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Essentia Community Hospitals and Clinics named to Reuters Top 50

Two Essentia affiliates, Saint Mary's Duluth Clinic (SMDC) and Essentia Community Hospitals and Clinics (ECHC), have been named in a list of the nation's top 50 healthcare systems by Thomson Reuters, an international media and business research firm. Bridges Medical Center is a member of ECHC, a part of the larger Essentia Health system.

"As part of a larger healthcare system, Bridges is able to tap the resources of larger tertiary hospitals, while providing high quality healthcare right here in our local community," said Bridges CEO, Dan Rohrbach. "Being part of Essentia has given Bridges access to a wide range of resources and specialty physicians and strength in numbers when it comes to leveraging our local organization. In the next 18 months all of Essentia will be converting to the same electronic medical record system which will further enhance our relationship with Innovis and the rest of the Essentia Health System."

This honor is given to health systems with hospitals that have strong records of efficiency, patient safety, and outstanding care. The study looked at five areas including mortality, medical complications, patient safety, average length of stay, and adherence to evidence-based standards of care. Thomson Reuters will use the information gathered for the rankings to better understand what top-performing hospitals are doing to achieve superior outcomes. It is interesting to note that, while they differ considerably in size, affiliation, and other factors, the majority of top-ranking health systems are based in the Midwest.

"While we never quit striving for greater quality, customer service and safety, this honor demonstrates that we are ahead of the curve when it comes to providing outstanding care to patients," said Essentia Health CEO, Peter E. Person, MD. "I am very proud of the work everyone had done to achieve this."

Essentia Health is in the process of creating even stronger bonds between its affiliates and the organizations. Internal newsletter, the Daily Dose, stated in its July 21, 2010 issue, "As we come together to form one integrated organization, it's great to know we are already leading the way when it comes to patient care."

The Thomson Reuters study included health systems with two or more general, acute care hospitals. Because of this, Innovis Health, also an Essentia affiliate was not included.

Early Diagnosis Makes the Difference

Cancer is not a diagnosis that anyone wants to hear and it certainly isn’t what Chris Odden was expecting when he came to Bridges Medical Center for a routine colonoscopy.

Chris had no symptoms, nor did he have any personal or family history of colon cancer. This wasn’t his first colonoscopy but this time Dr. Paul Wasmiller found something different.

“He found a broad based polyp that had to be surgically removed,” said Chris. “It turned out to be cancerous.”

The good news is that the cancer was still completely encapsulated in the polyp and was entirely removed during the surgery. No chemo or radiation therpay was required. Chris considers himself lucky as doctors told him that if the cancer had not been found in its early stages it could have spread to other organs or even been fatal. Chris credits his positive outcome to his family physician, Dr. Jeff Peterson and Dr. Paul Wasemiller, who performed the colonoscopy.

Chris now urges everyone who should have a colonoscopy to get one and not put it off. “We are very fortunate to have a facility like Bridges right here in our community. The staff and specialists are exceptional. They took care of everything. I got the greatest of care. It doesn’t get any better.”

Bridges expands services for expectant mothers

Adding to a wide range of family and women's health services already offered at Bridges Clinic, Dr. John Kim, OB/GYN, and Denise Powell, MSN, CVN, are now providing prenatal and gynecological services at Bridges Medical Center. Both are specialists from Innovis Health. Bridges Medical Center and Innovis Health are working cooperatively to provide a continuum of care that allows a woman to receive prenatal care and other services conveniently, close to home. Labor and delivery can take place at Innovis' Birthing Center with the support of the same care givers that the new mother has had throughout her pregnancy. After the birth, followup appointments can be made with Dr. Kim or Denise at Bridges Clinic who work together with Bridges' medical providers in the transition to well-child and family services.

		Dr. John Kim Obstetrics and Gynocology Bridges Medical Center is proud to offer the services of Dr. John Kim, MD. Dr. Kim partners with us as an OB/GYN from Innovis Health. Dr. Kim received his medical degree from the Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, Chicago Medical School and completed his residency at Brown Medical School, Women’s and Infants Hospital in Providence, RI. He fulfilled a fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Kim is board certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology. He is a member of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine and a fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Dr. Kim specializes in: Normal and High Risk Obstetrics Gynecologic Surgery and Laparoscopy Infertility
Dr. John Kim
		Denise Powell, MSN, CVN Nurse Midwife Bridges Medical Center is proud to offer the services of Denise Powell, Certified Nurse Midwife. Denise partners with us as a specialist from Innovis Health, adding her expertise to our continuum of Women’s Health Services. Denise received her nurse-midwifery degree from the University of Cincinnati, Ohio, and her Bachelors in Nursing from the University of North Dakota. She is credentialed by the American College of Nurse Midwives and is a member of the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric, and Neonatal Nurses. She is a certified lactation counselor. She also has certifications in Neonatal Resuscitation and as an ACLS instructor. Denise specializes in: Labor and Delivery Lactation Counseling Preventive Medicine Women’s Health
Denise Powell