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August 9, 2018
PEER SUPPORT
for the MMC Medical Staff
Physician leader: Christine Irish, MD
Confidential • One-on-One • Peer Support
FEATURED ARTICLES
  • Maine Track Renews and Expands Program
  • First Innovation Cohort Closes with Seven Projects
  • Making the EPIC Experience Better: Clinicians Are Now Builders

Scroll down to read these and other new articles and more.
Letter from Joel and Lisa
In this hot August issue, we feature articles about the remarkable clinical care, teaching, research and innovation throughout our organization and community. Topics range from cardiovascular outcomes and breastmilk goals for newborns to growth of the MMC Weight and Wellness Program for comprehensive treatment of obesity.


"Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy
in the world." - Gustave Flaubert

Submit a quote to thescope@mmc.org .

Clinical Topics
Maine Track Renews and Expands Program, Welcomes 10 th Class
Maine Medical Center and Tufts University School of Medicine have signed a 10-year agreement that continues their partnership to provide academic and clinical training to medical students, many of whom will go on to practice medicine in Maine. The new agreement began August 1.







The Maine Track class of 2020.
Jo E. Linder, MD, Appointed Assistant Dean for Students of Maine Track Program
Jo E. Linder, MD, has been appointed assistant dean for students, Tufts University School of Medicine, Maine Track Program. Dr. Linder, who is an associate professor in both the department of emergency medicine and the department of community medicine and public health at Tufts, has served as the director of student affairs for MMC for the past eight years.

Cardiovascular Institute 2018 Outcomes Report
By Douglas B. Sawyer, MD, Chief of Cardiovascular Services, Maine Medical Partners – MaineHealth Cardiology
Maine Medical Center’s Cardiovascular Institute cares for more heart patients than any other hospital in Maine. For more than 60 years, MMC has maintained a tradition of cardiac excellence, providing the most advanced treatments and procedures as part of MaineHealth, which remains focused on managing risk factors to prevent heart disease and on maximizing the quality of care for patients who have heart disease.
 
Our 2018 Outcomes Report , which was recently distributed and published online, highlights the data we track to measure our performance. We are also proud to showcase new treatment options providing the latest innovations in heart care, such as minimally invasive valve replacement, left atrial appendage closure device implant and endovascular repair of aortic disease. Today, our providers’ progressive approach puts patients in the best hands to fight heart disease, leading to longer, healthier lives. Working together, we can ensure cardiovascular patients receive the best possible care. This includes returning back home to continue care close to home.
First Innovation Cohort Closes with Seven Projects, Four Patents Filed and Future Funding Secured
By Jennifer Monti, MD, Maine Medical Partners - Maine Health Cardiology, Director of the Innovation Cohort
The Innovation Cohort at Maine Medical Center was founded as a home for people at MaineHealth to identify problems they see in their everyday work, to invent new products and services, and to test new ideas, run experiments and access resources required to drive the growth of scalable innovations.

Breastfeeding Improvement Team Reaches Breastmilk Feeding Goal
By Sharon Economides, LM, CPM, MMiD, IBCLC, Brian Youth, MD, Medical Director, Newborn Nursery
The Joint Commission’s Perinatal Core measure PC-05 examines singleton term newborns that were fed only human milk prior to hospital discharge (excludes NICU admission, galactosemia, length of stay >120 days, enrolled in clinical trials). Maine Medical Center’s measure has been tracked by the Breastfeeding Improvement Team (BIT) for the last three years, with a goal of reaching 70 percent.

Maine Medical Center to Expand Its Comprehensive Obesity Treatment Program
By Josh Barnes-Livermore, Director of Surgical Programs
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In September, Maine Medical Center will hire its first full-time obesity medicine specialist, Matija Burtis, DO, who will serve as medical director of our adult medical treatment program at the MMC Weight and Wellness Program. Dr. Burtis will join Pete Amann, MD, who already sees patients part-time at the center. The adult medical component is the newest treatment arm of our Weight and Wellness Program.

Making the Epic Experience Better: Clinicians Are Now Builders
By Chief Information Officer Marcy Dunn and Chief Medical Information Officer Jackie Cawley, DO
I n July, we continued our SWAT Team approach for improving the Epic experience for our providers. This program has been well received by those who have participated, and providers are reporting that the time spent with the SWAT teams is paying off with improved workflows. We are encouraged by this response and will keep this process going.
 
We’re excited to share this August Epic Optimization Progress Report with you. In it update, you’ll find:
 
  • Epic training sessions scheduled at each member organization
  • SWAT updates
  • Physician Builder Spotlight
  • A recap of improvements we’ve rolled out in July

Understanding the MaineHealth ACO
By Joel Wirth, MD, Director, Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine, Maine Medical Center Physician Liaison, MaineHealth Accountable Care Organization, Associate Clinical Professor, Tufts University School of Medicine
The value-based contracts that the MaineHealth ACO enters into with Medicare and other payers often influence the clinical priorities of the MaineHealth system. The 2017 ACO Annual Report is a useful resource for better understanding the ACO’s structure, drivers, goals, and work.
 
Based on the theme of "Building Bridges," the report explores how the ACO is bridging sites of care, bridging primary care and specialist providers, bridging clinical and social components of health, all in the service of increasing the quality and controlling the cost of patient care.
 
Deepen your knowledge of the ACO by viewing the annual report here.
Discharged as Deceased
By Rob Hubbs, MD, and Liz Herrle, MD
As part of SeHR optimization and the physician builder program, the Discharge as Deceased Navigator has been improved to help ensure a smooth workflow for completing necessary ordering and documentation at the time of patient death. It guides providers through all of the steps and has valuable reference information.

Pneumonia Documentation
By Deb Mullen, RN, CCDS, Clinical Documentation
Please help us by being specific in your documentation. The following commonly-used physician terminology of CAP/HAP:
All code to Simple Pneumonia: Community Acquired Pneumonia (CAP), Health Care Associated Pneumonia (HCAP) and Nosocomial Pneumonia.

Care Team Well Being
Brown Bag Series for Med Staff, Residents and Fellows
B rown Bag is on summer hiatus.
Monthly Lunchtime Mindfulness and Meditation
M indfulness and Meditation is on summer hiatus.
Publications, Achievements and Recognition
Faculty Appointments and Promotions
Events and Important Dates
Medical Staff Dinners

  • Wednesday, October 17, 5:30 p.m., Dana Auditorium
We Want Your Article Submissions
Your participation is essential to making The Scope a dynamic and sustainable publication. Please submit articles of 250-300 words to thescope@mmc.org . Include practitioner’s byline with title, credentials and appropriate contact for further information. We publish on the first Wednesday of each month, all submissions are due one week prior to publication. Learn more.

Medical Staff Value, Mission and Vision Statements
Value Statement
The Medical Staff of Maine Medical Center values both individuality and collaboration. We will continually pursue higher value health care. We embrace a culture of curiosity and life-long learning. We are partners with Maine Medical Center, and we mirror its values of compassion, service, integrity, respect, and stewardship.
 
Mission Statement
The Mission of the Medical Staff of Maine Medical Center is to provide affordable, high-quality health care to our community. We teach future health care providers and develop innovative ways to improve the health of our community. In partnership with the Medical Center, we proudly accept our responsibility as one of Maine’s leaders in patient care, education, and research.
 
Vision Statement
The Medical Staff of Maine Medical Center will be the driving force within Maine Medical Center leading the way to making Maine the healthiest state in the nation.