- News & Press Releases, OrthopedicsGeneral Page Tier 3BlogFor six straight years, the Center for Joint Replacement at Anne Arundel Medical Center has been Maryland’s busiest hip and knee replacement program, drawing patients from all over the country. Recently the Center received national attention through these notable rankings: U.S. News and World Report recently named AAMC a high-performing hospital for hip and knee replacements. Orthopedic Network News ranked AAMC among the top 10 hospitals in the country for Medicare knee and hip replacements. Center for Joint Replacement’s annual report Two years ago, Anne Arundel Medical Center became the first hospital in the state to top 2,000 knee and hip replacement surgeries in one year — a pace that continued last year, when surgeons performed 2,221 joint replacements. Other findings from the Center for Joint Replacement’s annual Joint Outcomes Report include: High quality at a low cost: The Center provides the highest quality care at the lowest possible cost. The average cost of joint procedures at AAMC is 13 percent lower than Maryland’s average. Shorter hospital stays: The average joint replacement patient stays at AAMC for 2.16 days. This is 21 percent less than the average length of stay at Maryland hospitals and 23 percent less than the national average. Our patients want to get back to their homes, and to their lives, as soon as they are ready. Our extensive research shows that early discharge does not lead to an increase in complications or people needing to return to the emergency room. Plus, we see that patients are much happier to be out of the hospital and home with family and friends as quickly as possible. High patient satisfaction: The Center for Joint Replacement’s patient satisfaction scores have remained in the top 5 percent of the nation for the past six years. “We know our patients demand transparency about our outcomes,” says Paul King, MD, orthopedic surgeon and medical director of AAMC’s Center for Joint Replacement. “We believe publishing our joint outcomes enhances our culture of continuous improvement and increases value for our patients. Our patients know we’re a trusted, expert partner in their care.” You can find the full 2016 Joint Outcomes Report at askAAMC.org/JointOutcomes. To learn more about hip and knee arthritis, sign up for our free Hip and Knee Pain 101 class. You’ll learn how to get relief and have your questions answered by the doctors at the Center for Joint Replacement at AAMC.0
- CommunityGeneral Page Tier 3BlogHave you walked around your community lately and found a painted river rock with a message of encouragement or happy artwork that made you smile? These random acts of kindness are popping up not just in Anne Arundel County, but throughout the world and we’ve decided to get on board! The official Kindness Rocks Project began in 2015 in Cape Cod when Megan Murphy walked to the beach after losing both of her parents. She saw the beach as a place where she would be closer to her parents, and where amidst the sound of the crashing waves, they could hear her thoughts and provide continued guidance in her life. Several beach visits later, Megan began bringing a sharpie to the beach with her so that she could write messages of hope and kindness on the rocks for others to find. It wasn’t until a friend of hers found a ”kindness rock” and told Megan, that Megan realized these simple acts of kindness may be just as healing to others as they were to her. And now, two years later, kindness rocks have spread throughout the world. AAMC is dropping our version of kindness rocks throughout the main hospital campus with the hashtag #AAMCRocks. As we invest in caring for our patients, we encourage everyone to care for one another. This includes spreading kindness to all of the unique individuals who make up our community. If you find one of our rocks, we hope you’ll take a picture and share it with us on your social media page using #AAMCRocks, or by posting to AAMC’s Facebook page. Spread the kindness by ‘re-planting’ the rock where someone else will find it, or painting a rock of your own to put out in the community. Join the movement! Read our Step-by-Step How-To Guide to get started.0
- Men's Health, News & Press Releases, Women's Health, PediatricsGeneral Page Tier 3BlogUnder normal circumstances, most people know it’s a bad idea to look directly at the sun. But with the Great American Total Solar Eclipse on Monday, Aug. 21, people may be tempted to gaze upward. Not so fast, ophthalmologists say. Staring into the eclipse will burn your retina. “Even the slightly weaker sunlight during an eclipse is still very intense solar energy,” says Sam Boles, MD, an ophthalmologist with Anne Arundel Medical Center. “That energy focused directly on the retina can seriously damage your eyesight.” A total eclipse — when the moon completely covers the sun — will be visible across parts of the entire country. But other areas, including Maryland, will see a partial solar eclipse. The moon will cover about 80 percent of the sun in our area, according to news reports. John Avallone, MD, a pediatric ophthalmologist with Anne Arundel Medical Center, compares staring at the eclipse to using a magnifying glass to direct sun at an object on the ground, causing it to burn. It’s also the same as the burn that will come from shining a laser pointer into your eye. “The intense rays from the sun will burn your retina,” Dr. Avallone says. “You end up with a hole in your vision where that burn is.” So what can you do to safely witness this historic event? You have three choices: Both Dr. Avallone and Dr. Boles say you must use approved solar eclipse viewers. Look for solar filters that meet international standard ISO 12312-2. NASA and the American Astronomical Society have a list of recommended vendors who are selling approved glasses. Build a pinhole projector to watch the eclipse. This device will project the image of the eclipse onto another surface. NASA has instructions on how to do that. Enjoy images of the eclipse on TV or online. Dr. Avallone emphasizes the importance of closely supervising children who are wearing eclipse glasses. You want to make sure they’re looking through them, and not over or underneath the lenses. He adds that it is safe for people to be outside without the approved glasses if they’re not looking directly at the eclipse. The American Optometric Association and the American Astronomical Society also offer the following tips: Before you look at the sun, cover your eyes with the eclipse viewers while standing still. Glance at the sun, turn away and then take off your viewers. Don’t remove them while looking at the sun. If you normally wear glasses, you can keep them on, but put the eclipse glasses over them. If you happen to be in the “path of totality,” which stretches from Oregon to South Carolina, you can take off your eclipse glasses when the moon is fully covering the sun. But once the moon begins shifting and the sun reappears, you have to put them back on. See a doctor if you are experiencing discomfort or problems with your vision after viewing the eclipse.0
- News & Press ReleasesGeneral Page Tier 3BlogAnne Arundel Medical Center (AAMC) has been recognized as a top hospital in the region by U.S. News & World Report. AAMC was ranked 5th on the list of Best Hospitals in Maryland. Maryland has about 60 hospitals, of which only 17 met U.S. News’ standards to rank in the state. AAMC was also recognized as High Performing in six areas: Hip Replacement, Knee Replacement, Lung Cancer Surgery, Heart Failure, Colon Cancer Surgery and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. “Recognition for the high-quality care we provide our community is a testament to the hard work of our dedicated health care professionals,” says Chief Medical Officer Mitch Schwartz. “We’re privileged to serve our region as we fulfill AAMC’s vision of living healthier together.” U.S. News & World Report’s rankings and ratings compared more than 4,500 medical centers nationwide in 25 specialties, procedures and conditions. Regional rankings are determined by a hospital’s performance in the national rankings analysis and by its scores across nine procedure and condition areas. See the full ranking of Maryland hospitals. AAMC is consistently recognized for providing high-quality health care to the community in a variety of services. You can find recent awards and recognitions on our news page.0
- GivingGeneral Page Tier 3BlogWhile some may have historically perceived Anne Arundel Medical Center as focused on serving Anne Arundel County, the reality is AAMC is a regional health system that serves a larger community. In 2008, the hospital opened the AAMC Pavilion on Kent Island to provide easier access for its large patient population on the Eastern Shore. More than 10,600 AAMC patients live on the Eastern Shore, including Queen Anne’s, Kent and Talbot counties. Kent Island residents Sara and Tim Adelman volunteer on AAMC Foundation’s Building Traditions Society (BTS) Board, and have always viewed AAMC as their community hospital. Sara and Tim joined the Building Traditions Society at its inception in 2011 because they understood the importance of supporting AAMC and the wide variety of care services provided to our community. In 2016, the Building Traditions Society provided critically needed funding in support of a bilingual therapist for AAMC’s Community Health Clinic on Forest Drive. The Building Traditions Society also provided funding for a licensed clinical social worker who is devoted to providing pediatric emergency mental health evaluations within AAMC’s Pediatric Emergency Department. The Adelmans know the value of having access to the highest quality healthcare in your backyard. “I come from a family of healthcare people. You’re either a healthcare lawyer or a healthcare provider – doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners, we have them all. While our professions are healthcare oriented, our philanthropic efforts are as well,” says Tim. “I grew up watching my parents give back to their community, including the hospital. My mother, Cathy Adelman, has been extremely active with AAMC’s Foundation for many years and is the incoming Foundation board chair. It was a natural fit for me to get involved with AAMC’s Building Traditions Society.” Sara, a nurse practitioner at Annapolis Internal Medicine, feels strongly that mental health services are a critical need in our community. “The demand is much higher than the community’s current capacity, and there are many patients that will benefit from expanded services,” she says. “We have been very successful in raising money for Pediatrics, which is near and dear to most BTS families. Now we are excited to put our efforts into this much needed Mental Health initiative.” BTS has raised more than $410,000 to support pediatric and NICU services, community clinic services, and behavioral health services. BTS helps engage the younger generation in a meaningful manner. “While raising funds to support AAMC is at the core of BTS, we do it in a fun way. BTS brings together families from across the region in a social manner that supports a good cause. We have met so many great friends through BTS and look forward to another exciting year of events, including events on the Eastern Shore,” says Tim. “AAMC provides an array of medical services on the Shore, and our goal is to get more Eastern Shore families and local businesses involved in supporting their hospital,” says Tim.0
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