central States Region. "His extensive experience in hospital operations will ensure Des Peres Hospital will continue to provide high-quality care to the patients in our community, and we are confident that he will be a strong addition to the leadership team."

Since Grah joined Tenet in 2009, he has overseen numerous expansion projects, including implementation of outpatient rehabilitation programs for Sierra Providence Health Network and establishing the first pediatric emergency department in El Paso. In addition, he oversaw the successful acquisition of Insight Imaging in El Paso and Las Cruces, NM.

Prior to serving as chief operating officer at Providence, Grah served as managing principal with Chip Caldwell and Associattes, where he led a number of engagements with both individual hospitals and hospital systems. He served as system vice president at Scripps Health and as chief excecutive officer of Scripps Chula Vista Hospital in California. He also served as chief executive officer at several hospitals with the Appalachian Regional Healthcare, which is based in Lexington, KY.

Grah earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Missouri in St. Louis and a master's degree in healthcare administration from Saint Louis University. He also holds and executive juris doctorate degree from Concord Law School. Grah is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.

Tenet Healthcare Corporation is a health care services company whose subsidiaries adn affiliates own and operate acute care hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers and diagnostic imaging centers.

Tenet's hospitals and related health care facilities are committed to providing high quality care to patients in the communities they serve. For more information, please visit http://www.tenethealth.com/.

Media: Rick Black, (469)893-2647 rick.black@tenethealth.com

Investors: Thomas Rice, (469)893-2522 thomas.rice@tenethealth.com

Some of the statements in this release may constitute foward-looking statements. Such statements are based on our current expectations and could be affected by numerous factors and are subject to various risks and uncertainties discussed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended Dec 31, 2010, our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and periodic reports on Form 8-K. Do not rely on any forward-looking statement, as we cannot predict or control many of the factors that ultimately may affect our ability to achieve the results estimated. We make no promise to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of changes in underlying factors, new information, future events or otherwise.

Client News: Trinity Mother Frances Announces Executive Appointments

2011-10-07T11:13:00.000-05:00

The Trinity Mother Frances Health System Board of Directors announced the appointments of Steven P. Keuer, MD as President and Chief Medical Officer and Gifford V. Eckhout, Jr., MD, MBA as Executive Vice President / Chief of Anesthesia. Both physicians have served in their respective roles on an interim basis following Dr. David Teegarden's retirement in April. Dr. Keuer previously served as Executive Vice President. Dr. Eckhout has served for many years as a Trinity Clinic physician and in other physician advisory positions.

Dr. Keuer, an Internal Medicine physician at Trinity Clinic, is a native of Houston, Texas. Dr. Keuer received his medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, and is certified as a Fellow of the American College of Physicians. His responsibilities include President and Chief Medical Officer of Trinity Mother Frances Health System, Chair of the System Quality and Safety Committee, Chairman of the Advisory Committee for Clinical Pastoral Education, and Chair of the Chiefs of Service Committee at Trinity Mother Frances.

Gifford V. Eckhout, Jr., MD, MBA, is a native of Denver. He has and will continue to serve as the head of Trinity Clinic Anesthesia. He received his MBA from the Weatherhead School of Management in Cleveland and his medical degree from St. Louis University School of Medicine. He is certified in Anesthesiology by the American Board of Anesthesiology and was named a Certified Physician Executive by the Certifying Commission in Medical Management. Dr. Eckhout is a member of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, American College of Physician Executives and Texas Society of Anesthesiologists.

"With the appointments of Steve and Gifford, the Board wishes to affirm our commitment to the vital role that strong physician leadership plays in our organization and in our future. They bring a strong vote of confidence from the members of the Trinity Clinic and the System Board and round out our highly effective veteran leadership team," said Preston Smith, Chairman of the Trinity Mother Frances Health System Board.

Drs. Keuer and Eckhout complete the executive team of Trinity Mother Frances that also includes Lindsey Bradley, FACHE, President/CEO-TMFHS and Ray Thompson, FACHE, Executive Vice President/COO-TMFHS.

"The identity of great organizations is often measured by the success of the organization during a transition of executive leadership," said Roger N. Fowler, MD, Chairman of the Trinity Clinic Board of Directors. "I completely agree with their selection and am very proud to have Drs. Keuer and Eckhout as our leaders. I look forward to their expanded roles within our organization."

Client News: ETMC Athens Breast Care Center Re-Accredited by State

2011-09-29T16:00:00.000-05:00

The radiology department at ETMC Athens received expected but still very welcome news recently. Department Director Richard Vasquez was notified by the state that the facility has successfully passed the mammography accreditation renewal process. That means they may continue doing excellent work without interruption.

The radiology department at ETMC Athens was re-accredited recently by the state of Texas. The ETMC Athens Breast Care Center features a state-of-the-art, full field digital mammography unit. Pictured (from left) are mammographers Jennifer Parker and Shelly Robertson.

“We’ve always been re-accredited without having to re-apply because we’re prepared,” said Vasquez. “We have an experienced physicist, an experienced radiologist and experienced mammographers. It’s a great team effort.”

Mammographer Shelly Robertson, RT(M), said she has been seeing many of the same patients for 18 years. “I love working in mammography so much because it’s personal,” she said. “My patients often become my friends. I ask about their families, and they ask about mine. It makes you feel good.”

Robertson works with fellow mammographer Jennifer Parker, RT(R). Dr. Harold Smitson is the experienced radiologist who interprets the images.

ETMC Athens began using a state-of-the-art, full field digital mammography unit in 2009.

“With the digital unit, we can manipulate the image in a way that isn’t possible with film. And the image resolution is so much higher,” said Vasquez.

CAD program

Once the images are captured, they are sent to a CAD program (Computer Aided Device) that “looks” at the images prior to the radiologist and identifies any areas of potential concern. From there, they are sent on to a reading station where Dr. Smitson examines them.

The use of a digital mammography unit shortened the amount of time it previously took to capture the necessary images.

In addition, Robertson pointed out that, unlike some other breast care centers, ETMC Athens routinely uses a MammoPad without additional charge. A MammoPad is a soft, foam pad that provides a cushion between a woman’s skin and the mammography machine.

“It can make a big difference in comfort,” said Robertson.

The American Cancer Society recommends women from the ages of 20 to 39 have clinical breast exams performed by their healthcare providers at least every three years and do self-exams once a month. Ask your healthcare provider to teach you the proper way to do a thorough breast self-exam.

Women 40 and over should have mammograms and clinical breast exams performed every year, as well as performing breast self-exams each month.

If you have a history of breast cancer in your family, discuss mammography screening guidelines and scheduling with your healthcare provider.

To schedule an appointment or for more information about the mammography system at the ETMC Athens Breast Care Center, please call 903-676-2169.

Client News: Mon General Hospital Recognized for Outstanding Quality

2011-09-29T10:42:00.000-05:00

SpecialtyCare recently announced that Mon General has received their 2010 Outstanding Quality Award for Perfusion and Autotransfusion services. SpecialtyCare is the largest provider of perfusion services, supporting one out of every ten open-heart surgery cases performed in the nation.

Ranked by SpecialtyCare as one of the Top 10% Best Performing, Mon General achieved this award based on the results of perfusion quality indicators when compared to over 160 open-heart surgery programs nationwide.

Mon General’s operating room staff and cardiac surgeons work closely with the SpecialtyCare perfusionists to monitor and provide quality services to the cardiac surgery patient. SpecialtyCare Perfusionists at Mon General provide Perfusion, ECMO, Anticoagulation Monitoring, Intraoperative Blood Gas Monitoring, and Intra-Aortic Balloon Pump services.

"We are thrilled that SpecialtyCare, as our clinical partner in the delivery of perfusion services, has recognized our commitment and dedication to safety and quality services for our patients,” said Linda Ollis, COO, Mon General. Mon General’s open-heart surgery volume continues to grow, in the last twelve months they have performed more than 325 open-heart procedures.

In a recent statement, Chris Wells, Chief Medical Officer and head of the Clinical Quality Improvement program for SpecialtyCare said, “Quality improvement is the way that value is demonstrated in healthcare today. It is exciting to work with a program that has taken this message to heart. Achieving the Top 10% at SpecialtyCare demonstrates that Mon General has improved processes and procedures that are measured during surgery. These process improvements enhance and improve patient outcomes. The Mon General Hospital team is to be congratulated for their hard work.”

SpecialtyCare is the largest provider of outsourced clinical services in the nation and is dedicated to assisting hospitals in their efforts to improve operational efficiencies, improve outcomes, and decrease blood utilization. SpecialtyCare provides highly specialized clinical services to the operating room and related areas of the hospital. Services include cardiovascular perfusion, autotransfusion, surgical assist, minimally invasive surgical support, sterile processing department management, intraoperative neurological monitoring, and anesthesia support. SpecialtyCare provides services to more than 575 hospitals in 40 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Germany. SpecialtyCare’s website is available at http://www.specialtycare.net/.

Client News: Hoag Breast Care Center First in California to Offer 3D Mammography

2011-09-21T16:22:00.001-05:00

Source: Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian Press Release

Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian announced today that Hoag Breast Care Center is the first breast care center in California and one of only a handful in the United States to offer 3D digital breast tomosynthesis for breast cancer screening. This revolutionary technology promises to improve breast cancer detection, especially in young women and women of any age with radiographically dense breast tissue. Women who undergo routine mammograms at Hoag Breast Care Center now have the latest screening technology available to them.

Digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) is an FDA-approved 3D imaging modality that gives radiologists the ability to identify and characterize individual breast structures without the confusion of overlapping tissue, the Achilles heel of 2D digital mammography. Breast tomosynthesis is especially beneficial for women with dense breasts. Dense breast tissue can obscure an underlying cancer, or conversely mimic a cancer when none exists. Approximately 15 to 20 percent of breast cancers cannot be detected using traditional 2D mammography, especially in women with dense breast tissue.

“It’s a major milestone to be the first breast center in California to provide patients with digital breast tomosynthesis,” said Gary M. Levine, M.D., director of breast imaging at Hoag Breast Care Center and one of the nation’s leading experts in breast tomosynthesis. “At Hoag we have been involved with the development and testing of tomosynthesis since 2009. Recent reader studies have confirmed digital breast tomosynthesis to be superior to conventional mammography alone at finding early breast cancer. Tomosynthesis will allow us to discover more early stage breast cancers, and early detection translates to lives saved.”

During a tomosynthesis exam, 15 digital “projection” images are captured as it arcs over the breast, during a short four-second scan. These images are then digitally reconstructed into a series of high-resolution one-millimeter slices that can be reviewed individually or played back in a cine loop.

“Tomosynthesis, by solving the issue of tissue superimposition, will not only allow us to detect breast cancer more reliably, it will also reduce the number of unnecessary call backs for additional testing,” adds Dr. Levine. “This will then address a frequent criticism of mammography by reducing anxiety and controlling costs.”

A woman can learn if her breasts are dense by asking her physician or the radiologist who performs her mammogram. Breast density is not based on family history and cannot be determined by look and feel of the breast. Approximately 75 percent of women in their forties have dense breasts, and this percentage typically decreases with age – with 54 percent of women in their fifties and 42 percent of women in their sixties having dense breasts.ⁱ Approximately 40 to 50 percent of women Hoag screens annually have extremely dense breast tissue, particularly younger women ages 40-49.

Regardless of whether a woman has dense breast tissue or not, mammograms and self breast awareness play a crucial role in early detection. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among women, exceeded only by lung cancer. Statistics indicate that one in eight women will develop breast cancer sometime in her lifetime. The stage at which breast cancer is detected influences a woman’s chance of survival. If found and treated early, while still localized in the breast, the ten-year survival rate for breast cancer is greater than 90 percent.

Hoag is pleased to offer digital breast tomosynthesis to Orange County women due to a generous grant from Circle 1000, a dedicated group of women that have raised funds for Hoag Family Cancer Institute since 1987. In the near future, Hoag will be extending this technology to Irvine as well.

Hoag is committed to the fight against breast cancer. In offering 3D breast tomosynthesis digital mammography, Hoag Breast Care Center provides the latest in imaging quality and the specialized experts to ensure the highest quality of care for patients.

For more information, please visit www.HoagBreastCareCenter.com.

Client News: Oakwood Hospitals Earn National Recognition from Joint Commission

2011-09-20T09:55:00.000-05:00

Source: Oakwood Healthcare Press Release

Two Oakwood Healthcare hospitals were named as national top performers on key quality measures by The Joint Commission, the leading accreditor of healthcare organizations in America.

Oakwood Heritage Hospital (OHH) in Taylor and Oakwood Southshore Medical Center (OSMC) in Trenton earned the distinction based on data reported about evidence-based clinical processes that are shown to improve care for certain conditions, including heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia, and surgical care.

“We understand that what matters most to patients at Oakwood Healthcare’s various sites is safe, effective, patient-focused care,” said Brian Connolly, president and chief executive officer of Oakwood Healthcare, Inc. “Our entire organization has made a commitment to positive patient outcomes through evidence-based care processes. Oakwood Heritage Hospital and Oakwood Southshore Medical Center’s recognition for quality by The Joint Commission demonstrate how dedicated our physicians, employees and volunteers are in the pursuit of excellence in clinical care.”

The two hospitals are part of an elite group of just 405 U.S. hospitals and critical access hospitals across the nation that earned the distinction of top performer on key quality measures, for attaining and sustaining excellence in accountability measure performance. Only 10 hospitals in Michigan received the recognition and Oakwood Healthcare, Inc. (OHI) was the only healthcare system with two hospitals honored in the metro Detroit area.

“Today, the public expects transparency in the reporting of performance at the hospitals where they receive care,” said Mark R. Chassin, M.D., FACP, M.P.P., M.P.H., president, The Joint Commission. “The Joint Commission is shining a light on the top-performing hospitals such as Oakwood Heritage Hospital and Oakwood Southshore Medical Center, which have achieved excellence on a number of vital measures of quality of care.”

“This recognition falls right in line with Oakwood’s focused, relentless and continuous pursuit of excellence,” said Kelly C. Smith, chief operating officer of Oakwood Heritage Hospital. “The entire group of physicians and other clinicians at our hospital has been working tirelessly to exceed top decile across a multitude of quality indicators that we track for every patient, every day. Inclusion on this prestigious list—especially when so many other local hospitals were absent—speaks volumes about the dedication of the team at Heritage. I certainly am proud to work here.”

“This kind of honor goes straight to the heart of the Oakwood credo—‘The patient comes first,’” agreed Edith Hughes, president of Oakwood Southshore Medical Center. “The physicians, employees and volunteers at Oakwood Southshore are dedicated to every patient receiving excellent quality care. This award acknowledges their dedication. The Joint Commission’s stringent standards for this list demonstrate that we’ve had success in meeting the Oakwood goals for excellence in clinical care, and that translates to a high quality, safe environment for our patients.”

To be recognized as a top performer on key quality measures, an organization must have met two 95 percent performance thresholds. First, they must have achieved a composite performance of 95 percent or above after the results of all the accountability measures were factored into a single score—including measures that had fewer than 30 eligible cases or patients. They must also have met or exceeded a 95 percent performance target for every single accountability measure for which they reported data, excluding any measures with less than 30 eligible cases or patients.

More information about the list can be found in The Joint Commission’s Improving America’s Hospitals annual report and on The Joint Commission’s Quality Check website.

Client News: ETMC Crockett State-of-the-Art Radiology Department Initiates Scheduling System

2011-09-14T10:48:00.001-05:00

Source: ETMC Press Release

ETMC Crockett team members receive instruction on the benefits and functions of the USA Scheduling System during training sessions held at ETMC Crockett on Thursday-Friday, Sept. 8-9. Pictured (L-R) are ETMC Business Office Manager Dana lamb, ETMC Crockett Radiology Department Manager Karla Burdette and ETMC Regional Heralthcare System Call Center Supervisor Linda Gardner.

On Monday, Sept. 12, the state-of-the-art radiology department at ETMC Crockett initiated an advanced software program, Unibased Systems Architecture Scheduling System (ForSite2020® Resource Management System (RMS)).

The software is also utilized by other ETMC affiliates including Tyler, Athens, Jacksonville, and Henderson.

One of the benefits of the software is that it will allow area physicians and clinic staff to call an ETMC Crockett telephone number to conveniently schedule all outpatient radiological procedures utilizing the hospital’s 64-slice CT, 1.5T MRI, ultrasound, digital mammography, nuclear medicine and diagnostic X-ray equipment.

In addition to the simplicity of requiring medical professionals to make a single telephone call to schedule procedures, the software incorporates the physician’s requests for labwork, necessary questionnaires, orders, reports and other pertinent data, and ensures required resources and patient preferences are properly coordinated, increasing patient satisfaction. The system helps staff eliminate errors and increase versatility, as well as enhance patient safety. The new scheduling system also provides time management benefits to physicians and their staffs as they schedule various radiological procedures for their patients.

Medical professionals and patients will use a single ETMC Crockett telephone number for scheduling and inquiries, 936-545-4611, and a dedicated fax line, 936-545-4696, will stage orders for immediate processing.

ETMC Crockett will host a luncheon on Thursday, Sept. 29, from 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. in Classroom 2 for area physicians, clinics, medical staff and medical facilities, and will include presentations to provide in-depth information about the state-of-the-art equipment available in the ETMC Crockett Radiology Department, as well as detailed information about the advanced features and benefits to the local medical community of the Unibased Systems Architecture Scheduling System (ForSite2020® Resource Management System (RMS)).

For additional information or to RSVP for the luncheon please call ETMC Crockett Public Relations Coordinator Daphne Hereford at 936-546-3836.

Client News: Inova Loudoun Hospital Launches Mobile Hope

2011-09-13T11:20:00.000-05:00

Source: Inova Health System Press Release

Inova Loudoun Hospital is launching a new program, Mobile Hope. This new program was recently developed by Inova Loudoun Hospital's Mobile Health Unit to support the needs of homeless children in Loudoun County.

As one of the richest counties in the country, it is easy to assume Loudoun does not have homeless youth. Yet recently over 650 young students were identified by Loudoun County Public Schools as homeless or precariously housed. Nearly 40 percent of these young people do not have a guardian or parent in their lives. They sleep in cars, in the woods, in abandoned warehouses or "couch surf" among their friends.

More frightening, there likely are many more homeless children living in Loudoun County – as many as hundreds – who have not yet been identified.

Inova Loudoun Hospital’s Mobile Health Services recently became aware of this harsh reality and is quickly establishing partnerships with the Loudoun County Public Schools, churches, police, government officials, health officials and community leaders to create ways for these children to receive essentials including:

• Food
• Clothes
• Blankets
• Hygiene products
• School supplies
• Medical care

The youth that are being helped don’t need to worry because:

Being homeless is not illegal and nothing to be ashamed of.
Being homeless is not always a Child Protective Services call.
Students can get free breakfast and lunch.
Students can get free transportation to and from school.
Students will not be transferred from their current school.
Confidentiality will be met, unless staff feels that the individual is in danger or being abused.

"Inova Loudoun Hospital is committed to successfully partnering with others to meet the basic needs of homeless children in our community. Our hope is that we’ll make a difference in their lives," said Donna Fortier, community affairs executive & director of Mobile Health Services.

The Inova Mobile Health Unit has been providing health care services in the county for over 10 years, traveling throughout Loudoun providing services to a number of clients from large corporations to those in need. This Mobile Health Unit is one solution to delivering needed items to these children. Inova is especially concerned with providing preventative care to this population, including vaccines, general physicals and other screenings.

For more information visit us on the web at www.inova.org/mobile-hope or to find out how you can help please call 703-858-8935 or email donna.fortier2@inova.org.

Inova Loudoun Hospital, serving Loudoun County for nearly 100 years, is part of the Inova Health System; a not-for-profit healthcare system based in Northern Virginia that consists of hospitals and other health services, including emergency- and urgent-care centers, home care, nursing homes, mental health and blood donor services, and wellness classes. Governed by a voluntary board of community members, Inova’s mission is to improve the health of the diverse community it serves through excellence in patient care, education and research. Visit us on the web at www.inova.org/ilh.

Homelessness, as defined by the McKinney-Vento Homelessness Assistance Act:
Anyone who, due to a lack of housing, lives:
• In emergency or transitional shelters;
• In motels, hotels, trailer parks, campgrounds, abandoned in hospitals, awaiting foster care placement;
• In cars, parks, public places, bus stations or train stations, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, or similar settings due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations;
• Doubled-up with relatives or friends, due to a loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason;
• In these conditions and is a child or youth not in the physical custody of an adult (unaccompanied youth*); and/or
• In these conditions and is a migratory child or youth.

To determine homelessness, consider the permanence and adequacy of the living situation. Evaluate whether living arrangements are: fixed, regular, and adequate.

*Unaccompanied youth—are youth without fixed, regular, and adequate housing and who are not in the physical custody of a parent or legal guardian. “Unaccompanied youth” would include runaways living in homeless situations and those denied housing by their families (sometimes referred to as “throwaway” children).

Client News: Frazier Rehab Institute’s Pulmonary Rehab Program and Jewish Hospital’s Cardiac Rehab Program Receive Certification by Industry Leader

2011-09-09T13:51:00.000-05:00

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

Frazier Rehab Institute and Jewish Hospital’s Garon Lifestyle Center and have received certification of their pulmonary and cardiac rehabilitation programs respectively by the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACVPR). Frazier Rehab and Jewish Hospital were recognized for their commitment to improving the quality of life by enhancing standards of care.

The cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation program is designed to help people with cardiovascular problems, including heart attacks and coronary artery bypass graft surgery, and pulmonary problems like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease – COPD and respiratory symptoms – recover faster and improve their quality of life. Both programs include exercise, education, counseling and support for patients and their families.

“Frazier Rehab Institute and Jewish Hospital are known for world-class care in heart care and comprehensive acute rehab,” said Marty Bonick, president and CEO of Jewish Hospital and Frazier Rehab Institute. “We are honored to be recognized by a leading industry organization. This certification further demonstrates our constant focus on providing the best possible patient care.”

AACVPR certification is meant to provide a benchmark for best practices, program quality and improving patient outcomes. The Association provides a systematic approach to quality care and promotes a culture of quality patient care. AACVPR is the only organization that certifies cardiac and pulmonary rehab programs. AACVPR Program Certification is valid for three years.

Jewish Hospital and Frazier Rehab Institute’s cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation programs participated in the one-month application process which requires extensive documentation of the program’s practices. The AACVPR Program Certification is the only peer-reviewed accreditation process designed to review individual programs for adherence to standards and guidelines developed and published by the AACVPR and other professional societies. Each program is reviewed by the AACVPR National Certification Committee and certification is awarded by the AACVPR Board of Directors.

About Frazier Rehab Institute
Frazier Rehab Institute is a comprehensive rehabilitation system with more than 20 locations throughout Kentucky and southern Indiana, providing therapy in acute care settings for inpatient and outpatient rehab needs. Comprehensive rehab programs, highly skilled therapists, state-of-the-art-facilities and innovative therapeutic techniques have earned Frazier Rehab Institute national recognition. Patients span the age range from infancy to geriatrics with a wide variety of diagnoses which include neurologic (spinal cord injury, brain injury and stroke), amputations, multiple trauma, orthopedic, arthritis, cardiopulmonary, congenital, developmental, degenerative, and general medical cases.

About Jewish Hospital
Jewish Hospital is an internationally renowned high-tech tertiary referral center developing leading-edge advancements in hand and microsurgery, heart and lung care, home care, rehab medicine (including sports medicine), orthopaedics, neuroscience, occupational health, organ transplantation and outpatient and primary care. Site of the world’s first successful hand transplant, and the world’s first and second successful AbioCor® Implantable Replacement Heart procedures, the hospital is also federally designated to perform all five solid organ transplants – heart, lung, liver, kidney and pancreas.

About AACVPR
Founded in 1985, the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation is a multidisciplinary organization dedicated to the mission of reducing morbidity, mortality and disability from cardiovascular and pulmonary disease through education, prevention, rehabilitation, research and disease management. Central to the core mission is improvement in quality of life for patients and their families.

Client News: LG Health Breast Cancer Program Receives National Accreditation

2011-09-09T10:04:00.000-05:00

Source: Lancaster General Health News Release

Lancaster General Health’s (LG Health) Breast Cancer Program has received a three-year full accreditation by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC). According to NAPBC, LG Health’s program is one of about 200 in the country to receive this accreditation, which has been in existence for three years. It is the first time LG Health has received this recognition.

To attain this recognition, breast centers undergo a rigorous evaluation and review of their performance and compliance with the NAPBC standards and maintain their accreditation with on-site reviews every three years. NAPBC-accreditation is granted only to those centers that have voluntarily committed to provide the best in breast cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Several features of LG Health’s Center for Breast Health include digital mammography, MammoSite® Radiation therapy and breast MRI. When there is a diagnosis of breast cancer, nurse navigators guide patients through treatment and help coordinate their care with specialists. Other supportive services include a genetics testing program, a survivorship program and access to clinical trials. Lancaster General Health is a member of the Penn Cancer Network affiliation.

In the fall of 2011, LG Health will break ground for the new Ann B. Barshinger Cancer Center. The two-story, 70,000 square-foot center will be integrated with LG Health’s Radiation Oncology department at the Suburban Outpatient Pavilion on Harrisburg Pike in Lancaster.

The National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC) is a consortium of national, professional organizations dedicated to the improvement of the quality of care and the monitoring of outcomes for patients with diseases of the breast.

Happy Labor Day!

2011-09-05T12:03:00.000-05:00

Whatever your plans may be today, we at Unibased wish you a happy and safe Labor Day!

Client News: Jewish Hospital Medical Center East Becomes Only Facility in Louisville to Receive Breast MRI Accreditation

2011-09-01T13:22:00.000-05:00

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

Jewish Hospital Medical Center East (JHMCE) has been awarded a three-year term of accreditation in breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as the result of a recent review by the American College of Radiology (ACR). It is the only facility in Louisville to receive this accreditation.

MRI of the breast offers valuable information about many breast conditions that may not be obtained by other imaging modalities, such as mammography or ultrasound.

“We’re honored to be the first facility in the city to receive this prestigious recognition,” said Shelley Neal, president, Jewish Hospital Medical Center East. “Accreditation from the ACR distinguishes our organization as the foremost provider of care for women in the region.”

“This accreditation confirms that our experienced MRI technologists are producing high quality exams which allow my partners and I to better detect subtle abnormalities in the breast,” said Frank Lee, M.D., Radiology Specialists of Louisville. “This is just another example of the very high quality service we continue to provide, not only in Women's Imaging but throughout our medical imaging department.”

The ACR gold seal of accreditation represents the highest level of image quality and patient safety. It is awarded only to facilities meeting ACR Practice Guidelines and Technical Standards after a peer-review evaluation by board-certified physicians and medical physicists who are experts in the field. Image quality, personnel qualifications, adequacy of facility equipment, quality control procedures, and quality assurance programs are assessed. The findings are reported to the ACR Committee on Accreditation, which subsequently provides the practice with a comprehensive report they can use for continuous practice improvement.

The ACR is a national professional organization serving more than 34,000 diagnostic/interventional radiologists, radiation oncologists, nuclear medicine physicians, and medical physicists with programs focusing on the practice of medical imaging and radiation oncology and the delivery of comprehensive health care services.

JHMCE is an outpatient and emergency care facility that provides 24/7 emergency care by board-certified/board-eligible emergency medicine physicians, comprehensive outpatient surgery and endoscopy and a full array of medical imaging and diagnostic services and physician offices covering a variety of specialties.

Client News: Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s HealthCare Names New Senior VP and Sts. Mary & Elizabeth Hospital President

2011-08-30T12:23:00.000-05:00

Source: Jewish Hospital & St Mary's HealthCare Press Release

Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s HealthCare (JHSMH) has named Jim Parobek as senior vice president of clinical innovation and president of Sts. Mary & Elizabeth Hospital.

In these roles, Parobek is the senior officer responsible for the service line development and clinical integration across the Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s HealthCare system, oversight of the operations of the Jewish Physician Group and all activities related to Sts. Mary & Elizabeth Hospital.

Parobek has more than 20 years experience in healthcare leadership. He most recently served as the president of the Saint Joseph Health System Physician Enterprise. In this role, he was responsible for the establishment and implementation of physician affiliation and integration. He also served as CEO of the former Gateway Rehabilitation Hospital in Louisville.

“Jim’s extensive background in hospital leadership makes him an ideal choice to lead Sts. Mary & Elizabeth Hospital,” said David Laird, CEO, Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s HealthCare. “I am confident he will further the healing mission of the hospital and guide the successful completion of improvements currently underway including the $16 million central utility plant project.”

Parobek earned his MBA from Webster University. He also holds a bachelor of science degree in physical therapy from Ohio University and a bachelor of arts degree in chemistry from Miami University. He and his wife, Susan, have two adult sons and live in Louisville.

Client News: ETMC EMS Names New Director of Operations

2011-08-25T07:18:00.001-05:00

Source: ETMC News

ETMC EMS has named Neal Franklin as the new director of operations for the East Texas service area. Franklin previously served as EMS director of business development and came to ETMC in January after retiring as fire chief with the city of Tyler.

In this new position, Franklin will be responsible for more than 300 paramedics and emergency medical technicians, covering over 16,000 square miles in East Texas, responding to 110,000 requests for service and transportation of more than 77,000 patients each year.

Franklin is from Tyler and received his bachelor’s degree in education from Stephen F. Austin State University. While attending graduate school at the University of North Texas, he became a Dallas firefighter. In 1987, he moved back to Tyler and worked his way up through the ranks of the Tyler Fire Department and eventually served as chief for seven years.

Franklin has been married for 25 years to Valli and has three children.

Client News: York Hospital’s Trauma Center Receives 3-Year Accreditation

2011-08-24T09:08:00.000-05:00

Source: WellSpan Health News

York Hospital’s Level I Trauma Center has received a three-year accreditation from the Pennsylvania Trauma Systems Foundation, effective Oct. 1. York Hospital’s Trauma Center was upgraded to Level I in October 2009.

It serves more than 650,000 people in York, Adams and Franklin counties, and is capable of handling any kind of trauma 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Keith Clancy, M.D., medical director of trauma services, said, “Many people contribute every day to the success of the trauma program. It’s the hard work of these often unrecognized staff members that really makes our trauma program the success it is.”

Trauma services is a true multi-disciplinary function, involving numerous departments such as respiratory, imaging, care management, pastoral care, laboratory, nursing, dietary, physical and occupational therapy, speech therapy, volunteers, patient reps and many others.

Clancy added, “We provide high quality care to every patient, every day. We have a trauma program in which we can all feel very proud. The communities we serve can be confident that, should they need a trauma center, the care and quality they receive at York Hospital is of the highest quality and caliber."

York Hospital’s Level I Trauma Center patients arrive with a higher injury severity score than most of the nation. Yet, the outcome survivability score continues to exceed nationwide averages and expectation, according to Amy Krichten, R.N., trauma program manager.

“We strive to incorporate the best practices for patient care every step of the way—from the time the 911 call is placed to when the patient is discharged,” stressed Krichten. “We constantly review our protocols.”

“This accreditation is a great way to begin our 25th year as a regional trauma center,” said Raymond Rosen, vice president of operations at York Hospital. “We have made a difference in the lives of countless residents over the years.

“Receiving accreditation at the highest level with no significant findings means that an impartial third-party (The Pennsylvania Trauma Systems Foundation) believes we have a top-notch program.”

York Hospital’s Level I Trauma Center is one of only two in south central Pennsylvania, and one of 15 in the state.

Last year, the trauma center cared for 2,090 patients, the most ever. The number of patients transferred from other area hospitals to the trauma center has doubled since gaining Level I status two years ago.

This fiscal year is shaping up to be the busiest ever. In July, trauma services cared for a record 249 patients. The previous monthly high was 230.

Client News: WellSpan Runs Top 25 Connected Streak to Six

2011-08-22T14:43:00.000-05:00

Source: Around WellSpan Online

WellSpan has been named among the Top 25 Most Connected Healthcare Facilities by Health Imaging and IT magazine for the sixth consecutive year.

The magazine termed the 25 organizations “an illustrious group.” Editor Lisa Fratt wrote, “Health Imaging and IT’s Top Connected award recognizes true innovators in imaging and informatics.

“Winning organizations have clearly demonstrated their ability to leverage data to inform decisions and motivate clinical and administrative stakeholders to drive targeted improvements in patient care, quality and efficiency.

“It’s a model that healthcare enterprises across the United States need to embrace.”

R. Hal Baker, M.D., vice president and chief information officer, said, “Our sixth year of recognition is a strong validation that our collaboration across our entire organization is allowing WellSpan to achieve a connectedness that is not yet common across health care.

“Making sure everyone has access to the information they need, when they need it, remains the mission of our eCare efforts. This award should encourage us to continue to strive for innovation and excellence.”

WellSpan has a compelling story

Stephen French, program director of PACS, said, WellSpan has a compelling story to tell when it comes to data connectivity.

“Our philosophy on patient data is anywhere, anytime—fast, easy and secure.”

This past year, WellSpan expanded its Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE) throughout the organization.

CPOE allows clinicians to directly enter medication orders, tests and procedures into a computer system, which then transmits the order to the pharmacy or appropriate department.

CPOE typically reduces errors by ensuring standardized, legible and complete orders. Physicians with the required licensure and privileges can log into any computer and complete their order entries.

With the goal of increasing the speed of connection and decreasing wait times, WellSpan upgraded its internet bandwidth from 50 to 150 megabytes. WellSpan also has provided many radiologists with full diagnostic work stations, allowing them to work from home.

WellSpan is one of four Pennsylvania organizations to make this year’s list. The others are Aria Health in Philadelphia, Main Line Health in Bryn Mawr and Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.

For a complete list of the Top 25 Most Connected Healthcare Facilities, go to http://www.healthimaging.com/.

Client News: Inova Fairfax Hospital's Prematurity Program Awarded Joint Commission Certification

2011-08-17T08:12:00.001-05:00

Inova Fairfax Hospital has earned The Joint Commission’s first ever Gold Seal of Approval™ for Prematurity (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) by demonstrating compliance with The Joint Commission’s national standards for healthcare quality and safety in premature birth care. The certification awarded Inova Fairfax Hospital, part of the world-class healthcare provider Inova Health System which had in excess of 20,000 birth’s in 2010, recognizes the hospital’s dedication to continuous compliance with The Joint Commission’s state-of-the-art standards.

"This Joint Commission Gold Seal of Approval™ validates that the care premature babies receive in our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit not only consistently meets but exceeds the national standards leading to the best care possible," commented Reuven Pasternak, CEO of Inova Fairfax Hospital and SVP, Inova Health System. "To be the first in the United States to achieve this certification is a tribute to the multidisciplinary team of enthusiastic and knowledgeable professionals who are truly dedicated to improving the health of the diverse community we are privileged to serve through excellence in patient care."

The Joint Commission’s Disease-Specific Care Certification Program, launched in 2002, is designed to evaluate clinical programs across the continuum of care. Certification requirements address three core areas: compliance with consensus-based national standards; effective use of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines to manage and optimize care; and an organized approach to performance measurement and improvement activities. A team of Joint Commission expert reviewers evaluated Inova Fairfax Hospital for compliance with standards of care specific to the needs of patients and families, including infection prevention and control, leadership and medication management.

"This certification is a tribute to the care and commitment of our doctors, nurses and staff who, over many years, have developed a neonatal program offering a full spectrum of services available from the time of delivery until discharge. This includes advanced clinical procedures for treating premature babies as well as newborns suffering from birth defects, injury, illness or life-threatening conditions," according to John M. North, MD, Medical Director, NICU, Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children. "We are proud to provide excellence in patient care, which ranks among the best in the nation."

Founded in 1951, The Joint Commission seeks to continuously improve health care for the public, in collaboration with other stakeholders, by evaluating health care organizations and inspiring them to excel in providing safe and effective care of the highest quality and value. The Joint Commission evaluates and accredits more than 19,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States as well as providing certification of more than 1,700 disease-specific care programs, primary stroke centers, and health care staffing services.

"In achieving this Joint Commission certification, Inova Fairfax Hospital has demonstrated its commitment to the highest level of care for its premature birth patients" observed Jean Range, M.S., R.N., C.P.H.Q. executive director, Disease-Specific Care Certification, The Joint Commission. "Certification is a voluntary process and I commend Inova Fairfax Hospital for successfully undertaking this challenge to elevate its standard of care and instill confidence in the community it serves."

An independent, not-for-profit organization, The Joint Commission is the nation's oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care. Learn more about The Joint Commission at www.jointcommission.org.

Client News: Mon Health System and Mon General Announce Board Changes

2011-08-11T07:25:00.002-05:00

The Boards of Directors of Monongalia Health System and Monongalia General Hospital recently elected new board chairmen and added several new members.

Glenn Adrian is the new Chairman of the Monongalia Health System Board of Directors and Sarah Minear is the new Chairman of the Mon General Hospital Board of Directors. Monongalia Health System is the parent company of Mon General Hospital, Mon HealthCare Equipment and Supplies, Monongalia EMS and The Village at Heritage Point.

New members include Bobbie Hawkins on the Monongalia Health System Board of Directors and Helen Blevins, Terry L. Shaffer and Natalie Stone on the Mon General Board of Directors. The new members’ first board meeting was held on Aug. 2.

“It’s a privilege to serve as Chairman of the Mon Health System Board of Directors,” Adrian said. “I’m looking forward to leading the Board as we embark upon the continual evolution of healthcare delivery in our community.

“For a strong community hospital like Mon General to remain viable, it needs to be led by a strong volunteer leadership board,” Adrian said. “Mon Health System and Mon General have been fortunate throughout the years to have had a commitment from community members to serve on its boards and that tradition continues with our newest members.”

Adrian has been a member of the Mon Health System Board of Directors since 2006. He also served on The Foundation of Mon General Hospital Board of Directors from 1990-2011.

“Mon General Hospital has a great Board of Directors and I'm honored to be the new chairman,” Minear said.

“The hospital has long enjoyed a strong reputation for providing quality healthcare to the region,” Minear said. “We have very progressive goals to keep Mon General on the cutting edge of quality healthcare and my role as chairman will be to keep our focus on those goals to bring them to fruition.”

Minear joined the Mon General Board of Directors in 2007. She previously served three terms in the West Virginia State Senate, having been elected in 1994, 1998 and 2002, representing the 14th Senatorial District. In addition, she has been active on numerous area boards.

The Monongalia Health System Board of Directors welcomed one new member:

Bobbie Hawkins has been the Business Development Manager at Alpha Associates, Inc. since 2004, a position created to further develop the marketing strategy of the firm. Alpha Associates is a local architectural and engineering firm.

Prior to becoming the Business Development Manager, Hawkins was the Marketing Coordinator at Alpha Associates. She was also a loan officer and assistant branch manager at Bartlett Farmers Bank.

Hawkins serves as the Vice Chair of Membership for the Morgantown Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, the Co-Chair of the Citizens Review Board for the United Way of Monongalia and Preston Counties and the Vice President of the Monongalia County 4-H Leaders Association. She is also involved with Leadership Monongalia, Leadership West Virginia, the Cheat Lake Sailors 4-H Club and is on the Board of Directors of the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Morgantown.

She received her Bachelors in Business Administration from Harding University and her Associates in Business from Ohio Valley College.

“I am honored to have the opportunity to serve on the Mon Health System Board,” Hawkins said. “Morgantown and the surrounding areas are extremely blessed to have a comprehensive healthcare system to serve our healthcare needs. At a time in history when the healthcare industry is on unsteady ground, I will do my best to strengthen the Mon Health System through effective stewardship and service.”

The Mon General Board of Directors welcomed three new members:

Helen Blevins is the Manger of Clinical Occupational and Non-Occupational Healthcare at CONSOL Energy. She has extensive experience managing CONSOL’s substance abuse program and is recognized as one of the most knowledgeable authorities on the problem of substance abuse in the mining industry. Blevins has worked in the mining industry for over 31 years in various healthcare positions. She has a BS Degree in Nursing from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh and has also worked in clinical nursing at Mercy Hospital and Jefferson Hospital in Pittsburgh, as well as ALCOA.

Blevins has had frequent contact with Mon General, including physicians and the Emergency Department, through CONSOL workers utilizing the hospital for workers comp and short-term disability. In addition, she works with Mon General Community Wellness to offer annual health fairs for CONSOL employees and retirees.

“Mon General is an exceptional hospital,” Blevins said. “I have seen the care the hospital provides, not only to our (CONSOL) employees, but to our employees’ family members. Mon General is constantly working to meet the needs of the community. To me, that is so important.

“I’m very honored and happy to be part of the team of the Mon General Board of Directors,” she said. Blevins resides in Bridgeville, PA.

Terry L. Shaffer is a Morgantown native and a graduate of Morgantown High School. He received his BS degree in Business Administration from West Virginia University. He has been Market President at United Bank since 1996, and has worked as a commercial lender at Community Bank and Trust, was President of Mountaineer National Bank, was President of CB&T of Monongalia County and a commercial lender at Huntington National Bank. His community involvement includes Rotary and serving on the Mylan Park Board of Directors, the Mon General Hospital Finance Committee and the Morgantown Area Partnership Board of Directors.

“Being a native of and professional in Morgantown, I appreciate and want to help maintain the high quality of healthcare being provided by Mon General,” Shaffer said. “It is essential in finding and employing professionals in our market, as well as attracting new businesses to our community. I am joining the Mon General Board of Directors to aid in the continuation of quality service to this community, their patients and their employees.”

Natalie Stone is the Executive Director of the North Central Building and Construction Trades Council, an AFL-CIO affiliated organization representing more than 3,000 construction workers in the North Central and Eastern Panhandle regions of West Virginia. She is also a member of IBEW Local 596, a representative on the West Virginia State Building Trades Executive Board and has served on the auditing committee for the WV AFL-CIO at various conventions. She presently serves on the WV Attorney General’s Consumer Advocate Board and was recently selected to serve on the Mon General Auxiliary’s 2011 Ball of the Year Committee. Raised in Preston County, she now resides in Morgantown.

“My connection through the Building Trades and the 3,000 working families that I represent may enable me to better serve the community and the hospital with my service as a member of the Mon General Board,” Stone said. “My own family has experienced medical situations over the years and I have been impressed with the compassion shown to us by the hospital staff and administration.

“It’s an honor for me to now consider myself a member of the Mon General team and know that that same compassion will be shown to the families in North Central West Virginia,” she said. “I have had the opportunity to work closely with the leadership at Mon General and I feel confident in their ability to lead us in the healthcare challenges we face now, and in the future, and therefore I am extremely honored to be part of that team.”

The Monongalia Health System Board of Directors consists of Adrian, Chairman; Zack George, Ph.D., Vice Chairman; Mike DeProspero, Secretary/Treasurer; Susan Capelle, MD; Mon Health System President and CEO Darryl Duncan; Don Gallion; Hawkins; Alan Hess, MD; Patrick Martin, Immediate Past Chair; Robert Maust; Carol Rushford; George Snider, MD; Wade Stoughton, MD; and Ron Stovash. Billy Atkins and David Myerberg, MD, left the Board when their terms expired on June 30. There is one vacancy on the Board which will be filled at a later date.

The Mon General Board of Directors consists of Minear, Chairman; Roger King, MD, Vice Chairman; Sister Nancy White, Secretary/Treasurer and Immediate Past Chair; Adrian; Blevins; Duncan; Robin Garrett, DO, Mon General Chief of Medical Staff; Martin; Carol Rushford; Shaffer; Dr. Stoughton; and Stone. The new members replace Atkins, Joseph Kun and Mary Petropoulos whose terms expired on June 30.

Client News: Des Peres Hospital Awarded HFAP Accreditation

2011-08-09T07:49:00.000-05:00

Source: Des Peres Hospital Press Release

Des Peres Hospital was recently awarded accreditation from the Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program (HFAP), an independent, recognized accreditation authority. It earned this distinction after HFAP conducted an extensive and objective review of the hospital’s quality and safety standards.

“Des Peres Hospital clearly demonstrates a commitment to quality patient care,” said Michael Zarski, CEO of HFAP. “We base our decision on federal standards, patient safety and treatment, quality improvement, and environmental safety. Des Peres Hospital met or exceeded standards in every case.”

“We’re proud to achieve this prestigious distinction,” said Michael Kendrick, chief operating officer. “By awarding us accreditation, the HFAP has recognized our commitment to providing outstanding care to our patients and our community. In fact, quality is consistently the priority focus in our strategic plans and goals.”

The HFAP is one of only three national voluntary accreditation programs authorized by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to survey all hospitals and other medical facilities for compliance with the Medicare Conditions of Participation.

The HFAP is a non-profit, nationally recognized accreditation organization. It has been accrediting healthcare facilities for more than 60 years and under Medicare since its inception. Its mission is to advance high quality patient care and safety through objective application of recognized standards. Its accreditation is recognized by the federal government, state governments, managed care organizations, and insurance companies. For more information, go to: http://www.hfap.org/.

Client News: Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s HealthCare Names VP of Finance

2011-08-05T07:23:00.001-05:00

Souce: Jewish Hospital & St. Mary's HealthCare Press Release

Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s HealthCare has named Christopher L. Roszman as Vice President of Finance. Roszman will be responsible for corporate finance, budget, finance and strategic planning, decision support, tax reporting, reimbursement, payroll and accounts payable.

“Christopher Roszman has a terrific history of managing the financial interests of a healthcare system like ours,” said Ron Farr, JHSMH Senior Vice President/Chief Financial Officer. “We’re pleased to bring his expertise onto our team.”

Roszman has more than 20 years of progressive health care financial and operations experience. He has served as both a senior vice president of finance in a multi-hospital system and as a public practice CPA. Most recently, he served as partner with BKD, LLP Health Care Group, one of the country’s largest accounting and consulting firms. At BKD, he assisted health care providers with audit, consulting and revenue and performance management solutions.

Roszman is a certified public accountant, a Fellow of the Healthcare Financial Management Association and a Six Sigma Green Belt. He earned his master’s degree in business administration from Western Kentucky University and a bachelor of science degree in accounting from the University of Kentucky.

Client News: ETMC Names New Vice President for EMS

2011-08-04T12:05:00.000-05:00

Source: ETMC Press Release

East Texas Medical Center Regional Healthcare System has named Ron Schwartz as the new vice president/chief operating officer for ETMC EMS.

Schwartz has been with ETMC for over 11 years serving as director of operations and general manager. In this position, he was responsible for more than 400 paramedics and emergency medical technicians, covering over 17,000 square miles, responding to 135,000 requests for service and transportation of more than 105,000 patients each year.

Schwartz helped ETMC add EMS services to several markets in Texas including Waco and Pasadena. Last year, ETMC EMS joined an elite group of emergency providers to receive a three year accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Ambulance Services for quality patient care in America’s medical transportation system.

Schwartz will also serve as president of Paramedics Plus, an ambulance division of the East Texas Medical Center Regional Healthcare System. Paramedics Plus currently provides emergency services to residents of Tulsa and Oklahoma City, Okla., Pinellas County, Fla., Fort Wayne, Ind., and in November will begin providing services to Alameda, Calif.

Schwartz began his career as a paramedic in Michigan and then worked as a paramedic and a firefighter in Nevada. He later went into management for ambulance services in Reno, Nev., and Lincoln, Neb. Schwartz has a degree in EMS management from Davenport College in Michigan.

Schwartz replaces Tony Myers, who retired in June after 18 years with ETMC EMS and Paramedics Plus.

Client News: New Health Partnership Announces Board Of Trustees

2011-08-03T10:57:00.001-05:00

Source: Jewish Hospital & St. Mary's HealthCare News

Representing a wealth of knowledge, community leadership and dedication to Kentuckians, Jewish Hospital HealthCare Services, Catholic Health Initiatives, and the University of Louisville are pleased to announce their new system’s community board of trustees.

Bob Hewett, chair, said “I’m excited to be working with such an outstanding group of community leaders to increase access, expand service, and get Kentucky ready for the future of health care.”

The new 18 community member board of trustees will serve in an advisory capacity until all regulatory and church approvals are complete. They will then transition into a fiduciary role and oversee the new organization, establishing committee structures such as strategic planning, quality and patient satisfaction, audit and compliance, and finance, among others.

At the foundation of this yet-to-be-named system is a common mission to provide the highest quality care to the most disadvantaged and underserved. The partnership strengthens Louisville’s academic medical center and access to it by creating a system with more than 90 locations. It aligns academic and community physicians into a medical staff of more than 3,000 physicians to serve Kentucky and beyond.

The board members are:

Michael Ades - Retired Attorney, Lexington, KY
LouAnn Atlas - Fifth Third Bank Executive, Louisville, KY
Jane Burks - Volunteers of America, Louisville, KY
Jane J. Chiles- Meridian Chiles Advertising, Lexington, KY
David L. Dunn, MD, PhD - Executive VP for Health Affairs, UofL, Louisville, KY
Paul Edgett - Catholic Health Initiatives, Erlanger, KY
Robert Hewett- Retired Utility and Banking Executive, Lexington, KY
Miller Hoffman- Hoffman Robertson Insurance, Mount Sterling, KY
Robert C. Hughes, MD -Senior Partner, Primary Care Medical Ctr., Murray, KY
Charlie Johnson CEO, -Immanuel Realty, LLC, Louisville, KY
Thomas Mechas, MD -London Women’s Care, London, KY
Robert W. Rounsavall, III -Owner, Dixie Real Properties, Louisville, KY
Michael Rowan -Catholic Health Initiatives, Englewood, CO
Adolfo Ruiz Sr. -Adhawks Advertising & Public Relations, Inc., Louisville, KY
Richard Schultz -Retired Advertising Executive, Louisville, KY
Gerald Temes, MD -Retired Thoracic & Cardiovascular Surgeon, Louisville, KY
Elizabeth Wendeln, SCN -Consultant/Facilitator, Louisville, KY
Russell Williams, MD -Associates in General Surgery, PSC., Louisville, KY

Partner ProfilesJewish Hospital & St. Mary’s HealthCare (JHSMH) is a regional health network providing both primary and specialty medical care in more than 70 health care facilities with approximately 7,850 team members and 1,900 patient beds in Kentucky and southern Indiana. It has been nationally ranked in the top 25 percent of Medicare-certified agencies.

Saint Joseph Health System includes nine regional facilities (including Saint Joseph Hospital, Lexington’s first hospital, established 1877) across central and eastern Kentucky with 1,012 licensed beds, approximately 5,000 employees and 1,300 physicians on its medical staffs. Combined, the Saint Joseph facilities have been recognized 20 times as being among the 100 Top Hospitals in the nation by Thomson Reuters.

The University of Louisville Hospital, established in 1817, is a 404-bed facility and the primary adult teaching hospital for the UofL School of Medicine. It operates the region’s only adult Level I trauma center and operates Kentucky’s first certified stroke center, first nationally accredited breast center and first hospital-based telemedicine network. Aligned with the hospital, The James Graham Brown Cancer Center offers the area’s most advanced cancer treatment with specialists working in multidisciplinary teams who have received national recognition for research and participation in clinical trials, as well as translating research into today’s medical practice.

Sponsor ProfilesCatholic Health Initiatives is a national, nonprofit health organization with headquarters in Denver. The faith-based system operates in 19 states and includes 72 hospitals; and 40 long-term care, assisted- and residential-living facilities; and two community health services organizations. CHI is the nation's third-largest Catholic health care system.

Jewish Hospital HealthCare Services traces its history to 1903 when a group of prominent Jewish businessmen met and founded a hospital to provide health care for poor immigrant Jews and to create a non-sectarian institution that would treat both paying and non-paying members of the entire community and provide a setting where Jewish physicians could practice medicine, pursue research and treat patients. In the decades since its founding, Jewish Hospital HealthCare Services has grown into a nationally recognized organization that has contributed a number of medical firsts in the world, nation and region.

The University of Louisville is Kentucky's premier metropolitan research university. Boasting more than 170 fields of study in 12 colleges and schools, UofL offers its 22,000 students world-class opportunities in many nationally and internationally ranked undergraduate, graduate and professional programs. Through its service mission, the university is addressing the needs of Louisville and other Kentucky metropolitan areas with hundreds of partnerships in education, business and economic development, and healthcare. One of America's fastest-growing research universities, UofL is focusing on translational research that can move quickly from the lab to the marketplace.

Client News: Des Peres Hospital Qualifies for AHA Mission: Lifeline Recognition for Heart Attack Care

2011-08-03T08:40:00.001-05:00

Source: Des Peres Hospital News Release

Des Peres Hospital recently qualified for the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline Bronze Quality Achievement Award. The award recognizes Des Peres Hospital’s commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of care for heart attack patients that effectively improves the survival and care of STEMI (ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction) patients.

Every year, almost 250,000 people experience the STEMI type of heart attack. Unfortunately, a significant number don't receive prompt reperfusion therapy, which is critical in restoring blood flow. Mission: Lifeline seeks to save lives by closing the gaps that separate STEMI patients from timely access to appropriate treatments. Mission: Lifeline is focusing on improving the system of care for these patients and at the same time improving care for all heart attack patients.

Hospitals involved in Mission: Lifeline strive to improve care in both acute treatment measures and discharge measures. Systems of care are developed that close the gap of timely access to appropriate, life-saving treatments. Before they are discharged, appropriate patients are started on aggressive risk reduction therapies such as cholesterol-lowering drugs, aspirin, ACE inhibitors and beta-blockers in the hospital and receive smoking cessation counseling.

Hospitals that receive the Mission: Lifeline Bronze Performance Achievement Award have demonstrated for 90 consecutive days that at least 85 percent of eligible STEMI patients (without contraindications) are treated within specific time frames upon entering the hospital and discharged following the American Heart Association’s recommended treatment guidelines.

“Des Peres Hospital is dedicated to delivering cardiac care that is among the best in the country, and the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline program is helping us accomplish that by making it easier for our professionals to improve the outcomes of our cardiac patients,” said Steve Woods, clinical quality officer. “We are pleased to be recognized for our dedication and achievements in cardiac care.”

About Mission: Lifeline
The American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline program helps hospitals and emergency medical services develop systems of care that follow proven standards and procedures for STEMI patients. The program works by mobilizing teams across the continuum of care to implement American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology clinical treatment guidelines. For more information, visit www.heart.org/missionlifeline and www.heart.org/quality.

Client News: Botsford Hospital Ranked Among National Leaders in Quality and Responsible Care

2011-08-02T10:25:00.000-05:00

Source: Bostford Hospital News Release

Botsford Hospital has been ranked as one of the top 100 hospitals in the nation in terms of quality and value provided to the community according to a study of U.S. hospitals just released by a leading health care consulting firm.

Botsford was recognized as a top-ranked Community Value Provider in the State of the Hospital Industry –2011 Edition published by Cleverley +Associates based in Worthington, Ohio. The annual report assesses both financial strength and quality performance of hospitals and ranks the information through a Community Value Index using publicly available data including Medicare Cost Reports, Medicare Inpatient Claims, Medicare Outpatient Claims and 2009-2010 Hospital Compare data.

“We were honored that Botsford received both the Community Value 100 and Community Value Five-Star awards,” said Paul LaCasse, D.O., president and CEO of Botsford Health Care. “Our CVI scores tell us that our hard work in providing top quality and responsible care has paid off when our results are benchmarked against that of all other hospitals of similar size and teaching status.” The Community Value 100 award recognizes the top 100 hospitals while the Five Star Award is given to those scoring in the top 20 percent of their group; Botsford is ranked with other medium size teaching hospitals.

The Community Value Index assesses hospital performance in four key areas: financial viability and reinvestment in the facility, reasonable cost and charge structures and hospital quality indicators. The 2011 awards are based on 2009 hospital data.

Botsford Hospital is a multi-specialty community hospital with 330 licensed beds located in Farmington Hills, Michigan. The hospital was founded in 1965 with a vision of providing excellence and quality in the delivery of health care. Botsford Hospital each year cares for more than 17,000 inpatients and almost 60,000 emergency patients with a team of 2,400 employees, 400 volunteers and more than 600 physicians. A not-for-profit hospital, Botsford provided almost $27 million in community benefit during its 2008 fiscal year.

http://www.botsford.org/

twitter.com/botsfordnews

facebook.com/botsfordhospital

Events: 2011 Keane Client Conference HDTV Winner

2011-07-29T15:58:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to our HDTV winner Erica Murray, Systems Analyst, Athens Regional Medical Center in Athens, Georgia!!!

Thank you to everyone who stopped by our booth at the Keane Client Conference in Newport Beach - George enjoyed meeting you! If you have any further questions about any of the products and services Unibased offers, please contact our solution consultants:

George Giorgianni
800-489-6069 ext 163
ggiorgianni@unibased.com

Press Release: Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian Signs Agreement for Unibased ForSite2020® RMS Enterprise Scheduling

2011-07-27T07:05:00.004-05:00

Unibased Systems Architecture, Inc. (Unibased) announced today that Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian (Hoag) has signed an agreement for the license and implementation of the Unibased ForSite2020® Resource Management System (RMS) software application suite, including the POCET and CASH physician and consumer portals. Hoag intends to use ForSite2020® to provide the physician and patient community with an enhanced customer experience that will include a streamlined registration process, 24/7 availability to self-service functions, and a one-call “one-stop-shop” scheduling process for all services and procedures across the Hoag enterprise and five of its institutes, which include Hoag Cancer Institute, Hoag Heart and Vascular Institute, Hoag Neurosciences Institute, Hoag Women’s Health Institute, and orthopedic services through Hoag’s affiliate Hoag Orthopedic Institute.

ForSite2020® will play a role in both the Hoag implementation of an electronic health record (EHR) and a health information exchange (HIE), linking physician practices, clinics, reference labs, imaging centers, pharmacies, diagnostic centers and patients. The HIE and other methods of communication with the community will improve quality of care, patient safety and healthcare efficiency. The Unibased ForSite2020® RMS enterprise scheduling system will facilitate these objectives as well as improve the coordination of patient care. The HIE will provide a platform for participating physicians to confirm patient schedules based upon requested services in an expeditious fashion.

Tim Moore, Hoag’s Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, stated, “Hoag exists solely to provide the best healthcare experience possible to the communities we serve. Hoag has a long-term commitment in investing in our communities through enabling technologies. After an extensive evaluation process, we have selected Unibased as our comprehensive enterprise scheduling solution related to their proven track record, ease to work with, and commitment to our shared objectives.”

Phil Amelung, Principal Consultant for Unibased, agreed, “Unibased is looking forward to supplying Hoag with tools they will use to transform the way services are accessed and delivered at Hoag. With a project like this, everybody wins. Patients and physicians are provided more convenient access and a consistent “front door” to services at Hoag, administrative processes are streamlined so that service locations can focus on providing quality services for their patients, and many business service benefits are realized from enhanced and expedited revenue cycle functions.”

About Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian: Hoag is a not-for-profit regional healthcare delivery network in Orange County, CA that treats nearly 30,000 inpatients and 350,000 outpatients annually. Hoag consists of two acute-care hospitals, seven health centers and three urgent care centers (with three more scheduled to open in Fall 2011). Hoag Hospital Newport Beach, which has served Orange County since 1952, and Hoag Hospital Irvine, which opened in 2010, are designated Magnet hospitals by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). Hoag offers a comprehensive blend of health care services that include six institutes providing specialized services in the following areas: cancer, heart and vascular, neurosciences, women’s health , primary care and orthopedics through Hoag’s affiliate Hoag Orthopedic Institute. Hoag has been named one of the Best Regional Hospitals in the U.S. News & World Report Metro Edition. National Research Corporation has endorsed Hoag as Orange County’s most preferred hospital for the past 15 consecutive years and for an unprecedented 15 years, residents of Orange County have chosen Hoag as the county’s best hospital in a local newspaper survey. Visit http://www.hoag.org/.

View/Download PDF of Full Press Release HERE

Meaningful Use OnceSource Powered by HIMSS

2011-07-25T14:34:00.000-05:00

Source: HIMSS Website

In its role as the leading authority on the appropriate implementation and use of health IT, HIMSS has developed the Meaningful Use OneSource to equip our members and other interested organizations to prepare for the Meaningful Use and Certification Criteria and Standards regulations. The Meaningful Use OneSource is a repository of hundreds of documents, tools, and links to other knowledge available on the Internet. Within this authoritative knowledge resource you will find everything you need to know about meaningful use. Meaningful Use OneSource has the answers to your questions on:

How to meet the meaningful use and certification criteria
How to receive the Medicare and Medicaid incentive funding and avoid penalties
How to practically and successfully implement meaningful use in your organization.

All content contained within the Meaningful Use OneSource is vetted by content experts prior to its inclusion on the site, so you can be sure that you are receiving the very best and most credible knowledge available.

The Meaningful Use OneSource is a dynamic and living body that will be continuously updated with the latest research and thought capital. You will also find recently released updates on federal and state laws and regulations; updated Web links; new podcasts, tools, and more. Visit the site regularly so that you are always on top of the latest developments and fully equipped to implement and manage meaningful use in your organization.

Press Release: Unibased Debuts Significant Upgrade for Managing Faxed Physician Orders

2011-07-20T07:05:00.002-05:00

Unibased announced the release of Fax Order Collection Utilization & Storage (FOCUS), a unique order management solution designed to automate and improve the current process of faxed physician orders. Part of the award-winning ForSite2020® offering, Unibased’s FOCUS streamlines the traditional faxed order process by collecting and electronically monitoring, sorting, categorizing, distributing and scheduling all faxed physician orders in one integrated system, eliminating the hassle of lost or missing orders and increasing efficiency – for enhanced coordination of care and patient/physician satisfaction. FOCUS allows hospitals to maintain control while reducing labor and lost revenues associated with searching for missing physician orders by simplifying the process with total automation.

View/Download PDF of Full Press Release HERE

Client News: Oakwood Donates EKG Units to Dearborn Fire Department

2011-07-15T15:10:00.001-05:00

Source: Oakwood Healthcare System Press Release

The Oakwood Healthcare System donated five portable 12-lead EKG units to the Dearborn Fire Department on Wednesday, furthering a commitment to reduce heart attack treatment times throughout the Detroit metro area.

The units, which represent an investment of $165,000 by the healthcare system, are capable of transmitting EKG information directly to the smart phones of attending physicians, dramatically reducing the treatment times for heart attack victims. It’s part of a commitment from Oakwood to provide the equipment and training to paramedics throughout the 500-square mile area serviced by Oakwood.

“This is a huge commitment, not only to the City of Dearborn, but to the entire region,” said Jeffrey Beutner, Battalion Chief, Emergency Medical Services for the City of Dearborn. “This is a wonderful thing the hospital has done.”

Healthcare systems rate the time between the arrival of heart attack patients at an emergency room and when they can receive an emergency catherization—it’s referred to as door-to-balloon time. The national average is about 90 minutes. Since the new technology has been implemented at the Oakwood Hospital & Medical Center (OHMC) in Dearborn, the average is about 53—and far less if patients are transported by the Dearborn Fire Department, rather than going to the hospital on their own.

“We’ve consistently seen 30 minutes or less when patients are transported by our agency,” said Beutner.

That’s because doctors can make the diagnosis as soon as the information is transmitted to their phones, said Joe Murray Ph.D., manager of the Critical Care transport Team at Oakwood Hospital and Medical Center.

“By the time the fire department gets to the hospital, our staff is ready to go,” said Murray.

Beutner said the units would find regular use in Dearborn. The four ambulance units in the city respond to about 10,000 calls every year. They go on at least three cardiac runs every day, he said.

The Dearborn fire department has used the technology since 2009, according to Beutner. The new units will replace old ones that have seen plenty of use for the department.

“It’s been a great partnership,” said Dearborn Mayor Jack O’Reilly.

“It’s huge,” said Fire Chief Richard Miller of the donation, which comes at a time when many municipalities are operating under tight budget conditions. “This is a big help for the department and the community as a whole.”

Michael Geheb, MD, division president of Oakwood Healthcare Inc, said the project was a team effort from the healthcare system, the Oakwood Foundation and the OHMC Guild, volunteers who helped generate donations for the Lifepak units.

“It’s been a great collaborative effort,” said Geheb.

Murray said Oakwood hopes to provide the equipment and training to departments throughout the healthcare system’s service area this year. Dearborn has been transmitting ECGs for about two years now, but their current cardiac monitors are older and rapidly approaching their expiration. The new Life-Pak units in Dearborn will replace five-year-old machines.

“Oakwood is committed to this process because of the successes we’ve had,” said Murray. “We’re looking forward to getting everyone on board.”

Client News: Contra Costa Awarded $498,524 from Affordable Care Act for School-Based Health Clinics

2011-07-15T12:14:00.000-05:00

Source: Contra Costa Regional Medical Center

Contra Costa County will receive nearly half a million dollars to help improve the health of children with school-based health clinics thanks to the Affordable Care Act.

The grant was one of 278 awarded to school-based health center programs to help expand care to students nationwide by the federal Department of Health and Human Services, which made the announcement today. Contra Costa Health Services, the Contra Costa County health system, received $498,524 to fund two additional school-based mobile health clinics. The funding was made possible under the 2009 Affordable Care Act that was co-authored by Congressman George Miller and strongly supported by Congressman John Garamendi and other House Democrats.

"This is yet more evidence of the positive effects for our community from the Affordable Care Act. Once again, we see this law working to improve the health of our community, despite attacks on the law from Washington Republicans," Miller said of the announcement. "Contra Costa Health Services deserves the most sincere congratulations on winning this award today. Their work in our community has a huge impact on so many lives and I look forward to seeing the health clinics in action."

The grant will make it possible for Contra Costa Health Services to provide health services to an additional 1,950 students annually with the two new 44-foot-long mobile clinics, said Public Health Clinic Services Director Sue Crosby. That means a total 5,000 children in Contra Costa will receive care each year through six mobile clinics serving schools throughout the county. The new clinics should be in service within the next year.

"We are so pleased to receive this funding for these vital resources that help us provide quick, affordable, safe and convenient health services to children who might not otherwise receive the care they need to be healthy and to be able to go to school," Crosby said.

School-based health centers improve the overall health and wellness of all children through health screenings, health promotion and disease prevention activities and enable children with acute or chronic illnesses to attend school. This method of providing health care has been proven to help keep children healthy, said Garamendi, who was California's Insurance Commissioner and Lieutenant Governor.

"Education and health together constitute two essential building blocks for happy, fulfilling lives and they help our children compete in the global market for jobs- to Make It In America," Garamendi said. "I applaud the Contra Costa County Health Services Department for securing the money for this valuable investment."

To learn more about the Affordable Care Act, visit http://www.healthcare.gov/. To learn more about HRSA's School-Based Health Center Capital Program, visit http://www.hrsa.gov/ourstories/schoolhealthcenters/ For more information on Contra Costa Health Services, visit http://cchealth.org/

Client News: Inova Loudoun: 100 Years of Promises Kept

2011-07-14T14:27:00.000-05:00

Source: Ashburn Patch
Written by: Shannon Sollinger

Getting ready to lay the first bricks: Inova Loudoun Hospital CEO Randy Kelley, left, Board of Supervisors Chairman Scott York, Leesburg Mayor Kristen Umstattd, Middleburg Bank Board Chairman Joe Boling, Supervisor Kelly Burk, Chairman of the Inova Loudoun Hospital Board of Directors Dr. Martha Callihan, Janell Hoffman, State Senator Mark Herring, Mayor of Middleburg Betsy Davis, Mayor of Lovettsville Elaine Walker, Ladies Board Chair Joan Elliott. Credit: Shannon Sollinger

One hospital CEO, three mayors, one senator, one former senator, a supervisor and one supervisors’ chairman, a bank chairman and just about anyone else interested in health care in Loudoun gathered July 11 at the front entrance of the Inova Loudoun Medical Campus on Cornwall Street in Leesburg and greeted the beginning of a two-year multi-million dollar project to bring the facility into the 21^st century.

For 80 years, from 1917 until 1997, when Loudoun Hospital moved to its new building in Lansdowne, this medical campus has been at the center of health care in Loudoun County, said Inova Loudoun Hospital CEO Randy Kelley.
“Today,” he said, “that tradition continues.”

When two doctors and a pharmacist founded Loudoun Hospital in 1912, Kelley added, they turned immediately to the ladies of the county for support. That has not changed, he said, and announced that the Ladies Board of Inova Loudoun Hospital has pledged to raise $1 million for the Cornwall Cares Campaign.

Dr. Ed Puccio, head of emergency services at the hospital, said phase I of the project includes a more than 3,000 square foot expansion of the emergency room and its trauma room, lab and radiology units - for the first time since the ER opened in Leesburg, all 15 patient rooms will be private. They will be large enough, Puccio said, that if needed, a second bed could be put in.

Also included in phase I, expected to be completed in 2012:

New laboratory
New brick façade (which will match the brick work on the new medical office building that shares the campus) on the 1974 building
Upgraded space for the Loudoun Community Free Clinic and Loudoun Child Advocacy Center, which will continue to occupy space donated by Inova
Improvements to materials management, patient transport, security and the central plant

Phase 2 of the project, to be completed in 2013, includes renovation of the 22-bed Loudoun Adult Medical Psychiatric Services and addition of surface parking at the east wing.

“Inova Loudoun Hospital is mindful of the rich history associated with this site and the original promise made to care for the health and well being of Loudoun County,” Kelley said. “As we invest $32 million in renovation and construction to meet the emergency and outpatient needs of the county, we continue to fulfill our promise.”

Client News: Norton Healthcare Adds Android Application to its NortonMobile Family of Mobile Apps

2011-07-13T14:54:00.000-05:00

Source: Norton Healthcare Media Information Center

Norton Healthcare is the first health care system in Louisville and among the first in the country to launch a mobile application (app) in the Android market. Similar to the NortonMobile iPhone and iPad apps, the NortonMobile Android app includes features to find doctors, locations and health information, and allows users to save their “favorites” on their phone.

“Some health care mobile applications provide all available data at once, and the information is refreshed only when an update to that application is made available and uploaded into the smartphone,” said Jerry Roberts, senior Web developer, Norton Healthcare. “The Norton Healthcare mobile application operates in ‘real time’ and immediately sends the data to the user as it is requested. This process ensures that every time the application is opened, the user receives the most current information.”

NortonMobile now is available for the iPad, iPhone, iTouch and Android devices. Features of the NortonMobile Android app include:

Find a doctor
Norton Healthcare has the largest network of physicians in the Louisville area. With the NortonMobile app, users can find, save and customize physician information in a “favorites” section and also use the app to request an appointment.

Find a location
By taking advantage of Google Maps technology, NortonMobile makes it easy to locate and receive step-by-step directions to any of Norton Healthcare’s nearly 100 physician practice locations in the Louisville area, as well as urgent care centers, emergency departments and other Norton Healthcare facilities.

Symptom navigator and health information
The NortonMobile app can help find answers about pain and other symptoms. The Symptom Navigator uses a diagram of the body that allows users to pinpoint the areas where symptoms are occurring. The Symptom Navigator searches a large health encyclopedia and provides a list of possible causes and treatments based on the user’s symptoms.

News, recipes, classes, special events and more
Norton Healthcare offers numerous free classes, screenings and health events ranging from cancer screenings to weight management seminars. The NortonMobile app helps users search and register for classes directly from their phone. Users also can search a large selection of healthy recipes. The NortonMobile Android app allows users to receive the latest news from Norton Healthcare, including instant updates from the Norton Healthcare Twitter account about health care trends and recalls, health tips and health-related community events.

To download the free NortonMobile Android application, visit the Android Marketplace and search “Norton Healthcare” or visit NortonHealthcare.com/NortonMobile for information about all of Norton Healthcare’s mobile applications.

For application support email us at mobilesupport@nortonhealthcare.org

Requires iOS4 software; Compatible with iTouch & iPhone 3G, 3Gs, and 4

Video Podcasts downloadable from iTunes

From itunes search ‘norton healthcare’

About Norton HealthcareFor more than a century, Norton Healthcare’s faith heritage has guided its mission to provide quality health care to all those it serves. Today, Norton Healthcare is the Louisville, Ky. area’s leading hospital and health care system (44 percent market share) and third largest private employer, providing care at more than 125 locations throughout Greater Louisville and Southern Indiana. The Louisville-based not-for-profit system includes five Louisville hospitals with more than 1,800 licensed beds; five outpatient centers; 12 Norton Immediate Care Centers; 11,200 employees; more than 470 employed medical providers; and about 2,300 total physicians on its medical staff. Norton Healthcare is the 2011 recipient of the prestigious National Quality Forum National Quality Healthcare Award, and has consistently been recognized as one of the best places to work in Metro Louisville, the state of Kentucky and nationally. Norton Healthcare and Humana are one of only four national pilot sites, and the only one in Kentucky, to study the Accountable Care Organization (ACO) model through the prestigious Brookings – Dartmouth ACO Pilot Project. More information about Norton Healthcare is available at NortonHealthcare.com.

Client News: Wisconsin Healthcare Executive Will Serve as New President of Gettysburg Hospital and Senior Vice President of WellSpan Health

2011-07-11T09:44:00.001-05:00

Source: WellSpan Health Pess Release

Officials at WellSpan Health have announced the appointment of Jane E. Hyde, a Wisconsin health care executive with more than 35 years of experience, as a senior vice president for the health system and president of Gettysburg Hospital.

Hyde, who will officially join Central Pennsylvania’s largest health care organization in September, was selected through a national search process, which included participation by members of the Gettysburg Hospital Board of Directors and members of WellSpan’s senior management team. She succeeds Kevin H. Mosser, M.D., who became WellSpan’s executive vice president and chief operating officer in January 2011.

Since 2000, Hyde has served Agnesian HealthCare in Fond du Lac, WI, an integrated health care organization that includes three hospitals, a long-term care facility, eight retail pharmacies, 140 physician practices and other ambulatory health care centers and services. Most recently, Hyde held the position of senior vice president of strategic development and community affairs. She has also served as chief executive officer of Agnesian HealthCare Enterprises, a retail subsidiary of Agnesian Healthcare, and as chief operating officer of Sun Home Health/Hospice Services in Northumberland, Pa.

In addition to her leadership responsibilities at Agnesian HealthCare, Hyde has been an active member of her local community, having served on the boards of directors for St. Mary’s Springs High School, the Fond du Lac Area YMCA, the Windhover Center for the Arts and the Women’s Fund of the Fond du Lac Community Foundation. She has also served as a volunteer for Hospice Home of Hope in Fond du Lac.

“We are fortunate to have the opportunity to welcome into our community and organization a health care leader as talented and committed to the general mission of non-profit health care as Jane Hyde,” said Mosser. “We believe that the values that Jane holds are consistent with those of our organization and we are happy to have her join our health system.”

As president of Gettysburg Hospital, Hyde will assume responsibility for the day-to-day operation of the community hospital, which serves the residents of Adams County and northern Maryland. She will also maintain relationships with community organizations, agencies and stakeholder groups in support of Gettysburg Hospital and WellSpan Health’s mission to improve the health and quality of life of the greater Adams County region. As a senior vice president of WellSpan Health, Hyde will actively participate in the operating leadership of the integrated health system.

“The members of the search committee are excited to welcome Jane to Gettysburg Hospital and to our community,” said Ronald Hankey, chairman of the Gettysburg Hospital Board of Directors and member of the search committee. “We think she will be an outstanding representative of the hospital and will serve our community well in her leadership position."

Hyde holds a bachelor’s degree from Lock Haven University, Lock Haven, Pa., and a master’s degree in public administration from Marywood University, Scranton, Pa. She is currently in the dissertation phase of the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Leadership Studies at Marian University, Fond du Lac, WI.

About WellSpan Health WellSpan Health is a regional integrated health system that serves more than 650,000 people in south central Pennsylvania and northern Maryland. With more than 8,500 employees, the organization includes Gettysburg Hospital; York Hospital; the 500-member WellSpan Medical Group; WellSpan VNA Home Care; and regional referral services in cardiovascular, oncology, orthopedics, behavioral health, women’s services, neurosciences and Level I trauma. The organization also includes an ambulatory care network with 32 locations and South Central Preferred, a preferred provider organization and third party administrator.

Client News: Lancaster General Has Plans for $15M Chester County Facility

2011-07-08T12:54:00.001-05:00

Source: Daily Local News
Written by: GRETCHEN METZ, Staff Writer

The hospital is seeking final approval from Sadsbury supervisors to build a outpatient facility on the southeast corner of routes 30 and 10. Hospital officials and the property’s developer, The Provco Group of Villanova, are scheduled for the supervisors’ August meeting.

Once final approvals are in hand, the next step will be filing applications for building and other permits.

The yet-to-be-named outpatient facility is a $15 million investment for Lancaster General, and the hospital’s second Chester County location.

In April 2010, the hospital opened the Lancaster General Health Express, an urgent care center in the Walmart Supercenter at the West Sadsbury Commons, on the southwest corner of routes 30 and 10.

At the express, certified registered nurse practitioners provide treatment for common illnesses such as sinus infections, earaches, strep throat and rashes, as well as health screenings, immunizations and physicals for sports activities, camps and schools.

Lancaster General has trained its focus on western Chester County because of its residential growth.

“One of the fastest growing areas in the region is along the Routes 30 and 10 corridor, where Lancaster and Chester Counties meet,” said Susan Wynne, senior vice president for business development at Lancaster General Health.

“The population is projected to grow by 7 percent and many residents in the community have expressed the need for better access to health-care services.

“This center will fulfill the need for more health care, from primary care to medical specialists and outpatient services that will be convenient to where people live.”

The planned outpatient center will be situated behind Hershey Motors in an area currently farm fields.

It will house physician offices, areas for blood draws and pre-surgery tests, a diagnostics area for X-rays and ultrasounds, and space for pulmonary testing and physical rehabilitation, said Joe Donaldson, strategic implementation engineer at Lancaster General.

The radiology department will be built with enough space to add imaging capabilities such as MRIs and CTs in the future, Donaldson said.

In addition, the outpatient center will offer physician-based urgent care for non-life-threatening conditions such as sprains and infections. That will be a step up from the nurse practitioner-based urgent care offered across the street at the Health Express.

The 36,000-square-foot, two-floor facility will also have a community conference room that can be used for community education, Donaldson said. Both floors will have ground-level entrances.

No date has been set for groundbreaking but Donaldson hopes for late fall to get work under way before winter sets in. Failing that, work will begin in the spring.

Access to the outpatient facility will be from Route 10, initially.

Route 10 highway improvements include turning lanes and road widening, said Frieda Schmidt, Lancaster General spokeswoman. In the future, the access road will be extended from Route 10 and intersect with Route 30 east of the routes 10 and 30 intersection.

The 63-acre site is being developed by Provco, which owns the land.

The outpatient facility is Phase I for the site, said W. Kent Silvers Jr., assistant vice president at Provco. Phase II will be a retail component. As yet, there is no timeline for Phase II, Silvers said.

Both township officials and the developer said residents have not voiced concerns about the outpatient center.

“The community is all for it. They have embraced the idea,” Silvers said, adding that having urgent care available means a parent who has a child with a fever on a Saturday night will now have a convenient place to take the child for treatment instead of a hospital emergency room.

Lancaster General’s plans have not escaped the attention of Brandywine Hospital, which is located less than 10 miles from the proposed development.

“As the closest hospital and primary provider of inpatient and outpatient services to the Parkesburg area, Brandywine Hospital will continue to meet the medical needs of this community,” said Bryan D. Burklow, Brandywine’s CEO. “ ... We work closely with our physicians to give their patients access to advanced services including cardiology, emergency, robotic surgery, neurosurgery, orthopedics and behavioral health. The community has relied on Brandywine Hospital for many years and can count on us to meet their healthcare needs for generations to come.”

To contact staff writer Gretchen Metz, send an e-mail to gmetz@dailylocal.com.

How Hospitals Address Patient Experience via Mobile Apps

2011-07-08T07:22:00.000-05:00

Source: HealthLeaders Media
Written by: Carrie Vaughan

The number of people using mobile technology is on the rise. In 2008, the number of smartphone subscribers was 15 million. That number almost doubled in 2009, reaching 26 million, and is expected to grow to roughly 142 million in 2011, according to Nielsen Mobile, which tracks wireless trends.

So it’s no surprise that creating smartphone applications is an area that hospitals want to take advantage of. “It is another new way of marketing and interacting with patients and potential consumers,” says Barbara Mackovic, senior marketing manager at Louisville,

KY–based Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s HealthCare (JHSMH). The world of communication is changing so rapidly, Mackovic says, that once you master one thing, it is already out of date. Mobile technology is “something that all marketers have to be aware of and figure out how that pertains to their target market,” she says.

Melissa Tizon, communications director at Seattle’s Swedish Medical Center, agrees. “At the end of the day, it is about what kind of experience patients are having with you. And if you can make that experience easier by putting something convenient on their phone, then those are the kinds of things that we want to do.”

Although mobile technology is an important feature that hospital marketers shouldn’t overlook, they also shouldn’t create an app just to be able to say they have one.

“There are so many [apps] that people download that aren’t used, so you have to think about what is useful,” says Tizon. Here is a look behind the two health systems’ mobile strategies.

Integrate mobile with other social media platforms

JHSMH is no stranger to social media: It already has a Facebook page, a Twitter feed, and a YouTube channel. But it was looking for another way to have daily interaction with its community, so in April 2010 it launched its mobile application. “We figured that this is a great way to communicate with [members of the community] on an ongoing basis and give them the tools that they needed, specific to our community and healthcare system, at their fingertips,” says Mackovic.

It was also an opportunity to take all of the social media tools that JHSMH was already using and tie them together in a single location. “To have an effective mobile app, it has to be a one-stop shop and bring together the entire social media plan all under a central element,” she says. “The more you can integrate, the better.”

When designing its free mobile app, JHSMH didn’t want a general app package that any hospital could implement. “We thought about what the community needed and what makes our health system unique,” says Mackovic, adding that one of the health system’s selling points is that it has seven emergency departments (ED) in the region and more than 200 employed physicians.

“We wanted to make sure people could find that ED or physician who was closest to them that meets the criteria that they are looking for—gender, after hours, specialty,” she explains.

With JHSMH’s app, people can search for services within a mile of their home, and the health system recently updated the app to include ED wait times. In addition, the app features current health news—not just JHSMH news. “Subscribers can see a feed of interesting health news, which is what we use our Twitter account for,” Mackovic says. The JHSMH app also includes a food diary and calorie tracker to emphasize the importance of a healthy lifestyle.

To promote the app, JHSMH used some basic media—a press release, an outdoor board on its campus, and some table tents in its cafeteria—but it has mostly focused on word of mouth.

“We haven’t done a lot of traditional marketing,” says Mackovic. “The thing about social media is it doesn’t make sense to advertise in a more traditional way, so we really utilized other social media channels.” For example, the health system posted an explanatory video about the app on its YouTube channel.

As of the end of March, more than 2,100 people have downloaded the app, which is available on iPhone® and BlackBerry® devices.

Focus on core services

Swedish Medical Center, a four-hospital system, also focused on promoting one of its core services and maintaining its relationship with patients when it launched its Kids Symptom Checker app.

The health system has a pediatric specialty care program and delivers more babies than any other facility in Washington, says Tizon. “We have all of these women who come into our facility to deliver their baby and have this incredible experience with us,” she says. “Then they leave and we don’t really see them again, so we have been doing a lot of work to try to maintain that relationship with women after they leave our facility after having their babies.”

To that end, Swedish has been providing health information on its website and now via its new mobile app, which launched this past fall on iPhone devices and was scheduled to be made available for Android™ devices this spring.

“It is really helpful to our family medicine physicians and pediatricians for their patients to have access to information, so I guess you could say that they were one of the biggest drivers for getting this information available,” says Tizon.

The app helps subscribers get quick advice about what may be ailing their child, and includes an anatomic index of topics, a pediatric drug dosage table, and infection exposure questions, as well as information on how to take a temperature and advice on when to call a doctor.

Swedish is promoting its Symptom Checker app through social media and with the help of its family medicine physicians and pediatricians, who are informing their patients about it. The health system plans to track the app’s return on investment by measuring its number of downloads and by tracking how many people heard about Swedish’s services through the app.

Making your mobile strategy a success

One of the key lessons JHSMH learned when developing its app was not to spend too much time on the front end trying to make it perfect. “We knew that we weren’t going to get it perfect the first time with version 1.0. It was not going to be the end-all app,” says Mackovic. “So we got it out there. People loved it, but they gave a lot of feedback.”

For example, subscribers wanted to search for available physicians and hospitals by mile radius, not ZIP code. Also, the initial version of the food diary had users search by food group, but users indicated that, for example, they would rather type in “hamburger” and have any food group that was in a hamburger pop up, she explains.

To solicit feedback, JHSMH set up a Zoomerang online survey when it launched the app. It also uses the social media tracking service Radian6 to monitor what people are saying in blog posts and on Facebook and Twitter. “We got it out there and got that feedback and then adapted it to make it the best,” says Mackovic.

“You need to think in small bites,” adds Tizon. “You can’t do it all and need to think about what is useful.”

Your first inclination might be to create a mobile version of your website,

Tizon says, but most hospital websites are huge, containing thousands of pages. Ask yourself whether people are going to use a phone for that, she says. Instead, Tizon suggests that health systems focus on small pieces of information such as pediatric health or way-finding.

“Rather than trying to put your arms around everything and making everything mobile, think about what are the small things that you can do that will be helpful,” says Tizon.

Carrie Vaughan is a senior editor with HealthLeaders magazine. She can be reached at cvaughan@healthleadersmedia.com.

Follow Carrie Vaughan on Twitter.

Client News: Mon Health System Appoints New Chief Operating Officer

2011-07-07T13:20:00.000-05:00

Linda Ollis, F.A.C.H.E., recently joined Mon Health System as Mon General Hospital’s new Chief Operating Officer (COO).

Originally from the Pittsburgh area, Ollis started her career in healthcare as a physical therapist at Allegheny Valley Hospital in Natrona Heights, PA. She later earned a Master’s Degree in hospital administration from the University of Pittsburgh, and is board certified in healthcare administration.

She brings to Mon General more than 32 years’ experience in senior hospital administrative roles. She has been a Vice President at University Hospitals of Cleveland, Sharp Healthcare in San Diego, Children’s Medical Center in Dallas and Christus Health System in Shreveport, LA. Most recently, she was the Chief Executive Officer of Creighton University Medical Center in Omaha, NE.

Ollis is filling the COO position which was vacated by Darryl Duncan when he became Mon Health System President and Chief Executive Officer in February. She began her new role on June 21.

“In recruiting Linda, we sought someone who would help us get better, embrace our culture and keep an open mind about how to address the challenges we will be facing going forward,” said Mon Health System President and CEO Darryl Duncan. “I look forward to working with Linda to keep Mon General the hospital of choice for north central West Virginia. “

As COO, Ollis is responsible for the day-to-day management of the hospital. All hospital based services, including Patient Care, Medical Affairs and Quality and Information Systems report to her.

“While I was born and raised in the Pittsburgh area, I spent the majority of my adult life in other parts of the country, but have many ties with friends and family that kept me coming back for visits,” Ollis said. “Now I have the opportunity to blend the old and the new as I discover the beauty and attractions of Morgantown and West Virginia, as well as renew links with my nearby hometown.”

Ollis has been impressed with much of what she has experienced so far at Mon Health System.

“One of the most attractive attributes is the positive, innovative culture of Mon Health System,” she said. “Every employee that I’ve encountered in my short time here has spoken with pride of their commitment to providing the best care to our patients and families and their support for their co-workers. It’s clear that staff members feel like family and treat our patients as they would like to have their own family members treated.

“Staff place a priority on dignity and privacy for each individual that enters our facility,” she said. “Care and compassion are not just words to them, they live it every day. And our patients recognize that commitment as we can see from our patient satisfaction scores, among the highest in the state.

“There is also a strong sense of community here,” Ollis said. “The medical staff and leadership team are focused on the future, not only on expansion and growth, that includes the new Orthopedic Surgery Center and the Cancer Center, but also on constant improvement in patient care and quality outcomes. It’s why Mon Health System has received so many awards, such as the Blue Distinction Program (for orthopedics) and HealthGrades (patient safety) recognition. In the end, you succeed because of your people, and we have the best!”

Even though Mon Health System is well positioned for the future, there are a lot of changes coming in healthcare.

“The most challenging aspect of healthcare is that it’s in a constant state of change – technology, regulations and reimbursement,” she said. The changes aren’t going to stop, so it’s good that we have such superb teamwork and commitment in place. The real danger is complacency – especially when you’re doing well operationally and financially. We have to anticipate and embrace change and one of my roles will be to clarify and interpret, to make resources available.

Ollis noted that Mon General has been through quite a bit of construction in the past several years, and that construction is now underway for a new access road.

“It will be a joy to move into all the newly renovated space and welcome new care providers and patients,” she said. “We’ll have improved access with the new entrance to the hospital campus, which will increase our visibility, and wonderful new centers for orthopedics, cancer/infusion and endoscopy, as well as the cath lab renovations.”

Ollis and her husband of 28 years, John, are exited to be surrounded by the natural beauty of Morgantown and are looking forward to exploring the area and getting to know their neighbors.

Client News: ETMC's Stroke Care Program Recertified as Primary Stroke Center

2011-07-07T07:52:00.000-05:00

Source: ETMC Press Release

ETMC Tyler’s stroke care program has been recertified as an Advanced Primary Stroke Center by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations with a Gold Seal of Approval.™

ETMC Tyler was the first hospital in East Texas and one of the first in Texas to receive this designation in 2005 with recertifications in 2007 and 2009. ETMC voluntarily pursued this designation in part because of the alarming rate of stroke-related deaths in East Texas. The Joint Commission conducted an on-site review this spring to review compliance with national standards, clinical guidelines and outcomes of care.

“The East Texas region has one of the highest stroke rates in our state,” said Todd Sigmon, ETMC Neurological Institute vice president. “Since part of the effort to earn the certification includes a focus on stroke prevention, we believe it will help us meet our goal to help change that factor in our region.”

To Qualify:

To qualify as a certified center a facility must establish standardized stroke protocols to assure consistent care for all stroke patients. Physicians and staff must also be educated in the diagnosis and treatment of stroke, and systems for continuous quality improvement must also be in place. “Our quality assurance efforts include a continuous review of patient data to determine ways to improve outcomes,” Sigmon said.

Additionally, educational and prevention efforts must be conducted for the general public. “ETMC conducts screenings regularly to help pinpoint problems that may lead to stroke, and we have an ongoing series of community education forums called KnowledgeFirst. Topics on stroke and vascular conditions are regularly included,” Sigmon said.

Each year about 795,000 people experience a new or recurrent stroke, which is the nation's third leading cause of death. Over 143,579 people die each year from stroke in the United States. Stroke is a leading cause of serious, long-term disability in the United States, with about five million stroke survivors.

Client News: Norton Healthcare Announces Grand Opening for New Cancer Center, Scheduled to Open August 1st

2011-07-06T15:24:00.000-05:00

Source: Norton Healthcare Press Release

Norton Cancer Institute and Norton Healthcare have announced a series of grand opening events leading to the Aug. 1 opening of Norton Cancer Institute – Downtown, a new $26.4 million cancer treatment and research center located on Norton Healthcare’s downtown Louisville campus.

The series of events include a special open house for the public on Tuesday, July 26 from 2 to 5 p.m. The public can tour the new center, see the world-class technology, and view the facility’s special artwork and meditation areas. The center is located at 676 S. Floyd St. (northwest corner of Broadway & Floyd); open house parking is available in the Norton Pavilion parking garage at 634 S. Preston St.

In addition to the public event, Norton Cancer Institute and Norton Healthcare will conduct special grand opening events/open houses in late July for a variety of constituents, including board and leadership cabinet members, donors, physicians, employees, artists, construction and community partners, and many others.

The 65,000-square-foot facility features a first-floor radiation center with world-class technology; a second-floor multidisciplinary center, including coordinated specialty care, along with cancer research via patient clinical trials; and third-floor shelled-in space for future growth of cancer services. The center will serve adult and pediatric patients of all ages for malignant cancers and certain non-malignant tumors, including brain, lung, breast, prostate, colorectal, stomach, pancreatic, kidney and others.

Norton Cancer Institute is the leading provider of comprehensive cancer care in Kentucky and Southern Indiana.

To view the Norton Cancer Institute's fact sheet, click here.

Happy Independence Day!

2011-07-04T09:30:00.001-05:00

As we celebrate our nation's freedom,
we honor the courageous dedicated to preserving it.

Happy Independence Day!

Client News: ETMC Cancer Institute Reaccredited

2011-07-01T13:46:00.000-05:00

The Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons has granted three-year accreditation with commendation to the cancer program at the East Texas Medical Center Cancer Institute.

ETMC received the reaccreditation following the on-site evaluation by a physician surveyor in May. The commission is a consortium of professional organizations dedicated to improving survival rates and quality of life for cancer patients through education, standard-setting, prevention, research and monitoring the quality of cancer care.

In 1990, ETMC’s Cancer Institute was the first oncology program in East Texas to be certified, placing it among the elite hospitals in the nation with approved cancer programs.

“We are very pleased to have this approval again because it’s only given to facilities that have voluntarily committed to providing the highest level of quality cancer care,” said Todd Sigmon, vice president of the ETMC Cancer Institute.

Receiving care at a commission-approved cancer program ensures that a patient will have access to:

Comprehensive care, including a range of state-of-the-art services and equipment.
A multispecialty, team approach to coordinate the best treatment options.
Information about ongoing clinical trials and new treatment options.
Access to cancer-related information, education and support.
A cancer registry that collects data on type and stage of cancers and treatment results and offers lifelong patient follow-up.
Ongoing monitoring and improvement of care.
Quality care close to home.

The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 1.5 million cases of cancer will be diagnosed in 2011.

Children's Hospital of Illinois Names Interim President

2011-06-27T14:32:00.000-05:00

OSF Saint Francis Medical Center and Children's Hospital of Illinois are pleased to announce that Mike Higgins has been appointed interim president of Children's Hospital effective Monday, June 20, 2011.

Higgins has worked as a network development specialist and professional staff electronic medical records trainer in the regional development department since arriving at OSF Saint Francis. In addition, Higgins is a 6 Sigma Green Belt and participates in several team projects.

Current Children's Hospital president Paul Kramer is retiring. Kramer has served in that capacity since 1997. "I want to express my appreciation to Paul Kramer who has taken Children's Hospital to a whole new level," said Keith Steffen, President and CEO of OSF Saint Francis Medical Center.

"A national executive search has been launched for his replacement. In the meantime, I have the utmost confidence that Mike will be able to provide a smooth transition in the Children's Hospital leadership."

Higgins earned his bachelor's degree from Eastern Illinois University and is currently working toward his Masters in Business Administration with a concentration in health care management. Prior to his tenure at OSF Saint Francis, he worked in the insurance industry focusing on business development.

Additionally, Higgins has dedicated himself to charitable and community organizations serving on numerous boards of directors. He is a member of the 40 Leaders Under 40 Class of 2008 and a graduate of the Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce Community Leadership School. Mike and his wife, Tiffany, live in Washington with their three children.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Shelli Dankoff, Media Relations Specialist
(309) 655-3897

Client News: Tom Beeman announces return as LG Health CEO

2011-06-22T07:06:00.001-05:00

Source: Lancaster General Health News Release

It has been nearly eight months since I assumed the role of deputy commander for the National Intrepid Center of Excellence, National Naval Medical Center (NICoE) in Bethesda, MD. Leading this center and helping servicemen and women recover from complex traumatic brain injury have been both a humbling and rewarding experience.

Now, it is time to return home. I am pleased and eager to report that my Navy Reserve duty will end later this month and that I will rejoin Lancaster General Health as President & Chief Executive Officer, and President of Lancaster General Hospital, beginning Tuesday, July 5.

I would like to thank the Medical and Dental Staff for your unwavering dedication to delivering extraordinary care to our patients and their families. Your commitment to our Mission, to your colleagues and our community continues to provide a solid foundation for our high-quality and compassionate care.

I am grateful to our Board of Trustees, its chairman Alex Henderson, and members of our leadership team who guided our organization through what are increasingly challenging times in healthcare.

I want to thank Jan Bergen for skillfully serving as our health system’s CEO in my absence, keeping the health system moving forward and focused on carrying out our Mission and the goals outlined in our Strategic Plan. I am also appreciative of Marion McGowan’s leadership as the hospital’s President and system’s Chief Operating Officer, particularly the critical guidance she and Gary Davidson provided this past year that resulted in the recent successful e-Health Go Live. My thanks too to Susan Wynne, who assumed the responsibilities of Chief Mission Officer and ensured our distinctive commitment to the health and well-being of the communities continued without interruption.

In the upcoming months, I look forward to sharing some of the many clinical, operational and leadership insights I gained while leading the NICoE. The center combines the most advanced equipment and facilities with a holistic, multidisciplinary approach to diagnose and treat brain injury and other psychological disorders. My time there provided invaluable knowledge from which LG Health can benefit.

I wish you well in the weeks ahead and look forward to seeing everyone next month.

Sincerely,
Thomas E. Beeman

Client News: Inova Kellar Center Honored to Recieve Funds from Cardinal Bank Charity Classic

2011-06-17T07:17:00.000-05:00

Source: Inova Press Release

Cardinal Financial Chairman & CEO Bernard Clineburg, Inova Kellar Center Director Rick Leichtweis, Cardinal Charity Classic Honorary Chair and Dewberry Chairman Sidney O. Dewberry, Cardinal Bank's KC Cardinal and Cardinal Regional President Kevin Reynolds. (Photo: Mattox Photography)

Inova Kellar Center is honored to be a recipient of the Cardinal Bank Charity Classic. The annual fundraiser, held May 16 at the Country Club of Fairfax, raised more than $250,000, bringing the nine-year fundraising total to more than $2,285,000.

The funds raised from the 2011 tournament will be used to continue Cardinal’s partnership with Inova Kellar Center, while also supporting other community outreach programs and organizations through the Cardinal Bank Community Fund.

“Cardinal Bank and Inova Kellar Center are a classic example of the benefits that can be achieved through a public-private partnership that work together to improve the lives of children and their families in our community,” said Rick Leichtweis, PhD, Executive Director, Inova Kellar Center. “Because of Cardinal Bank’s on-going support, we have expanded our service capabilities to accommodate the growing demand in our community and to ensure services to those without the necessary resources.”

“The Cardinal Classic represents one of the many ways in which Cardinal Bank gives back to our communities,” said Kevin Reynolds, Regional President, Cardinal Bank. “Even during challenging economic times, this annual event continues to be strongly supported by our clients, business partners and community friends. We are truly making a tangible and positive impact in the lives of families served by Inova Kellar Center and the charitable organizations supported through the Cardinal Bank Community Fund."

More than 1,000 volunteers, donors and business partners participated in the annual event. Held at the Country Club of Fairfax, the tournament drew more than 250 golf and tennis players, including Honorary Chairman Sid Dewberry, Founder and Chairman of Dewberry, an award-winning professional services firm that provides architecture, engineering, and management and consulting services.

Inova Kellar Center is celebrating 20 years as a not-for-profit, comprehensive mental health/substance use disorder and Special Education School, treating children, adolescents and their families. The Center is recognized throughout the Commonwealth as the “provider of choice” and has improved the lives of thousands of children and families through its integrated system of evaluation, treatment and continuing care. The Kellar School, of Inova Kellar Center, is a fully licensed and accredited therapeutic day school offering structured, individualized educational programs to students in grades 3-12 with emotional, learning and/or behavioral issues that interfere with their ability to learn.

Client News: Mon General Earns National Recognition for Distinction in Knee and Hip Replacement

2011-06-16T14:39:00.000-05:00

7Source: Mon General Press Release

Mon General has been named a Blue Distinction Center for Knee and Hip Replacement ® by Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield West Virginia. This distinction recognizes Mon General for demonstrating a commitment to providing quality care and better overall outcomes for knee and hip replacement procedures.

Blue Distinction® is a national designation awarded by Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies to medical facilities that have demonstrated expertise in delivering quality healthcare in the areas of bariatric surgery, cardiac care, complex and rare cancers, knee and hip replacement, spine surgery or transplants.

To earn this designation, Mon General was evaluated based on an objective, evidence-based selection criteria established with input from expert physicians and medical organizations. The goal of Blue Distinction is to identify medical facilities that deliver better overall quality and medical outcomes for a specific area of specialty care, helping patients and doctors to make more informed hospital choices.

Mon General features one of the largest groups of orthopedic surgeons of any hospital in the State of West Virginia and currently performs approximately 3,600 orthopedic procedures annually, including knee and hip replacements. The number of orthopedic procedures performed at the hospital has increased 20 percent during the past five years.

With continued growth expected in orthopedic procedures as the area’s population ages, Mon General recently began constructing a new Orthopedic Surgery Center. The new center will feature four operating suites, an eight bed recovery area and a 12-bed holding area for pre- and post-operation care. The new center will include space to add two additional operating rooms in the future as volume expands. The new Orthopedic Center is expected to be complete by late November or early December.

“This Blue Distinction designation is a tribute to the dedicated team of physicians, nurses, technicians and therapists who helped develop Mon General’s comprehensive programs in Knee and Hip Replacement,” said Mon Health System President and CEO Darryl Duncan. “Their clinical expertise in this area of specialty care has resulted in better overall results for our patients.

“This national distinction also reinforces our decision to build a new Orthopedic Surgery Center to meet the area’s growing need for more modern operating rooms to treat complex orthopedic cases,” Duncan said. “We have one of the best orthopedic surgery teams in the state and soon will have one of the most modern Orthopedic Surgery Center’s in the region.”

“Our Blue Distinction program recognizes hospitals that demonstrate higher levels of performance in providing better specialty care for patients," said Fred Earley, President of Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield West Virginia. “Improving quality of care is integral to transforming the healthcare system. Facilities like Mon General are helping the North-Central West Virginia area achieve this by offering patients safe specialty care delivered by medical teams with expertise.”

Blue Distinction selection criteria cover a broad range of quality measures. By earning the designation, Mon General has demonstrated:

· An established program, performing required annual volumes for certain procedures

· Appropriate experience of its care team

· Full facility accreditation by a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)-deemed national accreditation organization

· Adherence to evidence-based clinical care measures and guidelines

· A comprehensive quality management program

“Blue Distinction puts a high value on the consistent delivery of evidence-based care,” said Dr. Allan Korn, chief medical officer of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (BCBSA). “Blue Distinction Centers demonstrate our commitment to working with doctors and hospitals in communities across the country to identify leading institutions that meet objective quality criteria and deliver better overall outcomes in specialty patient care.”

Blue Distinction Centers for Knee and Hip Replacement provide comprehensive inpatient knee and hip replacement services, including total knee replacement and total hip replacement surgeries.

To learn more about the Blue Distinction designation, visit www.bcbs.com/bluedistinction

Client News: Oakwood wins Award of Excellence for Community Benefit Report

2011-06-16T07:22:00.000-05:00

Source: Oakwood Press Release

Oakwood received top honors at the 17th Annual Communicator Awards – judged and overseen by the International Academy of the Visual Arts for the submission of its 2010 Report to our Community report.

The 2010 Report to the Community received the Award of Excellence in the non-profit category for printed annual reports.

Connecting the Dots
Each year Oakwood's Community Benefit Department and Oakwood's Strategic Communications Department create a Report to Our Community, which helps connect community members with the services we provide and highlights the great things we do to put patients first.

About the Communicator Awards
The Communicator Awards is the leading international creative awards program honoring creative excellence for communication professionals. Founded by communication professionals over a decade ago, The Communicator Awards is an annual competition honoring the best in advertising, corporate communications, public relations and identity work for print, video, interactive and audio.

The 2011 Communicator Awards received more than 6,000 entries from ad agencies, interactive agencies, production firms, in-house creative professionals, graphic designers, design firms and public relations firms.

Client News: Statewide System Planned in Kentucky

2011-06-14T12:44:00.000-05:00

Source: ModernHealthcare.com

Three of Kentucky's largest healthcare providers have formally reached an agreement to form a single system.

The new health system will comprise six-hospital Jewish Hospital & St. Mary's HealthCare, Louisville; seven-hospital St. Joseph Health System, Lexington; 329-bed University of Louisville Hospital; and the James Brown Cancer Center, Louisville, according to a joint news release.

“There is so much more we can accomplish together,” Bob Hewett, board member of St. Joseph Health System and future chairman of the new system's board, said in the release. “That will lead to improving the health not only of individual patients, but of entire communities.”

The partnership will allow for more efficient use of evidence-based medicine and health information technology, the systems say. In particular, telemedicine technology will allow member physicians to more effectively reach underserved areas.

Jewish Hospital HealthCare Services, University of Louisville and Catholic Health Initiatives are sponsoring the deal, according to the release. St. Joseph Health System's hospitals are part of Denver-based CHI.

Under the terms of the deal, CHI will make an incremental capital infusion of $320 million to support the new system. The agreement is dependent on approval from the church and state regulators, a process that could take up to one year.

“We see a healthier future for the Commonwealth by combining our efforts to address the serious health challenges faced by the people of Kentucky,” Hewett said in the release.

Client News: WellSpan's “Barbers with a Heart” Targets High Blood Pressure Risks

2011-06-13T10:32:00.001-05:00

Source: Around WellSpan Online

Ada Loughhead, M.D., Family Medicine resident, right, takes Kevin Winter’s blood pressure while explaining to Kevin and his father, Patrick, how the blood pressure machine works. The Winters, owners of World A Cuts Barber Shop and the Barber Institute, are one of seven York City barbershops participating in the “Barbers with a Heart” program.

A man and his barber often know a lot about each other. They see each other regularly and talk for 20 to 30 minutes while the barber performs his task. During this time, they may discuss work, family, sports, vacations and even health issues

That’s one of the reasons, WellSpan partnered with the City of York to launch the “Barbers with a Heart” program, designed to educate African-American males about the risks of high blood pressure.

“We realize barbershops are cultural institutions,” said Bruce Bushwick, M.D., chairman of the Department of Family Medicine and program director of the Family Medicine Residency Program. “They provide men with a place and an opportunity to talk about a variety of topics, including their health.”

Bushwick, who helped organize the program, said four of 10 African-American men have high blood pressure. And, two out of three of these are either not diagnosed or are undertreated.

As a result, African-American men are more likely to die or become disabled from complications of high blood pressure, including stroke, heart attack, peripheral vascular disease and congestive heart failure.

As part of the “Barbers with a Heart” program, seven York City barbershops will screen men for high blood pressure, using blood pressure machines and cuffs supplied by the program.

Barbers receive training and education about how to take blood pressure and interpret the results. Men with high blood pressure who do not have a personal physician will be given a card to call JoAnn Henderson, a WellSpan community health worker, who will set up an appointment with a physician for them.

Blood pressure machines and cuffs, blood pressure pocket cards, referral coordinator cards, an initial research questionnaire and a survey collection box will be delivered to participating barbershops this month.

Isaac Mantilla of Beatty’s Barber Shop attended the “Barbers with a Heart” kick off last week. “I think it’s a great idea to reach out to our customers and help them stay healthy,” he said. “We get to know our customers fairly well. Some of them are like family.”

After receiving a demonstration on how to operate the blood pressure machine, he said, “It’s very easy to use and self-explanatory.”

Patrick and Kevin Winter of World A Cuts and the Barber Institute agreed that the program is a great idea. “We think it’ll be a nice way to help educate our customers about their health,” said Patrick. “The statistics about high blood pressure in African-American males are astounding.”

York City Mayor C. Kim Bracey added, “The program is a great way to address issues plaguing our community, particularly African-American males. “I believe it’ll be an effective way to reach folks who may not think it’s important to see a physician regularly.”

The blood pressure machines were purchased with a grant from the Emig Research Center. Customers will complete questionnaires to help determine whether the project is an effective way to achieve the education goals.

Barbershops will be able to keep the blood pressure machines even after the research period ends.

Client News: First Robot-Assisted Surgery Performed at T.J. Samson Community Hospital

2011-06-09T08:35:00.000-05:00

Source: T.J. Sampson Community Hospital Press Release

Pictured is the surgical team that assisted Dr. Peterson. Left to right: Blenda Chapman, RN, Surgical Services Director; Kate Kiene, Surgical Tech; Jordan Matthews, Endoscopy Tech; Ashley Cope, Surgical Tech; Sara Wheeler, RN; Miranda Kerr, Surgical Tech; Beth Reid, RN, OR Coordinator; Derrick Scott, Surgical Tech; Bonnie Eubank, Anesthesia Tech; Cami Church, RN.

The first robot-assisted surgery was performed at T.J. Samson Community Hospital on Thursday, May 19^th. Dr. Gilman Peterson performed 3 outpatient gall bladder procedures using the da Vinci® Surgical System.

The da Vinci da Vinci Surgical System is minimally invasive which will allow the patient to recover much quicker.

Dr. Peterson stated “the cases went well and the surgical team did a fantastic job. This morning the team members were excited about utilizing the training they’ve received.” Dr. Peterson went on to say that “with this technology, procedures can be accomplished better than in the past and that it’s a tremendous benefit to the patients.”

Dr. Peterson also spoke to his patients about being the first to use the new technology at T.J. Samson Community Hospital. “They were excited and delighted to be the first patients. I made sure they understood that the robot is a tool that the surgeon utilizes during the surgery and that he would be controlling the entire procedure.”

Blenda Chapman, RN, Director of Surgical Services said “the staff has done dry runs and they were ready to go. It was just like any other day in the OR for them.”

Two surgical teams at T.J. Samson were trained in the utilization of the daVinci robot. A team consists of 4 technicians and 2 registered nurses. The staff indicated that the procedure is similar to a laparoscopic procedure, with just more advance capabilities.

Bill Kindred, CEO stated “We believe that the new features of the da Vinci System will help us provide the best possible outcomes and is proof of our commitment to provide our community access to the latest advancements in minimally invasive surgery.”

The da Vinci Surgical System can be used for a multitude of inpatient and outpatient procedures including prostatectomy, hysterectomy and colorectal surgery just to name a few.

Client News: Mon General Hosptial Cardiac Surgery Program in Top 10 in Nation for Meeting Blood Product Use Benchmarks

2011-06-08T07:56:00.001-05:00

Source: Mon Health System Press Release

Mon General Hospital’s cardiac surgery program is in the top 10 in the nation when it comes to meeting benchmarks for the use of blood products intra-operatively during surgery.

“Anytime you give a blood transfusion, there are risks involved,” said Jim Pitcher, Certified Clinical Cardiovascular Perfusionist at Mon General. “Therefore, you can decrease patient risk by not giving blood products. Mon General is well above the national average in minimizing the amount of blood needed per surgery for each of these patients.”

The clinical indicators were compiled by SpecialtyCare, the company which provides perfusionist services at Mon General. A cardiovascular perfusionist is a specialized health professional who operates the heart-lung machine during cardiac surgery and other surgeries that require cardiopulmonary bypass. The perfusionist uses a heart-lung machine to circulate blood and maintain the patient’s respiration so the cardiac surgeon can operate on a still, unbeating heart.

In compiling the data, SpecialtyCare looked at 16 benchmarks from approximately 130 heart hospitals in the United States, along with nine hospitals in Germany and a couple in Puerto Rico. Regionally, Mon General was compared to hospitals in Pittsburgh, Johnstown and Altoona in Pennsylvania, and Cumberland, MD.

The benchmarks include the amount of fluid each patient received in the Operating Room, from normal anesthesia fluids to bypass fluids, including blood products, and glucose levels. The amount of each specific type of blood product used on patients in open heart surgery, along with the direct cost, was examined.

“From a patient’s perspective, the more important benchmarks pertain to the amount of blood products they would receive when they come into the Operating Room,” Pitcher said. “We’re in the top 10 as far as the percentage of patients who do not need red blood cells and other blood products.

No other hospitals in the region made the top 10 list.

“We try to keep everything very uniform here,” Pitcher said, explaining how Mon General reached the top 10. “Everybody gets the same training and follows the same protocols. It’s really a collaborative team effort between anesthesia and perfusion to make these indicators work for us. The surgeons provide us the support we need to get the job done. You have to have all the pieces together to make it work.”

Globally, hospitals are making efforts to reduce the use of blood products.

“Data is constantly being reviewed by different organizations,” Pitcher said. “Across the country, there is a big push to reduce the amount of blood products used in surgery because there is a great patient benefit from not giving blood products. The outcomes tend to be better then when you do not give blood products.”
This is why SpecialtyCare began benchmarking the blood product use trends a year ago, so institutions can see exactly where they are, he said.

“Our goal at Mon General initially was to make the top 10, but now our goal is to stay in the top 10.” Pitcher said. We’re not satisfied with being in the top 10, we want to make sure we stay in the top 10 and keep striving for better results with the help of our docs and everybody on the support staff here. It takes a team effort to make it work.

“To me, one of the most important things for a patient having surgery to ask is ‘am going to have to have blood during my surgery or after my surgery?’” Pitcher said. “That is one of the main concerns I’ve seen from patients across the years.

“You’d like to be able to tell everybody ‘no, you will not get that, but you can’t guarantee that to anyone,” he said. “But, we can certainly do everything we can not to give them blood products. Mon General’s numbers indicate that we are doing a good job with that.

“Decreasing the amount of blood products these patients are exposed to, that’s one of our main goals here as far as creating good patient care,” he said.

Client News: Botsford Health Care Announces New Chief Information Officer

2011-06-07T12:44:00.000-05:00

Source: Botsford Health Care Press Release

Botsford Health Care and ACS, Inc., A Xerox Company, are pleased to announce that Brian L. McPherson has been appointed chief information officer, effective May 18. ACS provides Botsford's information technology (IT) services.

McPherson began his tenure at Botsford last year as program director for Botsford Health Care's electronic medical record (EMR) system implementation.

In his new role, McPherson is responsible for planning, coordinating and facilitating information services, and ensuring adherence to proper change management, testing, redundancy and constant communication of the potential impacts on the patient. He is also responsible for staying abreast of information technology’s clinical impacts by being closely aligned with key clinical leadership.

"Brian is an experienced health care IT executive," said Paul E. LaCasse, D.O., MPH, president and CEO, Botsford Health Care. "With his leadership skills and high standards of service, he will provide leadership to our CIT Department as the network continues its transformation of care. He has the right skill set to work with clinicians and information technology experts to help us with the integration of our EMR system implementation."

McPherson’s career experience includes employment as principal, director and senior health care account executive at various health care and IT organizations in the metropolitan Detroit area. He has also led several large-scale consulting initiatives for clients nationwide, including implementing EMRs, providing privacy and security audits and assessments, and leading the formation of health information exchanges (HIE). He received his bachelor of science degree in management information systems from Central Michigan University where he was named Academic All-Conference for football.

McPherson has served as an at-large board member of the Healthcare Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS) and participates on several committees and groups that work toward health care interoperability at the state and national levels.

Client News: Norton Healthcare and UK HealthCare Advance Collaboration To Develop Focus on Stroke, Cancer and Obesity

2011-06-07T11:31:00.000-05:00

Source: Norton Healthcare Press Release

UK HealthCare and Norton Healthcare today announced plans to aggressively target Kentucky's most pressing health problems. Specifically, officials from both health systems announced plans to establish:

A statewide stroke and advocacy collaboration
A cancer program to share resources, research agendas and clinical trials
An educational network to address obesity and weight management
Expanded teaching programs designed to increase the number of medical professionals with an educational residency rotation for UK medical students in Norton Healthcare hospitals, and Norton Healthcare physicians to join UK’s faculty
A transplant and specialty clinic in Louisville

“Since announcing the memorandum of agreement last November, we have worked to identify opportunities for collaboration to improve the access and quality of care for Kentuckians close to their homes while making sure that patients with the most complex medical issues receive the care they need without having to leave the state,” said Stephen A. Williams, president & CEO of Norton Healthcare.

“UK HealthCare and Norton Healthcare share a vision and we have established concrete programs, which we are excited to share with our stakeholders and the UK and Norton Healthcare families, other providers across the commonwealth, and community at large.”

“UK HealthCare continues to strive to diversify our educational and research mission for our clinical faculty and students,” said Dr. Michael Karpf, executive vice president for health affairs at the University of Kentucky. “Our clinicians, researchers and students will all benefit from their access to Norton Healthcare’s excellent physicians and strong clinical operations. Ultimately the true winners are patients who will have increased access to high quality health care.”

Exemplifying the progress made in their collaboration, UK HealthCare and Norton Healthcare will be extending their original agreement – a Memorandum of Agreement signed on Nov. 8, 2010 – as initiatives in stroke, cancer, transplant, obesity, OB, heart and other areas are formalized. These areas were initially targeted because they are specific health care challenges where Kentucky is among the nation's leaders in incidence of disease or illness.

Stroke
Statistics provide evidence that the stroke crisis continues to challenge the state. Kentucky ranks 15th among the 50 states in deaths per 100,000 caused by stroke or related diseases. Much of that is due to lack of exercise, hypertension, diabetes, smoking and other factors.

As a result, UK HealthCare and Norton Healthcare are creating a new education and consumer awareness collaboration that will partner with community hospitals to provide preventative education on healthy living and provide stroke screenings and training for emergency departments to be prepared for stroke patients. In addition, the collaboration will create Kentucky's first statewide stroke registry to track the improvement of care provided by community and regional hospitals in the partnership.

Cancer
The opportunity to transform the state’s health status is significant. Kentucky is in the top five for cancer incidence nationwide and leads the nation in lung cancer incidence.

Physicians, researchers and staff from the Norton Cancer Institute and the UK Markey Cancer Center will be collaborating to share resources, research and clinical trials which span across the entire continuum of care. Special emphasis is on prevention and early diagnosis and screening and statewide treatment pathways. Several Norton Cancer Institute physicians will join UK’s faculty as community-based faculty members.

Obesity and Weight ManagementSimilarly, Kentucky has among the nation's worst incidences of obesity and health problems associated with weight management. Kentucky's 2009 obesity rate was the fourth highest in the country, costing the state an estimated $1.3 billion in direct health costs annually. If current trends continue, that number is projected to skyrocket to $4 billion annually.

In response, Norton Healthcare will expand its medical weight management services and educational programs to Lexington, offering community education programs on exercise and healthy eating, among other educational offerings. Access to pre-and-post surgical obesity management services – such as behavioral counseling and support groups – also will be expanded in Lexington. At the same time, Norton Healthcare facilities will adopt UK HealthCare's protocols for diabetes at its hospitals. Also, Norton Healthcare patients will participate in clinical trials that expand the growing research program at UK's Barnstable Brown Kentucky Diabetes and Obesity Center.

Obstetrics
In an effort to address the physician shortage and to create a more diverse training program, Norton Healthcare is opening its hospitals to UK OB/GYN residents. A quarter of the state’s obstetricians have either stopped practicing or have left the Commonwealth since 2001, leaving as many as 71 of the state’s 120 counties without an obstetrician.

UK HealthCare will begin implementing a clinical rotation this summer at Norton Hospital, one of Norton Healthcare’s five hospitals, which initially will involve senior residents in obstetrics and eventually be expanded to include other residents in various stages of training. This partnership will provide expanded training opportunities for UK residents while creating a residency obstetrics and gynecology program in Louisville. As part of this program, several Norton Healthcare physicians will be named to UK’s faculty.

Transplant & Specialty Clinic
Many families are currently leaving Kentucky for advanced-specialty care. As a result, a new transplant clinic will provide comprehensive pre-and-post transplant care for patients. Scheduled to open in June, the clinic will be housed at Norton Audubon Hospital in Louisville and staffed by UK HealthCare transplant specialists in kidney, liver, heart and lung diseases. The advanced Heart Failure clinic will be coupled with a pulmonary hypertension clinic.

Access to the highest levels of care without leaving Kentucky
"No Kentuckian should have to worry about receiving the best of care, no matter how specialized or complex the illness or problem," Karpf said. "One of the exciting things about this partnership is that we are quickly and comprehensively exploring specific areas of collaboration where we can do the most good for patients across Kentucky."

"The UK and Norton Healthcare teams share a vision and a sense of responsibility to improve access to high-quality care for all Kentuckians," Williams said. "This partnership is specifically about how to make those goals a reality, whether it is helping local providers care for patients closest to their homes or whether it’s ensuring their access to tertiary or quaternary care without having to leave Kentucky. Through the UK/Norton Healthcare relationship, we want to bring clear and measurable value to health care providers and to patients across Kentucky.”

To read more, click here.

Client News: Botsford Cancer Center Takes Green Seriously

2011-06-02T13:58:00.000-05:00

Source: Farmington Hills Patch
Written by: Joni Hubred-Golden

The George Riley Healing Garden, as an innovative aspect of the site design, earned the Botsford Cancer Center a point toward its Silver LEED certification.Credit Joni Hubred-Golden

The Botsford Cancer Center in Farmington Hills scored a silver rating in LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, thanks to extraordinary environmental efforts in building and maintaining the 30,000-square-foot facility on Grand River.

During the past three years, those efforts have paid off, in energy and water usage far less than what would be expected with traditional construction.

The numbers are impressive: Stormwater runoff decreased by 25 percent; potable water use was reduced by 28.7 percent; energy use was reduced by 21.5 percent; and 797.36 tons of construction waste was diverted from landfills when the facility was built in 2008.

But the center is also scoring points on the human side, with satisfied patients and happy employees.

The first thing you notice when you walk through the door is how fresh the air seems. An air filtration system captures about 80 percent of dust particles as small as 1 micron (one-millionth of a meter).

Nicholle Mehr, who manages the center, said the building was constructed with products that have low levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including indoor adhesives and sealants, indoor paints and coatings and carpets. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, VOCs can cause "short- and long-term adverse health effects."

"I like working in this environment," Mehr said. "And our patients love the fact that it's a green facility. They like the fact they're not surrounded by chemicals."

David Ferguson, director of design and construction, said getting a medical building LEED certified was no easy task.

"Hospitals are under many, many regulations," he said, "and a lot of them are very strict. ... They're trying to work that out and have recently come out with LEED for health care buildings."

He said there are some LEED goals hospitals can't meet, such as requirements for air recirculation, "but in trade for that, you can do other things."

One innovative aspect of the hospital's design, which earned BCC a point toward LEED certification, is a healing garden located between the center and the historic Botsford Inn, once owned by Henry Ford. In 1999, Botsford Hospital purchased the inn property; a large barn on the site was moved to a home on 13 Mile Road in Farmington Hills to make way for the cancer center.

The inn had a rose garden, and stones from it were used in the walls for the new garden, hospital spokesperson Beth Montalvo said. The George F. Riley Healing Garden was built with a donation from the Riley Foundation.

Mehr said patients and family members often wander out to the healing garden, especially when a visit to the center has been particularly stressful.

"It's a very restful place," she said, adding that patients receiving chemotherapy can look down over the garden.

One aspect of LEED certification that directly affects patients is transportation. The BCC earned a point for having access to public transportation. Although SMART regional bus service wanted to establish a stop on the cancer center's campus, Ferguson said Botsford didn't want bus traffic coming through the parking lot.

Instead, the stop was placed in an acceleration lane on Grand River, from which patients have an easy walk to the center.

"These are all things you have to do," Ferguson said of the LEED process. "They force you to do the right thing."

While it has nothing to do with LEED certification, the center's holistic approach – from alternative therapies and yoga to nutrition counseling – is all part of a package that has Botsford Cancer Center patients more than satisfied with their experience.

A 2010 patient survey measured satisfaction with everything from the front desk personnel's helpfulness to wait time for treatments. All patients surveyed agreed they were satisfied with their care; more than 94 percent strongly agreed.

"We have never had a dissatisfied patient in 2½ years," Mehr said. "We are all patient advocates here. ... From a humanistic standpoint, that's our role, to make sure the patient is taken care of."

For more information about the Botsford Cancer Center, visit botsford.org/cancer_center/.

National CPR/AED Awareness Week is June 1-7, 2011

2011-06-01T07:54:00.000-05:00

Source: American Red Cross

December of 2007, Congress declared the first week of June each year as National CPR/AED Awareness Week. June 1-7, 2008 will mark the first National CPR and AED Awareness Week with the goal of encourage states, cities and towns to establish organized programs that provide CPR and AED trainings and increase public access to AEDs. The American Red Cross has stepped up to the challenge and set an organizational goal of reaching 250,000 people nationwide during this one week with the vital knowledge and skills to respond to a life-threatening situation with confidence.

Through this outreach, we hope that we can raise the public awareness of sudden cardiac arrest, suffered by more than 300,000 people each year and increase the chance of survival that can be achieved by having at least one person in each household trained in CPR and the use of an AED.

In less time than you think, American Red Cross training can give you the vital knowledge and skills to respond to a life-threatening situation with confidence.

Operating Through the Tornado

2011-05-31T09:09:00.000-05:00

Source: Outpatient Surgery Magazine
Written by: David Bernard
Photo of Dr. Smith courtesy Orthopaedic Specialists of the Four States.
Photo of Joplin, Mo., tornado destruction courtesy of KOMUnews

James D. "Dusty" Smith, MD, and his surgical team were midway through a routine case, the draining of a patient's infected hip, when the tornado hit St. John's Regional Medical Center in Joplin, Mo., Sunday.

The hospital had announced a tornado warning — a "code gray" — earlier in the afternoon, which isn't an uncommon occurrence in spring. "But we've been safe in the building," says Dr. Smith, 36, an orthopedic and spine surgeon. "The patient was asleep and positioned for surgery. It was a fairly simple procedure, we were getting ready, telling jokes."

The case proceeded smoothly until a scrub tech remarked that his ears were ringing. "My ears were popping," recalls Dr. Smith in an interview with Outpatient Surgery Magazine. "The barometric pressure was dropping." He'd experienced this phenomenon once before, when Hurricane Ivan raked southern Alabama in 2004 while he was training in Mobile.

When the lights went out, the team kept working under auxiliary power. "Then we felt a physical hit," he said. "Did the tornado hit the building? Had something exploded?" They were plunged into darkness, with ceiling panels falling and the OR's doors blowing open. "And we were in an interior room," notes Dr. Smith.

With 1 staffer holding a handheld flashlight and another holding the doors shut to prevent shards of glass, concrete and metal from blowing in, the team completed the operation while standing ankle deep in water, without the benefit of advanced surgical technology. "The doctor who trained me thought it was important to know how to do surgery the way they used to, with manual instruments," said Dr. Smith. "That should be a part of everybody's training."

Because they didn't know what condition the rest of the hospital was in, they recovered the patient in the OR, then found an alternate route to the post-op ward, which now housed a makeshift emergency department (the tornado had demolished the ER).

After the surgery, Dr. Smith excused himself to check on his family. Finding his car destroyed, he ran the 8 miles home. "Anybody in that situation, no matter what shape you're in, if you don't know whether your wife and children are OK, you can run any distance you want," he says. "I wasn't even tired when I got home."

The storm damage in his neighborhood south of the city was minimal and his home was spared, though it had lost power. His two 5-year-old sons, thinking that the candles his wife was lighting in the darkness meant it was a birthday celebration, kept blowing them out.

He'd intended to return to St. John's that night in another vehicle, but the roads were clogged with traffic and debris. So he turned instead to the State Line Surgery Center, across the border in Galena, Kan., where he also practices and where the staff was triaging local residents injured in the storm. "School buses full of people were there on Sunday night," he says. While the ASC didn't have the capability to serve as a trauma center, a heart attack patient was stabilized and compound fractures were washed and treated to prevent infections.

Monday saw the area's healthcare providers circulating among the remaining facilities, looking to lend a hand as the magnitude of the disaster began to sink in. St. John's had suffered several casualties and severe structural damage. Another hospital, lacking water pressure, was unable to sterilize surgical instruments.

"The big problem is the availability of space to provide patient care," says Dr. Smith. "We've got more doctors and staff wanting and willing to help out than we have space to do it in. St. John's is a big hospital, and we've lost all those beds." Even if it wasn't damaged in the storm, he speculates, it would likely still be taxed by the amounts of patients in need of help.

As for Sunday's case, Dr. Smith found out on Tuesday morning that the outcome was good and the patient safe at another hospital. "We were trying to find out," he says. "Then I got a call from a doctor who's referred spine cases to me. He asked, 'Were you operating during the tornado? We got your patient here.'"

Memorial Day 2011 Wishes

2011-05-30T07:45:00.003-05:00

Photo Credit: University of California, Davis

To all those who have served this country, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts and wish you and yours a very happy Memorial Day!

Events: NAHAM 2011 HDTV Winner

2011-05-27T11:42:00.001-05:00

Congratulations to our HDTV winner Holly Hiryak CHAM RN - Director of Admissions, University of Arkansas Medical Sciences!!

Thank you to everyone who stopped by our booth at NAHAM 2011 in San Antonio - Bob and Phil enjoyed meeting you! If you have any further questions about any of the products and services Unibased offers, please contact our solution consultants:

Bob Grass
800-489-6069 ext 148
bgrass@unibased.com

Phil Amelung
800-489-6069 ext 172
pamelung@unibased.com

Client News: New Health Center Breaks Ground in West Contra Costa County

2011-05-26T14:00:00.000-05:00

What: Ground breaking for new state-of-the-art Health Center

Where: 13601 San Pablo Avenue (North of Vale Road), San Pablo

Who: Congressman George Miller; County Supervisor John Gioia; County Health Services Director Dr. William Walker; State Senator Loni Hancock; State Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner; San Pablo Vice Mayor Cecilia Valdez; Construction & Building Trade CEO Greg Feere; Board members from the West Contra Costa Healthcare District & Doctors Medical Center Governing Body; elected officials from the cities of San Pablo and Richmond

When: Friday, May 20, 2011; 11—11:30 a.m.

San Pablo, Calif. — After years of planning and searching for a new site, Contra Costa County is officially breaking ground to celebrate the construction of a new West Contra Costa County Health Center in San Pablo.

"West County residents deserve a health center we can be proud of," said County Supervisor John Gioia who has worked on building a new center for more than a decade. "The new health center will allow the County to improve access to high quality healthcare services in partnership with other healthcare providers in West County."

The total project cost is estimated at $45 million. Congressman George Miller secured $12 million for the project from ARRA Grants -- American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The balance is financed through a 30-year bond issuance. The new 53,000 square foot, 2-level state-of-the-art health center will also be LEED Certified — a building standard for green construction, maintenance, and operations and is considered to have less impact on the environment.

The new facility will replace the aging Richmond Health Center, which was built more than 40 years ago in the City of Richmond. The current health center sees more than 7000 patients a month and offers 53 different services to patients including cardiology and pediatric services. However, the building has exceeded its useful life and is the only one among the eight health centers operated by Contra Costa Health Services never to have been replaced, said CCHS Director Dr. William Walker.

"This new health center will help us better serve West County residents, increasing the number of people we can serve and improving access to care," Dr. Walker said. "We'll continue to provide primary and specialty care at the new facility, along with well-baby visits, immunizations and other critical services."

Project construction is expected to be completed in July of 2012 and is scheduled to be operational and occupied by September of 2012. To hear a podcast by Dr. Walker about the groundbreaking, visit: http://www.blogger.com/topics/podcast/2011_05_west_county_health_center.php

Note to reporters and editors:
The construction site will be open to news agencies by 10 a.m. on 5/20 for photography and videography.

West County Health Center page

Client News: IHFSRB Approves COE Application

2011-05-26T07:43:00.000-05:00

Source: OSF Healthcare System Press Release

On Tuesday, May 10, 2011 the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board (IHFSRB) approved the Certificate of Exemption application of OSF Healthcare System for a change of ownership of Rockford Memorial Hospital. When asked to comment on the Planning Board's decision, Kevin Schoeplein, CEO of OSF Healthcare System stated, "We are pleased with and appreciative of the Planning Board's approval of our COE application. As I referenced in my opening remarks, we are gratified by the level of support received for this project from the community and business leaders, from other hospitals in northern Illinois and in Wisconsin, from labor, from our elected officials, from the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford and from our medical staffs, including independent physicians who serve our patients. They share our vision for the future. And the Planning Board does too."

This is the first of two regulatory approvals needed before the affiliation between the Rockford Health System and the OSF Healthcare System can be completed. The second is pending with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The FTC made a second request for information regarding the Hart, Scott, Rodino filing for affiliation that was submitted February 11, 2011. Both RHS and OSF continue to work on the final submission of all the information the FTC has requested. After the filing is deemed complete that would then prompt yet another 30-day waiting period for the FTC to review the information before the parties could close the transaction.

As we stated when the affiliation agreement was announced in early February, OSF Healthcare System and Rockford Health System believe that, in partnership, we can even further raise the bar on the quality of medical care in the Rockford region. By combining our talents, resources and technology going forward, we will best ensure the long-term viability of high quality, accessible and affordable health care in the Rockford region. This affiliation also makes sense strategically, especially in light of the struggles of our local economy and health care reform.

Further, we believe that our organizations can be integrated to create a comprehensive medical system that delivers high quality services in an efficient and cost effective manner. The benefits to the community and our patients include, among other things, enhanced access to primary, secondary and tertiary health care services and the creation of a regional destination center with outstanding clinical outcomes.

Fact Sheets

For more information on OSF HealthCare, OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center, and Rockford Health System, please download the following documents:

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mike Robinson, Director of Marketing/Communications - OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center - (815) 395-5347 - mike.robinson@osfhealthcare.org
Evonne Woloshyn, Vice President, Marketing/Communications - Rockford Health System (815) 971-5282- ewoloshyn@rhsnet.org

Client News: Kevin Schoeplein Named CEO of OSF HealthCare

2011-05-25T13:00:00.000-05:00

Source: OSF Healthcare Press Release

Kevin Schoeplein is the new CEO for OSF Healthcare System taking over for James M. Moore who retired after 34 years with the organization. Schoeplein has had a long and successful career with The Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis beginning in 1978 as an Assistant Administrator at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria. Career highlights are noted below.

"I have been with the Sisters for 33 years. I love this organization. I love what it stands for, what it represents. But I look at that 33 years as a way to prepare me for a new career," says Schoeplein of his new position. "As the CEO of OSF Healthcare System, I am committed to bring our community of caregivers closer to one another and further develop our shared understanding of the future of health care."

In a recent letter to employees, Schoeplein noted that health care continues to change rapidly. "The future of health reform leaves more questions than answers. We have been blessed to develop from the legacy of six Sisters who began in 1876 when they came to Peoria to help meet the health care needs of the community."

Kevin Schoeplein began his career with the Sisters as an Assistant Administrator at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in 1978. In 1983 he was appointed Administrator/CEO at OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center in Rockford. Schoeplein returned to Peoria in 1988 as President of OSF Saint Francis, Inc. His tenure included the development of OSF Medical Group. In 1989 Schoeplein was given additional responsibilities as President of OSF Healthcare Foundation.

From 1996 to 1999, he served as the CEO of the Northern Illinois/Michigan Region and in 1999 was named President of OSF HealthPlans. Schoeplein served in this role until the sale of OSF HealthPlans to Humana in May 2008. Schoeplein was named Executive Vice President of OSF Healthcare System in 2004 while continuing his leadership roles at OSF Saint Francis, Inc. and the Foundation.

Kevin Schoeplein earned a B.S.B.A. Degree from St. Louis University and two master’s degrees from Xavier University in Cincinnati – an M.B.A. with a concentration in Finance and a Master of Health Administration.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
James G. Farrell, Senior Vice President - Marketing & Communications
(309) 655-2856

Client News: Norton Healthcare Receives Kentucky Hospital Association Quality Award

2011-05-25T07:48:00.000-05:00

Source: Norton Healthcare Press Release

Norton Healthcare has been awarded the Kentucky Hospital Association (KHA) 2011 Quality Award, which is presented annually to honor hospital and health care leadership and innovation in quality, safety and commitment in patient care. Norton Healthcare President & CEO Stephen A. Williams accepted the award at the recent KHA annual Awards Gala. The KHA quality award comes on the heels of Norton Healthcare being named the recipient of the prestigious 2011 National Quality Forum National Quality Healthcare Award for its exceptional organizational leadership and innovation to achieve quality improvement.

Norton’s KHA award application focused on the role of Norton Healthcare leadership in defining and promoting quality, and supporting staff and employee efforts to achieve quality goals; and on Norton Cancer Institute’s innovative Prevention and Early Detection Program, the region’s most comprehensive effort to prevent and detect cancer in its earliest stages through education, outreach, community cancer screenings and services, and evaluation of health outcomes.

“We are proud to be recognized by the Kentucky Hospital Association for our leadership, innovation and commitment to the quality and safety of our patient care and to our progressive outreach community screening efforts through Norton Cancer Institute,” Williams said. “This statewide award, coupled with our national NQF quality award, is a testament to the importance and focus we place, at all levels of our organization, to serve our community with quality and safe care, both within and outside our facility walls.”

Norton Cancer Institute’s Prevention and Early Detection Program focuses efforts in the predominantly low income and underinsured communities in Louisville with the highest cancer incidence and mortality; and provides free screenings for breast, prostate, cervical, colon and skin cancers.
"Thanks to the support of our leadership and the dedication of our team, our outreach programs are making a real difference in our community,” said Sandra E. Brooks, M.D., MBA, system vice president of research and prevention for Norton Healthcare.

Through its quality award, KHA seeks to:

Raise awareness of the need for an organization-wide commitment to highly reliable, exceptional quality, patient-centered care;
Reward successful efforts to develop and promote a systems-based approach toward improvements in quality of care;
Inspire organizations to systematically integrate and align their quality improvement efforts throughout the organization;
Communicate successful programs and strategies to the hospital field;
Facilitate Kentucky hospitals’ alignment of quality initiatives with national initiatives.

Client News: Oakwood Honors First Daisy Award Winner

2011-05-24T07:06:00.001-05:00

Source: Oakwood News Archive

Bunmi Oyeleye, RN, MSN, Medical/Surgical Clinical Manager 'pins' Meghan Mier, RN, in honor of her Daisy Award.

Meghan Mier, RN, a direct care nurse at the Oakwood Hospital & Medical Center (OHMC), was presented with the nationally recognized Daisy Award recently in recognition of her extraordinary patient care.

Mier was pinned in a surprise ceremony on May 12 and received a hand-carved sculpture, a certificate and other gifts as part of her award. A Daisy Award banner will also be on display in the unit in her honor.

She is a recent graduate of Henry Ford Community College who started working as a nurse in the OHMC Medical/Surgical unit in September 2010. According to clinical manager Bunmi Oyeleye, Mier always has a positive attitude and is always looking for areas of opportunities for improvement.

She recently received this compliment via the Thank a Nurse portal on oakwood.org:

“My dad is in the hospital right now with meningitis and has been at Oakwood for a week now. Meghan was his nurse a couple of times while he was on the 9th floor and she really took the time to get to know him. She went above and beyond to make him comfortable, even to just listen to his silly jokes. Meghan, as well as all the nursing staff, has been great answering all of my and my family’s questions and made sure not only that my father was comfortable but that we were as well. He got transferred back down to ICU yesterday and even though Meghan was not caring for my dad that day, she came down to talk to him and see him down to ICU. She didn't have to do that and it was really, really nice that she did. I cannot thank you enough for taking such good care of him and making this rough time just a little easier.”

The Daisy Award was established in 2001 in memory of J. Patrick Barnes as a way to thank nurses across the country. As of March 2010, more than 6,000 nurses have received the award. To learn about nursing and nursing opportunities at the Oakwood, click here.

Client News: Norton's CEO Receives Award

2011-05-23T14:43:00.000-05:00

Stephen A. Williams, president and chief executive officer of Norton Healthcare, has received the American College of Healthcare Executives Senior-Level Healthcare Executive Regent’s Award.

The honor recognizes American College affiliates with experience in the field who have made significant contributions to the advancement of health care management excellence. Executives are evaluated on criteria such as leadership and executive abilities, creative management and contributions to the development of others in health care.

Williams has been with Norton since 1977 and has served as president and CEO since 1993.

Client News: Oakwood Opens New In-School Clinic

2011-05-23T10:20:00.000-05:00

Souce: Hometown.com

Cheryl Welday (right) has been a driving force behind the donation drive to fund the Oakwood Adams Child and Adolescent Health Center at Adams Upper Elementary School. Dr. Neelam Kumar has been involved with the clinic since its inception in 1997.

The latest addition to Adams Upper Elementary School in Westland doesn't look anything like a typical school classroom.

In the case of the Adams Child and Adolescent Health Center, that could be a good thing.

“We've had people come in and say, ‘This looks like a real doctor's office',” said Cheryl Welday, who spearheaded the donation drive to fund the project. “I take that as a compliment.”

The clinic is a partnership between the Wayne-Westland Community School and the Oakwood Healthcare System (OHS). The district provides the space for the in-school clinic, while Oakwood supplies the physicians, nurses and administrative staff with major funding coming from a grant from the Michigan Department of Community Health.

The partnership dates back to 1997. The clinic had been operated out of Lincoln and Jefferson Barns Elementary schools, but those schools were closed down at the end of the 2009-2010 academic year as part of a major cost-savings initiative in which the district closed six elementary schools and re-aligned grade levels at the elementary and middle school level.

The Oakwood Foundation has been gathering donations to fund the $100,000 in renovations required at Adams - formerly a middle school - to convert three home economics classrooms into an expanded clinic that would better serve the students and their families. The new space, which is now open, has three examination rooms and additional office space. It is laid out in a more open fashion with bright walls contributing to a comforting atmosphere.

“It has surpassed my expectations,” said Welday, who has been the champion of the project.

“I am very pleased with the result,” said Dr. Neelam Kumar, one of the doctors who sees patients there. She has been involved with the clinic since its inception. “It is a great facility.”

It is nearly three times the size of the either the Lincoln or Jefferson Barns clinics, and more visually appealing, said Lisa Rutledge, Corporate Director Community Outreach for Oakwood Healthcare Inc.

“It is a lot more inviting,” she said. “We will be able to better serve the community.”

“It really represents a modern-day clinic,” added Wayne-Westland School Superintendent Greg Baracy. “We're very grateful for the partnerships, and all those that contributed to makes this a successful program. It's a valuable service for our kids.”

The clinic was established to improve student and family health, increase family health knowledge and awareness of healthcare needs, increase student attendance and to bring health care to students and families that couldn't otherwise afford it.

Physical exams, vision and hearing screenings, basic lab services and mental health services are available there. About 512 users accounted for more than 1,900 visits at the clinic last year. The new clinic is located near offices for Eastern Michigan University's Bright Futures program, which strives to improve academic achievement and help students prepare for their next levels of schooling, as well as the Parent Resource Center.

Members of the Wayne-Westland school board said they liked what they saw at an open house that took place recently.

“I think it looks great,” said Trustee John Goci. “This really is a God-send in this community.”

Westland Mayor William Wild said he was glad to see the clinic continue to operate at the new location.

“It's been a great partnership,” he said. “We are happy to have it here in our community. They provide a valuable service to people who really need it.”

Client News: Kosair Children’s Hospital Ranked Among Top Children’s Hospitals Nationwide by U.S. News Media Group

2011-05-18T13:09:00.001-05:00

Source: Norton Healthcare Press Release

Kosair Children’s Hospital ranked among the top 50 children’s hospitals in cancer, cardiology and heart surgery, gastroenterology, neonatology, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopaedics, pulmonology, and urology. Kosair Children’s has now been a top-performing children’s hospital in pulmonology for three consecutive years.

“We salute Kosair Children’s Hospital,” said Health Rankings Editor Avery Comarow. “The goal of the Best Children's Hospitals rankings is to call attention to pediatric centers with the expertise to help the sickest kids, and Kosair Children’s is one of those centers.”

“Our thanks go to our employees, nursing leaders, members of our medical staff, and the faculty of the University of Louisville School of Medicine for helping us achieve this wonderful accomplishment,” said Thomas D. Kmetz, president of Kosair Children’s Hospital & Pediatric Services. “This recognition speaks well to the quality of work that has been performed at Kosair Children’s for decades. Our top rankings also represent an important step toward achieving our ‘20/20 Vision’ to establish Kosair Children’s Hospital as a top-tier national children’s hospital by 2020.

“We are considered to be among a very select group to be one of the 177 hospitals to even be invited to participate in the survey. This really is a great honor.”

The new rankings recognize the top 50 children’s hospitals in 10 specialties: cancer, cardiology and heart surgery, diabetes and endocrinology, gastroenterology, neonatology, nephrology, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopaedics, pulmonology, and urology. Seventy-six hospitals are ranked in at least one specialty.

Now in its fifth year, Best Children’s Hospitals pulls together clinical and operational data from a lengthy survey, completed by the majority of the 177 hospitals asked to participate for the 2011-12 rankings. The survey asks hundreds of questions about survival rates, nurse staffing, subspecialist availability, and many more pieces of critical information difficult or impossible for those in charge of a child’s care to find on their own. The data from the survey is combined with recommendations from pediatric specialists on the hospitals they consider best for children with challenging problems.

For the full rankings and methodology, visit: www.usnews.com/childrenshospitals.

2011 NAHAM Conference & Exposition - NEXT WEEK!

2011-05-18T07:07:00.000-05:00

Join us next week (May 24 - 27) in San Antonio for NAHAM's 37th Annual Educational Conference & Exposition. We will be available for consultations, just stop by the booth! If you prefer to schedule an appointment in advance, please contact Stephanie Speth at 314-878-6050, ext. 143.

National Association of Healthcare Access Management (NAHAM)
37th Annual Educational Conference & Exposition
San Antonio, Texas
Grand Hyatt San Antonio
May 24 - 27, 2011
BOOTH 109

To view the conference program (PDF) click here.

Client News: Jewish Hospital President and CEO, Marty Bonick, Receives ACHE Regent’s Award

2011-05-17T14:36:00.000-05:00

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

Marty Bonick, president and CEO of Jewish Hospital Medical Campus in Louisville, Kentucky has received the American College of Healthcare Executives Early Career Healthcare Executive Regent’s Award.

The award was bestowed on Bonick by the Kentucky ACHE Chapter at the Kentucky Hospital Association meeting in May. The Early Career Healthcare Executive Regent’s Award recognizes ACHE affiliates who have made significant contributions to the advancement of healthcare management excellence and the achievement of ACHE’s goals.

Affiliates are evaluated on leadership ability, innovative and creative management, executive capability in developing their own organization and promoting its growth and stature in the community, participation in local, state or provincial hospital and health association activities, participation in civic/community activities and projects, participation in ACHE activities, and interest in assisting ACHE with its objectives.

Bonick has served as president and CEO of the Jewish Hospital Medical Campus since February 2008. Prior to joining Jewish Hospital, he served as CEO of Oklahoma State University Medical Center in Tulsa Oklahoma. He is board certified in healthcare management as a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, demonstrating a commitment to professional excellence. He was recognized nationally as one of Modern Healthcare magazine’s “Up and Comers” for 2008 and by Business First newspaper as one of Louisville’s “40 Under Forty” dynamic young leaders.

To read more, click here.

Client News: York Hospital Nurse Jodi Arnold Earns Kitty Reisinger Heart of Nursing Award

2011-05-17T07:42:00.000-05:00

Source: Around WellSpan Online

Jodi Arnold, R.N., left, accepts the Kitty Reisinger Heart of Nursing Award during the Excellence in Caring and Practice Awards celebration at York Hospital.

There weren’t a lot of dry eyes in the Arthur J. Glatfelter Lecture Hall after Valerie Hardy Sprenkle, vice president of patient care services at York Hospital, finished reading the Kitty Reisinger Heart of Nursing Award nomination for Jodi Arnold, R.N., of the GI Department.

Arnold's nominator wrote, “Her empathy, willingness to listen and continued giving of herself are just a few of her outstanding qualities.

“She strives to make patients’ lives better and to bring some sort of comfort in dismal times, when things seem hopeless. Her patients express kind gestures and words of thanks for her undivided love and dedication.”

Arnold, a nurse at York Hospital since 1985, constantly goes out of her way to assist patients and improve their quality of life.

The nomination related a couple stories of how she touched patients’ lives with her kindness, caring and compassion. One story concerned an elderly patient who was diagnosed with esophageal cancer and was given six months to live.

As his health started to deteriorate and Arnold was seeing him in the department more frequently, she started calling him regularly to see how he was doing. The calls turned into short visits on her way home to make sure things were going OK and to see if he needed any assistance.

After being rushed to the hospital in critical condition, the patient underwent an emergency procedure. At that time, the patient reiterated his request that he be let go in peace. Arnold spent the evening at his bedside, holding his hand. Many tears were shed as Arnold, the patient and his best friend, reminisced about the patient’s memorable life.

“The environment in the GI Department and the support of my co-workers allow me to do what I do,” said Arnold. “I bond with patients because if I had a family member with health problems, I would want them to receive the very best care from those who truly cared. I live by, ‘Do unto to others as you would have them do unto you.’

“Going the extra step means a lot to patients and their families. I just hope I can motivate and inspire other nurses to do so.”

Arnold said she acquired many of her positive traits from her mother, who graduated from the Allentown School of Nursing in 1962 and is still working as a nurse.

“Although I wasn’t considering nursing as a career, my mother encouraged me to consider it as a career because I was such a caring person. I’m glad I followed her advice.”

Kathryn “Kitty” Reisinger practiced nursing in York for more than 40 years until her death in 2002. Her son, Mark, and his wife, Tamara, established the award to honor his mother. The winner is selected by members of the Reisinger family.

In addition to Arnold’s recognition, nurses and physicians were honored in 25 categories at the Excellence in Caring and Practice Awards celebration. For a complete list of winners, go to Around WellSpan Online.

Client News: Oakwood Joins Project Fit America to Help Schools

2011-05-16T10:45:00.000-05:00

Source: Oakwood Press Release

The most popular things on the playground at Thomas Jefferson Elementary School in Redford may not be the swing sets.

It could be the ‘Fit Pit’ a dedicated square section of land that features equipment that looks like a spread out jungle gym, but serves a different purpose: physical fitness. It’s part of Project Fit America, a national non-profit organization dedicated to getting children fit. Through donors, the organization provides full-funded cardiovascular health and lifetime fitness education programs to elementary schools in the form of permanent equipment, lesson plans and follow-up visits with nationally-recognized trainers. The project is in its second year at Thomas Jefferson; Oakwood Healthcare donated nearly $20,000 to bring the project to the school.

“The South Redford school district is very committed to wellness as part of the overall curriculum,” said Deborah Greenwood, principal at the school. “We focus on the entire child, not just the academic side.”

Steve Cox, national inservice director and head trainer for Project Fit America, instructs students at Thomas Jefferson Elementary School on ways to use the horizontal ladder.

Once Oakwood Healthcare, Inc. pledged the funds to sponsor a Project Fit America school, the national organization facilitated a competitive grant application process among area schools and worked with Oakwood to select which school would be awarded. Schools must submit an extensive application that includes how the equipment and curriculum would benefit the school, how the staff and parents would support the lesson plans—even letters from the children who will use the equipment.

“It’s very rigorous,” said Lindsey West, manager of Community Health for OHI. “These grants are given to schools that are extremely forward thinking when it comes to fitness – this includes helping kids develop leadership, teamwork and cooperation skills. Everyone has to be committed, 110 percent.”

The grant brought parallel bars, a horizontal ladder, pull-up bars, a sit-up station, a step up station, a vault bar and a pole climb to the school. It also brought Steve Cox, national inservice director and head trainer for PFA out on Wednesday for a booster training session. Cox, who has been with PFA for more than 10 years, said he was impressed by what he saw.

“These facilities rank among the 80th percentile of all schools across the country,” he said. “Out of every 100 schools, only 80 have facilities as nice as these.”

Cox told the children they were all ‘fitness snowflakes’ that have the ability to change themselves.

“’Tired’ is the beginning of strength,” he told the crowd of fourth and fifth graders, advising them to push themselves beyond the first signs of fatigue in order to build themselves up.

Brooke Hempton, physical education teacher at Thomas Jefferson, said the program has been well-received by parents and students alike. Both groups always ask her when she’s going to start sending the children outside to the Fit Pit every year.

Thomas Jefferson Elementary School students stretch on the parallel bars.

“It reinforces fun fitness,” she said of the program. “It’s not boring; it’s not just doing sit-ups or push-ups. So many schools can get so much out of this.”

Thomas Jefferson Elementary is the second school sponsored by OHI. The healthcare system donated funds that brought the Fit Pit and PFA curriculum to Barth Elementary School in Romulus three years ago.

“It’s really a great program,” said Pat McCollum, the physical education teacher at Barth Elementary. She inherited the program from her predecessor at Barth, Sheila Stasak, who was recognized in 2010 as a Project Fit America All Star Teacher – and enjoyed attending the inservice at Thomas Jefferson with the PFA trainer. “It makes a big difference. I’m glad we have the opportunity to use it.”

Client News: CPOE at WellSpan Marks the Beginning of Care Transformation

2011-05-10T10:10:00.000-05:00

Source: Around WellSpan Online

Leo Motter, M.D., a hospitalist at York Hospital, uses Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE) to enter discharge instructions for a patient. Physicians also use CPOE to directly enter medication orders, tests and procedures into a computer system, which then transmits the order to the pharmacy or appropriate department.

“CPOE (Computerized Physician Order Entry) marks the biggest change for physicians in the history of our organization,” said Charlie Marley, D.O., vice president of medical affairs at Gettysburg Hospital.

“If affects their workflow and requires them do things totally different than in the past.”

Despite the immensity of the change, the implementation of CPOE, first at Gettysburg Hospital in November 2010 and recently at York Hospital, has gone remarkably smooth.

“Early feedback from physicians has been positive,” said Geoff Nicholson, M.D., hospital informatics specialist. “We recognize that CPOE has some challenges, but it is a great system that gives us a lot of opportunities to optimize the care we deliver.”

Nicholson said the implementation of CPOE touched nearly every staff member at the two acute care hospitals. He added that the cooperation was excellent and much was learned from the initial implementation at Gettysburg Hospital, contributing greatly to the success of the project.

“CPOE is one of the capstones of the electronic health record,” offered R. Hal Baker, M.D., chief information officer for WellSpan.

“The implementation of CPOE marks the two-thirds mark of our journey to the electronic health record,” he added.
CPOE refers to any system in which clinicians directly enter medication orders, tests and procedures into a computer system, which then transmits the order to the pharmacy or appropriate department.

CPOE has the potential to greatly reduce errors by ensuring standardized, legible and complete orders. A study of inpatient medication errors found that approximately 90 percent occurred at either the ordering or transcribing stage.

Recent research shows that if CPOE was implemented in all urban hospitals in the U.S., more than three million serious medication errors could be prevented every year.

Studies also have shown that CPOE reduces the length of stay; repeat tests; turnaround times for pharmacy, laboratory and radiology requests; and cost savings.

“Orders are instantly transmitted and processing can begin immediately,” said Peter Hartmann, M.D., vice president of medical affairs, York Hospital. “It used to take up to two hours from the time an antibiotic was ordered to when it reached the patient. Now, it’s 20 minutes.”

Baker added, “CPOE cuts out a number of non-value-added steps. Medication requests have gone from 59 minutes to 13 minutes.” Additionally, fewer phone calls are required to clarify orders. Verbal orders have been decreased 75 percent, according to Baker.

Another benefit of CPOE is that serves as the basis for Clinical Decision Support (CDS), which checks for a variety of errors, including contraindications, drug allergies, drug-drug interaction as well as the absence of care. It also prompts physicians for best practices.

“CPOE and CDS have a tremendous potential to significantly improve patient safety,” said Nicholson. “We will continue to optimize their capabilities over time.”

Nicholson emphasized that the implementation of CPOE is the beginning of care transformation, not the end. There is still work to do.

It's National Hospital Week

2011-05-09T08:36:00.001-05:00

The celebration of National Hospital Week began in 1921 when a magazine editor suggested that more information about hospitals might alleviate public fears about the "shrouded" institutions of the day.

Today, National Hospital Week, the nation’s largest health care event, is a celebration of the history, technology and dedicated professionals that make our facilities beacons of confidence and care.

To learn more visit the American Hospital Association's website; to learn how you can celebrate National Hospital Week at your facility - visit the National Hospital Week website.