McAlester News-Capital, McAlester, OK

Local News

January 8, 2009

Board tackles other business

By Kandra Wells

Here’s some of the other business the McAlester Regional Health Center Authority covered on its monthly meeting agenda Monday.

• Approved were additional privileges for Dr. James Golla to perform capsule camera endoscopies. Dr. Elliott Metcalf, vice president of medical affairs at the hospital, said the procedure is a new technology used mostly for problems of the small intestine.

“It’s a fairly modern invention, technology, where you have a camera that is the size of large Tylenol, and you swallow it. It has a battery in it and it takes pictures as it goes through your intestinal (tract),” he told the hospital board. The camera transmits the photos to a device worn on the patient’s belt.

“It is a nice tool to have, and is fairly non-invasive for the patient,” Metcalf said.

The doctor was asked about the quality of the photos, and he said while he’s not qualified to read images collected by the device, he’s told they are “pretty good.”

“It’s not a surefire thing, but for people who have a hard-to-diagnose intestinal problem, it is nice to have that option.”

The privileges for Golla were approved for the remainder of his two-year appointment.

• Approved were provisional status appointments of Dr. James Lowe for radiology privileges for one year, and Phillip Manuel, CRNA, for nurse anesthetist privileges for one year.

• The board viewed a presentation about the hospital’s new Web site. Emily Mouser, vice president of Human Resources and Organizational Development, said the site — www.mrhcok.com — now offers an animated human anatomy tool (click Health Library on the home page) and a “symptom checker” (click on Healthwise Knowledgebase on the Health Library page), an event calendar of support group meetings, and an online nursery. Also offered are a physician directory, information about hospital services, jobs, and the MRHC Foundation.

“This is a very impressive Web site,” said Dr. Martin Hayes, chief of staff at the hospital. “I think a lot of people that spend their health care dollar these days, they shop around on the Internet.”

Mouser said plans are for the site to add more interactive features such as online enrollment and bill-paying in the future.

• Presented was a report about the hospital foundation, a fund-raising arm of the hospital. Director Beckie Moore reported about foundation scholarships, the Helpful Hero donation program, and the group’s Women’s Council to promote women’s health education.

Moore said membership in the council is open to all women but the council was specifically formed for doctor’s wives who want to become involved.

Also, Moore reported that the foundation has secured membership with an industrial supply exchange for excess, overstocked supplies. She said the National Association for the Exchange of Industrial Resources accumulates the goods for distribution to non-profit groups, such as schools, churches and hospitals.

She said the merchandise is new — not rejects or seconds — and membership for the first year was $595. The hospital will order from a catalog and will pay only shipping fees for any items received.

Finally, Moore told the board about the upcoming foundation gala, the seventh annual event set for Feb. 7 at the Southeast Expo Center. The formal evening has become one the foundation’s two largest fund-raisers, and this year’s theme is “An Oscar Worthy Evening” with “paparazzi” and “red carpet arrivals” planned to set the stage.

Tickets are $100 per person and include a reception, photos, a silent and live auction, dinner and a program, live music and dancing.

This year, she said hospital employees have been asked to nominate award-winners, including “Best Nurse,” “Best Doctor,” “Best Non Clinical Employee” and “Best Department.” Winners in each category will be announced during the gala.

Contact Kandra Wells at kwells@mcalesternews.com.

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