News

Christiana Care Earns Two Gold Awards and One Bronze in Heart and Stroke Care

2010-08-11 00:00:00.0

Posted on Aug. 11, 2010

(Wilmington, DE)—Christiana Care Health System's Center for Heart & Vascular Health is exceeding national standards in the treatment heart attacks, heart failure and strokes.

Christiana Care received the American Heart Association's Get With The Guidelines Gold Performance Achievement Award for Heart Attack and Heart Failure. Both awards recognize that Christiana Care reached an aggressive goal of treating patients with 85 percent compliance for at least 24 months to core standard levels of care as outlined by the AHA/American College of Cardiology.

In addition, Christiana Care received the American Stroke Association's Get With The Guidelines Stroke Bronze Performance Achievement Award. The award recognizes the organization's success in implementing a higher standard of stroke care for at least 90 days, according to nationally accepted standards and recommendations.

Christiana Care also was recently awarded the Gold Seal of Approval ^TM from the Joint Commission for Primary Stroke Centers. This distinction was earned through meticulous documentation and a rigorous on-site review, demonstrating that Christiana Care's program follows national standards and guidelines that can significantly improve outcomes for stroke patients.

Get With The Guidelines is a quality-improvement initiative that provides hospital staff with core standards developed from evidence-based guidelines for treating patients and preventing future hospitalizations.

Get With The Guidelines standards for heart attack and heart failure ensure that patients immediately receive risk-reduction therapies and medication. Patients also may receive counseling for smoking cessation, alcohol or drug use and for thyroid or weight management, as well as referrals for cardiac rehabilitation.

"Christiana Care is dedicated to making our care for heart and stroke patients among the best in the country," said Timothy Gardner, M.D., medical director and past president of the American Heart Association. "Implementing the Get With The Guidelines programs helps us accomplish this goal by making it easier to improve the long-term outcome for these patients.

"Get With The Guidelines programs help our staff develop and implement prevention guideline processes," Dr. Gardner added. "The programs include quality-improvement measures such as care maps, discharge protocols, standing orders and measurement tools. The quick and efficient use of guideline tools enables Christiana Care to improve the quality of care we provide, save lives and ultimately reduce health care costs by lowering the recurrence of heart attacks and strokes."

"The American Heart Association applauds Christiana Care for its success in implementing the appropriate evidence-based care and protocols to reduce the number of recurrent events and deaths in cardiovascular disease patients," said Gregg C. Fonarow, M.D., national chairman of the Get With The Guidelines Steering Committee and director of Ahmanson-UCLA Cardiomyopathy Center. "Christiana Care has achieved a high level of performance in terms of implementing these life-prolonging treatments."

According to AHA, each year approximately 610,000 people suffer a new heart attack and 325,000 experience a recurrent heart attack. About 5.7 million people suffer from heart failure. Additionally, coronary artery disease causes one in five deaths in the U.S.

Each year, approximately 700,000 people suffer a stroke, according to the American Stroke Association. Of stroke survivors, 21 percent of men and 24 percent of women die within a year. For those aged 65 and older, the percentage is even higher.

News Journal Features Christiana Care Transplant Program

2010-08-06 00:00:00.0

On Aug. 6, 2010, the News Journal featured Christiana Care's transplant program in an article about Delaware's transplant list.

Christiana Care Announces Drive for Rapid Adoption of Electronic Health Records by Community Doctors and Residents

2010-08-05 00:00:00.0

Posted on August 5, 2010

Robert J. Laskowski, M.D., president and CEO of Christiana Care

Wilmington, Del. – In support of the federal government’s implementation of “meaningful use” standards for health information technology, and to serve as a catalyst for improving health care delivery, Christiana Care Health System in Wilmington, Delaware today announced two major initiatives.

In partnership with Quality Insights of Delaware, Christiana Care has developed and launched a pilot project for a core group of community-based, primary care physicians for rapid adoption of electronic health information technology. The initiative leverages Christiana Care’s robust computerized provider order entry system and the nation's first statewide health information network.

A major regional teaching hospital, Christiana Care has also hardwired health information technology into the core curriculum for its July 2010 class of nearly 100 medical and dental residents and fellows. Christiana Care will also provide ongoing education to approximately 1,500 community physicians to be meaningful users of medical informatics for safer and more effective care.

“This call to action to effectively use health information technology for improving quality and safety is a leadership moment for our country’s hospitals and health systems,” said Robert J. Laskowski, M.D., president and CEO of Christiana Care. “Hospitals and health systems can play an important role facilitating the rapid adoption of health information technology and the meaningful use standards.”

Dr. Laskowski Appears at National Press Club Event

2010-08-05 00:00:00.0

Posted on August 5, 2010

Bob Laskowski, M.D., Christiana Care president and CEO, joined David Blumenthal, M.D., national coordinator for Health Information Technology, and other U.S. health care leaders on Thursday, Aug. 5 at the National Press Club in Washington, DC to promote use of electronic health records in physician practices.

The event focused on the value of health information technology (HIT) and the federal government's efforts to bring about greater use of electronic health records. Dr. Laskowski outlined how Christiana Care will assist community physicians in the rapid adoption of electronic health records.

Sponsors of the event were Health Affairs, a leading health policy publication, and Brandeis University's Health Industry Forum.

As a part of today's event, participants also posted their announcements on the Health Affairs blog, read Dr. Laskowski's article here.

Christiana Care Induced Labor study featured in Time magazine

2010-08-03 00:00:00.0

Christiana Care's Dr. Deborah Ehrenthal, as lead author of a study examined the association between induced labor and C-sections, is featured in a recent Time online article. Click here to read the article.

NPR/WHYY Feature Virtual Hospital

2010-07-30 00:00:00.0

Posted on July 30, 2010

NPR's Philadelphia affiliate WHYY broadcast a radio report and television segment on July 30 about Christiana Care’s Virtual Education and Simulation Training center.

Watch the full episode. See more First.

Dr. Hoffman Co-Authors Study on Late Pre-Term Births

2010-07-29 00:00:00.0

Posted on July 29, 2010

Christiana Care participated in a study published in the July 28 issue of Journal of the American Medical Association that finds the likelihood of having a baby with respiratory problems shortly after birth substantially increases for late preterm infants – those born between 34 and 36 weeks – compared with full-term births at 38 to 40 weeks.

Data from 15,000 births at Christiana Care contributed to the findings. Matt Hoffman, M.D., director of OB/GYN Education & Research at Christiana Care, was a co-author.

A retrospective analysis of more than 200,000 deliveries in the U.S. over a six-year period found that rates of respiratory distress syndrome and other lung problems were significantly increased for late preterm babies compared with full term infants – but the odds decreased with each added week of gestational age up to 38 weeks, according to the study.

"We believe this study represents an important opportunity to educate both parents and obstetricians about the impact of delivering between 34 to 36 weeks,” says Dr. Hoffman. “Members of the research team in the department of OB/GYN at Christiana Care were honored to both help develop and participate in this research. This study, which combined information on deliveries from 12 institutions, will continue to provide valuable information on how to better deliver care to pregnant women and their children."

Camp Provides Safe Summer Fun for Kids With Asthma

2010-07-28 00:00:00.0

Posted on July 30, 2010

A canoe trip on the Brandywine was one of the highlights of this year's Asthma Camp.

(Greenville, DE)—Louis Savino enjoyed the time of his young life this summer, petting horses, bowling and swimming. These may seem like everyday activities for a 9-year-old, but having everyday fun has its challenges for children with asthma.

Louis, a Middletown resident, attended Asthma Camp, where volunteers from Christiana Care made certain Louis and 10 other campers stayed healthy while they played games and learned how to manage their asthma.

"Volunteers are integral to the success of the camp," says Will Braunlein, program specialist for the American Lung Association. "People from Christiana Care step up each and every year."

Mary Gant, a Christiana Care nurse and registered respiratory therapist, has volunteered for 12 years. This year, she helped guide a canoe trip on the Brandywine River.

"Kids whose triggers are heat or humidity or physical exercise learn that they can still have an excellent time canoeing and swimming if they pre-medicate," she says. "Parents tell us their kids don't like to take their medications in front of other children, but they don't worry about it here."

Based at Christiana Care's Eugene du Pont Preventive Medicine & Rehabilitation Institute, the week-long Asthma Camp is designed to educate children ages 7 to 11 on ways to deal with such asthma triggers as pollen, smoke and animals.

For example, kids who react to animals learned that it's OK to pet a horse, as long as you wash your face and hands afterward.

"It's a fun environment that stimulates learning," Braunlein says.

Christiana Care allows employees to devote work hours to volunteering at the camp. It's important to reach out to the community, says Fran Gott, Christiana Care's clinical manager of respiratory care and a former Asthma Camp volunteer himself.

"We try to accommodate schedules so the camp has the support of respiratory therapists, day in and day out," he says. "We are committed to helping these children who are severe asthmatics attend camp like any other kids."
Louis and the other campers learned about asthma through such hands-on activities as filling toilet-paper tubes with cotton candy and then dissolving the cotton candy with spray from a water gun.

"The water gun is like our inhalers," he says. "It clears out the tubes so we can breathe better."
One of the best parts of camp is getting to know other kids who have asthma.

"Summer is supposed to be fun," Louis says. "I learned a lot at Asthma Camp—and had fun at the same time."

Caring for Our Neighbors articles highlight some of the many ways in which Christiana Care strives to improve the health of the people in our community. For more information about our community outreach efforts, contact Community Relations at 302-327-3320.

Dr. Brian Galinat Elected to American Orthopaedic Association

2010-07-26 00:00:00.0

Posted on July 27, 2010

Brian Galinat, M.D.

(Wilmington, DE)—Brian Galinat, M.D., chair of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Christiana Care Health System, has been elected to membership in the American Orthopaedic Association. The American Orthopaedic Association was founded in 1887 and is the oldest orthopaedic association in the world. Its mission is to identify, develop, engage and recognize leadership to further the art and science of orthopaedics.

Election to membership requires a nomination from a current member and approval from the membership as a whole. Candidates must practice orthopaedics for at least five years, achieve certification from the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery and demonstrate superior scientific and professional achievement. AOA members are committed to the specialty as a whole, and are seen as leaders in thought and action.

There are approximately 1,500 total members of AOA. Fifty-eight were elected to the association last year.

Dr. Galinat did his orthopaedic residency at Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals and completed a shoulder/sports-medicine fellowship at The Hospital for Special Surgery. He has been in practice in Delaware since 1989, was team doctor for the Wilmington Blue Rocks from 1993 to 2006 and a team doctor for U.S. Soccer from 1991 to 2005.

He is in his last year of a six-year term as the Board of Councilors representative to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. He serves on the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Coding, Coverage and Reimbursement Committee.

He became chief of the Section of Orthopaedic Surgery at Christiana Care in 2004 and helped establish Orthopaedic Surgery as an independent department in 2010.

CNN Interviews Dr. Gardner about Cheney Heart Surgery

2010-07-15 00:00:00.0

CNN interviewed Timothy J. Gardner, M.D., medical director of the Center for Heart & Vascular Health, on July 14 about former vice president Dick Cheney’s heart surgery.

Read the report on CNN.com.