St. David's Round Rock 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 Round Rock Medical Center Designated as a 2012 Texas Ten Step Facility

reedsmith — Mon, 14 May 2012 12:37:35 GMT

Award Recognizes Hospital as Supportive Environment for New Mothers

ROUND ROCK, Texas-St. David's Round Rock Medical Center has been designated as a 2012 Texas Ten Step facility by the Department of State Health Services and the Texas Hospital Association. This annual designation is awarded to birthing facilities that provide optimal care to improve breastfeeding outcomes and the health of newborns and infants.

The Texas Ten Step Program encourages breastfeeding as the preferred method of feeding for newborns and infants. This designation recognizes that St. David's Round Rock Medical Center is providing an environment that creates positive outcomes for breastfeeding families and supports new mothers and their decision to breastfeed.

St. David's Round Rock Medical Center has implemented 10 goals, or "steps," to support mothers who intend to breastfeed their infants. Texas Ten Step facilities are asked to address 85 percent of the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding, be designated as a Texas Mother-Friendly Worksite, evaluate their breastfeeding policies and maternity care practices, and routinely educate all health care staff with evidence-based courses.

Based on the World Health Organization and UNICEF's Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding, the program aims to assist birthing facilities' support of breastfeeding mothers before, during and after delivery; encourages them to identify breastfeeding resources for the mother after she is discharged; and encourages facilities to reach the Healthy People 2020 goal of having 82 percent of mothers exclusively breastfeeding when they go home with their newborn.

The Texas Medical Association officially endorsed the Texas Ten Step Program in 2009 to encourage hospitals to create an environment that supports the breastfeeding mother.

For more information on the Texas Ten Step Program at St. David's Round Rock Medical Center, call Veronica Hendrix, program coordinator, at (512) 341-4592, or visit www.TexasTenStep.org.

St. David's Round Rock Medical Center
St. David's Round Rock Medical Center, located in Round Rock at 2400 Round Rock Avenue, is part of St. David's HealthCare, one of the largest health systems in Texas, which was recognized in January 2012 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. With 170 beds, this acute care hospital provides comprehensive health services to residents of Williamson County and the surrounding areas. Services include The Heart and Vascular Center with express testing, maternity and newborn services with Level I and II nurseries at The Women's Center, and a 24-hour emergency department, providing Level II trauma care in Williamson County. St. David's Round Rock Medical Center is also known for advanced orthopedic and bariatric services, among other complex specialties. Thomson Reuters named St. David's Round Rock Medical Center to the list of 100 Top Hospitals in 2012. 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 Round Rock Medical Center Announces Level II Trauma Center Designation

korr — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 13:11:00 GMT

St. David's Round Rock Medical Center Remains Busiest Trauma Center in Williamson County

ROUND ROCK, Texas-St. David's Round Rock Medical Center announced today that the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and the State of Texas have officially designated the hospital as a Level II Trauma Center. St. David's Round Rock Medical Center began treating all levels of trauma patients, including the most severely injured and critical patients, on Jan. 4, 2010, and has treated more trauma patients than any other hospital in Williamson County.

The designation is a seal of approval from the American College of Surgeons and the State of Texas signifying that the hospital and staff have met all requirements of a Level II Trauma Center and are prepared to treat all trauma patients.

"We are pleased to receive this designation, and we are proud of our exceptional team that has worked tirelessly to make it happen," David Martin, M.D., chief medical officer of St. David's Round Rock Medical Center, said. "What makes us most proud is the care we have provided to the most critically injured residents of Williamson and Travis Counties."

St. David's Round Rock Medical Center has treated more than 1,500 trauma patients since 2010.

"Our trauma team is extremely dedicated and skilled in caring for the most severely injured and critical patients," Michael Craun, M.D., trauma medical director at St. David's Round Rock Medical Center, said. "We have built a trauma team over the last year and a half that is second to none, and I am tremendously proud of the patient care we have provided together."

During the designation process, St. David's Round Rock Medical Center recruited highly qualified trauma personnel to further develop its trauma team. The hospital's comprehensive trauma team includes four trauma surgeons, in addition to Dr. Craun, including Andy Hawthorne, M.D.; Brady E. Anderson, M.D.; Bratcher Runyan, M.D; and Aravind Sankar, M.D., FACS.

The trauma center also boasts of a five-member orthopedic trauma team, led by Mark Parella, M.D., a trauma-trained orthopedic surgeon. Dr. Parella is joined by Michael S. Valastro, M.D.; Jennifer N. Lord, M.D.; Mustasim N. Rumi, M.D.; and Jay M. Borick, M.D.

The trauma center at St. David's Round Rock Medical Center also has the support of a neurological trauma team, which includes four neurosurgeons from the NeuroTexas Institute at St. David's HealthCare: Mark Burnett, M.D.; Douglas Fox, Jr., M.D.; James Waldron, M.D.; and Kristopher Webb, M.D.

Although it isn't required of Level II Trauma Centers by the ACS, St. David's Round Rock Medical Center requires that trauma surgeons be onsite when they are on call. It is currently the only trauma program in Williamson County with this policy.

"In the case of an emergent trauma situation, the faster a patient receives care, the better his or her outcome will be," Craun said. "With this in mind, we think having on-call surgeons onsite at all times is the right thing to do.

The hospital has a helipad that allows patients to arrive via emergency air transport, as well as a trauma room with its own dedicated trauma entrance for emergency medical transports.

The hospital's emergency department (ED), which is the largest volume ED in all of Williamson County with more than 40,000 visits per year, receives trauma patients transferred from Williamson County EMS and Austin/Travis County EMS, among others. Of the 1,549 trauma patients since January 2010, 258 were admitted to the intensive care unit, and more than 600 patients required an operative procedure related to their trauma injuries.

The top two causes of trauma in patients treated at St. David's Round Rock Medical Center were injuries as a result of a motor vehicle collision or a fall.

St. David's Round Rock Medical Center
St. David's Round Rock Medical Center, located in Round Rock at 2400 Round Rock Avenue, 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. With 170 beds, this acute care hospital provides comprehensive health services to residents of Williamson County and the surrounding areas. Services include The Heart and Vascular Center with express testing, maternity and newborn services with Level I and II nurseries at The Women's Center, and a 24-hour emergency department, providing Level II trauma care in Williamson County. St. David's Round Rock Medical Center is also known for advanced orthopedic and bariatric services, among other complex specialties. For more information, please visit StDavids.com.