Mercy keeping up with ever-changing technology

Editor's Note: This is the fourth of five weekly articles reflecting on Mercy's health care ministry in southeast Kansas.

Times are tough: unemployment, weak economy, budget deficits. The terms aren't new, but the early Sisters of Mercy were persistent. Their relentless pursuit to care for the sick is an example for Mercy co-workers today; tough times will not prevent Mercy hospitals from providing quality health care to the communities it serves.

Catherine McAuley, foundress of the Sisters of Mercy, set the tone for the Mercy health care ministry almost two centuries ago, a news release said. In 1832, when a cholera epidemic ravaged Ireland, McAuley and the Sisters were the only ones to step forward and help the quarantined sick.

Their example of self-sacrificing generosity catapulted the growth of the Sisters of Mercy to lands far from their origin. Formerly dismissive bishops and community leaders urged the Sisters of Mercy to establish missions in their towns and neighborhoods. In less than 10 years, the Sisters of Mercy could be found as far as Newfoundland, Australia and Argentina, the release said.

The early Sisters of Mercy were pioneers. They embarked in un-forged territory -- not only with respect to locale, but also in resources and business ventures that would foster the growth of their health care ministry.

Today, the leaders of Mercy are modern pioneers; making decisions to increase the quality of care, because it's always the right thing to do.

"For Mercy to continue leading the way in health care we must face challenges almost every day," said Patrick Callanan, Mercy's vice president of Patient Care Services. "Equipment and technology is expensive, however, we know it is our responsibility to provide the most-advanced care for the patient."

"Progress requires insightful decision-making," Callanan said in a news release. "Throughout Mercy's history in Fort Scott, leaders have sought answers that favor patient outcomes. Implementation of those decisions required the commitment of our co-workers. Some decisions greatly impacted our procedures, but the goal is always patient safety and access to quality care."

In recent years, the Sisters of Mercy Health System (of which Mercy Hospital Fort Scott is associated) has invested $35 million in bar-code technology to reduce potential medication errors. Only a quarter of hospitals in the nation use this technology, and since its implementation Mercy facilities in the four state service area have avoided more than 150,000 potential medication errors that could have harmed patients.

With the addition of Mercy SafeWatch, an electronic ICU provides an extra set of eyes on patients when doctors can't be there in person. Vitals are monitored from a command center in St. Louis and nurses and doctors can check in on patients virtually through a camera. SafeWatch program monitors more than 400 ICU beds in 11 hospitals across four states. Since the program began, ICU deaths have been reduced by 20-25 percent and average length of stay has been reduced by half a day.

Using the electronic health record, physicians can quickly see if patients are up-to-date on immunizations or preventive diagnostic tests, like mammograms or prostate exams, and are alerted to medication allergies. In case of an emergency, authorized caregivers can access a patient's electronic health information even if they are unable to speak themselves.

In November of 2010, Mercy launched MyMercy, a free online patient health information portal. MyMercy allows patients to track and manage health care via a personal computer or smart phone. Patients can request an appointment, renew prescriptions, view lab results and message a physician using their MyMercy account.

"Technology allows us to manage our lives with just a few clicks of the keyboard or via smart phones -- tracking our health should be just as simple," Mercy Physician Group Clinic Director Annamarie Holmes said.

According to representatives from the maker of the software that powers MyMercy, the Mercy physician practices in Fort Scott and Independence are currently the only health care providers in Kansas offering this level of interactive online service for patients.

"Many times we believe bigger is better or simply fail to recognize what good things happen in our own back yards," Mercy President/CEO Reta Baker said.

"For the past few years, Mercy Health Center has been submitting data to Medicare on patient outcomes pertaining to care of patients relating to specific medical conditions to include acute myocardial infarctions (heart attacks), congestive heart failure, pneumonia, and surgical infection prevention," Baker said.

"These measures we report are referred to as Core Measures. For the past year, Mercy Health Center has performed at rates better than the state and national averages, as well as being the highest performer among our competitors. I am very proud of the medical and nursing staffs who diligently strive to provide a high level of quality care for our community."