September 2010 Newsletter

Clinical IT tools and training to help physician qualify for meaningful use

Are you equipped to qualify for meaningful use? If not, St. John Providence Health System can help. SJPHS can offer the clinical tools and training to qualify for American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA) stimulus funds, up to $44,000 over five years, and increase reimbursement from payors. These tools will also put you on the road to Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) designation and improve communication between your practice and system hospitals.

Physician focus group update

This is the third update to you on the work underway as a result of the primary care physician focus groups held last fall. We are making progress!

Pediatric cancer update: innovation and research boost cure rates

Tremendous progress in pediatric oncology has been made within the past 10 years. Cure rates now range between 70% and 80%. Acute lymphocytic leukemia, the most common malignancy among children, is cured in about 75% of cases. Some lymphocytic leukemias are predictably curable.

Weight loss tactics focus on long-term success

With nearly two-thirds of the adult population overweight or obese, physicians are challenged with the prospect of assisting patients in achieving significant and lasting weight loss. St. John Providence Weight Loss offers weight loss options and support programs with a focus on long-term, permanent weight management.

Resolving sleep apnea decreases risk for cardiac disease and stroke

Snoring and daytime sleepiness may drive patients to seek treatment for suspected sleep apnea. However, if left untreated, sleep apnea raises the risk of high blood pressure, stroke, heart failure and abnormal heart rhythms.

Changes in vocal quality may indicate major medical problem

Patients presenting with changes in vocal quality or certain vocal characteristics should receive further evaluation to prevent or detect a potentially major medical problem and to prevent permanent hoarseness. Specialists at Lakeshore Professional Voice Center, part of the Lakeshore Ear, Nose and Throat Center, are trained to thoroughly evaluate and treat a wide range of voice disorders. Most insurance covers the cost of a voice evaluation, which involves a complete history, physical exam and visualization of the vocal cords with strobovideolaryngoscopy.

St. John Macomb-Oakland Hospital designated an accredited Chest Pain Center with PCI

St. John Macomb-Oakland Hospital has earned full Cycle III accreditation with PCI from the Society of Chest Pain Centers through March 2013. The society’s goal is to significantly reduce the mortality rate of chest pain patients by increasing awareness and improving the effectiveness of treatment. The door-to-reperfusion time at St. John Macomb-Oakland Hospital is excellent and matched by very few hospitals in Michigan. This accreditation reflects that our patients receive state-of-the-art care during that critical window of time when the integrity of the heart muscle can be preserved intact.