Thanks to some quick collaboration between KEYS 4 HealthyKids and the West Virginia Department of Agriculture, CAMC was given 4,000 pounds of West Virginia-grown sweet potatoes in Janurary.

After examination by nutrition services, the produce was made available for employees and visitors to take, along with nutritional information and recipes.

KEYS 4 HealthyKids representative also sorted the sweet potatoes into 50-pound bags. State Department of Agriculture Commissioner Walt Helmick helped distribute those bags to KEYS’ partner child care centers and schools, shelters and area foodbanks.

January 2016

In 2015, 180 people were nominated for the Heart and Soul award for their care for patients, visitors and coworkers.

All Heart and Soul winners from each month were honored at the annual luncheon, Jan. 14. All of the winners’ names were put into a drawing for a grand prize of $2,000. This year’s recipient was Melissa Appleton, a nurse in the Children’s Cancer Center.

Appleton was originally recognized for taking the time to get to know each of her patients and helping them cope with the treatments they are undergoing.

Anyone can make a nomination by going to CAMnet, clicking on the Heart and Soul logo and filling out the form. If letters are received from a patient or family, those can be submitted to HR for consideration.

The live date for CAMC’s transition to Cerner is Sept. 14, 2016. During the next 10 months we have much work to complete – continuing solution meetings to design and build, future state validation, testing and training – and everything is moving on schedule.

When CAMC experiences an event of this magnitude that requires “all hands on deck,” it is typically one for which we’ve had little to no notice – such as a power outage or severe weather situation. The difference with the Cerner transition is that we have been preparing for many months already, we know what lies ahead and we know what to do to prepare.

A few weeks ago, you received communication about key dates that time off will be restricted in 2016. While those involved in the project, especially trainers, may be affected by all of these, we are asking all employees of CAMC Health System companies to commit to a mandatory “blackout period” and not take PTO between Monday, Sept. 12, and Friday, Sept. 30. Even departments that do not have systems changing will not be granted PTO during this period.

The eight-week training period of July 17 through Sept. 11, 2016, is considered

a “gray out period” – meaning that PTO will be given only if the schedules are covered. Trainers, subject matter experts and change champions may have other dates during the training period that are considered blackout dates.

The only allowances for PTO during the blackout period will be for planned, major life events such as weddings, the birth of children or grandchildren, or already granted PTO that is connected to a deposit or pre-paid vacation paid before Dec. 9, 2015. All of these allowable exceptions must be approved by a vice president. (Of course this does not include unplanned major life events.)

This is one of the largest events that CAMC has undertaken, and it involves a considerable amount of work and commitment from all employees.

The CAMC Cancer Center has received reaccreditation by the QOPI Certification Program (QCP™), an affiliate of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). The Quality Oncology Practice Initiative (QOPI) was designed by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in recognition of the importance of integrating continuous quality improvement into patient-centered clinical practice. This voluntary program allows facilities to monitor quality initiatives against benchmarks established through ASCO’s member oncologists and quality experts using clinical guidelines and published standards.

Having first achieved QOPI certification in December 2012, the CAMC Cancer Center remains the first and only QOPI-accredited center in the state. The recertification is effective for three years. More than 900 oncology practices have registered for the QOPI program and more than 250 practices are currently certified.

“Practices that achieve recertification continue to show their strong dedication to providing patients with high quality cancer care,” said ASCO President Julie M. Vose, MD, MBA, FASCO. “The QOPI Certification Program assists practices in maintaining quality and safety excellence by providing assessment measures and information for continual quality improvement.”

In applying for recertification, the Cancer Center had to again meet QCP’s requirements, which includes participating in a voluntary comprehensive site assessment and being successful in meeting the standards and objectives of the QOPI Certification Program.

QOPI® analyzes individual practice data and compares these to more than 160 evidence-based and consensus quality measures. The information is then provided in reports to participating practices. Each facility is also able to compare its performance to data from practices across the country.

CAMC Cancer Center earns QOPI reaccreditation for providing quality cancer care

Cerner Revolution

Continued on page 4

Continued on page 4

Sweet start to the new year

Heart&Soul

Key facts - Cerner trainingThese are some key things to know related to the training period of our transition to Cerner:

•Affectedemployeeswillcompletea technology efficiency assessment before live Cerner training (April/May)

•Livetrainingwillrequireemployeesto complete a post-course assessment and achieve an 80 percent score on this assessment to receive a Cerner login/password (July/August/September)

•Remediationwillberequiredforemployees achieving less than an 80 percent competency in live training

• IndividualtrainingplanswillincludeWeb-based and live training

•Employeetraininghourswillrangefrom 2 to 25 hours of training

•Coursetimeisexpectedtobescheduled in 2 to 4 hour blocks of time

•Mostlivecourseswillbeheldincomputer training labs at Northgate

•CEcreditwillbeavailableforsomecourse work for physicians and nurses (other CE opportunities are being reviewed)

Stay tuned for more details, and keep up with the Cerner Revolution site on CAMnet for the latest information.

John Goad, MD Eric Shouldis, MD

VitalSigns 2

Lowerbackandneckpainaccountsformore than 3 million medical cases in the United States each year. Though a common ailment, it can affect every part of your life and have serious, long-term consequences if not accurately diagnosed and treated.

“Estimates are that 80 percent of people at some point in their lives will have trouble with their backs, but the overall prognosis for back and neck pain is fairly good, especially when it’s addressed early,” said Dave O’Brien, physical therapist (PT) at the CAMC Physical Therapy Center.

O’Brien is one of only a few PTs in West Virginia who is diplomaed in the McKenzie Method of treating back and neck pain, which combines mechanical assessment, exercise, self-management, patient education and empowerment in lieu of spending months in therapy, buying expensive equipment or relying on invasive methods like injections or surgery.

The McKenzie Method is effective for a variety of musculoskeletal problems, including pain in the back, neck and extremities (i.e., shoulder, knee, ankle, etc.), as well as issues associated with sciatica, sacroiliac joint pain, arthritis, degenerative disc disease, muscle spasms and intermittent numbness in the hands or feet.

Developed and introduced in the 1950s by physiotherapist Robin McKenzie of New Zealand, the McKenzie Method is a technique that allows patients to learn the principles of their pain and empowers them to be in control of their own symptom management through extensive assessment and exercise-based treatment options.

“McKenzie painstakingly took notes about how patients responded to different movements, positions and applications of force,” said O’Brien, who completed a fellowship and is diplomaed in Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy from the

McKenzie Institute International. “He followed how pain patterns behaved based on particular positions and movements, and he came up with the idea of teaching people how to do it themselves. Educating patients and teaching them how to fix their own problem is the hallmark of this approach. It focuses on making the patient independent and only using manual techniques when absolutely necessary to advance their progress.”

The program begins with a thorough assessment of the patient, which includes how they stand, bend, walk and lie down.

Each of these movements has a strong effect on the presenting symptoms. The answers to these questions help O’Brien figure out what treatment and prevention strategies may be beneficial for them.

“This program is very individualized for each person,” O’Brien said. “Based on their responses in the assessment, I can give them self-treatment recommendations that, more often than not, prove to be very effective.”

The patient is asked to perform these exercises roughly every two hours at the beginning of treatment. They are also instructed to perform the exercises in the presence of increasing pain.

“What we want to do is interrupt the factors that are causing the pain,” O’Brien said. “If the exercises are reductive, then applying them frequently throughout the day gives them much better management of their symptoms.”

CAMC offers unique treatment for back and neck pain: No medication, no surgery

2016 MEDICAL STAFF OFFICERS

Jonathan D. Estes, MD, specializes in anesthesiology. Estes received his medical degree from the Marshall University School of Medicine. He completed an anesthesiology residency at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

Hatim S. Al-Jaroushi, MD, specializes in critical care medicine. Al-Jaroushi received his medical degree from Garyounis University of Faculty of Medicine. He completed an internal medicine residency at New York Medical College. He completed a pulmonary disease fellowship at Marshall University School of Medicine and a critical care medicine fellowship at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Al-Jaroushi is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine with subspecialties in critical care medicine and pulmonary disease.

WELCOME NEW PHYSICIANS

The results of the election for 2016 secretary/treasurer were announced at the medical staff executive council meeting, Jan. 14. Shelda Martin, MD, was elected. The other officers for 2016 are:

John Goad, MD, Chief of Staff, Eric Shouldis, MD, Chief of Staff Elect and Shawn Groves, MD, Immediate Past Chief of Staff.

The following will serve as department chiefs and vice chiefs in 2016:

camc.org/PrimaryCare

Continued on page 4

CAMC Physicians Group Primary Care now open in Winfield

Bringing our family closer to yours

By entrusting your health to the doctors and staff of CAMC Physicians Group Primary Care, you have the best of both worlds – quality care in your hometown and efficient access to specialty and hospital services whenever the need arises.

Nazia Ahmed, MD

12576 Winfield Rd. | Winfield, WV 25213 | (304) 586-0111

Shelda Martin, MD Shawn Groves, MD

DEPARTMENT CHIEF AND VICE CHIEFAnesthesiology Donna Slayton, MD, chief

Michael Panger, MD, vice chief

Cardiovascular Medicine John Deel, MD, chief Elie Gharib, MD, vice chief

Community Medicine Michael Robie, DO, chief RobertLewis,II,,vice chief

Community Surgery James Cox, DO, chief Devin King, MD, vice chief

Emergency Medicine Kimberly Ewing, MD, chief Jeffrey Mullen, DO, vice chief

Family Practice Melissa Poulos, MD, chief Shannon Carpenter, MD, vice chief

Medical Imaging & Michael Anton, MD, chief Radiation Oncology Russell King, MD, vice chief

Medicine Seyed Shams, MD, chief Ahmed Khalid, MD, vice chief

Neurosciences John Orphanos, MD, chief

David Carrington, MD, vice chief

Obstetrics & Gynecology Scott Hunter, MD, chief Steven Southern, MD, vice chief

Orthopedics & Rehabilitation James Maurer, DO, chief Frederick Pollock, MD, vice chief

Otolaryngology P. Todd Nichols, MD, chief George Dawson, MD, vice chief

Pathology J. Todd Kuenstner, MD, chief Milton Plata, MD, vice chief

Pediatrics Jayesh Shah, MD, chief Susan Ayoubi, MD, vice chief

Surgery Michael Hall, MD, chief Michael Elmore, MD, vice chief

Urology Sam Deem, DO, chief Ryan Fitzwater, DO, vice chief

Editor: Elizabeth PellegrinGraphic Designer: Tony Campbell

VitalSigns 3

A publication of the CAMC Health System

Writers: Scott Jarrell Lindsey Lilly Julia NolandAshley Showen

Published by: Marketing & Public Affairs PO Box 1547 • Charleston, WV 25326 Story ideas always welcome. To suggest a story, call (304) 388-5757, fax (304) 388-5755.

Writer, Editors: Dale Witte Jessica Duffield

©Copyright Charleston Area Medical Center Inc. 2016

CAMC offers unique treatment for back and neck pain: No medication, no surgery

Ryan White Program receives grant from Elton John AIDS FoundationThe Ryan White Program has been awarded a $50,000 grant from the Elton John AIDS Foundation, which supports innovative HIV prevention and stigma reduction programs and direct care services to people living with HIV/AIDS. The Foundation is one of the world’s largest HIV grant-makers, and the Ryan White Program is the first in West Virginia to receive funding from it.

The grant will be used to implement theALinkagetoCareProgramwhich will make HIV care and support accessible to those without transportation in remote areas, particularly in southern West Virginia. The funds will cover home HIV testing kits, gas cards to assist patients in travel expenses to get to the clinic, oral care kits and dental cleanings.

“One of the biggest challenges in the field of HIV/AIDS today is getting positive individuals into care and keeping them there,” said Ryan White program director Christine Teague, PharmD. “We have the tools to eradicate the HIV epidemic, but only if people get tested and if positive, get into a program where they have access to treatments that they can take to get their virus to undetectable levels.”

The Ryan White Program’s mission is to increase access to services for individuals at risk for, or

infected with, HIV disease and to provide quality, comprehensive patient care in a safe environment for all lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender West Virginians. The program has been in existence since 2002 and sees more than 300 patients in 19 southern West Virginia counties, many of whom are uninsured or underserved.

There are countless benefits to walking and staying active. According to the American

Podiatric Medical Association, every minute of walking can extend your life by 1.5 to two minutes. Walking also can help you lose body fat and avoid heart disease, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis and some cancers.

To encourage walking as part of an active lifestyle, CAMC co-sponsors the “Walk of the Town” Mall Walkers Club with the Charleston Town Center (CTC) mall.

Each month, CAMC provides a guest speaker to discuss relevant topics for the group.

Past speakers have included experts from nutrition services, physical therapy, diabetes education and Medicare Advantage.

Mall Walkers meeting dates and topics:•Feb.16–WomenandHeartDisease•March15-Hearing•April19-Memory•May17–Urology

All meetings begin at 8:30 a.m. and are located in Center Court of the Charleston Town Center. Refreshments and door prizes are provided by the CTC.

For more information, call the CTC Marketing Department at (304) 345-9526 or visit charlestontowncenter.com.

When cancer patients first receive their diagnoses and begin treatment, their main focus is getting to the end of active treatment and getting back to life before cancer.

However, people often aren’t prepared for the new challenges that lie ahead after being a cancer patient. They have to learn how to transition to a new identity – cancer survivor.

Finding a “new normal” after experiencing the chaos of cancer—a mentally, physically and emotionally draining battle—is often a difficult task.

Breast cancer survivor Amy Smith describes it as “no man’s land.”

“This is where the hard part begins,” Smith said. “This is where the grieving process starts. The loss of who we were before cancer hijacked our lives.”

The CAMC Cancer Center now has a fulltime survivorship coordinator to help patients make this transition.

Shortly after the new Cancer Center opened, survivorship coordinator Jo Thomas and full-time Cancer Center psychologist Jennifer Hancock, PsyD, started a support group for breast cancer survivors working to find their “new normal.” The group initially met weekly, discussing everything from nutrition and sleep to the struggles of parenting post cancer.

The women bonded into a group and became a lifeline for each other.

Smith was among the first to volunteer to join the group, eager to meet women with similar experiences to hers.

It’s the time of year for healthier eating, increased activity and a NEW wellness portal. MyHealth has partnered with Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield to bring employees a new and improved wellness portal, powered by WebMD.

Want to learn more? Visit the MyHealth Fair at one of the following locations:

Jan. 25: Teays Valley Hospital 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Jan. 26: Women and Children’s Hospital 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Jan. 28: Memorial Hospital 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Jan. 29: Document Center 7 a.m. to noon.

Feb. 1: General Hospital 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The MyHealth incentive program gift card distribution also will take place during these fairs. We will have vendors to address physical and nutritional wellness, financial wellness, pharmacists to answer nicotine replacement and tobacco cessation questions, raffles, a smoothie bike and much more!

Program aims to ease transition from treatment to life after cancer“The grant enables us to expand

upon what our newly hired linkage/retention coordinator is able to do with some of the hardest to engage clients - those in poverty and stigma-stricken southernmost West Virginia counties-- which are some of the highest at-risk for dropping out of care due to these variables,” Teague said. “It will allow the coordinator to travel to these clients and assess needs and problems to better keep them in care. Funding will also allow for the provision of HIV home testing kits to their partners, who may be reluctant to seek out traditional testing venues.”

The sooner a patient is diagnosed, the better chance he or she has of keeping HIV from progressing. At-home testing kits take only 20 minutes for results and can be done in the privacy of one’s home. The Ryan White Program has provided free at-home tests to the community for several years and offers counseling to patients after learning the results.

Another large part of HIV/AIDS prevention is education. Medical advances over the last few decades are making it possible for the HIV virus to remain dormant in patients for much longer. There is even a medication for patients to take prophylactically to prevent the transmission of HIV if they know they are at risk.

The grant was made possible through a collaboration of the Ryan White Program, CAMC Health Education and Research Institute, and the CAMC Foundation.

For more information about the Ryan White Program, visit camc.org/RyanWhite.

“It’s a sisterhood…and not one that we ever wanted to join, but here we are, struggling to stay afloat, together,” Smith said.

In addition to support groups, the survivorship program at the CAMC Cancer Center offers a full-time psychologist to help cope with post-treatment struggles; a dietician to provide advice on foods to eat to maintain optimal health; classes like the Healthy Steps exercise series, targeted specifically for current and former cancer patients; and more.

Patients can also take advantage of free massages that are offered once a week in the boutique at the CAMC Cancer Center.

“Our goal is to make the transition back to ‘normal’ life as easy as possible for our patients,” Thomas said. “We’re here to offer any support they need, whether it be connecting them with other patients to discuss similar issues or helping guide them when reintroducing pre-diagnosis routines and activities.”

The Cancer Center has recently created a patient advisory group to get feedback from patients about what services would be helpful after treatment. Through this group and other means of patient feedback, the Cancer Center will continue to evaluate the needs of its patients and provide the tools they need throughout their cancer journey.

For more information about the CAMC Cancer Center and the survivorship programs available, visit camc.org/CancerCenter or call (304) 388-8612.

“Walk of the Town” Mall Walkers club

nursing news and notes

Surgical Trauma ICU welcomes Lovetta Ball, RN; Megan Scarberry, RN; and Brianna Smith, NE.

Teays Valley Hospital surgical services welcomes Toni Priestly, RN to short stay surgery.

3 West at Memorial Hospital welcomes Susan Hill, RN; Brittany Young, RN; Jamie Thomas,LPN;andFarrah Elkins, NA.

OR at General Hospital welcomes Brittany Ross, RN and Matt Kiser, NEII.

PACU at General Hospital welcomes Amber Thompson, RN.

3 South at General Hospital congratulates Valerie Starsick on her promotion to clinical management coordinator.

ED at Teays Valley Hospital congratulates Cassandra Hildreth, RN, MSN, on becoming the ED director.

Jessica Robinson is the new nurse manager in the MICU at General Hospital. Most recently she worked as the clinical management coordinator for 3S/IMCU.

VitalSigns 4

MILESTONESLeadership:Crucial Accountability, Feb. 3, 8 a.m. to noon

Effective Meetings 201, Feb. 9, 8 a.m. to noon

Driving Change, Feb. 11, 1 to 5 p.m.

Foundation of Leadership, Feb. 16, 1 to 2:30 p.m.

Developing Yourself and Others, Feb. 17, 8 a.m. to noon

Presentation Skills, Feb. 23, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Coaching for Peak Performance, Feb. 24, 1 to 5 p.m.

All leadership classes are held in CAMC Institute training center rooms A/B.

Melda Brown,MBA,MLS(ASCP),hasaccepted the position of Director of Hospital Based Physician Services. She will be working with the hospitalists to expand the program’s scope and services.

The Vascular Center Of Excellence welcomes Carla Nutter, PA-C.

Congratulations to Diana Lockman and Steve Taylor, office of corporate compliance, on becoming Certified Fraud Examiners (CFE). Both are members of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), which is the world’s largest anti-fraud organization.

CAMC University February Classes

To become certified, facilities have to submit to a practice-wide evaluation of their documentation standards. The QCP staff and steering group members then verify through on-site inspection that the evaluation and documents are correct and that they have met core standards in areas of treatment, including:

•Treatment planning•Stafftrainingandeducation•Chemotherapyordersanddrug

preparation•Patientconsentandeducation•Safechemotherapyadministration•Monitoringandassessmentofpatient

wellbeing

“This certification is only given to facilities that meet the highest standards of care, so the fact that the cancer center has been recognized not just once, but twice, is a real testament to quality services we provide,” said Dave Ramsey, CAMC President and CEO. “Earning the initial certification, as well as the recertification has taken many years and we are very proud of the dedication and exemplary work of the physicians and staff at the CAMC Cancer Center.”

Cancer CenterContinued from front

Cerner RevolutionContinued from front

Treatment for back and neck pain Continued from page 2

Have you experienced pregnancy loss? Whether it is an early pregnancy or full term birth, loss can be devastating. You don’t have to grieve alone.

The pregnancy loss support group meets from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on the 3rd Monday of every month in the CAMC Cancer Center’s multipurpose room. For more information, call (304) 388-2545.

Don’t grieve alone

This method also aims to be effective in the least number of treatment sessions. By minimizing the number of visits to the doctor and giving patients the knowledge and tools needed to manage their own pain symptoms, this approach eliminates the dependency on both the physician and more rigorous medical interventions.

Behavioral changes are also part of the process.

“Posture is a big contributor to lower back and neck pain,” O’Brien said. “It is important to help the patient change postures and positions. Education and understanding of why we’re doing the things we’re doing is crucial.”

Back pain tends to have a fairly high relapse rate, which can lead to costly and time-consuming treatment. O’Brien understands that enabling patients to be in charge of their own treatment has positive, long-term effects.

“The things we are doing have been shown to improve outcomes,” O’Brien said. “It gives the patient the edge because they can take care of themselves. This method may not work for everyone, but if you know a condition can be managed with self-treatment, then you are obligated to teach people how to do just that. That’s effective health care.”

For more information visit camc.org/PT.

Even if your department is not directly involved, you are key to the success of the transition to Cerner through your support to other departments and the organization as a whole.

One of the most important ways to ensure that we are successful is to support each other. We are at our best as an organization when we all work together toward a common goal: to make CAMC better for our employees, our patients and our community.