LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Home Hospital Home Health and St. Clare Home Health Care – both divisions of St. Elizabeth Regional Health – have been named to 2009 HomeCare Elite’s Top 500 Agency listing, a compilation of the most successful Medicare-certified home health care providers in the United States. This annual review identifies the top 500 agencies, ranked by an analysis of performance measures in quality outcomes, quality improvement and financial performance.

“Our staff members have worked incredibly hard over the past few years to accurately collect patient data and to use that data to improve our care models so that we can in turn improve clinical outcomes for our patients,” said Bea Lamb, R.N., MBA, regional director of Home Hospital Home Health Care and St. Clare Home Health Care. “I am proud to see our efforts produce measurable positive results and I thank each and every staff member for their hard work on behalf of our patients.”

The HomeCare Elite is the only performance recognition of its kind in the home health industry. The HomeCare Elite is provided by OCS, Inc., the leading provider of health care informatics and DecisionHealth, publisher of home care’s most respected independent newsletter Home Health Line.

Home Hospital Home Health Care and St. Clare Home Health Care serve Benton, Carroll, Clinton, Fountain, Montgomery, Putnam, Tippecanoe, Warren and White counties and can be reached by calling (765) 449-5046 or (765) 362-5114.

LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Sigma Medical Group will be administering seasonal flu shots for patients of all ages in Lafayette and West Lafayette. The cost is $24 per person. No appointment is necessary and walk-ins are welcome. Vaccines will be offered on Saturday, Sept. 26 from 7:30 a.m. to noon at the following locations:

• Sigma Family Medicine and Internal Medicine at 2323 Ferry St., Suite 206 in Lafayette
• Sigma Pediatrics/Adolescent Medicine/Family Medicine at 915 Sagamore Parkway West in West Lafayette.

In addition, Sigma Med Express Care, 915 Sagamore Parkway West in West Lafayette will offer flu shots from noon to 6 p.m. for patients 16 and older. No appointments are necessary.

Sigma Medical Group is a St. Elizabeth Regional Health partner. The multi-specialty physician group is made up of 29 physicians. For more information, contact Sigma Medical Group at (765) 449-5080 or visit their Web site at www.sigmamedicalgroup.org.

LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The Sisters of St. Francis Health Services Inc. and Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Indiana inked a new multi-year contract on August 31st, one day ahead of the September 1st expiration date on the previous contract. This new agreement will maintain in-network health care benefits for policyholders and employer groups throughout Indiana.

Health insurance plans covered are Anthem Blue Access PPO, Anthem Blue Preferred HMO, Anthem Traditional, Anthem Medicare Advantage PPO, Lumenos, Hoosier Healthwise (Indiana Medicaid) and Anthem Healthy Indiana Plan.

The agreement covers the following SSFHS medical facilities and physicians:

• St. Elizabeth Regional Health in Lafayette;
• Home Hospital in Lafayette;
• St. Clare Medical Center in Crawfordsville;
• St. Francis Hospital & Health Centers in Indianapolis;
• St. Francis Hospital & Health Centers in Beech Grove;
• St. Francis Hospital & Health Centers in Mooresville;
• St. Anthony Medical Center in Crown Point;
• St. Anthony Memorial Health Center in Michigan City;
• St. Margaret Mercy Healthcare Center in Hammond;
• St. Margaret Mercy Healthcare Center in Dyer;
• Franciscan Physicians Hospital in Munster;
• Indiana Bone and Marrow Transplantation Unit in Beech Grove; and
• More than 300 physicians throughout the SSFHS service areas.

Health insurance plans covered are Anthem Blue Access PPO, Anthem Blue Preferred HMO, Anthem Traditional, Anthem Medicare Advantage PPO, Lumenos, Hoosier Healthwise (Indiana Medicaid) and Anthem Healthy Indiana Plan.

“We recognize how difficult this has been for our patients and appreciate their support and patience during the negotiations,” said Jay Brehm, SSFHS regional chief financial officer and chief negotiator for the hospital system. “The agreement we have forged, in the end, ensures our mission to provide patients with the timely and compassionate care they expect and deserve.”

“We are pleased to have reached this agreement with Sisters of St. Francis Health Services because it ensures that our customers will have uninterrupted, in-network access to medical care at SSFHS facilities across Indiana,” said David Lee, M.D., vice president of health services for Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield. “This contract achieves our number one goal of keeping health care affordable for our members.”

LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The Kathryn Weil Center for Education and the Spirit of Women continue to offer new and expecting moms in the area an opportunity to learn in a relaxed environment.

New Mom Tea offers Greater Lafayette new mothers an opportunity to learn in a relaxed environment.

The New Moms Tea meets weekly at 1:30 p.m. on Thursdays at the Kathryn Weil Center for Education, located inside the Medical Arts Building at 415 N. 26th St., Suite 400 in Lafayette, IN on the Home Hospital campus.

Upcoming topics and speakers for September through December 2009 include:

• Sept. 3: “Pretty as a Picture: Preserving Memories with Photos” by Annette Bahler, photographer and owner of Photography by De Lisa.
• Sept. 10: “Infant Massage” by Deb Baker, OTR, operations manger, St. Elizabeth Regional Health PT/OT.
• Sept. 17: “The Low Down on Breastfeeding” by Sherry Franscoviak, R.N., IBCLC, St. Elizabeth Regional Health.
• Sept. 24: “Finding Fitness as Part of Your New Lifestyle” by Erin Lunsford, DPT, St. Elizabeth Regional Health OT/PT.
• Oct. 1: “Music and Your Baby” by Rebecca Colby, MA, MT-BC, NMT, certified music therapist.
• Oct. 8: “The Baby Blues and Beyond” by Marcia Daehler, APRN, BC, St. Elizabeth Regional Health.
• Oct. 15: “Baby Seats, Boosters & Belts: Safe Travel for All Ages” by Shelly Tansey, child passenger safety technician, Kathryn Weil Center for Education.
• Oct. 22: “Your Baby’s First Year” by Deb Baker, OTR, operations manager, St. Elizabeth Regional Health PT/OT.
• Oct. 29: “How Hormones Affect Our Moods as New Moms” by Denise Seeger, Kathryn Weil Center for Education.
• Nov. 5: “Baby Talk: Speech and Language Development” by Glenda Chambers, St. Elizabeth Regional Health Speech Therapy.
• Nov. 12: “You Are What You Eat” by Renee Kidder, RD, CSP, St. Elizabeth Regional Health Food and Nutrition Services.
• Nov.19: “Just Be Yourself: Overcoming Feeling Overwhelmed” by Char Elle En, ACSW, Flowing With Life Coaching.
• Dec. 3: “Gestational Diabetes: Will it come back later?” by Jennifer Anderson, R.D, a dietitian with the St. Elizabeth Diabetes Center.
• Dec. 10: “Sex and the New Mom” by Catherine Sam, M.D., an OB/GYN with the Woman’s Clinic.
• Dec. 17: “Looking Ahead: St. Elizabeth East Women’s Center Services” by Pam Smith R.N., St Elizabeth Regional Health.

Following each educational program, moms will have an opportunity to discuss breastfeeding concerns with a lactation counselor from St. Elizabeth Regional Health.

The Kathryn Weil Center for Education and St. Elizabeth Regional Health are members of the Spirit of Women, a national coalition of hospitals and health care providers that pledge to provide the highest standards of excellence in women’s health, education and community outreach.

All sessions are free, but registration is required and can be made by calling the center at (765) 449-5133.

LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The St. Elizabeth Breast Center has been awarded a three-year term of accreditation in breast imaging as the result of a recent survey by the American College of Radiology (ACR). The accreditation designates the center as a “Breast Imaging Center of Excellence” in the fields of mammography, stereotactic breast biopsy, breast ultrasound and ultrasound-guided breast biopsy.

American College of Radiology Breast Imaging Center of Excellence

The Breast Imaging Center of Excellence designation is administered by the ACR’s Commission on Quality and Safety and the Commission on Breast Imaging, and recognizes a center’s dedication to improving women’s health by participating in these rigorous quality assurance programs.

The ACR, headquartered in Reston, Va., awards accreditation to facilities for the achievement of high practice standards after a peer-review evaluation of the practice. Evaluations are conducted by board-certified physicians and medical physicists who are experts in the field. They assess the qualifications of the personnel and adequacy of facility equipment. The surveyors report their findings to the ACR’s Committee on Accreditation, which then provides the practice with a comprehensive report.

The St. Elizabeth Breast Center’s Diagnostic Center is located in the Unity Medical Pavilion, 1345 Unity Place, Suite 220 in Lafayette. The St. Elizabeth Breast Center’s Screening Center is currently located in the Medical Arts Building, 404 N. 26th St., Suite 304 on the campus of Home Hospital.