Medicine 

Network: May 2009

(L-R) Marsha Ruckle, RN Clin II, John Kaiser, MD, and Susan O’Neal, RRT, at Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center

Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center Reaches Milestone
Hospital acquired infections not only compromise the health of the patient, but they add to the costly provision of health care. Some estimates say that these infections add between 4.5 and 5.7 billion dollars to the annual cost of health care in this country. Much emphasis has been placed in recent years on the reduction of hospital acquired infections, many of which were at one time considered an inevitable event for many patients. Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center recently marked five consecutive years with zero cases of ventilator-associated pneumonia. This is a pneumonia that develops in patients who have been on mechanical ventilation for 48 hours or more. This milestone speaks to the superior outcomes enjoyed by some of the hospital’s frailest patients, as well as patients with a wide range of medical needs and conditions. These statistics place Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center among the top in the nation when it comes to delivering high quality ICU care. The teams of medical, nursing and respiratory staff deserve congratulations for a job well done.

Sentara Contributes to National Safety Manuals
Congratulations to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital and Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital for contributing to a newly-published ‘How-To’ manual on preventing injuries from falls, posted on the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) website. The manuals are listed under IHI’s Transforming Care at the Bedside (TCAB) heading. Stephanie Jackson, RN, Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, spearheaded a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant to study and create ‘bundles’ that help prevent falls and resulting injuries. The program has been rolled out throughout Sentara and Jackson is sharing the study all over the United States and in Canada. In March, Sentara recognized Patient Safety Awarenss week, a national awareness campaign aimed at improving patient safety at the local level. The Sentara team of physicians, nurses, technicians and ancillary staff recognize safety is a core value and is an integral part of our everyday practice. Patient Safety Awareness week also provided an opportunity to remind patients, families, and our communities, the focus of our commitment and efforts to provide the highest quality, safest care possible. Learn more about Patient Safety at Sentara.

Interactive Webcast Has Hundreds of Viewers
On March 25, Sentara hosted an interactive webcast event featuring a living donor kidney transplantation shown from Sentara Norfolk General Hospital. Transplant surgeon John O. Colonna, II, MD, and urologist Edwin L. Robey, MD, both associate professors at Eastern Virginia Medical School, moderated the webcast event, sharing the details of the donor and recipient surgeries. Dr. Harlan Rust, a nephrologist at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, also shared his perspective about living kidney donation. Sentara used Twitter to share updates about the living donor kidney transplant webcast. Over 830 viewers (both nationally and internationally) watched the webcast via the internet while an additional 230 followers received updates through the social media forum of Twitter. More than 75 questions were submitted for doctors and patients to answer live. Watch the On-Demand version of this webcast now. Sign up for Sentara's Twitter feed to follow future webcasts.

Sentara Medical Group Announcement
John Lasater, MD, has joined Urology of Virginia, a Sentara Medical Group practice, from Craven Regional Medical Center in New Bern, North Carolina where he was past chief of the medical staff. Dr. Lasater brings more than 20 years of experience in Urology to the new Sentara Advanced Urology Center (SAUC) on the campus of Sentara CarePlex Hospital, scheduled to open in early summer 2009. Dr. Lasater joins a team of fellowship-trained physicians and sub-specialists in the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer, incontinence and general urological conditions.

Fellow in Hospital Medicine
William D. Atchley, MD, Sentara Medical Group, has earned the Fellow in Hospital Medicine designation from the Society of Hospital Medicine. He is one of 500 hospitalists nationwide that will be inducted into the inaugural class of Fellows in May 2009. Atchley serves as chief of the division of hospital medicine for Sentara Medical Group. He is responsible for guiding the clinical performance of the divisional medical group practices and also serves as hospitalist on a part-time basis.

Digital Mammography Now Offered in Virginia Beach
Digital Mammography is now available at the Sentara Princess Anne campus, Sentara Bayside Hospital and Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital. Sentara also offers Digital Mammography at the following locations: Sentara Leigh Comprehensive Breast Center, Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, Sentara Obici Hospital, Women’s Imaging Pavilion, which is located on the campus of Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center, the Advanced Imaging Center in Williamsburg, Smithfield Imaging Center, the Advanced Imaging Center at Belle Harbour and the Dorothy G. Hoefer Comprehensive Breast Center. Learn more about Digital Mammography.