In The News
Hillcrest Medical Center has been selected to participate in a new three-year demonstration project from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) that will share cost savings with Medicare beneficiaries in the form of incentive payments. Under the program, Medicare patients could be eligible to receive up to $1,157 when they choose Hillcrest for select cardiac and orthopedic procedures.
As one of five regional “Value-Based Care Centers,” HMC will provide cardiology and orthopedic services to Medicare beneficiaries at special discounted rates. CMS will share up to 50 percent of these savings with qualifying beneficiaries in the form of incentive payments. HMC is the only hospital in Tulsa offering this unique benefit to Medicare patients.
“We are honored to be part of this innovative program, which has the potential to significantly improve the efficiency and quality of care provided to Medicare beneficiaries while making healthcare more affordable for many area seniors,” said Steve Dobbs, chief executive officer of Hillcrest. “Seniors who may be putting off care due to financial concerns can now take advantage of HMC’s high quality orthopedic and cardiology services while experiencing significant savings.”
Departments
Features
When Sue Ann Ryan took the stage last month during one of the grand rounds presentations at the OU Schusterman Center, it was the first time she had publicly spoken about her personal experience with domestic violence. Shortly into the presentation, any doubt she was doing the right thing quickly vanished. One of the residents in attendance made a comment Ryan will never forget. “I like to point out that I don’t call myself a victim – I consider myself a survivor,” said Ryan. “The resident said I was a thriver.” She will give her second presentation on May 20 as part of OSU Medical Center’s grand rounds. Her effort is part of the Screen to Save program, an effort aimed at providing health-care professionals the resources they need to help identify patients who may be undergoing domestic violence and how to provide the resources they need to get help.
Click below to read a personal story written by Ryan.
Guest Columnist
In honor of World Alzheimer’s Day, which was Sunday, Sept. 21, the Alzheimer’s Association Oklahoma and Arkansas Chapter asked people across the globe to turn their attention to this disease and visit www.actionalz.org to learn more and make a donation to support research and care service programs for those touched by the disease in the United States.
For every dollar donated, the Alzheimer’s Association’s national board of directors will match it dollar-for-dollar, up to $250,000.
The number of people affected by Alzheimer’s is growing at an alarming rate, and the increasing financial and personal costs will have a devastating effect on the world’s economies, healthcare systems and families. We must make the fight against Alzheimer’s a global priority. It’s up to every one of us to learn more about the disease and join the fight.
Health & Fitness
Oklahoma Cyberknife is proud to present the ability to perform cancer surgery without the surgery and its potential postoperative complications. Radiation therapy has been used for years to treat cancer patients with low-dose radiation in sequential thirty to forty-five treatments.
Now doctors have discovered the benefits of delivering high-dose radiation called radiosurgery, which can be more effective in eliminating tumors in as few as one to five treatments. Until recently this was limited to the treatment of brain tumors only and it required placement of a stereotactic head frame.
Job Profile
It’s no surprise that the health-care job market is booming. With the aging population and technology changing the way medicine is performed, new health care jobs are constantly popping up. In each issue of the Tulsa Health Care Journal we take a look at some of the jobs out there, some of which are familiar, some not so. In this issue we look at the travel medicine specialist. Helping us gain a better perspective on this growing field is Barbara Grogg, a nurse practitioner at Oklahoma State University’s Country Club Gardens clinic, located inside the North Tulsa Community Center.
Health Files
A smoking development . . . Chantix, a new anti-smoking drug, shows promise in helping smokers kick the habit. According to a study at
