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Show Caring Magazine THE BEST MEDICINE How Physicians Are Advancing Medical Knowledge at IHC "i ' ' imm.n iw MMiyjt, Which medical treatments yield the best outcomes? Until recently, surprisingly little data has been available to help physicians and other caregivers compare alternative treatments for specific patient populations. Sometimes, medical professionals need to discover which type of care is most effective effec-tive in various situations; in other cases, doctors agree on what should be done, but other obstacles hinder the consistent delivery of best care. The challenge of identifying and then consistently applying "best practices" prac-tices" remains one of the most pressing in medicine. That's why IHC is encouraging physicians physi-cians to discover what works best for their patients and then to apply this knowledge knowl-edge consistently in their practices. IHC seeks to eliminate obstacles that may be standing in the way of the best possible health care. Clinical teams are studying care processes and outcome data to create treatment guidelines. The guidelines are never considered "perfect" and are continually contin-ually improved; moreover, doctors are always free to exercise their judgment and depart from the guidelines where they feel ifs in the patient's best interest to do so. But as clinicians discuss treatment options and apply what they learn consistently, outcomes improve. Here are two patients who have benefited benefit-ed from the research at IHC. TREATING ASTHMA Hannah Kammerer was diagnosed with asthma when she was two years old. Frequently sick, she was wheezing and coughing one day, when her symptoms abruptly disappeared. She didn't appear to be in distress, but her mother, Roxanne, felt something was wrong. She took Hannah to the hospital, and the doctors admitted her immediately. "They told me her lungs had started to shut down," Roxanne remembered. After this frightening incident, Hannah was referred to The Children's Asthma Program at IHCs Primary Children's Medical Center. Educators taught Hannah and her family how to control and irdnimize asthma asth-ma attacks. "Now we feel more in control of the situation," said Roxanne. The Children's Asthma Program is one of several initiatives designed to improve the way asthma is treated at IHC. In the past, caregivers have approached asthma in different ways in different parts of the state and country. Today thafs changing, according to Derek Uchida, M.D., director of the program. "Our goal is to have everyone speak the same language in asthma asth-ma care," he said. "We are adapting the National Institutes of Health asthma guidelines for use throughout IHC, based on significant input from primary care physicians along with what we've learned here at Primary Children's." Besides offering a strong educational component for patients and families, the program works with primary care physicians physi-cians to coordinate services and track data and outcomes in consistent ways. The goal is to minimize emergency hospitalizations and improve the quality of patients' lives. 15 " t' 'SEED MANAGING DIABETES James Webb felt sick. He was always thirsty, his vision was blurry, and he suffered suf-fered from frequent headaches. Driving home from work one day, he was so uncomfortable he had to pull over. Referred to Todd Eberhard, M.D., at the IHC Health Center in Roy, Utah, James was diagnosed with diabetes. Dr. Eberhard has been participating on an IHC "best practice" prac-tice" team studying diabetes. The team has helped design an education process and also a computer-based method that helps patients like James manage their blood sugar levels. James measures his blood sugar regularly regular-ly during the day, and the results are stored in his glucometer. When he comes in for his check-ups, the nurse plugs his glucometer into the computer and automatically auto-matically downloads the data. Then James and Dr. Eberhard review charts showing how closely his sugars are being controlled. con-trolled. "It's actually fun to see how well I'm doing," James said. Careful management of chronic diseases like asthma and diabetes is the key to avoiding complications and all the ensuing costs of suffering and hospitalizations. IHCS MISSION; VISION, AND VALUES IHC is an organization driven by a mission excellence end guided by a dear vision and 3 set of explicitly defined values. Our mission, vision, and values help IHC employees and physicians work together in the pursuit of ever higher standard of quality, IHC MISSION Excellence in the provision of health care services tc communities in the Irrtermountain region. IHC VISION The best dinical practice delivensd in a consistent and integrated way. Lowest appropriate cost to the population we serve. . A service experience, supported by systems and processes, that focuses on the patient and the health plans member. A genuine caring and concern in our interactions with patients, health plans members, families, and one another. An IKC that gives best health care value by providing affordable, measurably excellent health outcomes and customer service. - IHC CORE VALUES Mutud Rasped: "We tre! others the way we want to be treated.'' AccounUtilrty: "We accept responsibility for our actions, attitudes, and - .'mistakes." v..v Trust "We can count on each other." Excellence: "We do our best at. ail times and look for ways to do it even better." - ' ' 1 1 ! " 1 ' 1 5 |