Latest News – May 16

St. Vincent Hospital News & Services, Feedback Wanted

It’s time to check in with St. Vincent Hospital (SVH) in Leadville and get the latest news.  First, the schedule for the St. Vincent Hospital Board of Directors’ regular meetings has changed. These meetings, which are open to the public, are now held on the 4th Thursday of the month at 1 p.m. Meetings are held at the hospital, 822 W 4th St. Leadville, in the activities room on the main floor.

Secondly, as most know by now, the hospital board entered into a management agreement with Centura Health on February 2, 2015. The new team is now asking local residents to take a brief survey, so that they can assess the future of health care delivery in Lake County. The survey will be live until May 20 at 6 p.m.   

Paper surveys are available at St. Vincent Hospital front desk. If you take the survey in paper form, return it by email, mail it, or drop it at the hospital front desk so that we receive it by May, 20 at 6 p.m.  

Next, for those who may not know, the current services that are open at St. Vincent Hospital include: ambulance, emergency room, laboratory, imaging, family/ primary care clinic and inpatient care. In addition, the St. Vincent Hospital Imaging Department has received a Healing Arts Certificate from the State of Colorado to offer low-dose CT scans (low-dose computed tomography) for people at high risk for lung cancer. 

Sue Coles, St. Vincent Hospital Imaging Manager, pursued the certification after receiving requests from area physicians including Drs. Lisa Zwerdlinger and Gary Petry. Coles commented, “as health care professionals, we feel fulfilled anytime we can assist with an early diagnosis. I am very excited to offer this service.” 

The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends annual screening for lung cancer with low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) in adults aged 55 to 80 years who have a 30 pack-year (or equivalent) smoking history and currently smoke or have quit within the past 15 years. 

“We are fortunate to have this technology available locally at our hospital in Leadville,” said Lisa Zwerdlinger, MD of Rocky Mountain Family Practice.  

Discuss the benefits and risks of lung cancer screening with your physician or provider. Together you can review your risk of lung cancer and decide whether screening is right for you. The cost of the screening at St. Vincent Hospital is one hundred and fifty dollars. Check with your insurance to confirm coverage for a low-dose CT scan.

In other news, St. Vincent Hospital has contracted with re|solution, a company that delivers revenue cycle expertise for rural and community healthcare providers throughout the country. The goal for SVH is to increase patient satisfaction, efficiency, productivity and produce better financial results in addition to finding potential lost revenue. Under the agreement, staff from re|solution are working on site at the hospital to improve billing processes. Hospital business office and registration staff are now employed by re|solution. Patients of St. Vincent Hospital and SVH Leadville Medical Clinic will continue to receive bills addressed from the hospital. If you have a question about hospital billing, call the hospital billing office at 719-486-7170.    

The St. Vincent Hospital Foundation’s second annual Thin Air Golf Tournament will be held Friday, June 19, at Mt. Massive Golf Course in Leadville. For more information, to register or make a donation, contact Foundation Director Karen Onderdonk 719-486-7135. Or via email at konderdonk@svghd.org.

Volunteers for the 2014 St. Vincent Hospital Foundation’s Thin Air Golf Tournament at Mt. Massive Golf Course in Leadville. Photo: Leadville Today