HCA eNews

Alleghany hospital seeks to add 15 geriatric psychiatric beds

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 13:00:00 -0000

The nearly $1.4 million plan would provide the first treatment unit of its kind in the area.

Businesses, mental health advocates, health care providers and the academic community are all backing plans to open a 15-bed geriatric psychiatric unit at Alleghany Regional Hospital.

The Alleghany Highlands community has joined with the hospital to persuade the state to approve the plan, touting the move as a benefit to the community’s well-being and economy.

The hospital is leading the effort to establish the psychiatric unit dedicated to senior citizens as it seeks state permission. Because beds are licensed by… read more at Roanoke.com.

Positive Employee Response Earns Bayshore Medical Center Spot on Best Places to Work List

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 21:00:00 -0000

Bayshore Medical Center has been named one of Houston’s Top 50 Best Places to Work in a Houston Business Journal (HBJ) 2010 survey. At the awards ceremony, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jeff Holland accepted the award on behalf of the 1,700 dual campus employees at Bayshore Medical Center and East Houston Regional Medical Center (a campus of Bayshore Medical Center).

Now in its tenth consecutive year, the award recognizes companies that have achieved the often difficult balance of maintaining a stable, productive work environment that is also fun and fulfilling for employees.
“The award is a significant honor for our hospital because it is based on the opinions of our employees,” said Jeff Holland. “Bayshore Medical Center would not be the renowned hospital it is today without our dedicated employees. It is because of them that our hospital is a great place to work.”

As part of the selection process, more than 400 Bayshore Medical Center employees answered a Houston Business Journal questionnaire about best practices and business success factors. Selection criteria included: team effectiveness, individual contribution, trust in senior leaders and coworkers, manager effectiveness, work engagement, and common practices in the workplace.

“We are truly honored to receive this award and recognize that without our employees who go to great lengths every day by providing exceptional quality care to our patients and community, this award would not have been possible,” said John Petrov, SPHR, director of Human Resources.

Hospital Corporation of America Named to ComputerWorld's Annual List of Best Places to Work in Information Technology

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 21:00:00 -0000

Nashville, Tenn., June 21, 2010 – Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) announced today that it has been selected as one of Computerworld’s top workplaces for information technology professionals for the second year in a row. HCA is ranked No. 42 on the publication’s top 100 list.

HCA, which is also listed among Fortune’s “Most Admired” healthcare companies, has 162 hospitals and 106 freestanding surgery centers in 20 states and England. Its Information Technology & Services department (IT&S) employs more than 3,000 employees across the U.S. and includes five data centers and fourteen division support centers responsible for delivering IT services to HCA as well as more than 145 non-HCA hospitals and facilities.

The IT department provides a full array of IT services, including business analysis, systems development, systems integration, information security, customer support, training and education, and infrastructure support. HCA’s IT department is fully engaged in the design and implementation of hCare, the company’s new electronic health record, and several other large scale technology projects. The department provides the opportunity for IT professionals to work on a wide range of advanced technology projects. While HCA IT employees have a broad range of responsibilities and commitments, they are still encouraged to participate in giving back to their communities through organized food drives, volunteerism and through company sponsored time off for employees to help out local charities.

“We are very pleased to be named among the Computerworld 100 Best Places to Work in IT again this year, and while it is the IT organization that won the award, it is very much a reflection of and is attributed to the HCA culture as a whole,” said Noel Williams, CIO of HCA IT&S. “What we have here is truly a great place to work, not only for healthcare information technology workers but for all of our employees.”

The HCA Hope Fund

After the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf Coast, where HCA has several hospitals, the company was overwhelmed by offers from HCA employees who wanted to help their co- workers affected by the storm. The company established the HCA Hope Fund , an employee-run, employee-supported 501©(3) charity that provides financial relief to thousands of HCA employees every year. HCA employees’ generous gifts have helped employees rebuild homes, pay mortgages and buy groceries. Since its launch in 2005, the HCA Hope Fund has provided $9.7 million in aid to more than 9,000 HCA families who have been affected by hardships, including disasters, extended illness/injury and other special situations.

Caring for the Community Hours

HCA provides Caring for the Community Hours as a benefit for corporate office employees to
encourage volunteerism during work hours. This includes 16 hours of paid community support time for
full-time employees and eight paid hours for part-time employees each year. HCA also sponsors regular blood drives, Habitat for Humanity builds, food drives and Junior Achievement initiatives at facilities across the nation.

HCA’s annual corporate office “Caring for the Community” employee giving campaign gives corporate office employees the opportunity to donate to charities and volunteer at local non-profit organizations on company time during two “Community Days.” During HCA’s 2009 “Caring for the Community” campaign, employees helped raise $3.2 million to support charities. In addition, about 1,600 HCA employees volunteered nearly 10,000 hours of company time to work on 108 projects at agencies throughout Middle Tennessee. The number of employee volunteers and the number of projects are campaign records.

Since 1994, Computerworld’s annual “Best Places to Work in IT” feature has ranked the top 100 work environments for technology professionals, based on a comprehensive questionnaire regarding company offerings in categories such as benefits, diversity, career development, training and retention. In addition, this year Computerworld surveyed more than 27,000 IT workers for the list, and their responses factored heavily in determining the rankings.

Heart Healthy Eating and other seminars sponsored by CJW Medical Center, Richmond VA

Wed, 09 Jun 2010 14:00:00 -0000

Join the physicians and staff from CJW Medical Center
in Richmond VA as they host a series of lectures on topics such as Heart Healthy Eating, New minimally invasive approaches to hip replacement, and What Cancer Screenings should you get? And when?

Heart Healthy Eating takes place in the Spring Arbor of Salisbury in the Activities Room, 14001 Turnberry Lane, Midlothian VA on Tuesday June 22 at 6:00 PM. Registered Dietician Pam Davis will discuss keys to a heart healthy diet and help you to better understand food labels. Drs Kevin Watterson and Kelly McDonald, of Rockwell Physicians of Salisbury, will also be in attendance to answer questions.

Also on Tuesday June 22, 6:30 PM at the Midlothian Family YMCA at 737 Coalfield Road, CJW will be sponsoring A Seminar Exploring A New Approach to Hip Replacement. Hip replacement surgery does not have to hold you back. Direct Anterior Hip Replacement is a minimally invasive, muscle sparring procedure that reduces pain and recovery time to get you moving faster. Join Dr. Miller at the Midlothian Family YMCA on Tuesday, June 22 as he explains this innovative procedure and answers your questions. This event is free and light refreshments will be served. Reservations are required because space is limited. Call 804–320-DOCS (3627) to reserve your spot now.

The The Hawthorne Cancer Resource Center, Thomas Johns Cancer Hospital, on the campus of Johnston-Willis Hospital at 1401 Johnston-Willis Drive, Midlothian VA, is sponsoring the seminar, What Screenings Should I Get? When? This will be held from 5:30 to 6:30 PM on Tuesday, June 22. Early detection is key to the successful treatment of cancer, but screening guidelines can be tricky. Join Oncology Nurse Specialist, Karen Roesser, on Tuesday, June 22 at The Hawthorne Cancer Resource Center as she discusses the latest screening guidelines for breast, cervical, prostate, colorectal and lung cancers. Light refreshments will be served. This event is FREE but reservations are required by calling 8047–320-DOCS (3627). Visit cjwmedical.com
for more details.

'Game on' at HCA's Spotsylvania hospital

Wed, 09 Jun 2010 13:00:00 -0000

Five years in the planning and two years in the making, Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center is now open

What happened yesterday at the Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center was not exactly a grand opening—the hospital has been open for two weeks and has treated hundreds of patients.

Perhaps the ceremony was better described as a “celebration, a beginning,” said one executive. Or perhaps, “game on,” said another.

Either way, the event was public recognition of the arrival of the region’s third acute-care hospital and Spotsylvania County’s first.

The 126-bed facility is the newest in the HCA Inc. chain and the smallest of the 13 hospitals that it operates in… read more at Fredericksburg.com

FRANKFORT REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER PROVIDES ER WAIT TIMES THROUGH INTERNET & TEXT MESSAGING

Wed, 09 Jun 2010 12:40:00 -0000

Frankfort, KY – Patients visiting the Emergency Room at Frankfort Regional Medical Center
no longer need to guess how long they’ll wait before receiving care. Now they can find out in advance, thanks to a new program that publicizes the hospital’s average wait times via text messaging and the Internet.

“The physicians and nurses in Frankfort Regional Medical Center’s emergency room have developed several innovative methods to see and treat patients faster—and they work,” said Chip Peal, CEO of Frankfort Regional Medical Center. “This new technology allows us to share what I’ve known for years—that Frankfort Regional is able to see patients and begin treatment quickly. In fact our average wait time is less than half the national average for hospitals.”

This technology, which has already been piloted successfully by several HCA hospitals in Florida, is designed for patients with relatively minor medical conditions – not for those with chest pain or other potentially life-threatening health problems. “Those patients should absolutely dial 911 so that EMS squad members can begin lifesaving measures during the ambulance trip to the hospital,” said Michael Presley, MD, medical director of the emergency department.

Wait times are tracked using a statistical tracker system in the ER which transfers data to an RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed. This feed automatically displays and updates the time on the hospital’s website (www.frankfortregional.com). Cell-phone users can text “ER” to 23000 to and receive a text back with the most up-to-date wait time after entering their zip code.

Wait times reflect a rolling four-hour average and are updated every 30 minutes. The term is defined as the time between entering the ER and beginning the medical screening examination from a qualified medical professional – either a physician, a physician assistant or a nurse practitioner. Patients are seen in priority order based on the type and severity of their medical complaint.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the average hospital ER wait time is 55 minutes, up from 38 minutes 10 years ago. The increase has been caused in part by an explosion of ER traffic nationally – a 32 percent increase, from 90.3 million to 119.2 million, over the past decade. Frankfort Regional Medical Center had 33,857 ER visits in 2009, up from 27,958 five years ago in 2004.
Frankfort Regional Medical Center is the first hospital in the Commonwealth of Kentucky to offer this technology.

About Frankfort Regional Medical Center

Owned by Hospital Corporation of America (HCA), Frankfort Regional Medical Center is a 173-bed, acute care facility that serves Franklin, Anderson, Owen, Woodford, Shelby and surrounding counties. The medical center has been selected as one of the Best Places to Work in Kentucky in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010. The 200,000 square foot hospital offers an array of specialized services to meet the community’s health and wellness needs, and has been accredited by The Joint Commission. Last year, Frankfort Regional Medical Center’s 600 employees treated over 85,000 patients and paid $2.1 million in state taxes. In addition, our network provided $21.8 million in services for the poor and underserved, including charity care, bad debt and uninsured discounts for the broader community. For more information, visit FrankfortRegional.com
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FRANKFORT REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER IMPROVES STROKE CARE THROUGH PARTNERSHIP WITH UofL HEALTH CARE

Fri, 28 May 2010 11:00:00 -0000

Frankfort, KY – Patients, families and physicians in Frankfort, Lawrenceburg and surrounding communities now benefit from a high-tech connection between Frankfort Regional Medical Center and University of Louisville Health Care. Frankfort Regional is the newest partner in UofL Health Care’s remote physician presence robot network for stroke care. The network provides the highly specialized expertise and support resources of the UofL medical faculty to outlying hospitals via a remote controlled robot. Started in 2007, the UofL Health Care network now includes 13 hospitals in the state.

The RP-7™ Robot

Michael Presley, M.D., medical director of the Emergency Department at Frankfort Regional Medical Center, said “During a stroke, seconds matter. By having additional and immediate physician access, stroke outcomes are drastically improved.”

The remote physician presence robot network is part of UofL Health Care’s mission to serve as a regional resource for Emergency Departments. The ‘anytime anywhere patient care’ network is designed as a partnership with other hospitals to create better diagnoses, allow patients to remain in their regions when appropriate. If a transfer is recommended, the network offers easy access to technologies, specialist and leading edge treatments available at University Hospital.

“Prior to our partnership with UofL Health Care, stroke was one of our top two transfers from our emergency department,” said Chip Peal, Chief Executive Officer at Frankfort Regional Medical Center. “Now, we’re able to provide treatment to stroke patients 24/7 with immediate physician access. Our partnership demonstrates our commitment to the communities we serve to providing the best care possible.”

The RP-7™ Robot (invented, designed & manufactured by InTouch Health, Santa Barbara, California) through the utilization of a secured wireless, broadband, internet connection, can provide physician care to patients in another location. Within moments of a request for a medical consultation, a UofL Health Care physician, seated at a computer control station (either at home, office, airport terminal, or anywhere in the world that has a wireless connection) connects via the Internet to the RP-7 Robot located in the partner hospital’s Emergency Room to consult on the patient.

Through the robot (which stands 5 feet 6 inches tall), a doctor can interact and converse with a patient, patient’s family, physician or nurse through a live, two-way audio and video. Using a joystick, the camera and the guidance of 360-degree infrared sensors, the physician can maneuver the robot through the hospital to a patient’s bedside and move the robot’s head to view vital signs on monitors and charts. The physician drives the robot through remote access, and the robot is almost self sufficient; the only thing it needs assistance with is plugging in to recharge the robot’s battery.

UofL Stroke Team Leader, Kerri Remmel, M.D., PhD. said “Time saved is brain saved. We are proud to work with Frankfort Regional to offer a higher level of care and new options to stoke victims in Central Kentucky.”

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About Frankfort Regional Medical Center

Dr. Perlin Distinguished for Leading HCA Patient Safety Efforts

Wed, 26 May 2010 15:00:00 -0000

Dr. Jonathan B. Perlin

Jonathan B. Perlin, president, Clinical Services, and chief medical officer, was awarded the 2010 Chairman’s Medal at the National Patient Safety Foundation’s (NPSF) annual congress May 18 in Orlando, Fla.

The Chairman’s Medal is awarded to individuals who have demonstrated an ability to inspire, lead change for safer healthcare, and create a culture of respect, learning and positive team dynamics – all while delivering meaningful and measureable results.

In announcing the award, the NPSF praised Dr. Perlin’s patient safety leadership. “With strategic vision, Dr. Perlin epitomizes effective and inspirational leadership in improving patient safety. His efforts to create system-level change at the Hospital Corporation of America have resulted in significant successes – most notably his work to accelerate eradication of healthcare-associated infections and orchestrate HCA teams to reduce the prevalence of healthcare-acquired influenza.

“Dr. Perlin uses forward-thinking vision, tireless advocacy, and an outstanding ability to foster collaboration and teamwork to bring together many talented professionals and motivate them to work jointly toward a common goal, and the results under his leadership have been extraordinary.”

Upon receiving the award, Dr. Perlin said, “This honor is testament to the employees of HCA who recognize that they are empowered to make our healthcare system the safest in the country. Ninety-seven percent of our employees were vaccinated against influenza, 3 percent wore masks, and 100 percent are committed to the very best in patient safety. Each day, HCA employees demonstrate leadership and responsibility in protecting and improving the health of our patients. They can take pride in knowing they are at the vanguard of patient safety. I also want to acknowledge and thank HCA Chairman and CEO, Richard Bracken and our Chief Nursing Officer, Jane Englebright, for their commitment to quality and safety.”

Diane Pinakiewicz, president of the National Patient Safety Foundation, commented, “Because of Jonathan Perlin, patients benefit from an ever-increasing standard for safety, and HCA employees are recognized as a nationwide team that prevents avoidable harm. It is a true honor to present Dr. Perlin with the 2010 NPSF Chairman’s Medal.”

Under Dr. Perlin’s direction, HCA developed the HCA MRSA "ABC" Campaign, an education and awareness-building movement deployed nationally through all HCA facilities in an effort to reduce MRSA infections. Since its launch, the program has produced outstanding results, including a 35 percent decrease in HA-MRSA central-line-related blood stream infections and a 52 percent decrease in ventilator-associated pneumonia.

The NPSF also lauded Dr. Perlin for spearheading “a bold, comprehensive strategy” to prevent patients from contracting influenza by directing HCA’s institutions in a program requiring flu vaccination or wearing masks in patient care areas for all healthcare workers. As a leader in the mandatory vaccination movement, this step set an unprecedented standard for patient and hospital-worker safety.

Dr. Perlin is recognized as one of the 10 most influential physician executives in the US by Modern Healthcare magazine. Prior to joining HCA, Dr. Perlin was Under Secretary for Health in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. He has served on boards and commissions for the National Quality Forum, the Joint Commission, the National eHealth Collaborative, and chairs the HHS Health IT Standards Committee.

Reston Hospital Bids Farewell to Bill Adams

Wed, 26 May 2010 14:40:00 -0000

Challenges await incoming CEO as new hospital approved for Loudoun.

It’d be a lie to say the man who led the successful efforts to double the size of HCA’s Reston Hospital Center goes around singing, “Build Your House On The Rock.”

No. “All Shook Up” might be closer to the truth.

President and CEO Bill Adams of Reston Hospital, an avid karaoke singer, prefers tunes by Elvis Presley and Patsy Kline, his colleagues and employees secretly admitted Monday night, May 17, as they celebrated his upcoming retirement at the read this story in the Reston Connection.

HOSPITAL CORPORATION OF AMERICA RECOGNIZED BY INFORMATIONWEEK AS ONE OF NATION’S MOST INNOVATIVE USERS OF BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 04:00:00 -0000

Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) announced today that it has been named to the InformationWeek 500, which lists the nation’s most innovative users of business technology. HCA is ranked No. 242.

The 2009 InformationWeek 500 companies were revealed on September 14, 2009 at an awards ceremony held during the InformationWeek 500 Conference at the St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort in Dana Point, California.

HCA, which has 163 hospitals and 105 freestanding surgery centers in 20 states and England, was selected for its continued development and implementation of hCare, the company’s comprehensive program for advanced health information technologies. HCA’s hCare builds on foundational electronic health record functions and will include computerized provider order entry and decision support. HCA is already among the 15% of American hospitals that use bar-code medication administration systems. HCA’s hCare also integrates outpatient treatment into the electronic health record, and will include patient health records that capture health information from visits to doctors.

Earlier this year, HCA was selected as one of Computerworld’s top workplaces for information technology professionals. HCA is also listed among Fortune’s “Most Admired” healthcare companies.

The company’s Information Technology & Services department (IT&S) employs more than 3,000 employees across the U.S. and includes four data centers and fourteen division support centers responsible for delivering IT services to HCA as well as more than 145 non-HCA hospitals and facilities. This includes the full array of IT services, including business analysis, systems development, integration, information security, customer support, education services, technology infrastructure support and services. HCA IT&S provides the opportunity for IT professionals to work on many advanced technology projects.

HCA was founded in Nashville, Tenn. more than 40 years ago when Dr. Thomas F. Frist, Jr., his father Dr. Thomas F. Frist, Sr., local businessman Henry Hooker and entrepreneur Jack Massey set out to provide communities with better quality healthcare. Today, HCA is a leading provider of healthcare services, and its approximately 191,000 employees served approximately 18 million patients in 2008. The company has developed industry-leading patient safety initiatives to prevent healthcare-associated infections like MRSA and bar-code systems to help improve medication safety.

InformationWeek identifies and honors the nation’s most innovative users of information technology with its annual 500 listing, now in its 21st year, and also tracks the technology, strategies, investments and administrative practices of America’s best-known companies. Additional details on the InformationWeek 500 can be found online at www.informationweek.com/iw500/.

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All references to “Company” and “HCA” as used throughout this document refer to HCA Inc. and its affiliates.