Spring 2013 Advantage newsletter

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

We apologize for mailing problems such as duplicate copies.

If you have questions or concerns, please call us at 319/369-7475 or Advantage@crstlukes.com. © 2013 by St. Luke’s Hospital, Cedar Rapids, IA

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

Spring 2013

Connect with St. Luke’s at unitypoint.org

Healthcare information on your phone or computer

Upcoming events

The aging brain continued

If you feel uncomfortable with the slowdown in the way your brain functions or memory loss, talk it over with your primary care doctor.

Ask for a mini mental-state exam (MMSE). Any score that deviates from 100 percent is cause for further testing. Your doctor can refer you to a neuropsychologist who can give more detailed tests. If the findings show you’re in normal ranges, you can be reassured that your decline is age-related and something you can address with diet and exercise.

For more information on The Aging Brain, go to stlukescr.org/agingbrain to watch Dr. Peters’ LiveWell event presentation.

CarFit Program for seniors Saturday, May 11 • 8 a.m. – Noon St. Luke’s SurgiCare parking lot

Benefits of Advantage membership Advantage is St. Luke’s free membership program for adults age 50 and older. It helps members save money and learn about advances in healthcare through our newsletter and LiveWell events. Advantage discounts on products and services include:

Advantage

Advantage

Sue Smith

Receive a quick, comprehensive check of how well you and your vehicle work together. A trained professional asks questions and completes a 12-point checklist in 20 minutes. Get recommended car adjustments and adaptations along with a list of resources in your area.

Call 319/369-8877 to register.

319/369-73

• Cafeteria – 15 percent meal discount with Advantage card • Lifeline – discount on installation of Lifeline emergency response system • UnityPoint at Home – 25 percent discount on all private pay Home Medical Equipment items Go to stlukescr.org/advantage for more information about Advantage membership and benefits.

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Easy Breathers Support Group: Oxygen, Nebulizers, Inhalers May 15 • 10 – 11:30 a.m.

Nassif Heart Center Room 2 Our staff hosts a refresher course to educate patients on the proper use of home oxygen, nebulizers and inhalers. Learn proper techniques from a pulmonary rehabilitation specialist, a home healthcare specialist and therapists, all well-versed in the topics.

To register, call 319/369-7527.

The aging brain

Physical activity Berries any kind

The normal aging process affects our brains, just as it impacts the rest of our bodies. But we can take a proactive approach to improving brain health. Here’s how.

Your brain is shrinking, and that’s However, studies have failed to show normal. The reason? As we age, long-term benefits from these activities. blood doesn’t penetrate They may help you improve as deeply into our brain specific skills but the bentissue as it once did. efits don’t take the leap to “The impact is we think overall brain function. a little more slowly, so “We now know heart health when we try to recall is directly linked to brain something it doesn’t health. Research is becomcome to us as fast,” ing more and more clear on explained Dr. Steve that,” Dr. Peters explained.

Peters, a neuropsycholoDiet and exercise protects the gist at St. Luke’s. Think body’s metabolism from the tip-of-the-tongue Dr. Steve Peters effects of old age, which gives phenomenon, when St. Luke’s neuropsychologist your brain more of what it we’re unable to pull a needs to be healthy just as it does for other word from memory even though important organs. we know it’s there. This happens more frequently as we get older; multitasking becomes more difficult. Not-so-normal symptoms People showing early signs of Alzheimer’s “We’re just as smart as we used to disease will have a distinct change in be,” said Dr. Peters, but our brain memory functioning. For example, most processing speed slows down. of us realize when we forget, but people with Alzheimer’s don’t even know they’re Turn back the clock forgetting something. They may not The good news is research shows remember details from conversations we can improve our brain health they’ve just had with people or they’ll by increasing the blood flow to forget how to use something they knew our brains. This reduces shrinking, how to use in the past. When it comes to which affects processing speed. diagnosing dementia, the earlier it’s done, “The myth has been if you do the better. Medications can help slow the puzzles and games, they help your progression of memory decline. brain stay healthy,” said Dr. Peters. continued on back page

Omega-3 fatty acids

walking biking endurance exercises

salmon flaxseed walnuts Mediterranean diet fruits & vegetables olive oil fish beans nuts

Helpful things you can do to maintain brain health include: • Eat a Mediterranean diet, which is high in nuts, fruits, vegetables, fish, beans and olive oil. It can lower heart attack risk by 30 percent, according to a study recently published by the New England Journal of Medicine.

• Choose foods high in Omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon, flaxseed, sardines, halibut and walnuts. Omega-3 reduces inflammation, regulates blood clotting, builds cell membranes and supports cell health.

• Eat berries of any kind. They decrease inflammation in small blood vessels.

• Use a treadmill, stationary bike or take long walks two to three times a week.

Participating in endurance exercises that raise the heart rate can increase the size of the brain associated with memory, according to a growing body of research.

Living Longer. Living Well.

Your guide to

seamless healthcare As a St. Luke’s patient, when you use our system of providers each medical expert has real-time access to your health information.

Staying in the St. Luke’s network for your healthcare gives you one health record that every provider in our system can access.

“It’s a better flow of information,” explained John Roof, MD, UnityPoint Clinic regional VP and medical director. “Shared records provide tremendous value. As a doctor, I can see labs, records, consultations and every interaction with my patients. It’s the most current, up-to-date information about their health in one place, even if it was for a minor illness or injury.”

The St. Luke’s system of healthcare includes primary care doctors, specialists, imaging, therapy and labs, as well as urgent care clinics and home health services. You’ll know if your doctors or providers are associated with St. Luke’s because the name of their office will

John Roof, MD UnityPoint Clinic regional VP and medical director

include UnityPoint, such as UnityPoint Clinic, UnityPoint at Home or UnityPoint Health. This is the name St. Luke’s system of healthcare providers have chosen to identify our network.

One of the great benefits you’ll notice from using UnityPoint Health providers is everything you need for your doctor’s visit – labs, X-rays, CT scans and other records – don’t need to be faxed or couriered to your provider’s office because they are entered directly into one, seamless system. “All of your information is instantly updated, so it will always be in your chart,” Dr. Roof said.

To find a UnityPoint medical specialist, log onto unitypoint.org and select Find A Doctor.

Ask the Expert: What makes UnityPoint Hospice unique?

St. Luke’s opened the Ed and Joan Hemphill hospice unit in St. Luke’s Hospital in February to offer another option for hospice care. It is the first and only hospice within a hospital in Cedar Rapids.

The unit has a home-like feel and state-of-the-art care. All of the private rooms are over-sized and equipped with sleeper sofas. Family space within the unit includes a kitchen and laundry facility. Families and friends may visit with no restrictions and even stay with their loved one overnight.

Although some patients choose to have hospice care at home, there are times hospice care requires more intense supervision that can only be provided in a hospital setting. St. Luke’s patients receive optimal medical and comfort care from hospice-trained doctors and nurses. A dedicated team of social workers, chaplains and volunteers make sure the patient and family are receiving the best psychosocial and spiritual care possible.

Additional services provided by hospice include respite care, enabling caregivers at home to have a break. Those hospice patients can be cared for in the hospital for up to five days at a time. Current hospice patients suffering from severe pain or other symptoms can be admitted to the hospital to get symptoms under control. Residential care will be available for those occasional situations that are prolonged, especially if a patient becomes more stable.

James Bell, MD, UnityPoint Hospice medical director

To learn more about UnityPoint Hospice, call 319/369-7744.

When wounds won’t heal Wounds that stop progressing through the normal healing process require highly specialized care. St. Luke’s Wound and Hyperbaric Center TRAUMATIC PRESSURE opened April 3 at 400 South ULCERS & Blairsferry Crossing, ULCERS BURNS Hiawatha, to expand St. Luke’s woundhealing services.

DIABETIC ANY Wound & “Many times wounds FOOT CHRONIC Hyperbaric do not heal due to the ULCERS ULCERS Center progression of diabetes or vascular disease.

Other times it is an infection, or a combination of VENOUS SURGICAL factors. We will develop the & ARTERIAL WOUNDS diagnosis within three weeks ULCERS and begin the healing process immediately,” said Dustin Arnold, DO, medical director for St. Luke’s Wound and Hyperbaric Center.

“St. Luke’s Wound has over a 90-percent healing rate and strives develop a plan of care to restore the to provide the area’s best practice of damaged tissue with the proper wound-care management and related prescription of HBOT.” services to enhance the quality of life for patients.”

HBOT is administered in hyperbaric chambers with pressurized oxygen The Center treats all wounds that up to three atmospheres, similar to are chronic, including diabetic foot the pressure experienced by a scuba ulcers, venous stasis ulcers, pressure diver at 33 feet below the surface. ulcers, surgical wounds, burns and However, the pressure felt by the arterial ulcers. Those who may be patient resembles the changes felt by experiencing the side effect of tissue passengers in an airplane rather than degradation due to the latent effect of the pressure felt by divers. radiation therapy may be referred for a hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) consult. However, ninety percent of patients do not require HBOT. It is used for more advanced and complicated wounds.

Jeff Wadeson, program director for the Center, said, “Men who have had radiation to treat prostate cancer might develop blood in the urine years later due to unavoidable tissue damage from the radiation. Doctors at St. Luke’s Wound and Hyperbaric Center work with the referring physician to support diagnosis and

While inside the chamber, patients breathe pure oxygen, which saturates the plasma in their blood. This helps the body’s oxygen-dependent, woundhealing mechanisms to function more efficiently. When the body is exposed to pressurized oxygen over a prescribed period, new blood vessels grow and replace damaged blood vessels. The restored blood flow aids healing.

To learn more about St. Luke’s Wound and Hyperbaric Center, call 319/368-5582.

Medicare changes for 2013 Important changes are taking place for Iowans who are on Medicare in 2013.

Mental health coverage: People with Medicare Part B now have co-pays of 35 percent for outpatient mental health treatment, a decrease from previous co-pays of 50 percent.

Medicare Part D (prescription drug) plans now cover benzodiazepine and barbiturate medications, such as those used to treat chronic mental disorders, as well as cancer and epilepsy. Medicare did not pay for these prescription drugs in the past.

“Donut hole” discounts: People with Medicare Part D plans will also see a greater discount for their medications once they reach the coverage gap or “donut hole.” The discount has increased to 52.5 percent for the brand-name medicines your plan covers (up from 50 percent in 2012), and has increased to 21 percent for generic medicines (up from 14 percent in 2012). These discounts will be applied automatically at the pharmacy or by the mail-order supplier.

Medicare premiums and deductible: Slight increases for 2013 apply to Part A and Part B participants. The Part B premium for most people in 2013 is $104.90 per month, up $5, and the annual Part B deductible is $147, an increase of $7, compared to 2012. The Part A deductible, if you are admitted to a hospital, is $1,184, an increase of $28.

If you have questions about Medicare, call St. Luke’s Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP) office at 319/369-7475 to schedule an appointment.