St. David's North Austin Medical Center News

St. David's HealthCare Hospitals Reaccredited as Chest Pain Centers

reedsmith — Wed, 23 May 2012 13:34:07 GMT

AUSTIN, Texas-Several St. David's HealthCare facilities recently received Chest Pain Center Accreditations-all of which were reaccreditations-from the Society of Chest Pain Centers (SCPC). The SCPC is an international, not-for-profit organization that focuses on transforming cardiovascular care by assisting facilities in their efforts to create communities of excellence that bring together quality, cost and patient satisfaction.

St. David's Medical Center, St. David's North Austin Medical Center and St. David's South Austin Medical Center received these reaccreditations by the SCPC. St. David's Round Rock Medical Center is scheduled to receive its reaccreditation in May 2012. The Heart Hospital of Austin and St. David's Georgetown Hospital received their reaccreditation in 2011 and 2010, respectively.

"By maintaining our chest pain center accreditations, we continue to enhance the quality of care for cardiac patients and demonstrate our commitment to higher standards," Thomas W. Knight, M.D., chief medical officer at St. David's HealthCare, said. "We are pleased to continue to offer exceptional chest pain care for all patients at St. David's HealthCare facilities."

Chest Pain Center Accreditation is awarded to facilities that have achieved a higher level of expertise in dealing with patients who arrive with symptoms of a heart attack. These facilities emphasize the importance of standardized diagnostic and treatment programs that provide more efficient and effective evaluation, as well as more appropriate and rapid treatment of patients with chest pain and other heart attack symptoms. They also serve as a point of entry into the health care system to evaluate and treat other medical problems, and they help to promote a healthier lifestyle in an attempt to reduce the risk factors for heart attack.

To become an Accredited Chest Pain Center, these hospitals engaged in rigorous evaluation by SCPC for its ability to assess, diagnose and treat patients who may be experiencing a heart attack. This means that processes are in place to meet strict criteria aimed at:

Reducing the time from onset of symptoms to diagnosis and treatment
Treating patients more quickly during the critical window of time when the integrity of the heart muscle can be preserved
Monitoring patients when it is not certain that they are having a heart attack to ensure that they are not sent home too quickly or needlessly admitted to the hospital

St. David's HealthCare
With more than 60 sites across Central Texas, St. David's HealthCare includes seven of the area's leading hospitals and is one of the largest health systems in Texas. Known for compassionate, high-quality care, the organization has been recognized with the Texas Award for Performance Excellence, the highest honor bestowed by the State of Texas based upon world-class quality measures. In January 2012, St. David's HealthCare was recognized as one of the top 15 health systems in the U.S. by Thomson Reuters, a leading provider of information and solutions to improve the cost and quality of healthcare. In April 2012, three of the system's hospitals-St. David's Medical Center, St. David's North Austin Medical Center and St. David's Round Rock Medical Center-were named to the list of 100 top hospitals in the U.S. by Thomson Reuters. Perennially ranked as the top Austin-area employer among large companies by the Austin Business Journal's annual "Best Places to Work" survey, St.�David's HealthCare is the third-largest private employer in the Austin area, with approximately 7,500 employees. For more information, please visit StDavids.com.
About the Society of Chest Pain Centers
The Society of Chest Pain Centers (SCPC) is an international not-for-profit organization whose mission is to transform cardiovascular care by assisting facilities in their effort to create communities of excellence that bring together quality, cost and patient satisfaction. As the only cross-specialty Society, SCPC provides the support needed for hospital systems to effectively bridge existing gaps in treatment by providing the tools, education and support necessary to successfully navigate the changing face of healthcare. For more information on SCPC, accreditation and certification opportunities, visit www.scpcp.org, or call toll free 1-877-271-4176.

St. David's HealthCare Names Chief Financial Officer?

reedsmith — Tue, 15 May 2012 07:44:41 GMT

AUSTIN, Texas-St. David's HealthCare today announced the addition of Cindy S. Sexton to its leadership team as vice president and chief financial officer. Effective June 1, 2012, Sexton-who has more than 22 years of financial management and leadership experience in the healthcare industry-will lead the financial division of St. David's HealthCare's seven-hospital healthcare system, across 60 locations in Central Texas.

For the past 12 years, Sexton has served as chief financial officer of St. David's North Austin Medical, where she not only successfully managed the facility's financial operations but also has been instrumental in advancing a number of key strategic growth initiatives. Sexton played a major role in physician recruitment to the campus, in the development of the Women's Center of Texas, in the creation of the Texas Institute for Robotic Surgery, and in the facility's access strategy to develop urgent and free-standing emergency care centers. Sexton's responsibilities were expanded in 2008 when she was appointed chief financial officer of St. David's Round Rock Medical Center. Under her leadership, both hospitals have continued to grow and improve operational performance.

"We are pleased to welcome Cindy to the team as our new chief financial officer," David Huffstutler, president and chief executive officer of St. David's HealthCare, said. "Her strong financial and operating acumen, her proven ability to identify and implement key growth opportunities in the market, and her experience in and knowledge of our partnership make her uniquely qualified for this position."

Before joining St. David's HealthCare, Sexton served as chief financial officer and chief operating officer for Columbia North Monroe Hospital, a 222-bed facility in Monroe, La.

In addition to other prior healthcare roles, Sexton has served as an accountant and auditor, directly involved in Medicare cost reports for Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield.

Sexton earned a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

St. David's HealthCare
With more than 60 sites across Central Texas, St. David's HealthCare includes seven of the area's leading hospitals and is one of the largest health systems in Texas. Known for compassionate, high-quality care, the organization has been recognized with the Texas Award for Performance Excellence, the highest honor bestowed by the State of Texas based upon world-class quality measures. In January 2012, St. David's HealthCare was recognized as one of the top 15 health systems in the U.S. by Thomson Reuters, a leading provider of information and solutions to improve the cost and quality of healthcare. In April 2012, three of the system's hospitals-St. David's Medical Center, St. David's North Austin Medical Center and St. David's Round Rock Medical Center-were named to the list of 100 top hospitals in the U.S. by Thomson Reuters. Perennially ranked as the top Austin-area employer among large companies by the Austin Business Journal's annual "Best Places to Work" survey, St.�David's HealthCare is the third-largest private employer in the Austin area, with approximately 7,500 employees. For more information, please visit StDavids.com.

St. David's HealthCare Hospitals Named to Nation's 100 Top Hospitals By�Thomson Reuters

reedsmith — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 08:07:28 GMT

St. David's Medical Center Named to 100 Top HospitalsFor Third Consecutive Year?

AUSTIN, TEXAS-On April 16, 2012, three St. David's HealthCare hospitals-St. David's Medical Center, St. David's North Austin Medical Center and St. David's Round Rock Medical Center-were named to the nation's 100 Top Hospitals� by Thomson Reuters, a leading provider of information and solutions to improve the cost and quality of healthcare.

The award recognizes hospitals that have achieved excellence in clinical outcomes, patient safety, patient satisfaction, financial performance and operational efficiency, among others. This is the third consecutive year that St. David's Medical Center has earned this recognition.

"We are honored that St. David's HealthCare hospitals were named to the list of the 100 Top Hospitals in the country," David Huffstutler, chief executive officer of St. David's HealthCare, said. "The recognition is a testament to the dedication of the hospitals' doctors, nurses and staff who provide exceptional care to every patient every day, which has helped establish these hospitals as national centers of excellence."

Thomson Reuters' annual study evaluates hospitals on measures of overall organization performance, including patient care, operational efficiency and financial stability. It compares hospitals with other facilities similar in size and teaching status.

Selected from among nearly 3,000 short-term, acute care, non-federal U.S. hospitals, St. David's Medical Center, St. David's North Austin Medical Center and St. David's Round Rock Medical Center demonstrate that high-quality patient outcomes can be achieved while improving efficiency. According to the organization, if all hospitals performed at the same level as the 100 Top Hospitals award winners (based on analysis of Medicare inpatients over one year):

More than 186,000 additional patients would survive each year.
Approximately 56,000 patient complications would be avoided annually.
The average patient stay would decrease by nearly half a day.
More than $4.3 billion could be saved.

The Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals study evaluates performance in the following 10 areas to determine the 100 Top Hospitals:

Risk-adjusted mortality index (in-hospital)
Risk-adjusted complications index
Risk-adjusted patient safety index
Core measures mean percent
30-day risk-adjusted mortality rate for acute myocardial infarction (AMI), heart failure and pneumonia
30-day risk-adjusted readmission rate for AMI, heart failure and pneumonia
Severity-adjusted average length of stay
Case mix- and wage-adjusted inpatient expense per discharge
Profitability (adjusted operating profit margin)
HCAHPS score (patient rating of overall hospital performance)

The winning hospitals were announced in the April 16 edition of Modern Healthcare magazine. Please visit www.100TopHospitals.com for more information on the award and 100 Top Hospitals research.

St. David's HealthCare
With more than 60 sites across Central Texas, St. David's HealthCare includes seven of the area's leading hospitals and is one of the largest health systems in Texas. Known for compassionate, high-quality care, the organization has been recognized with the Texas Award for Performance Excellence, the highest honor bestowed by the State of Texas based upon world-class quality measures. In January 2012, St. David's HealthCare was recognized as one of the top 15 health systems in the U.S. by Thomson Reuters. Perennially ranked as the top Austin-area employer among large companies by the Austin Business Journal's annual "Best Places to Work" survey, St.�David's HealthCare is the third-largest private employer in the Austin area, with approximately 7,500 employees. For more information, please visit StDavids.com.

St. David's North Austin Medical Center and Donate Life Texas Celebrate National Donate Life Month With Organ Donor Drive at The Dell Diamond

reedsmith — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 16:35:32 GMT

AUSTIN, Texas-On Friday, April 20, 2012, St. David's North Austin Medical Center and the Texas Organ Sharing Alliance (TOSA) will commemorate National Donate Life Month with a donor drive, featuring activities to raise awareness of the importance of organ donation and registration, at The Dell Diamond in Round Rock.

As of March 2012, more than 113,000 people are on the national waiting list for an organ transplant-90,000 of them are waiting for a kidney, 11,000 of them are Texans.

"The more dialogue families can have about each other's wishes in regards to organ donation, the better-and events such as this one help start that dialogue," Richard Lewis, M.D., surgical and program director of St. David's North Austin Medical Center's Kidney Transplant Center, said. "Continuous education of the community is an important part of organ donation. Most people aren't aware of the large number of men, women and children who are currently waiting for a life-saving organ."

The donor drive will feature information about the Donate Life Texas Registry and the hospital's Kidney Transplant Center, which is the only kidney transplant program in Central Texas, as well as provide an opportunity for attendees to register as organ donors.

Additionally, those affected by organ donation, including a donor family and a recipient, will provide personal accounts of their transplant experiences.

Visitors will be able to register to be organ donors at The Dell Diamond, home of the Round Rock Express, located at 3400 E. Palm Valley Blvd. in Round Rock. The first 100 people who register as organ donors will receive a Donate Life Texas T-shirt. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., and the game starts at 7 p.m.

For more information about organ donation and the upcoming event at The Dell Diamond, please visit StDavids.com or DonateLifeTexas.org.

St. David's North Austin Medical Center
St. David's North Austin Medical Center, located at 12221 North Mopac Expressway, is part of St. David's HealthCare, one of the largest health systems in Texas, which was recognized as one of the top 15 health systems in the U.S. by Thomson Reuters in January 2012. The 332-bed multi-specialty, acute care facility is dedicated to the highest level of women's health services, including maternity and newborn care with Level I, II and III nurseries at the adjacent St. David's Women's Center of Texas, as well as a 24-hour emergency department, the Texas Institute for Robotic Surgery, heart and vascular center, neurology and neurosurgery, a kidney transplant program, inpatient and outpatient surgery, and acute inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation, among many others. For more information, please visit StDavids.com.

The Kidney Transplant Center at St. David's North Austin Medical Center
The Kidney Transplant Center at St. David's North Austin Medical Center is the only kidney transplant program in Central Texas and has been serving patients since 1996. During that time, more than 400 life-saving kidney transplants have been performed. Today, there are approximately 424 people on the hospital's waiting list.

Texas Organ Sharing Alliance (TOSA)
TOSA is a non-profit 501(c)(3), independent, federally designated Organ Procurement Organization dedicated to educating and providing organ donation and recovery services to families wishing to donate and to those waiting for a life-saving organ transplant. Founded in 1975, TOSA serves 56 counties in South and Central Texas.

St. David's North Austin Medical Center Offers Transradial Access for Heart Procedures

reedsmith — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 20:13:12 GMT

New Procedure Allows Access to the Heart by Entering the Wrist

�
AUSTIN-Recently, St. David's North Austin Medical Center began offering transradial access-through the wrist-for heart procedures, which is a more advanced way to access arteries resulting in fewer complications, better outcomes and a faster recovery time for some patients.

Most cardiac catheterizations in the United States access arteries that lead to the heart transfemorally, or through the groin. ?
"We are extremely pleased to be able to offer this procedure to patients," Robert Wozniak, M.D., an interventional cardiologist at St. David's North Austin Medical Center, said. "Any time we can successfully and safely perform a procedure in a way that decreases the likelihood of complications and lessens the traditional recovery time for patients, it is a great benefit."

Once inside the artery, whether accessed transradially or transfemorally, the diagnostic and interventional procedures are virtually the same, except for the immediate post-procedure recovery process. With transfemoral access, the patient must generally lie flat for four to six hours after the procedure so pressure can be applied to the groin. This is necessary to ensure that the puncture site does not result in further bleeding. With transradial access, the patient is able to get up almost immediately after the procedure.

Glenn Spradlin, a cardiac patient at St. David's North Austin Medical Center, has experienced both artery access procedures and noted a dramatic and immediate difference.

"As soon as I woke up from the procedure that used the transradial access approach, I felt relief and had no pain," Spradlin said. "There was no downtime like there had been after my procedure where the catheter was inserted through the groin. This time, I could get up and use the restroom, and I could feel the benefit of the procedure right away."

Spradlin says the differences were also evident in his overall recovery time. After his previous procedures using the groin approach, Spradlin had three days of downtime and, at times, a recuperation time of up to a week. Accessing his artery transradially allowed him to move around even in his hospital room.

"For patients who qualify for the transradial access approach, such as Glenn, there are a number of advantages they will see immediately following the procedure," Dr. Wozniak said. "The transradial access approach is a great achievement for artery access in heart procedures because of its immediate benefits and positive patient outcomes."

Transradial access also offers a number of other benefits to patients, including decreased incidence of complications, especially bleeding; minimized risk of nerve damage, which is more common with the femoral approach due to proximity of the femoral artery to the femoral nerve; and easier vascular access and hemostasis for obese patients.

For more information about cardiac services at St. David's North Austin Medical Center, visit St.Davids.com.

St. David's North Austin Medical Center
St. David's North Austin Medical Center, located at 12221 North Mopac Expressway, is part of St. David's HealthCare, one of the largest health systems in Texas, which was recognized as one of the top 15 health systems in the U.S. by Thomson Reuters in January 2012. The 332-bed multi-specialty, acute care facility is dedicated to the highest level of women's health services, including maternity and newborn care with Level I, II and III nurseries at the adjacent St. David's Women's Center of Texas, as well as a 24-hour emergency department, the Texas Institute for Robotic Surgery, heart and vascular center, neurology and neurosurgery, a kidney transplant program, inpatient and outpatient surgery, and acute inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation, among many others. For more information, please visit StDavids.com.�