The Medical Center at Franklin Makes Significant Enhancements to Diagnostic Imaging Services

The Medical Center at Franklin has made significant enhancements to its diagnostic imaging capabilities with the addition of digital mammography, a new bone density scanner, nuclear medicine imaging camera and 16-slice Computed Tomography (CT) scanner.

“Diagnostic imaging plays a critical role in diagnosing and treating many conditions,” said Clara Sumner, Chief Executive Officer of The Medical Center at Franklin. “With the enhancements to our diagnostic imaging services, we’re able to serve our patients with the most up-to-date technology, while providing our physicians with highly detailed images for making an accurate diagnosis.”

Digital mammography is the most modern technology available today for detecting breast cancer. The system is designed to help provide comprehensive mammography patient care – from screenings and diagnosis, to interventional procedures. In addition, an all digital system provides patients with mammograms that are faster, easier and more comfortable than ever before. The Medical Center at Franklin’s new bone densitometer also has patient comfort in mind. In just 30 seconds, the hospital’s densitometer measures bone density, allowing physicians to improve the early detection of osteoporosis – a disorder affecting nearly one-half of all post menopausal women, the largest group at risk for osteoporosis.

Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in the United States, and without proper diagnosis, far too many will die. Part of The Medical Center at

Franklin’s diagnostic imaging enhancements includes a nuclear medicine imaging camera. With this system, doctors have the ability to detect, characterize and quantify cardiac disease in patients. The nuclear medicine imaging device employs a powerful camera that provides images of how blood is transferred between the heart and the rest of the body.

“Within minutes of performing a scan with the nuclear medicine camera, we can have crystal-clear images of a person’s internal anatomy, including the smallest heart vessels,” said Sumner. “This quick turnaround time is especially important when diagnosing cardiac emergencies.”

The final component of new diagnostic imaging equipment at The Medical Center at Franklin is a 16-slice CT scanner. Utilizing CT technology, physicians can quickly and accurately perform multiple diagnostic exams—exams that help diagnose disease or life-threatening illness such as stroke or cardiovascular disease. With advanced data processing features, patient information can also be quickly shared with referring physicians, including three-dimensional renderings of internal organs such as the heart and coronary arteries.

“We’re proud to deliver such quality care right here in Simpson County,” stated Sumner. “These upgrades are timely with our recent renovation and expansion project at The Medical Center at Franklin. We are proud to once again raise the level of excellence in healthcare services offered to the residents of Franklin and Simpson County.”

Bowling Green Chapter of National Kidney Foundation to Host Charity Bike Event

The Bowling Green Chapter of the National Kidney Foundation of Kentucky will host the Ride Out Loud bike event on Saturday, August 16. The event, sponsored by The Medical Center, will start and end at Chaney’s Dairy Barn, located at 9191 Nashville Road in Bowling Green.

The event will offer the choice of four routes through Southcentral Kentucky’s scenic back roads: 8.4 miles, 20.6 miles, 42.8 miles and 65 miles. Registration will begin at 7:00 a.m. with the rides starting at 7:30 a.m. Support for the bike event is being provided by the Bowling Green League of Bicyclists.

“The Ride Out Loud Bike event is a fun way to help support individuals living with kidney disease and to build awareness in Southcentral Kentucky,” said Lisa Allgood, Executive Director of the National Kidney Foundation of Kentucky. “Funds raised from the event will help improve the lives of patients and their families, as well as provide prevention and education programs and screening opportunities for the early diagnosis of kidney disease.”

Twenty-six million Americans have kidney disease and 20 million more are at risk. Kentucky ranks close to the top in numbers of people at risk and living with kidney disease. Over 98,000 people are on the waiting list for organ transplants and 18 of them die each day. Over 750 in Kentucky are on the waiting list.

Registration is available online at www.active.com. Registration forms are also available at The Medical Center Health & Wellness Center in Greenwood Mall or by calling the National Kidney Foundation of Kentucky at 1-800-737-5433. Early bird registration before August 4 is $20 for single and $30 for family. Late registration is $25 for single and $35 for family. The family registration is limited to four people; there is a $5 registration fee for each additional family member. The registration fee includes a T-shirt; T-shirts are guaranteed only for those who pre-register.

All riders are required to wear bicycle helmets. Helmets will be provided on a limited basis to riders who do not have a helmet.

The National Kidney Foundation is a voluntary health agency dedicated to preventing kidney and urinary tract diseases, improving the health and well being of individuals and families affected by these diseases and increasing the availability of all organs for transplantation. For more information, call 1-800-737-5433.

The Medical Center Earns Top Performer Status

The Medical Center has been named a top performer in a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Premier healthcare alliance pay-for-performance (P4P) project that rewards hospitals for delivering higher quality care in five clinical areas.

Based on third-year results from the Hospital Quality Incentive Demonstration (HQID) project, The Medical Center ranked in the top 20 percent for overall quality in the clinical area of Coronary Artery Bypass Graft. Due to its success, The Medical Center will receive a bonus payment of $29,698 from CMS, which awarded incentive payments of more than $7 million to 112 hospitals. Overall, 206 awards were given to these top-performing hospitals in the third year of the project. The Medical Center is the only hospital in Kentucky to receive a bonus payment for Coronary Artery Bypass Graft.

“Providing outstanding patient care has always been our primary mission,” said Connie Smith, Chief Executive Officer of The Medical Center. “Our success in this project is a testament to our ongoing efforts to improve the quality of care we offer our patients.”

“Hospitals participating in the HQID project make quality a top priority from the hospital board on down,” said Stephanie Alexander, Premier senior vice president. “These top-performing hospitals – small and large, urban and rural, teaching and non-teaching – have demonstrated a continuous and sustained improvement, and we commend them for their dedication to provide the highest-quality patient care.”

About the HQID project

The HQID is the first national project of its kind, designed to determine if economic incentives to hospitals are effective at improving the quality of inpatient care. Through the project, which has been extended by CMS for an additional three years, Premier collects a set of more than 30 evidence-based clinical quality measures from over 250 hospitals across the country. The quality measures were developed by government and private organizations (for more information on the indicators, visit: www.qualitydemo.com).

About Premier Inc., a 2006 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award recipient

Serving more than 2,000 U.S. hospitals and 50,000 other healthcare sites, the Premier healthcare alliance and its members are transforming healthcare together. Owned by not-for-profit hospitals, Premier operates one of the leading healthcare purchasing networks and the nation's most comprehensive repository of hospital clinical and financial information. Headquartered in San Diego, Premier has offices in Charlotte, N.C., Philadelphia and Washington. For more information, visit www.premierinc.com.

Medical Center EMS Selected as Steward for Regional Emergency Services Care Unit

The Kentucky Department of Public Health has selected Medical Center EMS as the steward of two mobile treatment centers allowing on-site treatment of patients in emergency or disaster situations.

One unit is cargo trailer-based and contains enough supplies and equipment required to care for up to 25 patients for 72 hours. This surge unit, which can be set up at or near the scene of a disaster, is designed to be used in an area that has received a significant increase in patients.

“The surge unit can be set up in response to a significant public health crisis such as a flu pandemic or in the wake of a disaster,” said Randy Fathbruckner, Director of Emergency Medical Services at The Medical Center. “Following a catastrophic event, area hospitals could be hit with a major influx of patients which could strain their resources. The surge unit is designed to supplement hospital resources during such events.”

The Kentucky Department of Public Health provided surge units to 14 hospital preparedness coalition regions using federal funding through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) pandemic influenza grant. Each unit is valued at $34,500.

In addition to the mobile surge unit, Medical Center EMS will also serve as the steward for a similar but more advanced Regional Emergency Services Care Unit (RESCU). RESCU is an 850 square-foot, inflatable treatment facility. Equipped with an HVAC system, lights and generator, the facility is able to accommodate 17 patient beds along with necessary equipment to provide intensive-care quality medical services.

“The RESCU is equipped with a cardiac monitoring system, intravenous supplies and medications,” added Fathbruckner. “While the RESCU is designed and intended for an emergency or disaster situation, it may also be used at major community events that require assistance from EMS personnel for extended periods of time.”

Following Louisville, Bowling Green is second in the state to receive the RESCU mobile treatment facility. Each RESCU is valued at $260,000. Another RESCU is also available in the Lexington region. Although the RESCU and surge unit are managed and maintained by Medical Center EMS, both resources may also be deployed to other parts of the state if needed.

“This equates to peace of mind for Bowling Green and the entire Southcentral Kentucky region,” said Mayor Elaine Walker. “It also speaks volumes about the capabilities of our emergency medical services personnel throughout the area, as Bowling Green has been selected as custodian for these mobile treatment centers. This is a considerable step in the right direction for emergency and disaster preparedness in our communities, and we thank the Kentucky Department of Public Health for providing the resources to make this possible.”

The Medical Center Announces Change in Expansion Plans

Faced with the immediate demands created by a growing population and an increasing share of the inpatient market in the Southcentral Kentucky region, The Medical Center at Bowling Green announced today that it is refocusing and re-engineering its expansion plans for the hospital. The revised project will enable The Medical Center to more quickly address the growing need for additional inpatient rooms.

“Many factors have led us to the decision to change the scope and location of our expansion, but the most important issue is the need to bring on-line as many new patient rooms as soon as possible,” said Connie Smith, Chief Executive Officer of The Medical Center. “The Medical Center continues to be the hospital of choice for a large majority of the growing population in Southcentral Kentucky. Recognized as the regional healthcare provider, we are obligated to address the escalating need for additional space as quickly as we can in the most cost-efficient manner,” added Smith.

In order to expedite the completion of the much needed rooms, the revised expansion plans call for a two-story addition to the current Emergency Department and Ambulatory Surgery wing of the hospital located along the High Street side of the hospital’s campus. Since the base of this building was designed for future expansion, the infrastructure is in place and no existing functions will need to be relocated before the project can begin.

“With the revised plan, we will quickly be able to add 100 percent clinical space to meet our immediate patient care needs,” stated Smith. The addition will provide approximately 48,000 square feet of new space that will be designated entirely for patient care and will enable The Medical Center to accommodate 48 new private rooms. With these additional rooms, The Medical Center will have the capacity to operate all 330 beds for which it is licensed.

The rising cost of construction in the healthcare industry has also contributed to the decision to refocus its expansion plans. Final construction bids for the original project far exceeded initial estimates. The new project is estimated to cost $30 million.

While the original project was projected to take three years for completion, the revised plan is estimated to take approximately 24 months. Plans are still being finalized, and construction will begin later this year.

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