Long-time Franciscan St. Francis Health risk/compliance chief to retire

Paralegal to assume risk analyst role for central Indiana hospital system

INDIANAPOLIS – Douglas M. Gioe, corporate compliance and privacy officer for Franciscan St. Francis Health, will retire from his position July 6.

His stepping down caps a 22-year career in which he supervised the hospital’s risk management program, computer incident reporting systems and upgrades, corporate compliance, and directed the establishment and adherence to policies regarding patient safety, confidentiality and the use and disclosure of protected health information.

Before coming to Franciscan St. Francis, Gioe was risk manager/quality assurance coordinator for the former Central State Hospital in Indianapolis.

He is past president and has held all offices with the Indiana Society for Healthcare Risk Management (ISHRM).  A graduate of Indiana State University, he has been the recipient of numerous accolades, including ISHRM’s 1995 Outstanding Risk Manager Glen Troyer Awards, and is a member of the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management and Health Care Compliance Association.

Gioe will be honored June 20 by his colleagues and staff at a special reception inside the Atrium at the hospital’s Indianapolis campus.

Franciscan St. Francis also announces a related staffing change. Cynthia L. Kirchhofer has been appointed risk analyst, where she will manage medical claims and cases, oversee a program to reduce and eliminate potential threats to hospital assets and resources, and serve as liaison for employees and patients on a variety of legal and safety issues.

A certified paralegal, Kirchhofer had worked for several law firms in the Indianapolis area before coming to Franciscan St. Francis in 2004 as a risk management specialist.

A Beech Grove resident, she earned her paralegal certificate from Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, where she currently is pursuing a degree in health administration.

Kirchhofer was elected to the Indiana General Assembly-House of Representatives in 2010, representing constituents in District 89. She holds memberships in various professional organizations.

Franciscan St. Francis Health nurses plant goodwill with care for patients

WENDY LADD

INDIANAPOLIS – Two registered nurses at Franciscan St. Francis Health have been praised by patients and peers for above-and-beyond the call in care giving.

Registered nurses Wendy Ladd and Beverly Thomas have been named the May 2012 recipients of the hospital’s DAISY Awards.

Ladd, who works in the adult post-surgical unit, was nominated by a patient, who wrote:  “Wendy consistently demonstrates proficiency and expertise in performing her duties, but it is her uplifting spirit and positive energy that really sets her apart from the ‘norm’ and that norm being a very high standard at St. Francis.”

BEVERLY THOMAS

He went onto say that her technical expertise, in addition to her warm and cheerful attitude, went beyond the call of duty in making patient and guests feel more comfortable.

Thomas was nominated by a co-worker who recognized the compassionate care she provided to a patient, who had been hospitalized with no family nearby to help her.

The co-worker went on to say that Thomas sat with the patient during the difficult time and attempted to help after her night shift by calling back to the unit to check on the patient, even coming back in the next day to care for the patient.

“She is a true example of the DAISY award, the co-worker wrote.”

The DAISY Award was established by the DAISY Foundation in memory of J. Patrick Barnes who died at 33 an auto-immune disease. His family was so impressed by the clinical skills, caring and compassion of the nurses who cared for him that they created this national award to say “thank you” to nurses everywhere. For more information, go to www.daisyfoundation.org.

To learn more about nursing careers and programs at Franciscan St. Francis Health, go to www.stfrancishospitals.org/nursing.

St. Francis Health to take pulse of central Indiana’s health, social needs

Public encouraged to take part in online survey, participants eligible for prizes

INDIANAPOLIS – Franciscan St. Francis Health has served patients and provided care to the community at large through a variety of means for nearly a century. As the hospital continues with its mission, it also is gauging future needs.

That’s why Franciscan St. Francis is conducting a community health needs assessment from June 1 through August– and it’s asking residents in south-central Indiana to participate.

“This confidential assessment looks at personal health and seeks opinions about the health care needs and social issues in our community,” said Sister Marlene Shapley, vice president of mission services. “We believe the community knows what their greatest needs are and what they might be in the future.”

To take the survey, go to www.surveymonkey.com/s/FSFHHealthAssessment.

Survey results will be publicly available after the assessment is completed sometime in the first quarter of 2013.

At the end of the survey, interested participants can choose to visit an independent site where they may sign up for a drawing for prizes ranging from pre-paid VISA cards to $100 gift cards to downtown restaurants and more.

With hospitals in Indianapolis, Mooresville and Carmel, Franciscan St. Francis Health serves 25,000 inpatients and handles more than 1.8 million outpatients each year. To learn more about its programs and services, go to www.stfrancishospitals.org.   

Franciscan St. Francis Health also reaches out to the community in a variety of ways. More information about the community benefits it provides is at http://stfrancishospitals.org/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=327.

Latest robotic systems, simulator now being used by St. Francis Health surgeons

INDIANAPOLIS – With the consolidation of surgical services to the Franciscan St. Francis Health-Indianapolis campus, an additional da Vinci Si system has been installed to match the existing model.

The hospital’s older da Vinci S system was sold to St. James Health, a Franciscan Alliance sister hospital with campuses in Chicago Heights and Olympia Fields.

“This was a very important move for us from a standardization perspective,” said Rhonda Anders, RN, director of perioperative services. “Most of our surgeons trained on the Si model, not the older S model. Now that Indianapolis has two Si machines, we have the ability to standardize our equipment and instrumentation and change out components if necessary.”

The Si model builds on the previous da Vinci technology but also provides advanced 3D HD visualization with up to 10x magnification and an immersive view of the operative field. In addition to the new Si, the Surgery Department added a da Vinci simulation package, allowing physicians to practice for hours on the simulator and hone their skills on difficult procedures such as suturing and using clipping devices.

“The simulator gives the surgeon a score on his or her performance, so it is more than just practice,” said Anders. “It helps establish competence, along with confidence.”

The new da Vinci Si also came with dual consoles, so that two surgeons can operate in collaboration. While one performs the primary tasks of the operation, the second surgeon can assist with another task, such as retraction.

“Having two consoles is fantastic for teaching residents or training new surgeons,” said Dipen Maun, MD, of the Kendrick Colon and Rectal Center.

The Indianapolis Surgery Department has a goal to increase da Vinci surgical procedures to four a day throughout the weekdays.

The da Vinci system was developed nearly 15 years ago at the urging of the Department of Defense. Military surgeons were looking for ways they could perform procedures from remote locations, far from battlefields.

While that ultimate goal has yet to be realized, the computerized robotic system has been welcomed by surgeons in public and private hospitals worldwide.

More information about the Kendrick Regional Center for Colon and Rectal Care, located on the St. Francis Hospital-Mooresville campus, is at www.kendrickcenter.com/meet.html.

Physician establishes practice with St. Francis Medical Group Geriatric Medicine

INDIANAPOLIS – Larissa M. Dimitrov, MD, has joined St. Francis Medical Group Geriatric Medicine.

Board-certified in internal medicine, Dimitrov clinical interests are geriatrics, women’s health, preventive medicine and genetics. She specializes in hospital medicine dedicated to the delivery of comprehensive medical care to hospitalized patients. In her role as a hospitalist, she oversees patient care needs at Franciscan St. Francis Health-Indianapolis, 8111 S. Emerson Ave.

She most previously was associated with Advanced Healthcare Associates of Indianapolis, where she was an attending physician.

Dimitrov, who completed a geriatrics fellowship and family medicine residency at the Indiana University School of Medicine, also has had practices in Wisconsin and Illinois. She earned her medical degree at the Medical University of Sofia and completed a residency in internal medicine at District Hospital Kustendil in Bulgaria.

She holds memberships in the American Geriatric Society, American Academy of Physicians, Indiana Academy of Family Physicians, World Organization of Family Doctors and Society of Teachers of Family Medicine.

Led by President Isaac J. Myers II, M.D., St. Francis Medical Group is a multidisciplinary group of physicians throughout central Indiana. These physicians offer a variety of primary care and specialty care services and all practice at Franciscan St. Francis Health.

To learn more about St. Francis Medical Group, go to www.stfrancisdoctors.org.

Family medicine residents ready for rounding at St. Francis Health

INDIANAPOLIS – Newly minted physicians will begin honing their skills in the Family Medicine Residency Program at Franciscan St. Francis Health on July 1.

The 36-month program launches their start of their family medicine careers. Residents practice out of the hospital’s Family Medicine Center in Indianapolis, where they see patients of all ages and incomes. They also provide care for expectant mothers and deliver babies for many of these patients at the hospital’s Indianapolis campus.

The residents and their medical colleges:

·         Jeremy Bramwell, DO, Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine of Midwestern University

·         Margarita David, MD, American University of the Caribbean

·         Allison Klapetzky, MD, University of Missouri, Kansas City School of Medicine

·         Robyn McEwen, MD, St. George’s University School of Medicine,

·         Nathaniel Stewart, MD, Indiana University School of Medicine

·         Danielle VanGemert, DO, Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine of Midwestern University

·         Tyler Wilson, MD, IU School of Medicine

“For 38 years, our program has trained physicians in the clinical and academic aspects of family medicine, while never losing sight of our mission to treat each patient with individualized care and compassion,” said Richard Feldman, MD, residency program director. More than 210 physicians have completed their residencies at St. Francis since the program began, most choosing to remain in Indiana to establish family medicine practices.

To learn more about the Family Medicine Residence Program at Franciscan St. Francis Health, go to www.stfrancishospitals.org/Physicians/Index.aspx?tabindex=0&tabid=1

St. Francis Health physician, family journey to Belize for long-term medical mission

MOORESVILLE, Ind. – When Jennifer Bigelow, M.D., heads south with her family, it will be for more than spring break. A Mooresville-based family practice physician, Bigelow will be turning over her practice to others during a long-term medical mission trip to Central America.

She will be taking along her husband, Lee, and three of their five children, Tabby, 12, Cassie, 10, and Ellie, 8. The Bigelows will be leaving in August for two years in Belize, a country roughly half the size of Indiana between Mexico’s southeastern border and the Caribbean.

Bigelow will be ending her practice in the Mooresville Medical Pavilion on June 29. Dr. Timothy O’Donnell in Plainfield and Dr. Ryan Lacy in Martinsville are taking the majority of her patients during her absence.

The family’s destination is a small clinic in northwestern Belize that serves 15-30 patients a day. She will provide primary care, as well as obstetric care in emergencies. Most babies in the country are delivered at home with midwives.

The clinic boasts a pharmacy, a registered nurse clinical director, a medical assistant, a pastor and an office assistant, with a staff of eight when running full time.


No full-time physician has served the clinic for three years. Bigelow said the need is always there for additional doctors, nurses and pharmacists to serve the area short-term, even for a couple of weeks.


Formerly known as British Honduras, Belize is a country of 300,000 people with vast, unmet needs, according to the Bigelows. Because it was a British colony until 1981, English is the official language, but Spanish and Mayan are most commonly spoken.

Belize has an estimated 60 public health clinics providing primary care, but most suffer from inadequate staffing, too many patients and lack of equipment and medicine. Only about $125 per person is spent annually on medical care in Belize.

The Bigelows hope to help meet the spiritual and physical needs of the Belizean people with “Christ-centered care.”

Lee, who owns a construction business, will be using his administrative skills in the medical clinic, as well as serving in men’s ministry and helping with short-term work teams.

The Bigelows are making the trip as part of Mission to the World which is headquartered in Lawrenceville, Ga., and under the auspices of the Presbyterian Church in America.

The family is hoping for prayers and financial assistance to support their mission. Donations may be made in their name (#10859) to Mission to the World, P.O. Box 116284, Atlanta, GA 30368-6284, or visit mtw.org.

Retiring St. Francis Health oncologist honored for service to patients, profession

INDIANAPOLIS – Randall C. Trowbridge, M.D., a member of St. Francis Medical Group’s Oncology & Hematology Specialists, soon will be honored by his colleagues and staff on the eve of his retirement.


A celebration of his service is set for 5 p.m., Wednesday, May 16, in the second-floor conference rooms at Franciscan St. Francis Cancer Center, 8111 S. Emerson Ave.


Trowbridge has served numerous roles at Franciscan St. Francis Health, including medical director for the oncology service line; hospice care, Vista Care Hospice; chair of the hospital’s cancer care committee; and as a member of the medical ethics committee.


His special interests include gastrointestinal, prostate and breast malignancies, and hospice and palliative care.


Board-certified in medical oncology and internal medicine, Trowbridge has affiliations at hospitals throughout central Indiana. He holds memberships in several professional organizations including: American Medical Association, Indiana State Medical Association, American College of Physicians, American Society of Internal Medicine, American Society of Clinical Oncologists and the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Care Physicians.


Trowbridge, who has been widely published in peer-reviewed professionals, received his medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine in Berkley, Calif., and served his internship and residency at the Baylor College Affiliated Hospitals. He completed a fellowship in medical oncology at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.

Students poised to graduate from St. Francis Health lab science program

INDIANAPOLIS – Five students are poised to graduate from the Franciscan St. Francis Health Clinical Laboratory Science Program.

The 2012 graduates and specialty field majors are:

Lyndi Gable, Purdue University (BS in public health in 2011). She’s the daughter of Jack and Anne Gable of Peru, Ind.

Brittany Jackson, Purdue University (BS in public health and epidemiology in 2011). Her parents are Mark and Barb Jackson of Kokomo.

Aaron Mang, Indiana State University (BS in biology in 2012). His parents are Paul and Sharon Mang of Greensburg.

Ashley Robinson, Franklin College (BS in biology and pre-optometry in 2011). Her parents are Roderick and Hyacinth Garrison of Indianapolis.

Danielle Trowbridge, Ball State University (BS in medical technology). She’s the daughter of Vince and Lena Roby (and the late Tracey Roby) of Greenwood.

Graduation is 1 p.m., Thursday, June 7 in the basement auditorium of Franciscan St. Francis Health-Indianapolis.

The Franciscan St. Francis Health Clinical Laboratory Science Program (formerly known as the St. Francis School of Medical Technology) is affiliated with several colleges and universities across the Midwest.

The program, which is a division of the hospital’s clinical laboratory, was established in 1967 and is dedicated to preparing professional medical technologists with the theoretical and practical training to serve as active members of the health care team in clinical laboratory science.

More than 335 students have graduated from the program since its inception.

Medical technology involves conducting a wide range of laboratory tests for the detection, diagnosis, treatment and study of diseases. Clinical laboratory scientists work closely with pathologists and other specialists to ensure the accuracy of diagnoses.

More information about the Franciscan St. Francis Health Clinical Laboratory Science Program is at s at www.stfrancishospitals.org/Labs/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabindex=1&tabid=25.  

St. Francis Health surgeon to explain orthopedic, joint replacement therapies

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Hip and knee pain shouldn’t keep people from leading active and rewarding lives – and Franciscan St. Francis Health wants to show you how.

The St. Francis “Road Show” will be coming to town at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, June 7, at the Holiday Inn, 3300 U.S. Highway 41 South. In the spotlight is a hip and knee replacement seminar. A light buffet will be served at 6 p.m.

John Meding, M.D., will explain the latest procedures in joint replacement and arthritis treatments. He is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon specializing in adult reconstructive surgery and joint replacement. 

Meding is a surgeon with the Center for Hip & Knee Surgery at St. Francis Health–Mooresville. The Center has been ranked No. 1 in Indiana for joint surgery five years in a row (2007-2011) by HealthGrades, one of the nation’s premier health care rating companies.

To register for this seminar, call St. Francis toll-free at 1-877-888-1777.

More information about the Center for Hip & Knee Surgery is at stfrancishospitals.org. Click the link in the center section of the home page.

Retiring St. Francis Health oncologist honored for service to patients, profession

INDIANAPOLIS – Randall C. Trowbridge, M.D., a member of St. Francis Medical Group’s Oncology & Hematology Specialists, soon will be honored by his colleagues and staff on the eve of his retirement.

A celebration of his service is set for 5 p.m., Wednesday, May 16, in the second-floor conference rooms at Franciscan St. Francis Cancer Center, 8111 S. Emerson Ave.

Trowbridge has served numerous roles at Franciscan St. Francis Health, including medical director for the oncology service line; hospice care, Vista Care Hospice; chair of the hospital’s cancer care committee; and as a member of the medical ethics committee.

His special interests include gastrointestinal, prostate and breast malignancies, and hospice and palliative care.

Board-certified in medical oncology and internal medicine, Trowbridge has affiliations at hospitals throughout central Indiana. He holds memberships in several professional organizations including: American Medical Association, Indiana State Medical Association, American College of Physicians, American Society of Internal Medicine, American Society of Clinical Oncologists and the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Care Physicians.

Trowbridge, who has been widely published in peer-reviewed professionals, received his medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine in Berkley, Calif., and served his internship and residency at the Baylor College Affiliated Hospitals. He completed a fellowship in medical oncology at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. 

Continuum of care for heart failure patients focus of seminar

INDIANAPOLIS – Staff from local extended care facilities and home health agencies will hone their skills in caring for patients with heart failure at a May 9 seminar sponsored by Franciscan St. Francis Heart Center and St. Francis Medical Group Indiana Heart Physicians (IHP).

Heart Failure Care: We’re in it Together gets under way at 8 a.m. in the basement auditorium at the Heart Center (8111 S. Emerson Av.) Nearly 130 health professionals, including representatives from extended care facilities, home health agencies and other local hospitals, are registered to attend.

Led by Polly Moore, M.D., an IHP cardiologist and co-director of the Franciscan St. Francis Heart Failure Care Clinic, topics will include the signs, symptoms and care for heart failure; nutritional concerns; patients’ experiences at the hospital; medications for heart failure, and end-of-life issues.

“The education is directed toward care providers from all areas so they can better understand their role in caring for patients after they are discharged from hospitals,” said Moore. “In virtually all areas of heart care, communication is the key.”

Promoting care coordination and communication across providers has been a major focus at Franciscan St. Francis Health. Earlier this year, Franciscan Alliance announced it had become Indiana’s first and only Accountable Care Organization (ACO). The Franciscan Alliance ACO works on similar initiatives to promote better health for Medicare patients, using increased communication, education, and information-sharing among healthcare providers.

Heart failure is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States with heart failure patients responsible for 12 to 15 million physician office visits per year and 6.5 million hospital days.

The Franciscan St. Francis Heart Center received a three-year full Heart Failure Accreditation status from the Society of Chest Pain Centers (SCPC) in 2011. The Heart Center demonstrated expertise and commitment to quality patient care by meeting or exceeding a wide set of stringent criteria and undergoing an onsite review by a team of SCPC’s accreditation review specialists.

Franciscan St. Franci Health-Indianapolis was ranked No. 1 in Indiana for Overall Cardiac Services; awarded five stars for Heart Failure Care (2008-12); and received five starts for Heart Valve Repair and Replacement Surgery by HealthGrades in 2012.

Hospital surgeons treat the most complex cases, using the latest devices and participating in cutting-edge research. Franciscan St. Francis Heart Center was the first hospital in America to use innovative next generation valve technology during surgery.  

To learn more about services at Franciscan St. Francis Heart Center, go to www.myheartcare.net.

Spinal stimulator proves to be game changer in easing chronic pain

St. Francis Health doctor treats patients with new device using Wii, iPhone technology

INDIANAPOLIS – A new motion-sensing neurostimulator is being used successfully to treat patients with chronic pain conditions at Franciscan St. Francis Health.

It’s called the AdaptiveStim™ with RestoreSensor™ stimulation system from Medtronic and is the first of its kind to gain recent Food and Drug Administration approval. The ideal patients are those with chronic back and/or leg pain, who have not been helped by other treatments.

Just as a smart phone “knows” to change its image vertically or horizontally and a Nintendo Wii Fit adjusts to a user’s motion, AdaptiveStim uses an accelerometer to detect a person’s change in position.

Robert Prince, M.D., a pain management specialist with St. Francis Medical Group Spine Specialists, is the first physician in Central Indiana to use the system. So far, he  has treated about10 patients and  the results have been dramatic.

"There are many patients who have residual pain after multiple spine surgeries, and this therapy can be amazingly successful for them in many cases,” Prince said. “Once the device comes on line the pain goes off line. They are the happiest patients I treat because they thought all hope was lost."

Chronic pain – defined as ongoing pain lasting for more than three to six months – is said to afflict more than 116 million Americans. For many, such pain is so severe it interferes with working, eating and overall quality of life.

Physicians have been using neurostimulation therapy to treat patient for three decades. It uses an implantable device (about the size of a pacemaker) to send electrical impulses through the spinal cord and squelch pain signals to the brain. Essentially it tricks the brain into translating pain as a tingling sensation.

While effective for the most part, such therapy has its drawbacks. Patients must use a remote control type of device and manually adjust them with each distinctive movement. Also, the implants have a battery life from three to seven years.

AdaptiveStim stores the stimulation level a patient has chosen when standing, lying down, upright and active, bending and stretching.

ROBERT PRINCE

“Essentially, this technology learns from a person’s movements and immediately responds by automatically adjusting pain-relief settings to the optimal level,” said Prince, who is board-certified in both pain and anesthesia and trained at the Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Prince implants the device in a minimally invasive outpatient setting. AdaptiveStim with RestoreSensor is tested before the procedure gets under way. A small incision is made for placement of the device, and tiny electrodes are carefully placed in the spinal column.

The patient is sent home with a remote control device to adjust pain-blocking remedies for all motions, all of which is recorded and stored. When the patient returns to Prince’s office a few weeks later, the sensor recording device is fine-tuned and adjusted. In most cases, a remote control is no longer needed.

AdaptiveStim is rechargeable and can last up to nine years, Medtronic officials say.

One of the other advantages of this pain-blocking stimulator is that it is a drugless therapy; thereby not requiring prescription narcotics, which are highly addictive.

To learn more about Prince’s work visit St. Francis Medical Group Spine Specialists. Visit  AdaptiveStim with RestoreSensor for more information.

Women’s health issues in spotlight at free St. Francis Health seminar

INDIANAPOLIS – In recognition of National Women’s Health week, two Franciscan St. Francis Health physicians are hosting a free educational forum.

David Moore, M.D. of St. Francis Medical Group Gynecologic Oncology Specialists and Bryan Perkins, M.D. of Southside OB/GYN will present on a variety of topics at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, May 15, at the Franciscan Cancer Center at 8111 S. Emerson Ave.

They will address conditions such as pelvic pain, fibroids, endometriosis and women’s cancers, focusing on early detection and treatment options, including the benefits of robotic-assisted surgery.

Refreshments and light dinner will be provided. Call 877-888-1777 to register for the event.