iVantage Names Ortonville Area Health Services Top 100 Critical Access Hospital

Top 100 CAH JPG Logo 720pxOrtonville Area Health Services in Ortonville, MN was recently named one of the iVantage Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) in the United States.

“Ortonville Area Health Services is proud of the efforts our health care team, who together, has made achieving this designation possible,” said Richard Ash, OAHS CEO. “We were excited earlier this year when OAHS was recognized for performing within the top 10% of all hospitals nationwide, however, being recognized as one of the top 100 Critical Access Hospitals in the U.S. takes this excitement to a new level. A national designation like this does not come easily and is a tribute to the commitment of each and every member of our health care team, making a difference each day, to each person we serve. It’s an honor to receive this recognition on behalf of everyone at OAHS.”

Ortonville Area Health Services scored in the top 100 Critical Access Hospitals on the iVantage Hospital Strength INDEX™. The INDEX is the industry’s most comprehensive rating of U.S. acute care hospitals, and the only one to include the country’s 1,300 CAHs. The results recognize that the Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals provide a safety net to communities across rural America – measuring them across 62 different performance metrics, including quality, outcomes, patient perspective, affordability, population risk and efficiency. The list of the top 100 Critical Access Hospitals and more information about the study can be found at www.iVantageHealth.com.

“Rural healthcare deserves the same performance analysis as all provider performance. It plays a vital role for communities across America, serving nearly 80 million people. The services provided in rural America are similar to those needed in any major metropolitan area, yet the volumes and economic resources provide little economies of scale, making for little benefit from scale. These top 100 Critical Access Hospitals exhibit a focused concern for their community benefits and needs, regardless of scale, reimbursement and people’s ability to pay,” said Michael Topchik, senior vice president of iVantage Health Analytics.

“Our rural hospitals play a crucial role in ensuring Minnesotans have access to high quality care when they need it,” said Lawrence Massa, president and CEO of the Minnesota Hospital Association. “We are proud of Ortonville Area Health Services for its commitment and dedication to providing high quality care to help keep Minnesotans healthy.”

Ortonville Area Health Services
450 Eastvold Ave.
Ortonville, MN 56278
320-839-6157             www.oahs.us

About iVantage Health Analytics
iVantage is a leading advisory and business analytic services company applying Accelerated Healthcare Transformation™ and the VantagePoints™ platform to drive sustained, evidence-based results. The company’s unique combination of technology, content, and expert advisory services accelerates decision making for the new healthcare.

Ortonville Area Health Services Completes Leading Edge Advanced Practice Topics (LEAPT) Grant.

 

From Left to Right: Sara Tollakson, Cindy Jorgenson, Tim Swenson, Liz Sorenson, Twila Mursu, Kim McCrea, Jennifer Wiik, Rick Ash, Jeanette Felton, and John Thomas.

From Left to Right: Sara Tollakson, Cindy Jorgenson, Tim Swenson, Liz Sorenson, Twila Mursu, Kim McCrea, Jennifer Wiik, Rick Ash, Jeanette Felton, and John Thomas.

Ortonville Area Health services recently completed an 18 month grant that supported their resiliency training for the organization. Other topics the LEAPT grant dollars focused on was creating a hospital culture for safety that integrates with patients and employee safety.

Mission Lifeline Grant

Recently, the American Heart Association awarded Ortonville Hospital a $12,000.00 grant that will help patients having a heart attack. This grant money covered the entire expense for EKG transmission software that was installed at OAHS this past November. The software enables the medical team at the hospital to receive an electronic EKG (a tracing of the heart) directly from the ambulance and well before the patient arrives at the Emergency Room. Once the medical team can view the EKG, treatment, stabilization and transfer plans get started immediately. The software even allows us to send the patient’s EKG to a referring hospital so they can get the cardiac cath team alerted and ready to intervene. Every minute we can save in treating our most critical heart attack patients, helps to save heart tissue and patient lives; that is why this grant is so helpful for our community.

No one understands this better than Oklahoma resident, Bobby Joy. On November 8th, 2014 he started having chest pains and soon after called 911. Within minutes the ambulance crew arrived and were able to use the new equipment, sending vital information right to the awaiting team at OAHS.

Thanks in large part to the new equipment, and well trained staff, Bobby Joy was able to come back to the hopital a few weeks later for a picture and to express gratitude.

Mission Lifeline

A GROUP EFFORT in helping save the life of Bobby Joy of Oklahoma on Nov. 8. Pictured from left to right are nurses Melissa Davis, Anita Anderson, Sandy Brown, cardiac arrest survivor Bobby Joy, and EMT’s Barb Dockter and Scott Huizenga. Not pictured is paramedic Maria Wiltscheck. With the help of a Physio Control Lifepack 15 cardiac monitor purchased for the Ortonville Ambulance, the group was able to forward information to the Ortonville Hospital on the heart attack suffered by Bobby Joy.

New Year Baby 2015

New Year Baby 2015

FIRST BABY BORN IN 2015 at the Ortonville Hospital was Hayden Claire Pedersen. Hayden is the daughter of Jordan & Brittany Pedersen of Wilmot, SD. She entered this world on Monday, Jan. 5 at 6:37 a.m., weighing 7 lbs. and measuring 20 1/4″ in length. Grandparents are Kari & Mike Pedersen of Wilmot and Shaun & Denice Hooth of Milbank, Dr. Susan Andersen delivered the baby. Hayden is shown in a New Year blanket, a gift from the OAHS Auxiliary

OAHS designated as a stroke ready hospital

Ortonville Area Health Services designated as a stroke ready hospital

 Ortonville Area Health Services (OAHS) joins 67 hospitals recognized for their preparedness to evaluate, stabilize and provide emergency treatment to patients with acute stroke symptoms.

In 2013, the Minnesota Legislature authorized the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) to designate hospitals in Minnesota as “stroke hospitals.” Ortonville Area Health Services choose to apply to be designated as one of these stroke ready hospitals and received the notice of this achievement at the end of December.

“Choosing to be a part of the state’s stroke department, allows us even better access to current standard and guideline resources so we can continue to provide the best care possible for patients who present to us with stroke symptoms,” said Maria Botker, Stroke Designation Coordinator and ER/OB Nursing Coordinator at OAHS.

Nearly one in three Minnesota stroke victims first receives care at a small, rural hospital. In addition, more than one-third of Minnesotans live more than 60 minutes away from a Primary Stroke Center. These facts highlight the importance of local hospitals becoming designated as stroke-ready facilities.

“When it comes to stroke, time lost is brain lost,” said MDH Commissioner of Health Dr. Ed Ehlinger. “That is why it is so crucial that all Minnesota hospitals are ready to deliver high-quality stroke care close to home.”

It is important for Minnesotans to know how to spot a stroke quickly and call 9-1-1. You can recognize the signs and symptoms of a stroke by remembering F.A.S.T.

F – facial droop/numbness, A – arm weakness, S – speech difficulty, and T – time to call 9-1-1.

 

Christmas Baby 2014

 Christmas Baby 2014

CHRISTMAS  BABY 2014 born at the Ortonville Hospital is Molly Gayle Crist. Molly is the daughter of Heather DeJong and Bobby Crist of Ortonville. She was born on Dec. 23at 7:08 p.m., was 20 inches long and weighed 6 lbs., 4 oz. Grandparents are Laverne Mielitz of Ortonville, Gloria Crist of Milbank, SD and Bob Crist of Milbank. Dr. Bob Ross and Dr. Grant Botker delivered the baby. Molly is shown in a Christmas Blanket, a gift from the OAHS Auxiliary.

Please welcome Sarah Frisch

Sarah Frisch - Ortonville

Sara Frisch, medical student in the Rural Physician Associate
Program (RPAP) has recently started her nine month rotation at
OAHS.  RPAP is a nine-month, community-based educational experi-
ence for University of Minnesota third-year medical students
who live and train in rural communities. RPAP students experie-
nce hands-on learning as they care for patients of all ages.

 

“I’m excited to be in Ortonville and am eager to get involved in all aspects of patient care. Please feel free to say hi when you see me…if I don’t beat you to it!!!” 🙂

 

Welcome Dr. Grant Botker

Ortonville Area Health Services welcomes Grant Botker, M.D. who jDr. Grant Botkeroins our professional staff of practitioners. Dr. Botker will begin seeing patients at Northside Medical Clinic in September 2014.

Health Information Management Department Receives Excellence in Birth Registration Award

Birth records are a necessity for every patient. Every hospital is required to complete birth registration formHIM award Pics for every baby born in the facility. The data contained within the forms is collected by  Minnesota Department of Health Office of Vital Records and submitted to the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The MDH Office of Vital Records monitors the timeliness and completeness of birth registrations in all Minnesota facilities. Ortonville Area Health Services was notified that the Health Information Management department received the Excellence in Birth Registration Award.

 

The standard the MDH establishes is that all birth registrations are completed in full and submitted within five days of each birth. The medical facilities that fully complete and submit 98 percent of birth registrations within five days of birth receive the Excellence in Birth Registration Award. For the calendar year 2013, 57 of 104 medical facilities that deliver babies in Minnesota were honored with this award. A greater accomplishment is that of the 57 facilities that received the award, only 19 of those facilities submitted 100 percent of birth registrations within the five day time frame. Ortonville Area Health Services is one of the only 19 medical facilities in Minnesota that submitted 100 percent of birth registrations within the five day window.

 

This award highlights the Health Information Management team and the excellence of their work. The primary person at OAHS responsible for birth registrations is Kristen Ohm, and her back-up is Joett Nicholson. This award, and achieving 100 percent of our birth registrations completed in full and submitted on time, highlights the teamwork and dedication of Kristen and Joett. Congratulations!

OAHS Recognized by March of Dimes

From Stacy Longnecker, MDMarch of DImes Banner

As a physician at Northside Medical Clinic/Ortonville Area Health Services, I see many pregnant women who are a few weeks from a full-term pregnancy and are feeling really uncomfortable. Some are ready to schedule a delivery by induction or cesarean section before they have reached their 39th or 40th week of pregnancy. They know friends or family members whose doctors have agreed to schedule such a delivery.

 

But I know that healthy babies are worth the wait. At least 39 weeks of pregnancy are crucial to a baby’s health – and I won’t schedule a delivery before that unless there is a medical necessity. Here at Ortonville Area Health Services, we’ve made a pledge to give babies a healthy start in life. In December 2013 we were recognized by the March of Dimes and Minnesota Hospital Association for this work. We have reduced the number of early deliveries that are medically unnecessary. When the award was received at the beginning of December, OAHS had 67 total births (more since that date) and 15 deliveries of those births were prior to the 39 weeks and only 4 of these were inductions or 6% of our deliveries. All 4 of these inductions were medically necessary.

 

Development of critical organs, including the brain, lungs, and liver, occurs during the last weeks of pregnancy. Research published last year shows the risk of infant death doubles when a baby is born at 37 weeks of pregnancy as compared to 39 or 40 weeks.

 

I have been working with the March of Dimes and our hospital to eliminate the medically unnecessary c-sections and inductions before 39 weeks of pregnancy because all babies deserve the best opportunity for a health start in life. We are proud of this recognition of our work by the March of Dimes and the Minnesota Hospital Association.

 

Welcome 2013 Christmas Baby!

OAHS welcomes our 2013 Christmas Baby: Izieli Ramona

I2013 Christmas Babysieli was born on December 26, 2103 at 10:36 p.m. weighing 6 lbs., 12 ounces and was 21 inches long. She was welcomed home by her parents and 4 siblings.

 

We Grew by 38 Feet!

In just two short months, our OAHS family welcomed 19 new babies – 16 of those babies were present for this photo shoot. IMG_6650-Edit

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