Health Connection E-newsletter
National Urgent Care Awareness Week
It’s that time of year. You’re sick with the flu and you need immediate care by a physician. With no time to schedule a doctor’s appointment, you may think your only option is to head to the Emergency Department (ED). Before you do, stop by Shawnee Mission Urgent Care, where same-day care is available without an appointment for unexpected illnesses and other services that are not typically available in your physician’s office.
To highlight the services offered to patients and join the nationwide effort to increase awareness of the role of urgent care clinics in health care, Shawnee Mission Medical Center (SMMC) is recognizing Annual Urgent Care Awareness Week from November 14-20.
SMMC Welcomes New Cardiology Group
Building on the strength of its existing cardiology team, Shawnee Mission Medical Center (SMMC) welcomed Heart Health, PA (HHP), November 1. Through this partnership, the HHP locations in Leavenworth and Kansas City, Kan., along with several outreach clinics, have become Shawnee Mission Cardiology Associates.Cardiologists Kiritkumar V. Masrani, MD, FACC, and David L. Robbins Jr., MD, FACC, who were on staff at SMMC prior to the transition, have taken an active role in the community by collaborating with local hospitals and EMS to meet national acute cardiac quality recommendations.
Pain Awareness is Top of Mind
Did you know that an estimated 116 million American adults have chronic pain? That’s more than the total number of people affected by heart disease, cancer and diabetes combined. Each year, pain costs the nation up to $635 billion in medical treatments and lost productivity. Unrelieved or undertreated pain has been referred to as a national epidemic. “Pain is an issue throughout the nation that needs to be addressed,” said Margie Jecker, SMMC’s Oncology Surgical Administration Manager.
SMMC Recognized for its Commitment and Success in Implementing a Higher Standard of Care for Heart Attack Patients
Shawnee Mission Medical Center (SMMC) received the American College of Cardiology (ACC) Foundation’s NCDR ACTION Registry–GWTG Gold Performance Achievement Award for 2011 – one of only 167 hospitals nationwide to do so. The award recognizes SMMC’s commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of care for heart attack patients and signifies that SMMC has reached an aggressive goal of treating these patients to standard levels of care as outlined by the ACC/American Heart Association (AHA) clinical guidelines and recommendations.
Home Health Care Implements Psychiatry Program
Patients can now receive in-home behavioral health care from experienced nurses through Shawnee Mission Home Health Care’s (SMHHC) new psychiatry nursing care program. One of the first in the area, this program is designed to provide individualized care for patients so they can gain the skills and confidence needed to successfully manage their daily lives.