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A Feb. 5 tornado in Mountain View lifted much of the roof off of Stone County Medical Center in Mountain View while patients were in the hospital. |
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Storms of 2008 Wreak Havoc on Hospitals
Disaster Plans, Quick Response Save the Day
It sounds like the script for a disaster movie: An F4 tornado tracks across the ground for 123 miles, leaving a wide path of destruction across North Central Arkansas from the Arkansas River Valley to the Missouri border.
Thirteen people die, and hundreds of homes are damaged or destroyed.
ROBYN JACKSON |
Arkansas Heart Hospital Ranks #1 in Satisfaction
Expansions, New Services Mark Growth
Now, more than ever, Arkansas Heart Hospital (AHH) staff are confident that their patients leave the hospital satisfied. In a recent federal survey comparing more than 30 Arkansas hospitals in 10 patient satisfaction categories, AHH received five first-place rankings.
Participation in the survey, conducted by the Hospital Quality Alliance (HQA) in conjunction with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), will, in the future, be required of all hospitals, though in its first year reporting the quality data from patient surveys was voluntary.
ADRIENNE D. OLIVER |
The Arkansas Prostate Cancer Foundation’s mobile screening unit facilitates early detection of prostate cancer by providing a convenient and private location for screenings in communities and at events around the state. |
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Robots Helping Arkansas Urologists Treat Prostate Cancer
Clinical Trials, Screenings Remain Key
Men are notoriously reluctant to have their prostates checked, but awareness of prostate cancer is growing and new advances in robotics are revolutionizing treatment plans. To many, using robots in surgery still seems like a scene from a science fiction movie, but today, hospitals around the state are beginning to invest in da Vinci Robot Systems. The robotic systems offer minimally invasive surgery that dramatically influences the treatment of prostate cancer.
JEANNI BROSIUS-YOUNG |
New IVUS systems give three-dimensional images of the amount of plaque inside an artery. Virtual histology colors the different types on the image to more clearly differentiate them. |
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Improved IVUS Systems Changing Cardio Care
Cardiologists around the state are sometimes hesitantly, sometimes enthusiastically beginning to take advantage of newly improved intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) applications in their practices. “IVUS technology has been around since the early 90s or so,” said Dr. Riley Foreman, a cardiologist with Cooper Clinic in Fort Smith, “but they used to be a lot more cumbersome and less useful.”
JENNIFER BOULDEN |
Arkansas Tech University in Russellville has the state’s only 4-year HIM program. |
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Arkansas Health Information Programs Train Graduates for Future
While doctor and nurse shortages are predicted to get worse in coming years, one ancillary profession that is charting upwards, both in terms of numbers in the field and in anticipated demand, is health information management (HIM) professionals. Having a guy who is good with computers around the office doesn’t cut it anymore, said Melinda Wilkins, director of the HIM program and associate professor at Arkansas Tech University (ATU) in Russellville. Computer systems and software can be incredibly complex and healthcare management certainly is, as well.
JENNIFER BOULDEN |
HMA, Inc. Closes Southwest Regional This Month
On May 15, Southwest Regional Medical Center in Little Rock announced it would be closing this month, at midnight on July 15.
CEO Nancy Fodi acknowledged in a press release that the decision to close the 125-bed acute care community hospital was not taken lightly. “This was a difficult decision to make,” she said. “Unfortunately Southwest Regional Medical Center continues to operate at a significant financial loss that necessitates its closure.
JENNIFER BOULDEN |
10 Things to Do This Summer for Your Financial Health
Growing up, my family’s summer vacation spot was Florida. Before our trip, my folks asked my sister and me to make a list of the things we needed to do or pack before we left. In that spirit, here are 10 things to do this summer to help you be better prepared for the experience of your life.
Chad Carlson |
Grand Rounds July
AMMC Opens New Diabetes Care Clinic
Cancer Support Group Forming at St. Anthony’s
AFMC Receives Five National Communications Awards
Summit Medical Center Receives The Joint Commission Gold Seal
Arkansas Children’s Hospital Ranks 24th In U.S. News & World Report’s 2008 Edition Of America’s Best Children’s Hospitals
Cottrell Begins Seeing Patients
Hardman Named Medical Director For UAMS Women’s Clinic
UAMS College of Medicine Appoints O’Donnell to Lead Urology
UAMS Is First In Arkansas With Robotic Procedure For Cervical Cancer
UAMS Neonatologists Now On Call For Regional Hospitals
Lammico Rated“Excellent”
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Physician Spotlight: Dr. Don Howard
Don Howard’s got a new job, a new home, and a new respect for Northeast Arkansas.
Howard, newly finished with his residency at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), just moved to Jonesboro to join the pulmonology and
critical care team at the Clopton Clinic and St. Bernard’s Medical Center.
JENNIFER BOULDEN |
Progress on State Health Information Exchange Looks Promising
Before a statewide exchange of health information can become a reality, a statewide exchange of ideas must continue.
While countless doctors’ offices struggle with making the increasingly necessary transition from paper-based records and billing systems to electronic systems, another group of stakeholders has been working quietly to set up the framework and infrastructure for the even more daunting step after that: to establish a statewide Health Information Exchange (HIE).
JENNIFER BOULDEN |
Drs. Puran and Nalini Bora are helming groundbreaking research into macular degeneration at UAMS. |
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Vision Quest: UAMS Researchers Look for Macular Degeneration Cure
In legends, the scientific breakthrough always strikes like lightning. Inspiration comes out of the blue. The apple falls from the tree, and presto: Newton’s universal law of gravity.
In reality, scientific advances involve little instant gratification. The researcher chooses a field and works in it. The breakthroughs come slowly, an inch at a time, each advance laying the groundwork for the next.
TED GRIGGS |
Combating Blindness
Two recent discoveries from the University of Utah School of Medicine and the affiliated John A. Moran Eye Center, in collaboration with researchers from other locations, are providing new hope to those suffering from age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy.
CINDY SANDERS |
HIT Reforms Healthcare
The business of healthcare at the physician/patient level is 10 to 20 years behind in technology. All patient records are recorded on paper. Comparing lab results and the diagnosis of your physician is a manual operation that takes several days to process. The insurance company charging premiums gets a claim that has been handled by not less than four pairs of hands who each stake a claim to the financial outcome of your office visit.
MARK TUMBLIN |
NAHIT Defines Six Most Important HIT Terms
Do you know the difference between an electronic health record and an electronic medical record? Well, apparently neither do a lot of other people. That’s what prompted the National Alliance for Health Information Technology to spearhead a project resulting in six definitions that the alliance hopes will become industry standards and eventually eliminate some ambiguity and confusion.
The project’s results were released in a 40-page report in late May, with the following definitions:
SHARON H. FITZGERALD |
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