e-ChannelThe Right Care Right Here

VOLUME 1 | NUMBER 3 | JUNE 25 2009

An electronic newsletter for our employees and friends • Available at www.irmc.cc, under ‘Staff Tools’ .

Bariatric Surgery Patients Special Guests at Chamber Breakfast

Above, from left: IRMC Clinical Dietitian Linda Glanzmann, R.D., with patients Belinda Bristol, Bonnie Mock, Bob Neel, Kevin Hogan, Jennifer Sutton, Evelyn Palinkas and Bariatric Nurse Educator Lillian Mooney, R.N., BSN. Attending, but not pictured: patient Kathryn Self.

Left: Dr. Theodore G. Perry informed the crowd at the Chamber Breakfast that IRMC now offers traditional gastric bypass, LAP-BAND and the new “sleeve” surgery. If You’re Ready to Quit,

We’re Ready to HelpEnjoy a smoke-free summer with the

help of the Tobacco Free Partnership at the Substance Abuse Council of Indian River County by ending dependency on nicotine and tobacco with its “Quit Smoking Now” class beginning on Monday, July 13, at IRMC.

The free class begins its first of six sessions at 6 p.m. in the Private Dining Room. The program is sponsored by Everglades Area Health Education Center and will be held quarterly, with classes rotating between IRMC and the Indian River County Health Department.

The class offers help with quitting cigarettes and chew/spit tobacco.

To sign up, call Nancy McClain at the Substance Abuse Council at 770-4811.

To strengthen the hospital’s revenues, the Registration Department is enhancing Point of Care collections. Patients will be contacted prior to or at the time of service to discuss financial obligations. Patients without insurance will be required to make payment. We are also requesting payments for deduct-ibles, coinsurance and co-pays.

• Deductible - an amount due out of pocket each year before insurance begins to pay.

• Co-payments - flat fees charged per visit for a medical service.

• Coinsurance -requires payment based on a percentage of the insurance allowance.

IRMC Financial Fact: IRMC provides $5 million in cost in charity care each year.

FinanCial Corner

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Indian River Medical Center hosted the monthly Indian River County Chamber of Commerce Breakfast at the Heritage Center on June 17 with seven special guests who were ready to tout the benefits of their bariatric surgery.

Combined, the seven men and women, two of whom are IRMC employees, have lost a total of 775 pounds since their weight-loss surgery.

More than 125 business people in the community - the largest number attending the breakfasts so far this year, according to Chamber officials - received pedometers, a body mass index chart and an information sheet about the Treasure Coast Bariatric program at their place settings. As part of the round table session where each businessperson spends three minutes

talking about his or her company and services, the bariatric patients at the tables shared their personal experiences and life-changing weight loss success stories.

IRMC Marketing Director Betsy Whisman welcomed the crowd and introduced Theodore G. Perry, M.D., medical director of the bariatric program. Dr. Perry spoke about the health changes in patients after they lose weight, including the eradication of diabetes and in many cases high blood pressure, high cholesterol and sleep apnea. Barb Horne, VP of Support Services and Human Resources, spoke about the financial benefits to companies whose employees experience weight loss through surgery. She cited an employee who was tardy to work 77 times in the year prior to her surgery and was not tardy one time post-surgery.

Have You Earned Your Key?Enhance patient care • Save money • Increase volume and revenue

From left, Richard Roozen and Julia Elrod hold the giant key!

Prostate cancer is the leading form of cancer in America for men. Men between the ages of 40 and 70, those with a family history of prostate cancer, and African-American and Hispanic men are at greatest risk for developing the disease.

IRMC and the Gifford Health Center are joining forces once again to provide free prostate cancer screenings on Saturday, July 11, from 9 a.m. to noon at the Gifford Health Center, 4675 28th Court, Vero Beach. There is no charge for the screening, which includes a blood test and rectal exam by a medical doctor.

Appointments are required. For an appointment, call Dawn Herrington at 772.770.5151, ext. 5015.

Have you noticed that our Security folks have a new vehicle? It’s a big improvement over the 13-year-old Jeep that had 96,899 miles, often couldn’t be started and tended to be in the shop more and more frequently. Better still . . . our new vehicle didn’t cost IRMC a dime! Thanks to the donation of a used luxury car to the Foundation, a trade was made with a local dealership to get the slightly used Hyundai Tucson that would be appropriate for daily use on our campus. When it’s not in use, you’ll see it parked near the employee entrance by the cafeteria.

The vehicle is used for lab pick-ups from the hospital’s ancillary sites, campus patrols and assisting employees who might be having car problems. “It does it all for us – and it also matches the hospital’s colors,” said Tom Burke, chief of Security.

Foundation Facts: In With the New

Free Prostate CanCer sCreening

Youth Take a ‘Journey Through Healthcare’

On Saturday, June 6, IRMC and Youth Guidance of Indian River County partnered together to educate children in grades 6-9 to introduce them to various careers in the medical field. Thirty-four children participated in “A Journey Through Healthcare” with the aid of 23 volunteers. The children toured Food and Nutrition Services, Imaging Sciences, the Laboratory, Nursing Services and Respiratory Therapy.

Two Life Star medical transport helicopters were on hand for the youth to see up close while talking to the pilots and paramedics on board.

The children also got to play some games and enjoy a lunch provided by Food Service of pizza or chicken fingers. And while visiting Food Service, they decorated their own brownies.

Left: More than 50 children and adults joined together for a day of fun and learning with the hope that the children will see the many opportunities in the health-care field.

Below: Just after decorating their brownies, a few of the Youth Guidance children posed with, from left, Janet Kennedy, Room Service coordinator, and Robert Gaines, sous chef.

Bottom: Mary Jane Stewart, director, Volunteer Services,

center, and two youth listened to Lt. Randy Spiegelhalter, aero-

medical coordinator, about his job onboard

a medical transport helicopter.

From left: Tom Burke, chief of Security, and Astrid Howell, Tony Barashke and Kurt Merschat, Safety/Security officers.

Key ideas are unlocking windows of opportunities to improve patient care, cut costs and increase revenue. Below is just one of the hundreds of suggestions that have been submitted to the I HOLD THE KEY initiative:

Eliminate underutilized vending machines: Julia Elrod, Patient Financial Services representative, suggested conserving electricity by cutting back on underutilized vending machines in areas that no one uses on weekends or at night, such as at the Vero Medical Suites building on 35th Square where Julia works. Richard Roozen, director of Food and Nutrition Services, reports that this service has been downsized in the past and that a review of the usage of each machine will be done. If machines are not utilized, they will be removed with the department

director’s approval. “Wow! I’m so excited that my idea is having an impact,” Julia said.

Give suggestions to your supervisor, e-mail them to Iholdthekey@irmc.cc, put them in the suggestion box in the cafeteria hallway, and/or give a call to the 4444 line.