Back, left to right: Angela Gilmore, RN; Mike Beaudoin, RN; Eric Matzko, RN; Kelly Thomas, RN; Brenda Richards, RN; Emily Turner, RN; Terri Compton, RN; Chad Cox, RN; Joseph Austin, MD. Front, left to right: Dorothy Cook, RN; Cathy Fisher, RN; Cathy Hiler, RN; Ann Hutchens, RN.

The coronary care unit at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital has been honored with the Beacon Award for Critical Care Excellence by the American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN). Out of more than 6,000 intensive care units nationwide, only 242 have achieved “Beacon” status.

“This is a testament to the hard work and dedication of an outstanding team focused on excellence in patient-centered care,” said Joseph Austin, M.D., medical director of the coronary care unit. “This is an important accomplishment.”

The Beacon Award for Critical Care Excellence was created by AACN in 2003 to challenge acute and critical care nurses to improve the care provided to acutely and critically ill patients. Beacon Award units meet rigid criteria for excellence, exhibiting high-quality standards, and exceptional care of patients and patients’ families.

Units that participate in the Beacon Award application process help set the standard for what constitutes an excellent critical care environment through the collection of evidence-based information.

“This award is a symbol of high quality standards as indicated by patient outcomes and professional practice,” said Carolyn Webster, R.N., chief nursing officer. “The national recognition as a leader in acute and critical care nursing further demonstrates our commitment to delivering the best care to our patients.”

Watch coverage of the award on WSLS.
[See post to watch Flash video]

For more information on the cardiac care team, please visit http://www.carilionclinic.org/Carilion/Advanced+Cardiac+Care.

Dr. Carol Gilbert and Dr. Janette Capella in the Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital Trauma Room

Carilion Clinic truama surgeons Dr. Carol Gilbert and Dr. Janette Capella have returned from Haiti, where they worked with a group of Roanoke-area health care providers to treat patients in the aftermath of the January 12th earthquake. 

Read more about their experience, reported in The Roanoke Times.

Pictured below – Dr. Murphy, Dr. Werner and Ms. Agee take questions at an employee forum held at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital earlier this week.

ROANOKE, Va. (Feb. 23, 2010) – In an on-going effort to advance the quality of care we provide our patients, Carilion Clinic will follow the lead of some of the country’s most respected medical institutions and improve the way we manage our relationships with pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers. The new policy, developed after more than a year of consideration, is intended to provide vendor representatives with continued opportunities to share valuable information, without the appearance of improperly influencing care-giver’s decisions.

Carilion’s new policy is similar to those implemented by the University of Virginia Medical Center, Geisinger Health System, and the Cleveland Clinic. It is also in line with recommendations from the American Association of Medical Colleges and the Joint Commission. 

“Nothing should interfere with the relationship between a doctor and his or her patient,” said Tony Slonim, M.D., Carilion Clinic’s Vice President for Medical Affairs. “We put the needs of our patients first, and want them to feel confident that we are making decisions based on their best interests.”

The new policy was developed based on the following:

• Quality, effective and efficient care is our top priority.
• Information provided by pharmaceutical representatives generally promotes newer, more expensive medications that may not always offer a significant advantage over existing, lower cost alternatives. This can drive up the cost of care, contrary to Carilion Clinic’s stated goal of cost reduction.
• The distribution of medication samples is largely uncontrolled and undocumented, making recalls and other issues difficult to manage.
• Pharmacies are the best option to manage the distribution of medications to patients.
• Our physicians’ office time should be spent with patients, not with drug and device manufacturers’ representatives.
• The presence of representatives and branded gifts and paraphernalia sends the wrong message, and can leave the impression of improper influence on care decisions.

The new policy takes effect throughout the Carilion system on July 1, however several locations are already implementing the new guidelines. Key components of the new policy include the following:

• Visits by vendors are by appointment only, and limited to non-patient care hours.
• All vendors must be registered through Carilion Clinic’s Corporate Purchasing Department.
• Vendors will be issued a temporary visitor’s badge and must wear the badge at all times when on Carilion property.
• Vendors are not allowed in patient care areas, and may not be present during patient appointments.
• All gifts, food and meals from vendors are prohibited.
• Carilion physician practices will no longer accept or keep medication samples from pharmaceutical representatives.

As an alternative to medication samples, Carilion Clinic physicians will prescribe generic medications (available from retail pharmacies for $4.00) whenever possible, encourage pharmaceutical representatives to provide vouchers that can be used to obtain a free supply of medication from pharmacies and maintain current information about assistance programs provided by pharmaceutical companies. 

This new initiative is just one aspect of Carilion Clinic’s mission to constantly improve they way we care for patients.

Coverage in The Franklin News-Post: Grant to bring more life-saving AEDs to county

WDBJ’s coverage below, including an interview with CFMH CEO Bill Jacobsen:

Carilion Urgent Care at Carilion Roanoke Community Hospital is closing at 4 p.m. today due to worsening weather conditions.

If you have a medical emergency, call 911, or go to closest hospital emergency department . The Emergency Department at Carilion Franklin Memorial Hospital is located in Rocky Mount at 180 Floyd Ave.

The Emergency Department at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital is located at the intersection of South Jefferson Street and Flannagan Drive.

With sad hearts, we learned last week that Morgan Dana Harrington was found in a remote part of a field on a farm near Charlottesville.  Although this was not the ending we wished, knowing that Morgan is no longer missing brings some measure of peace.  Many have asked what they can do now.

Morgan Dana Harrington

Morgan was a summer intern for the VTC School of Medicine last summer and she loved the school.  If you would like to make a donation in Morgan’s honor, the family requests that gifts to honor Morgan’s memory be made to the Morgan Dana Harrington Memorial Scholarship at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine. 

Donations to the Morgan Dana Harrington Memorial Scholarship may be made online. On the giving form, under Gift Information, simply select Other Designation, and type in “The Morgan Dana Harrington Memorial Scholarship.”

If you prefer to mail your gift, please send it to:

Virginia Tech
Attn: Gift Accounting – Morgan Dana Harrington Memorial Scholarship
University Development (0336)
Blacksburg, VA 24061

Alternatively, donations can be made to OMNI.  OMNI – Orphan Medical Network International – provides medical care and education for children in Africa.  Donations may be mailed to:

OMNI
6930 Empire Lane
Roanoke VA 24018

A memorial service will be held for Morgan on Friday, February 5, 2010, at 3:30 PM at St. Andrews Catholic Church followed by a reception at Hotel Roanoke.