- News & Press ReleasesGeneral Page Tier 3BlogAnne Arundel Medical Center (AAMC) has again received Magnet® designation by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s (ANCC) Magnet Recognition Program.® AAMC was first recognized as a Magnet organization in 2014, as the designation is bestowed every four years to organizations that continue to meet ANCC’s standards for nursing excellence. Magnet recognition is the highest national honor for professional nursing practice. Organizations must pass a rigorous and lengthy process that demands widespread participation from leadership and staff. This process includes an on-site visit and review by the Commission on Magnet Recognition. Only 502 U.S. health care organizations (out of over 6,300 U.S. hospitals) have achieved Magnet status. Watch as our team receives this honor: “Magnet recognition is a tremendous honor and reflects our commitment to delivering the highest quality of care to our community,” said Barbara Jacobs, chief nursing officer at AAMC. “To earn Magnet recognition is a great accomplishment and an incredible source of pride for our nurses and all of our caregivers. Our repeated achievement of the Magnet designation underscores the foundation of excellence and values that drive our entire staff to strive harder each day to meet the health care needs of the people we serve.” The Magnet Model provides a framework for nursing practice, research, and measurement of outcomes. The foundation of this model comprises various elements deemed essential to delivering superior patient care. These include the quality of nursing leadership and coordination and collaboration across specialties, as well as processes for measuring and improving the quality and delivery of care. Magnet recognition has been shown to provide specific benefits to hospitals and their communities, such as: Higher patient satisfaction Lower mortality and complication rates Higher job satisfaction among nurses “We’re a better organization today because of the Magnet recognition we first achieved five years ago,” added Jacobs. “Magnet recognition raised the bar for patient care and inspired every member of our team to achieve excellence every day. It is this commitment to providing our community with high-quality care that helped us become a Magnet-recognized organization, and it’s why we continue to pursue and maintain Magnet recognition.”0
- Cancer Care, Women's HealthGeneral Page Tier 3BlogOver the past 15 years, rates of new breast cancer have remained stable. However, breast cancer deaths have steadily declined, driven by improvements in many aspects of breast cancer care. The good news is that better treatment doesn’t necessarily mean treatment that is more aggressive. In fact, during the same time period many breast cancer treatments have scaled back, and specialists are working hard to find even more ways to treat less while delivering better results. Here are just a few ways breast cancer treatment has scaled back over the past decade: Fewer lymph nodes removed. Most women with breast cancer need surgery to check the lymph nodes in the underarm for cancer cells. Usually, the surgeons will remove the first lymph nodes in a larger ‘web’ of lymph nodes under the arm. In the past, if any of the first lymph nodes had cancer, surgeons would remove all of the remaining lymph nodes as well. Unfortunately, the more lymph nodes that are removed, the higher the risk of side effects, such as swelling of the arm from backed up fluid. A few years ago, researchers proved that many women with cancer in the first lymph nodes do not need the remaining lymph nodes removed. As a result, surgeons are performing far fewer extensive lymph node surgeries, which has led to fewer complications for women with breast cancer. Less radiation. In the past, women who had a lumpectomy needed six or seven weeks of radiation afterward to treat the rest of the breast. More recently, however, many women have options for less radiation treatment, sometimes taking as little as one week. Targeted medical therapy. Medications particularly targeted at a more aggressive form of breast cancer, known as HER2 positive cancer, have dramatically improved survival. At the same time, women who receive these targeted treatments do not need as many chemotherapy drugs, so they experience fewer serious side effects. These and other improvements in breast cancer treatment are possible because of scientific research studies. Locally, specialists at the Rebecca Fortney Breast Center at Anne Arundel Medical Center (AAMC) are also engaged in research to find ways to provide better care, while at the same time decreasing the side effects of treatment. Here are some of the exciting ways that research studies are moving breast cancer treatment forward today: Exploring the possibility of doing no surgery for some breast cancers that have shown excellent response to chemotherapy. Some women with breast cancer benefit from receiving chemotherapy before surgery. Sometimes, chemotherapy can shrink a tumor so that the patient requires less surgery. On occasion, the final microscopic analysis of the breast tissue removed after chemotherapy will even show that no cancer cells are detectable. If doctors could accurately predict which tumors would have no remaining cancer after chemotherapy, some breast cancers that show excellent response to chemotherapy might not need surgery at all. These women might be treated with chemotherapy and radiation alone. Although the approach of not having surgery would not be safe today, research studies are underway to determine if and when an approach of no surgery might be appropriate. Ultrasound to do less extensive lymph node surgery. Ultrasound, or sonogram, is a technique used to diagnose breast cancer in the lymph nodes before surgery. AAMC breast surgeons are studying information from ultrasound exams to tailor a patient’s treatment. Ultrasound may help to identify which patients with cancer in their lymph nodes should go to surgery, and which patients should start with chemotherapy prior to operation. For some patients, receiving chemotherapy prior to surgery may clear cancer from the lymph nodes, allowing the surgeon to remove fewer lymph nodes at the time of surgery. AAMC breast surgeons recently published research in the Annals of Surgical Oncology journal in this area in order to help specialists across the country improve their patient care. With rapid changes in the field of breast cancer care, medical decisions are complex. Talk to your doctor about which treatment option is best for you. We’ve seen amazing advances in breast cancer care in just a short time. I wonder what the next 15 years will bring? Author Rubie Sue Jackson, MD, is a breast surgeon at Anne Arundel Medical Center (AAMC). To learn more about the Rebecca Fortney Breast Center at AAMC, visit askAAMC.org/Breast. Originally published Oct. 2, 2017. Last updated Oct. 21, 2019.0
- News & Press ReleasesGeneral Page Tier 3BlogAnne Arundel Medical Center’s (AAMC) Chief Information Officer Dave Lehr is among Modern Healthcare’s 2019 class of Top 25 Emerging Leaders (formerly Up and Comers). Modern Healthcare, the leader in healthcare business news, research and data, annually honors emerging leaders, all age 40 or under, who have made significant contributions in the areas of innovation, financial, operational and clinical excellence early in their careers. “We are very excited to announce this year’s Top 25 Emerging Leaders who are not letting moss grow under their feet. This next generation of healthcare leaders knows that the challenges facing every sector of the industry demand action now. Modern Healthcare’s Top 25 Emerging Leaders bring an entrepreneurial spirit to problem solving,” shared Aurora Aguilar, editor of Modern Healthcare. “We received hundreds of nominations for this year’s class of Emerging Leaders. The final 25 chosen by the editorial staff represent the positive force of change that’s coming to the industry. We applaud them for these executive’s efforts to improve patient care and create efficient and quality-driven teams.” Lehr joined AAMC in 2015 as executive director of analytics and was named chief information officer in 2017. He has responsibility for overall strategy and deployment of electronic information and technology services. READ MORE: Anne Arundel Medical Center named 2019 CHIME Healthcare’s Most Wired recipient He has led in the creation of a new Analytics Department for the organization, overseen the creation of new organizational data science capabilities and the development of an inter-facility architecture to share care alerts across organizations in Maryland. The care alert framework pioneered at AAMC has gone on to become part of the Maryland Health Services and Cost Review Commission’s CEO Checklist for all Maryland hospitals. As stated by Modern Healthcare, Lehr has also been a key figure locally and nationally in the battle against opioids. He co-chairs the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives’ Opioid Task Force, which aims to spread best practices for using technology to stem the crisis. At AAMC, he was a key leader in forming an opioid stewardship committee that helped cut opioid prescribing by 68 percent. This year’s honorees are profiled in the Oct. 14 issue of Modern Healthcare and online at www.modernhealthcare.com/awards/top-25-emerging-leaders-2019.0
- News & Press ReleasesGeneral Page Tier 3BlogLuminis Health announces Timothy Adelman, Esq., as its general counsel and chief legal officer, effective Oct. 28. Adelman comes to Luminis Health from Indianapolis-based Hall, Render, Killian, Heath and Lyman, P.C., the largest law firm focused exclusively on healthcare law in the United States, where he serves as managing partner. Adelman also served on the Anne Arundel Medical Center (AAMC) Foundation Board of Directors. “We are thrilled to welcome Tim to Luminis Health,” says Victoria Bayless, CEO of Luminis Health and president/CEO of AAMC. “His selection for this role resulted from a national search process that attracted healthcare attorneys from across the United States. As the unanimous choice of the multi-disciplinary selection panel, Tim brings not only a national view of healthcare law, but also an in-depth understanding of Maryland’s unique regulatory environment.” READ MORE: Anne Arundel Medical Center, Doctors Community Health System combine to form Luminis Health A nationally recognized leader in the health-law industry, Adelman recently completed a six-year term as a member of the Board of Directors of the American Health Lawyers Association, serving as the secretary of the association, member of the Executive Committee as well as chair of the Membership Committee. He now leads the association’s 2030 Task Force, looking at the evolution of the healthcare industry and health-law industry over the next decade. A contributing author of the Hearing Officer’s Guidebook and author of its 2010 supplement, Adelman is frequently asked to present around the country on issues relating to credentialing, peer review and regulatory compliance. He holds a J.D. with honors from the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law and MBA from the University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business. He earned his BA with honors from Franklin and Marshall College.0
- Men's Health, Senior Care, Women's Health, PediatricsGeneral Page Tier 3BlogThe common cold leads to more health care provider visits and absences from school and work than any other illness each year. It is caused by a virus and is easily spread to others. It’s not caused by cold weather. However, cold symptoms may look like other medical conditions. Always consult your health care provider for a diagnosis if your symptoms are severe. A cold and the flu (influenza) are two different illnesses. A cold is relatively harmless and usually clears up by itself, although sometimes it may lead to a secondary infection, such as an ear infection. However, the flu can lead to complications, such as pneumonia and even death. What may seem like a cold, could be the flu. Be aware of these differences: Symptoms of the common cold Low or no fever Sometimes a headache Stuffy, runny nose Sneezing Mild, hacking cough Slight aches and pains Mild fatigue Sore throat Normal energy level, or sluggish feeling Symptoms of the flu High fever A headache is very common Clear nose Sometimes sneezing Cough, often becoming severe Often severe aches and pains Several weeks of fatigue Sometimes a sore throat Extreme exhaustion How is the common cold diagnosed? Most common colds are diagnosed based on reported symptoms. However, cold symptoms may be similar to certain bacterial infections, allergies, and other medical conditions. Always consult your health care provider for a diagnosis if your symptoms are severe. How is the common cold treated? Currently, there is no medication available to cure or shorten the duration of the common cold. However, the following are some treatments that may help to relieve some symptoms of the cold: Over-the-counter cold medications, such as decongestants and cough medicine Over-the-counter antihistamines (medication that helps dry up nasal secretions and suppress coughing) Rest Increased fluid intake Pain relievers for headache or fever Warm, salt water gargling for sore throat Petroleum jelly for raw, chapped skin around the nose and lips Warm steam for congestion Because colds are caused by viruses, antibiotics don’t work. Antibiotics are only effective when given to treat bacterial infections. Do not give aspirin to a child who has fever. Aspirin, when given as treatment for viral illnesses in children, has been associated with Reye syndrome. This is a potentially serious or deadly disorder in children. When should I call my health care provider? If your symptoms get worse or you have new symptoms, let your health care provider know. If your symptoms don’t improve within a few days, call your provider, as you could have another type of infection. Are you looking for a primary care doctor? Search our Find A Doc directory.0
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