Healthcare Technology: All About Patient Safety

Galina Gandy, Regional West’s chief information officer, is passionate about healthcare information technology.

“I love healthcare technology because of how it connects to the patient. Utilizing it enhances safety and quality. It allows clinicians to spend more time with patients and to make better informed decisions, because the information they need is at their Galina Gandy Chief Information Officer fingertips,” she says. Gandy began her career in medical transcription and transitioned to working as a radiology technologist. In radiography, she was immersed in technology and found it fascinating. As her interest in information technology (IT) grew, she made another career move to IT. That was more than 20 years ago, and since then she has worked in IT for large medical systems throughout the Northwest, including Alaska, Washington, and Oregon.

She has extensive experience in all aspects of IT, including implementing IT infrastructure and capital improvement projects, process engineering, and design, and she led the implementation of an electronic health record across a five-state network.

Gandy and her husband, Dana, moved to Scottsbluff from Astoria, Oregon, last summer. They’ve enjoyed exploring the region and love western Nebraska’s quality of life. Outside of work they enjoy flying, fishing, traveling, and music. Together they enjoyed many years of volunteering with the Civil Air Patrol.

Time and distance are no longer barriers to receiving care for minor medical conditions, thanks to the new Regional West Connect app.

Regional West Connect allows you to have a video visit on your computer or mobile device with a board-certified Regional West internal medicine physician, family practice physician, pediatrician, or advanced practice provider. If a Regional West provider is unavailable, you can see a board-certified physician or licensed nurse practitioner with our partner organization, Teladoc, which specializes in virtual care.

With Regional West Connect, you have swift, round-the-clock access to a medical professional every day of the year. You can receive a diagnosis and get a treatment plan, prescription, or referral for more in-depth care for a variety of nonemergency medical conditions, including: • Allergies • Hives • Asthma • Insect bites • Bronchitis • Mild vomiting or • Colds diarrhea • Earache • Pink eye • Flu • Rashes • Headache • Sinusitis

“Modern healthcare is personalized, and everyone wants to save time,” says Serozan Amroliwalla (“Dr. Sero”), MD, internal medicine physician and vice president of medicine at Regional West Physicians Clinic-Internal Medicine. “Regional West Connect helps us deliver appropriate and timely care to patients. If, for example, a patient has a cold or a persistent cough, they can get care using this app instead of driving to their provider’s office or an urgent care clinic, or making an unnecessary visit to the Emergency Department.”

LET’S VISIT Getting started is simple. Download the app for free from the App Store or Google Play, then set up your account by entering some personal and insurance information. You can also enter the name of a pharmacy where you’d like prescriptions sent. Once you create your account, you can save your information so you’ll only have to enter your username and password for subsequent visits.

Once your account is set up, you’re ready to request an immediate visit with a provider (if you need a routine follow-up, you can request an appointment for a specific time). You’ll answer some questions about your symptoms and the condition for which you’d like to be seen, which will allow the provider to learn why you’re seeking care before your visit starts. You may wait for a few minutes in a virtual waiting room before a provider appears on the screen.

To begin the appointment, your provider will ask for a thorough medical history, which is an important step, especially during a video visit.

“Much of what we’re able to do is based on a good history,” says Lisa Bewley, MSN, CPNP-PC, a certified pediatric nurse practitioner at Regional West Physicians Clinic-Pediatrics who helped develop Regional West Connect. “This is a different way of thinking about medicine, and it’s especially important to cover the bases with a solid medical history because the provider isn’t with the patient in person to lay hands on him or her. Patients should be sure to have allergy and medication lists ready for their appointment and be prepared to discuss their health history, symptoms, and previous treatments.”

With your help, the provider will conduct a physical exam. You’ll receive a diagnosis and a treatment plan, which may include a prescription for you to pick up at your designated pharmacy. If you need additional, in-person care, the provider will refer you to an urgent care center or the Emergency Department. You’ll pay $69 for your Regional West Connect visit. Your primary care provider will receive a record of your visit through Regional West’s electronic health record or via fax, and you’ll be able to see a summary of the visit in your Regional West Connect account.

WHY CONNECT? Using Regional West Connect is a great way for busy individuals and families to get medical care quickly when they’re at home or work, traveling, or away at college. Whether it’s 4 a.m. and your child can’t stop coughing, you’re on vacation and have questions about a rash, or you have 30 minutes before work and want to know what to do about a fever, care is as close as your computer, tablet, or smartphone.

“Regional West Connect greatly increases access to care, especially for people who live in rural areas,” Bewley says. “This app allows parents to get care for their children quickly so they don’t have to take so much time off from work and their kids can return to school or day care sooner.”

For more information about how Regional West Connect can make healthcare more convenient for your family, visit www.RegionalWestConnect.org.

Whether you’re considering plastic surgery or treatment for a skin disorder, there is no need to travel far — exceptional care is right here in western Nebraska.

John Blomstedt III, DO

Matthew Malamet, MD, FACS

At Regional West, we offer a variety of aesthetic and medical services. Our three providers — Matthew Malamet, MD, FACS, plastic and reconstructive surgeon; John Blomstedt III, DO, specialist in skin and aesthetics; and Jennifer Schlothauer, NP-C, nurse practitioner — bring a wide range of services to the community.

WELCOMING A NEW PLASTIC AND RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGEON Last September, Dr. Malamet joined Regional West Physicians Clinic-Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery. Trained in both plastic and reconstructive surgery, as well as aesthetics, Dr. Malamet offers many years of experience in a variety of procedures.

“Patients who have been severely injured or those who have breast cancer and are considering reconstruction no longer need to travel for care. We can do it here,” Dr. Malamet says.

Some of the services Dr. Malamet offers include: • Reconstruction: breast, hands, and more • Breast enhancement • Lifts • Liposuction • Tummy tucks • Botox and fillers

Dr. Malamet says he finds it rewarding to help others reach their goals, whether aesthetic, functional, or reconstructive, and he enjoys the interaction with patients along the way.

“I treat each patient as if he or she were a family member,” Dr. Malamet says. “Every consultation is spent thoroughly discussing the treatment plan and making sure they understand what to expect. We want our patients to feel comfortable throughout the entire process.”

CONTINUED CARE FOR MEDICAL AND COSMETIC SERVICES The Regional West Physicians ClinicSkin Clinic & Medical Aesthetic Center provides cosmetic services and treatments for a range of skin disorders. Dr. Blomstedt has served a decade at the clinic, taking care of local patients, as well as traveling to several satellite clinics.

“We provide expert treatment for many skin concerns,” Dr. Blomstedt says. “People spend years trying to handle treatment on their own when they could benefit greatly from visiting a professional.”

A few of the many services provided include: • Acne treatment • Botox and fillers • Mole removal • Psoriasis management • Skin cancer diagnosis and treatment • Skin grafts • Tattoo removal

Patients do not need a referral for an appointment and, depending on the service, many treatments can be done same day.

“You will feel welcomed here,” Schlothauer says. “We have been serving the community for years, and we continue to expand and diversify our services and see incredible outcomes with our patients.”

To schedule an appointment at Regional West Physicians Clinic-Skin Clinic & Medical Aesthetic Center, call 308-630-2595. To schedule a consultation with Dr. Malamet, call 308-630-2500.

View your health information anytime, anywhere on Regional West’s free online portal. Twenty-first century patients need round-the-clock access to their health information in order to make the best health decisions. With MyRegionalWest — our secure, interactive patient portal — patients have 24- hour access to their health information. With just a few clicks, you can view everything from imaging and lab results to upcoming appointments, which makes managing your health easier than ever.

A STREAMLINED RESOURCE After a visit with a Regional West provider, a link will be sent directly to your personal email address with an invitation to sign up with MyRegionalWest. The link will lead to the registration page where you can view and confirm your information. Once registered, you can view a health summary of recent visits, allergies and medical history, and reminders for upcoming events.

Instead of waiting for business hours to place a phone call to your provider’s office, you can send a message through MyRegionalWest to request an appointment, ask for a medication refill, or send a question. Your provider’s staff will send a message in reply through MyRegionalWest, which you can read at your convenience.

On MyRegionalWest, you can view information from your medical record back to Sept. 15, 2018.

A SECURE CONNECTION Security is essential for any healthcare portal, including ours. MyRegionalWest protects patient privacy and will never distribute email addresses or any information in MyRegionalWest without patient authorization. Nothing is stored on the internet; all patient information is securely stored in the facility’s Electronic Health Record system, with MyRegionalWest pulling this information upon login.

In addition to these security measures, patient identity is verified at the facility before a MyRegionalWest enrollment invitation is sent and access to medical records is granted. Only the patient has access to his or her account, and users are signed out after a dormancy period of 15 minutes to safeguard information. Accounts are solely controlled through a username and password combination chosen by the patient.

A ONE-STOP SHOP MyRegionalWest also allows families to manage their health information together. Parents can add children from newborns to 19 years of age to their MyRegionalWest account under the same email address. Additionally, both spouses can add children to their accounts as proxies/dependents. Once in MyRegionalWest, patients can toggle between themselves and proxies to see their respective information, making it a convenient, all-inclusive resource for health information management.

Call 308-225-3804 or visit MyRegionalWest.com for more information.

Regional West 4021 Avenue B Scottsbluff, NE 69361

L E D F R O M Z I P C O D E 4 3 M A I 9 7 3

PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 93

Regional West Medical Center complies with applicable federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex. For more information, see link on our website at www.rwhs.org/patients/nondiscrimination-notice-physicians-clinic. ATENCIÓN: si habla español, tiene a su disposición servicios gratuitos de asistencia lingüística. Llame al. (TTY: 1-800-833-7352). CHÚ Ý: Nếu bạn nói Tiếng Việt, có các dịch vụ hỗ trợ ngôn ngữ miễn phí dành cho bạn. Gọi số . (TTY: 1-800-833-7352). 注意：如果您使用繁體中文，您可以免費獲得語言援助服務。請致電。 (TTY: 1-800-833-7352).

Regional West Medical Center, Home Care, and Hospice earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval ® Accreditation by demonstrating continuous compliance with its performance standards. The Gold Seal is a symbol of quality that reflects a healthcare organization’s commitment to providing safe, quality patient care. The hospital and the Home Care and Hospice departments all underwent a rigorous, unannounced on-site review in August 2019.

Our mission is to serve all the people in regional communities as a steward of their health and healthcare. Regional West is proud to provide:

• Acute Rehabilitation • Air Link-Rotor & Fixed Wing

Air Ambulance Service • Ambulance Service - Ground • Anesthesiology • Bariatric Surgery • Birth & Infant Care • Blood Banking &

Transfusion Medicine • Breast Healthcare • Cancer Services • Cardiology • Community Health • Diabetes Care • Ear, Nose and Throat, Head and Neck Surgery • Emergency Medicine • Endocrinology • Family Medicine • Gastroenterology • Heart & Lung Care • Home Care • Hospice • Hospitalist Service • Imaging Services • Internal Medicine • Interventional Radiology • Laboratory Services • Nephrology • Neurology • Neurosurgery & Spine Center • Newborn Intensive Care Unit • Orthopaedics • Outpatient Surgery • Pain Management • Pathology • Pediatrics – Inpatient &

Outpatient • Pharmacy – Inpatient &

Community Pharmacy • Plastic Surgery • Psychiatry &

Behavioral Health • Pulmonology, Critical Care • Radiation Oncology • Rehabilitation Medicine • Rehabilitation Services • Skin Clinic &

Medical Aesthetics • Sleep Disorder Treatment • Smoking Cessation • Surgery, Vascular

Diagnostics • Trauma Services • Urgent Care • Urology • Vascular Services • Weight Loss Options • Women’s Health Services • Wound Care