Inside Penn Medicine

Digital Edition of Presby Bulletin - 12/9/2016

Paul Foster — Fri, 09 Dec 2016 12:27:55 -0500

Click here for the digital edition of Presby Bulletin.

Antibiotic Stewardship at PPMC

Paul Foster — Fri, 09 Dec 2016 12:15:53 -0500

Antibiotics are vital to the practice of modern medicine. They make many things that we take for granted today - like surgery - possible but like anything else, too much of a good thing can be bad.

Changing the way antibiotics are used, and making sure they’re used appropriately, is the goal for the Antibiotic Stewardship team at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center (PPMC). Led by Amanda Binkley, PharmD, AAHIVP and Christo Cimino, PharmD, BCPS, Judith O’Donnell, MD, and Naasha Talati, MD, the local group keeps a close eye on how local prescribers make use of the important drugs.

The stewardship effort has a long history at Penn. One of the first antibiotic stewardship programs in the c, HUP’s program was started in 1992 by associate medical officer Neil Fishman, MD. Now led by Keith Hamilton, MD, an assistant professor of Clinical Medicine and infectious disease physician, the program remains a national model for stewardship programs.

PPMC’s local stewardship team recently wrapped up its annual Antibiotic Stewardship Week, which gave faculty and staff across the hospital a chance to focus on the issue and learn more about what can be done to prevent to over-prescription of antimicrobial drugs. The stewardship team set up a table with games and educational material outside of the cafeteria. Binkley, a clinical pharmacy specialist in Infectious Disease, said it was a huge success.

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PPMC SEPTA Strike Hero

Paul Foster — Fri, 09 Dec 2016 12:15:02 -0500

When many SEPTA workers went on strike last month, many Philadelphians had to get creative to find solutions for transportation in the city.

Gerald Montague, a medical records clerk, was the answer for one Penn Medicine patient who was stranded at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center during the strike. Montague spotted the patient in a lobby of a nearby office at 8 p.m. The patient, who is blind and uses a wheelchair, said that he was waiting for SEPTA CCT, a SETPA service that primarily picks up the city’s senior population.

The CCT ride was supposed to have picked the man up at 4:30 p.m., a full three and a half hours earlier. Montague ducked into an office, gave SEPTA a call, and discovered CCT had gone to the wrong address and they wouldn’t make a trip out to Presby that night.

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Save the Date for the Presby Gala

Paul Foster — Fri, 09 Dec 2016 12:14:10 -0500

Penn Presbyterian Medical Center Board of Trustees, Administration, and Faculty kindly ask you to reserve the date for the 16th Annual Penn Presbyterian Medical Center Gala: Passport to London - A Life in Motion.

Honoring our Hospital Hero: Scott Levin, MD, FACS, Paul B. Magnuson Professor of Bone and Joint Surgery, Chair, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Professor of Surgery, Division of Plastic Surgery

March 24, 2017

6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

VIE | 600 N Broad Street

Philadelphia, PA 19130

Formal invitation to follow

Digital Edition of Presby Bulletin - 11/23/2016

Paul Foster — Wed, 23 Nov 2016 12:09:41 -0500

Click here for the digital edition of the Presby Bulletin.

PPMC Takes 1st in HAP Donate Life Campaign

Paul Foster — Wed, 23 Nov 2016 11:43:41 -0500

The results are in: Penn Presbyterian Medical Center won “Top Hospital” in the Hospital Association of Pennsylvania’s Donate Life challenge (HAP) to raise awareness about organ and tissue donation. The University of Pennsylvania Health System won top overall health system and HUP finished right behind Presby in the hospital category.

The annual competition encourages health care organizations to get the word out about organ and tissue donation by offering points to participants for various tasks. Each hospital recorded evidence of activities completed on a score card during the campaign and submitted it to the HAP Donate Life judges who then verified the evidence submitted and then selected the winners.

Susan Chodoff, director of Regulatory Affairs and Accreditation Matters at PPMC and one of the organizers of this year’s Donate Life campaign, said all of PPMC stepped up to the plate when asked. Managers of departments across the hospital built enthusiasm to get their teams involved in raising awareness and helping tally up the points needed to clinch the victory for PPMC. Gift of Life’s Amy Martiner was especially helpful at amplifying all of their ideas and initiatives, Chodoff added.

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Penn Medicine Raises $1.55 Million for Local Charities

Paul Foster — Wed, 23 Nov 2016 11:41:25 -0500

We made it! The 2017 Penn’s Way Campaign officially drew to a close last week. Thank you to everyone who donated or participated in the campaign this year. This effort is a truly remarkable team endeavor that has the power to change the lives of many people in need in our community.

We have officially exceeded our Penn/Penn Medicine $1.55 million goal, having raised $1,651,442. We’re still receiving last minute donations, so the final number promises to be even higher.

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American Red Cross Blood Drive

Paul Foster — Wed, 23 Nov 2016 11:40:25 -0500

An American Red Cross team will be available to take blood donations on Friday, Dec. 16, from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. in the Rotunda Medical Conference Room on the first floor.

Those interested in donating blood can pre-register and make their appointment by visiting RedCrossBlood.org and entering the sponsor keyword “PennPresbyterian.”

Prospective donors are asked to bring identification and to drink plenty of water beforehand.

Digital Edition of Presby Bulletin - 11/11/2016

Paul Foster — Fri, 11 Nov 2016 13:05:53 -0500

Click here for the digital edition of Presby Bulletin.

PPMC Remains a Magnet for Excellence!

Paul Foster — Fri, 11 Nov 2016 12:08:07 -0500

For the second consecutive term, Penn Presbyterian has earned Magnet recognition from the American Nurses Credentialing Center, a designation that puts them in the top tier of healthcare facilities around the world.

The news was announced Oct. 18 during a conference call to a standing-room-only auditorium in Presby’s Philadelphia Heart Institute. On the phone was Donna Havens, PhD, RN, FAAN, the Commission Chair for ANCC. She announced that the commission had voted unanimously that Penn Presbyterian Medical Center had earned Magnet status for the second time in a row.

With the announcement, the audience burst into lengthy applause with high fives and hugs all around. Havens offered her own congratulations and walked the crowd through areas in which Presby was found to excel, including high marks in nurse satisfaction and working to prevent blood clots.

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PPMC Welcomes Delegation from Chongqing, China

Paul Foster — Fri, 11 Nov 2016 12:07:31 -0500

Penn Presbyterian Medical Center played host recently to a delegation of Chinese health professionals interesting in learning more about how Presby provides superior care to patients every day.

The six-member group hailed from the Chongqing municipality in southwest China and was led by Fang Mingjin, the deputy director of the Chongqing Municipal Health and Family Planning Commission.

Bob Russell, associate executive director of Operations at Penn Presbyterian, met with the group and mapped out various aspects of daily life at PPMC, from the hospital’s different service lines, to organization of leadership and management structure, how critical care patients arrive via helipad, staffing ratios and models and much more.

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Donate New Winter Gear at PPMC!

Paul Foster — Fri, 11 Nov 2016 12:06:54 -0500

Penn Presbyterian Medical Center is once again teaming up with Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown for the 16th Annual Warmth In Winter Drive.

The drive will run from Nov. 1 until Dec. 5 and drop boxes are located in the Cupp and Wright-Saunders lobbies. Please donate new hats, scarves, mittens and gloves for Philadelphia’s Homeless and Low Income Children.

Thank you for your participation and for giving back to your community!

Get Your Flu Shot: Now through Nov. 23

Paul Foster — Fri, 11 Nov 2016 12:06:31 -0500

Flu season is upon us and Penn Presbyterian is offering the flu vaccine for all employees. The inactivated influenza vaccine (injectable) will be administered to PPMC employees now through Nov. 23. Penn Medicine requires that all staff have an annual influenza vaccination or possess an approved qualified exception. If vaccinated outside of Penn, a proof of immunization must be provided to receive credit for the vaccination.

You can view the vaccination clinic schedule and learn more at: http://uphsxnet.uphs.upenn.edu/occupationalmedicine/