Passavant has made great strides during the past two years by growing and enhancing existing services, all for the benefit of the people and communities served by the hospital. Following is a list of enhancements.
· Imaging Services: 3D Mammography and Interventional Radiology
Imaging Services now offers 3D mammography (breast tomosynthesis) for breast cancer screening. Breast tomosynthesis produces a three-dimensional view of the breast tissue that assists radiologists in identifying and characterizing individual breast structures without the confusion of overlapping tissue.
Breast tomosynthesis also uses software called “C-View,” which helps decrease the amount of radiation during an exam while maintaining quality diagnostic images.
“We believe breast tomosynthesis benefits all screening and diagnostic mammography patients, and is especially valuable for women receiving a baseline screening, those who have dense breast tissue, and/or women with a personal history of breast cancer,” said Patti Brown, Director of Imaging Services.
· Interventional Radiology
Passavant’s Imaging Services Department is making interventional radiology a priority with the assistance of Clinical Radiologists.
“Interventional radiology is a minimally-invasive procedure to help the physician reach a diagnosis. Clinical Radiologists provide us with specially-trained physicians to administer these procedures right here within our department,” said Patti Brown, Director of Imaging Services. The department handles eight to ten procedures per week.
Most of the interventional radiology procedures are for breast health diagnosis using ultrasound, stereotactic, and mammography. Other procedures available include liver biopsy, soft tissue biopsy, thyroid biopsy, paracentesis, and thoracentesis.
Depending on the level of difficulty of the procedure, the physician may also work with anesthesiology, nursing, and pathology.
· Open Bore MRI
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), a non-invasive diagnostic imaging exam of soft tissue, bone, brain and muscles, has become one of the fastest growing medical diagnostic tests in the United States.
In early 2015, Passavant installed a MAGNETOM® Aera 1.5T Open Bore MRI system from Siemens Healthcare. The addition of this new MRI scanner to Passavant’s Imaging Services Department expanded access to diagnostic imaging supporting a complete range of clinical applications, including neurology, orthopedics, body imaging, angiography, breast imaging, and oncology. Patients will now experience faster, more comfortable exams.
Like all MRIs, the MAGNETOM Aera uses a strong magnetic field to acquire images. At 1.5T, the MAGNETOM Aera, equals the strongest magnetic field available in the Jacksonville area. The MAGNETOM Aera also boasts a large 70 cm open bore, which reduces patient discomfort and anxiety during the imaging process. The open bore provides access for larger patients up to 550 pounds. Additionally, the system’s ultra-short bore (145 cm) will help to alleviate patient’s concerns of claustrophobia. With new technology, many exams can be performed with the patient’s head completely outside of the imaging unit.
The MRI upgrade also included the construction of a dedicated waiting room and patient locker room.
Photo/Special to The Source Newspaper
Edem Agamah, MD, an oncologist affiliated with the Simmons Cancer Institute at SIu,
left, checks on an infusion patient in the Specialty Clinic.
· Lymphedemna Clinic
Rehabilitation Services is offering a new service to patients with lymphedema. Lori Thomas, an occupational therapist and lymphedema therapist, is the manager of the Lymphedema Clinic. She provides treatment on Tuesdays and Fridays in the medical offices on the ground floor, East Building.
“Lymphedema is an abnormal accumulation of protein rich fluid in an extremity,” Thomas said. “It can occur in any part of the body, but is most often in the arm or leg. The lymphatic system moves the extra fluid in the body and when it is not working properly the limb swells. Usually this starts gradually, but over time it worsens and the swelling never really gets better. Lymphedema can be ‘primary’ which is genetic or ‘secondary’ which results when the lymphatic system is damaged.”
Lymphedema most often occurs in breast cancer patients who have had lymph nodes removed. Other causes of lymphedema include injuries, infections, surgeries, and severe chronic venous insufficiency (CVI). CVI often can lead to wounds and lymphedema can be part of this problem.
“There is currently no cure for lymphedema, but there is hope,” said Thomas. “The treatment I provide is called complete decongestive therapy, and it is a combination of skin care, manual lymph drainage, compression bandages, exercise, and education. The goal is to eliminate the excess edema from the limb and then provide a long term strategy for maintaining this reduction.”
If a person has lymphedema they must wear compression garments for the rest of their life. It is part of the lymphedema program to work with the doctors and clients to ensure the best method to reduce the edema and the best compression garment for control and daily use in order for clients to have long-term success.
· Heart Failure Clinic
The Heart Failure Clinic (HFC) is a new program to prevent and treat heart failure. HFC helps patients live more comfortably with their condition.
Heart failure is one of the main reasons older adults are admitted to the hospital. In recent years, the number of patients diagnosed with heart failure has increased significantly. Heart failure means the heart is weak and cannot pump blood as it should. When the heart isn’t pumping blood or relaxing properly, blood backs up in the heart and lungs. This pressure forces fluid into the lungs and other parts of the body. Knowing the symptoms and getting treatment early is important because heart failure can become a serious condition. Heart failure symptoms may include some or all of the following warning signs:
*Shortness of breath
*Fatigue, tiredness, loss of energy
*Loss of appetite, abdominal discomfort
*Stomach swelling
*Swollen ankles or legs
*Weight gain
Ignoring early symptoms and delaying treatment may lead to an emergency. Passavant’s HFC team of professionals teaches patients to recognize these early signs of heart failure and seek treatment.
A doctor’s referral is required for the HFC. Patients treated in the HFC are evaluated by an advanced practice nurse who specializes in heart care. Other HFC team members include a registered nurse, a registered dietitian, pharmacist, exercise physiologist, and social worker. Team members work closely with each patient to create a personalized care plan. The HFC offers the following services to helps patients live more comfortably:
*Cardiac advanced practice nurse counseling
*Patient and family education
*Medication list review and help from a registered pharmacist
*Dietary review by a registered dietitian
*Activity/exercise instruction by an exercise physiologist
*Referrals to support services
Once a plan is in place, the HFC stays in contact with patients through telephone calls and office follow-ups. The HFC also works with the patient’s physician to adjust the care plan as conditions change.
Passavant’s HFC is open every Tuesday in the Specialty Clinic from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. The Passavant Specialty Clinic is located in the East Building, second floor.
· Stress Echo
Stress echocardiography, also called stress echo, is a new procedure started in late 2015 in the Cardiopulmonary Department. A stress echo determines how well your heart and blood vessels are working.
“During the stress echo, the patient’s heart rate is increased with exercise or with medication if they can’t tolerate physical exercise. While the heart rate is increased, the heart muscle works harder to supply blood to the body. The echocardiogram images and the EKG tracing recorded during the stress echo allow the physician to detect heart problems that might not be evident when the body is at rest and needing less blood. The physician then determines if the patient needs further treatment,” said Beth Holmes, Cardiopulmonary and Cardiovascular Services manager. She said a stress echo is beneficial for patients who are at low risk for a cardiac event or have mild coronary artery disease and present in the Emergency Department with chest pain or shortness of breath.
“Adding the stress echo is a great advantage for these patients,” Holmes said. “No longer do they have to travel to Springfield for the test. Plus, it allows our physicians to provide direct care to their patients right here at Passavant,” added Holmes.
· Transitional Care Unit Renovations
Residents and employees in the Transitional Care Unit (TCU) at Passavant are enjoying the department’s new comforts and features.
Passavant’s TCU, located on the hospital’s first floor, provides services for individuals whose medical conditions require moderate to complex medical attention during the transition from the hospital to patient’s home. TCU is primarily a short-term care facility. Although TCU is part of Passavant and shares many services, it is not a hospital, and the individuals are often referred to as residents rather than patients.
Work on the renovation project wrapped up in early 2016, and the results are impressive. Top on the list of improvements are the new resident rooms. Each of the department’s 15 rooms are now private, affording the resident privacy and comfort as they work through their long-term recovery. Each resident room also received a new bed, furniture, paint and accessories.
“We especially love our four large resident rooms. We use those rooms for residents that require more challenging care, such as stroke and joint replacement therapy,” said Barb Sculley, TCU nurse manager.
Therapy is an important part of a resident’s stay in TCU. To better serve residents, TCU’s physical therapy room was enlarged during renovations. The extra space allows for additional therapy equipment in the room and allows more residents to receive therapy at the same time.
Another new feature is the new nurse call system. Just inside each resident’s room door is a box displaying the resident’s status and needs for the nurses to see. The system is color-coded so the nurses at a glance can see what needs to be addressed. Plus, the residents have the same color-coded functions on their call light box. Instead of pushing a single button for help, residents can push specific buttons for their needs. There is a separate button for bathroom, pain, and nourishment.
Other TCU renovations included the nurse’s station, the activity/dining room, and the department’s corridors.
Photo/Special to The Source Newspaper
The OB/GYN Outreach Clinic is part of the Elmer Hugh Taylor Clinic in Beardstown.
· OB/GYN Outreach Clinic
To improve access to women’s healthcare, Passavant OB/GYN established an outreach clinic in February 2015 in Beardstown.
Drs. Hrynewych, Trace, and Verma are seeing patients at the Elmer Hugh Taylor Clinic, located at 100 W. 15th Street. New patients are accepted at both the Beardstown and Jacksonville locations. To schedule an appointment, call the Jacksonville office, (217) 243-8455.
Also in 2015, the Jacksonville office moved into a remodeled office location on the third floor of the East Building on the Passavant campus.
· Center for Pain Management
Passavant is collaborating with Shane Fancher, MD, Carl Gold, MD, and John Furry, MD, and Matt Bednarchik, CRNA to treat patients in the Passavant Center for Pain Management. The Center for Pain Management opened one year ago and is providing both medical and interventional pain treatment. Lisa Pennell, RN, is the director of the center.
The Center for Pain Management is located in the Outpatient Clinic across from the Ambassador’s Desk on the first floor. Interventional procedures are administered in Imaging Services. Patients must have a referral from their primary care physician to be seen by a physician at the Center for Pain Management.
The Center for Pain Management Provider conducts a thorough evaluation using the most advanced diagnostic tools and tests, and will personalize a treatment plan that includes input from other specialists such as physical therapy, psychology and primary care physician. This advanced and complete approach speeds pain relief. Patients with the following conditions can benefit from the medical and interventional pain management treatment we provide:
- Back, neck or spine pain
- Cancer pain
- Phantom pain
- Joint and bursitis pain
- Shingles
- Post-operative pain
- Carpel Tunnel
· Specialty Clinic
Passavant’s Specialty Clinic, located in the East Building, second floor, offers a mix of physicians and clinics in a convenient location for patients. The clinic, which opened in late 2015, has seven exam rooms and two procedure rooms. Lisa Pennell is the Specialty Clinic Director.
Specialties available in the clinic include oncology, internal medicine/pulmonology, cardiology, nephrology/dialysis, and the Heart Failure Clinic.
Specialty Clinic Physicians
Oncology
Edem Agamah, MD
Swati Pathak, MD
Simmons Cancer Institute at SIU
Victor Lanzotti, MD
Central Illinois Hematology/Oncology Center
Internal Medicine/Pulmonology
David Crabtree, MD
Cardiology
Prairie Cardiovascular
Nephrology/Dialysis
Central Illinois Kidney and Dialysis Associates
For a complete schedule, visit the “services” tab at passavanthospital.com.
Photos/Special to The Source Newspaper
A nurse uses a bar code scanner to scan a single dose medication.
· Bar Code Medications
Bar code scanning is an important step in patient safety, and now Passavant is using the bar code system with patient medications.
Information Systems, Pharmacy, and Nursing Service worked together to establish Passavant’s bar code system. Each medication is assigned a specific bar code that is interfaced with a national drug database. Likewise, each patient has a specific identifying bar code on his or her ID bracelet. Both are scanned before giving the medication to make sure the correct medication and dosage is given to the correct patient at the appropriate time.
Bar coding is being used in departments which currently use the electronic medication administration record.
Photos/Special to The Source Newspaper
Kim Mountain,
a Registered Nurse (RN) talks with an
Oncology patient during a treatment session.
· Tru-D Robot
Passavant has added two robots to its cleaning team aimed at protecting patients from serious hospital-acquired infections.
Passavant’s Environmental Services team is now using the Tru-D Smart UVC Disinfection Robot in the operating room suites and other areas, such as isolation rooms, with the focus on proactively stopping the spread of C.diff (Clostridium difficle), MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus), Norovirus, and other hospital-acquired infections.
“We are committed to providing a safe and clean environment for patients and staff,” said Kerri Barton, manager of Environmental Services. “Having Tru-D adds another layer of protection to ensure our hospital is germ-free.”
Once the Environmental Services staff cleans a room using traditional methods, the 5-foot, 5-inch Tru-D robot is brought in to complete the cleaning process. From outside the room, the Tru-D operator remotely activates the robot using an iPad. Operating from the middle of the room, the Tru-D sensors analyze the size, shape, and contents of the room, top to bottom, before delivering an automated single cycle of UVC light. The energy from the UVC light modifies the DNA structure of an infectious cell leaving the cell incapable of replicating or colonizing. The germicidal dose of UV light kills up to 99.9 percent of pathogens. UVC light is not visible to humans and does not travel through glass.
Photo/Special to The Source Newspaper
Chelsea Verticchio, Environmental Services, starts the Tru-D Robot in an Emergency Department
patient room.
The Tru-D cleans a typical patient room in approximately 20-25 minutes, freeing up the Environmental Services staff for other tasks during the cleaning cycle. Once the cleaning cycle is complete, the Tru-D automatically shuts down and sends an audio signal to the operator that cleaning is complete.
“The Tru-D is just another way we’re working to keep our patients safe,” Barton said.
Passavant Area Hospital physicians and providers
Passavant is proud to have nearly 200 physicians and providers on its medical staff rosters, representing more than 20 areas of specialty healthcare. Providers include physician assistants and advanced practice nurses. The physicians and providers are typically independent and not affiliated with Passavant, unless they are members of the Passavant Physician Association. A majority of the physicians and providers are affiliated with Memorial Physician Services-Jacksonville and Springfield Clinic and provide care in the medical office building on the east side of the Passavant campus.
Specialty areas of care include (maybe list as bullet points): Anesthesiology, Audiology, Cardiology, Dermatology, ENT (Ear, Nose, Throat), Emergency Medicine, Endocrinology, Family Medicine, Gastroenterology, General Surgery, Hospitalists, Internal Medicine, Neurology, OB/GYN, Occupational Medicine, Oncology, Ophthalmology, Orthopedics, Pain Management, Pathology, Pediatrics, Plastic Surgery, Podiatry, Psychiatry, Pulmonology, Radiology, Rheumatology, Urology, and Wound Care.
For the physician directory, please visit www.passavanthospital.com and click on the providers link.
