PATIENT CARE
Two OU Health Physicians Clinics Earn Age-Friendly Certification Two OU Health Physicians clinics in Oklahoma City have earned Level 1 certification as an Age-Friendly Health System, an ongoing initiative designed to improve the care of older adults. The Senior Health Clinic and the General Internal Medicine Clinic at OU Health Physicians received the designation from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, which works to improve and sustain better health outcomes for people across the world. The four essential elements of an Age-Friendly Health System are known as the 4Ms:
The OU College of Medicine faculty practice, University Hospitals Authority and Trust, and OU Medicine, Inc. have merged hospitals and clinics into one unified organization.
within OU Health facilities, while continuing education and research activity within OU. This new clinic practice will formally merge with the hospital partner, a merger of equals, in order to unify the academic health system. The OU Health Board of Directors will be the single governing board of the health system and will consist of OU officers, UHAT Board Members and community leaders. “This merger has long been envisioned for Oklahoma by both our hospital and clinic leadership,” said Jason Sanders, M.D., MBA, Acting Board Chair of OU Medicine, Inc. “We know that this is a giant leap forward for healthcare in our state. Oklahomans will receive the ultimate benefit of this merger by having increased access — to the latest treatment therapies, to leading physicians, and to seamless patient care.” A national search has commenced for the new OU Health CEO and is expected to complete in mid-2021. A non-binding letter of intent (LOI) is in place between the organizations, and definitive agreements are expected to be reached in the coming months. The definitive agreements are subject to approval by the OU Board of Regents, UHAT Board of Directors, and OU Medicine, Inc. Board of Directors. “Today is the dawn of a new era for healthcare in Oklahoma,” Harroz said. “It is an era where our researchers, physicians and team members merge together in order to bring Oklahoma’s healthcare to new heights. The healthiest states all have integrated academic health systems and the time is now for Oklahoma to have ours.”
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What Matters: Asking older adults what matters most to them and aligning care with those goals in mind. Medication: Using age-friendly medications that do not interfere with what is important to the older adult. Mentation: Preventing, identifying, treating and managing dementia, delirium, depression and other mental health issues. Mobility: Ensuring older adults move safely every day and maintain their function for activities that are important to them.
“Asking our patients what matters to them sets the stage for the other three M’s and ensures that our care is patient-centered. We want to make sure that the care we provide helps people be as functional as possible, as independent as possible, for as long as possible,” said geriatrician Lee Jennings, M.D., Chief of the Section of Geriatrics in the Department of Medicine of the OU College of Medicine. When patients are asked what matters to them, their answers vary but are often related to family activities. One patient, for example, said his main goal was to be able to walk to the baseball field to watch his grandson play. But his medical conditions still needed treatment. “As physicians, sometimes we tell patients they should be on a particular medication because that’s what has been shown to benefit their condition,” said Brian Lich, M.D., an internal medicine physician and assistant professor in the Department of Medicine. “But the man watching his grandson play baseball wanted to be able to walk to the field without falling, without getting too short of breath, and without having to stop every few feet. That led me to consider which medications would be best for what he wanted to do. The 4Ms framework helps me and the patient to meet each other’s goals and expectations, as opposed to it being a one-way street where I’m telling them what to do.” Another patient with a hip fracture wanted to ensure he could continue living on his own without needing help with daily activities like getting dressed or going to the bathroom, Jennings said. Physical therapy would be painful, but it was
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