National Radiologic Technology Week

Please join me in showing our appreciation for the hard work and dedication of our Imaging Department employees as we celebrate National Radiologic Technology Week, Nov. 2-8. We congratulate all of our employees in the different modalities, to include Radiography, CT, MRI, Ultrasound, Nuclear Medicine, Mammography, and Administrative Support.

National Radiologic Technology Week is celebrated annually to recognize the vital work of radiologic technologists and medical imaging professionals across the nation. The celebration takes place each November to commemorate the anniversary of the x-ray's discovery by Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen on Nov. 8, 1895.

The week-long celebration calls attention to the valuable work of R.T.s in the health care field and the highly technical images that they make. The images play an integral role in the medical process and in the lives of millions of patients. This year's theme, Every Picture Tells a Story, chosen by The American Society of Radiologic Technologists, reflects the significance of each and every image created by an R.T.

We have a fine group of individuals in our department that contribute greatly to the team effort and the positive steps forward we are taking as an organization.

Abel Salazar

CMMC Welcomes Dr. Gina A. Gray, General Surgeon

CMMC is proud to welcome Dr. Gina A. Gray, MD to the Connally family and Wilson County. Dr. Gray, a general surgeon, is now seeing new patients in the CMMC Multi-specialty clinic on Mondays and Thursdays. She is also scheduling cases with the CMMC Perioperative Department.

Dr. Gray completed her residency in general surgery at Tulane University and has worked as a staff surgeon at both San Antonio’s University Hospital and at Audie Murphy VA Hospital. She currently operates her practice in San Antonio. Her current areas of interest and research are focused on women’s health issues focusing on surgeries of the breast.

While Dr. Gray is focused on the physical care of her patients, she realizes the importance of treating patient’s emotional needs as well.

“I certainly want my patients to receive the physical care they need, but it is also my top concern to make them as comfortable as possible, on a personal level,” explains Gray.

Dr. Gray is looking forward to building strong patient and community relationships in Wilson County and will be presenting a special Breast Cancer Education seminar for the Connally Partners in Your Health Program in October.

To schedule an appointment with Dr. Gray please call (210) 798-3751. For more information on surgeons at Connally Memorial Medical Center, please call (830) 393-1315.

National Home Care Month

How was your stay?

Chances are, you've talked with friends and family about the quality of care they've received from the hospitals they've used. And those discussions may have helped with your health care decisions.

But that information most likely came from a handful of people at most. There's never been a compilation of patients' opinions about hospitals.

That's about to change, however, with an important survey known by its initials, HCAHPS. This survey asks hospital patients nationwide about their experiences, and the findings are made public.

"Getting that important feedback from the patients we serve will really help us build a stronger health care system," says Nancy Foster, vice president for quality and patient safety policy at the American Hospital Association (AHA).

In addition, survey results will help people make intelligent decisions about which hospitals they want to use.

"It's essentially like leaning over your backyard fence and asking 100,000 of your neighbors, How did you feel about the hospital? How well did they do?" adds Foster.

If you're hospitalized, you may be asked to participate in HCAHPS. The following questions and answers will help you understand it.

Q: What does HCAHPS stand for?

A: HCAHPS stands for Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems."

Q: What agencies or organizations created HCAHPS?

A: The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, both agencies of the federal government, jointly developed HCAHPS. Other organizations collaborated on the project. Among them: the AHA, the American Medical Association, the American Nurses Association, the Joint Commission and AARP.

Q: What are the goals of HCAHPS?

A: There are essentially two goals, says Foster: (1) To assist hospitals in their ongoing efforts to improve quality by helping them identify what they're doing well and where they can improve, and (2) To inform people about the type of care they might receive at a particular hospital.

Q: Are hospitals required to administer the HCAHPS survey?

A: Participation is voluntary. However, hospitals that receive payment through Medicare will have their payments reduced by about 2 percent if they don't participate.

Q: How are the surveys conducted?

A: Surveys may be conducted by mail, telephone, mail with telephone follow-up or interactive voice recognition.

Q: What types of questions are included in the survey?

A: The survey consists of 27 questions, 18 of which ask about your specific experiences in the hospital. Areas covered include:

* Communication with and care received from nurses.

* Communication with doctors.

* Hospital cleanliness and quietness.

* Pain control.

* Communication about medicines.

* Discharge information.

* Overall hospital rating.

Q: Who is surveyed?

A: The surveys target patients 18 or older who are discharged from the hospital after at least a one-night stay. Surveys are intended to be completed by patients themselves--not family members.

To avoid bias in the results, patients are randomly selected to get the survey. Occasionally, this may result in unfortunate situations, such as a survey being sent to a patient who died a short time after discharge.

Q: When and where will results appear?

A: Results will be posted on the Internet and available to anyone at www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov, beginning in the spring of 2008. According to Foster, results will be updated quarterly.

Consolata Healthcare Foundation Welcomes New Board Members

The Consolata Healthcare Foundation is pleased to announce the addition of eight new board members to the foundation board of directors.

The new directors were added at the May 22 foundation board meeting, held at the medical center. These nominations and approvals now complete the board at 15 members.

The new directors include: Daniel Tejada, Pam Bonney, Dawn Fleming, Ron Urbanczyk, Alton Moczygemba, Andy Joslin, Janice Joslin, and Pam Varnon Lothringer. They are joining the current directors, President Lester Moczygemba, Vice President Jason Smith, Treasurer Paul Sack, Nick FitzSimon, Rachel Pena, Melissa Popham and Fran Chilek.

"We are pleased to have such a diverse and committed group of new directors joining us," said Lester Moczygemba, president of the board of directors. "This new team will no doubt bring us closer to our goals and endeavors of supporting Connally and the hospital district."

The Consolata Healthcare Foundation's sole purpose is to raise funds to benefit and enhance the services of Wilson Memorial Hospital District. CHF is a 501 3 organization.