Presbybulletin by Penn Medicine

Volume 8

Issue 18

September 6, 2013

PRESBYbulletin Penn Presbyterian Medical Center

2013 QUALITY & PATIENT SAFETY AWARDS Have a great project? Want to share it with others? Start gathering your data! UPHS Quality & Patient Safety Award Submission Time is Here! The Quality & Patient Safety Award has been designed to acknowledge Penn Medicine departments or teams who have exhibited leadership and innovation in activities that ensure high quality clinical outcomes, patient satisfaction, patient safety, and/or cost efficiency. The deadline for applications is September 30. Applications and more information can be found on the CEQI website. For a direct link, please see the Presby Bulletin online, or e-Bulletin.

August was an exciting time for PPMC’s Primary Stroke Service team, as they welcomed new faculty members, celebrated awards, and rolled-out advanced services that provide superior care to stroke patients. On August 1, the PPMC Neurology and Primary Stroke teams welcomed Claude Nguyen, MD, an expert in acute stroke treatment, telemedicine and vascular neurology. Dr. Nguyen is a clinical specialist serving as the director of stroke services at PPMC. In his new role he will work to develop the neuroscience services on the PPMC campus. He joins the expert care provided by department chief Sami Khella, MD, and Maria Chen, MD, also new to the neurology team. Also in August, the Primary Stroke Team was presented with the Get with the Guidelines Bronze Award from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. The award recognizes PPMC’s commitment and success in implementing excellent care for stroke patients. To receive the award, PPMC treated stroke patients with above 85 percent compliance to core standard levels of care for at least 90 days. Get with the Guidelines is a quality improvement initiative that provides hospital staff with tools that follow proven evidence-based guidelines and procedures in caring for stroke patients to prevent future hospitalizations and decrease mortality. Finally, last month PPMC’s Emergency Department rolled-out advanced stroke services when it connected to live, remote access to the full Penn Neuro Rescue team 24/7 via telemedicine. The telemedicine component of the Penn Neuro Rescue program provides comprehensive neurovascular expertise through live, remote consults between the PPMC ED and Penn Neuro Rescue teams. “Telemedicine is an effective way to augment the already excellent stroke care provided to (continued on back)

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PRIMARY STROKE SERVICE NEWS (continued from front)

The problem of health literacy has been called the first public health crisis of the 21st century. According to the Office of Disease and Health Promotion, 77 million Americans have limited health literacy, affecting their ability to understand health information and to navigate the healthcare system. This problem disproportionately affects racial and ethnic minorities, new immigrants, the poor, and those with low levels of education. Health literacy—defined as the ability to understand, process, and communicate health information—is the focus of this year’s 4th annual Cultural Diversity Conference, featuring keynote speaker Victoria L. Rich, PhD, RN, FAAN, chief nurse executive, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, and recipient of the 2013 Prism Diversity Award. Dr. Rich will address the scope of the health literacy problem, describe the attributes of a health literate organization, and provide participants with a roadmap for assessing health literacy within their own organizations. “We’re in the midst of a health care transformation, and health literacy is a fundamental part of that process,” said Rich. “As providers, it’s imperative that we acknowledge the unique cultltur cu uree, lan angu guag agee an andd he heal alth th lititer erac acyy of div iver erse se pop opul ulat atio ions ns so that we can help promote better health care for patients across the nation.”

New this year! The Cultural Diversity Committee is please to present a new interactiive format for thi his year’’s confference. Interactive i sessions i will include a panel presentation with a moderated Q&A on health technology literacy and a hands-on workshop on health literacy andd cu an cultltur ural al com ompe pete tenc ncee us usin ingg ex exam ampl ples es, ca case se stu tudi dies es, an andd proven strategies to improve patient-provider communication. For more information about the conference including registration costs, a schedule of events, and a link to register, please visit http:// uphsxnet.uphs.upenn.edu/presbynursing/diversity_conference/.

patients with stroke-like symptoms in our ED,” said John Flamma, MD, chief of Emergency Medicine at PPMC. “This new partnership with our colleagues in the Neuro Rescue program will ensure that our patients will continue receiving the level of care they need at all times.“ Under the structure of the new program, patients will be evaluated in the PPMC ED in consultation with Penn Neuro Rescue experts at HUP. They will assess if the patient would benefit from treatments available at HUP’s Comprehensive Stroke Center. In most cases the patient will stay at PPMC where they will receive the high standard of care provided by the Primary Stroke Center. “I am very excited to join such a talented group of faculty and staff at Penn Presbyterian, and to continue expanding our stroke program,” says Dr. Nguyen. “With such tools as telemedicine being rolled-out, we will be able to ensure that stroke care at PPMC remains at the same high standard as the rest of the Penn Medicine system. Over time, I hope we will be able to offer clinical trials and other advancements and technologies to our stroke patients.”

On Saturday, September 14, help raise awareness about colon cancer by joining Penn Medicine at this year’s Undy 5000! The Undy 5000 is a family-friendly 5K run/ walk that was created by the Colon Cancer Alliance. Team members include Penn Medicine faculty and staff, patients, caregivers, friends and family. A portion of this year’s proceeds will go to Penn Medicine and the Abramson Cancer Center’s West Philadelphia Gastrointestinal Health Outreach and Access Program, a patient navigation program which helps West Philadelphia patients complete their screening colonoscopies – a powerful way to prevent colon cancer! Please see the Presby Bulletin online for a direct link to register as part of team Penn Medicine or to make a donation.