St. Clair Health HouseCall Volume XIII Issue 1

VOLUME XIII ISSUE I

HOUSECALL HOUSECALL AN ADVANCED NEW BREAST CARE PROGRAM

SEE PAGE 4

THE

ROAD AHEAD FOR ST. CLAIR HEALTH

inside

SINCE 1954, St. Clair has been dedicated to excellence, innovation, responsiveness to community needs, and the humanity of the physicians, nurses, and caregiving staff.

ARTICLES

4

BREAST CARE Delivering high-tech answers for women at a high risk of breast cancer plus an integrated Multidisciplinary Breast Clinic.

CARDIAC CARE 10 Bringing the region’s best doctors

together, improving patient outcomes with nuclear imaging, and taking another step forward in tackling the impact of AFIB.

16

18

STROKE CARE

Breaking down the technology, therapies, and patient benefits of new stroke leadership at St. Clair Health.

Dr. Maxim Hammer, Chief of Neurology, will see you now.

5 YEARS AS A PART OF THE MAYO CLINIC CARE NETWORK

Celebrating our anniversary as a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network with critical aspects of the collaboration— and setting the stage for what’s to come.

12

PRICE TRANSPARENCY 22 Digging in with the tool that takes the

mystery out of health care costs and helps you find even more value with Patient Estimates.

16

HOUSECALL HOUSECALL A publication of St. Clair Health

Articles in this publication are for informational purposes and are not intended to serve as medical advice.

Please consult your personal physician.

2

I

ST. CLAIR HEALTH

I

HOUSECALL

18

John T. Sullivan, M.D., MBA Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer

FIRSTCALL

ST. CLAIR HEALTH AND THE ROAD AHEAD

O

ne thing was abundantly clear when I arrived at St. Clair four years ago: this is an institution with a palpable culture of safety and quality. The proof is evident in our teams’ attitudes as much as the esteemed awards St. Clair Health receives on an annual basis.

Our challenge to build on prior success is one of identifying ways to provide higher-level services close to our community. I am passionate about building a clinical program which includes drawing the best talent to St. Clair Health and establishing satisfying career tracks for the people who make this place what it is—a world-class health system for the community.

Backed by the collective will of everyone across our campuses, we set out to create a learning institution.

One that standardized more than processes, imploring every member of the team to be engaged in continuous improvement and deliver on our aspirational performance goal: to continue to be top decile in every category.

At St. Clair, as compared with larger institutions that I have worked in, healthcare feels so much more personal. On any given day, we routinely take care of friends and family in the communities we serve.

Our staff embrace the idea that this really is their

community—and that we have a tremendous responsibility to deliver on our promise to provide the highest quality care.

The doctors and their specialties that you’ll learn more about as you turn the pages are industry leaders who have clearly built programs that are doing extraordinary things. Some of them are new, all of them are driven by an always-on desire to improve, and what we learn in service of you each and every day will only spur us onward further still.

This is advanced care close to home, building on what makes us different: Expert care from people who care.

Innovative. Integrated. Patient-centric and collaborative at every step of your journey—with some of the very best in the region managing every step of the way.

We are answering the call to create advanced subspecialized services and building out each division with specialized equipment, techniques, nursing, and more.

The road ahead for St. Clair Health will be paved through training, teaching, and togetherness. I remain profoundly honored to help lead the charge because, frankly, it still feels like we’re just getting started. n

ST. CLAIR HEALTH

I

HOUSECALL

I

3

THE ROAD AHEAD | BREAST CARE

A high-tech answer for women at high risk of breast cancer

St. Clair Health is launching an advanced new program built around an innovative tool that promises to give patients a course of action—and hope.

4

I

ST. CLAIR HEALTH

I

HOUSECALL

“WHERE DO I GO FROM HERE?”

T

hat’s the question that comes to mind for many women who’ve been told they face a high risk of breast cancer sometime in their lives.

Currently, women who may be at high risk for breast cancer are typically identified through their family history alone with their primary care physician or annual gynecologist visit.

St. Clair Health now offers the Tyrer-Cuzick Risk Assessment Calculator, which will start there and dig deeper. It will gather information such as personal and obstetric history from the patient’s intake form at their screening mammogram appointment, then add breast density to the equation to calculate a score that estimates the patient’s likelihood of developing breast cancer in their lifetime. Adding the imaging data will identify more patients that may be at a higher future risk than is possible by evaluating their history alone.

The risk assessment tool will soon be a key component of St. Clair Health’s High Risk Breast Imaging Program, which is about to become a key part of the Breast Care Center. That’s where a team of specialists will combine their expertise with advanced technology, including an innovative risk calculator tool that allows them to identify high-risk patients who aren’t sure what to do or where to turn before they’re actually diagnosed. By capturing cases before they even exist, doctors can take proactive steps to develop strategies and care plans that can give patients some much-needed peace of mind. The new risk calculator tool, which will be used with every patient who comes to St. Clair for a screening mammogram, will be based on a questionnaire that includes family history and other risk factors.

“This is about helping you understand where you are so we can get you where you need to go,” says Raye J. Budway, M.D., Director of St. Clair’s Breast Care Center, adding, “The new High Risk Breast Program will help standardize the evaluation of each patient and allow access to all patients who have their screening mammograms at St. Clair Hospital’s Breast Care Center.”

Using the highest quality imaging and diagnostic tools, Dr. Bibianna A. Klepchick and Dr. Andrea Sanfilippo examine a small breast lesion.

The new program will become operational in two phases. The first is focused on adding the risk assessment tool to the patient screening protocol.

Patients identified as high-risk will be guided through more concentrated screenings. The second phase revolves around you—building a team of breast care specialists to walk with you through the journey and assist in preventative exams and tests.

Bibianna A. Klepchick, M.D., Director of Breast Imaging at St. Clair, is teaming with Dr. Budway on the launch of the new program to oversee its maintenance and quality assurance. For her, the goal is to “give women who are at an increased risk of developing breast cancer clinical support, along with tools to keep a closer eye on their breast health. By identifying these patients, we hope to catch their cancers earlier, giving them a much better chance of survival. This valuable screening tool is already available for patients, and we’re also in the process of launching a clinical program that’ll include a breast care specialist who follows each high-risk patient and participates in their care.

We hope to have all the pieces in place for this program by the end of this year.”

“This is about helping you understand where you are, so we can get you where you need to go.”

RAYE J. BUDWAY, M.D. Director, St. Clair Hospital Breast Care Center

Continued on Page 6 ST. CLAIR HEALTH

I

HOUSECALL

I

5

THE ROAD AHEAD | BREAST CARE Continued from Page 5

“ Every patient who we treat should know that they’re not just a number at St. Clair Health, but part of a tight-knit community where our top priority is giving patients the best possible care—both medically and personally.”

ANDREA SANFILIPPO, M.D. Breast Radiologist

Dr. Klepchick will direct how the imaging services will be used to both identify high-risk patients and recommend any additional examinations that may be beneficial in their care. The most important of these services, from an imaging standpoint, will be adding a yearly screening breast MRI to the patient’s routine annual mammogram.

An annual breast MRI is currently St. Clair’s most sensitive noninvasive examination for the detection of breast cancer. The added care and support provided by a breast care specialist will be invaluable to these patients who are at higher risk and need to be followed more closely.

Dr. Klepchick’s colleague, Andrea Sanfilippo, M.D., a breast radiologist, looks forward to the launch of the St. Clair High Risk Breast Imaging Program, saying, “It’s a program made up of a multidisciplinary team of experts in breast health. We’re all fully committed to working together to identify high-risk patients and creating a unique plan for each person, with a single goal: to prevent breast cancer. It starts the moment the patient walks through our doors.

We’ll continue to do what’s at the heart of the Breast Care Center, providing each patient with the care and support that are essential when it comes to breast health. Every patient who we treat should know that they’re not just a number at St. Clair Health, but part of a tight-knit community where our top priority is giving patients the best possible care—both medically and personally.”

Technology plays a critical role in breast imaging, from the detection and diagnosis of breast cancer to ongoing surveillance. A major focus of the new clinic will be its ability to use ultrasound, stereotactic, and MRI guidance to precisely locate and biopsy even the most challenging lesions.

“We’ve detected a number of cancers as small as three millimeters,” says Dr. Sanfilippo. “We’re able to precisely locate and biopsy suspicious areas through ultrasound, stereotactic, and MRI guidance. We provide ongoing monitoring of patients with mammogram, ultrasound, and MRI. Our technology means we can provide the highest level of care to our patients. Using the most advanced, highest quality imaging and diagnostics, we can design a unique plan for each one.”

St. Clair Health will be one of the nation’s few independent hospitals with a program of this caliber. What sets this program apart is that St. Clair is dedicated to providing individual and personal care to every patient who steps through our door. “You’re not just a patient at St. Clair Health,” says Dr. Sanfilippo, “you’re part of a family, and we will provide you the best possible care. Our program is fully committed to taking care of every patient from the moment they walk through our doors for a routine screening mammogram. The High Risk Breast Imaging Program will work hard to meet the needs of each patient and design the best possible plan that’s unique to that individual.”

One size does not fit all for breast cancer screening.

The Tyrer-Cuzick tool, is used to calculate a woman’s likelihood of developing breast cancer within 10 years of her current age and over the course of her lifetime.

INTERMEDIATE

AVERAGE

0

30

TyrerCuzick

RAYE J. BUDWAY, M.D., F.A.C.S.

HIGH

The tool estimates breast cancer risk on the basis of over a dozen risk factors and is the only model to account for both personal and family history.

Dr. Budway specializes in breast surgery and general surgery, and serves as the Director, St. Clair Hospital Breast Care Center. Dr. Budway earned her medical degree at Hahnemann University Medical School, Philadelphia, and completed a residency in general surgery at The Western Pennsylvania Hospital.

She then completed a fellowship in surgical critical care at UPMC. She previously served as the Site Program Director for the Allegheny General Hospital General Surgery Residency Program, and Director of the Surgical Breast Disease Program and Surgical Intensive Care at West Penn Hospital. Dr. Budway was named a Top Doctor in Surgery by Pittsburgh Magazine in 2021. She is board-certified in surgical critical care and general surgery. She is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and serves on the Fellowship’s Commission on Cancer. Dr. Budway practices with St. Clair Medical Group.

To contact Dr. Budway, please call 412.942.7850.

6

I

ST. CLAIR HEALTH

I

HOUSECALL

Dr. Andrea Sanfilippo uses diagnostic tools to precisely locate and biopsy even the most challenging lesion.

“At St. Clair Health, we’re lucky to have the most state-of-the-art equipment both for breast imaging and procedures,” says Dr. Klepchick. “Our multidisciplinary Breast Care Center has always been exceptional. We feel that this program is the next level of care... it’ll help us continue to elevate cancer care in our system and give patients the best possible care, close to home.”

She sees another advantage to the new program and the risk calculator tool: “It’ll help us maintain our excellence in delivering quality, patient-specific care. With our innovative, integrated approach, St. Clair has what it takes to stay ahead of the curve in patient care— and that’s what we plan to do.” n

ANDREA SANFILIPPO, M.D.

Dr. Sanfilippo specializes in diagnostic radiology with advanced training in breast imaging. She earned her medical degree from the University of Louisville.

Dr. Sanfilippo completed her internship, residency, and both musculoskeletal/abdominal radiology and breast imaging fellowships at UPMC. A physician of South Hills Radiology Associates, she is board-certified in diagnostic radiology. Dr. Sanfilippo can be reached at 412.942.3101.

BIBIANNA A. KLEPCHICK, M.D.

Dr. Klepchick specializes in breast imaging with advanced training. She earned her medical degree from the MCP Hahnemann School of Medicine and completed her internship at Mercy Hospital of Pittsburgh, with both her residency and a breast imaging fellowship achieved at AGH. A South Hills Radiology Associates physician, Dr. Klepchick is board-certified in diagnostic radiology with expertise in mammography. Contact Dr. Klepchick at 412.942.2628.

ST. CLAIR HEALTH

I

HOUSECALL

I

7

THE ROAD AHEAD | BREAST CARE

MULTIDISCIPLINARY MEETING OF MINDS

A new approach to the fight against breast cancer is bringing together medical and surgical oncologists to focus on the unique needs of individual patients, streamlining the process from start to cancer-free.

O

NE IN EIGHT WOMEN will be affected by breast cancer. There’s no immunity from breast cancer—only early detection and treatment.

And on that front, breast cancer is one of the most developed fields in oncology, thanks to research funding and continual refinement toward successful patient outcomes.

“The whole program is centered around you— and your future.”

TARA L. GRAHOVAC, M.D. Breast Surgeon

Breast cancer treatment is constantly evolving, and the primary innovation is supplied by the various specialties, including surgery, medical oncology, radiation oncology, plastic surgery, and genetics. Each discipline brings their own expertise, and when they all work together to devise a plan of care, the result can be the best outcome and experience for the patient.

Today, the specialists at St. Clair work in collaboration, communicating with each other and coordinating a patient’s care so they can create the best course of treatment. And working collectively, they have identified key areas that can bring them even closer together and cut down on the time between a patient’s visits.

Fine-tuning the way those specialists collaborate is the driving force behind the ambitious new Multidisciplinary Breast Clinic at the St. Clair Hospital Cancer Center Affiliated with UPMC Hillman Cancer Center—which will begin treating select patients in October to coincide with Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

TARA L. GRAHOVAC, M.D., F.A.C.S.

“We’re implementing an ideal model of bringing a concise, single-visit, multidisciplinary approach up front to improve both patient care and satisfaction,” says Tara L. Grahovac, M.D., a breast surgeon at St. Clair Health, who is spearheading the clinic’s launch along with Tala Achkar, M.D., a medical oncologist at the St. Clair Hospital Cancer Center Affiliated with UPMC Hillman Cancer Center.

In the existing model of treatment, when a patient has a positive breast biopsy, their first stop is oftentimes with a breast surgeon who also must think like a medical oncologist, a radiation oncologist, and plastic surgeon, and use their best judgment about what they all would recommend. If the surgeon feels a patient should start with chemotherapy followed by surgery, for example, they’re referred to a medical oncologist like Dr. Achkar. If the breast surgeon determines imaging studies are necessary, the surgeon’s office needs to obtain approval and order the imaging, which adds time to the schedule.

“As a surgeon,” says Dr. Grahovac, “I’m usually the patient’s first stop. But surgery isn’t always their

Dr. Grahovac specializes in breast surgery. She earned her medical degree at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio. Dr. Grahovac completed her residency in general surgery at Allegheny General Hospital, and a fellowship in breast surgery at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital. She is board-certified by the American Board of Surgery and is certified as a trained clinical fellow in breast surgical oncology by a Society of Surgical Oncology-accredited program. Along with her partner Raye J. Budway, M.D., F.A.C.S., Dr. Grahovac practices with St. Clair Medical Group.

To contact Dr. Grahovac, please call 412.942.7850.

8

I

ST. CLAIR HEALTH

I

HOUSECALL

first treatment—Dr. Achkar might use chemotherapy first. So I may tell a patient, ‘Here’s what I recommend, but I need an opinion from Dr. Achkar.

You need to see her and she’ll want to order certain diagnostic studies.‘ Our goal with this new clinic is to prospectively look at each case as a multidisciplinary team of experts, get ahead of the curve, decide what clinical trials a patient might be eligible for, develop a personalized plan of care, and decide what additional testing we might want.”

“It’s a merging of the minds,” adds Dr. Achkar.

“In the new clinic, both Dr. Grahovac and I will be in the same location, and the patient will meet with her and then me, first individually and then together. So Dr. Grahovac would come up with a surgical plan and I’d see that patient in the same office and the same room and then do my part, vetting their candidacy for chemotherapy. And she and I will regroup and discuss how the patient is best served in terms of treatment. We’ll then both sit with the patient and explain everything from start to finish. Waiting is a big part of patient anxiety, especially right after being diagnosed with cancer. The care will be delivered in a more timely, streamlined fashion since we already have their plans outlined in advance. As part of the cancer center’s affiliation with UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, patients also benefit from enhanced access to numerous breast cancer clinical trials that can expand their treatment options.”

Dr. Grahovac evaluates the results of a mammogram with a breast care patient at St Clair Health.

According to Dr. Grahovac, “It’s really about minimizing the disruption and anxiety by having their plan right then and there. But the goal is also to improve care...we know that time-to-treatment is directly linked to survival, so we already work really hard to meet and exceed the standards. But if we can reduce it even further, we can improve their outcome.

And aligning our evidenced-based practices by talking about it together and sharing the latest data, that can only improve their care. We want to make everything smoother and more like a one-stop shop experience, rather than having to break the patient’s time into

segments trying to meet with various doctors and therapists at various locations.”

“Breast cancer is always a devastating diagnosis,” says Dr. Achkar. “But our patients are generally young and healthy...this is a particularly challenging time of life to be dealt this hand, and a big part of my motivation is to make this a little less traumatizing for them. And I think reducing the wait time, being there up front as their physicians, seeing that there’s collaboration here, that gives patients more confidence and a bit less anxiety—and that’s really important.”

For both doctors the bottom line is that, with the new Multidisciplinary Breast Clinic, St. Clair is taking its exceptional, world-class care and making it more concise, organized, and prospective in order to decrease disruption to the patient’s life and decrease time-to-treatment, which is associated with better outcomes. The idea is that the multidisciplinary model of care won’t just be for patients getting chemotherapy, but will eventually involve other specialties for patients whose diagnosis and treatment are complex in other ways.

“It’s a big job,” admits Dr. Grahovac. “But at the end of the day, we have the best patients in the world. And so if we can do things like this to give back more to them and make their experience even better, it just elevates the reward of our jobs— which is already pretty rewarding.”

“We work with a unique patient population where you get to know them pretty well ,” says Dr. Achkar.

“What keeps us going is realizing that these are human beings and not just another name on a piece of paper.

We’re very involved...we’re fixtures for them. You develop some pretty close relationships.”

The new Multidisciplinary Breast Clinic will reside at the St. Clair Hospital Cancer Center Affiliated with UPMC Hillman Cancer Center on the seventh floor of the new St. Clair Health Dunlap Family Outpatient Center. n

TALA ACHKAR, M.D.

Dr. Achkar specializes in hematology and medical oncology. She earned her medical degree from the American University of Beirut in Lebanon. Dr. Achkar completed her internal medicine residency and hematology/oncology fellowship at UPMC. A member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American Society of Hematology, and the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer, she is board-certified in internal medicine, medical oncology, and hematology and is affiliated with UPMC Hillman Cancer Center. Her practice at St. Clair Health is in-network for all major insurers. To contact Dr. Achkar, please call 412.942.3333.

ST. CLAIR HEALTH

I

HOUSECALL

I

9

THE ROAD AHEAD | CARDIAC CARE

Building bridges to

better cardiac care through the Pittsburgh Heart Team Summit St. Clair’s Chief of Cardiac Surgery brought together the region’s top heart specialists to share ideas and insights for improving patient care and outcomes—for everyone.

From left to right, Dr. Jeffrey Liu, Dr. Andy Kiser, Dr. Christopher Pray, and Dr. John Sullivan from St. Clair Health teamed up to share their expertise.

10

I

ST. CLAIR HEALTH

I

HOUSECALL

I

t’s no secret that healthcare in western Pennsylvania has become highly competitive. Certainly, that competition does have its benefits, such as providing more choices for patients and helping to bring new innovations to the region.

But it can also create an environment that limits frequent collaboration—eliminating connections between healthcare systems that could lead to improved patient outcomes before they even have a chance to exist.

Turning competition into collaboration that produces better patient care has been a career-long goal for St. Clair’s Andy C. Kiser, M.D., Chief of Cardiac Surgery.

In his former role as Chief of the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Dr. Kiser saw the results of cooperation first hand.

“When the convergent procedure to treat atrial fibrillation came out, the results weren’t as good as we wanted,” Dr. Kiser recalls. “So rather than leaving that for the surgeon to solve, we brought in the cardiologist to help improve the way the procedure was being done. We immediately saw better outcomes.

That was really the beginning of breaking down the silos in cardiac care and realizing that if we approach a solution together, it’s better for the patient.”

Since arriving at St. Clair in 2018, Dr. Kiser has been working to inspire that same level of collaboration between all heart specialists in the Pittsburgh region— regardless of health system affiliation—with the Pittsburgh Heart Team Summit. This year’s third-annual event took place July 1 through July 16, and served as an educational

collaboration by bringing together heart specialists from St. Clair Health, Allegheny Health Network and UPMC. For two weeks, an audience of cardiac physicians, nurses, physician assistants and other health professionals viewed online video lectures on topics covering the spectrum of heart-related issues, including arrhythmia, valve diseases, cardiovascular imaging, pulmonary embolism and more. These sessions were followed by a live roundtable on July 16 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center featuring specialists from the region’s health systems, followed by a Q&A session.

The immediate results of the summit are clear: the barriers that have long existed between physicians of competing health systems have finally been breached.

“This region has so many talented physicians who’ve never really had the opportunity to get to know each other and share their knowledge and talents,” Dr. Kiser says. “The summit really helped to build a more supportive interaction between institutions, and that can only lead to better patient care.”

The road ahead that the summit has

opened is also beginning to come into focus.

“What if instead of thinking about elevating an institution, we elevated the reputation of the region by sharing and collaborating?” Dr. Kiser asks. “What if residents grew up learning how to build a network in a region rather than just in a hospital? Imagine if instead of outperforming each other, we’re creating a community that outperforms the nation in patient care. We really have that opportunity here to have something special.” n

The Pittsburgh Heart Team Summit took place at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center and featured the top cardiovascular specialists from the region.

Exemplifying Dr. Sullivan’s goal to create a learning institution at St. Clair, Dr. Kiser is proud to lead this annual gathering of the region’s top minds.

PITTSBURGH HEART TEAM SUMMIT A SYMPOSIUM ON CARDIOVASCULAR ALLIANCES

ST. CLAIR HEALTH

I

HOUSECALL

I

11

THE ROAD AHEAD | CARDIAC CARE

NEW TECHNOLOGY PUTS ST. CLAIR ON THE LEADING EDGE OF CARDIAC CARE

12

I

ST. CLAIR HEALTH

I

HOUSECALL

BETTER IMAGING. MORE PRECISE DIAGNOSTICS. IMPROVED PATIENT OUTCOMES. Experienced intuition and leading-edge diagnostic tools made all the difference in identifying an often-misdiagnosed condition and getting Mary Zotis back to doing what she loves.

W

hen 79-year-old Mary Zotis came into the St. Clair Hospital emergency room, she was exhibiting all the signs of myocardial infarction—or, as it’s more commonly referred to, a heart attack.

“Just going off of the symptoms in that moment, it looked like a textbook case,” says Christopher Pray, M.D., “Mary had elevated blood pressure, chest pain and shortness of breath.

We did an EKG and there were abnormalities that very clearly suggested a blocked artery.”

But as St. Clair’s Director of Non-Invasive Cardiology, Cardiac Imaging and Heart Failure Service, Dr. Pray knew that in spite of what all evidence at first suggested, there could be more to the story. That began with listening closely to Mary’s side of it.

“For two to three weeks, I didn’t want to do anything but lie down,” Mary recalls “I didn’t even want to cook, which is something I love to do. I was having a hard time breathing, a hard time going up steps, and I thought my symptoms were due to something else like asthma.”

To Dr. Pray, those symptoms suggested something every bit as concerning as a heart attack: cardiac amyloidosis.

A disease that can mimic other conditions, cardiac amyloidosis occurs when the body produces abnormal proteins that form a substance called amyloid. When it collects in the heart, amyloid can cause irreversible thickening of the heart wall and disrupt heart function, reducing the heart’s ability

to refill with blood between beats. The condition often leads to fatigue, shortness of breath and an abnormal heartbeat. It can also go undetected for years. Left untreated, cardiac amyloidosis can be fatal.

When he learned how long Mary had been experiencing symptoms, Dr. Pray wanted to know more. “We pride ourselves on delivering personalized medicine at St. Clair Health— and we conduct genotyping tests to thoroughly examine a patient’s DNA in order to help unlock their case. What I also find is that one of the best ways to curate care is to really dig into their personal perspective.”

“He sat down with my daughters and me and talked with us for a long time,” Mary says.

“He asked about family history, then asked if I’d ever had carpal tunnel or any back issues.

I said ‘I’ve had surgery for both!’”

“Advanced imaging allows us to better see inside the heart and understand what’s going on.”

CHRISTOPHER PRAY, M.D. Director of Non-Invasive Cardiology, Cardiac Imaging and Heart Failure Service

Continued on Page 14

Mary Zotis meets with Dr. Pray at Dunlap Family Outpatient Center.

ST. CLAIR HEALTH

I

HOUSECALL

I

13

THE ROAD AHEAD | CARDIAC CARE Continued from Page 13

“That was the key clue,” Dr. Pray says.

“Spinal stenosis and carpal tunnel are both associated with cardiac amyloidosis.”

With an in-depth understanding of Mary’s history and symptoms, Dr. Pray ordered an array of tests, including the advanced nuclear imaging that confirmed his suspicion.

“Technology is always improving, and St. Clair strives to be at the front of the line,” says Dr. Pray. “My role is to help lead that charge, and find ways to better see and understand what’s going on inside the heart.

Specifically with cardiac amyloidosis, I’m proud to say that with our state-of-the-art imaging technology, we can both identify and treat this once-rare disease routinely.”

That imaging includes the new D-SPECT® High Accuracy Nuclear Camera at St. Clair’s Dunlap Family Outpatient Center. With the power to deliver a more accurate picture, this revolutionary camera allows doctors to make a diagnosis with far greater certainty while using only a fraction of the radio tracer injection required by standard imaging. It also delivers greater comfort for patients and reduces a 20- to 30-minute testing time to three minutes or less.

This commitment to bringing the most advanced technology to our community is helping patients like Mary get back to living life.

“I feel great!” Mary says. “If it wasn’t for Dr. Pray and his fast diagnosis of this condition, I don’t know if I’d be here. But now I feel better than I did before I became sick.

I’m back to doing my own shopping and cooking. I even cook for my whole family sometimes.” n

Mary Zotis discusses her recovery with Dr. Pray.

With the power to deliver a more accurate picture, this revolutionary camera allows doctors to make a diagnosis with far greater certainty.

It also reduces testing time to three minutes or less.

D-SPECT® High Accuracy Nuclear Cardiac Camera

CHRISTOPHER PRAY, M.D., F.A.C.C.

Dr. Pray specializes in non-invasive cardiology. He earned his medical degree at SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, N.Y. and completed his residency at UPMC. He also completed fellowships in cardiology and cardiac MRI at UPMC. Pittsburgh Magazine named him a Top Doctor in Cardiovascular Disease for 2021. Dr. Pray is board-certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in internal medicine, cardiology and echocardiography. He practices with St. Clair Medical Group. To contact Dr. Pray, please call 412.942.7900.

14

I

ST. CLAIR HEALTH

I

HOUSECALL

THIS IS

WATCHMAN Another step forward in tackling the impact of AFIB.

Blood thinners are commonly used to prevent clots caused by atrial fibrillation— a very common abnormal heart rhythm. But not everyone can tolerate thinners for long periods of time. The Watchman™ program offers a leading-edge solution.

Dr. Liu displays the Watchman™ device that can minimize a patient’s risk of stroke.

id you know that the human heart has its own version of an appendix?

It’s called the left atrial appendage, and just like the actual appendix in the abdomen, it has a tendency to create problems—especially for people who live with AFIB. “AFIB in and of itself isn’t generally lifethreatening,” says Jeffrey C. Liu, M.D., St. Clair’s Director of Electrophysiology. “But it can be a major cause of blood clots that lead to a stroke.

When a clot forms, 90 percent of the time it forms in the left atrial appendage.”

For the majority of AFIB patients who are at risk of stroke, blood thinners are the best solution for helping to prevent clots. However, long-term use of blood thinners has also been shown to cause bleeding problems for many patients.

“With this new version of Watchman and the real-world results from how it has performed, we determined that now was the time to move forward.”

The Watchman program is a prime example of how a team approach to cardiac care helps to deliver the best solution for St. Clair patients.

“AFIB is generally an electrical problem in the heart, which as a ‘heart electrician’ is something that I can treat. But if the patient is a stroke risk and has problems with blood thinners, that’s when shared decision-making is so important. I sit down with the patient and our cardiac surgeons to discuss all of the options: take the risk with thinners, use the Watchman, or surgically place a clip on the appendage. It’s really all about taking the time to help the patient understand everything so that they’re comfortable with the solution.”

And it’s another example of how St. Clair is leading the way in moving cardiac care forward. n

D

Enter the Watchman program.

The theory behind “disabling” the left atrial appendage has been around for roughly 15 years.

During open heart surgery, doctors would often use a clip to close off the area in patients with a history of AFIB. The concept behind Watchman™ was to create the same effect of neutralizing this clot-forming threat through a minimally invasive procedure.

Like a balloon angioplasty or transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), the Watchman procedure accesses the heart through a blood vessel in the leg. But instead of opening a blockage in a heart vessel, Watchman actually inserts a plug that seals off the left atrial appendage.

“It sounds counter-intuitive,” Dr. Liu says, “but by sealing off the appendage, we’re minimizing the risk of stroke.”

Five years ago, St. Clair doctors were excited by the concept of the then-new Watchman device.

However, the first generation of the Watchman program didn’t quite live up to expectations. “We just weren’t happy with the data we were seeing at the time,” Dr. Liu says, “and we decided it would be better for patients to wait until we saw what further advancements would deliver.” It was a wise decision.

The second generation has been shown to produce far better outcomes for patients than its predecessor.

JEFFREY C. LIU, M.D., F.H.R.S.

Dr. Liu specializes in cardiovascular diseases, interventional cardiology and cardiac electrophysiology. He earned his medical degree at Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia. He completed a residency in internal medicine at the University of Maryland Medical Center, served as Chief Resident at the Baltimore VA Medical Center, and completed fellowships in Cardiovascular Medicine and Cardiac Electrophysiology at UPMC. Pittsburgh Magazine named him a Top Doctor for 2021 in Cardiac Electrophysiology. Dr. Liu is board-certified in cardiovascular diseases, cardiology, cardiac electrophysiology and internal medicine by the American Board of Internal Medicine. He practices with St. Clair Medical Group. To contact Dr. Liu, please call 412.942.7900.

ST. CLAIR HEALTH

I

HOUSECALL

I

15

THE ROAD AHEAD | STROKE CARE

NEW LEADERSHIP AND ADVANCEMENTS BOLSTER ST. CLAIR’S STROKE PROGRAM Technological advances and new therapies are changing the scope of modern stroke care. And with new leadership and new approaches to stroke care taking shape at St. Clair Health, patients are already benefiting from an enhanced and growing stroke program.

L

ast fall, St. Clair welcomed Maxim D. Hammer, M.D., as its new Chief of Neurology.

Dr. Hammer brings expertise in acute and long-term stroke management and substantial clinical and programmatic stroke-care experience. “St. Clair Health has earned many patient safety and quality awards over the years.

It’s an attractive place to come and work, and it’s a tremendous community to serve,” Dr. Hammer says.

As stroke care developments and advances unfold at St. Clair, Dr. Hammer’s expertise will be invaluable, says Maria Abraham, MPAS, PA-C, Director of the Neuroscience Service Line. “Building a program requires expertise,” she says. “Having a stroke subspecialist accessible to the rest of the staff builds a collaboration, a trust, and a much better experience for the patient overall.”

Abraham notes that St. Clair already has a robust, multidisciplinary team caring for stroke patients.

“When we meet as a stroke program, we have a very comprehensive team made up of physician leaders, nursing and therapy leaders, as well as case

managers who provide a collaborative effort in stroke management and care.”

Challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic have demonstrated just how well and how important it is for St. Clair’s healthcare providers to communicate, Abraham says, as some COVID-19 patients also experienced stroke, requiring multi-faceted care across specialties and Hospital divisions, including Emergency Care, Critical Care, Internal Medicine, Neurosurgery, Vascular Surgery, Cardiology, and Rehabilitation.

Dr. Hammer deeply values the importance of communication between medical teams and between providers and their patients, and he’s looking for new ways for teams to collaborate and communicate.

Since Dr. Hammer joined St. Clair, post-discharge care has also been brought into greater focus for stroke patients. The post-discharge program involves nursing staff automatically following up with discharged stroke patients and arranging for in-person or telemedicine visits with stroke specialists.

MAXIM D. HAMMER, M.D., MBA Dr. Hammer earned his medical degree at Albany Medical College, Albany, N.Y., and completed his neurology residency at Cleveland Clinic, where he was elected chief resident. He also completed a vascular neurology fellowship at UPMC. Dr. Hammer was named a Top Doctor in Neurology by Pittsburgh Magazine in 2021. Before joining St. Clair, he held numerous titles, including Vice Chairman, Clinical Affairs, Department of Neurology; Clinical Director of Neurology; and Director of Stroke Services at UPMC Mercy Hospital. Board-certified in both neurology and vascular neurology, he also currently serves as an associate professor, Department of Neurology, at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. Hammer practices with St. Clair Medical Group. To contact Dr. Hammer, please call 412.942.6300.

16

I

ST. CLAIR HEALTH

I

HOUSECALL

“We have a continuum-of-care approach at the Hospital, specifically for our stroke patients,” Abraham says. “And that’s really important because it helps to keep patients on the right track and helps to answer any additional questions they may have.” She adds that, “After they leave the Hospital, there’s always someone available for them.”

Ms. Abraham supervised the addition of advanced neuroimaging using Computed Tomography (CT) Perfusion software, which enables identification of patients potentially treatable outside of traditional time windows.

Additionally, she has created the means whereby acute neuroimaging can be instantly shared by the entire treatment team. Further still, Dr. Hammer and Abraham, in conjunction with Dr. Jason Biggs, Chair of Emergency Medicine, have implemented the switch from tPA to tenecteplase as the primary intravenous treatment for acute stroke, mirroring a national trend. “It does the same function but more effectively and with fewer side effects,” says Dr. Hammer.

Dr. Hammer is also looking to bolster testing efficiency after stroke patients arrive at St. Clair in order to quickly pinpoint a stroke’s cause.

“When someone has a stroke, they’re admitted to the Hospital for several reasons. One of the reasons they’re admitted is to do a lot of diagnostic testing to find out what caused the stroke, so that we can direct specific treatment to help protect patients optimally from having a second stroke,” he says.

“What would be even more powerful is if we could address people who were at risk of stroke... and prevent those strokes from occurring in the first place.”

MAXIM HAMMER, M.D. Chief of Neurology

Nearly one in four strokes occur in people who have already had a stroke, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

And even with the necessary focus on preventing secondary strokes, Dr. Hammer further envisions a program aimed at proactively stopping patients’ initial strokes.

By identifying common causes and conditions preceding stroke and taking preventive steps, stroke might be avoided altogether for some patients. “I want to try to develop the idea of a primary prevention center. Usually we talk about secondary prevention, which means that someone has already had a stroke,” Dr. Hammer says. “What would be even more powerful is if we could address people who were at risk of stroke before they even have their first stroke to try and make an impact and prevent those strokes from occurring in the first place.”

Because people with the heart arrhythmia atrial fibrillation often experience stroke, implementing preventive treatment for patients with this heart condition could avert initial strokes, Dr. Hammer says. High blood pressure is also closely tied to stroke, so screening patients and looking at family history of this common condition could help evaluate stroke risk.

Dr. Hammer, in concert with Dr. Christopher Pray, Director of Non-Invasive Cardiology, Cardiac Imaging and Heart Failure Service,

Maria Abraham, MPAS, PA-C uses the new CT Perfusion imaging technology.

and Dr. Andy Kiser, Chief of Cardiac Surgery, have initiated a Stroke-Cardiology treatment consortium in order to cooperatively manage atrial fibrillation (AFIB) and patent foramen ovale (PFO), two cardiac conditions that may cause stroke. The goals of this consortium are to achieve consensus and ensure implementation of standard best care practices.

Additionally, identifying patients at risk of having atherosclerosis in their brain circulation can help predict stroke. Looking at patients’ family history and conducting brain imaging scans can pinpoint atherosclerosis buildup in arteries, which correlates with stroke.

As new programs and efforts in stroke care take shape, St. Clair’s stroke care leaders remain committed to advancing neurology and providing the best care possible to patients. Dr. Hammer says that practicing neurology combines the act of helping people with using systematic analysis and logical thinking to diagnose issues, making it a challenging but rewarding field of medicine.

For Abraham, being able to help acute stroke patients and reverse their symptoms is its own reward. “It’s a gift to be able to do what I do every day,” she says. n

ST. CLAIR HEALTH

I

HOUSECALL

I

17

THE ROAD AHEAD | MAYO CLINIC CARE NETWORK

FIVE YEARS & THE FUTURE. TOGETHER. In 2021, St. Clair celebrates its five-year anniversary as a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network.

This relationship entails everything from providing second opinions from a Mayo Clinic specialist or subspecialist to leveraging best practices, advancing programs, such as the Pharmacogenomics Program, and working together to combat a global pandemic.

“St. Clair has visionary leadership, extremely high standards of patient care, and they are very much aligned to our culture and goals.”

MARK V. LARSON, M.D. Mayo Clinic Care Network Medical Director

18

I

ST. CLAIR HEALTH

I

HOUSECALL

T

he Mayo Clinic Care Network launched in 2011 with the idea to extend Mayo Clinic’s world-renowned expertise and create meaningful relationships between Mayo Clinic and high-quality organizations that could make a positive impact on the lives of patients.

“We were driven by the question, ‘What more can we do?’ to

establish deeper connections that share more knowledge and resources with patients—literally across the globe,” says Mark V. Larson, M.D., Mayo Clinic Care Network Medical Director. “St. Clair is a poster child for the model relationship we seek to build with healthcare providers.”

YEAR 1

Mayo Clinic offers second opinions with no added charge to patients.

“It was easy to get an immediate feel for Mayo Clinic’s quality in addition to

their outstanding credentials around the world,” says G. Alan Yeasted, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, St. Clair Health in 2016 and now Chief Medical Officer Emeritus.

“We have excellent physicians here at St. Clair. But sometimes experts

”It’s all about advancing care for the people in the communities we serve.”

G. ALAN YEASTED, M.D. Chief Medical Officer Emeritus

need experts, and, with the ability to get a fast second opinion (eConsult) directly from a Mayo Clinic specialist, it gives everyone in the room added confidence and peace of mind,” Dr. Yeasted says. “It’s all about advancing care for the people in the communities we serve.”

“From a prostate carcinoma case that presented a wide variety of potential treatment plans to complex neurologic diseases and other rare cases and conditions, eConsults have been clear assets from the beginning of our collaboration.”

Mayo Clinic’s Dr. Larson adds, “Rather than having to travel to get a second opinion, a patient is able to continue their ongoing care right there on the St. Clair campus—at no additional cost to the patient.”

MAYO CLINIC OFFERS SECOND OPINIONS WITH NO ADDED CHARGE TO PATIENTS

YEAR

1

ST. CLAIR HEALTH

I

HOUSECALL

I

19

THE ROAD AHEAD | MAYO CLINIC CARE NETWORK Continued from Page 19

YEAR 2

facing,” says Dr. Sullivan. “Our teams routinely

Continued collaborations lead to best practice development “We knew there was a great benefit not only from eConsults, but also from AskMayoExpert— an online tool we could provide immediately to our physicians,” says Dr. Yeasted.

As more collaboration occurred, John T. Sullivan, M.D., St. Clair Health’s Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, focused on elements that could help keep St. Clair ahead of the curve.

“From adopting cutting-edge changes

participated in virtual Grand Rounds in addition

where we can break down core values and best

to traveling to Mayo Clinic for leadership

practices—and find direct application from one

training.”

organization to the other—together, in real time.”

“St. Clair has visionary leadership, extremely high standards of patient care, and they are very much aligned to our culture and goals,” says Dr. Larson.

YEAR 3

Personalized medicine curated from patient genetics Dr. Sullivan’s desire to continuously advance

A global pandemic and a clinical collaborator in the face of healthcare crisis “Our relationship with Mayo Clinic was never more important than during the pandemic.

In a rapidly-changing, high-stakes public health crisis, it was invaluable to be able to tap their

the institution led St. Clair to seek an opportunity

deep resources and adopt their best practice

procedures and policies, a commonly heard

to offer precision medicine programs to members

policies and protocols to ensure patient and staff

question, ‘How does Mayo Clinic do it?’ often

of the community. His passion for building this

safety. Particularly valuable was being able to

preceded an exchange of best practices.”

clinical program in collaboration with Mayo Clinic

share their international expertise on vaccine

is rooted in the importance of providing higher-

safety and efficacy,” Dr. Sullivan says.

As the relationship continued, St. Clair to enhance quality of care for patients.

level services close to home.

“Patients have different responses to

Results included the Patient Safety Program,

the same medications that we prescribe.

where St. Clair adopted Mayo Clinic’s

Pharmacogenomics is a discipline whereby

“5 Mindful Behaviors,” used in every patient

a physician can select and alter medication

interaction to ensure optimal outcomes, and

dosing based on an individual patient’s genes.

the implementation of a Mayo Clinic-developed

A blood sample can be tested for a small number

readmission risk score, which stratified

of a patient’s genes that metabolize medicine

St. Clair’s patient population and automated

and allow for individualized treatment,”

the deployment of resources for patients at a

Dr. Sullivan says.

high risk of complications. Additionally, St. Clair

And with Mayo Clinic and St. Clair in

formalized the triad model for organizational

complete concert to advance patient-centric

performance improvement: Physician Led,

precision medicine, there’s a feeling that they’re

Quality Integrated, Nursing Delivered.

just getting started. “We are always looking to

“Our medical staff had Mayo Clinic’s faculty readily available to discuss challenges we were

expand the acute services we provide to the communities we serve,” Dr. Sullivan shares.

YEAR MAYO CLINIC BEST PRACTICES ARE LEVERAGED TO ENHANCE QUALITY OF CARE

3

YEAR

2

I

YEAR 4

in medical treatments to comparing office

began to leverage Mayo Clinic’s best practices

20

Dr. Larson adds, “We live in an exciting time,

ST. CLAIR HEALTH

I

HOUSECALL

INTRODUCTION OF THE PHARMACOGENOMICS PROGRAM

“One of the best ways to continually get better is to collaborate with the best.“ JOHN T. SULLIVAN, M.D., MBA Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer

Collaborating with Mayo Clinic during a global crisis did more than provide keen, actionable insight—it created an opportunity for St. Clair leadership to sharpen a core piece of its culture.

“Our status as a high-performing institution predates the Mayo Clinic relationship. But an important part of our culture is that of being a learning organization which constantly seeks to improve itself. One of the best ways to continually get better is to collaborate with the best, and I can think of no better learning opportunity than everything we’ve experienced together during this challenging time,” Dr. Sullivan says.

In addition to sharing expertise on vaccines and COVID treatment, St. Clair also implemented Mayo Clinic’s policies on COVID testing. “In fact, when testing was in short supply at the start of the pandemic, Mayo Clinic greatly augmented our testing capacity,” he points out. “We also adopted their patient, visitor and employee screening processes.”

Dr. Larson adds, “The sharing of information centers around creating a relationship where you have someone in your corner. Doctors being able to communicate effectively and efficiently is paramount during times of crisis.

We work together to exchange up-to-the-minute information that could benefit patients at both great speed and scale.”

YEAR 5

From standard utilization to programmatic integration A true clinical collaboration. Five years of seeking, sharing, and succeeding.

“From the outset, we have been able to leverage the best of the best, and having that direct access to Mayo Clinic has served as an instrumental resource for our patients and the institution as a whole,” says Meredith B. Dieffenbach, St. Clair’s Vice President, Operations and Strategic Management, who has played a key role in facilitating this relationship since its inception.

“Over time, the clinical collaboration has evolved from utilization of standard offerings to programmatic integration—Pharmacogenomics was the first step and we are very excited about additional programs in the works as it relates to neurosciences and other service lines,” she adds.

Exploring what’s next begins with further evolving how St. Clair can personalize patient care by working together with Mayo Clinic.

“We’ve had a great five years together, and expanding what we can do for any single, specific case by taking those learnings to general medicine in service of the greater patient population is something I’m truly excited about,” says Dr. Sullivan. “Think of it as designing more care for more patients—saving more time, more money, and most importantly, more lives. It’s all based on our commitment to do everything we can to

“We look forward to continuing to bring the worldclass expertise of Mayo Clinic to our patients in Southwestern Pennsylvania.”

MEREDITH B. DIEFFENBACH, MHA Vice President, Operations and Strategic Management

continue to improve patient safety and patient outcomes, and Mayo Clinic is a big part of that.”

“The future of healthcare is evolving right in

YEAR

4

front of us,” adds Dr. Larson. “We are entering a really exciting new chapter in how to take care of patients in the hospital, at home, and in hybrid situations that will create optimized courses of treatment and advanced care for patients along their journey.” n

YEAR A CLINICAL COLLABORATOR IN THE FACE OF A GLOBAL PANDEMIC

5

CLINICAL COLLABORATION LEADS TO PROGRAMMATIC INTEGRATION

ST. CLAIR HEALTH

I

HOUSECALL

I

21

THE ROAD AHEAD | PRICE TRANSPARENCY

PRICE TRANSPARENCY TOOL

REMOVES GUESSWORK, STICKER SHOCK

Many patients come home from the hospital only to worry about how much the visit and services are going to cost them when the bill arrives in the mail a few weeks later.

But in 2016, working with Experian, St. Clair Health developed a first-in-the-nation online tool called Patient Estimates® which takes the mystery out of healthcare costs.

HOW DOES IT WORK? It’s a lot like shopping for a new car.

Type in your insurance information.

Choose a procedure. And seconds later, receive an estimate for your out-of-pocket costs. This estimate is customized to the patient’s specific insurance plan, reflecting any deductibles or co-payments you’ve made year-to-date. The tool also works for those without health insurance.

Showing consumers their share of the bill has long been a priority of St. Clair.

“We recognize that patients know more about buying a car than they know about the cost of their healthcare,” says Eric Luttringer, Vice President of Finance. “We want to promote a culture of value to our patients and to employers. And value really can’t flourish without price transparency.”

A national leader in transparency and value, St. Clair actually unveiled the tool five years before the federal Hospital Transparency Act was enacted in January of 2021. This new legislation requires hospitals to list the pricing of “shoppable” services and procedures—the most common ones—on their websites in a form that consumers can read. But, as multiple media outlets have reported, most health systems, across the nation and in the region, are not in compliance with this new legislation.

“We applaud St. Clair Hospital for being a leader in the Pittsburgh market and nationally,” says Cynthia A. Fisher, Founder and Chair of PatientsRightsAdvocates.org, who championed the new federal legislation.

“Your leadership shows that [St. Clair Health] puts the physical and financial wellness of your patients first.”

Another way in which that leadership is manifested is in providing the patient outof-pocket costs, (i.e., the patient’s deductible and co-payment), not just what the insurance company will pay, which is what the legislation requires.

“Ultimately, what patients most want to know is, ‘What will I have to pay out of my own pocket?’ So, we go the extra step to provide them a customized estimate,” says Luttringer.

“And in most cases, our costs to the patient are significantly lower than that of the larger health systems.”

Offering price transparency eases the minds of patients so that they can go ahead with procedures and tests instead of putting them off for fear of a surprise bill. Luttringer says managers of St. Clair Medical Group physicians’

Eric Luttringer, Vice President of Finance

offices were trained on the tool in order to inform people about Patient Estimates® if the doctor has ordered a procedure.

Patient Estimates is popular, given the rising cost of healthcare. “As patients bear more responsibility for healthcare costs, more patients should start shopping around,” says Luttringer.

Fisher, of PatientRightsAdvocate.org, says patients will drive or fly out of state for the best price on a knee replacement or other surgeries, sometimes saving themselves tens of thousands of dollars.

“You already are anxious when you are going to the doctor,” Luttringer says. “Whenever there are more tests or a procedure, that just increases the anxiety. Our desire is to reassure patients about the cost.”

To experience the value-finding too for yourself, visit: stclair.org/patient-estimates. n

After seeing an estimate, patients can schedule a medical imaging test by clicking on, “Medical Imaging Scheduling Request” and may also obtain quality information by visiting, “Quality & Safety Information.”

22

I

ST. CLAIR HEALTH

I

HOUSECALL

LASTCALL

NURSE INTENSIVIST ANSWERS THE SIREN SONG TO SERVE

A

rapid response call goes out overhead.

It’s coded to the Hospital cue card; it’s known by heart.

Whatever the patient needs, Michael G. Lane, R.N., Nurse Intensivist, is ready to answer the call.

“Intensivists are always available to help out on the floor with many things. From the Cardiac Cath Lab to interventional radiology, we’re here seven days a week to help make everyone’s job a little easier,” he said.

Nurse Intensivist is a unique position that was created to aid the nurses and physicians in the acute care setting.

Mr. Lane began his career at St. Clair as a staff nurse on the surgical floor. Three years later, he transferred to the ICU on the day after 9/11. “The efforts made by people in New York were truly humbling. I will always remember that.” A profound sense of compassionate collaboration has been a driving force for Mr. Lane for more than two decades.

“I’m a big believer in teamwork and I could never do my job without the help of our physicians, respiratory therapists, nursing staff, physical and occupational therapists, dieticians, and more. They are all integral

parts of our team in the ICU and throughout the Hospital.”

The former high school wrestler who still plays recreational indoor volleyball gets his steps in going from floor to floor and service line to service line equipped with arguably the world’s most advanced fanny pack.

“Our emergency point-ofcare technology (EPOC) is really something. We’re able to draw blood and get actionable results in 30 seconds without having to send it to the lab, so we can triage the patient right there and know what we need to do, whether that means transferring them to the ICU or managing their case on the floor.”

Nasal swabs, probes, portable ultrasounds, and more put a robust suite of innovative life-saving diagnostic power right in the palm of Mr. Lane’s hands.

“During rapid responses we help initiate stroke alerts.

If somebody’s crashing, we can do an echocardiogram.

If there’s a cardiac arrest, we can help get the needed access

right at the femoral or jugular. Even moderate sedations—we’re trained in a wide variety of ways to answer the call.”

A lifelong resident of Castle Shannon, PA, Mr. Lane will celebrate his 24th anniversary at St. Clair Health in January. “The collaborative culture is what keeps me here—all the great work everyone comes together to do. I help them, but they really help me a lot, too.”

And in many ways, our 2005 Cameos of Caring® recipient feels like he’s still just getting started.

“My job is always exciting because our role is always evolving, and COVID certainly added to our intense perspective in treating patients with acute injuries.

It’s been a privilege to watch the Hospital grow during my career, and I can’t wait to see what opportunities will present to expand our critical care capabilities in the future.” n

Michael G. Lane, R.N. Nurse Intensivist

Expert care from people who care. It’s more than our tagline— it’s the relentless drive we bring to carry out our mission every single day. Interested in joining the team? Follow St. Clair Health Careers on Facebook and LinkedIn or visit stclair.org.

ST. CLAIR HEALTH

I

HOUSECALL

I

23

1000 BOWER HILL ROAD PITTSBURGH, PA 15243 STCLAIR.ORG

@StClairHealth

To find a doctor, along with a full list of services and locations, visit stclair.org

TO GET WHERE YOU WANT TO GO, HONOR THOSE WHO CAME BEFORE 70 years ago this month, ground was broken for a health care institution worthy of the people it serves. And we’re still just getting started.

From the 1951 groundbreaking ceremony to the grand opening of the state-of-the-art Dunlap Family Outpatient Center in 2021, St. Clair has always focused on the community.