We made big improvements to our medical news feeds, provider listings and advertisements – three great ways to promote your medical practice! In the coming months, we will be rolling out some exciting new features including provider coupons and job listings.

With all the changes happening at MedSoup, there is no better time than now to join our growing medical network.

Below is information on the events of the day and a link to register for the walk from the “Make a Wish” folks. You can register the day of the walk but we highly recommend that you register ahead on-line or come early the day of the event to beat the rush!

Our event will open at 2:00 pm with individual and team registration, food, games, entertainment and more. The program begins at around 5:00 pm and the walk begins at dark. There will be food vendors so you can enjoy dinner with us while the excitement builds for the very unique “Walk for Wishes”. Enjoy the beautiful light show as you leisurely walk the 2 mile route through many of the “Festival of Lights” displays. It will be just us, without all the cars and the bumper to bumper traffic. There will be entertainment during the afternoon and along the walking route during the event. Start getting your teams and pledges together now to help raise money to make wishes come true for local children with life threatening medical conditions. Register your team, join a team (please consider joining the Forsyth Family/Forsyth Woman team) and/or donate at: www.2011walkforwishestanglewood.kintera.org

“With a stroke, time lost is brain lost, and the Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Silver Quality Achievement Award addresses the important element of time,” said Susan Hamilton, vice president of Nursing and Patient Care at Iredell Health System. Iredell Memorial Hospital has developed a comprehensive system for rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients admitted to the emergency department. This includes always being equipped to provide brain imaging scans, having neurologists available to conduct patient evaluations and using clot-busting medications when appropriate. 

To receive the Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Silver Quality Achievement Award, Iredell Memorial Hospital consistently complied for at least one year with the requirements in the Get With The Guidelines-Stroke program. These include aggressive use of medications like tPA, antithrombotics, anticoagulation therapy, DVT prophylaxis, cholesterol reducing drugs, and smoking cessation. This twelve-month evaluation period is the second in an ongoing self-evaluation by the hospital to continually reach the 85 percent compliance level needed to sustain this award.

“The American Stroke Association commends Iredell Health System for its success in implementing standards of care and protocols,” said Lee H. Schwamm, M.D., chair of the Get With The Guidelines National Steering Committee and director of the TeleStroke and Acute Stroke Services at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. “The full implementation of acute care and secondary prevention recommendations and guidelines is a critical step in saving the lives and improving outcomes of stroke patients.” 

Get With The Guidelines-Stroke uses the “teachable moment,” the time soon after a patient has had a stroke, when they are most likely to listen to and follow their healthcare professionals’ guidance. Studies demonstrate that patients who are taught how to manage their risk factors while still in the hospital reduce their risk of a second heart attack or stroke. Through Get With The Guidelines-Stroke, customized patient education materials are made available at the point of discharge, based on patients’ individual risk profiles. The take-away materials are written in an easy-to-understand format and are available in English and Spanish. In addition, the Get With The Guidelines Patient Management Tool provides access to up-to-date cardiovascular and stroke science at the point of care.

“The time is right for Iredell Memorial Hospital to be focused on improving the quality of stroke care by implementing Get With The Guidelines-Stroke. The number of acute ischemic stroke patients eligible for treatment is expected to grow over the next decade due to increasing stroke incidence and a large aging population,” said Celeste Stevens, RN, BSN, PCCN, cardiovascular clinician and certification coordinator for Iredell Health System.

According to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, stroke is one of the leading causes of death and serious, long-term disability in the United States.  On average, someone suffers a stroke every 40 seconds; someone dies of a stroke every four minutes; and 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year.

Dr. Paul Swaney, a Panel Physician with Davis Regional’s Wound Healing Center, noted “People with diabetes often experience diminished sensation in their lower limbs and should inspect their feet closely for blisters and other potential damage before and after exercising.  It is estimated that every year five percent of diabetics develop foot wounds which, in extreme cases, lead to amputation.”   

“For people with diabetes, physical activity improves insulin sensitivity and helps bring elevated blood glucose levels into the normal range.  In addition, they can help manage their disease through increased circulation, weight loss and other benefits of exercise,” concluded Swaney.   

Davis Regional’s Wound Healing Center offers these exercise tips:   
·         Before starting an exercise program, talk with your health care professional regarding the presence of vascular complications that could worsen with exercise and orthopedic or musculoskeletal conditions that may exempt certain exercises.   
·         Check your blood glucose before and after exercise to learn how your body responds.  Those at risk for low blood glucose should have a source of carbohydrates nearby while exercising.   
·         Since dehydration is often an issue with diabetes, it is important to drink water early and frequently when exercising.    
·         For diabetics with reduced sensation, prolonged walking, jogging, using a treadmill and step exercises are not recommended.  Instead, try swimming, bicycling, rowing, chair and arm exercises and other non-weight bearing activities.   
·         Proper footwear is essential.  The use of silica gel or air midsoles as well as polyester or cotton/polyester socks will help prevent blisters and keep feet dry.   
·         The American College of Sports Medicine has demonstrated that resistance training can improve insulin sensitivity to about the same extent as aerobic exercise.  The American Diabetes Association recommends that exercising with weights is acceptable for younger individuals but not recommended for older people with long-standing diabetes.  
·         There are many ways to increase physical activity besides formal exercise such as gardening, housecleaning and even marching in place or walking around the house during TV commercial breaks.   

For more information on the Wound Healing Center, located at Davis Regional Medical Center, call 704-838-7461 or log on to the web at www.davisregional.com

The hospital was recognized by The Joint Commission based on data reported about evidence-based clinical procedures that are shown to improve care for certain conditions, including heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia, surgical care and children’s asthma.   

Davis Regional is one of only 405 U.S. hospitals and critical access hospitals earning the distinction of top performer on key quality measures for attaining and sustaining excellence in accountability measure performance. Inclusion on the list is based on an aggregation of accountability measure data reported to The Joint Commission during the previous calendar year. For example, this first recognition program is based on data reported for 2010.   

To be recognized as a top performer on key quality measures an organization must meet two 95% performance thresholds. First it must achieve a composite performance of 95% or above after the results of all the accountability measures for which it reports data to The Joint Commission were factored into a single score, including measures that had less than 30 eligible cases or patients. Second it must meet or exceed a 95%  performance target for every single accountability measure for which it reports data, excluding any measures with less than 30 eligible cases or patients.   

Davis Regional Medical Center was recognized for achieving these thresholds for heart failure, pneumonia and children’s asthma.    

“Today, the public expects transparency in the reporting of performance at the hospitals where they receive care, and The Joint Commission is shining a light on the top performing hospitals such as Davis Regional that have achieved excellence on a number of vital measures of quality of care,” said Mark R. Chassin, M.D., FACP, M.P.P., M.P.H., President of The Joint Commission.   

“We understand that what matters most to our patients is safe, effective care,” said Andy Davis, Davis Regional Chief Executive Officer.  “That’s why our hospital and associates have made a commitment to accreditation and to positive patient outcomes through evidence-based care processes. Davis Regional is proud to be named to the list of The Joint Commission’s Top Performers on Key Quality Measures,” Davis said.   

In addition to being included a press release of The Joint Commission’s “Improving America’s Hospitals” annual report, http://www.jointcommission.org/annualreport, Davis Regional Medical Center will be recognized on The Joint Commission’s Quality Check website (www.qualitycheck.org).   

The comprehensive 6-hour inspection confirmed the hospital’s digital mammography equipment and film processors are operating efficiently.  An intensive records review is also conducted to ensure all safety inspections, quality controls, and infection standards are completed periodically as required.    

In addition to equipment and safety reviews, a portion of the inspection was dedicated to staff competencies.  Initial qualifications, continuing education and years of experience were verified and demonstrated the hospital’s commitment to exceptional associates, providing quality care.    

Davis Regional Medical Center installed its digital mammography equipment in July 2009.  MQSA inspections are conducted yearly by the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources.  For additional information on the hospital’s Imaging services, contact Kimberly Harrell, Davis Regional Imaging Director, at 704-838-7082, or Kimberly.harrell@hma.com. 

Any individual who utilizes outpatient services at Lexington Medical Center will be asked upon check-in if they have had a flu vaccine. If not, they have the option of receiving a vaccination in a no-appointment, walk-in clinic to be held at Lexington Surgical Associates located in the upper level of 10 Medical Park Drive. The clinic will run Mondays and Thursdays through March 29, 2012 from 8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Cost of the vaccination is $25, payable by cash or debit card. The hospital will not file insurance for reimbursement.

Lexington Medical Center has provided the flu vaccine to inpatients for many years, but this is the first time it has expanded the effort to include outpatients. Donny Lambeth, president, Lexington Medical Center, said the new program is a way of adding another level of safety and convenience as it relates to immunizing the community against the seasonal flu. “Science proves that annual vaccinations are effective in controlling the outbreak of the potentially deadly flu virus,” he said. “By expanding this service to our outpatients, we are demonstrating the importance of immunization in deterring major outbreaks.”

Lambeth added that the hospital’s program in no way replaces the availability of the flu vaccine at physician practices on campus. “All primary care practices will continue to provide flu vaccinations to respective patient populations,” he said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends a yearly flu shot as the most important step in protecting against the viruses.  While there are many types of flu, the vaccine protects against the three viruses that research suggests will be the most common each winter. This year’s vaccine is comprised of the same three strains as last year, including the H1N1 virus that emerged in 2009.

Everyone six months of age and older should receive a flu vaccination. It is especially important that high risk populations are protected in order to decrease their risk of severe flu illness. People at high risk of serious flu complications include young children, pregnant women, people with chronic health conditions like asthma, diabetes or heart and lung disease, and people 65 years and older.

Lexington Medical Center was one of three hospitals in North Carolina last year to be named to the Honor Roll for Patient Safety by the Immunization Action Coalition for its efforts to immunize employees against influenza.  Lexington Medical will join Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center again this year in taking a stand for patient safety by requiring employees to receive the seasonal flu vaccination.

Wake Forest Baptist Health—Lexington Medical Center offers complete services designed to detect and treat breast cancer. The hospital’s accredited mammography center is equipped with the latest in digital mammography equipment and offers convenient evening and weekend appointments. Digital mammography produces higher quality images than film, thereby increasing the ability of radiologists to identify suspicious lesions or abnormalities.

Board certified radiologists at Lexington Medical Center perform core needle stereotactic breast biopsies, enabling physicians to examine breast abnormalities without having to send patients to the operating room. The procedure is performed within the mammography center, and since a local anesthetic is all that is required patients are ready for discharge soon after the procedure is complete. The sample is then sent to a pathologist who examines the tissue for suspicious cells with findings reported back to the patient within a few days.

Physicians with Davidson Surgical Associates work in conjunction with Lexington Medical Center to provide a full range of services for women who are diagnosed with breast cancer. Mark Smith, M.D., Brian Lewis, M.D., and Eric Lance, M.D., certified by the American Board of Surgery and Fellows in the American College of Surgeons, opened an office on the hospital campus earlier this year. The comprehensive services provided by the group include biopsies, mastectomies, sentinel node mapping, breast saving surgeries and follow up care.

Ivo Pestana, M.D., plastic and reconstructive surgeon and a faculty and staff member at Wake Forest Baptist Health, works in conjunction with the surgeons to provide breast reconstruction. His addition to the Lexington Medical Center staff enables the hospital to offer a full range of options in terms of breast reconstruction for patients undergoing mastectomies. Dr. Pestana individualizes each breast reconstruction to meet the unique needs of each patient.

The Wake Forest Baptist Health Cancer Center located on the campus in Lexington completes the full circle of care for breast cancer patients. Nathan Streer, M.D., hematologist and medical oncologist, said the center is a full scale clinic offering the latest breast cancer treatments in medical and radiation oncology. “Breast cancer patients can receive all levels of treatment at one facility,” he said. “We coordinate treatment after surgery, so having all of that at one site is very helpful.”

Laura Allen, M.D., radiation oncologist at the center, said advances in treatment allows doctors to focus more on the tumor, which spares breast tissue. “Women can have a lumpectomy and then undergo radiation treatments, which conserves the breast,” said Dr. Allen. “This approach has the same survival outcome as with a mastectomy.”

Early detection is still the most critical component in diagnosing breast cancer, Allen said. Good diet and exercise along with regular mammograms are the best proactive steps for women’s health.