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Providing the Highest Quality Care

Submitted by emily.griffin on

“Running a hospital and practicing medicine is one of the most extraordinarily complex undertakings in the world,” said Genesis Chief Medical Officer Scott Wegner, M.D. “Human beings are complicated, and human beings with illnesses are even more complicated. Maintaining a safe and high-quality environment is a never-ending job.” 

Learning from the best 

Over the last several years, the top health systems in the world moved to adopt a more standardized approach to treating patients. The idea is to reduce inconsistencies in care and ensure every patient receives the best care every time. The philosophy came from the aviation industry, which pioneered this process-focused approach to ensure safety. Through exhaustive research, airlines determined the best ways to do everything that impacted safety and made it standardized to do each one of those things the same way every time. They also recognized the importance of empowering every employee to identify and call out safety issues. The result was safer flights. 

Incorporating this method into medicine means that teams of healthcare employees, from doctors to nurses to technicians and beyond, work together to identify and implement best practices to treat serious conditions like heart attacks, strokes, cancer and more. The goal is to remove any risk of deviation from the best treatment plan and utilize the experience and knowledge of all team members to benefit the patient. 

“With our standardized approach, we have been able to teach and perform the best method of treating illnesses to the point that the best approach is our only approach.” – Scott Wegner M.D. 

“At Genesis, our employees latched onto the idea of creating a culture of quality,” said Genesis Chief Nursing Officer Shon Bender, R.N. 

“They all realize the next patient in the door could be their neighbor or a loved one, and they want to make sure every patient receives the best care.” 

So, Genesis HealthCare System adopted this standardized approach to medicine and continues to practice and perfect it daily. One example is at the start of every shift, healthcare teams huddle together to discuss the patients in the hospital to ensure all employees are current on each patient’s conditions and care plans. This enables every doctor, nurse and everyone else to continue providing the proper care to get the patient well quickly. 

National recognition 

This standardized approach to quality improvement generated exceptional clinical outcomes for patients and resulted in Genesis being named a 100 Top Hospital by Fortune Magazine and Merative Health. Merative is an independent organization that evaluates how hospitals perform in many areas of quality and safety, such as the number of hospital-acquired infections, length of hospital stay and care-related complications. For details on the award, refer to the A community win for all article on page 8 of this publication. 

“As with anything in life, there are often many ways to accomplish your goal,” said Dr. Wegner. “With our standardized approach, we have been able to teach and perform the best method of treating illnesses to the point that the best approach is our only approach.” 

“I am so proud of our teams,” said Shon. “Over the last 25 years, they have transformed Genesis into a place that delivers the same level of care as the best hospitals in the nation. In fact, with the recognition of the 100 Top Hospital award, we have been designated as one of the best. It makes me happy to think we provide that level of care to our community.” 

Bender and Wegner

Chief Nursing Officer Shon Bender, R.N., and Chief Medical Officer Scott Wegner, M.D., describe how Genesis reached one of the highest levels of quality in the nation.

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Solutions for Common Foot Problems for Women

Submitted by emily.griffin on

Your feet do a lot of work. Whether walking, standing or exercising, your feet put in long hours. Here’s a look at some of the most common foot problems for women and ways to reduce foot pain. 

Possible pain points

1. Adult-onset flat feet 

  • When the posttrial tibial tendon, which helps hold up your arch, begins to break down, it can cause a painful flattening of the arch. Symptoms might include pain and swelling, often on the outside of the ankle. If not treated, the pain can intensify. 

2. Heel pain 

  • Heel pain tends to be caused by overuse, so the best treatment is prevention. Experts suggest replacing athletic shoes after they have about 300 miles on them, even if they still look new. 

3. Nerve problems 

  • Sometimes compressed nerves in other parts of the spine or legs can also cause foot symptoms. Be sure to tell your physician about any other problems you’re having when seeking help for foot problems. 

4. Bunions 

  • Bunions begin with a leaning of the big toe, gradually changing the angle of the bones over the years and slowly producing the characteristic bump. 

5. Plantar Fasciitis 

  • Heel pain is often caused by plantar fasciitis. Faulty foot structure is the most common cause of plantar fasciitis. In women, it may result from wearing nonsuppurative shoes, such as flip-flops and ballet flats. 

How to Avoid Foot Pain

1. Try a foot bath 

  • Warm water and Epsom salts may be just the ticket to alleviate foot pain and sore muscles. It can even reduce swelling in your feet. 

2. Stretch 

  • Try stretching exercises to help your sore feet. Stretching can prevent cramping and promote flexibility. 

3. Exercise 

  • Keeping your feet flexible and strong is key to avoiding foot pain. Walking regularly for exercise is the best way to keep your feet limber and healthy. 

4. Switch your shoes 

  • Your shoes could be the culprit of your foot pain. Wearing shoes beyond their life span, the wrong style or an incorrect shoe size can impact the health of your feet. 

5. Ice your feet 

  • Icing your feet can reduce inflammation that causes soreness. Apply ice to sore feet by filling a plastic bag with ice or rolling your feet on a frozen water bottle. Try to ice the affected area for 5 to 15 minutes a few times a day to help reduce inflammation. 

6. Contact your doctor 

  • Contact your doctor if you suspect a more severe foot condition or if you have severe foot pain. If you have diabetes and experience foot pain, call your doctor immediately. 

common foot problems

Here’s a look at some of the most common foot problems for women and ways to reduce foot pain.

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Turkey Stuffed Peppers 

Submitted by emily.griffin on

Ingredients: 

  • 6 large bell peppers 
  • 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth, divided 
  • ¼ cup tomato sauce 
  • 1 ½ cups cooked brown rice 
  • 6 tablespoons low-fat, sharp cheddar cheese, shredded 
  • 1 lb. 93% lean ground turkey 
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced 
  • 1 medium onion, minced 
  • 1 teaspoon cumin powder 
  • ¼ teaspoon salt (optional) 
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper 

Instructions: 

  1. Heat oven to 400°F. 
  2. Lightly spray olive oil in a medium nonstick skillet on medium heat. 
  3. Add onion and garlic and sauté for 2 minutes. Add ground turkey, salt, pepper and cumin and cook for approximately 5 minutes until the meat is cooked. 
  4. Add ¼ cup of tomato sauce and ½ cup of chicken broth, mix well and simmer on low for about 5 minutes. 
  5. Turn off the heat and add cooked brown rice. 
  6. Cut the tops off the peppers. Remove all seeds. Spoon the meat mixture into each pepper evenly. Place peppers in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. 
  7. Pour the remainder of the chicken broth on the bottom of the pan. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for about 35 to 40 minutes or until the internal temperature is 165 degrees Fahrenheit. 
  8. Remove from the oven, add a tablespoon of shredded cheese to the top of each pepper, and bake for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted. 

 

Nutritional information: 

  • Calories: 499 calories 
  • Total Fat: 35 g 
  • Sodium: 946 mg 
  • Cholesterol: 131 mg 
  • Carbohydrates: 24 g 

 

Approved by: 

Maurine Maneely, 

Registered Dietitian 

Find more recipes at genesishcs.org/eatwell. 

Try this delicious fall recipe.

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Five Ways to Stay Active During Winter

Submitted by emily.griffin on

When it’s too cold, icy or cumbersome to take that walk around your block, consider this: One and a half hours of strength exercise a week in the comfort of your home can account for the walk you might be missing out on due to bad weather. A study at the University of Michigan showed that 95% of participants confirmed that adverse weather curtails their workout, which is why we suggest strength training indoors during the cold season. 

Many may have an at-home gym. For those who don’t, the weight training we refer to requires little to no equipment. It ranges from using your body weight and adding resistance bands to small dumbbells. The National Institute of Health suggests that weight training exercises performed intermittently will lessen the risk of cardiovascular disease. 

“Patients who perform aerobic exercises have a lower risk of developing heart disease compared to those who aren’t as active,” said Duane Pool, M.D., Board-certified in Cardiovascular Disease, at Genesis Heart Lung & Vascular Institute. 

Before you try out our top five indoor strength exercises, check with your doctor first for the regimen that’s right and safe for you. 

Deep squats 

Squats are a great way to build your quad muscle. When muscle mass increases, it encourages oxygen circulation and alleviates the load on the heart. Start by standing with your legs shoulder-width apart and dip both hips in a downward motion as if sitting on an invisible chair. Hold the position, raise and repeat. 

Wall pushups 

Wall pushups are a great way to tone the arms. Stand arm’s length away from a wall while facing it. Stretch your arms. Keep your palms against the wall, shoulder-width apart. Using your body weight, push yourself toward and away from the wall. 

Leg lifts 

Resistance bands are budget-friendly and easy to use. Best of all, it does not take up storage space. Wear a resistance band around your ankle. 

Lie on your right side with your legs straight. Lift your left leg up and down, keeping your left leg parallel to your right. Switch to the opposite side and repeat. 

This exercise will tighten the core and lower body. 

All Fours 

This is another great workout that tones the core and lower body. 

Place your hands and knees flat on the floor. Keep your back straight and lift one leg up as if you’re stomping the ceiling. 

Bicep Curl 

Our final pick is your traditional curl with a 5-10 lb. dumbbell. Stand with your back straight and pull your forearm in toward you and away from your body. 

Five Ways to Stay Active During Winter

The National Institute of Health suggests that weight training exercises performed intermittently will lessen the risk of cardiovascular disease. 

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A Community Win for All

Submitted by emily.griffin on

You can feel confident in choosing your healthcare close to home, right here in Southeastern Ohio. Your community hospital is one of the top 100 in the nation. 

According to Fortune Magazine and Merative, a data, analytics and technology partner for the health industry, Genesis HealthCare System is top among its peers for excellence in clinical outcomes, operational efficiency, patient experience and overall financial health. 

Merative, formerly IBM Watson Health, established the list to help identify best practices that may help other healthcare organizations achieve consistent, balanced and sustainable high performance. 

Merative has identified the top hospitals from a rigorous evaluation of 2,650 short-term, acute care, non-federal hospitals in the U.S. 

Winning the top award despite COVID-19 challenges 

For more than two years, we have been working as a community to battle COVID-19. We were in good company with every other health system in the nation. Challenges included the virus, supply and business disruptions and workforce shortages. Those challenges make this year’s 100 Top Hospitals list, based on 2020 data, unlike any other in the study’s 28-year history. 

“Recognition as one of the Fortune/Merative 100 Top Hospitals demonstrates Genesis’ ongoing commitment to prioritizing patient-centered care.” -Scott Wegner, M.D. Chief Medical Officer, Genesis HealthCare System 

Quality measures reflect high performance 

According to the Merative study, when compared to similar hospitals, Genesis had better results on key clinical and operational performance indicators. These include survival rates, patient complications, healthcare-associated infections, 30-day mortality and 30-day hospital-wide readmission rates, length of stay, throughput in emergency departments, inpatient expenses and ratings from patients. 

Community health measures 

The Fortune/Merative 100 Top Hospitals list also incorporates a community health measure into its ranking process. 

Hospitals were surveyed across three components: 

  • Assessing hospital contributions to community health as a provider of critical services for community health and preventive care. 
  • Identifying ways that hospitals contribute to community health as a community partner by teaming up with local organizations to implement critical programs. 
  • Focusing on ways that hospitals promote community health through their practices as anchor institutions supporting local economic and social progress. The community health measure is weighted equally with other ranking measures. 

Genesis also won the prestigious Everest Award 

The Everest Award winners are a special group of the 100 Top Hospitals award winners that, in addition to achieving benchmark status for one year, have simultaneously set national benchmarks for the fastest long-term improvement on a national balanced scorecard. In 2022, Genesis was one of only 25 organizations to achieve this level of performance. 

Frontline employees drive quality and safety 

The High-Reliability Patient Safety Council and the Care Coordination Council empower frontline workers to implement best practices once they determine solutions to issues. Standardizing care has led to efficiencies and a higher quality of care. 

Epic, Genesis’ electronic medical record system, has propelled the health system forward by enabling the power to track results and then develop evidenced-based practices based on the scenario. 

What if all hospitals were of the highest quality? 

Based on comparisons between the 100 Top Hospitals study winners and a peer group of similar hospitals that were not winners, it was reported that if all hospitals performed at the level of this year’s winners: 

  • Over 104,000 additional lives could be saved in-hospital 
  • Over 55,000 additional patients could be complication-free 
  • Over $12.5 billion in inpatient costs could be saved 
  • The typical patient could be released from the hospital almost a half-day sooner 
  • Over 18,600 fewer discharged patients would be readmitted within 30 days 

The national award and the Everest Award are based on a set of measures that reflect performance across the whole organization. 

Using independent public data and proprietary analytics, the 100 Top Hospitals study recognizes hospitals that have clearly demonstrated top performance in care, efficiency and community value. 

Learn more at genesishcs.org/top100. 

Genesis Top 100 LiveWell

Genesis is a Top 100 Hospital in the nation.

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A Letter from our President and CEO | LiveWell Autumn 2022

Submitted by emily.griffin on

Recently, Fortune Magazine/Merative named Genesis a 100 Top Hospital for 2022. In addition, we were awarded the Everest Award, one of only 25 organizations selected from the 100 Top Hospital list recognized as achieving the fastest rate of improvement over the past five years. Although Genesis won these awards, this achievement would never have been possible without you, our patients, your families, local businesses and the community. In short, this achievement belongs to our whole community. 

Without your trust in our exceptional doctors and professional team members, we would not be performing at this high national level. 

We have spent the last quarter of a century listening to your needs and doing all we can to meet and surpass them. We have used your support to recruit the best physician teams. We have recruited the best physicians and team for the cancer center, heart doctors who perform innovative surgeries and other surgeons who excel in minimally invasive procedures that, in some instances, enable patients to return home the same day of their procedure. Learn more about the newest group of physicians to join Genesis starting on page 4. 

Your feedback and support also drove us to establish a culture where we constantly pursue clinical excellence, continually seek better options for treatment and find creative ways to impact community health. Learn more about these initiatives in our special 25th-anniversary section within this magazine. 

As significant as anything, you have trusted us with your health. Within this issue, you can learn how Diane Wills trusted us to help her overcome cancer and 

how Belinda Hohman came to us to improve the quality of her life with a knee replacement. 

In summation, your support and decision to choose Genesis positioned us to grow, improve and reach a level worthy of nationwide recognition. 

We thank you and wish you good health. 

Matthew J. Perry

President & CEO

 

A Community Win 

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Spotlight on Kinan Kassar, M.D.

Submitted by emily.griffin on

“One of the nice things about interventional cardiology is you can see the impact instantaneously on patients’ lives. When I open a closed artery during a heart attack or place a new valve and watch the pressure decrease, I know I made a difference,” said Kinan Kassar, M.D., who joined the Genesis Heart & Vascular Group in July, specializing in interventional cardiology. 

Cardiology is continually being divided into specialties. Dr. Kassar said the availability of a cardiologist locally with training in different areas, such as interventions, structural heart and imaging, is important. A cardiologist must be able to look a patient’s condition as a whole and interpret data to determine the best treatment plan. 

“Patient management here is about prescribing medications and helping our patients have access to them,” Dr. Kassar said. He also said it’s essential to counsel patients to help them make healthier choices. 

Part of the care includes utilizing Genesis’ advanced technology or finding innovative ways to use existing technology. “Computed tomography has been used to image the body for decades but is new for the coronary field,” Dr. Kassar said. “It’s a valuable tool for physicians to investigate coronary artery disease in low to moderate risk patients complaining of angina.” 

Dr. Kassar said computed tomography also helps determines a patient’s cardiovascular risk and guides preventative measures through coronary calcium scoring. Additionally, CT scan imaging has become the most important method for planning certain procedures. 

Dr. Kassar’s experience practicing medicine in Syria made him mindful of certain aspects of patient care, including how socioeconomic status, access to healthy food and other challenges affect medication compliance. 

“Interventional cardiology requires a full understanding of the patient’s condition,” Dr. Kassar said. “Multidisciplinary decision-making and collaboration between specialties create the best treatment plan,” he said. 

Following a workday, Dr. Kassar usually rides his bike or runs. “Spending time outdoors helps me recharge for the next exciting day in the cath lab,” he said. 

Dr. Kassar’s office is in the Genesis Heart & Vascular Institute, 955 Bethesda Drive, First Floor, Zanesville. His phone number is 740-454-0804. Dr. Kassar is accepting new patients by physician referral. 

Doctor of Medicine: 

University of Damascus, Damascus, Syria 

Residency in Internal Medicine: 

West Penn Alleghany Health Network, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 

Fellowships: 

Cardiology, interventional and structural cardiology at West Penn Alleghany Health Network, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 

Board-certified: 

The American Board of Internal Medicine and Cardiovascular Disease, the National Board of Echocardiography, Cardiovascular Computed Tomography Board Exam and the Nuclear Cardiology Board Exam 

KINAN KASSAR, M.D.

Interventional Cardiology 

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Student Nurse Intern Program

Submitted by Kyle.Norton on
Abstract

The Student Nurse Intern Program provides R.N. nursing students with the opportunity to gain experience, learn and practice new skills during hands-on patient care. Under the direct supervision of an R.N., the student nurse intern will apply their classroom knowledge in a healthcare setting. The position provides clinical exposure to skills and knowledge for their respective clinical areas of study.

Breast Cancer Feedback Leads to Fewer Worries

When Kelly Ashby went for a routine OB/GYN appointment in March 2022, her mammogram showed an abnormality. There was a mass on her left breast, which worried her. 

“I thought, oh, no,” said Kelly. 

She had previously needed mammograms every six months instead of annually due to her medical history. “The waiting was always the hardest part. I’m so grateful to Genesis for reducing the time,” said Kelly. 

Her doctor told her to go to Genesis Imaging for a follow-up. She was able to get an appointment for the next day. 

An ultrasonographer did an ultrasound to examine the abnormality. Kelly thought that following the ultrasound, she would be released and wait for the doctor to call. However, the technician told her she wasn’t done. 

Immediate explanations 

“Dr. Lafferty came to see me during that appointment,” said Kelly. 

Peter Lafferty, M.D., Board-certified Diagnostic Radiologist with Riverside Radiology and Interventinonal Associates (RRIA) at Genesis said, “Everyone who has a follow-up exam is seen by a radiologist who reads the results for the patient right then.” 

This is one of the ways Genesis continues to make improvements. In 2021, Genesis brought in RRIA, a LucidHealth Company, to provide breast imaging services. This means that radiologists play a key role in patient care and interact with each patient who has a diagnostic mammogram follow-up. This enables patients to talk to their radiologist while still at their appointment and not go home wondering about the results. 

“LucidHealth’s program compresses the time frame for screenings and results,” said Dr. Lafferty. “When we interact with patients directly, we’re able to discuss results, follow-up tests, care plans or guidance.” 

“I left feeling incredible. Usually, when you leave, you wait and worry,” said Kelly. “I received quality, compassionate care at Genesis without needing to travel elsewhere.” 

Screenings make a difference 

Regular screenings are now easier than ever, and are still important. Genesis makes it as easy as possible. The goal is to have a patient in and out of a routine screening in 15 minutes. 

“The American College of Radiology feels that breast screenings have led to a reduction in mortality rates,” said Dr. Lafferty. “On average, there has been a 1% reduction every year for the past three decades. “Screenings can help catch pre-clinical breast cancer, which doesn’t show up in a physical breast exam. Screenings and exams by physicians andpatients are key to catching cancer at the earliest possible stage.”

Learn more at genesishcs.org/cancer. 

Kelly Ashby

Screenings make a difference.

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