Current News

Health Education Cancellations for November

Posted: Friday, November 06, 2009

Two of Bayhealth Medical Center’s Health Education Programs will be cancelled for the month of November only.

The Hepatitis C Support Group, scheduled for Thursday, November 19 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. will not be held. The next meeting of this support group will be on Thursday, December 17. For additional information, please contact Terry Towne, MSN, RN, at (302) 744-6724.

The Steps to Healthy Aging Clinic, scheduled for Thursday, November 26 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. will not be held due to the Thanksgiving holiday. The clinic will resume its normal schedule on Thursday, December 3. For additional information, please call Bayhealth’s Education Department

at (302) 744-7135.

Bayhealth Home Care Ranked Among Top 25 Percent in the Country

Posted: Friday, October 30, 2009

Bayhealth Medical Center’s Home Care Department has been named to the 2009 HomeCare Elite™ for the fouth consecutive year.

The Home Care Elite is a compilation of the top performing home health agencies in the United States. The annual review identifies the Top 25 percent of agencies and further highlights the top 100 and top 500 agencies overall. Winners are ranked by an analysis of performance measures in quality outcomes, quality improvement and financial performance.

“Bayhealth Home Care is very excited to once again be recognized nationally by this organization for providing the highest quality care with an exceptional patient experience,” said Bayhealth Home Care Director Charlene Bieber, RN.

Bayhealth Home Care services help patients in all three Delaware counties recover from illness or injury in their own homes. The staff includes nurses and therapists who provide nursing services; physical, occupational and speech therapy.

The 2009 HomeCare Elite is the only performance recognition of its kind in the home health industry. The 2009 HomeCare Elite is brought to the industry by OCS, Inc., the leading provider of homecare information, and DecisionHealth, publisher of home care’s most respected independent newsletter Home Health Line. The data used for this analysis was compiled from publicly available information. The entire list of the 2009 HomeCare Elite agencies can be viewed by visiting the OCS website at www.ocshomecare.com.

Swine Flu Safety - Delaware Hospitals Offer New Visitation Guidelines

Posted: Thursday, October 29, 2009

While considering additional safeguards to protect their patients, Delaware hospitals are also encouraging members of the public to take their own precautions to limit the possible spread of the Novel H1N1 virus, commonly known as the “swine flu.”

Hospital officials are offering suggestions on how Delawareans can play a proactive role in helping healthcare providers preserve a clinically safe environment and reduce the possible proliferation of the H1N1:

Do not bring a child age 16 or under to the hospital to visit patients. This age group is at greater risk for flu complications and is contagious longer than adults.

If you have flu-related symptoms (fever greater than 100 degrees, body aches, runny or stuffy nose, sore throat, nausea or vomiting), do not visit the hospital, unless you are seeking treatment for yourself.

If you are visiting a hospital you may be asked to wear an isolation mask.

Use your elbow to cover your cough or sneeze.

Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly with soap and water. If you touch a potentially contaminated surface with your hand, you can easily spread a virus to yourself by touching your nose, mouth, or eyes.

If you can do it comfortably, wear an isolation mask if you must be around others who may already have the flu.

If you are experiencing flu-like symptoms, we encourage you to stay at home until you recover fully. However, seek medical attention immediately if your symptoms become severe and you experience any of the following: Difficulty breathing or chest pain; discoloration of your lips; vomiting and regurgitation of liquids; seizures; confusion or lack of responsiveness; dehydration, absence of urination or dizziness while standing.

“Delaware hospitals appreciate your concern over this vital health issue and we encourage you to take these precautions to protect yourself and your family,” said Delaware Hospital Association President Wayne Smith.

Bayhealth’s Black & White Gala Set for Jan. 16

Posted: Monday, October 19, 2009

Mark your calendars now for the 4^th Annual Bayhealth Black & White Gala, to be held from 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 16, 2010, at the Dover Downs Hotel & Conference Center.

The Black & White Gala is a celebration of Bayhealth’s partnerships. The Auxiliary of Milford Memorial Hospital and The Junior Board of Kent General Hospital have joined together once again to host the gala. Event proceeds will be designated for the Cancer Centers at Bayhealth – Kent General and Milford Memorial Hospitals.

Bayhealth oncologists Iftekhar Khan, MD, Rishi Sawhney, MD, and John Lahaniatis, MD, are serving as Honorary Co-chairs of the event. Entertainment by The Funsters, scrumptious hors d’oeuvres, a sit down dinner and a cash bar will make the evening memorable. C.M. Baker Photography will be available to take portraits with a portion of the proceeds being donated back to the Gala.

Tickets for the Gala cost $100 and are available by calling Cynthia Jones (302-270-1842) or Lisa Grossman (302-363-5835). For more information, please email the Bayhealth Foundation at foundation@bayhealth.org.

Healing Garden Takes Root at Milford Memorial Hospital

Posted: Friday, October 16, 2009

On October 12, Bayhealth officially broke ground for a new Healing Garden at Milford Memorial Hospital. The garden has been in the planning process for some time but thanks to the support and generosity of the Milford Memorial Hospital Auxiliary, patients, visitors and staff will soon have a soothing place to relax and/or meditate.

According to Patricia Isherwood, Bayhealth Guest Relations Manager and Chair of the Planetree Patient Advisory Council, Healing Gardens have been proven to reduce stress, lower blood pressure and increase positive thinking and mental health.

“Simply put, they’re a welcome escape in a clinical setting for patients, families and staff,” Isherwood said.

In 2007, Bayhealth’s Planetree Patient Advisory Council suggested a Healing Garden in the garden area next to the Cancer Center, a space that currently serves as memorial area. Following the Council’s suggestion, Bayhealth sought input from the Sussex County Master Gardeners and the Milford Garden Club on appropriate plants and shrubs for the area. These recommendations were then given to Scot’s Landscaping to create a designed for the Healing Garden. The Bayhealth Foundation and the Milford Memorial Hospital Auxiliary offered their generous support to the project in the spring of 2009, and work commenced in October.

The Healing Garden will incorporate a water feature, pavers, memorials and local plants and will be open to the public in the spring of 2010.

Pictured during the groundbreaking ceremony are (first row, left to right): Auxiliary members Janice Caldwell, Lois Chamberlain and Ellie Lauckner; Bayhealth Senior Vice President for Patient Care Services/Chief Nurse Executive Bonnie Perratto, MSN, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, FACHE; Bayhealth Director of Service Excellence Patricia Walker, MPA, MA; Bayhealth Guest Relations Manager Patricia Isherwood; and Bayhealth Administrative Director of Operations/Oncology Services and Executive Director of the Bayhealth Cancer Institute Donna Stinson, MPA, R.T. (R), (T). In the second row, left to right are Auxiliary members Judy Warrington and Cynthia Jones; Bayhealth Assistant Vice President of Marketing Communications Pam Marecki; Bayhealth Vice President of Operations for the Southern Region Deborah Watson, FACHE, FACMPE; Auxiliary President Pat Fisher; Auxiliary member Suzanne Donovan; Bayhealth Plant Operations Lead Master Electrician Jason Muir; Scot Williamson of Scot’s Land Designs; and Auxiliary member Pat Crabb.

Bayhealth Offers Free Prostate Cancer Screening Nov. 11

Posted: Tuesday, October 13, 2009

If you’re a male over 50, you’re at risk for prostate cancer, the most frequently diagnosed cancer in men and the second leading cause of cancer death in men. And if you’re African-American, your prostate cancer mortality rate just doubled: you should get screened beginning at age 40.

Bayhealth Medical Center will offer a free prostate cancer screening on Wednesday, November 11 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Cancer Center at Milford, located at Milford Memorial Hospital, 21 W. Clarke Avenue in Milford.

To register, please call (302) 744-7135 or (toll-free) 1-877-453-7107. Bayhealth’s free two-part screening includes a blood test for prostate specific antigen (PSA) and a digital rectal exam (DRE) performed by a urologist.

STUDY FINDS BAYHEALTH IS 5-STAR RATED FOR CARDIAC AND CRITICAL CARE

Posted: Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Bayhealth Medical Center today announced that it has received a 5-Star rating for the quality of its cardiac and critical care from HealthGrades, the leading independent healthcare ratings organization. The recognition is based on HealthGrades’ twelfth annual Hospital Quality in America study, released today, which analyzes patient outcomes at virtually all of the nation’s hospitals.

2010 Clinical Achievements include:

Ranked #1 in DE for Overall Cardiac Services

Ranked #1 in DE for Cardiac Surgery

Ranked Among the Top 5 (#2) in DE for Cardiology Services

Five-Star Rated for Valve Replacement Surgery

Five-Star Rated for Treatment of Heart Attack

Five-Star Rated for Treatment of Heart Failure

Recipient of the HealthGrades Critical Care Excellence Award™

Ranked Among the Top 10% in the Nation for Critical Care

Ranked #1 in DE for Overall Critical Care

Five-Star Rated for Overall Critical Care

Five-Star Rated for Treatment of Sepsis

"We are extremely pleased to be recognized once again by HealthGrades for our commitment to providing high quality healthcare services to the patients we serve," said Bayhealth President and Chief Executive Officer Terry Murphy, FACHE. "This honor is a testament to our dedication in providing high-quality critical and cardiovascular care to meet the needs of the patients in our community."

The HealthGrades study, the largest annual report of its kind, analyzed patient outcomes in nearly 40 million Medicare hospitalization records from 5,000 hospitals over the years 2006, 2007 and 2008. This year’s study found:

Across all 17 procedures and diagnoses in which mortality was studied, there was an approximate 72% lower chance of dying in a 5-star rated hospital compared to a 1-star rated hospital, and a 52% lower chance of dying in a 5-star hospital compared with the national average.

If all hospitals performed at the level of a 5-star rated hospital across the 17 procedures and diagnoses studied, 224,537 Medicare lives could potentially have been saved from 2006 through 2008.

The new 2010 HealthGrades hospital ratings were posted today at www.healthgrades.com, HealthGrades’ public Web site.

HealthGrades Ratings

HealthGrades’ hospital ratings and awards reflect the track record of patient outcomes at hospitals in the form of mortality and complication rates. HealthGrades rates hospitals independently based on data that hospitals submit to the federal government. No hospital can opt in or out of being rated, and no hospital pays to be rated.

For 28 procedures and treatments, HealthGrades issues star ratings that reflect the mortality and complication rates for each category of care. Hospitals receiving a 5-star rating have mortality or complication rates that are below the national average, to a statistically significant degree. A 3-star rating means the hospital performs as expected. One-star ratings indicate the hospital’s mortality or complication rates in that procedure or treatment are statistically higher than average. Because the risk profiles of patient populations at hospitals are not alike, HealthGrades risk-adjusts the data to allow for apples-to-apples comparisons.

More information on today’s HealthGrades study, including the complete methodology, can be found at www.healthgrades.com.

Bayhealth Offers Screening for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Nov. 17

Posted: Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Bayhealth Medical Center will offer a screening for abdominal aortic aneurysms at the Milford Outpatient Imaging Center, located at 1020 Mattlind Way in Milford, on Tuesday, November 17 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

An abdominal aortic aneurysm is a bulge in the abdominal section of the aorta, the body’s main blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body. Abdominal aortic aneurysms are very serious and can be fatal. Symptoms include:

a pulsing feeling in your abdomen, similar to a heartbeat

severe, sudden pain in your abdomen or lower back – meaning your aneurysm may burst

foot pain, discoloration or sores on the toes or feet (rarely)

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends that all men age 65 to 75 who have ever smoked be screened for an abdominal aortic aneurysm. Others at risk include men and women over age 60, those with an immediate relative (such as a mother, father, sister or brother) who has had an abdominal aortic aneurysm, those with uncontrolled high blood pressure and smokers. To try to prevent aneurysms, you should avoid tobacco, eat well, exercise and get regular physical exams.

Bayhealth’s screening consists of an ultrasound, which is the preferred screening modality for abdominal aortic aneurysms. There is a $49 fee for this screening and pre-registration is required. For more information and to register for your appointment, please call Bayhealth’s Education Department toll–free at 1-877-453-7107 at (302) 744-7135.

Bayhealth Honors Medical Staff at Annual Celebration

Posted: Friday, October 09, 2009

Bayhealth Medical Center held a recognition dinner at Dover Downs Hotel & Casino on Oct. 1 to honor physicians with 25 and 30 years of service, physician retirees, new physicians and physicians who serve as clinical student teachers.

Physicians recognized for 25 years of service were: Richard P. DuShuttle, MD; William M. Kaplan, MD; Teresa H. Keller, MD; Norman M. Lippman, DDS; and Steven E. Tooze, MD. Physicians recognized for 30 years of service were Roger S. Alexander, MD; Christopher Giles, MD; and Andreas Rauer, MD. Retiring physician Walter B. Moore, MD, was also honored, and a tribute was made to physician Robert W. Saunderson, MD, who passed away in January.

New medical staff members are: Flavius Akerele, MD; Hakim Azfar Ali, MD; David Amato, DO; Carolyn Apple, MD; Kunal Bhagat, MD; Joanne Brice, MD; Corder Campbell, MD; Richard Caruso, MD; Garrett Colmorgen, MD; Marisa Conti, DO; Dimitrios Danikas, MD; Sean Finnerty, DO; Kim Glover, MD; Preeti Gupta, MD; Keith Johnson, MD; Jondi Kakuberi, MD; Brijendra Kumar, MD; Tiffany Labella, MD; Linda Lawton, DPM; Qing Liu, MD; Stephen Malone, MD; Elissa Montross-Lopez, MD; Fanta Morgan, DPM; Wadia Mulla, MD; Andrew Nash, DO; Kimberlie Neal, MD; Odiraa Nwankwor, MD; Gregory Price, MD; Shane Quiterio, MD; Charizza Sales, MD; Ma. Olivia San Diego, MD; Sajjad Savul, MD; Jenna Seiff, MD; Gary Siegelman, MD; Shveta Singh, DO; Alton Trott, DO; and Carlos Villalba, MD.

Bayhealth’s Clinical Student Teachers are: Jerome Abrams, MD; Vincent Abbrescia, DO; Thomas Barnett, MD; Marshall Bovelsky, MD; Michael Bradley, DO; John Brebbia, MD; Linda Caballero, MD; Margaret Chou, MD; David Cloney, MD; Michelle Cooper, MD; Bhavin Dave, MD; Renee Grob-Mick, MD; Robert Hartman, MD; Marc Heller, DO; Brian Horn, DO; Laura Moylan, MD; Joseph Parise, DO; Sharad Patel, MD; Julia Pillsbury, DO; Robert Radnich, MD; Judith Rippert, DO; Lisa Reid, MD; Joseph Rubacky, DO; Robert Q. Scacheri, MD; Andrew Willet, MD; Maribel Woodward, MD; and Peter Wong, MD.

To find a physician to meet your needs, please call Bayhealth’s Physician Referral and Information Line at 1-866-BAY-DOCS.

Bayhealth Hosts Nurse Leader Conference Nov. 13

Posted: Monday, September 21, 2009

The Bayhealth Medical Center Patient Care Service Director's Council will host a full-day conference in recognition of Aspiring Nurse Leader Week on November 13, 2009 at the Sheraton Hotel in Dover.

The conference features guest speaker Tim Porter O'Grady, a leading expert in the areas of governance improvement, and strategic and administrative leadership. Bayhealth’s Patient Care Service Director's Council is led by Bayhealth Senior Vice President for Patient Care Services/Chief Nurse Executive Bonnie Perratto, CNE, MSN, MBA, RN, FACHE.

"I am proud of the dedication and commitment that our nurses at Bayhealth Medical Center have made to their nursing profession and for all their work with shared governance councils," Ms. Perratto said. "We have had so many council successes! And, I am excited that Mr. Porter O'Grady has agreed to be our guest and look forward to learning about the work he has done with shared governance models that will shed more insight into our nursing strategies and our professional practices. Mr. Porter O'Grady is an excellent speaker and expert on shared governance. The day should be filled with new and practical ideas to implement in the work environment. Come join the fun!"

Reservation is required; please call Renee Sylvester at (302) 430-5494.

Bayhealth to be Tobacco Free January 1, 2010

Posted: Wednesday, June 03, 2009

To improve the overall health and wellness of its employees and the public, Bayhealth Medical Center facilities will be completely “Tobacco Free” on January 1, 2010.

This initiative is one of several being implemented by Bayhealth’s Healthy Lifestyles Task Force. To aid in this transition, Bayhealth will offer multiple resources to employees, patients and visitors in an effort to reduce health risks associated with tobacco use and treat nicotine addiction.

“Tobacco use is a powerful addiction and the #1 cause of preventable death in the United States, causing over 440,000 deaths a year,” said Bonnie Perratto, MSN, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, FACHE, Bayhealth Senior Vice President/Chief Nursing Executive. “We carefully studied and analyzed the implementation of tobacco-free programs at other healthcare systems in order to create a meaningful plan that will help our employees, patients and visitors cease the use of tobacco products.”