Lately, we've all heard a lot about social media. It sometimes seems to invade many aspects of our daily life. Instead of getting photos reproduced or emailing them to family members, people tend to post pictures on Facebook and "tag" their friends and family. Facebook has become a great place to share information about children and activities. But that's not all the information people are sharing on Facebook - many people share information about illness or diseases they are dealing with. Patient communities are flourishing online.

Hospitals and medical professionals are also joining the discussions in social media venues. The Bangor Beacon Community has also jumped into the social media arena. With more than 590 followers on Twitter and 280 fans on Facebook, the Bangor Beacon Community is sharing success stories about our patients, providing sources of information about health information technology, and disease-specific resources. 

While social media has the power to engage patients, manage conversations about health issues, and connect communities with similar interests, it also is challenging for health care organizations to adopt social media. For the most part, hospitals and medical practices are generally cautious about new technology trends without clear value. There are questions about whether social media presents risks of violating HIPAA privacy laws or leaking proprietary information.

Join the conversation!

The Bangor Beacon Community in partnership with Aligning Forces For Quality is sponsoring the Care About Your Care event on September 15, 2011. The event hopes to increase awareness about what consumers can do to identify and receive better care. The event will include a live broadcast from Dr. Oz, a health fair, lunch, and an opportunity for consumers to learn more about managing their personal health. For more information about this event, please contact Andrea Littlefield at 973-6132 or anlittlefield@emh.org. 

 
 A Light at the End of the Tunnel

Healthcare is changing and Bangor Beacon caregivers want to make sure they know the latest and best ways to help their patients. Local experts came together to share their knowledge and insight so that no matter which Bangor Beacon Community partner a patient receives care, they will receive the same information, or as Rena Gels-Birch, RN, CDE, clinical supervisor at EMMC's Diabetes and Endocrine Specialist of Maine says, "we're all singing from the same song book." Rena has spent the better part of two decades working with diabetics.

Barbara Seymour, a health coach at PCHC, was one of the more than a dozen who attended the workshop. "I came to learn new techniques and to get more information about how to help my patients succeed in self-managing their disease." Care managers were provided information that was helpful and useful, including ways to use visual clues regarding portion control. "These are great tools because we find anytime we can make things more real for our patients, the more they are apt to follow through with their goals."

Pharmacists from PCHC, EMMC, and Husson University provided valuable tips to share with patients on how to identify early if they are having issues with their medication. They talked about medication interactions with over-the-counter items like Tums and multivitamins, and ways to help uninsured or underinsured patients access medication. "This was just the kind of information we needed. It's also really good to hear their viewpoints and to make connections so we can better care for our patients," shares Cynthia Herrick, RN, care manager at EMMC's Husson Internal Medicine.

St Joseph Hospital is

Making the Connection

It doesn't matter which Bangor hospital you or your family goes to, your care provider will have your medical records at their fingertips. "This information can be vital, especially in an emergency," says Charles Pattavina, MD, St Joseph Hospital Emergency Department chief. "Having access to a patient's medical history helps us make faster, better decisions, and limit repeat testing and procedures." St Joseph Hospital is the latest

hospital in Maine to join the statewide information exchange, HealthInfoNet (HIN).

Fifteen healthcare organizations in the state are already connected to HIN, including EMHS and EMMC. Now providers from both Bangor hospitals can share important patient health information such as allergies, prescriptions, diagnoses, and lab and test results all in an effort to better care for patients. Plans are in place for PCHC and Acadia Hospital to be connected to HIN in the near future and for all healthcare providers in the state to be connected by 2014.

Joining Dr. Pattavina at the press conference were Sister Mary Norberta, president and CEO of St. Joseph Healthcare; Dev Culver, executive director of HIN; and Eric Hartz, MD, chief medical information officer at EMMC. 

Leaving the hospital after being diagnosed with a chronic disease can be overwhelming, to say the least. Some patients go from excitement at being home to surprise at being back in the emergency room within days because they haven't figured out how to manage their disease properly. All three Bangor Beacon Community homecare partners are committed to helping these patients make interventions prior to their needing emergency care.

"This is a critical piece on how we are going to decrease emergency room visits and readmissions to the hospital," shares Jim Raczek, MD, chief medical officer at EMMC. Dr. Raczek, along with the other Bangor Beacon Community providers, believes telemedicine in the home for 30 days after a patient leaves the hospital is key to getting them healthy and back on their feet again, and most importantly learning to manage their disease. "This was a real blind spot in healthcare because unless we can help patients in their home, they will be back in the hospital. A key component to any chronic disease is patient self-management." 

What makes the Bangor Beacon Community's approach to homecare unique is that the telemedicine services will be offered to patients who do not qualify for it through Medicare. In order for most patients to qualify for this care, they have to be deemed homebound. Community Health and Counseling Services, St. Joseph Homecare, and Eastern Maine HomeCare are now enrolling chronic disease patients for telemedicine right after they leave the hospital. These patients will be able to report their vital signs each day and also get the education they need to learn how to manage their disease - all while being able to remain in their own home. The goal is to prove through supporting data that this intervention helps chronic disease patients learn how to live with their disease without repeated trips to the hospital, therefore not only improving care,but also reducing the cost of healthcare. 

Ralph Ryder is the consumer representative on the Bangor Beacon Community Statewide Advisory. His reason for being here is simple - he wants to make sure his children and grandchildren have the same access to great healthcare he always has. Ralph grew up in Greenville during a time when communities had only one doctor who knew your whole family and everyone else's in town. And for Ralph, the Bangor Beacon Community program continues that tradition by helping to keep healthcare personal. "We have the luxury of having top notch doctors and hospitals in Bangor, but no one wants to be just a number. Having an electronic medical record (EMR) assures that my primary care physician knows exactly what's going on with me, and that means I don't have to spend time during my appointment catching them up on any tests or lab work I have had done."

To be honest, it wasn't until Ralph retired as the superintendent of schools in East Millinocket that he paid much attention to medical records or how information got from the hospital back to his doctor. "I am very lucky. My family has been very healthy." That changed a few years ago when Ralph and his wife began having heart trouble. "I can see how easy it would be for patients to become a number in an effort to keep track of all the things that happen while you are in the hospital and at the doctor's office."

Ralph attended the July meeting of the Statewide Advisory Committee and was excited to hear all the progress being made in the area of seamless patient care and with the sharing of medical records through HealthInfoNet. "Bigger is not always better, when you lose sight of the people you are caring for. That's what I like about this program, it is putting people first and I am thankful they want my insight."