Cath Lab Digest - March 2008 - (Page 52)

52 CATH LAB MANAGEMENT MARCH 2008 continued from previous page What would make this cath lab better? DVD home to watch with family members, who are critically involved in helping with compliance by refilling, picking up and administering medications. The program also provides tools to clearly communicate the full duration of their prescription and remind them to take it each day and fill prescriptions each month. Q The cost of dual anti-platelet therapy medications is an important factor in explaining why some patients prematurely discontinue their therapy or don’t take it at all. How is your institution addressing this problem with your DES patients who need financial assistance? Shroff: If we think that a patient will benefit from a DES and we’re relatively confident that he or she will adhere to the medication, we use the Stentplus Program to help patients to navigate the financial assistance options provided through private foundations, government programs and prescription discount cards. For example, the Partnership for Prescription Assistance (PPA) provides a single-point access for almost 500 public and private prescription assistance programs to help patients find the one that’s right for them. How difficult was the program to implement with your staff? Kondos: The program was easy to implement. I read the provided materials, met with representatives from Boston Scientific to learn about the program in detail, and then spent a few hours educating the cath lab staff. Implementation was without a hitch. Whether you are a physician, a nurse, or a technologist, the program is very easy to follow. What would you tell other institutions interested in implementing the Stentplus Program? Kondos: The bottom line is that this program is the right thing to do. I believe those institutions who offer the Stentplus Program will be leading the way in terms of offering quality care. As administrators, we all care about the quality of patient care we offer at our institutions. The Stentplus Program offers you a way to enhance your service and support of patients, and you should look very closely at this program and how to integrate it into your hospital. Plavix is a trademark of Sanofi-Aventis. Sponsored and prepared by Boston Scientific Corporation A Q A Q A What is essential and what is clutter in this lab? Kim Handrahan, RN, Ron Siverd, RN, and Eric Pillar, RT, setting up a procedure table. improved, and if the system works for you, staff morale is improved! These are big promises. But, you may be saying, what can I do? Our labs are already built. Start now by centralizing your supplies. This may require administration to allocate another area for storage. Limit the stock in the room for the case at hand. Train an ancillary staff to pack a box with the basics for a room setup. Then just bring a box of supplies into the lab for each case. Use your imagination to expedite and streamline the turnover process by using less expensive staff. Have a housekeeper wipe and mop the room, rather than a nurse or technologist. There are always options. Try one for a week and evaluate the outcome before making a year-long commitment. This is your lab. This is your job. These are your physicians. These are your patients. Take pride in what you do. You are saving lives. Now take time to think about doing your job better. When you look around, perhaps you, too, will find that it is time for spring cleaning. Is it time to clean up your act? ■ Marshall Ritchey can be contacted at marshallritchey@hotmail.com. Marshall is a cardiac cath lab technologist at Presbyterian Hospital, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. He assisted with his first cardiac cath in 1974. Mr. Ritchey has worked in labs at the University of Pittsburgh, the University of Wyoming, United Hospital Center in Clarksburg, West Virginia, Conemaugh Hospital in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Aiken Regional Hospital in Aiken, South Carolina and is currently working at Presbyterian University Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Marshall received his B.S. in premed from the University of Pittsburgh. He traveled to Laramie, Wyoming to the highest university in the United States (7,500 feet above sea level) for his MS degree in exercise physiology from the University of Wyoming. He returned to Pittsburgh for an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh. He is currently working on a doctorate degree in education. Rated by US News and World Report as one of the top hospitals in the U.S., Presbyterian Hospital labs include four diagnostic and interventional labs, one bi-plane, and one procedure room in the CCU. There are five technologists, ten nurses, one hem tech, and sixteen physicians to provide services at this teaching hospital facility. Cardiology fellows scrub in with the physicians. Diagnostic cases include endomyocardial biopsies for heart transplant patients, intravascular ultrasound, and pressure and flow wires to evaluate lesions. Invasive procedures include percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, stents, Rotablator (Boston Scientific, Natick, MA), AngioJet (Possis Medical, Inc., Minneapolis, MN), and filter wires, as well as ASD and PFO repair. Other vascular work includes carotid, renal, and some leg procedures. Over 7,000 procedures were done at Presbyterian Hospital cath labs in 2007.

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Cath Lab Digest - March 2008

Cath Lab Digest - March 2008 Are You Being Paid Fair Market Value in 2008? A Cardiac Cath Lab Professionals Survey by Cath Lab Digest and the Society of Invasive Cardiovascular Professionals Saint Joseph’s Hospital Invasive Imaging Tools for Optimizing Coronary Stent Deployment Contents Clinical Editor’s Corner A Workflow Revolution in Cath Lab Reporting Advantages of a New Digital Lab at Baystate Medical Center Cardiac Computed Tomography: What Does it Mean for the Cath Lab? The Latest in Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Cellular Cardiomyoplasty and Cardiac Regeneration Intravascular Ultrasound in the Cath Lab: A Powerful — and Underutilized — Tool to Improve Patient Outcomes The Stentplus™ Patient Success Program Cardiac Cath Lab Clutter — or, Spring into Action! Groin Bleeds and Other Hemorrhagic Complications of Cardiac Catheterization: A List of Relevant Issues Ask the Clinical Instructor: A Q&A Column for Those New to the Cath Lab What Do You Think? Experience with a New Guidewire: The Terumo Runthrough NS The Ostial Pro™ Stent Positioning System: Perfecting Aorto-Ostial Stent Placement Precious Minutes The Ten-Minute Interview with…Mark Bowles, BSN, CCRN Vascular Care in the Cath Lab: Planning a Smooth Transition Cath Laughs CMS 2008 OPPS Final Rule Review An Extensive Set of Review Courses for the CCI Basic Science, Non-Invasive Echocardiography and Vascular, and ARDMS Ultrasound Exams Meetings Calendar CEU Education Center Clinical & Industry News STEMI Interventions Classifieds Advertisers Index

Cath Lab Digest - March 2008

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