In just two short months, our OAHS family welcomed 19 new babies – 16 of those babies were present for this photo shoot. 
Archives for 2013
We Grew by 38 Feet!
December 26, 2013 By
OAHS Receives Press Ganey 2013 Guardian of Excellence Award
December 12, 2013 By
Ortonville Area Health Services Receives Press Ganey 2013 Guardian of Excellence AwardSM for
Achieving 95th Percentile in Patient Satisfaction
November 27, 2013: Ortonville Area Health Services is proud to announce it has been named a 2013 Guardian of Excellence Award winner by Press Ganey Associates, Inc. The Guardian of Excellence Award recognizes top-performing facilities that consistently achieved the 95th percentile of performance in Patient Satisfaction.
The Press Ganey Guardian of Excellence Award is a health care industry symbol of achievement. Fewer than 5% of all Press Ganey clients reach this threshold and consistently maintain it for the one year reporting period. Press Ganey partners with more than 10,000 health care facilities, including more than half of all U.S. hospitals, to measure and improve the patient experience.
“We are proud to partner with Ortonville Area Health Services,” said Patrick T. Ryan, CEO of Press Ganey. “Achieving this level of excellence reflects the organization’s commitment to delivering outstanding service and quality. OAHS’s efforts benefit patients in the Ortonville area and will lead to improved patient experiences.”
“We are honored to be recognized with this award, “said Richard Ash, CEO. Providing the best possible care for our patients is our mission and this award is a direct reflection of the commitment and dedication of everyone at OAHS toward achieving that mission. It’s important to recognize that this award is the result of the combined teamwork of everyone. Excellent patient care is the culmination of teamwork of everyone at OAHS; every department, every person, every patient, every day. This award confirms that.
OAHS has committed to provide patient centered care to each patient and their family. Ways the OAHS Inpatient Unit provides such care is by providing hourly rounding, bedside report and whiteboards for communication for each patient and their family benefits. Each patient’s care is individualized to meet their needs when they require a hospital stay. The dedicated caring professionals are committed to doing all they can to make the stay as comfortable as possible. “It is truly an honor to know our patients reported the care they received exceeded their expectations. It is our faithful patients that awarded OAHS and we thank each of you for committing to receiving your healthcare at OAHS.” Jennifer Wiik, MA, RN, Director of Nursing comments.
Press Ganey Associates, Inc.
Recognized as a leader in performance improvement for nearly 30 years, Press Ganey partners with more than 10,000 health care organizations worldwide to create and sustain high-performing organizations, and, ultimately, improve the overall health care experience. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of solutions to help clients operate efficiently, improve quality, increase market share and optimize reimbursement. Press Ganey works with clients from across the continuum of care – hospitals, medical practices, home care agencies and other providers – including 50 percent of all U.S. hospitals. For more information, visit www.pressganey.com.
OAHS Recognized for Excellence in Patient Safety
July 25, 2013 By
Ortonville Area Health Services recognized for excellence in patient safety
Ortonville Area Health Services has been recognized by the Minnesota Hospital Association (MHA) for superior performance in patient safety as part of its Hospital Engagement Network. The MHA Hospital Engagement Network is focused on improving 10 hospital acquired conditions with the goals of reducing hospital acquired conditions by 40 percent and readmissions by 20 percent.
Ortonville Area Health Services has shown positive scores on 9 of the focus areas (1 area is not applicable for OAHS), including adverse drug events; catheter-associated urinary tract infections; central-line-associated blood stream infections; injuries from falls and immobility; obstetrical adverse events; pressure ulcers; preventable readmissions; surgical site infections; and venous thromboembolism. It was among 30 hospitals recognized by MHA for demonstrating high performance on three or more hospital acquired conditions.
Ortonville Area Health Services is helping to further strengthen patient safety in Minnesota and contributing to the state’s well -deserved reputation for high quality health care,” said Lawrence Massa, MHA president and CEO.
Ortonville Area Health Services strives to provide the best possible care to each and every patient. The medical surgical team partnered with MHA in multiple areas to learn of best practices from other facilities and have initiated multiple best practice practices in the facility.
Decreasing readmissions is a hot topic in the health care world. OAHS has implemented several interventions to prevent readmissions: education to providers and nursing staff, post follow up phone calls and pharmacy one on one visit to patients who have multiple medical issues, on new medications or have a new diagnosis. Home Health has also gotten involved with providing home monitoring equipment in patients’ homes for patients with congestive heart failure. Multidisciplinary approaches to patient care make a positive difference in the overall care of patients.
Ortonville Area Health Services’ Mission is to “Provide personalized, high quality and compassionate care through caring professionals in a healing environment”. Inherent in that mission is to provide safe, effective, patient-centered care to those we serve. Our partnership with the Minnesota Hospital Association provides increased support and resources for the work of our quality and safety teams. This award is evidence of our staff’s commitment to continually improving the safety, quality and reliability of their work. On behalf of the employees, physicians, and volunteers at OAHS, we are honored to receive this recognition.
OAHS Mammography Earns ACR Accreditation
June 5, 2013 By
Ortonville Area Health Services Radiology Earns ACR Accreditation
Ortonville, MN —Ortonville Area Health Services has been awarded a three-year term of accreditation in mammography as the result of a recent review by the American College of Radiology (ACR). Mammography is a specific type of imaging test that uses a low-dose x-ray system to examine breasts. A mammography exam, called a mammogram, is used to aid in the early detection and diagnosis of breast diseases in women.
The ACR gold seal of accreditation represents the highest level of image quality and patient safety. It is awarded only to facilities meeting ACR Practice Guidelines and Technical Standards after a peer-review evaluation by board-certified physicians and medical physicists who are experts in the field. Image quality, personnel qualifications, adequacy of facility equipment, quality control procedures, and quality assurance programs are assessed. The findings are reported to the ACR Committee on Accreditation, which subsequently provides the practice with a comprehensive report they can use for continuous practice improvement.
The ACR is a national professional organization serving more than 36,000 diagnostic/interventional radiologists, radiation oncologists, nuclear medicine physicians, and medical physicists with programs focusing on the practice of medical imaging and radiation oncology and the delivery of comprehensive health care services.
Congratulations to the Radiology/Mammography Department of Ortonville Area Health Services on the award!
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Students Interning at Ortonville Area Health Services
May 30, 2013 By
Ortonville Area Health Services offers opportunities for students to fulfill their internship and/or earn credits towards their degrees. Five students are currently completing an internship with the Organization including:
Courtney Dawald – Marketing Intern – Graduated from MSUM with Business Administration with Marketing Emphasis;
Theresa Craig, Kyrsten Karsky, Courtney Dawald, Kayla Findlay and Chelsie Parady
Kayla Findlay – enrolled in Physical Therapy program at the College of St. Scholastica;
Kyrsten Karsky – Pharmacy Student at NDSU;
Chelsie Parady, LPN at Southeast Technical Institute; and
Theresa Craig, Medical Lab Student, Lake Area Tech
“Wonderful Experience at Northridge” by Muriel Geier
May 21, 2013 By
“Just had a wonderful experience at Northridge nursing home. Having my shoulder operation in February, I needed exercise to get my left arm moving good again. Now today 2 months later it is on the mend with help of many women. Everyone very kind and helpful. So today I can go home, happy and ready to lead my life back on Lundell Avenue.
I liked my life at Northridge very much and know I will like it there in a few years but for now know I can go there to get help and come home again.
Thank you all for your kindness.”
SANFORD HEALTH NETWORK SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
May 21, 2013 By
Ortonville Area Health Services and Sanford Health Network Scholarship Program announces that 2013 Ortonville High School graduate, Cassandra Sorenson, is one of the 18 recipients of the Sanford Health Network Scholarship Program. The Sanford Health Network partners with local health care systems such as Ortonville Area Health Services to award various scholarships. Cassandra was awarded a $2000 scholarship based on health care career choice, grade point average, application and essay. Cassandra has been accepted into the Swenson College of Science and Engineering at the University of Minnesota Duluth campus and will be majoring in Pre-Medicine.
Cassandra is the daughter of Patrick & Liz Sorenson of rural Louisburg. During high school, Cassandra has been active in basketball, Key Club, Student council, concert band, jazz band, pep band, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, drama, church choir and church youth group and honor roll member. She was also the Key Club treasurer, winter carnival senior attendant and Youth Group President.
OAHS and Sanford Health Network Scholarship Program congratulate Cassandra.
OAHS Improving Patient Safety Through CT Scans
May 17, 2013 By
Ortonville Area Health Services continuously utilizes technology and other methods to improve patient safety and our newest effort involved upgrading our CT equipment to a 64-slice CT with AIDR 3D.
Aquilion CT with AIDR 3D
This CT system provides some of the most detailed images available and they are also designed to keep you safe by reducing radiation.
An industry leader in developing new technologies designed to limit radiation exposure, Toshiba’s CT
systems utilize the newest dose management technology – Adaptive Interactive Dose Reduction 3D (AIDR 3D). This personalized software automatically adjusts the level of radiation exposure to correspond with you and your procedure to provide your physician with quality
diagnostic images.
Knowing the considerations and benefits of CT can help you understand and better protect you and your family’s health.
Facts You Should Know
CT imaging is one of the fastest ways physicians can accurately diagnose a patient’s condition. The decision to undergo a CT imaging exam should be made by you and your physician together. CT imaging uses an x-ray to create detailed 3D or 4D images of organs, soft tissue, bones and anatomy. It is used often for a variety of reasons including to evaluate joints, trauma, abdominal pain, shortness of breath, blocked arteries or chest pain. The benefits of being imaged with CT are that it is minimally invasive and fast. While CT imaging can be very beneficial, it does use some radiation.
Is a CT Exam Right for You
We encourage patients to seek advice from their physician when undergoing a CT exam. To determine if a CT exam is right for you, ask your physician about the benefits and considerations of your specific exam. The benefits should outweigh the concerns.
One way to think about CT radiation dose is like taking a prescription medication. When your doctor prescribes a medication, he or she recommends the optimum dose to keep you safe and help you get well. CT scans work the same way. AIDR 3D can help medical professionals personalize your imaging exam by scanning you at the lowest possible dose to achieve the best possible images.
What is AIDR 3D
AIDR 3D is the latest generation of software developed by Toshiba that processes a scanned image by putting it through a series of cycles or iterations while reducing the initial amount of radiation exposure needed to achieve a clear image.
Fully integrated with the CT System, AIDR 3D is automatically activated with every scan. AIDR 3D also adapts to customize exposure for every patient and every procedure based on your body. The system uses information about your body size and shape to adjust the amount of radiation to be used for the type of CT exam you are receiving. All of this enables the technologist operating the system to focus on obtaining the high quality images your physician needs to accurately diagnose you.
Joint Replacement Surgery at OAHS
January 14, 2013 By
Dr. Michael Vener, Ranet Schmeichel, Ray Smith, PA
My name is Ranet Schmeichel. As with many people in my age group, I experienced arthritis in my hip causing great discomfort that was affecting my normal daily activities. After numerous treatment options, I chose to have my joint replaced.
As OR Coordinator at OAHS I knew that over a year go we went into a venture with Dr Vener and Dr. Johnston from Glacial Lakes Orthopaedics to perform these Joint replacements here. The most up-to-date equipment was purchased, training for OR and auxillary staff to provide superior care was conducted. Experiencing not only the expertise of the Surgeons but also Anesthesia, OR and all Auxillary staff; I chose to have my procedure done at Ortonville Area Health Services.
I was not disappointed. Beginning with Dr Longnecker and clinic staff through the Pre-op, Surgical and Post-op stay all staff that I came in contact with were professional and skilled in meeting all my individuals needs. There is nothing like being “at home” with people you know and trust during a difficult time. If there ever becomes a need to have another joint replaced I won’t hesitate to choose OAHS again.
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