St. Elizabeth Regional Health Auxiliary host Mistletoe Mart, Nov 14-15

LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Members of the St. Elizabeth Regional Health Auxiliary will host the annual Mistletoe Mart from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 14 and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 15 at the St. Elizabeth Regional Health Auxiliary House, located on the corner of 26th and South streets in Lafayette on the campus of Home Hospital.

Each room of the Auxiliary House and Mistletoe Mart will have their own specialties ranging from gift items, decorations, ornaments, jewelry, stocking stuffers, toys and gourmet food, silk flower arrangements.

Free parking is available in the parking lot immediately adjacent to the Auxiliary House along South Street or in the Home Hospital parking garage, located at the corner of 26th and Ferry streets, which is located north of the Auxiliary House.

Proceeds from the sales will benefit the St. Elizabeth Women’s Center and the Emergency Care Fund.

St. Elizabeth Regional Health opts out of Anthem network November 2

LAFAYETTE, Ind. -– The Sisters of St. Francis Health Services Inc. (SSFHS) announced October 13 that its contract with Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Indiana is set to end November 2, 2008.

Reasons for the termination include Anthem’s lack of accurate and timely claims payment and the inability to secure contract terms comparable to other hospitals in the area, SSFHS officials said.

The termination will cover the following SSFHS hospitals and physicians:

• St. Elizabeth Regional Health, including St. Elizabeth Medical Center and Home Hospital in Lafayette;
• St. Clare Medical Center in Crawfordsville;
• St. Francis Hospital & Health Center in Indianapolis;
• St. Francis Hospital & Health Center in Beech Grove;
• St. Francis Hospital & Health Center 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; and
• More than 300 physicians in the different SSFHS service areas.

“SSFHS is a good partner that works closely with payers to resolve claims problems when they occur,” said Greg Yust, SSFHS vice president of managed care contracting. “We recently forged successful long-term agreements with Aetna, Humana, Sagamore and CIGNA. The Anthem claims issues have been ongoing for more than a year with no progress whatsoever.”

St. Elizabeth hopes to work out a new agreement with Anthem. In the event SSFHS is unable to reach an agreement, it will continue to work with Anthem, patients and employers to limit the impact the contract dispute might cause.

St. Elizabeth Regional Health announces organizational appointments

LAFAYETTE, Ind. — St. Elizabeth Regional Health announces the following organizational appointments:

•

Sister M. Ann Kathleen Magiera has been appointed vice president of Mission Integration at St. Elizabeth Regional Health.

Sister Ann Kathleen previously served as treasurer and vice president of Education for SSFHS, where she divided her time between the finance and education offices of SSFHS and the finance office of the Congregation.

Sister Ann Kathleen spent 26 years in teaching and administration at the elementary and secondary levels in schools in Indiana, Missouri and Illinois, including teaching at St. Boniface School in the late 1970s and serving as principal at Central Catholic from 1986 to 1990.

Sister Ann Kathleen received her bachelor’s degree in 1974 and master’s degree in secondary education in 1980, both from the University of St. Francis in Fort Wayne. She completed her school administrative training at Xavier University in Cincinnati. In 1997, Sister Ann Kathleen completed an MBA at Loyola University in Chicago.

Sister Ann Kathleen serves on the boards of SSFHS’ Northern Indiana Region, Hills Ltd., and Hills Inc. Sister Ann Kathleen also serves on the board of the University of St. Francis, Midwestern University/OPTI’s governing board and the board of the Congregation. She is a member of the Healthcare Financial Management Association and the American Society for Training and Development.

Sister Lethia Marie Leveille has been appointed to Mission Integration at St. Elizabeth Regional Health.

Prior to her arrival to Lafayette, she served in the Finance Department for the Sisters of St. Francis Health Services’ Corporate Offices in Mishawaka. While there, she worked on CBISA (Community Benefit Inventory Social Accountability) and numerous other projects in the finance area. She holds the responsibility as CBISA Resource within the SSFHS system.

Sister Lethia Marie received her associate of science from Bay De Noc Community College, a bachelor’s of art from Michigan Technological University, a bachelor’s of science from Northern Michigan University, and a master’s degree from Northern Michigan University.

•Sister Mary Michael has been assigned to the St. Elizabeth School of Nursing to complete her nursing degree.

Sister Mary Michael joined the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration in 2004 and professed her first vows in 2007. She completed two years of nursing education at Indiana University – South Bend. She recently moved to Lafayette from the Motherhouse in Mishawaka.

•Laura Aschenberg, R.N., CIC, has been appointed the regional coordinator of Infection Control for the Western Indiana Region of the Sisters of St. Francis Health Services.

Aschenberg will be responsible for the operation of the Infection Control programs and initiatives at St. Elizabeth Regional Health and St. Clare Medical Center facilities. She has been with St. Elizabeth Regional Health since 1996. She worked as a staff nurse on 3 East from 1996 to 2004, as a patient care coordinator from 2000 to 2004, and as an infection control nurse from 2004 to 2008.

Aschenberg is a member of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), the VHA Infection Control Council, and the SSFHS Infection Control Council. She has received her Certification in Infection Control (CIC) and is currently serving her third year as the Regional Director of APIC.

Michael Parvis has been appointed executive chef at St. Elizabeth Regional Health.

Parvis received his culinary degree from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y. He worked at Eight Mice Café and Apple Annie’s before joining Charter Hospital in Lafayette while finishing his restaurant and hospitality management degree from Purdue University in 1990.

Parvis worked as an assistant food service director with Aramark at Rosary College and as a production manager at Loyola University in Chicago. He also worked with Marriott Management Services as a production manager at Tulane University and as a production manager/chef at Southeastern Louisiana University.

Parvis worked for Sweet Tomatoes Restaurant as a service manager in Florida as a production manager and general manager in Chicago. He has also worked in Indianapolis’ Clauddaugh Irish Pub as a chef and O’Charleys as a service manager, and with Chartwells at Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis as retail director and executive chef.

St. Elizabeth Regional Health, Humana reach contract for in-network health benefits

LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Humana and St. Elizabeth Regional Health have reached a new contract that will provide in-network health care benefits for 164,000 Humana of Indiana members at Sisters of St. Francis Health Services facilities beginning October 2008.

St. Elizabeth Regional Health had been out of Humana’s network since June 2007. The new contract affects all Humana groups; individual and Medicare plan members.

“This agreement enables us to provide the same top-quality care to Humana members that we do to all those we currently serve at our hospitals and practice groups,” said Kevin Leahy, SSFHS president and chief executive officer.

“The addition of St. Elizabeth Regional Health to our hospital network brings to our members one of the country’s premier health systems,” said Humana of Indiana President Veronica Martin. “This agreement reinforces Humana’s commitment to health care provider choice for our members and the collaborative approach both organizations embraced as we worked toward an agreement should be a model for provider/payer relationships.”

The following facilities will join the Humana network:

• St. Elizabeth Medical Center (Lafayette)
• Home Hospital (Lafayette)
• St. Clare Medical Center (Crawfordsville)
• St. Francis Hospital & Health Center (Indianapolis)
• St. Francis Hospital & Health Center (Beech Grove)
• St. Francis Hospital & Health Center (Mooresville)

Humana members with questions should contact Humana’s Customer Service Center at the toll free number on their member ID cards. A full listing of Humana network participating hospitals is also available at www.humana.com.

About St. Elizabeth Regional Health

St. Elizabeth Regional Health includes St. Elizabeth Medical Center and Home Hospital in Lafayette, Sigma Medical Group, Woman’s Clinic and Lafayette OB/GYN. St. Elizabeth Regional Health and is part of a network of 13 hospital campuses in Indiana and Illinois owned and operated by the Sisters of St. Francis Health Services Inc., one of the largest health care systems in Indiana. St. Elizabeth Regional Health, combined with St. Clare Medical Center in Crawfordsville, form the Western Indiana Region of the Sisters of St. Francis Health Services. For more information, go to www.ste.org.

Duke Smyser Chili Blast Open awards AED to Carroll County Sheriff’s Department

LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The Carroll County Sheriff’s Department is this year’s recipient of two automated external defibrillators (AEDs).

The AEDs were awarded to the sheriff’s department from proceeds from the Duke Smyser Chili Blast Open, an annual golf outing that raises funds for placement of AEDs to area organizations.

“We look forward to having this valuable, potential life saving tool available to members of our team in the event of a serious medical emergency,” said Carroll County Sheriff Tony Burns. “We are grateful to be awarded this equipment. This will allow us to continue our efforts to partner with our community as well as our local emergency medical services to provide quality public service. We appreciate the efforts put forth by the Kathryn Weil Center for Education, St. Elizabeth Regional Health and the Duke Smyser Chili Blast Open for securing this equipment for us.”

The AEDs were presented to representatives from the Carroll County Sheriff’s Department on Sept. 5 during the second annual Duke Smyser Chili Blast Open.

Proceeds from the Chili Blast Open are donated to the Kathryn Weil Center for Education and toward the purchase of AEDs to be placed with area organizations in Tippecanoe and adjacent counties. The Kathryn Weil Center for Education oversees the Revive & Survive program, as well as works with other groups who fall outside the guidelines of the Revive & Survive program to secure AEDs.

“The Duke Smyser Chili Blast Open is an opportunity for people to get together, play golf and have fun while raising money for a great cause. AEDs save lives, and we’re pleased to place as many devices in as many locations as possible,” said Karen Wlodarski, chairperson of the Duke Smyser Chili Blast Open. “There’s someone out there right now whose life will be saved because the Carroll County Sheriff’s Department is now properly equipped. Everyone should be very proud to have helped make that happen.”

The Chili Blast Dinner begins at 6 p.m. and is catered by The Pub. Cost is $15 for the dinner only.

The Chili Blast Open is named for Duke Smyser, who was a Lafayette banker for almost 30 years before succumbing to heart disease in 2006.

To register, please e-mail dscbo@hotmail.com or call (765) 474-8039 or sign up at the Ravines Pro Shop.

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