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GMCF congratulates Hamilton Medical Center for providing quality care

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 00:00:00 EDT

Paula Shrader, RN, BSN, CWCN, inpatient wound care coordinator, left, talks with Barbara Goniea, nurse tech, center, and Gina Hawkins, LPN, about wound care procedures at Hamilton Medical Center.

Georgia Medical Care Foundation (GMCF) has recognized Hamilton Medical Center for its commitment to quality improvement. Hamilton worked with GMCF to reduce the incidence of pressure ulcers.

“We take pressure ulcers seriously at Hamilton,” said Joanie Jackson, director of Quality and Patient Safety. “Prevention and early identification is our goal.”

Pressure ulcers are a significant source of pain and suffering, particularly among the elderly, due to changes in the skin related to aging. Millions of dollars are spent annually on the prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers.

“Hamilton is truly committed to improving the quality of care for its residents,” noted Anne Hernandez, manager of GMCF’s Patient Safety Initiative. “By working to reduce pressure ulcers, Hamilton improved the quality of residents’ lives and helped to reduce health care costs.”

Paula Shrader, RN, BSN, is the inpatient wound care coordinator for Hamilton. She is a certified wound care nurse (CWCN) — a rare specialty.

CWCN is a certification that is granted to nurses who take and pass the Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurse Board Exam (WOCN). To qualify to take the exam, the applicant must have a BSN degree and meet one of the following: have completed a WOCN-approved educational track, or completed a graduate-level program containing the education equal to two semester hours in wound care nursing, or have 50 continuing education units in wound care nursing and 1,500 clinical practice hours. The CWCN is renewed on a five-year cycle.

Quality of care measures for hospitals are tracked and reported publicly on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Hospital Compare Web site. To view Hospital Compare, visit www.medicare.gov and scroll down to select “Hospitals” under Resource Locator.

GMCF, the Medicare Quality Improvement Organization for Georgia, is a not-for-profit, physician-sponsored organization dedicated to continuously improving health care. In operation since 1970, GMCF provides innovative health care solutions focused on quality improvement, utilization management, medical review, and health care outcomes research. For more information, please visit www.gmcf.org.

Hamilton’s blood bank awarded successful FDA inspection

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 00:00:00 EDT

From left are Charles Robinette, Hamilton’s blood bank supervisor; Vickie Morgan, laboratory tech; and Kenny Lowery, laboratory director.

DALTON, Ga. – Hamilton Medical Center’s blood bank was recently granted a successful FDA inspection with no recommendations.

The three-day inspection included an audit of blood bank records and many hours of questions and answers.

Kenny Lowery, laboratory director, said he appreciated Charles Robinette, blood bank supervisor, and all the associates who participate in Hamilton’s transfusion services for upholding and maintaining FDA standards.

“It takes a village to make this work,” said Robinette.

Hamilton encourages men to ‘Know Your Stats’ about Prostate Cancer

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 00:00:00 EDT

Charles Idom, MD

Joseph Veys, MD

DALTON, Ga. – As part of the “Know Your Stats” campaign, Hamilton Medical Center will host a free, two-part prostate cancer education and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening event on Monday, Sept. 13 and Tuesday, Sept. 14 for men who are at least 40 years old.

The event will be held at Hamilton’s Brown Conference Center at 6 p.m. on Sept. 13 and at Hamilton Diagnostics Center at scheduled times on Sept. 14.

Dr. Charles Idom and Dr. Joseph Veys, both specialists in urology and urologic surgery, will provide prostate cancer information.

Led by Pro Football Hall of Fame player and prostate cancer survivor Mike Haynes, “Know Your Stats” is a national prostate cancer awareness campaign from the American Urological Association (AUA) Foundation and the National Football League (NFL). Now in its second year, the campaign is bringing the message to fans across the country, educating men and their loved ones about the importance of prostate health. Intuitive Surgical proudly supports this community education program.

Prostate cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death for American men. One in every six American men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in his lifetime, and African American men are more than twice as likely to die from the disease.

To register for the event, Call 706-272-6114. Space is limited to 50.

Murray Hospital Authority and Medical Center Boards Reach Agreement

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 00:00:00 EDT

CHATSWORTH, Ga. – The Hospital Authority of Murray County and the Board of Murray Medical Center, Inc. announced today that they have agreed to a restructuring that will move Murray Medical Center in a positive direction toward financial viability.

Among other cost-reduction measures, the restructuring will include a reduction in staff of 16 full-time equivalents. Hours for temporary workers have also been reduced. No further staff reductions are planned.

The staff reductions include both clinical and non-clinical positions. Associates of Murray Medical Center affected by these cuts were notified today, and the cuts were effective immediately. There will be some severance benefits available for Murray associates who lost their jobs.

Gary Middleton, chair of the Murray Medical Center, Inc. board commented, “We regret that we have to cut positions, but in order to bring our costs in line there was no way around it.” Middleton went on to emphasize that the cuts will not compromise quality of care at Murray Medical Center. “Patient care is our number one priority. We not only pledge to maintain our high standards of care, but to continue to work towards improving our level of service to this community.”

Hospital Authority Chair Rick Bagley commended all the parties for their cooperation. “The Hospital Authority of Murray County has been working steadfastly with Hamilton Health Care System, the Murray Medical Center Board and the Medical Staff representatives to ensure that the Murray County residents maintain access to an acute care hospital without limiting the current scope of services in the community. We hope that this reduction, while an incredibly difficult decision, will support the viability of Murray Medical Center. The Hospital Authority is dedicated to continuing to ensure that the residents of Murray County have access to quality care and the resources needed to best meet the needs of the community.”

Murray Hospital Authority and Medical Center Boards Reach Agreement

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 00:00:00 EDT

Murray in Motion to provide fun for community

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 00:00:00 EDT

Chatsworth, Ga. – Cohutta Springs Conference Center will host Murray in Motion (community fun day) on Sunday, Aug. 29 from 2 to 7 p.m. Dinner is included in the $2 ticket price.

To bring a healthy living theme, Murray Medical Center and Georgia Mountains Health have joined Cohutta Springs and the Murray County Chamber of Commerce this year for the event.

The event will offer fun for children and adults including water slides, a zip line, swimming, Torpedo speed boating, the Blob and much more.

“Murray in Motion is a great opportunity to have fun with family and friends,” said Dinah Rowe, Chamber president. “We’re hoping to have a great crowd of people this year, like we did last year.”

For the health part of the event, Murray Medical Center and Georgia Mountains Health will offer free medical screenings including blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar and Body Mass Index at the event. They will provide free information on local health care options as well as pressing health issues for children and adults. Additional medical organizations and health care professionals will have information at booths.

Tickets can be purchased at three locations in Chatsworth including: the Chamber of Commerce, 126 N. 3rd Ave.; the Administration offices at Murray Medical Center, 707 Old Dalton Ellijay Road; and Georgia Mountains Health, 1008 N. 3rd Ave.

All ticket sales are cash-only in advance. Ticket sales are limited to the first 300 participants and each individual will need a ticket to access the property the day of the event. For safety reasons, the zip line will be limited to the first 120 participants, and tickets including a zip line time can only be purchased at the Chamber of Commerce.

For more information about Murray in Motion, call Peggy Hallman, Community Outreach manager for Cohutta Springs, at 706-695-9093.

Hamilton partners with CaringBridge

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 00:00:00 EDT

Connected by CaringBridge

• Each day, over half-a-million people connect through CaringBridge.
• More than 1 billion visits have been made to personal CaringBridge Web sites.
• The CaringBridge community includes authors, visitors and/or donors in all 50 states and more than 225 countries/territories around the world.
• More than 9.5 million people have registered to use CaringBridge since its inception in 1997.

Hamilton Health Care System recently began a partnership with CaringBridge, an organization that provides free, personalized, easy-to-create Web sites to help connect family and friends during a serious health event, care and recovery.

"Our partnership with CaringBridge is another way to help support our patients when they’re faced with cancer, premature birth, injury or other serious health situation," said Heather Raboin, patient advocate.

Hamilton has a link on its Web site, hamiltonhealth.org, to make it easy for patients and their supporters to access. Through CaringBridge, families can easily update those who care with one accurate message. Family and friends offer support by visiting the site to read journal entries, view photos and leave messages of love and support in the guestbook.
CaringBridge recently enhanced its service to meet the changing needs of those who use it. Recent service enhancements include:

A mobile Web site for a streamlined experience from any Web-enabled smartphone.
A free iPhone app so authors can update their journal and visitors can leave messages in the guestbook while on-the-go.
The ability to be notified via text message when a CaringBridge journal is updated.
Facebook Connect so authors can easily notify their Facebook friends when they have a new journal entry to share.

Hamilton to offer vascular education program

Thu, 5 Aug 2010 00:00:00 EDT

DALTON, Ga. – Hamilton Medical Center will offer Dare to CARE, a free, two-part comprehensive vascular disease program focusing on early detection and education, at 6 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 23 and at scheduled evening appointment times on Tuesday, Aug. 24. Dare to CARE will be held at Brown Conference Center.

"When vascular disease is detected early, most strokes can be avoided," said vascular surgeon Ian Hamilton, MD, who champions Dare to CARE locally.

The first component of the program involves lectures about vascular disease given by a panel of physicians. Topics include the definition of the various types of vascular disease, causes and risks for the disease and the latest treatment options.

The screening includes a blood pressure check and non-invasive ultrasound examination of the carotid arteries, abdominal aorta and the circulation of the legs.

If a person is suspected to have vascular disease, the findings are reported to his or her primary care physician. The patient’s primary care physician then refers their patient to a vascular specialist for a thorough examination, when appropriate.

The program is offered quarterly and is free to men and women over the age of 60 and for those over 50 with vascular risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, smoking or family history of vascular disease.

To register for Dare to CARE call 706-272-6114. Space is limited.

Hamilton presents Core Measure Excellence Awards

Thu, 5 Aug 2010 00:00:00 EDT

CoreMeasures1: From left are Molly Myers, Clinical Data Systems coordinator, and Dana Belcher, RN.

From left are Cathy Barbree, PharmD, assistant for clinical services; John Marshall, MD; and Juanita Champion, LPN.

DALTON, Ga. – Hamilton Medical Center recently presented Core Measure Excellence Awards to Dana Belcher, RN, and John Marshall, MD, for high quality patient care of pneumonia patients.

For the month of May, Belcher and Marshall were instrumental in the achievement of scores above the national average on indicators within the pneumonia measure set. Winners of the award prove through their documentation that they are consistently compliant with the set standards, and that they have provided highest quality of care to their patients. The award focuses on all disciplines involved in a patient’s care while at the hospital.

Pneumonia Indicators include: Chest X-ray or CT scan, blood cultures within the first 24 hours, antibiotic after blood cultures are obtained (to be given within six hours of arrival), smoking cessation advice, assessment of the flu and pneumonia vaccination, and appropriate antibiotic selection.

Belcher has been a charge nurse at Hamilton for one year and is active on a nursing council. She consistently met antibiotic administration, smoking cessation and vaccination indicators.

Marshall has worked in Hamilton's Emergency Department for eight years. He consistently met the chest X-ray, blood cultures and antibiotic administration indicators.

Cathy Barbree, PharmD, assistant for clinical services, and Juanita Champion, LPN, were recognized as Core Measure Excellence Award honorable mention winners for their overall core measure excellence efforts.

In 2004, The Joint Commission and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services began working together to develop a set of common standardized performance measures called, “Hospital Quality Measures.” The Joint Commission and CMS have developed the set of criteria as the standard of care through evidence-based practice, that are in place to improve the quality of care provided to hospital patients. This set standard allows a hospital’s performance to be compared against overall national rates.

According to Molly Myers and Julie Goins, Clinical Data Systems coordinators, Hamilton scored 100 percent in May (second month in a row) on all indicators within the measure set for SCIP. Hamilton also scored 100 percent on all indicators for AMI in June.

Hamilton to hold type 2 diabetes support group

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 00:00:00 EDT

Jeremy Walraven, NCSF certified fitness consultant for Bradley Wellness Center, will speak for Hamilton Medical Center’s Type 2 diabetes support group on Tuesday, July 20.

DALTON, Ga. – Jeremy Walraven, NCSF certified fitness consultant for Bradley Wellness Center, will be the guest speaker for Hamilton Medical Center’s Type 2 diabetes support group on Tuesday, July 20, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the Hamilton Diabetes and Nutrition Center classroom at 1109 Burleyson Road, Suite 103, in Dalton.

Walraven’s topic will be “Exercise and how to overcome obstacles.”

The program is free and open to the public.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. In this illness, either the body does not produce enough insulin or the cells do not use the insulin, which is necessary for the body to be able to use glucose for energy.

Space is limited. Please call 706-272-6079 to register.

Bradley Wellness Center holds Camp BWC

Fri, 2 Jul 2010 00:00:00 EDT

Hannah Snyder shows some dance moves to the campers.

Will Brown participates in an egg relay during field day activities.

DALTON, Ga. – Bradley Wellness Center recently held Camp BWC, a health and fitness camp for children ages 5 to 11. Two more sessions of Camp BWC will be held July 12-15 and July 19-22. Sessions run from 8 a.m. to noon.

Activities include: Martial arts, soccer, basketball, pool time, snack/healthy eating lessons, crafts, dance, field day activities and more.

“We want children to see that fitness is fun,” said Mandy Hunter, Camp BWC program supervisor. “If they learn good eating and exercise habits now, they’re more likely to be healthy in the future.”

The fee is $75 per session for BWC members and $100 per session for non-members.

For more information or to register call 706-278-WELL (9355)

Adrian Buttenhoff teaches Karate to campers.

Medical professionals volunteer time to provide sports physicals

Thu, 1 Jul 2010 00:00:00 EDT

DALTON, Ga. – Six physicians, a nurse practitioner and a physician assistant recently volunteered their time to provide sports physicals to 901 local athletes.


Pam Abernathy, nurse practitioner	Dr. David Dinges	Dr. Conrad Easley


Dr. Mitch Frix	Dr. Gary Olson

Students from Whitfield, Murray and Gordon counties showed up at Bradley Wellness Center by the busload to get their physicals. BWC staff members and Hamilton Sports Medicine Certified Athletic Trainers coordinated the event with the high schools.

For six hours, the medical professionals provided sports screening physicals, which involved checks on vital signs, height, weight and vision, as well as a review of a comprehensive medical questionnaire.

Between 750 and 900 students receive free sports physicals every year through the program.

Participating medical professionals were David Dinges, MD; John Norman Sr., MD; Mitch Frix, MD; Gary Olson, MD; Conrad Easley, MD; James Lashley, MD; Pam Abernathy, nurse practitioner; and Dave Langlois, physician assistant.

In 1997, Frix and Mike Goforth, former director of Hamilton Sports Medicine and current director of sports medicine at Virginia Tech University, initially started the program – with the support of Hamilton Medical Center – by going to individual schools to provide sports physicals.

“Going out to schools for seven or eight days became so difficult that we combined the service into a one-day event,” said Frix.

Frix said he became involved because of the lack of a sports medicine program when he
started in Dalton in 1996.

“The coaches were on their own when a player was injured,” Frix said. “I wanted Dalton and the surrounding counties to have access to a sports program for their school systems that was as comprehensive as schools in metropolitan areas.”

Hamilton Sports Medicine provides athletic trainers outreach athletic assistance at local high schools in Murray, Whitfield and Gordon counties. As part of the program, an athletic trainer is on-sight at local high school, professional and community sports events. The Sports Medicine staff includes certified athletic trainers who are trained in care and prevention of athletic injuries.

Children with Diabetes and Their Parents Benefit from Camp Sweet Control

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 00:00:00 EDT

Camp Sweet Control campers participate in a busy schedule of educational and fun activities at the two-day camp recently held on the Hamilton Medical Center campus.

Dalton, Ga. – Learning you are diabetic is scary at any age. Imagine you are told you have diabetes at the young age of five or at the age of 13 when adolescence is already enough of a challenge in your life. Think about being the parent of a toddler and you have just been told your child has Type 1 diabetes. A diagnosis of diabetes brings uncertainty to both parent and child, no matter the age.

On June 10th and 11th, twenty-seven children, ages 6-14, with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes, or those at risk for Type 2 diabetes, attended Camp Sweet Control sponsored by the Hamilton Diabetes and Nutrition Center and the Whitfield Healthcare Foundation. Also on June 11th, a free seminar for parents of children with diabetes was held at the Hamilton Diabetes and Nutrition Center. Both camp and seminar are held in an effort to educate parent and child to better understand and control diabetes.

This is the seventh year for Camp Sweet Control and due to repeated requests from parents and campers this year’s camp was held over a two day period, enabling more time for educational sessions designed to meet the special needs of young people who have diabetes. The additional day also gave the campers the opportunity to further develop friendships with other children with diabetes through fun activities such as scavenger hunts, relay races, swimming, water balloon battles and basketball. This year’s camp theme was “Blood Sugar Control is Freedom” and the children received patriotic take home items and decorated their own t-shirts reflecting the theme.

“The goal of Camp Sweet Control is to educate children to better understand and control their diabetes, to promote independence and self-discipline, to build self-confidence and self-esteem. With the camp expanded to a two-day format it gave us more of an opportunity to help campers to meet these goals”, said camp director Mary Kendrick of Hamilton’s Diabetes and Nutrition Center.
Diabetes education included information on insulin pumps and insulin injections, coping with psychosocial issues, diet instruction for Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics and how important exercise in conjunction with the proper diet is to better health. To reinforce the learning experience, prizes were awarded for correct answers to diabetes related questions. The children took pre-session and post-session tests to evaluate the effectiveness of the educational sessions.

Local physician’s offices, along with the Diabetes Treatment Center staff, helped identify these children and bring them into the Camp Sweet Control sessions. To add your child’s name to the mailing list for next year’s Camp Sweet Control or for more information about the camp, contact the Diabetes Treatment Center, at 706-272-6079.

Hamilton to offer non-supplement weight loss program

Mon, 28 Jun 2010 00:00:00 EDT

Hamilton Healthier You, a new, six-week, non-supplemental weight loss program, will be offered beginning July 12. Above are some of the professional educators involved in the program. From left are Jeremy Walraven, NCSF certified fitness consultant; Leslie Roberts, licensed and registered dietitian for Hamilton’s Diabetes Treatment Center; and Gary Tester, LCSW, behavioral health.

DALTON, Ga. – Hamilton Medical Center Weight Management will offer Hamilton Healthier You, a new, six-week, non-supplement weight loss program, beginning July 12.

“This program focuses on behavior changes to facilitate safe, lasting weight loss,” said Leslie Roberts, licensed and registered dietitian for Hamilton’s Diabetes Treatment Center.

Classes will cover diet/nutrition, food journaling, exercise and weight loss, restaurant practices, menu modification and smart snacking. The program will also include a grocery store tour.

In addition to Roberts, other professional educators include Sha Pritchett, RN; Jeremy Walraven, NCSF certified fitness consultant; and Gary Tester, LCSW, behavioral health.

The cost is $195. Please call 706-272-6668 to register

Hamilton presents Core Measure Excellence Awards

Mon, 28 Jun 2010 00:00:00 EDT

From left are Rajiv Verma, MD, FACP, FACC; Dawn Hooper, medical assistant; Clista Tallent, office manager; and Jan Haller, LPN. Verma received Hamilton’s Core Measure Excellence Award for April.

In the back, from left, are Christie Thomas, RN; Tiffany Cross, RN, BSN (award winner); Leslie Sainthill, RN; Maria Thomas, nursing tech; and Jason Pendergrass, RN. In the front are Ludy Watson, nursing tech; and Amy Moore, RN.

DALTON, Ga. (June 28, 2010) – Hamilton Medical Center recently presented Core Measure Excellence Awards to Tiffany Cross, RN, BSN, and Rajiv Verma, MD, FACP, FACC, for high quality patient care of Acute Myocardial Infarction patients.

For the month of April, Cross and Verma scored above the national average in indicators within the AMI measure set. Winners of the award consistently prove through their documentation that they are compliant with the set standards, and that they have provided highest quality of care to their patients. The award focuses on all disciplines involved in a patient’s care while at the hospital.

According to Julie Goins, Clinical Data Systems coordinator, Hamilton scored 100 percent on all indicators within the measure set for SCIP patients in April.

“We cannot emphasize enough the vital role that all disciplines play in obtaining these goals,” said Molly Myers, Clinical Data Systems coordinator.

Lisa Owen, RN, and Glenn H. Boyd, MD, PC, were recognized as Core Measure Excellence Award honorable mention winners for their overall core measure excellence efforts.

Currently, Hospital Quality Measures, also known as core measures, include Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI), Heart Failure (HF), Pneumonia (PN) and Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP). Each month a different core measure set will be highlighted. Clinical Data Systems coordinators are reviewing May’s data sets for Pneumonia. Two new award winners will be announced when the process is completed.