Digital Edition of Presby Bulletin - 9/18/2015

Volume 10

Issue 19

September 18, 2015

PRESBYbulletin Penn Presbyterian Medical Center

ONE WEEK …

AND COUNTING PPMC Prepares for the Pope’s Visit As Philadelphia prepares for the World Meeting of Families and the Pope’s visit next week, Papal planning teams at each Penn Medicine entity have been meeting regularly to assess sitespecific issues that may arise, including ensuring necessary staffing levels and adequate supply delivery.

As a reminder, please make sure your PPMC photo ID is up to date with a current photo. If you need to be on the PPMC campus during the weekend of the Papal visit, you will be required to present a current PPMC ID. The Photo ID Office is open Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m, and is located in the Wright/Saunders Building – W120. If an employee is unable to visit the office during these hours, an appointment can be set by contacting ID Officer Eileen Cobb at 215.662.8027.

General information, useful external web links, and detailed FAQ’s, which address many questions from staff – including HR policies for Emergency Preparedness and the ability to submit questions – can be found on the PPMC Intranet homepage.

The Papal Visit Playbook is now available via the World Meeting of Families website (http://www.worldmeeting2015.org/). An in-depth guide about what to expect during the Papal Visit, the Playbook provides a comprehensive list of do’s and don’ts for visitors and a transportation plan overview.

Keep checking the site for soon-to-come pedestrian maps and walking routes to special dining and event offerings.

FREE Onsite Nutrition Counseling for UPHS Employees Onsite nutrition counseling is being offered at 9 locations across UPHS. Any employee covered under the Penn Care PPO medical plan is eligible for 6 free visits with a Registered Dietitian per year.

The Dietitians will be onsite at Presbyterian Medical Center on September 28. To find out more information or schedule an appointment with an onsite Registered Dietitian, call 800.203.8657 or visit http://www. familyfoodllc.com/ and click “Book Now.”

Penn’s United Front Against MS

Every fall, 300-plus Penn Medicine employees, family members and friends take to their bikes to raise money for the Multiple Sclerosis Society and the fight against MS. On October 3rd and 4th, hundreds of UPHS employees will come together once again to ride as the largest team on the 35th anniversary of the Bike MS City to Shore Ride and 18th anniversary of the UPHS Bike Team. The system-wide goal set this year is to recruit 325 team members and raise $150,000.

“MS is a devastating disease, marked by fatigue, numbness and often visual impairment caused by lesions, or areas of inflammation in the brain and spinal cord,” said Clyde Markowitz, MD, an associate professor of Neurology and director of Penn’s Multiple Sclerosis Center and the chair of the Clinical Advisory Board of the Delaware Valley Chapter of the National MS Society.

A disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain and between the brain and body, MS strips away the myelin or protective coating around the nerves. This causes the nerves to be susceptible to MS “attacks” – varied and unpredictable symptoms depending upon where in the body they occur – and the development of lesions, or scar tissue in areas of myelin damage.

Prior to 1993, physicians had no defense against the disease.

Since then science has developed 13 medications that can prevent attacks, slow the growth of lesions and inhibit neurological dysfunction. However, despite these advances, the cause of MS is still unknown and there is no cure. Patients will continue to worsen over time.

Markowitz and colleagues are national leaders in the diagnosis and management of MS, and have been involved with national and international clinical trials of new and combination MS therapies.

The Penn MS Center currently has 15 different clinical trials underway using strategies from immunotherapy to the introduction of myelin into the bloodstream to try to alter the disease’s activity.

“We have gotten much better at controlling the disease,” Markowitz said. “But, we still don’t yet understand what is driving the disease’s initial development and subsequent progression. Once we have this figured out we can begin to develop treatments and medications designed to hit a defined target. Until then, we need the research dollars provided by the MS-150, and other sources, to help get us there.”

NEW KNOWLEDGE

LINK TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES A new offering for UPHS employees in Knowledge Link will help employees get up to speed on the changes coming for ICD-10 (International Classification of Diseases, 10th Edition). This standard coding system assigns unique codes for substantially different health diagnoses (CM) and Procedures (PCS).

ICD codes impact all areas of the Health System including patient registration, clinical documentation, chart coding, revenue cycle, and data analytics. ICD-10 CM/PCS will expand the current code set from 17,000 codes to 140,000 codes allowing a greater level of specificity. The new specificity will improve patient quality of care, reimbursement, and tracking/ reporting capabilities throughout Penn Medicine. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services has set a mandatory ICD-10 compliance date of October 1, 2015.

Penn Medicine has been preparing for this change for several years.

The ICD-10 Project team includes representation from each of the major areas of Penn Medicine and is structured by six work streams – Clinical, Coding & Documentation, Training, Technology, Business/ Revenue Cycle and Operations -- who have been working hard to ensure we are operationally and technically ready!

Contact Us: Katie Delach | katie.delach@uphs.upenn.edu | http://news.pennmedicine.org/inside/presbybulletin/