Knoxville Hospital and Clinics Blog

Knoxville Hospital and Clinics Blog

Archive for July, 2009

More Patient Comments

Posted by annhelwig on July 30, 2009

Emergency Department
 Everyone was quick and friendly.
 She was very friendly and concerned about my condition.
 Dr. Hanson saw me. I was very satisfied with him.
 My overall experience was all very good. We are fortunate to have such a facility here in Knoxville.
 Very understanding of our concerns.
 Joy Pierce was outstanding.
 Excellent care.
 I was very satisfied with the care my child received. Thanks to your staff.

Clinic
 I feel Dr. Rowley is one of the tops of your hospital.
 I love that you do not have a television blaring in the waiting room and no piped in music. It was quiet and relaxing.
 My son and daughter-in-law recently had a baby at the Knoxville Hospital. Mother and baby got excellent care from the nurse midwives and nurses.
 Amy is wonderful!
 Katie and Tascha are always good to our family.
 I am very pleased with the care and amount of time Dr. Dan Rowley has given me.
 Dr. J. Bhama is great!
 This was my first time to see Dr. Dan. He took time and looked at my file, asked questions and seemed interested. It was a good visit.

Inpatient
 Room was great.
 Fish was delicious.
 Wonderful care!
 Dr. Bhama was great. Very pleased.
 Excellent care overall!

Ambulatory Surgery Survey
 The physician that did the procedure was very informational about the procedure and called the next day to see how I was doing.
 Great job and friendliness.
 Dr. Busick, nurses, staff, etc. explained things in terms I could understand. Very caring staff.

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KHC Patients Give Outpatient Surgery An “A”!!

Posted by khcblog on July 29, 2009

In carrying the continuing theme of what our patients are saying about Knoxville Hospital & Clinics.  We are thrilled to be able to report that KHC ranks in the 92nd percentile of ALL Press Ganey’s 1,725  hospitals/health systems for the quarter ending June 30, 2009!

As with any great report card, we continue to work hard to become the top performer.  At the same time, we are very thankful and appreciative that our patients recognize the excellent compassionate care that the staff of KHC is known for.   

Many thanks to the great operating room staff, as well as our excellent medical staff in providing excellent care to our patients!

Posted in Service Pillar | Leave a Comment »

Do You Want To Be Waiting In An ER If You Have A Heart Attack?

Posted by khcblog on July 22, 2009

According to a recent Iowa Hospital Association “Quality Indicator Report” for the first quarter (Jan-Mar) of 2009.  If you have the misfortune of having a heart attack – Knoxville Hospital & Clinics provides immediate treatment and gets you to a hospital with a cardiac cath lab 36 minutes faster than our peer group and state of Iowa hospital averages.

According to Iowa Hospital Association “Quality Indicator” reporting for the first quarter of 2009 (see chart below), patients that presented to our emergency department are transferred to a hospital with a cardiac cath lab in 59 minutes – as compared with our peer group and state of Iowa averages of 95.61 minutes.

According to the American Heart Association, every year, 1.5 million Americans will have acute myocardial infarctions (heart attacks).  Of those, approximately 400,000 die.  A heart attack or Acute Myocardial infarction (MI) occurs when the blood vessels supplying the heart with oxygen, become clogged by blood clots or plaques.  Once the blood flow has been interrupted, the heart muscle begins to die.  If blood flow is not restored within a brief time frame, irreversible damage to the heart muscle will begin to occur, which frequently leads to death.

The goal of care at KH&C is to immediately treat patients showing signs and symptoms of heart attack and once diagnosed, to restore blood flow as soon as possible.  The primary intervention used to restore blood flow to these patients is cardiac catheterization, (balloon).

The federal government (CMS) implemented an industry-wide standard set of Core Measures developed to help improve outcomes for these patients. “Door-to-balloon” is a time measurement in emergency cardiac care (ECC), specifically in the treatment of ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (or STEMI).  The interval starts with the patient’s arrival in the emergency department, and ends when a catheter guidewire crosses the culprit lesion in the cardiac cath lab.

Because of the adage that “time is muscle”, meaning that delays in treating a myocardial infarction increase the likelihood and amount of cardiac muscle damage due to poor oxygenation of tissue, The American Heart Association guidelines recommend a door-to-balloon interval of no more than 90 minutes.

As a rural hospital, Knoxville Hospital & Clinic’s main goal is to start the initial interventions and get these patients to a higher level hospital like Mercy Hospital or IMMC in Des Moines where they can have the balloon procedure as soon as possible.

The core measures we can impact in the care of these patients are: 

  • Administration of aspirin to everyone who does not have a contraindication within the first 24 hours of admission.
  •  Administration of a 12 lead EKG as soon as possible upon arrival.
  • Cardiac Catheterization (PCI) within 90 minutes of arrival

We are very proud of the work we have done in improving our process with Acute MI patients here in our Emergency Department as evidenced by Iowa Hospital Associations Quality Indicator Report (below) for 2009’s first Quarter:

  • Average Aspirin administered at KH&C = 100% – Peer Group Average = 91.35% – State Average = 92.38%
  • Average length of stay prior to 12 Lead EKG at KH&C = 10 minutes – Peer Group Average = 12.11 minutes – State Average = 11.73 minutes
  • Average lenth of stay prior to transfer at KH&C = 59 minutes  – Peer Group Average = 95.61 minutes – State Average = 95.61 minutes

Posted in Quality Pillar | Leave a Comment »

The “Mystery” Location Is Revealed…..

Posted by khcblog on July 20, 2009

Drum roll please – Where will the second Knoxville Clinic be??? 

After much discussion, analysis, and thought – the Board of Directors of Knoxville Hospital & Clinics voted to approve 1008 Bell Avenue, Suite 104 in Knoxville as the location for the second Knoxville Clinic.  LOL!  Where is 1008 Bell – Suite 104…?  Read the blog tomorrow!  Just kidding…

The new location is in the plaza adjacent to Walmart – in the same building as Edward Jones and U.S. Cellular.  This is very exciting news for Knoxville Hospital & Clinics as we continue to expand our facilities to meet the growing health needs the communities that we serve.  The recent addition of Dr. Bryon Schaeffer, M.D. and upcoming arrivals of Drs. Val Bonnett, M.D. and Beth Leibowitz, M.D. are the driving forces behind the need for additional clinic space. 

We believe that this location will serve us very well both due to the promixity to the KHC campus and the high traffic of the 14/92 intersection.  We are planning for the new clinic to be open by December 2009. 

We are very excited to be able to continue to “Grow Knoxville Hospital & Clinics Into The Future”!!

Posted in Growth Pillar | Leave a Comment »

Coming Soon – A New Knoxville Clinic Location!!

Posted by khcblog on July 16, 2009

Are you the type that gets frustrated when you drive by a store front that has it’s windows fully covered and a big “Coming Soon!” sign hanging on it??  What is it going to be?  I hope it is going to be  a Starbucks!!  Cool another shoe store!  Do you pick up the phone and call or text your friends asking them if they know what the “new” store is going to be?? 

At a special meeting held last night, the Board of Directors of Knoxville Hospital & Clinics approved a plan to expand our clinic services into a NEW location in Knoxville!  With the upcoming arrivals of Drs. Beth Leibowitz and Val Bonnett we are faced with the exciting need and opportunity for additional clinic space to meet the growing needs and demands of the Knoxville community!

Sooo..  for the time being, until the location logistics are formally worked out – we are hanging a virtual “Coming Soon!” sign in Knoxville!  We will announce the details and location as soon as we have a signed contract for the NEW Knoxville clinic location. 

In the meantime – “Coming Soon! – A new Knoxville Clinic location!!”

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What is Your Hospital’s C-Section Rate?

Posted by khcblog on July 14, 2009

While asking what your hospital’s c-section rate may seem like a silly question – it is one that prospective parents need to ask of their local hospital.  As ceasarean section rates continue to rise  to new record levels every year, this is a very important fact for expectant parents to fully understand when choosing their hospital and medical provider. 

According to the Iowa Hospital Association “Quality Indicator Report” for the time period of January 2008 – March 2009, Knoxville Hospital & Clinics has had a very low C-Section rate of 22% – as compared with a 29% rate at our rural hospital peers and 28% for the entire state of Iowa. 

According to childbirthconnection.org – “ceasarean rates in the U.S. can range from well under 10% for some caregivers and birth settings to over 50% for others”.  They also state that “there are many reasons for this variation”, such as “caregivers differ in the ways that they support women during labor and their decisions about when to offer surgical birth”. 

Childbirthconnection.org has produced the following brochure expectant mothers to help them fully understand ceasarean births http://www.childbirthconnection.org/pdf.asp?PDFDownload=cesareanbooklet

One of the caregiver models that has been credited with reducing ceasarean sections rates is the Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM)  model.  CNM’s provide health care involving emotional and physical support to women before, during, and after childbirth.  They are registered nurses with specialized training in assisting pregnant women and their newborn babies.  CNM’s participate in a variety of services that include providing gynecological services like pap smears and breast examinations, advising women about reproductive health and personal care, and monitoring the health of the mother and fetus during pregnancy.  CNM’s work closely with obstetricians and other physicians when medical treatments and medications are necessary.

At Knoxville Hospital & Clinics we are very fortunate to have  two excellent Certified Nurse Midwives in Becky McKay and Susan Karimi as part of our women’s health team.  They can be reached at (641) 828-7211.

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Thanks To Our Local Paper!

Posted by khcblog on July 3, 2009

We recently visited with Steve Woodhouse (editor of the Knoxville Journal Express) to discuss various health care issues.  We appreciate Steve taking the time that he did researching the many issues that currently surround health care.  We also appreciate Steve devoting an entire page of his newspaper to this topic.

With health care and health care reform in the forefront of much of the news these days, it is very important to be as informed as possible about the myriad of issues.  Steve did a great job of taking the time to try to understand the issues as well as talk with some of the leaders of his local hospital.

There are many opinions, thoughts, plans and ideas out there these days for health care and health care reform.  I attempt to strongly urge any and all politicians that I have contact with to go visit with their local hospital administrative teams, as Steve did.  We appreciate Steve and the fine work that he did in researching and publishing the below article.

http://www.journalexpress.net/features/local_story_183151851.html?keyword=topstory

Posted in Financial Pillar | Leave a Comment »

Welcome Dr. Bonnett!

Posted by annhelwig on July 1, 2009

I am thrilled to announce that Dr. Val Bonnett has agreed to move her practice to Knoxville, starting in September! Dr. Bonnett has been practicing in the Davenport area since completing her residency there in 1996. She has a special interest in women’s health care, and will be doing some obstetrical care as well. Val is originally from the area, and is a graduate of Twin Cedars High School. Val and her daughter, Anna, will be relocating to the area in the next few weeks.  Please join me in welcoming Dr. Bonnett back home to Knoxville!  We have so much to look forward to here at KHC, and we hope that you will all be a part of our success!

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