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Network: April/May 2008
Medicine
 Sentara CarePlex
First in Area to Offer Transanal Endoscopic Microsurgery
A less invasive surgery for removing middle and upper rectal cancer tumors through a natural opening in the body, the anus, is now being performed at Sentara CarePlex Hospital. Called Transanal Endoscopic Microsurgery (TEM), the procedure is part of a growing number of minimally invasive surgeries that take advantage of the body’s natural openings instead of requiring newly created surgical openings for tumor removal.
Performed as an outpatient procedure, TEM can take a patient’s recovery time from six weeks to eight weeks with traditional surgery down to just a few days. Read for more information on transanal endoscopic microsurgery.
Sentara Norfolk General Hospital Hosts Conference Call
More than 100 hospitals connected by telephone on March 4, 2008, when Sentara Norfolk General Hospital served as mentor hospital for an Institute for Healthcare Improvement "Office Hours" conference call on preventing Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia (VAP). These discussions are part of the "Saving 5 Million Lives" campaign. During the call, Sentara representatives shared their experiences, processes and action plans to reduce cases of VAP.
High-Risk
Breast Cancer Assessment Program Opens
The region’s first high-risk Breast Cancer Assessment Program is now open at the Dorothy G. Hoefer Comprehensive Breast Center at Port Warwick and at Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center. The program targets women with a significant family history that may place them at high risk, or a personal history with concerns for recurrence. It features patient navigators to help assess patients’ level of risk and refer them to appropriate surveillance or diagnostics. The program offers a new level of service, information and peace of mind for patients. The center has received favorable coverage in print and TV media.
Hoefer Breast Center Named Center of Excellence
The Dorothy G. Hoefer Comprehensive Breast Center has been designated a Center of Excellence in breast imaging by the American College of Radiology (ACR). After a rigorous evaluation of staff, equipment, physician credentials, and technique and image quality, the center is now fully accredited by the ACR in mammography (a requirement), stereotactic biopsy and ultrasound guided biopsy. Only 187 centers in the nation have earned full accreditation in all three areas.
Sentara Radiation Oncology Programs Earn Accreditations
The Radiation Oncology programs at Sentara Norfolk General, Sentara Virginia Beach General and Lake Wright Cancer Center now join Sentara CarePlex in holding accreditation by the American College of Radiation Oncology. This is a rigorous voluntary standard that puts these programs in select company. Also, the mobile PET/CT that serves Lake Wright, Sentara Princess Anne Health Campus, Sentara CarePlex and Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center just received accreditation from the American College of Radiology.
Sentara Physician Discusses Quality Improvement in Trade Publication
An article entitled ”Benchmarking to Excellence: Using Quality Indicators to Improve Performance,” written by Dr. Irving Pike of Gastrointestinal and Liver Specialists of Tidewater, PLLC, appeared in EndoEconomics, a journal geared toward gastrointestinal endoscopy professionals. The article, one in a series, discusses success Sentara physicians are experiencing with a national benchmarking pilot project chaired by Dr. Pike that involves a colonoscopy quality indicator database. The creation of a Web-based data collection tool and Information Technology oversight for the project is led by Dr. Kathie Zimbro, director of Clinical and Business Intelligence at Sentara, and staff.
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