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M.Michelle Hood, FACHE
EMHS, President and CEO
Bangor Beacon Community
Statewide Advisory Committee
Chair
Erik Steele, DO
EMHS, Vice President and Chief Medical Officer
Bangor Beacon Community Principal Investigator
Leadership
Catherine Bruno, FACHE
Bangor Beacon Community Executive Sponsor
EMHS, Chief Information Officer Lead
Dale Hamilton Executive Director, Community Health and Counseling Services Alternate
Clincial Transformation
Jim Raczek, MD
EMMC, Chief Medical Officer Lead
Robert Allen, MD
Penobscot Community Health Center, Executive Medical Director
Alternate Evaluation Barbara Sorondo, MD EMMC, Director Clinical Research Center Lead
Frank Bragg, MD
EMMC, General Internist
Alternate Meaningful Use Dev Culver HealthInfoNet, Executive Director Lead
Sustainability
Mike Donahue, MBA
EMHS, Vice President, Payor Contracting and Relations
Lead
Donald Krause, MD
St. Joseph Healthcare
Internal Medicine
Alternate
Bangor Beacon Staff
Mac Hilton
Program Director
Melanie Pearson
Project Manager
Lanie Abbott
Senior Communications and Outreach Specialist
Amy Bates
Project Coordinator
Sharon LaBrie
Data Analyst
Heather Broussard
Data Analyst
Samantha Haynes
Administrative Assistant |
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Stay up to date with the Bangor Beacon Community! |
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SAVE the DATE!
Please Join US for a Celebration
Make plans now to join us on Tuesday March 12 for a celebration and wrap up of the Bangor Beacon Community. The celebration begins at 10 am at Spectacular Event Center in Bangor. You will hear from patients and providers who made Bangor Beacon "a Beacon among Beacons," see the data from this three-year grant funded program, and hear what's next.
2012 Annual Report
It has been a busy year for the Bangor Beacon Community. We want to share our annual report with you. It is on our website and also available in a PDF format.
Celebrating and Sharing at the ONC Annual Meeting | |
The Bangor Beacon Community was well represented and busy during the Office for the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) Annual Meeting last month in Washington, DC.
Cathy Bruno, VP and chief information officer at EMHS and the Bangor Beacon Community executive sponsor, had several opportunities to share our Bangor Beacon Community success stories. Cathy presented the top three successes and lessons learned, and a sustainability case study using our ACO model during a general Beacon Community session. She also presented information about our Pioneer ACO and Beacon Health during a breakout sustainability session.
Barbara Sorondo, MD, director of EMMC's clinical research center presented information about the Bangor Beacon Community during the IT Enabled Care Management session.
Others attending enjoyed the opportunity to network with other Beacons and ONC grantees as well as highlight the great work we are doing in Maine.
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Have You Watched Our Videos?
Please feel free to share the link as they reinforce our mission and vision for a healthy community.
Clinical Leadership
Mental Health
HIT / Meaningful Use
Rick and Diana's Story
Performance Improvement
Patti's Story
Bangor Beacon Leadership
Eric's Story | |
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Greetings!
Happy New Year! The Bangor Beacon Community ended 2012 on a high note with accolades and opportunities to share our success during the annual meeting of the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) in Washington DC. We begin this year making plans to locally celebrate the accomplishments of our community.
We are currently putting together two new videos. One will feature how Bangor Beacon is working with Eastern Maine Community College in developing a workforce that is ready to plug into this new information technology driven healthcare model. The other is a thank you video detailing how the grant is going to have a lasting impact on our providers, nurses, patients, and community. We'd love to share them with you. So, please consider joining us on March 12 at10 am at the Spectacular Event Center in Bangor as we celebrate all the hard work and accomplishments of the Bangor Beacon Community. Keep a look out for your invitation and don't forget to RSVP
It is our hope that many patients will join us so we can thank them for participating with us in this healthcare transformation. Chrystal Hoggard already made plans to attend - she says this is her year and she is so thankful for all the support, "my A1C is now eight down from 17 and I'm walking for the first time in years without a cane!"
Best Wishes,
Lanie Abbott
Senior Communications and Outreach Specialist |
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Giving Back Sometimes Means to You... |
It's hard to believe that Dorothy Kennedy is 73 years old. She is constantly on the go, whether it's helping her husband prepare their home for winter, making and serving food for the seniors at her church, or learning a new song on her piano. "Don't forget about the car, it begs for us to take it somewhere every day," smiles Dorothy. She and her husband, Ed were both born and raised in Greenbush and still live there. They met during their eighth grade graduation and have been together ever since. Their four children, seven grandchildren, and four great grandchildren all live within a 15 mile radius. They have a close family and enjoy the company of many good friends.
Dorothy never broke a bone in her life or was ever in the hospital for anything other than having her children up until she had a heart attack at the age of 56. "It was a shock really; I ignored it because I didn't really think it was anything." That health scare nearly two decades ago helped Dorothy develop a close relationship with her primary care office at EMMC's Orono Family Medicine. "They helped me see the value in getting my yearly checkups and paying attention to what my body was telling me." Dorothy, like many women, not only raised four children and supported her husband who worked fulltime at the Air National Guard, but she also worked fulltime at Ames in Old Town until it closed in the 90s. "You have to do what you have to do for your family, I didn't mind one bit."
She's never smoked, never drank, but she did enjoy the pick-me-up of a good candy bar, not knowing her low blood sugars were driving her to need sugar. "Looking back, I can now see I would be shaky and exhausted until I had my chocolate." Diabetes runs in her family on her father's side so it wasn't a surprise when she found out she too had it. For years, she tried to manage the disease on her own, sometimes more successfully than others.
The rollercoaster ride of Dorothy trying to navigate diabetes alone ended in October 2010 when she got support from a care manager through the Bangor Beacon Community. "If it hadn't been for her, I don't know what I'd do." Through education, resources, and a listening ear, she is helping Dorothy take control of her disease. "When someone can talk to you about portion control and how certain foods can trigger your blood sugars, it is so valuable." Dorothy now plans much healthier meals and exercises. She and Ed walk their property every morning and every evening no matter the weather. Care management did more than help Dorothy, Ed is also a diabetic and his health has improved as well. "I might not get any better, but I won't get any worse." Neither one of them have any plans of slowing down and they are immensely grateful to know help is only a phone call to their care manager.
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Satisfaction All Around!
They are seeing changes and feeling like they are making a lasting difference in the lives of their patients. Care managers have been working with Bangor Beacon patients for nearly three years now, and we were curious if they were feeling satisfied with their jobs and the influence they are having in their new roles. During a recent care manager forum, we conducted a focus group to get feedback from this critical part of our healthcare team.
There is resounding appreciation for the increased communication that now takes place between healthcare organizations.
"The care manager forum is as a great way to get to know your counterparts and network and share best practices between organizations."
"I love the communication and being able to access the expertise and experience of others just by knowing who to call."
The increased technology at their fingertips is also a positive outcome of the Bangor Beacon grant. Many of the care managers say that it helps them better care for their patients.
"Often I can go into HealthInfoNet and find out a patient is going home from the hospital and I can go into the EMR and see the discharge summary which helps coordinate their care quicker and easier."
Providers can't say enough good things about the addition of care managers to their healthcare team. They describe many improvements in the lives of their patients as a direct result of the care managers.
"My diabetic patients have done significantly better." "Care managers provide a lot of follow-up for patients and can be an emotional support too."
"Having care managers is a positive experience and it has helped us get our patients organized."
Patients also shared how thankful they are for their care managers. | |
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Maine One of Three States Recognized for Health Information Technology
Maine is one of only three states that received a national award for its use of health information technology. Maine received the Meaningful Use Acceleration Award from the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for Health Information Technology, part of the federal Department of Health and Human Services, at its annual meeting in Washington, DC on December 12. The award recognized HealthInfoNet, Maine's Health Information Exchange (HIE) and Regional Extension Center (REC), and the Bangor Beacon Community for their efforts to expand the effective use of electronic health records, health information exchange, and other technology tools to improve patient care and health outcomes in the state.
On hand to accept the award were Shaun Alfreds, chief operating officer for HealthInfoNet, Catherine J. Bruno, FACHE, VP and chief information officer at EMHS (Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems) and executive sponsor for the Bangor Beacon Community and Dawn Gallagher representing the Office of the State Coordinator for Health Information Technology in Maine.
Speaking on behalf of the group, Cathy said, "We're thrilled to be here to accept this award. Maine's healthcare community has a long history of collaboration and innovation, and the work done under these three grants has been no exception. HealthInfoNet, as the Maine Regional Extension Center (REC), is not only helping providers reach meaningful use, but connecting them with the statewide Health Information Exchange (HIE), one of the oldest and most advanced statewide efforts in the nation. Together, we are changing the way healthcare services are delivered, the way patient information is being shared, and the way we work together to care for our community. Consensus, transparency, empowerment, and inclusion were the key components to making this all work."
Following Cathy's speech, a brief video played that illustrated how HealthInfoNet and the Bangor Beacon Community have worked together to improve care for patients in Maine.
Maine's providers were also lauded at the meeting for leading the nation in achievement of federal meaningful use rules. ONC reported that 42 percent of all eligible providers in Maine had met meaningful use stage one rules - the highest percentage of all 50 states.
Photo: Maine accepts the recognition award from Farzad Mostashari, MD, ScM, the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (left to right) Shaun Alfreds, Dawn Gallagher, Catherine Bruno, and Dr. Mostashri.
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The 12 Bangor Beacon Community partners:
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