Advocate Christ Medical Center - Advocate Pulse

FALL 2007

Current Pulse Issues Advocate System Advocate Impact Advocate Sites Advocate Bethany Hospital Advocate Christ Medical Center Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center Advocate Lutheran General Hospital Advocate South Suburban Hospital Advocate Trinity Hospital Pulse Archives Pulse Home		A Message from the President read more A Message from the President At Advocate Christ Medical Center and Advocate Hope Children’s Hospital, our programs and services extend well beyond the walls of the hospital into the neighborhoods we are privileged to serve. As part of Advocate Health Care, we provided more than $296 million in charitable care and services to benefit patients, families and communities across metropolitan Chicago in 2006. You will learn more about these important community partnerships and programs in this issue. Also highlighted in our fall Pulse are advances in Cyberknife technology, as well as an update on health care legislation. We are proud to serve you and your community. Kenneth Lukhard President close Cyberknife® Therapy Now For Eye Tumors CAdvocate Christ Medical Center is now one of only a few centers in the world capable of using advanced CyberKnife® radiosurgery to treat cancerous tumors of the eye... read more Cyberknife® Therapy Now For Eye Tumors Advocate Christ Medical Center is now one of only a few centers in the world capable of using advanced CyberKnife® radiosurgery to treat cancerous tumors of the eye. The medical center joined this elite class of centers after ophthalmologist, Calvin Grant M.D., recently used this non-surgical technology to destroy a patient’s eye tumor, known as an intraocular melanoma, without injuring surrounding healthy eye tissue and structures. The procedure took about an hour to perform, and the patient was able to return to normal activities almost immediately following the treatment. CyberKnife® radiosurgery is capable of delivering highly precise, lethal doses of radiation to hard-to-reach and hard-to-treat tumors. The technology consists of a lightweight linear accelerator mounted on a flexible robotic arm, plus an image-guided system that tracks the exact location of the tumor throughout the treatment procedure and makes adjustments based on patient and tumor movement. The CyberKnife® delivers multiple, high energy beams from various points outside the body. These beams become powerfully lethal when converged precisely at the tumor site. Although relatively uncommon, eye melanomas can lead to significant complications if not treated in their earlier stages. Older age, fair complexion and long-time exposure to the sun or to certain chemicals are risk factors for development of these tumors. Christ Medical Center’s Neurosciences Institute is one of only two Chicago area centers with CyberKnife® technology capabilities for treating patients. close Someone you should know Laura Pattara Rauen, RNC, is a clinical operations assistant in the Family Centered Care Unit at Advocate Christ Medical Center... read more Someone you should know Laura Pattara Rauen, RNC Laura Pattara Rauen, RNC, is a clinical operations assistant in the Family Centered Care Unit at Advocate Christ Medical Center. She is also the hospital’s Nurse Advocacy Council Representative. What motivates you to be an advocate for nursing issues? I have always known that I could make a positive difference for my patients and for workplace issues through my involvement on hospital-based committees and activities. However, my involvement on the Nurse Advocacy Council has made me more aware of a nurse’s role in the legislative process. A nurse’s ability to share a story and offer an opinion on an issue can give our legislators a ‘hands on’ perspective for decisions that impact the quality of care we give to our patients. What is one valuable experience you have had since joining the Nurse Advocacy Council? My most rewarding experience is in knowing that I’ve made a difference in the quality of care our patients will receive. I have traveled to Springfield with other NAC members, prepared to give testimony in opposition of mandated ratios, and have spoken to legislators about the need to increase funding for nursing education. Our legislators have been more than eager to hear a nurse’s perspective on issues we deal with on a daily basis, which has been very reassuring. I love being able to spark enthusiasm about how we, as nurses, can follow our calling down a different path. What do you hope to bring back to the nurses at your hospital by serving on the Nurse Advocacy Council? My hope is to empower nurses to get more involved. As nurses we advocate for our patients and families each and every day. Now we need to use our voices in the legislative arena. It is okay to have different opinions. What’s important is having an opinion. Getting involved is crucial for the future of the nursing profession. Most of all, getting involved is the right thing to do for our patients, who trust us to care for them. close Medical Mission Making an impact for our patients Teaching tomorrow’s caregivers means being committed to providing a learning environment today. read more Medical Mission Making an impact for our patients Teaching tomorrow’s caregivers means being committed to providing a learning environment today. Each year Advocate Christ Medical Center, Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center and Advocate Lutheran General Hospital train more than 1,400 medical students, as well as 600 medical and dental residents and fellows, in accredited programs and a range of specialties. Christ Medical Center also trains more than 2,500 emergency medical technicians, paramedics and other providers of emergency care each year through the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Academy. The Academy represents one of the largest EMS training programs in Illinois. Advocate Health Care is a leading educator in Illinois, training more primary care physicians than any other non-university hospital in the state. These hospitals, conducive to teaching and learning, also provide training programs in nursing, radiology and other health care professions. Keeping these young, talented caregivers within our communities plays a large role in Advocate’s commitment to graduate medical, nursing and continuing education. The students are not the only ones who benefit; however, as Advocate’s teaching hospitals attract established physicians at the top of their fields. These "attendings" guide the younger generation as they care for patients together, learning techniques, as well as bedside manner. Putting caregivers-in-training to work at busy hospitals is a long-standing tradition that has widespread benefits. "I’ve said it many times before," said George Mesleh, M.D., chairman of the Surgery Department who mentors the general surgery residents at Christ Medical Center. "Quality of care is much better provided in a teaching atmosphere. It keeps physicians up-to-date on things. It keeps them progressive, honest and engaged." close Advocate Health Care’s 2006 Community Benefits Contribution read more Advocate Health Care’s 2006 Community Benefits Contribution Charity care and other uncompensated costs: Care that is provided free, subsidized or without full reimbursement from Medicare, Medicaid or other government-sponsored programs. $224,121,000* Subsidized health services: Services that respond to unique community needs, such as neonatal intensive care and behavioral health services; as well as health screenings, immunization programs, school-based health care and other community outreach programs. $14,250,000 Hospital-based education: Education to train physicians, nurses, radiology technicians, physical therapists and a host of other highly skilled health care professionals. $44,471,000 • Volunteer services: Services provided by hospital workers who volunteer in their communities and community members who volunteer at hospitals. $2,913,000 • Language-assistance services: Services, such as translators, as well as signage, forms, brochures, patient education materials and other information in languages other than English.$1,334,000 Donations: Contributions by hospitals of meeting and clinic space, as well as other assistance to community groups. $8,944,000 Total Community Benefits Contribution*: $296,033,000 Includes unreimbursed costs of Medicare, Medicaid and other government-sponsored programs and bad debt. Includes unreimbursed costs of community benefits activities of Advocate’s eight hospitals, home health care operations, and other non-profit health care operations. close For more information and a complete listing of local events, please call 1.800.3.ADVOCATE**