Hamilton Medical Center (HMC) continues to advance its state-of-the-art imaging technology with GE’s new Revolution Computed Tomography (CT) system. This new technology is designed with the patient and healthcare professionals in mind, delivering the highest quality imaging with groundbreaking speed and the lowest radiation exposure.
“Every patient’s needs are different, so we want to do all we can to make CT diagnostic testing the best experience for the patient and the healthcare professional in a low-stress environment,” said Neil Patel, MD, imaging medical director for HMC.
Some of Hamilton Medical Center’s CT technologists are pictured with the new Revolution CT unit. From left are Lisa Redmond, Kendall Black, James Bryant and Crystal Hernandez
This new CT features GE’s Smart Dose Technology that acquires and produces the highest definition images with the lowest noise levels and enhanced low-contrast detectability. This technological advancement significantly contributes to accurate diagnosis and lower radiation exposure for routine and advanced exams.
The Revolution CT’s patient-centric design highlights a wide 80-centimeter bore and soft ambient lighting to accommodate all patients with minimal anxiety comfortably. It is ideal for all types of exams, such as musculoskeletal, body, neurologic, cardiovascular, and cardiac studies, and sedation-free pediatric imaging.
“The ability to explore inside the human body non-invasively is incredible,” said Brad Sidlo, Imaging Services director. “Being able to explore more effectively and provide a whole new level of patient comfort is a game changer.” Located at the hospital’s CT suite, the Revolution CT is now fully operational for all in-patient and emergency services as well as outpatient cardiac studies.
Hamilton Medical Center (HMC) has received the American College of Cardiology’s NCDR Chest Pain ̶ MI Registry Gold Performance Achievement Award for 2022. Hamilton Medical Center is one of only 81 hospitals nationwide to receive the honor.
The award recognizes HMC’s commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of care for heart attack patients and signifies that HMC has reached an aggressive goal of treating these patients to standard levels of care as outlined by the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association clinical guidelines and recommendations.
Hamilton Medical Center was recently recognized for a high standard of care for heart attack patients. In the front, from left, are Heather Wibberding, RN; Gary Olson, MD; Preethi Padmanaban, MD;
Tammy Stewart, cardiovascular resource specialist; and Kristie Stiles, RN. In the back are Alex Hawkins, monitor tech; Kelvin Moss, MD; Aubrey Cawthon, MD; Ezad Ahmad, MD; Harveer Mann, MD; and Rajiv Verma, MD.
To receive the Chest Pain ̶ MI Registry Gold Performance Achievement Award, Hamilton has demonstrated sustained achievement in the Chest Pain ̶ MI Registry for two consecutive years (2020 and 2021), and performed at the top level for specific performance measures. Full participation in the registry engages hospitals in a robust quality improvement process using data to drive improvements in adherence to guideline recommendations and overall quality of care provided to heart attack patients.
“It is an honor to award Hamilton with the Gold Performance Award for their valuable national leadership and dedication to meeting comprehensive performance measures in patient care,” said Michael C. Kontos, MD, FACC, chair of the NCDR Chest Pain – MI Registry Steering Subcommittee, and cardiologist at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center. “The receipt of this award indicates that hamilton remains committed to providing top quality, guideline-driven care for heart attack patients. Their success ensures patients are receiving the highest quality cardiovascular care.”
The Centers for Disease Control estimates that over 800,000 Americans suffer a heart attack each year. A heart attack occurs when a blood clot in a coronary artery partially or completely blocks blood flow to the heart muscle. Treatment guidelines include administering aspirin upon arrival and discharge, timely restoration of blood flow to the blocked artery, smoking cessation counseling and cardiac rehabilitation, among others.
Chest Pain ̶ MI Registry empowers health care provider teams to consistently treat heart attack patients according to the most current, science-based guidelines and establishes a national standard for understanding and improving the quality, safety and outcomes of care provided for patients with coronary artery disease, specifically high-risk heart attack patients.
As the professional home for the entire cardiovascular care team, the mission of the American College of Cardiology and its more than 56,000 members is to transform cardiovascular care and to improve heart health. The ACC bestows credentials upon cardiovascular professionals who meet stringent qualifications and leads in the formation of health policy, standards, and guidelines. The College also provides professional medical education, disseminates cardiovascular research through its world-renowned JACC Journals, operates national registries to measure and improve care, and offers cardiovascular accreditation to hospitals and institutions.
Hamilton Emergency Medical Services has received the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline® EMS Gold Plus Award for implementing quality improvement measures for the treatment of patients who experience severe heart attacks.
Every year, more than 250,000 people experience an ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI),the deadliest type of heart attack caused by a blockage of blood flow to the heart that requires timely treatment. To prevent death, it’s critical to restore blood flow as quickly as possible, either by mechanically opening the blocked vessel or by providing clot-busting medication.
The Mission: Lifeline initiative provides tools, training and other resources to support heart attack care following protocols from the most recent evidence-based treatment guidelines. Mission: Lifeline’s EMS recognition program recognizes emergency medical services for their efforts in improving systems of care to rapidly identify suspected heart attack patients, promptly notify the medical center and trigger an early response from the awaiting hospital personnel.
“EMTs and paramedics play a vital part in the system of care for those who have heart attacks,” said Tim Henry, MD, chair of the Mission: Lifeline Acute Coronary Syndrome Subcommittee. “Since they often are the first medical point of contact, they can save precious minutes of treatment time by activating the emergency response system that alerts hospitals to an incoming heart attack patient. We applaud Hamilton Emergency Medical Services for achieving this award in following evidence-based guidelines in the treatment of people who have severe heart attacks.”
The American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline® program helps hospitals and emergency
medical services develop systems of care that follow proven standards and procedures for acute coronary syndrome patients. The program works by mobilizing teams across the continuum of care to implement American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology clinical treatment guidelines.
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Hamilton Medical Center (HMC) has received the American College of Cardiology’s NCDR Chest Pain ̶ MI Registry Gold Performance Achievement Award for 2023. HMC is one of only 56 hospitals […]
Inside a conference room with dimmed lighting at Anna Shaw Children’s Institute, seated rows of health care workers and community volunteers take turns picking up and swaddling dolls the size […]
In the front, from left, are Lora Brown, clinical coordinator; Shannon Pruitt, polysomnographic technologist; Liliana Fraire, polysomnographic technologist; and Pretreache Price, polysomnographer. In the back are Erick Kimmerling, DO, medical director; Stacey Holloway, polysomnographic technologist; Pam Tallent, transcriptionist; and Jeff Hughes, director.
Hamilton Regional Sleep Center, part of Hamilton Health Care System, recently earned accreditation for its sleep program through the Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC).
“We’re very proud to have earned this advanced certification,” said Jeff Hughes, Cardiovascular Service Line administrator. “It’s part of our commitment to providing excellent care to those in this community.”
ACHC offers a patient-focused approach to sleep accreditation with principles that were developed with direct input from industry professionals to ensure relevant and realistic standards.
ACHS’s consultative approach to accreditation is designed to facilitate a higher quality of patient care while enhancing business efficiencies. In order to remain flexible to the needs of providers, ACHC’s Sleep Accreditation Program offers standards for Sleep Labs/Centers (SLCs) and stand-alone Home Sleep Testing (HST) services.
Hamilton Regional Sleep Center provides evaluations for patients suffering from potentially serious medical conditions such as sleep apnea, insomnia, narcolepsy and restless legs syndrome. The vast majority of patients who have sleep disorders experience daytime sleepiness, a lack of energy, insomnia, nightmares, sleep deprivation or snoring.
“Sleep disorders are widely ignored,” said Hughes. “It’s important to take the symptoms seriously and get tested.”
Overnight sleep testing is provided with state-of-the-art technology by highly trained technologists. The sleep studies are painless and use noninvasive technology to record heart rate, brain waves, breathing, oxygenation, and eye and leg movement. Hospitalization is not required.
Shalaka Akolkar, DO, says she enjoys making an impact on her patients’ lives. “I picture myself in my patient’s position or imagine they are a family member, and treat them […]
When she was working, Pamela Wilson was a certified nursing assistant and sitter who helped others undergoing rehabilitation, but after falling and fracturing her leg, Wilson found herself in the […]
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Hamilton Medical Center (HMC) has received the American College of Cardiology’s NCDR Chest Pain ̶ MI Registry Gold Performance Achievement Award for 2023. HMC is one of only 56 hospitals […]
Some members of Hamilton Medical Center’s Stroke Team are pictured. From left are Meagan Darnell, Sara Kate Rogers, Brianne Terry, Jeffrey Glass, MD, Sally Bates and Shelby Tavares. Not pictured is Gerrie Haley.
Hamilton Health Care System has received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines® Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award. The award recognizes the hospital’s commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence.
Hamilton Medical Center earned the award by meeting specific quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients at a set level for a designated period. These measures include evaluation of the proper use of medications and other stroke treatments aligned with the most up-to-date, evidence-based guidelines with the goal of speeding recovery and reducing death and disability for stroke patients. Before discharge, patients should also receive education on managing their health, get a follow-up visit scheduled, as well as other care transition interventions.
“Hamilton is dedicated to improving the quality of care for our stroke patients by implementing the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines-Stroke initiative,” said Meagan Darnell, Stroke Program coordinator. “The tools and resources provided help us track and measure our success in meeting evidenced-based clinical guidelines developed to improve patient outcomes.”
According to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the United States. On average, someone in the U.S. suffers a stroke every 40 seconds and nearly 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year.
“We are pleased to recognize Hamilton Medical Center for their commitment to stroke care,” said Lee H. Schwamm, MD, national chairperson of the Quality Oversight Committee and executive vice chair of Neurology, director of Acute Stroke Services, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Mass. “Research has shown that hospitals adhering to clinical measures through the Get With The Guidelines quality improvement initiative can often see fewer readmissions and lower mortality rates.”
Shalaka Akolkar, DO, says she enjoys making an impact on her patients’ lives. “I picture myself in my patient’s position or imagine they are a family member, and treat them […]
When she was working, Pamela Wilson was a certified nursing assistant and sitter who helped others undergoing rehabilitation, but after falling and fracturing her leg, Wilson found herself in the […]
Local healthcare professionals recently provided physicals to student athletes from 21 local schools. Hamilton Sports Medicine coordinated the annual event. Volunteers included local orthopedic surgeons and cardiologists, Hamilton Physician Group […]
Hamilton Medical Center (HMC) has received the American College of Cardiology’s NCDR Chest Pain ̶ MI Registry Gold Performance Achievement Award for 2023. HMC is one of only 56 hospitals […]
Brandy Salazar, critical care and progressive care unit manager at Hamilton Medical Center, recently received the DAISY Leader Award for Extraordinary Nurse Leaders. From left are Jennifer Ward, RN, clinical resource nurse; Salazar; and Mike Allen, director of Critical Care, Emergency Department and Overhouse.
Brandy Salazar, critical care and progressive care unit manager at Hamilton Medical Center, recently received the DAISY Leader Award for Extraordinary Nurse Leaders. The DAISY Leader Award recognizes exemplary nursing leadership excellence.
Salazar was nominated by four staff members who mentioned that she is compassionate, caring, supportive, kind, competent, encouraging, respected, trustworthy and a great listener.
“Brandy is the perfect example of a DAISY Leader,” said Jennifer Ward, RN, clinical resource nurse. “Along with great listening skills, she is also trustworthy. Trust is not something that is easily earned, however, Brandy makes it seem effortless. She is a cheerleader of growth and development, and she always encourages staff to be the best they can be to provide the best care for our patients.”
Six other nurse leaders were also nominated for the award. They include: Jennifer Ward, Cyndi Kernea, Becky Jackson, Joan Hughes, Kay Coffelt and Terri Brown.
The qualifications for the award include:
Role modeling compassion and exemplary practice
Role modeling behavior perceived as extraordinary
Creating an environment that fosters care and compassion
Creating an environment where attributes of trust, compassion, mutual respect, continued professional development and ethical behavior are modeled and supported
Motivating staff with a shared vision and enthusiasm to achieve better outcomes for themselves and for their patients
Mentoring staff members
Being accessible, available and responsive to the needs of others, encouraging critical thinking and problem-solving for individuals and within the context of the team
Promoting and enhancing the image of nursing within the organization, the community and the profession.
Hamilton Medical Center in Dalton, GA (Hamilton Health Care System)was recently named a Top Hospital by Georgia Trend Magazine, a regional business publication offering business analysis to more than 50,000 subscribers.
Hospitals were ranked based on their Total Performance Score, a measure calculated by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and based on clinical process, patient experience, outcome and efficiency.
Jeff Myers, president and CEO
“Receiving this honor is a reflection of our mission to provide the highest quality care and service to those we serve,” said Jeff Myers, president and CEO. “I am proud of our physicians and associates who every day put our friends’, families’ and neighbors’ care first and foremost in their daily service to you.”
For this list, Georgia Trend grouped hospitals of similar size and mission. The categories are: Teaching Hospitals, whose primary mission is teaching – regardless of size – and are certified by the Association of American Medical Colleges Council of Teaching Hospitals and Health Systems; Large Hospitals (250-plus patient beds); Medium Hospitals (100 to 249 beds); and Small Hospitals (fewer than 100 beds). The American Hospital Directory provided the hospital bed size.
With 282 beds, Hamilton Medical Center was listed in the Large Hospital category.