Fall 2011 advantage

Non Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Cedar Rapids, IA Permit No. 91

1026 A Avenue NE PO Box 3026 Cedar Rapids, IA 52406-3026

Advantage

We apologize for mailing problems such as duplicate copies.

If you have questions or concerns, please call us at 319/369-7044 or e-mail stlukes@crstlukes.com. © 2011 by St. Luke’s Hospital, Cedar Rapids, IA

Fall 2011

Connect with St. Luke’s at stlukescr.org

Healthcare information on your phone or computer

Breathing easier with St. Luke’s Lung Check

Upcoming events

Finding cancer at an early stage is your best chance to cure the disease.

However, lung cancer often goes undiagnosed until it advances and spreads, making it the deadliest cancer among adults. St. Luke’s Lung Check now offers longtime smokers an easy, affordable method to detect and diagnose early stage lung cancer.

Relieving Back Pain

This in-depth screening assesses the lung health of heavy smokers, aged 55 and older, for $199 and includes: • Low-dose CT chest screening exam • Lung Cancer Risk Assessment • Personalized cancer reduction and healthy lifestyle education from a lung care coordinator • Tobacco cessation/secondhand smoke education • One convenient appointment at St. Luke’s.

Call 319/368-5930 or go to stlukescr.org/cancercare for more information.

Lung cancer screenings reduce the risk of lung cancer by 20 percent in middle age and older smokers, according to a recent study by the National Cancer Institute.

Thursday, Nov. 10 • 6:30 p.m.

Learn about various causes of back pain and ways to relieve pain from Dr. Stanley Matthew.

Footnotes on Diabetes Tuesday, Nov. 15 • 6 p.m.

Learn how to reduce your risks for diabetes and receive a free foot screening, which can reveal the first signs of prediabetes. Provided by Dr. Eugene Nassif and the staff of Foot and Ankle Specialists of Iowa. Call early, space is limited.

Lower Your Numbers, Lower Your Risk Monday, Dec. 5 • 6:30 p.m.

Dr. Keith Kopec of Cardiologists, L.C. explains how you can lower your risk for heart attack and stroke.

All classes are held at St. Luke’s 3rd Floor Nassif Heart Center.

To register for any of these free Live Well events, go to stlukescr.org or call 319/369-8068.

Bring this coupon to one of our shops and receive

10% off any one item

Cannot be combined with any other offer.

Excludes stamps and movie tickets. Expires 1/15/12

Bring this coupon to the coffeehouse at St. Luke’s and receive

St. Luke’s Heart Failure Clinic Heart failure patients learn key tools for feeling better at St. Luke’s new Heart Failure Clinic, which opened in August. Staff work with patients and families to improve monitoring at home and are a resource to other healthcare services.

“We’re a specialized center with providers whose focus is to reduce the number of unnecessary visits to the emergency room, prevent hospitalizations and help patients live a full and productive life,” said Dr. Michael Muellerleile, a member of the Heart Failure Clinic team and a cardiologist at Cardiologists, L.C. Every St. Luke’s patient who receives a discharge diagnosis of heart failure is seen by clinic staff three to five days after discharge. Doctors and cardiologists refer chronic heart failure patients to the clinic when a patient needs close follow-up.

“It’s for the chronic heart failure patient to help maintain control of their heart failure and their fluid status,” said Sue Halter, clinical director for St. Luke’s Heart Failure Clinic and Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner (ARNP).

“We provide close monitoring, frequent communication, education and monitoring of medications, if needed. All heart failure patients have routine follow-up with their physician, whether it’s their primary care doctor or cardiologist.”

The heart failure team consists of Clinical Director Sue Halter, ARNP, Drs. Todd Noreuil and Michael Muellerleile and Amy Schweer, RN. The clinic is located on St. Luke’s Hospital’s fifth floor, directly across from the elevators.

For more information contact St. Luke’s Heart Failure Clinic at 319/369-7842.

Heart attack warning signs “If you feel sudden, severe chest pain, call 911 immediately. The first hour of a heart attack is the most critical and treating warning signs right away can mean the difference between life and death,” advises Dr. Kettelkamp, Cardiologists, L.C. Women, however, sometimes experience heart attacks without feeling chest pain.

Signs of a heart attack: • Uncomfortable fullness, pressure, squeezing or pain in the chest last- ing two or more minutes. Pain may range from mild to unbearable.

• Pain that spreads to the shoulders, neck, jaw, arms or back.

• • •

•

Nausea, vomiting or indigestion.

Unexplained sweating or dizziness.

Lightheadedness or shortness of breath.

Sudden or overwhelming fatigue.

Call 911 if you experience one or more heart attack signs, or have someone drive you to St. Luke’s Emergency Department.

At St. Luke’s Heart Failure Clinic, expect to: •

•

•

•

•

•

•

See the same nurse practitioner who provided your care in the hospital.

Learn how to monitor heart failure signs and symptoms at home.

Receive medication adjustments to decrease symptoms and improve heart function.

Get evaluated on your physical health and factors that affect the way you feel.

Have your health information communi- cated to your physician and cardiologist.

Connect with other healthcare team members, such as social workers, home care, pharmacists, exercise experts and counselors.

Become well informed during appoint - ments that are longer than a normal outpatient physician clinic visit.

50 ¢ off your order We have coffee, espresso, smoothies, baked goods, sandwiches and so much more!

Expires 1/15/12

Living Longer. Living Well.

Spotlight on Therapy Plus St. Luke’s Therapy Plus is an outpatient physical therapy clinic. It works to help patients regain function when they’re experiencing physical limitations after surgery, as a result of a long-term health condition such as arthritis, from a sports injury or from illness. Patients need a referral from a doctor, nurse practitioner or physician assistant.

“We have three different locations in the Cedar Rapids and Marion area. We’ll be adding a fourth in Hiawatha in 2012.

Patients can choose a location based on convenience,” Schueller said.

Aches and pains shouldn’t be passed off as a normal part of aging, according to Chris Pickering, manager of Outpatient Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine at St. Luke’s. Rather, ongoing pain that’s not resolved or significantly impacts your daily life requires attention. Even if the pain is caused by a long-term health condition such as arthritis.

“At Therapy Plus, our goal is to decrease our patients’ pain and improve their mobility and their ability to participate in their daily living,” said Therapy Plus Supervisor Carol Schueller. In fact, Therapy Plus receives high ratings from patients. The clinic scores in the top 20 percent of national outpatient therapy clinics for patients reporting a greater decrease in pain, increase in range of motion and improvement in function.

Treatment

Therapists work closely with each individual, discussing health history and current issues, and evaluating rangeof-motion and strength. Therapists also work with each patient’s healthcare team. Based on their findings, they

Spotlight on Therapy Plus continued create an individual treatment plan.

If you go to Therapy Plus, during your initial visit you’ll be asked to rate your levels of pain, motion and function on a scale ranging from 0 to 10. At the end of your therapy program, you’ll rate these levels again. The goal is consistent improvements in all three areas.

The physical therapists at Therapy Plus have extensive experience helping patients recover from orthopedic injury, illness or surgery. “If you’ve had a total knee replacement or back surgery, then you’d go to the orthopedic Therapy Plus clinics,” Schueller explained.

“If you’re at home and twist your knee while gardening, then you would ask your doctor for a referral to see us.”

The clinics treat a wide range of work and non-work related injuries and

Ask the expert: When should I consider using the Spine Care Clinic?

If you’re experiencing frequent or chronic back or neck pain, you can ask your primary care doctor for a referral to the Spine Care Clinic.

physiatrists and physical therapists.

We provide interventional pain management, medical pain management and education and behavioral intervention.

We connect patients with complementary therapies, such as massage or acupuncture.

Our goal is to support family doctors with our comprehensive back pain services.

We assess patients, provide a care plan, follow the patient proactively through their care and refer them to the resources that best suit their clinical condition.

We are a coordinating vehicle for back and neck pain patients.

The Spine Care Clinic is located in the Heart Center, on the fifth floor of St. Luke’s. Hours are Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Fridays from 9:30 a.m. to Noon.

Our multidisciplinary team includes medical and rehabilitation doctors, neurosurgeons, pain psychologists,

For more information about the Spine Care Clinic, call 319/369-7333.

We treat patients with multiple and different forms of back and neck pain, such as: • • • • • • • •

Arthritis of the spine Bulging disc Collapsed disc Degenerative disc disease Degenerative joint disease Disc protrusion Facet syndrome Failed back surgery syndrome

• • • • • • •

Foraminal narrowing Foraminal stenosis Herniated disc Pinched nerve Sciatica Spinal stenosis Spondylolisthesis

Stanley Mathew, MD, physiatrist and primary physician at the Spine Care Clinic

conditions, including back, neck, foot and ankle pain as well as tendonitis and carpal tunnel syndrome. Education is a main focus of the rehabilitation process. Therapists teach proper body mechanics and ergonomics to help each person understand their injury and how to prevent it from reoccurring in the future.

“We strive to be very patient focused.

We’ll talk to you about your goals and expectations for therapy,” Schueller said.

Services

Therapy Plus specialty services include: •

•

Joint care and joint replacement therapy services Aquatic physical therapy for patients who have difficulty moving around on land

• ASTYM System therapy using acrylic instruments to help patients with areas of tightness •

Complete Decongestive Therapy for Lymphodema (due to swelling from lymph fluid accumulation in the body, often in the arms or legs)

Medicare and nursing homes – things you should know Moving yourself or a loved one from a house or apartment into a nursing home is challenging. To determine whether or not Medicare will cover the cost, individuals must meet the conditions required by Medicare. In addition, the nursing home must be a skilled nursing facility, and that level of care must be medically necessary. Medicare and Medicare supplement insurance plans don’t pay for other levels of care.

Choosing a nursing home Medicare collects information about the quality of care and services provided by nursing homes throughout the United States. It includes payment information, patient rights details and a nursing home checklist to help evaluate the nursing homes you visit. Access this information on Medicare’s website at medicare.gov, under “Resource Locator,” select “Nursing Homes.”

for up to 24 months. “When Medicaid eligibility ends, the insured must notify the insurance company within 90 days and Medicare supplement benefits shall be automatically reinstituted effective the date of the Medicaid loss. If the insured goes back on Medicaid, the Medicare supplement policy can be suspended again,” said Kris Gross from the state of Iowa’s Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP).

Medicare supplement As a resident in a nursing home, you’ll continue using Medicare and Medicare supplements to pay healthcare costs. If you’re eligible for Medicaid, it’s not generally necessary to have a Medicare supplement insurance policy. In some situations, eligibility for Medicaid may be for a short period. Medicare supplement policies have a provision allowing suspension of the policy

Prescription drug coverage While you live in a nursing home you can switch Medicare drug plans at any time. You also may switch drug plans when you move into or out of a nursing home. These options do not apply to assisted living or adult living facilities or residential homes.

If you are in a skilled nursing facility getting Medicare-covered skilled nursing care, your prescriptions generally will be covered by Medicare Part A.

• Sports Medicine

If you have questions about Medicare coverage in the nursing home or you wish to compare Medicare Part D drug plans

based on the prescriptions you’re taking, contact SHIIP Counselors at St. Luke’s Hospital by calling 319/369-7475.

• Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders and jaw pain All Therapy Plus locations are open from 7 a.m. – 6 p.m., Monday through Friday.

For more information, go to stlukescr.org and click on Physical Medicine and Rehabil- tation under our services.

Therapy Plus is listed under outpatient services.

Save up to $48 with

Free Activation Call today! 319/369-7065 Expires 1/15/2012

St. Luke's

Only one medical alert pendant can call for help even when you can’t.

Peace of mind with St. Luke’s Lifeline • Continued independent living • Provides fast access to help 24 hours a day • Costs about the same per day as a cup of coffee • Reassures you and your family