A Week In Business

Program Earns Certificate

BERLIN – The American Diabetes Association recently awarded Atlantic General Hospital the prestigious Education Recognition Certificate for its quality diabetes self-management program.

The staff at the Diabetes Outpatient Education Program has helped more than 1,400 people with diabetes learn how to better manage their disease over the years, empowering them to stave off debilitating and life-threatening conditions like heart disease, blindness, and stroke.

The program was originally launched in 2005 to address an overwhelming community need for this kind of education and received formal recognition from the American Diabetes Association in 2008 for providing quality diabetes self-management education. That prestigious Education Recognition Certificate has just been renewed.

The need is still there. Nearly 14 percent of Worcester County residents suffer from diabetes, about double the national average.

“It’s crucial that people understand the benefits and how to monitor their blood sugar, how to eat properly, and how to manage their medications,” said Darlene Jameson, a certified diabetes educator (CDE) and the program’s new coordinator. “We can help set goals for improvement and educate them about all the aspects of self-care that will keep them healthier.”

That leads to a better quality of life and fewer medical bills. But, individuals need to utilize the program. Many aren’t aware that they have diabetes or and those who do may not know about the hospital’s diabetes education services.

With the implementation this past year of the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) model in Atlantic General Health System, the hospital’s network of primary care physician offices, more patients are being connected with diabetes education.

The PCMH care coordinators work with the primary care physician, the patient, any specialists, and support services like the Diabetes Outpatient Education Program to help coordinate all aspects of care so that a holistic approach is taken to improve a patient’s overall health.

“The medical home team has been a fantastic resource for patients who need our services,” said Jameson, who has been with the diabetes program since 2008. “But, we are here for all individuals in the community who need diabetes education.”

Topics covered during the education sessions include blood glucose monitoring, physical activity/exercise plan, diabetes medications, meal planning, managing high and low blood sugar, coping with diabetes, learning proper foot care, and more.

Bank Partnerships Announced
BERLIN — Shore Bank has announced its recent partnership with two local volunteer fire companies.

Shore Bank provided financing to the Onancock Volunteer Fire Department to place the first brand new 100-foot Pierce Arrow Aerial Ladder Truck in service on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Shore Bank also financed the Parksley Volunteer Fire Company’s latest addition to their fleet – a 2012 Pierce Saber Pumper.

Shore Bank is full service community bank with seven conveniently located branches from Cape Charles, Va, to Salisbury. Shore Bank also has Loan Production offices in West Ocean City and Rehoboth, Del.

Institute Completed

OCEAN CITY — Peggy Holt, insurance advisor at Insurance Management Group, Inc. of Ocean City, has successfully completed the Commercial Casualty Institute held in Newark, Del.

The three-day long insurance Institute is one of a five part series offered by The National Alliance.  After the successful completion of all five institutes, which cover major areas of the insurance field and five rigorous examinations, Holt will be awarded the designation of Certified Insurance Counselor by the National Society of Certified Insurance Counselors.

Hospital Team Honored

SALISBURY — Healthcare Purchasing News (HPN), which provides clinical intelligence for supply chain leadership monthly in print and daily online, named the Central Sterile Processing team at Peninsula Regional Medical Center (PRMC), as its 21st Annual Sterile Processing & Distribution (SPD) Department of the Year Award recipient.

Embarking on a process improvement initiative three years ago, PRMC applied Lean methodologies and Six Sigma tools to construct new surgical suites and renovate existing ones as part of a 50,000-square-foot expansion master plan.

Led by Eddie Conklin, Central Processing Manager, Surgical Services, PRMC’s CSP team overcame barriers and pain points that had left a legacy of poor customer service and quality control issues.      

“PRMC’s CSP team clearly demonstrated a desire to toss out the status quo even though the odds and perceived peer pressure seemed to run counter to their success,” HPN Senior Editor Rick Dana Barlow said. “Collectively, this team persevered through thick and thin, and their customers, as well as PRMC patients, are better off for it.”

With a lofty “breakthrough goal” of having everything the OR needed for the day processed by 7 a.m. that day, the CSP team tested and tried a series of “extreme schemes” to come up with one high performing hybrid model.

As proof of concept, since October 2010, PRMC’s CSP has reduced inventory by $350,000 in the first year, inventory touch time by four hours per day and obsolete products by 2 percent per year. They improved service levels to 99 percent from below 50 percent and saved 50 percent of space by “right-sizing” inventory and storing it at the point of use. They’ve been stockout-free for more than a year, and cycle times dropped to more than eight hours from 72.

“Peninsula Regional has demonstrated an ongoing commitment to using LEAN principles to improve processes and in turn patient care across all continuums,” said Steve Leonard, Vice President, Operations Optimization and Innovation at PRMC.  “It’s rewarding to see the dedicated and innovative work of our Central Sterile Processing team recognized nationally with this prestigious honor.”