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Methodist Hospital is the only private hos-
pital offering around-the-clock cardiolo-
gists in San Antonio. When patients arrive
at Methodist Hospital and require cardiac
care, they don’t have to wait for a member
of the emergency room staff to page an
on-call cardiologist. Twenty-four hours a
day, seven days a week, Methodist Hospital
has two cardiologists in the hospital.
In the event of a cardiac emer-
gency, having cardiologists ready
on-site can mean the difference
between life or death. Nationally,
the average time it takes between
a patient’s arrival at the hospital
to having a cardiac interven-
tion is 90 minutes. At Methodist
Hospital, the average is well un-
der 60 minutes and can get as low
as only 30 minutes.
The cardio-hospitalist pro-
gram has many advantages, in-
cluding lower costs, shortened
length of stay for patients and
a lower readmission rate for
patients. Most important, in-
hospital deaths linked to heart
attacks have dropped.
Because of this achievement,
the Texas Hospital Association
has honored Methodist Healthcare with
the 2012 Bill Aston Award for Quality for
our cardiac surgeons and other doctors
for their commitment to providing out-
standing heart care for the San Antonio
community. Established in 2010, the award
recognizes a hospital’s measurable success
in improving quality and patient outcomes
through the sustained implementation of
a national and/or state evidence-based
patient care initiative.
Articles in
Keeping Well
do not
necessarily represent the opinions
of doctors practicing at
Methodist Healthcare facilities.
Carole Harris
Happy New Year! One of my favor-
ite holiday traditions started about
28 years ago when my mom and
stepdad first got married. Every
New Year’s Day, my stepdad makes
our New Year’s meal. Of course each
food served has a significant mean-
ing: pork (because poultry scratches
backward, a
cow st ands
st i l l, but a
pig roots for-
ward, so we
hope to move
forward dur-
ing the new
ye ar ) , s au-
erkraut (be-
lieved to bring
blessings and
wealth) and black-eyed peas (for
luck). We also have mashed pota-
toes and corn bread; I don’t think
they have a significant meaning, but
they sure go well with the meal and
are delicious!
It sounds so simple, but to me it
wouldn’t be New Year’s Day without
these family delicacies. Now that I
have a child, I hope she enjoys the
tradition as much as I do. Yes, to
some they are just silly superstitions,
but to us, it’s a tradition; a time for
our family to set our goals and reflect
on our blessings.
I hope that each of you moves for-
ward and has blessings and wealth
and good luck! Remember this quote
from Helen Keller as you make your
goals and resolutions: “Your success
and happiness lies in you. Resolve to
keep happy, and you shall form an
invincible host against difficulties.”
Thank you for your continued
support,
Carole Harris
Community Relations Specialist
WomanPlus® and 55PLUS®
Dear
55PLUS
®
and
WomanPlus
®
members,
For your heart’s sake: Methodist Heart offers
San Antonio’s first cardio-hospitalists
METHODIST TEXSAN HOSPITAL
Your heart’s in good hands
Methodist Texsan Hospital, a campus of Methodist Hospital, has
earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for Chest Pain
Certification. The Gold Seal of Approval® is a symbol of quality that
reflects an organization’s commitment to providing safe and effective
patient care. Methodist Texsan Hospital is the
first
hospital in
San Antonio to receive this award.
Methodist Texsan Hospital underwent a rigorous on-site review
on Oct. 20, 2015. Joint Commission experts evaluated compliance
with national disease-specific care standards as well as with acute
coronary syndrome-specific requirements. Acute coronary syn-
drome includes chest pain or discomfort, which may involve
pressure, shortness of breath, light-headedness, nausea and
sweating.
“Methodist Texsan Hospital has thoroughly dem-
onstrated a high level of care for patients with acute
coronary syndrome,” says Wendi J. Roberts, RN,
Executive Director, Certification Programs,
The Joint Commission. “We commend
Methodist Texsan Hospital for becoming a
leader in acute coronary syndrome care, po-
tentially providing a higher standard of service
for chest pain patients in its community.”
“Methodist Texsan Hospital is pleased to receive
Disease-Specific Care Certification from The Joint
Commission, the premier health care quality improvement and
accrediting body in the nation,” adds Scott Davis, CEO for Methodist
Texsan Hospital. “The certification provides us with the framework to
create a culture of excellence for those in our community.”
In the event of a cardiac
emergency, having cardiologists
ready on-site can mean the
difference between life or death.
W I N T E R 2 0 1 6
K E E P I N G W E L L
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N E W S , V I E W S & T I P S
M E T H O D I S T H E A L T H C A R E