(MINOT)
Time will tell,” glaucoma patient Nick Bachmeier
Archives for 2013
Osteoarthritis & Osteoporosis Clinic Emphasizes Non-Surgical Treatments
(MINOT, ND)
Not everyone with aching limbs or joints is a candidate for joint replacement surgery. Accordingly, Trinity Orthopedic Associates is getting ready to launch a special clinic devoted to the non-surgical care of people with osteoarthritis and osteoporosis.
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative condition characterized by the wearing away of cartilage inside the joint. Osteoporosis is a disease of the bones that increases the risk of fractures. Dr. E. Dexter Scott says that while Trinity’s orthopedic specialists have always provided non-surgical treatment for these two conditions, the O&O clinic will be unique.
Until now we haven’t had a clinic dedicated to the care and management of osteoarthritis and osteoporosis, two very common conditions that can occur together or separately,” Dr. Scott explained. “”With people living longer and adopting more active lifestyles
Trinity Health Receives Silver Award for Stroke Care
(MINOT, ND)
The American Heart Association has accorded Trinity Health its Stroke Silver Quality Achievement Award for demonstrating high compliance with national stroke care standards. The organization considers the Silver Award for programs that have consistently met AHA’s Get With The Guidelines® standards
for one year.
Trinity Health launched a comprehensive program in 2011 for the rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients, and last year it received accreditation by the Joint Commission as a Certified Primary Stroke Center.
Trinity’s program emphasizes best care practices to improve stroke outcomes along with education/prevention strategies to help people manage risk factors and learn what they should do if stroke symptoms occur.
Trinity Hospital is dedicated to making our care for stroke patients among the best in the country,” said Trinity Health President/CEO John M. Kutch. “”The American Heart Association’s guidelines help us accomplish that goal
Joint Program Designated Blue Distinction+ for Quality, Cost-Efficiency
(MINOT, ND)
The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) in conjunction with Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota has designated Trinity Hospital a Blue Distinction Center+ (plus) for Knee and Hip Replacement, a newly expanded designation.
Established in 2006, the Blue Distinction program has given patients, medical providers and employers a means to identify hospitals that deliver high quality care in several specialty areas, including knee and hip replacement. BCBSA recently announced the expansion of Blue Distinction to include new cost-efficiency measures (the plus”)
Interventional Radiology: Hard On Disease, Easy On Patients
(MINOT, ND)
A whole new class of leading-edge, minimally invasive treatments is now available to
Trinity Health patients. Dr. Kenneth Keller, medical director of radiology and advanced imaging services for Trinity
Health, says a new Interventional Radiology (IR) service was officially launched this past month with the addition of two interventional radiologists and the opening of a new Interventional Radiology Suite at Trinity
Hospital.
The radiology department has offered some IR procedures for many years, but we didn’t have enough radiologists to offer a full service with 24/7 on-call coverage, and we didn’t have a room dedicated to interventional radiology that allowed us to do high quality IR procedures. Now we have both of those things,” Dr. Keller said
Keyhole Surgery: Look, Ma! No Scar!
(MINOT, ND)
The days of proudly showing off one’s surgical
scars may be coming to an end.
For many common surgical procedures there has been a remarkable evolution over the last two
decades from open surgeries with a large incision to laparoscopic procedures that use four small incisions or punctures that serve as ports for the laparoscopic instruments.
But now laparoscopic surgery itself has evolved, giving way to a single port method for some procedures ‚Ä’ one that requires just one small incision, and a discreet one at that.
Dr. Lane Lee, a board-certified general and vascular surgeon with Trinity Health, has been performing single incision laparoscopic surgery for the past couple of years. He says it was a natural progression borrowing techniques from basic procedures like tubal ligations and appendectomies, long performed with a single incision, and applying them to more difficult cases like gallbladder surgery and bowel resections. He also completed a laparoscopic fellowship where he was trained in advanced single incision methodology.
The use of a single incision for more advanced procedures like gallbladders and bowel resections came about because of better lighting, better tools, better instrumentation, and better imaging,” Dr. Lee explained. “”Now we have halogen lights
Trinity Health Designated 1,000th Stroke Center
(MINOT, ND)
The Joint Commission and American Heart Association/American Stroke Association marked an important milestone,
recognizing Trinity Health as the nation’s 1,000th Certified Primary Stroke Center.
At a Minot news conference, officials from both organizations celebrated the achievement, congratulating Trinity Health and its stroke team for meeting the certification program’s stringent standards and performance guidelines.
This is definitely a milestone for The Joint Commission and American Heart Association to have reached 1,000 Primary Stroke Centers,” said M.J. Hampel