M
e t h o d i s t
H
e a l t h c a r e
Metropolitan
Methodist Hospital
offers new
solution for bowel
incontinence
Physicians at Metropolitan Methodist Hospital, a
campus of Methodist Hospital, are using mild elec-
trical stimulation similar to that found in a pace-
maker to help alleviate the symptoms of chronic
bowel incontinence (inability to control the bowel)
in patients who have not had success with, or are
not candidates for, more conservative treatments.
As many as 18 million Americans—about 1 in
12—are affected by bowel incontinence. While
the medical condition is more common in adults,
people of any age can have a bowel control prob-
lem. Bowel incontinence is slightly more common
among women. Despite the social stigma and
embarrassment that may delay bowel incontinence
diagnosis for many years, it is often caused by
an underlying medical problem and may be
treatable.
Metropolitan Methodist Hospital is one of the
few hospitals in San Antonio to offer sacral neuro-
modulation, delivered by InterStim® Therapy, to
manage chronic bowel incontinence symptoms.
The InterStim system consists of a thin wire
lead, a pacemakerlike implantable device called
a neurostimulator, and external clinician and
patient programmers. InterStim therapy targets
the miscommunication that may occur between
the brain and sacral nerves that help to control
bowel function.
During a minimally invasive outpatient pro-
cedure, the neurostimulator, about the size of a
stopwatch, is implanted under the skin in the up-
per buttock near the sacral nerves. The InterStim
system then delivers mild electrical pulses to help
stimulate these nerves, which help the brain and
nerves to communicate so the bowel, pelvic floor
and related muscles can function correctly. Prior
to the implant, patients are able to test InterStim
therapy for bowel control during an evaluation
period to see if it will work for them.
“Bowel incontinence can have a disabling effect
on a person’s quality of life, and embarrassment
often delays discussing the problem with a physi-
cian,” said
Jaime Mayoral, MD
. “Sacral neuromod-
ulation delivered by the InterStim System, which is
now offered at Metropolitan Methodist Hospital, is
a proven therapy that offers hope for relief and the
possibility of living a more normal life.”
Do you have bowel incontinence or leakage?
Consult your physician, or contact DoctorSource
at
210-575-0355
for a free physician referral to
receive an evaluation to determine if the InterStim
device might help you return to a more normal
lifestyle, with no more embarrassing accidents.
K E E P I N G
W E L L
W I N T E R 2 0 1 4
7
METHODIST HEALTHCARE
was named a
Top Performer
on Key Quality Measures
®
by The Joint Commission,
the leading accreditor of
health care organizations in
America. Methodist Hospital
and its campuses at Methodist
Children’s Hospital, Methodist
Heart Hospital, Methodist
Specialty and Transplant
Hospital, Methodist Texsan
Ho sp i t a l , Me t rop o l i t an
Methodist Hospital, and
Northeast Methodist Hospital,*
plus Methodist Stone Oak
Hospital, were recognized
by The Joint Commission for
exemplary performance in
using evidence-based clinical
processes. These
measures have
been shown to
improve care for
medical conditions
including heart
d i s e a s e a n d
surgical care.
“We und e r-
stand that what
matters most to patients is
safe, effective care,” says Jaime
Wesolowski, president and CEO, Methodist Healthcare
System. “That’s why Methodist Healthcare’s team of 8,000
employees and its staff of more than 2,700 credentialed
physicians have made a commitment to accreditation and
to positive patient outcomes through evidence-based care
processes. We are honored to receive the distinction of being
a Joint Commission
Top Performer on Key Quality Measures
.”
Methodist Healthcare is among 1,099 hospitals in the
U.S. earning the distinction of
Top Performer on Key Quality
Measures
for attaining and sustaining excellence in account-
ability measure performance and the only hospital system
in San Antonio to reach this quality standard.
Methodist Healthcare was recognized for its achievement
on the following measure sets: heart attack, heart failure,
pneumonia and surgical care. In addition, Methodist
Children’s Hospital was recognized for children’s asthma care.
The ratings are based on an aggregation of accountability
measure data reported to The Joint Commission during the
2012 calendar year. The list of
Top Performer
organizations
increased by 77 percent from last year and it represents
33 percent of all Joint Commission-accredited hospitals re-
porting accountability measure performance data for 2012.
The nation’s
Top Performers
were announced in October.
Methodist Healthcare and each of the hospitals nation-
wide that were named as a
Top Performer on Key Quality
Measures
must (1) achieve cumulative performance of
95 percent or above across all reported accountability mea-
sures; (2) achieve performance of 95 percent or above on
each and every reported accountability measure where there
Top Performer on Key QualityMeasures
Methodist Healthcare only multihospital system
in San Antonio to earn recognition fromThe Joint Commission
®
• Children’s Asthma
• Heart Attack
• Heart Failure
• Pneumonia
• Surgical Care
The Joint Commission
Top Performer on
Key Quality
Measures
®
2012
are at least 30 denominator cases; and (3) have at least one
core measure set that has a composite rate of 95 percent
or above and, within that measure set, all applicable indi-
vidual accountability measures have a performance rate of
95 percent or above. A 95 percent score means a hospital
provided an evidence-based practice 95 times out of 100
opportunities. Each accountability measure represents an
evidence-based practice—examples include giving aspirin
at arrival for heart attack patients, giving antibiotics one
hour before surgery and providing a home management
plan of care for children with asthma.
“Methodist Healthcare and all the
Top Performer
hos-
pitals have demonstrated an exceptional commitment to
quality improvement, and they should be proud of their
achievement,” says Mark R. Chassin, MD, FACP, MPP, MPH,
president and chief executive officer, The Joint Commission.
“We have much to celebrate this year. Nearly half of our
accredited hospitals have attained or nearly attained the
Top Performer
distinction. This truly shows that we are ap-
proaching a tipping point in hospital quality performance
that will directly contribute to better health outcomes for
patients.”
In addition to being included in The Joint
Commission’s
“Improving America’s Hospitals”
annual
report, Methodist Healthcare will be recognized
on The Joint Commission’s Quality Check website,
The Top Performer programwill be
featured in the December issues of
The Joint Commission
Perspectives
and
The Source
.
*These hospitals share the same Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services provider number
with Methodist Hospital and therefore are evaluated as a single entity by The Joint Commission;
Methodist Stone Oak Hospital has its own provider number. Methodist Ambulatory Surgery
Hospital was not eligible due to being a specialty hospital.
