Excela Health Group

“Sharon smith, robert rogalski & tom yarabinetz serve on the board of directors for university of pittsburgh at greensburg.”

“Excela health has a cpa firm prepare its form 990. The return is completed in draft form and reviewed by management of the organization. The form 990 is then provided to the board of directors for review before it is filed.”

“A web-based software program is used to administer a conflict of interest disclosure form and questionnaire annually to all board trustees, key employees and certain other directors, managers and contracted physicians. Compliance in completing the form is required at 100% for officers, trustees and key employees. The disclosures are reviewed by the compliance officer, chief legal officer and certain board committees. Additionally, the organization has a conflict of interest policy that is shared with employees, medical staff and business partners through one or more of the following methods: posting on the organization's intranet website, on the organization's public world wide website, in its policy manual and in its corporate code. Reports and subsequent findings of non-compliance result in disciplinary action through human resources, the office of medical affairs, or through company sanctions towards business partners.”

“After the close of each fiscal year, and subject to applicable law, the human resources committee of the board may commission an executive compensation study be completed using data obtained from outside parties and other public records to determine the market competitiveness, appropriateness and reasonableness of each pay element and the aggregate total compensation package. The human resources committee presents the study's findings and any recommended changes to the executive committee for approval.”

“Excela health and members of excela health group makes its form 990, form 990-t, and financial statements available to the public upon request. The form 990 is also available at excelahealth.org.”

“At this time, excela health and members of excela health group do not make its governing documents and conflicts of interest policy available to the general public.”

“Change in additional minimum pension liability 10,902,000. Other 1,347,454. Temporarily restricted contributions 3,920,000. Net assets released from restriction for operations -343,000. Transfer to affiliates -53,701,000.”

“Excela health has an audit committee that is responsible for the oversight of the audit and selection of the independent auditors. The process has not changed from prior year.”

“Since 2004, excela health has held true to its goal of serving as a regional health care system that embodies high quality, accessibility and advanced technology locally. Staying the course, excela health continues to believe its success is rooted in safe and efficient patient-centered care driven by value-based behaviors. More to the point, excela health seeks to live its mission of "improving the health and well-being of every life we touch" couched in values known as the excela way. Evidence of those ideals can be found in the events of fy 2017, with the addition of new concepts, services and technologies while, at the same time, garnering recognition for its efforts from national, regional and local organizations. In all cases, the resulting programs, services and awards benefitted the area's citizenry and demonstrated a focus on quality measures, further enhancing the way excela health provides care. Perhaps more important was the continuing addition of highly trained physicians, nurses and health care professionals who continuously bring its mission to life while together, management, the board of trustees and medical staff collaborate diligently, and thoughtfully, to provide outstanding care to this region. All in a day's work at excela health as the extraordinary is embraced as routine by the 4,931 employees, 531 physicians, 223 allied health professionals, 23 family medicine residents, and 872 volunteers and auxiliary members who are the life's blood of the health system. As a pennsylvania non-profit corporation described under section 501(c)(3) of the internal revenue code of 1986, excela health was originally incorporated as such effective july 1, 1984, previously known as southwest health system, then westmoreland health system, followed by westmoreland latrobe health partners and finally, excela health. Comprised of three hospitals - frick, latrobe and westmoreland - in addition to other health-related subsidiaries, excela health continues to expand as the needs of the community demand. The tradition of providing care in neighborhoods and communities continues so accessibility and convenience are more than just an idea they are an ideal brought to life for the good of all constituents. Across westmoreland county and beyond, excela health outpatient rehabilitation for outpatient physical, occupational and speech therapy, quikdraw and quikdraw plus for routine blood work, imaging and diagnostics, and excela's network of primary care physicians and specialists offer high quality care and serve as examples of what medical care is all about - providing treatment efficiently and effectively with the objective of minimizing and/or resolving the detrimental effects of a given condition so individuals can lead the best life possible. But "conditions" encompass more than the physical; they include the psychosocial/emotional aspects of good health as well. The behavioral health team, with services offered at the latrobe and westmoreland hospital campuses, also reaches into the community to aid those in crisis. During fiscal 2017, excela health behavioral health services provided the following community services: 1. The school-based mental health program (out of the latrobe hospital campus) operates fully functional outpatient clinics in six westmoreland county school districts in derry, latrobe, ligonier valley, hempfield, southmoreland and mount pleasant. Six licensed mental health professionals, a part-time psychiatrist, and a nurse practitioner provide services in the school setting. Each school site is licensed by the pennsylvania department of public welfare office of mental health and substance abuse services (omhsas) as satellite clinics of the latrobe hospital child outpatient clinic. 2. Nursing home support, based at the westmoreland hospital campus, is a community psychiatric nursing program providing in-home/community psychiatric nursing services. The program targets priority populations (an omhsas designation) wh”

“Minimally invasive surgery, too, remains a viable option for those needing surgery and is available at the hospitals of excela health as well as the outpatient sites at excela square at norwin and laurel surgical center. With a second robot at westmoreland hospital in addition to the first da vinci robotic surgical system at latrobe hospital, this form of surgery continues to grow in popularity, with trained general, gynecologic, thoracic and urologic surgeons performing procedures such as hysterectomy; uterine fibroid removal; prostate/prostate cancer surgeries; bladder and kidney surgeries; colorectal, hiatal hernia/esophageal (acid reflux) surgery; gallbladder and hernia surgeries, and others. Late in 2014, the system added a robotic thoracic surgeon to its medical staff, widening the scope of services for the population. The device greatly aids in patient recovery and the physician's ability to perform procedures with greater precision and visibility. Excela latrobe has offered robotic surgery since 2009, with procedures increasing year over year. In fiscal year 2017 alone for both facilities, 728 patients availed themselves of this advanced surgical technology. Quality and safety efforts excela health is always keenly aware of quality and patient safety, as evidenced by the new initiatives and programs undertaken in fy 2017 to raise the bar even higher. As such, the following was instituted and, in some cases, made note of by external agencies. 1. Excela health hospice continues to expand programming for veterans and their families. Hospice patients who are veterans receive a certificate of appreciation thanking them for their military service. Additionally, excela health hospice staff participate in veteran-specific training equipping them to care for excela health's veteran patients. Hospice is committed to expanding services to veterans as work continues within the nhpco we honor veterans program framework. Further, excela health took time to honor employees and their families who served in the military with a "thank you" card on valentine's day 2017. 2. Dr. James masterson, a credentialed impact consultant who leads the excela health sports concussion program, with excela athletic trainers michael foster and catherine bashioum, provided coverage for u.s. Olympic gold medal gymnasts simone biles, aly raisman and other stars from the 2012 and 2016 olympic teams when they performed in the kellogg's tour of gymnastics champions at ppg paints arena october 23, 2016. Dr. Bryan lee, orthopedic and sports medicine specialist, along with certified athletic trainers peggy fillinger and kaliegh adkins covered the event at the giant center in hershey october 25. 3. Excela health hosted its annual employer-focused health care symposium october 28, 2016, titled "keeping drug testing standards high and healthcare costs low." westmoreland county business and industry personnel learned about the prevalence of drug use in the workplace, the legalities of medical marijuana and states' rights, and how to promote a drug-free environment. Discussion of non-opioid plan treatment options ensued along with insights regarding data transparency as a driver for informed healthcare decisions as well as a look at an excela health story regarding cost and quality. 4. Excela health behavioral health hosted a "children's emotional wellness symposium" in november 2016, exploring complex situations that require behavioral health intervention. Nursing, social workers, teachers, guidance counselors and other school personnel learned about "working with lgbtq youth", "dealing with complex traumas", and "attachment and eating disorders" among other topics. 5. Excela health's partnership with area vocational training programs reaped rewards for all involved. Indiana county technology center trains medical assistants with the summer session student count serving as a first-time cohort. The program included 12 months of classroom instruction plus 160 hours in”

“- nursing identified needed improvements in bedside rounds including lack of timely communication between the rounding team and other, multiple providers, and variations in rounding processes. A multidisciplinary team met for a two-day lean project surrounding this issue and established standard workflow for what is now called the structured interprofessional bedside rounds (sibr), defining clear roles and responsibilities for each team member and developing evaluation metrics. Sibr was implemented with the hospitalist group being the primary physician focus. Every day, every patient is rounded with the core team of patient and family, primary nurse and physician. To evaluate the process, an electronic audit was created that enabled the observer to answer yes/no questions if the desired expectation was completed during rounding. - the care team program is a partnership between nursing and volunteer services throughout the excela health system. Designed to enhance patient comfort and satisfaction while providing support for nursing, volunteers establish communication with the patient and family, visiting each room to offer support, if and when necessary. If there is a concern, the volunteer notes and shares it with the nurse manager on the unit. Objectives include: support of the excela health mission of improving the health and well-being of every life we touch, and aiding in the improvement of the hospital consumer assessment of healthcare providers and systems (hcahps) performance scores. The care team volunteers focus on patient comfort; quality of care; familiarity with the communication board; communication effectiveness among staff, volunteers and family; room cleanliness; patient safety, and provision of amenities. - to help ease the burden of school loans for nurses, excela health introduced its new loan forgiveness program, a way of repaying part of those loans while a nurse builds his/her career. After a six-month introductory period of employment is met satisfactorily, $100 each month is paid to the nurse's student loan institution up to 50 consecutive monthly payments. The employee must remain employed at excela health for at least 12 months after receiving the final loan payment. - nurse residency program - in calendar year 2016, 66 nurses entered the nurse residency program and in calendar year 2017, 58 nurses entered the program. Since the program has been in existence, there has been a steady increase in new nurse retention rates, a measure of the success of the nurse residency program. The program is composed of three phases culminating in phase iii independent activities such as joining a professional nursing organization, conference attendance, enrollment in a bsn program or engaging in unit-based or community projects. - community partnerships - the school of anesthesia celebrated national crna week (january 22 to 28, 2017) by performing a community service project benefitting the action for animals humane society, a no-kill animal shelter in derry, pa. The donation drive began november 1, 2016 and ended december 11, 2016. The excela nurse recognition and retention committee became actively involved in the blackburn center's community event called "walk a mile in her shoes". The event is meant to "raise our voice as we move our feet" in speaking out against domestic and sexual violence. The professional image committee set a goal of at least 12 participants to walk as a team, realizing a 30-member team. Monies raised fund the agency's services. In november 2016, the excela health nurse recognition and retention committee sponsored the "gratitude graffiti wall". Designed by art therapy students from nearby seton hill university, employees, patients and visitors had the opportunity to express their thanks and contemplate a source of gratitude with a means of outward expression. The 30-day project served as a practice of purposeful appreciation of one's life through interactive art. - rn karen adamoski has aga”

“5. Excela health has been ranked in the top 10% in the nation for patient safety in overall hospital care in 2017 by care chex, an information service of quantros, inc. Carechex is the most comprehensive resource for ranking hospital quality and patient safety. Carechex provides clinical, financial and patient satisfaction findings to consumers, providers, and purchasers of u.s. Medical care. Unlike other publicly available quality ratings, carechex provides a composite evaluation of all components of medical quality including process of care, outcomes of care, and patient experiences. Excela health also ranked in the top 10% in cancer care and heart care and excela westmoreland hospital ranked #1 in market for medical excellence in bariatric surgery (excela's bariatric program has the highest national ranking among the hospitals in its market, one that includes western pennsylvania and parts of west virginia). Carechex also recognized excela latrobe hospital - top 10% in the nation for medical excellence in heart failure treatment; 6. Highmark blue cross blue shield continues to recognize excela health westmoreland hospital as one of the first in the nation to receive a blue distinction center plussm designation in the area of cardiac care as part of the blue distinction center for specialty care program. Additionally, excela health's maternity care, bariatric surgery program and knee and hip replacement program (called joint works) have also been named as blue distinction centers plus. The designation is given to hospitals who are shown to deliver quality specialty care based on objective, transparent measures for patient safety and health outcomes that were developed with input from the medical community. 7. Excela health hospitals - frick, latrobe and westmoreland - have been designated as primary stroke centers by the joint commission and recognized by the department of health for exceeding national standards for quality patient care. To earn accreditation, the excela health hospitals have demonstrated proficiency in the prevention and early management of stroke and tia symptoms based on guidelines established by the american heart association/american stroke association for health care professionals. 8. The commission on cancer (coc) of the american college of surgeons has once again granted a three-year accreditation to the cancer program at excela health latrobe hospital. To earn this accreditation, one must meet or exceed 34 coc quality care standards, be evaluated every three years, and maintain levels of excellence in the delivery of comprehensive patient care. 9. The accreditation for cardiovascular excellence (ace) program again continues its accreditation to excela health's cardiac catheterization laboratory and angioplasty/stenting program in 2016. Ace accreditation recognizes the commitment of clinicians and staff to quality assurance, peer review, and the use of evidence-based guidelines. Excela health is the first health system in pennsylvania and only the fifth in the nation to receive it. According to bonnie weiner, md, msec, mbv, fscai, chief medical officer and chair of ace's board of directors and director of interventional cardiology research at st. Vincent hospital, worchester medical center, worchester, mass., "by seeking ace cardiac catheterization accreditation, excela health has shown that it has an uncompromising commitment to provide safe, high quality care. The willingness to be evaluated against nationally accepted gold standard practices demonstrates a desire to meet the highest quality standards set by the experts in cardiac and endovascular care." ace is sponsored by the society for cardiovascular angiography and intervention and the american college of cardiology foundation, the two leading professional cardiovascular organizations jointly representing more than 40,000 practitioners. 10. August 2016 saw excela health being recognized as an exceptionally supportive employer by the southweste”

“Community health needs assessment as part of the patient protection and affordable care act of 2010, non-profit hospitals are required to complete a community health needs assessment (chna) survey every three years. An implementation plan must be adopted to address the identified needs and compliance with this requirement. The purpose of the chna process is to improve community health through utilization of a model that integrates health system planning with public health and community planning. A community health needs assessment must include a description of the community, a description of the process and methods to conduct the assessment and other collaborating agencies involved in the process, a description of how the hospital considered input from persons who represent the broad interests of the community, and a description of the health care facilities and other resources within the community available to meet the community health needs identified in the community health needs assessment. If a hospital has more than one facility, a separate report and implementation strategy must be completed for each facility. Once the chna is completed, it must be made available widely to the public by posting it on the facility's web site and must be easily downloadable from the web site. Equipment, service and technology updates by way of system-wide equipment and service enhancements, excela health committed monies toward several vital service additions: 1. The expansion of the excela advanced lung center to a second location at excela square at norwin in north huntingdon. The center offers low dose ct screenings that allow for early detection and treatment of lung cancer. 2. Excela health is nearing completion of phase two of a five-year renovation project at the frick hospital campus, which has become known as excela square at frick. This second phase features an enhanced main entrance and lobby area and caf along with enhancement of outpatient diagnostics with rapid entry. Renovation of the second and third floor also allowed for the addition of medical/surgical specialties such as cardiology, orthopedics and sports medicine, neurosurgery and the pacemaker clinic. Anticipated completion is set for september 2017. 3. October 2016 witnessed the opening of excela's new primary care weekends, an extension of patients' primary care team with a weekend option for those needing immunizations, physicals, and minor illnesses such as fevers, sore throat, rashes, coughs/cold, sprains, strains and much more. Located within an existing primary care practice inside latrobe hospital, walk-ins are welcome saturdays and sundays from 8 a.m. To 4 p.m. 4. As the first in the region to offer 3d mammography, excela health introduced another first - texting mammo to the number 24587 to schedule a mammogram. Over a secured site, women can schedule their mammograms at the touch of a finger requesting a specific date, time and location. 5. The westmoreland hospital intensive care unit renovation project continued with the completion of phase one of the step down unit featuring state-of-the art monitoring and an expansive waiting room for family. The next two phases of the renovation features upgrades in technology, nurses' station and patient rooms in the intensive care area, set for completion in early 2018. The renovation represents a $15 million capital investment with state-of-the art improvements. 6. Continuing progress on the excela square at latrobe building, a three-story, patient-centered medical home featuring primary and specialty care, diagnostic testing, physical rehabilitation, and other services, continues. This community-based center seeks to consolidate services while integrating patient needs and managing services, patient health and costs more effectively. 7. The introduction of the empathy collection at excela square at frick and a second location identified at excela square at latrobe have come to fruition. The collection, conceived b”

“Reaching into the community in fact, the health system has garnered much recognition for its efforts on behalf of the "health and well-being" of the public it serves, always striving for excellence as our very name implies. Excela health takes the role of corporate citizen seriously, too, partnering with community organizations to spread the word about various health issues, giving of its time and talents to neighborhood causes, and supporting the efforts of area health-related groups and others whose mission meshes with its own. Cases in point include: 1. Excela health has partnered with the westmoreland-fayette council of the boy scouts of america as part of its exploring program. The program introduces youths ages 14 to 20 to various health care careers. The program started in october 2016 and continued to the end of the school year (may 2017). Fifty-eight youths registered for the program from various school districts throughout westmoreland county meeting on the first wednesday of each month. Students chose topics of interest that were presented by healthcare professionals touching on their day-to-day activities, necessary education, hands-on activities and simulations. 2. Excela health continued its participation in community events such as the friends of penn trafford area recreation commission bushy run 5k run and walk (july 2016); downtown irwin festival concert in the park (august 2016); healthy habits nutrition series at area middle schools throughout fy 2017, among many others. 3. To help people gauge their health status, excela health continues to co-sponsor "wellness checks", a multiphasic blood analysis that allows for the detection of many potential health problems at a low cost. Additional screenings are also offered with the program utilizing seven to 10 regional locations across westmoreland county in both the fall (2016) and the spring (2017). Excela health partners with area rotary clubs, kiwanis, volunteer fire departments and others to present the programs. Monies earned in part go to the scholarship funds of the various public organizations. 4. Laurel highlands health center, ltd. (lhhc) recently affiliated with excela health to integrate their rehabilitation services in the greater latrobe area. The relationship enhances excela's aquatic, industrial and physical therapy offerings through lhhcs locations in the community. The affiliation also associates the athletic training services contracted by saint vincent college through lhhc for the past 34 years with excela health orthopedics and sports medicine. Excela health rehabilitation services already offers aquatic therapy through community affiliations with the aerobic center in greensburg and the ligonier valley ymca. Similarly, excela provides industrial therapy at its outpatient location in youngwood. 5. Several members of the excela health family took their talents to help those in haiti and nicaragua. Kim beck, rn, and a member of the continuous improvement team, along with her daughter and mother, who also works at excela health, made the medical trip as part of st. Luke's foundation for haiti, a u.s.-based charity. Steven brown, a medical technologist, westmoreland hospital lab, followed in his brother's footsteps to help those in nicaragua. He aided in utilizing lab equipment found there that no one knew how to use. 6. An august 2016 flood devastated the connellsville area with 12 excela health employees experiencing losses. The employees charitable trust fund authorized emergency relief totaling $3,600 for affected employees to use toward replacement of lost or damaged property. Vicki sieloff, excela health medical group payroll coordinator and ectf volunteer treasurer, joined a team of co-workers who visited the homes of three staff members most impacted delivering food, cleaning supplies, fans, dehumidifiers, gift cards and cash, all donated. The crew then remained to help with clean-up. 7. Excela health's collaboration with project fit ameri”

“Further, excela health continues to move beyond its traditional walls to strengthen bonds with its communities and touch lives well beyond those who enter its doors through an active community outreach program. In these outreach venues, excela health can bridge the gulf for those who otherwise may not seek care, pursue wellness measures, or know where to turn for health information. Additional resources were expended to accomplish the excela health mission of improving the health and well-being of every life we touch in the following fashion: community health fairs, screenings, education programs: $449,148 lives touched through community health/wellness efforts: 288,044 free screenings performed: 14,424 community health publications: $80,829 community contributions: $225,000 continuing medical education provided through the health system for its medical staff: $19,712 tuition reimbursement for employees raising their level of education ultimately benefitting the quality of care delivered: $851,622 volunteer hours donated system wide: 77,566 (can translate to $1,023,871 of time spent aiding the health system mission) monies for camp focus, providing a summer day camp for school age children so mental health treatment, growth and learning can continue during the summer months: $18,512 the employees charitable trust fund: excela health system employees who, during fy 2017, donated a percentage of their pay to aid fellow employees, community causes and the system's foundations, dispersed: to the westmoreland hospital foundation, designated for the neonatal unit: $10,000 other external aid: $52,500 internal aid: $20,335 other (accounting, misc.): $1,300 total: $84,135 but it's all about a call to action. And those actions translate to assuming a purposed leadership role as excela health seeks to increase access and enhance quality in new and enlightened ways. From its board of trustees to professional staff, excela continues to focus its sites on what people need most - the best care possible, as close to home as possible, with the advanced technology and expertise to deliver that care. In short... We have excellence in health care. You have excela health. A statistical look at excela health as a fiscally responsible organization, excela health continues to look at ways to consolidate, integrate and initiate practices and processes that can sustain the health system over time, so that it is here today, and well into the future. As stewards of the public trust, it is excela's duty to do so, and the legacy it leaves at this moment will become part of its history spanning more than 120 years. Licensed beds: 610 staffed beds: 416 employees: 4,931 volunteers and auxiliary: 878 births: 1,218 inpatient admissions/observations: 31,234 outpatient visits: 692,880 emergency department visits: 104,069 communities served: 97 zip codes/ westmoreland, fayette, indiana counties service area population: 359,320 (in westmoreland county only) in addition to its hospitals, excela health is a sole corporate member of the following organizations located in westmoreland and parts of fayette counties and includes it's not-for profit subsidiaries: - excela health home care and hospice - caregivers of southwestern pa - westmoreland/frick hospital foundation, a charitable foundation - latrobe area hospital charitable foundation and its health care-related subsidiaries under the excela health holding company umbrella: - excela health medical group (formerly called the excela health physician practices) encompassing bariatric surgery, behavioral health, cardiology, cardiothoracic surgery, ent, family medicine, gastroenterology, general surgery, hospitalist program, internal medicine, intensivist program, neurology, neurosurgery, ob-gyn, occupational medicine, orthopedics and sports medicine, pain medicine, palliative care, physiatry, thoracic surgery and vascular surgery. - medcare equipment company - excela health diversified services - excela health ventures”

“The excela advanced wound care center continues to help patients with all types of wounds, most notably, with hyperbaric oxygen chamber treatment to speed healing in some types of wounds, especially diabetic ulcers. Excela health is the first in the area to do so. Further, the center offers other treatments including topical skin care, wound dressings and medications. For more serious cases, excela health offers sophisticated solutions, such as "skin substitutes" to help cover an open wound, reduce healing time, and pain. Getting to the heart of the matter the heart and vascular center at excela health offers the latest technologies, compassionate care, highly advanced medical expertise reflected in exceptional outcomes, and experience commensurate with high volumes. The heart and vascular center spans emergency care for quick assessment and treatment of heart attack and related conditions to diagnostic care, interventional cardiology, electrophysiology, cardiothoracic and vascular surgery, and cardiac/pulmonary rehabilitation. Of equal importance is the fact that area residents no longer need to travel great distances for top quality, comprehensive heart care, particularly with westmoreland county holding the dubious distinction of having a higher incidence of heart disease than anywhere else in the state. Here, patients can find care in their own community knowing that excela health seeks and meets stringent standards of care and quality. As the centerpiece of excela health's system-wide cardiac expertise, this interventional center houses the cardiac catheterization and electrophysiology labs and a 64-slice ct scanner; allows for high-volume open heart surgery (three cardiovascular operating rooms with two dedicated to open heart procedures as well as a 16-bed cardiac care unit, 52 telemetry beds and a dedicated nursing staff); has an imaging department with echocardiography, cardiac ct, cardiac mri and a vascular lab, and all related technologies along with the experienced medical staff for diagnosis and treatment to ensure high quality and excellent survival rates. With the recruitment of additional interventional cardiologists, excela health also offers atrial ablation to correct atrial fibrillation (a-fib) and supraventricular tachycardia (svt). The heart center procedures performed: open heart surgeries: 214 cardiac catheterizations: 3015 coronary intervention patients: 821 electrophysiology studies: 19* device implantations: 408 cardiac rehabilitation visits (all locations): 29,752 pulmonary rehabilitation visits (all locations): 2,260 *ep studies are often included with ablation and most may not be reflected in this number. Additionally, innovative programs have further increased survival rates of individuals experiencing a cardiac event and include: - twelve-lead ekg transmission a pre-hospital program, 12-lead ekg transmission brings together multiple technologies to aid in patient diagnosis, expedite care, and minimize heart damage. This program reduces the time to cardiac intervention significantly, in fact, below state averages, which has improved outcomes for heart attack victims. The goal has been for each patient transported by emergency medical services to skip the emergency department visit and go directly to the cardiac catheterization laboratory. For the health system's efforts, they have been recognized by the american heart association as a model among the members of its mission lifeline coalition in pennsylvania. - hypothermic treatment of cardiac arrests patients suffering a cardiac arrest have a high rate of mortality and morbidity. Studies have shown that more than 90 percent of people with cardiac arrest die before they reach a hospital. Studies also have indicated that cooling a patient's core body temperature improves those odds. Hypothermia therapy, most often begun in the emergency department, can also be started in a cardiac catheterization laboratory, a critical care or intensive care unit or”

“Making care more accessible... Outpatient care and community outreach to make health care more accessible to its communities, excela westmoreland continues to offer services in an outpatient setting as well as health screenings, health fairs, educational classes, support groups and a vibrant speakers bureau, all with the purpose of keeping its communities healthy. The diabetes center tends to the needs of the county's diabetic population, which is 10 percent of the total westmoreland county population. Diabetes education was provided to 1,053 patients among 44 clinic visits (clinics ended november 2016). The diabetes center also provides education to personal care and group homes, seeing 396 in fy 2017. Other clinics include the digestive disorders center, breast health center, excela health outpatient services, outpatient labs and imaging stations (quikdraw and quikdraw plus), and the short stay surgery suite where procedures totaled: outpatient x-ray procedures: 132,600 outpatient surgeries: 6,529 outpatient gastroenterology procedures: 7,549 total outpatient registrations/visits: 337,595 frick hospital at the start of the 20th century, the wheels of progress were turning for the community of mount pleasant. With the help of a donation bequeathed by a former resident, a charter for a dispensary was granted and later that same year, in september 1902, a hospital charter was approved. Today, frick hospital, a 33 licensed bed hospital offers general acute care services, surgical services, rehabilitation services, outpatient services and more. Beyond that, the hospital is staffed with highly trained, home grown professionals; friends taking care of friends and neighbors with all the understanding and compassion shared experience fosters. The physicians are dedicated to quality and caring in equal measure, with a commitment to their community not often seen in more urban areas. As a founding member of excela health, frick expanded health care services to include women's care services, providing a range of breast health services and bone density scanning, as well as an outpatient services center featuring a centralized outpatient registration area with quick, convenient patient registration surrounded by a variety of outpatient testing areas and services, drawing together nuclear medicine, pulmonary function lab, stress lab, ekg, eeg, echocardiography, x-ray, ultrasound and mammography for "one-stop shopping." always an object of community pride and community life, frick hospital also boasts a nationally recognized emergency department staffed with board certified emergency medicine physicians. Serving southern westmoreland and northern fayette counties, frick hospital also offers enhanced surgical services and new, state-of-the-art cardiac rehabilitation. Its cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation program is one of three across the excela health system, providing exercise, education and support to those who have had a heart attack. Patients are often joined by family members in a structured program of recovery that includes monitoring, supervision, maintenance and finally, independent exercise. With the announcement made in june 2014, excela health is investing more than $12 million in the frick community over five years to design an innovative health care delivery system for the northern fayette and southern westmoreland county region. The completed project will boast a medical mall concept with lab, imaging and physical therapy services, physician offices, specialty services and extensive renovations. Phase i of this project began with a $2 million remodel of the emergency department. Well underway, phase ii boasts renovations to the lobby area and caf , enhanced diagnostics with rapid results and renovations to the second and floors for medical specialty offices. Phase iii will begin in the spring of 2018. This 501(c)(3) hospital has also garnered the hospital and healthsystem association of pennsylvania achievement award for qu”

“The lifeline unit works with an existing land line telephone, offering the benefits of 24 hour monitoring service along with two-way voice communication. A "personal help button" is used by the subscriber to call for help. The lifeline unit automatically dials a local ambulance service when the button is pushed. Personal service is the hallmark and includes trained volunteers who install, troubleshoot and check equipment, making friendly visits as needed. Currently, there are nearly 404 subscribers to this vital program. - 18 lifeline volunteers donated of their time and talents: 4,536 hours - discounts provided to subscribers based on income according to area agency on aging income guidelines: $7,453 - service area (westmoreland county and beyond): 64 zip codes making care more accessible... Outpatient care and community outreach to make health care more accessible to its communities, excela frick hospital continues to offer outpatient care as well as health screenings, health fairs, educational classes, support groups and a vibrant speakers bureau. Other outpatient procedures include: outpatient x-ray procedures: 47,505 outpatient surgeries: 1,521 outpatient gastroenterology procedures: 2,534 outpatient registrations/visits: 108,874 at churches, malls and scores of other venues, for youth, seniors, and everyone in between, health-related events are offered. In this manner people have the opportunity to pursue a course of wellness, find needed support, learn about the hospital's capabilities and how they can help, or discover suspected or unknown health conditions early on, so that treatment can begin, offering the best possible chance for care and cure. Excela frick's outreach efforts also encompass community seminars and lectures in a variety of locations through westmoreland and fayette counties. The healthy habits and other initiatives reach younger audiences with a message of good health in a non-threatening, positive way, so that good health habits can be instilled early in life. Through excela health's speaker's bureau, professionals in their fields offer insights on given topics and are free of charge. A range of support groups helps ease the burden of fear, apprehension, grief and other emotions after a life-changing event. Through support groups, or those groups supported by excela frick hospital, individuals have the opportunity to share thoughts and feelings within an atmosphere of acceptance, where emotions can be sorted through and concerns aired. Additional community contacts include programs offered by the well being center, tobacco cessation and others. By reaching beyond the traditional walls of the hospital, as well as understanding the many, varied medical needs of the populations served, the hospital can direct care where it is most accessible and most needed. Through events such as american red cross blood drives, bone density screenings, blood screenings, the mount pleasant glass and ethnic festival, wellness initiatives at local colleges and schools, the scottdale fall festival, and excela's golden hour heart and stroke program and much more, many lives have been touched within the communities served. Latrobe hospital in latrobe, practicing physicians traveled by horse-drawn buggy at all hours of the day and night, through all types of weather conditions to reach the bedside of stricken patients. These dedicated souls not only journeyed far to administer medical care but also blazed the way for a local hospital to be built. That was 1907. Today, this 170 licensed bed hospital offers a special blend of concern and compassion, creating a unique experience for patients in latrobe hospital, serving the eastern portion of westmoreland county and southern indiana county. Compassionate, expert and high quality care are the traits most profoundly embodied by its physicians, nurses, and all health care professionals, inspiring trust and confidence in a lifelong relationship with the hospital. There's a pride in”

“Epic rehab... The step between hospital and home here, specialists work as a team to make activities of daily living possible for people with limited mobility or diminished strength after surgery, stroke or injury. The rehabilitation program is designed to meet each person's specific needs. Unlike many skilled nursing facilities, epic's inpatient rehab level of care provides for three hours of extensive rehabilitation each day, at least five days a week. The most common diagnoses treated include stroke, amputation, multiple trauma, arthritis, hip fractures and neurological disorders such as ms, parkinson's disease, myopathy and polyneuropathy. Everything learned in therapy is practiced, even during non-therapy hours, so there is carry over from therapy to the patient's daily activities. Additionally, epic also offer: family training to aid the support person; activities of daily living suite where the patient and support person can share an overnight experience in a controlled environment; neighborhood way, to aid in community reintegration, and pet therapy and visitation. The future of surgery today - mis and the da vinci robotic surgical system physicians at latrobe are doing more with less meaning smaller incisions. Using minimally invasive techniques, specially trained surgeons operate through multiple small incisions rather than the single larger one often associated with traditional surgeries. These procedures typically result in less pain, scarring and blood loss as well as a shorter recovery time. With the $1.5 million da vinci surgical system used for robot-assisted surgeries, patients experience less blood loss and postoperative pain, realize a shorter hospital stay and recover faster. The first organization in the region outside of pittsburgh to offer the da vinci system, excela's surgeons can achieve greater precision, better range of motion and increased visibility, often with improved outcomes. Physicians and surgeons use the da vinci system for general surgery, urology cases and gynecologic procedures at latrobe. Wellness, community outreach and outpatient services to make health care more accessible to its communities, excela latrobe hospital continues to offer services in outpatient settings including health screenings, health fairs, educational classes, support groups and a vibrant speakers bureau. The diabetes center tends to the needs of the county's diabetic population, which is 10 percent of the total county population. Additional clinics include excela health outpatient rehabilitation, outpatient labs and imaging stations (quikdraw and quikdraw plus), the short procedure suite and outpatient surgery where procedures totaled: outpatient x-ray procedures: 87,822 outpatient surgeries: 5,737 outpatient gastroenterology procedures: 6,712 outpatient registration/visits: 246,411 excela health home care and hospice home care a 501(c) (3) organization providing nursing care, rehabilitation, medical social services, palliative care and hospice care in the home, nursing home, hospital and other, varied settings, excela health home care and hospice tends to patients throughout westmoreland and surrounding counties. The home care team has more than 40 years of combined experience working with patients and their families, regardless of their ability to pay. The organization prides itself on getting to know the patient and listening to the individual's health care concerns. The home health team, consisting of nurses, physical, occupational and speech therapists, medical social workers, home health aides, dietitians, volunteers and others, encourages everyone involved to make each treatment plan a success. The excela health home care and hospice community liaison continues to develop relationships with skilled nursing facilities, personal care homes, physicians, regional health providers and the public, serving as a bridge for the hospitalized patient returning to another care setting, and a problem solver for physician”

“Excela caregivers of southwestern pa caregivers is a separate, not-for-profit (501(c)(3)) organization, operated as a subsidiary of excela health and under the direction/supervision of the director of behavioral health. The non-profit corporation had been used previously by excela health to house hospice, home care and family planning programs, all of which have been since closed or incorporated elsewhere. Behavioral health assumed the corporate shell to establish the community-based recovery programs that are described below. As members of the united states psychiatric rehabilitation association (uspra), the caregivers recovery programs are nationally renowned as models of best practice and evidence-based implementation in the operation of peer driven, patient-centered programming. The individual programs are used by the pennsylvania department of public welfare as the benchmark for all other peer-driven programs licensed in the state. Caregivers is the largest community-based recovery program in southwestern pennsylvania. Caregivers is located at 1037 compass circle, suite 102, greensburg, pa., and all programs are independently licensed by the pennsylvania department of public welfare, office of mental health and substance abuse services (omhsas) and accredited by uspra. Additionally, the clubhouse is accredited by the international coalition for clubhouse design (iccd), a swedish-based organization that oversees fidelity to the evidence base of the clubhouse model in the u.s. The individual programs are: peer support staffed by certified peer support specialists, peer support aids former consumers of mental health services. These specialists have completed a three-week state certified training program and passed the certification program successfully. Currently, there are 12 certified peer support specialists, two of whom are dual certified in mental health and substance abuse and one who holds triple certification in mental health, substance abuse and forensics. They provide community-based peer mentoring and support to individuals with chronic and persistent mental illness. This service closed in september 2017. Clubhouse the clubhouse offers social, educational and vocational rehabilitation programs. It serves individuals who have reached a point in their recovery where they are ready to resume the path they were on prior to the acute stage of their illness. It provides educational counseling and supportive services for return to high school or college and operates both a transitional employment program and a supportive employment program. Psychiatric rehabilitation similar to a partial hospital program, psychiatric rehabilitation is a group therapy-based day program, run by recovering consumers in conjunction with mental health professionals. It serves approximately 42 consumers per day in this program. Mobile psychiatric rehabilitation mobile psychiatric rehabilitation is the smallest of the caregivers programs with one practitioner assigned to it. It serves as a transitional service to consumers not yet ready for the open issue identification that occurs in the group-based psychiatric rehabilitation programs. West place drop-in center west place is funded 100 percent by the westmoreland county behavioral health and development services. It is a member-governed social gathering place offering an environment in which consumers can interact socially and become involved in advocacy and community service opportunities. It is open six days a week from 4:30 to 9 p.m. Over the past year, excela health has provided services to 140 individuals in the center. Conclusion as a health care system with well-established roots in westmoreland county and beyond, excela health continues to move in a healthy direction, addressing the needs of varied populations defined by community health needs assessment, surveys, demographic information and more. Through a robust slate of educational classes, health screenings, and outreach endeavors,”