July/August 2012

In thIs Issue3 In your words

6 Better medicine with Robert Curtin, M.D.

Servingwith

SAPODonna sertl, office manager of Lemay Internal and Family Medicine

spotlight | july 20122

spirit in action

emergency staff make ‘exceptional save’Congratulations to st. Anthony’s emergency Department staff, which made one of only eight “exceptional saves” in the east Central Region of Greater st. Louis in 2011. Caregivers were honored at the exceptional Life saver awards celebration May 18 at the hotel Lumiere in downtown st. Louis for saving patient Ronald Jones, third from left. With him are, from left, Randall speck, M.D.; Jones’ daughter, Ashley R. Zugmaier; Bethany Bowen, R.n.; shelby Cox, eMt-P, eMs liaison; Kevin J. Gibson, M.D.; and Rita srum, B.s.n., M.s., R.n., nursing director of the adult and pediatric emergency Departments.

celebrating ‘meaningful use’Meillissa Anderson, referral coordinator at st. Anthony’s Arnold Family health Care, and Ken Brandt enjoyed the recent st. Anthony’s Physician Organization (sAPO) celebration at the Magic house with their daughter, Karlee Brandt, 3. More than 500 employees, physicians and family members of st. Anthony’s attended the party, to honor the 43 sAPO physicians who recently achieved Meaningful use certification. the physicians not only adopted an electronic Medical Record system that is certified by the government, but also proved they were actively using the system as designed. they met or exceeded the quality standards set by the government, benefiting patients with a strong focus on quality and continuity of care. the physicians credited employees for providing vital support to help them achieve the certification.

quick action on the asphaltA kudos to the st. Anthony’s Physician Organization (sAPO) staff, who showed amazing resilience and dedication by saving the life of a young man who had been dumped in the parking lot of the Fenton urgent Care Center after suffering a heroin overdose. Due to a fire in the building the night before, the urgent care was closed and equipment and drugs were unavailable, but evelyn Young, M.D., left; Ron Finnan, group practice administrator for st. Anthony’s Physician Organization; and Jackie Casner, manager of Fenton urgent Care, got on their knees in the parking lot, applied CPR and used a defibrillator to resuscitate the man. they are shown at reopening ceremonies of the urgent care center.

3spotlight | july 2012

in your words

‘In your words’ is devoted to you, the caregiver and employee. Watch for questions via the exchange users email. each issue, four or five finalists are entered into a drawing for a $20 target gift card, though all are winners!

I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, and people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

D. Iralonna ShaverHyland Behavioral Health B building

never assume all is okay after having a test if you do not hear from the physician’s office. If you do not hear from the physician, always call the office and have them pull the test to confirm the results.

Yvette FrittsHeart Specialty Associates

My primary care physician always said, “You should not take a pill to lose weight. All you need to do is make sure you are sweating.”

Rhonda LeachEmergency Department Admitting

“stay out of tree stands.” My wife is an orthopedic surgeon...she gets lots of business during hunting season.

Brandon KoehlerManaged Care Contracting

I know I am overweight, and when I talk about it with my doctor, he says, “Just go slow and steady and walk a little bit every day and you will have success.” he always encourages me. I am doing well with my weight management now, so I can’t wait to see him next time and I know he will be proud of me.

Sharon SmithBreast Center

COnGRAtuLAtIOns tO thIs MOnth’s WInneRMersida GusicLemay Internal and Family Medicine

Mersida’s answer:the best advice a doctor gave to me was, “Listen to your body.”

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received from a physician?

the best medical advice I ever heard was: stress is the cause of more illnesses and disease than most people realize. even the word itself…“dis-ease” (the opposite of ease) says it all. Remove as much stress from your life as possible.

Denise HopkinsPre-registration

During the darkest hours of my personal grief, he left me a beautiful note and this quote: “Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.”

Bobbi BattoePathology

spotlight | july 20124

We’ve all been to the doctor many times, but few of us know the workings of a medical office from the inside out. What’s it like to manage a busy practice, with phones ringing nearly non-stop and patients coming and going all day?

“It takes the whole staff working together to make a successful day,” said Sherry Kohlenberger, group manager of two successful St. Anthony’s Physician Organization (SAPO) practices, Premier Women’s Health Care and Urogynecology Consultants. “Some days are challenging, but also very satisfying.”

On a recent Friday, Kohlenberger unlocked Premier’s office shortly before the 7 a.m. opening time, only to learn that five of the office phones were not working. Her first challenge was to work with Information Services to have the lines brought back up.

A four-year SAPO veteran, Kohlenberger never is quite sure what the day will hold. One day, you might find her working the front desk to cover a staffing shortfall. Another day, she may be found working on payroll, office budgeting and bank deposits of co-pays and other revenue, coordinating operations with physicians, and dealing with employees, vendors and patients.

The square of carpeting that sits atop her desk indicates yet more decision-making: Premier will be expanding soon, with final architectural plans drafted for three new exam rooms, an additional physician office, and new offices for Kohlenberger and the surgery scheduler. She’s been working with staff on the plans since October, and will soon adjust the office layout and schedule to cope with the construction upheaval.

“Every day is something new,” she smiles.

It takes the whole staff working together to make a successful day.—sherry Kohlenberger

serving with sapo

NeveR A Dull MOMeNt:

Office managers of St. Anthony’s Physician Organization

practices find challenge, satisfaction in each hectic day

Donna sertl, office manager of Lemay Internal and Family Medicine, reviews data files with receptionist Mersida Gusic.

5spotlight | july 2012

A 20-year medical management veteran, Kohlenberger has worked in the field for 25 years. Her first job involved working with medical records for a private office on Grand Boulevard, next door to where the old St. Anthony’s Hospital once stood.

“Being part of a great practice and knowing the confidence that the providers show in me to make the correct day-to-day decisions to make our practices the best they can be is very rewarding,” she said.

Donna Sertl agrees. As office manager of Lemay Internal and Family Medicine, and soon to become office manager of South County Family and Sports Medicine, she finds that her days fly by.

“We take care of patients sometimes minute by minute,” she said. “We have a goal to answer the phone within three rings. We do not have a recording: our patients always get a ‘real’ person to talk to.”

Lemay’s patients pose challenges in both culture and language: most are from the Bosnian community in south St. Louis and South County. About 95 percent are Bosnian, and most do not speak English. To make them feel more comfortable, the staff at Lemay is Bosnian, as are both physicians. The office uses Bosnian patient satisfaction surveys, interpreters, signs written in Bosnian, and leaves appointment openings on the books for patients who walk in and want to be seen right away.

“The joy of helping patients who have no one else to turn to, due to the language barrier, is very rewarding,” Sertl said. “We resolve issues with patients who are so grateful to us, and that makes us all feel so good.”

Sertl has worked at St. Anthony’s for 25 years. Her typical work day begins at 7 a.m., when she reviews her emails from the previous evening.

“I balance all of the co-pays and get the deposit ready for the bank,” she said. “I help answer the phones, help patients with their bills to us, and other providers. I help the physicians with computer issues. I also ensure there is enough staff to cover the physicians for the day. I meet with outside vendors and payers. I handle all employee issues and review the physicians’ progress notes daily for correct coding, documentation, etc.”

It all comes down to care, Sertl noted.“We are here to serve our patients, no matter what the need is,” she

said. “We are passionate about making sure we care for every patient, every day.”

And there’s always room for improvement, Kohlenberger said.“When visiting my physician, I always observe the operation of

that practice to see if there is anything done there that we could incorporate into our practices,” Kohlenberger said.

tips from the prosHow can patients make the most of their doctor visits?sherry Kohlenberger: I would advise patients to communicate with their families about any questions or concerns they may have. Please feel free to write down any of these questions and bring them to discuss with the providers during their visit. We want our patients to feel all of their concerns have been addressed before they leave the office.

Donna sertl: My advice would be to come prepared. Arrive 15 minutes early, write the questions down you want to ask the doctor, or bring family with you. Arriving early gives the patient time to think of questions/concerns before he or she sees the doctor.

sherry Kohlenberger, right, group manager of two sAPO practices, reviews demographics with Jessica Murphey, lead receptionist at Premier Women’s health Care.

Want to make the most of your doctor visit? Read what Beth Sjoblom, M.D., has to say:

http://bit.ly/stanthonysdoctorvisit.

spotlight | july 20126

better medicine

DR. CuRtin, WHy DiD you Make tHe DeCiSion to BeCoMe a DoCtoR, anD WHy DiD you join tHe St. antHony’S PHySiCian oRGanization (SaPo) teaM?

I made the decision to become a doctor to try to help people. I really enjoy interacting with people and with their families. sAPO has been a great place to be: the doctors and employees who work at sAPO have been able to make a difference in the lives of our patients and their families. st. Anthony’s is a great place to be. Because it’s an independent hospital, we’re able to make decisions here that impact our community directly.

HoW DoeS SaPo tie into St. antHony’S oveRall MiSSion?

I think sAPO is key to the overall mission of st. Anthony’s. More medicine is being practiced in an outpatient setting, and that’s going to continue. st. Anthony’s needs a strong outpatient presence, and sAPO is able to help it do that. We also know that patients have many choices for their healthcare. We want them to choose st. Anthony’s and our Physician Organization.

WHat iS tHe MoSt ReWaRDinG aSPeCt of youR PRaCtiCe aS an inteRniSt?

I like dealing with patients with difficult diseases, often many diseases at once. I enjoy interacting with other doctors, and I like dealing with challenging illnesses and helping patients and their families to do well.

aS MeDiCal DiReCtoR of SaPo, WHat aCHieveMentS aRe you MoSt PRouD of? WHat aRe youR GoalS foR tHe futuRe?

Quality is one of the things I’m most proud of. there are a number of ways we can measure that. external agencies like the national Committee for Quality Assurance (nCQA) can certify physicians, nurse practitioners and physician’s assistants in diabetes care and vascular care (heart/stroke). the nCQA is an external agency, a private, not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. Internally, we evaluate ourselves with a variety of measures: numbers of screening tests, such as those to detect cancer; vaccination rates, and other means.

secondly, we’ve been able to grow as an organization. In 2002, when sAPO was started,

st. Anthony’s Physician Organization poised for growthBy Robert Curtin, M.D., Plaza Internal MedicineSt. Anthony’s Medical Center

st. Anthony’s is a great place to be. Because it’s an independent hospital, we’re able to make decisions here that impact our community directly.

—Robert Curtin, M.D..

7spotlight | july 2012

there were seven physicians in two practices. today, the numbers have grown to just under 100 physicians in 15 primary care offices and 12 specialist offices. these all are located near the medical center or in areas where we can support the medical center. All of our urgent care offices have sAPO primary care offices at that location: A good way to get newer physicians busy is to have primary care offices in the same building as the urgent care.

And that leads us to the third accomplishment I’m very proud of, being able to help st. Anthony’s Medical Center as a whole.

HealtH CaRe RefoRM inCReaSinGly iS foCuSinG on PReventive CaRe. WHat oPPoRtunitieS anD CHallenGeS DoeS tHe SHift to PReventive CaRe in GeneRal CReate foR tHe PRaCtiCeS of SaPo aS We look to a neW futuRe in HealtH CaRe?

sAPO has done a great job of focusing on preventive care. no matter what comes out of Washington, D.C., preventive care and diagnosing illnesses quickly is key to high-quality medical care.

Can you elaBoRate on tHe GRant SaPo ReCeiveD ReCently fRoM tHe MiSSouRi founDation foR HealtH foR a Patient-CenteReD MeDiCal HoMe MoDel, oR a SySteM of CaRe in WHiCH a PRiMaRy CaRe PHySiCian WoRkS WitH PatientS, faMilieS anD otHeR HealtH CaRe PRofeSSionalS to iDentify anD aCCeSS neeDeD MeDiCal anD nonMeDiCal SeRviCe? WHen anD HoW Will tHe GRant Be Put into PRaCtiCe?

It’s very exciting. there are five primary care locations within sAPO that initially are going to participate: we are one of the inaugural groups to do this in Missouri. the idea is to promote the best primary care practices to focus on preventive services, to have great access for patients to be seen, and to have great communications with patients and their families. I think the future of primary care is going to be offices and groups that can do that. By later in 2012, it should all be up and running.

A board-certified specialist in internal medicine, Dr. Robert Curtin has a practice at Plaza Internal Medicine, 12700 Southfork Road. Dr. Curtin has been recognized by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) for the care he provides patients with diabetes, with cardiovascular disease, or for those who have suffered a stroke. He also serves as medical director for the St. Anthony’s Physician Organization (SAPO). When not working, Dr. Curtin enjoys spending time with his family: wife, Laura; son, Mark, 14; daughter, Sara, 11; and cat, Hoho. The family is actively involved with Boy Scout Troop 314 in Webster Groves and with Gateway Christian Church.

need a physician?Did you know that our co-workers in the st. Anthony’s Physician Organization (sAPO) staff 27 board-certified medical practices, including 15 primary care physician practices and 12 specialty physician practices? Find one today in your neighborhood. to schedule an appointment, call 314-AnthOnY (268-4669).

Dr. Curtin and his son, Mark, pose with a reproduction of the president’s desk at the Magic house during a party in May to honor the 43 st. Anthony’s Physician Organization (sAPO) physicians who recently achieved Meaningful use certification. For more about Meaningful use, see spirit in Action on page 2.

About Dr. Curtin:

head

spotlight is published every other month by the Marketing department at St. Anthony’s Medical Center.

editor: Robbi Courtaway, ext. 6894Graphic design/layout: Kevin McDaniel

Josett Franke, Wound Care Center, wasn’t expecting any reward when she teamed with her son, Tyler, and husband, Mark, to build a scooter for a patient who had no legs and suffered recurrent wounds from scooting herself across the floor.

So Franke was surprised and thrilled to be selected as the Service from the Heart Reward and Recognition Team’s 2011 Above and Beyond grand prize winner earlier this year, with the trip of her choice

valued up to $3,000. Franke selected a beach destination, the Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island in the Bahamas.

“I want to thank everyone who was instrumental in my family and me being chosen for this honor,” Franke said.

Above and Beyond honors employees who go beyond the normal scope of their jobs to demonstrate special consideration of patients, their families and visitors. Honored employees are selected each month by the Service from the Heart Reward and Recognition Team, and from the monthly winners a quarterly honoree is selected. The grand prize winner is selected from the four quarterly honorees.

In March, the family traveled to Atlantis for five days and spent much of their time in and around the water: snorkeling, kayaking, paddle boarding, viewing the marine animals in the lagoons and aquariums at the resort, being lazy in the Lazy River, having fun on the water slides, swimming in the ocean and looking for shells, and swimming with the dolphins.

“Our dolphin, Jonah, was a 13-year-old male rescued from Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina destroyed the oceanarium that he and his pod were housed in,” Franke explained. “They were all together again and housed in the Dolphin Cay at Atlantis Resort. We were able

to high-five with him, prompt him to perform tricks, give him a quick kiss on his snoot (he had a cleft palate, so he looked a little different from the others), cradle him in our arms around the circumference of his body, run our hands down the length of his body on top and bottom, learn about his anatomy and how dolphins propel themselves. There was so much we learned with the interaction that I couldn’t begin to put it all down here.”

Tyler so enjoyed his first trip to the ocean that his excitement never faltered, even when a wave planted him face-first into the sand and required him to remove sand from his nostrils, his mom said. The family also enjoyed sightseeing, rock wall climbing, and island delicacies such as Bahamian conch fritters and a soda known as Goombay Punch.

“It was an experience that we will never forget,” Franke said. “I would like to send a special thank you to Janette Dietzler, who nominated me for this award.”

Beaches and blue skies for above and Beyond grand prize honoreeFranke and family enjoy journey to tropical paradise

the Franke family swam with the dolphins at Atlantis Resort’s Dolphin Cay in the Bahamas. From left are tyler, Josett and Mark.

vacation favoritesMark: Relaxing with no agenda, for this workaholic

Josett: swimming with the dolphins. “I would recommend that to anyone who hasn’t had the opportunity.”

tyler: the ocean!