News

Adele to Sing at Grammys after Laser Vocal Cord Surgery

February 11th, 2012 By Emory Voice Center

With Adele singing at the Grammy awards this weekend, news reports have resurfaced the singer’s laser vocal cord surgery.  While she did not have her treatment at Emory, Emory’s Voice Center is one of only 12 in the nation and the only one in the Southeast that offers laser surgery for the treatment of laryngeal (voice box) conditions.  Specifically the potassium titanyl phosphate (or KTP) laser is used to avoid damaging the delicate tissues of the vocal folds during surgery. Initially it was developed to treat port-wine stains caused by broken blood vessels, but it has since received FDA approval as a treatment for vocal disorders, including abnormal blood vessels, such as varices and ectasias, which often plague singers.  Most recently, it is being used as a treatment for larynx cancer in combination with anti-cancer therapies such as radiation and chemotherapy.

“The laser basically works by heating and shutting down the abnormal blood vessel(s) or those that feed a lesion,” says Emory otolaryngologist Adam Klein.

According to Klein, Laser Therapy is ideal for patients with recurring conditions—such as papilloma, dysplasia, or rebleeding blood vessels—because it does less damage to surrounding tissue and can be performed as an outpatient procedure. The procedure allows patients to be treated without the risk of radiation or damage to the underlying tissue, which better preserve the natural voice.  The treatment can be done under general or local anesthesia, and poses minimal risk of damage to vocal cord tissue. And it’s not just for singers.  Watch this video to hear about Darryl’s experience with laser therapy.

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New Year, New Family – Saint Joseph’s Hospital Joins the Emory Healthcare Community

January 4th, 2012 By Morgan Griffith

Emory Healthcare Saint Joseph's Hospital partnershipAs we bring in the New Year, we’re excited about all the new things on the horizon for Emory Healthcare and the many communities with whom we collaborate to provide high quality health care. We recently, for example, announced on our blog that we have partnered with the CVS MinuteClinic to provide health care at 31 locations across the metro Atlanta area without an appointment. That was very cool news for our community. Today though, we take great joy in being able to bring in the New Year with a huge announcement, and one that our community will truly benefit from in a major way– Emory Healthcare has now joined forces with Saint Joseph’s Hospital.

What does this mean for you? It means that two of Atlanta’s leading health care organizations are now working in collaboration to bring an unparalleled level of health care and access to our Atlanta and Georgia communities.

You may have heard us say before that we believe collaboration is truly the best medicine. Whether this means collaboration between patients and families to make informed decisions about their care with their care team members, or between organizations to improve the quality and access to care provided, we all benefit from collaborative communication and action. Our partnership with Saint Joseph’s Hospital will allow us to take collaboration around Atlanta health care to the next level.

The expertise in education and academic research that serves as the backbone of the technology and level of patient- and family-centered care provided at Emory Healthcare is mirrored by the level of excellence in local community health care we’ve seen from Saint Joseph’s from the very beginning.

We are so pleased to be able to kick off the New Year by bringing such a meaningful partnership to our community. Working with Saint Joseph’s Hospital means our patients and families will have even more access to the very best patient- and family-centered health care in Atlanta being driven by the leading academic research taking place at Emory. We hope you’re as excited about this news as we are! We’d love to hear your thoughts and feedback in the comments below. And if you’re interested in learning more, check out the resources below, including a blog post from the Saint Joseph’s team on what our partnership means to them. Happy New Year, everyone!

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So Many Hospital Rankings, So Little Time – What Should You Look for as a Patient?

December 12th, 2011 By Morgan Griffith

Understanding Hospital RankingsWhen you’re trying to price a car, you probably go to the Kelley Blue Book. When you’re looking for a go-to restaurant rating system, you probably choose Yelp or Zagat. When you’re looking for a cancer treatment center, you probably make sure it is designated by the National Cancer Institute. So, when you choose a doctor, or a clinic, or a hospital, what resources do you have to help you make that decision? Aside from the input of your trusted friends and family members, or checking out a health care system’s website, there are many organizations that seek to help patients make decisions about where they seek their care. Some of these organizations rank hospitals with hard data, i.e. – metrics on quality levels and patient outcomes, or by program survival rates. Others seek to measure quality as it relates to consumer or marketplace perception, and some even use fee-based systems, excluding hospitals who don’t pay to participate.

So if you want to make sure you can trust your health care team, you probably also want to make sure that the ranking system you employ to choose them is also trustworthy. Here are 3 things to look for when you choose what hospital rankings you rely on to choose your care provider:

Hard & Tangible Data

Whatever ranking system you choose, make sure that it uses reliable, unbiased data. As an example, some hospital rankings system includes data such as mortality rates, but be careful here. Mortality rates should be adjusted to take into account how sick patients were when they arrived at the facility; otherwise, the data is misleading. Make sure the ranking system you choose is straightforward in its disclosure of how ranking data is collected and used.

Validation from Independent & Credible Industry Associations

Just as there is a large volume of rankings out there, so too is there a large volume of established and reliable accrediting and governing organizations in the health care space. Ranging from large governmental organizations such as the National Institute of Health (NIH) and the American Medical Association (AMA) and the reliable publications they produce, i.e. – Journal of the American Medical Association, to nonprofits such as the American Cancer Society, there are organizations out there you can trust to give you the honest scoop on what you should look for in your care team and what ranking systems do a good job of helping you find them.

Collaboration in Rankings

If it was up to the organizations being ranked to choose their rankings, every business would be #1. It’s important when you choose a hospital ranking system to rely on that you also know who was involved in the process. In general, rankings that incorporate input from consumers, hospitals, physicians, and accrediting organizations are the most reliable. Look for rankings that are tangible and transparent in their language about who is involved in the selection process and how entrants are qualified.

What else do you look for when picking a hospital, clinic or doctor? Do you use ranking to help inform your decision? Let us know in the comments below!

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Mice Stem Cell Study Shows Promise for Hypopituitarism Treatment

November 29th, 2011 By Emory Pituitary Center

Pituitary Gland

Hypopituitarism, also known as an underactive pituitary gland,  is a condition that affects the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland, in which the pituitary gland does not produce normal amounts of some or all of its hormones. Symptoms of hypopituitarism vary depending on which hormone is no longer being produced by the pituitary gland.

Treatments for hypopituitarism also vary. If the condition is caused as the result of a pituitary tumor, surgery may be needed for treatment. In some cases, hormone therapy is what’s needed to effectively treat hypopituitarism.

However, in the November 2011 issue of Nature, a new report shows promise for the future of hypopituitarism treatment. Japanese scientists successfully treated hypopituitary mice by transplanting pituitary gland tissue they grew from embryonic mice stem cells. After the hypopitiutary mice received the transplanted cells, they began to produce hormones they were previously missing.

Researchers used the mouse stem cells arranged in a three dimensional culture and grew pituitary tissue over the course of three weeks from that culture. The resulting tissue contained all five cell types found in a normal pituitary gland.

Using such technology as a possible treatment for humans suffering from hypopituitarism is not an immediately viable option. Scientists caution that is it unlikely that pituitary tissue grown in labs will behave like functioning pituitary glands. The hope is that someday, treatment for patients with pituitary disorders will be feasible via growing pituitary tissues from the patient’s own tissue.

“If and when the technology becomes developed for humans, it will require the skills of an experienced team of a pituitary endocrinologist and neurosurgeon working together with other specialists in a dedicated pituitary center to fully realize the potential opportunity for patients with pituitary hormonal deficiency,” says Dr. Nelson M. Oyesiku, Co-Director Emory Pituitary Center.

For more information on hypopituitarism, or the endocrinology & neurosurgery treatment teams at Emory, visit the Emory Pituitary website.

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Congratulations to our 2011 Nurse of the Year Award Winners!

November 21st, 2011 By Emory Healthcare

The March of Dimes celebrated excellence in nursing throughout Georgia on November 19 at the Hyatt Regency here in Atlanta. We’re very pleased to announce that 27 of our Emory Healthcare nurses were honored as finalists in the Georgia March of Dimes Nurse of the Year Award, and at Saturday’s event, 3 of our nurses were recipients of 2011 Nurse of the Year Awards! Our nurses receiving Nurse of the Year Award Honors at the March of Dimes Nurse of the Year Awards, hosted by Grady Health System, are listed below:

  • Debra Barker received top honors in the category of Critical Care
  • Judith Wold received top honors in the category of Public Health
  • Judy Gretz received top honors in the category of Women’s Health
Susan Grant, Chief Nursing Officer, Emory Healthcare

Susan Grant, Chief Nursing Officer, Emory Healthcare

More than 450 attended this second annual event that recognized nurses who embody leadership, compassion and excellence in patient care across all specialties. With such a special group to honor, an equally as special chair for the event was needed. Emory Healthcare’s own Chief Nursing Officer, Susan Grant MS, RN, NEA, FAAN, served as the chair of the awards ceremony; “I am very proud of these outstanding nursing professionals for being recognized by the March of Dimes in this inaugural Nurse of the Year event for the state of Georgia. This is a wonderful honor for Debra, Judith and Judy, and I congratulate all of the Emory nurses who were nominated, as well as the winners in each category,” says Susan. “This recognition and event is a wonderful way to honor the important role and significant impact of nursing within the communities, hospitals and clinics across the state of Georgia. I am grateful and honored by the opportunity to serve as chair and recognize these very special nurses.”

We second Susan’s gratitude. We are extremely grateful to our team of nurses at Emory Healthcare for all that they do each and every day to support and advance truly patient-centered care. We are proud of their tireless efforts and dedication to providing the highest quality health care possible for our patient and family community.

The Nurse of the Year selection committee reviewed hundreds of applications across 16 categories ranging from Home Health and Palliative Care to NICU and Critical Care disciplines. Nearly 200 finalists emerged, all representing the March of Dimes vision for a healthier, stronger generation of babies and families.

“Nurses play an incredibly critical role in our community. They are truly the unsung medical heroes of the healthcare field and we join the world in saluting them,” says Sheila Ryan, March of Dimes State Director.

Florence Nightingale, one of the pioneers in nursing, said, “Nursing is an art; and if it is to be made an art, it requires as exclusive a devotion, as hard a preparation, as any painter’s or sculptor’s work; for what is the having to do with dead canvas or cold marble, compared with having to do with the living body? [...] It is one of the Fine Arts; I had almost said the finest of the Fine Arts.”

Nursing truly is an art. And it takes a very special type of person dedicate his/her life to caring for others. We thank, honor and celebrate all of our nurses for all that they do!

Full list of Emory Healthcare’s 2011 March of Dimes Nurse of the Year Award Finalists:

Antonio Ash
Debra Barker
Carlene Beck
Marcia Bishop
Kelly Brewer
Paula Brookes Remedios
Carolyn Clevenger
Althea Charity Dimaculangan
Harolyn Dooley
Judy Dunn
Palactine Fleming
Erin George
Beverly Green
Judy Gretz
Vernon Griffith
Patricia Guasch
Martha Haack
Philip Joy
Cheryl Lee
Terri Marin
Gloria Myles
Ruth Simmons
Kelly Sutton
Robin Tarpley
Janice Temple
Elizabeth Thomas
Judith Lupo Wold

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Screenings & Health Services with No Appointment, 7 Days a Week – Could Health Care Get Any Easier?

November 21st, 2011 By Morgan Griffith

Emory Healthcare CVS MinuteClinic Partnership

Do you have a cough? Need a cholesterol screening? Allergy symptoms? All of these are things that as patients, many of us have experienced enough times to feel like we don’t need to schedule a formal doctor visit for them. But, because in the past, these services were usually only offered through a doctor’s office, there haven’t been too many other options. Now there is! Emory Healthcare has partnered with MinuteClinic, CVS’ retail health care division to provide access to high quality health care at your local CVS location for over 20 different common health services.

We know coming to Emory for more serious treatments or conditions is something that as an Atlanta resident, you probably already know exists as an option for you. But for those times where your earache at 7pm is a hassle and there isn’t a hospital or clinic location nearby or open, we’re hoping that our partnership with CVS means that you now have even more access to the high quality patient-centered health care provided at Emory.

You can trust that the care that you’ll receive at the 31 walk-in CVS MinuteClinic locations across Atlanta will be on par with the care you expect from Emory. Our physicians are serving as medical directors for MinuteClinic locations in Atlanta, and will also be collaborating on various patient education and prevention initiatives on a per-location basis.

So, what happens if you go to a CVS MinuteClinic location in Atlanta thinking your hives are due to allergic reaction, but really prove to be something more serious? The beauty of our partnership with CVS is that it opens up access to high quality health care for our patients in a variety of ways. If you require a level of care that is not provided at an Emory Healthcare supported MinuteClinic location, the care team onsite will be able to refer you. Emory Healthcare will accept patients who need a level of care not available through MinuteClinic.

If our partnership with CVS on its own doesn’t make getting access to high quality health care in Atlanta that much faster and easier for you, the fact that the 31 walk-in CVS MinuteClinic locations that we’re helping support are open 7 days a week, with no appointment necessary and visits as short as 15 minutes. MinuteClinic accepts most insurance and locations are open Monday-Friday, 8:30am-7:30pm; Saturday, 9am-5:30pm; and Sunday, 10am-5:30pm.

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A New Way to Counteract Loss of Collagen & an Aging Face?

November 18th, 2011 By Anita Sethna, MD

Sculptra Collagen Stimulator Have you ever looked in the mirror and wondered where all the youthful volume went? It’s not uncommon to hear our patients complain their faces “fell flat” over the years! And to some extent, it can be true.

As we age, we lose volume in our face such that the plump, bouncy skin of youth turns into something less than ideal. Apple-cheeks become deeper folds as the cheek descends in a down-and inward fashion; a heart- or v-shaped face turns boxy as the soft tissue falls along the jawline, but do not despair, because there is something that can counteract the loss of collagen that starts us down the path of the aging face.

For years, facial plastic surgeons have been using Sculptra (poly-L-lactic acid) to counteract the loss of collagen women and men suffer from as they age. Sculptra is an FDA-approved collagen stimulator made of the same material we have used for sutures and implants for years. By injecting this material in the deeper areas of the cheeks or jawline, we are able to promote the patients’ own collagen production, giving subtle and natural results that can last upto 2 years!

Sculptra is not necessarily a “new” product, but you may just be hearing about it more these days. It’s been around for about 10 years now—long enough to know that in the right hands and with the right patients, it can have phenomenal results.

Sculptra is not intended as a “filler” in the traditional sense—a full treatment usually consists of three vials, with 1 vial injected every 6 weeks over the course of months. Results are gradual (because it involves your body producing it’s own collagen), but much longer lasting than traditional fillers.

Sculptra is not intended for everyone, but at the Emory Facial Center, we have had such consistently impressive results. It’s certainly something we’re excited to share with our patients who are looking for subtle, natural-looking and long-term impact!

As is true with all cosmetic services, it’s important that you discuss with us honestly what your true goals are—at the end of the day, you’ll be happiest when your concerns (not ours) are addressed!

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Top 5 Reasons to Run in the Winship Win the Fight 5K

October 11th, 2011 By Winship Cancer Institute

Winship 5K RaceWinship Cancer Institute is holding its inaugural 5K this Saturday, Oct. 15! We want you there, and not just because we’re running – and walking – to raise money for cancer research at Winship.

Over the years, research has shown more convincingly than ever that maintaining a healthy body weight, eating healthful foods and having a regular exercise program can lower your risk of cancer.

We think the Winship Win the Fight 5K is a great way for us to all join together not only in the fight against cancer but also to have fun in a healthy way. It’s not too late to register, so please consider joining us this Saturday at 8 a.m. at McDonough Field on Emory’s campus. You can sign up here. Pre-race day bib pick-up will be available Friday, October 14, from 4 – 8 p.m. in the Woodruff Physical Education Center located on Emory University campus.

Free parking for bib pick-up is available at the Peavine parking deck located at: 29 Eagle Row, Atlanta, GA, 30322. There will be signs to quide you. OR, if you want more time to think about it, you can register at 6:30 Saturday morning onsite.

Here are the top five benefits of running or walking in the Winship Win the Fight 5K!

  1. Exercise has been shown to lower your cancer risk. It does so by helping your body avoid chronic, systemic inflammation, which wreaks havoc on your cells.
  2. Exercise has been shown to lower risk of cancer recurrence among those who already have been diagnosed.
  3. Exercise, in combination with a good diet, can lower your body weight. That in turn can lower levels of circulating insulin, which can fuel cancer growth.
  4. Exercise lowers levels of stress hormones that may put a person at higher risk of developing cancer.
  5. RUNNING IN THE 5K IS GOING TO BE FUN! COME JOIN THE FUN AND HELP US WITH THE FIGHT!
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Emory Makes UHC Quality Hospital Rankings History

September 21st, 2011 By Morgan Griffith

Emory Hospital UHC Quality Hospital RankingsIf you frequent our health care blog, engage with us on Facebook or Twitter, or have spent any time on our website, you have probably noticed that there is a theme woven through all Emory Healthcare’s presence. That theme is our dedication to our top priority here at Emory Healthcare, which is to provide high quality health care that is truly patient-centered. Because this mission is the focus of our Emory Healthcare team, five years ago, we implemented a five-year strategic goal to hold ourselves accountable in achieving it. That goal was to rank in the top academic medical centers in UHC. To anyone who doesn’t work in health care, you may be wondering what UHC is and why the organization’s rankings matter.

UHC was formed almost 30 years ago, and is an alliance of 114 academic medical centers and 255 hospitals affiliated with those academic medical centers. As described by UHC, their vision is “to help members attain national leadership in health care by achieving excellence in quality, safety, and cost-effectiveness.” To reach this goal, UHC uses quantifiable measurements of hospital quality and hard data to determine how academic medical centers measure up in their ability to provide the highest quality patient care.

Since we challenged ourselves to set the pace for academic medical quality five years ago, every individual that makes up the Emory Healthcare team has played a role in our commitment to quality patient-centered care and has been regularly reminded by our Emory Healthcare leaders of the improvements in our quality rankings as a result of our team’s efforts.

After setting a very lofty organizational goal five years ago, we are extremely excited to announce that our team’s commitment to providing high quality patient-centered care has paid off in a big way. Not only did we reach our goal, but this year, UHC has recognized these efforts and the undeniable data that demonstrates Emory Healthcare’s commitment to quality. As of 2011, UHC ranks the quality of care provided by Emory University Hospital (including Emory University Orthopaedics and Spine Hospital) as 10th among the more than 100 academic medical centers ranked by UHC. The quality of care provided at Emory University Hospital Midtown has been equally as impressive, as it ranks 11th by the UHC. The 2011 UHC rankings mark the first time in UHC history that two facilities from the same organization have placed this highly in the rankings of hospital quality.

Just last year, Emory University Hospital and Emory University Hospital Midtown were ranked 45th and 42nd, respectively. The significance of our jump in the rankings is a true testament to the compassion, dedication and commitment of our Emory Healthcare team to truly put our patients, families and community first by devoting themselves to providing the highest quality of care. It’s also a testament to our patients, families and communities who entrust us with providing them the highest quality care each and every day. We thank our entire Emory Healthcare family and community for their critical role in helping us achieve a goal that has such a positive impact on all of us.

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Emory University Hospital Among America’s Best Hospitals

July 19th, 2011 By Morgan Griffith

Emory University Hospital AtlantaAmerica's Best HospitalsThe 22nd annual U.S. News & World Report rankings of America’s Best Hospitals place Emory University Hospital for the 22nd consecutive year as one of the top hospitals in the United States.  These rankings follow the publication’s regional rankings released earlier this year, in which Atlanta’s Emory University Hospital and Emory University Hospital Midtown were also highly ranked. National hospital rankings released today place Emory University Hospital with the nation’s leading health care facilities in ten categories and among the nation’s top 20 in five prestigious categories: cardiology, neurosurgery, psychiatry, ophthalmology, and kidney disorders.

The U.S. News & World Report Best Hospital rankings emerged over 20 years ago as a way to identify and showcase hospitals exceptionally skilled in handling the most difficult medical cases, such as brain tumors typically considered inoperable and specialized cardiac procedures.

The 2012 rankings of America’s Best Hospitals spotlight the top hospitals across the country out of more than 5,000 centers evaluated. Each of the hospitals featured in this year’s list are ranked nationally in at least one medical specialty and/or placed among the best hospitals rankings in its respective metro area earlier this year. Hard data stand behind the rankings in most specialties, including death rates, patient safety, procedure volume, and other objective data. Responses to a national survey, in which physicians were asked to name hospitals they consider best in their specialty for the toughest cases, also were factored in.

The purpose of the U.S. News Best Hospitals rankings is to assist in guiding patients who need an especially high level of care because of a difficult surgery, a challenging condition, or added risk because of other health problems or age. “These are referral centers where other hospitals send their sickest patients,” says Avery Comarow, U.S. News Health Rankings Editor. “Hospitals like these are ones you or those close to you should consider when the stakes are high.”

We are very proud of our Emory Healthcare team and honored that we have been ranked not only as the top hospital in Atlanta, but also among the best hospitals in the country. Thank you to our community that allows us to make top notch patient-centered care backed by the most innovative medical research and technology a priority each and every day. We look forward to continuing to advance the possibilities in the realm of health care.

Below you can check out comments from our Emory Healthcare CEO, John Fox and the Winship Cancer Institute’s Executive Director, Walter J. Curran, MD, on what the U.S. News Best Hospital rankings mean to us. Please also feel free to share your thoughts and comments in the comment field below!

Words on the Rankings from Emory Healthcare CEO, John Fox:

John T. Fox, President & CEO of Emory Healthcare

“These annual rankings provide an opportunity for every physician, nurse and staff member who serves Emory Healthcare’s patients and their loved ones to pause and celebrate an accomplishment reserved for very few medical centers across the nation. Today’s announcement also serves as a reinforced reminder of why we are in business – to provide the very best research and discovery-based medicine in a safe, patient and family-centered environment. I thank our valued patients for allowing us to serve them each day, and at the same time we celebrate this announcement, we also re-affirm our commitment to excellence in care and customer satisfaction.”

Words on the Rankings from Walter J. Curran, Executive Director of the Winship Cancer Institute:

Dr. Walter Curran

“On behalf of the faculty and staff at the Winship Cancer Institute, we are very proud of the significant rise in standings in the US News & World Report rankings. This positive trajectory reflects their hard work and devotion to our patients’ care as well as our emphasis on collaboration with physicians throughout Georgia. We remain focused on constant improvement in everything we do and look forward to continued progress.”

 

This year’s “Best Hospitals” rankings are now online at: www.usnews.com/besthospitals. The print edition will appear at newsstands on August 31.

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