Morris Hospital committed to excellence
Morris Hospital added a new 1.5T Vantage Titan MRI system in spring of 2011, producing higher-quality images while using enhanced comfort design features to make the experience easier for patients. | MICHAEL HUDSON PHOTO ~ MORRIS HOSPITAL
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Morris Hospital is a community hospital, providing patients with a personal experience that makes them feel they are being cared for by neighbors. Morris Hospital is committed to being an excellent place for employees to work, an excellent place for physicians to practice medicine, and an excellent place for patients to receive care.
Morris Hospital’s commitment to providing lifesaving heart attack treatment makes a significant difference in the lives of many community members each year. The average “door-to-balloon” time at Morris Hospital — measured from the moment a heart attack patient arrives at a hospital until the time blood flow is restored to the heart using angioplasty stents — is 53.3 minutes, which is well below the 90 minute national standard.
Further, data reported by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on the hospitalcompare.hhs.gov indicate 100 percent of heart attack patients at Morris Hospital receive this lifesaving intervention within the 90-minute standard. This is important because the quicker a heart attack is treated, the better the outcome for the patient, including long-term survival and quality of life. Morris Hospital’s record door-to-balloon time is a mere 23 minutes.
Morris Hospital replaced its MRI technology with a new 1.5T Vantage Titan MRI system from Toshiba in the spring of 2011. The system is 11 years newer than Morris Hospital’s previous MRI and produces higher-quality images.
It also has a number of enhanced features that enhance the experience for the patient. These include a larger-bore opening with 70 percent of the studies performed feet first with the patient’s head comfortably lying outside of the bore, reduced noise through Pianissimo technology, built-in arm rests to improve patient comfort and the ability to lower the table to less than 17 inches from the ground, offering easier access for children and seniors, shorter exam times, and non-contrast studies.
The new system also gives Morris Hospital the ability to offer advanced vascular studies using MRI technology, including studies of the arteries in the abdomen, arms and legs, head and neck.
For the convenience of patients, Morris Hospital has recently expanded its MRI hours to evenings and weekends. Appointments are available for patients Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Sundays from 9 a.m. to noon.
Morris Hospital also has plans to add breast MR imaging in the coming year. This advanced imaging technology is used to identify early breast cancer that may not be visible with other modalities. Radiologists at Morris Hospital will also have the ability to perform MRI-guided breast biopsies.
One of the national trends in healthcare is helping patients better understand how to take care of themselves when they leave the hospital so they don’t have to unnecessarily get readmitted. Morris Hospital is one of a limited number of hospitals across the country that was accepted into Project RED (Re-Engineered Discharge), a project funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
The Project RED team at Morris Hospital is working on standardizing the discharge process for each diagnosis to include more one-on-one education with patients, more printed discharge instructions, follow-up phone calls to patients post discharge to make sure they are following instructions and taking their medications, and scheduling follow-up appointments for patients. Morris Hospital’s Project Red team is also working on enhancing communication between the hospital and nursing homes and home health agencies.
Another trend is the secure sharing of health information between healthcare providers, provided the patient has given permission. Morris Hospital has made a commitment to be part of the MetroChicago Health Information Exchange system, an expansive network that will allow health information to flow with patients throughout the metropolitan Chicago area, no matter where care is received. While the program is still in its infancy stages, the MetroChicago HIE is expected to be the largest in the country and will help expedite care and eliminate redundant testing.
An ongoing priority for Morris Hospital is providing excellent quality of care and patient safety as indicated on hospitalcompare.hhs.gov, along with patient perception ratings above the 90th percentile nationwide.
Morris Hospital and Healthcare Centers is located at 150 West High St., Morris. Call (815) 942-2932 or visit online at www.morrishospital.org.
— Provided by Morris Hospital & Healthcare Centers