3-D mammography available at SLH

In the 2-D image on the left, there is a potential lesion. In the 3-D tomosynthesis images on the right, it is easy to see there is no lesion present. Radiologists can pick out individual structures on the separate slices.

Women who undergo mammograms at Saint Luke's Hospital now have the latest screening and diagnostic technology available to them. The Breast Center began offering 3-D mammography, or breast tomosynthesis, for breast cancer screening in May.

The system offers exceptionally sharp breast images and a groundbreaking 3-D tomosynthesis platform designed to deliver superior screening and diagnostic images.

Breast tomosynthesis is a revolutionary technology that gives radiologists the ability to identify and characterize individual breast structures without the confusion of overlapping tissue. During a tomosynthesis exam, low-dose images of the breast are acquired at different angles. These images are then used to produce a series of one-millimeter thick slices that can be viewed as a 3-D picture of the breast.

"For patients, this means more accurate readings and a better chance at catching breast cancer in its earliest stages, fewer recalls for further testing, and an experience that is virtually identical to that of a traditional screening mammogram," said breast radiologist Amy Soetaert, D.O. "It's especially useful in women with dense breast tissue."

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among American women, exceeded only by lung cancer. Statistics indicate that one in eight women will develop breast cancer sometime in her lifetime. Early detection improves patients' prognosis and the chance for treatment success.

Patients due for their annual screening mammogram do not need a doctor's order for a 3-D mammogram. There is a $45 co-pay for a 3-D mammogram. Walk-ins are welcome. For more information or an appointment call 816-932-6800 or visit saintlukeshealthsystem.org/3-D.

3-D mammography is also available at Saint Luke's East Hospital, Saint Luke's North Hospital, and Saint Luke's South Hospital.

Submit your nomination for Global Health Awards

Nominations are now being accepted for SLHS's Global Health Awards, which recognize one employee and one physician each year.

The awards celebrate and highlight the efforts of those who have embraced our mission through their dedication to improving the physical, emotional, and spiritual health of disadvantaged local, regional, national, or international communities.

You may nominate physicians on any SLHS medical staff who are either in private practice or employed by SLHS. Employee nominees may be clinical or non-clinical and work at any SLHS entity. The recipients will be honored at a presentation and reception in December.

Winners will receive a contribution in their honor to a charity of their choice along with a recognition plaque and one additional scheduled week of PTO (up to 40 hours for an employed award winner). The winners will be recognized in eRounds, and a news release will be sent to local news publications.

Nominations are due on Oct. 15 and should be sent to Audrey Hill at amhill@saint-lukes.org. If you have questions, please call 816-932-1560.

Click here to view the nomination form.

Dr. Jeffery Wieman Cancer Survivorship Series

Living With Cancer: The New Normal

Thursday, Sept. 12

5:30 p.m. - Light refreshments

6 - 7:30 p.m. - Program

Wagstaff Board Room

Saint Luke's Hospital of Kansas City

4401 Wornall Road, Kansas City, MO 64111

After being diagnosed with cancer, the definition of "normal" can significantly change. Join us to learn how living with cancer may lead you to redefine normal.

Our speaker, who will share insight from her own cancer journey, will discuss how she:

• Created a new definition of normal
• Decided what "going forward" meant and the plan she made to get there
• Engaged friends and family to support her plan

About our speaker

Jane Mobley, Ph.D., has been a university professor, author, editor, business owner, wife, mother, and grandmother - all while living with ovarian and breast cancer. Seventeen years and three recurrences after her initial diagnosis in 1996, she's still discovering how a mix of divine grace, gratitude, medicine, work, and love define what normal means to her.

Register

Register online or call Saint Luke's Concierge at 816-932-5100.

EVS and Nursing Engagement second quarter results

The results are in! Congratulations to our new "Most Improved" scoring unit, East 4 Orthopedics, which increased 17.1 percent in Patient Satisfaction Cleanliness scores since Q1 2013, and our new "Highest Scoring" unit, Neuroscience B, for achieving a 100 percent in Patient Satisfaction Cleanliness scores. A big thank you to housekeeping staff; Dawn Locke, East 4 nurse manager; Jeanetta Lyle-Morgan, Neuroscience B nurse manager, and their unit staff for a job well done. Keep up the hard work!

Annual Rehabilitation Clinical Excellence Awards

Congratulations to Sarah Moll and Tamara Luce, 2013 recipients of the Dr. Charles R. Kelly Rehabilitation Clinical Excellence Award

The Annual Dr. Charles R. Kelly Rehabilitation Clinical Excellence Awards were announced in May 2013. The two recipients were Sarah Moll, speech pathologist II, and Tamara Luce, occupational therapist III, who received a $600 monetary award for use in continuing medical education. Both Moll and Luce were nominated by co-workers and have plans to utilize the funding to enhance their skills in working with the neuro rehab population.

Moll has been a speech therapist with SLHS since 2008. She has very broad skills in speech and cognitive evaluations and treatments, and also in procedures such as videostroboscopy, flexible endoscopical evaluations of swallowing (FEES), and is an influential co-chair of the department's practice council.

Luce has been with SLHS since 2001 and is known for her creative, individually-focused interventions. She functions as the OT section work scheduler and is past chair of the department's continuing education council. The Healing Garden and special programs for patients with spinal cord injuries have been recent projects.

The Rehabilitation Services Department established the Clinical Excellence Award in 2001; it was re-named to honor Charles Kelly, M.D., a rehab medicine physician who retired from practice in 2010 and who is credited for much of the expansion of rehab programs at SLHS.

Call for Applications for the 2014 Nursing Research Clinical Scholar Program

All full-time and part-time nurses with at least one year of experience at SLH (at the time of application) are eligible to apply for the Nursing Research Clinical Scholar Program.

This program is made possible by funds donated to the SLH Foundation specifically for nursing research. The funds will provide financial support allowing Nursing Research Clinical Scholars to attend monthly research-related seminars, develop and submit for funding a research project, and conduct a research project if funded. Clinical Scholars will be partnered with a research mentor to help design a research project, conduct the research, analyze the data, and disseminate research outcomes.

Application deadline is Friday, Sept. 27. If you have questions please contact Jacque Carpenter at jcarpenter@saint-lukes.org.

Compliance Connection: Reporting without fear

Saint Luke's Health System is committed to conducting its operations in compliance with laws, regulations, and ethical standards. We want to do what is required AND what is right.

Employees help SLHS meet that commitment by recognizing and reporting ethics and compliance concerns. You are not expected to be a legal expert, but you are expected to be familiar with the SLHS Code of Conduct and policies and to be sensitive to legal and ethical issues.

SLHS policy and the Code of Conduct protect employees against retaliation for making a good faith report. "Good faith" means you reasonably believe that a problem has occurred or may occur if action is not taken. Any manager, supervisor, or other employee who engages in retaliation against a person who makes a report will be subject to disciplinary action.

Issues or concerns may be reported through:

• CS Stars
• Ethics & Compliance Hotline: 816-932-3053 or 888-660-6227
• Compliance@saint-lukes.org
• Your manager
• Your entity's Ethics & Compliance Officer (ECO)
• The SLHS Ethics, Compliance, and Privacy Department

Contact your entity's ECO or the SLHS Ethics, Compliance, and Privacy Department if you have questions.

Privacy Pipeline: Small talk can be harmful

Health care employees must be especially guarded about small talk. This is especially true in conversations with fellow employees.

It's easy to imagine why two co-workers within our walls might feel safe talking about a patient's information. But the fact is we shouldn't be having that conversation unless it directly pertains to our jobs.

Many SLHS employees see sensitive personal information about patients, and the patients very often include our co-workers. We may see information that we personally find shocking, surprising, and even questionable when measured against our own personal standards.

Regardless, we cannot engage in chit chat or small talk regarding any patient information. Information about what you have seen, heard, or read should only be shared with those who have a working need to know.

Keep in mind that the obligation to protect patient information extends beyond work hours. You are responsible at all times for protecting knowledge acquired while at work. Remember - when you accepted a job at Saint Luke's Health System, you agreed to maintain exceptional integrity at all times.

- Thank you from your SLHS Ethics, Compliance, and Privacy Department