St. Francis Health nurses recognized for extraordinary care to patients, families

INDIANAPOLIS – Franciscan St. Francis Health has two nurses whose acts of professionalism and compassion has sewn seeds of gratitude among their patients and colleagues.

Becky Teising and Mickey Sullivan are the latest recipients of the hospital’s DAISY Awards. The awards are part of The DAISY Foundation, a nationwide program recognizing nurses.

Teising, who works in the surgical intensive care unit at Franciscan St. Francis Health-Indianapolis, was nominated by a co-worker. The wife of a patient spent many hours sleeping in the waiting room for days. Recognizing this, Teising tried, but was unable to get her a complementary hotel room for restful night of sleep. So Teising booked and paid for the room.

“Becky is a very good nurse with a big, compassionate heart,” said the co-worker who nominated her.

Sullivan, who works on the surgical unit at Franciscan St. Francis Health-Beech Grove, was nominated by a grateful spouse of a patient, who wrote: “I had never expected to receive that kind of sympathy or genuine concern for my husband as well as myself.” She goes on to say that Sullivan made her and her husband feel like family. “I can not really put into words all the wonderful things she did for both of us. She is an awesome person and great nurse.”

The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses is a national program that honors the compassionate care and clinical excellence that our Franciscan St. Francis nurses bring to their patients every day.

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, go to www.stfrancishospitals.org/nursing.

Andrew R. Barksdale, M.D.,joins Cardiac Surgery Associates at Franciscan St. Francis Health

INDIANAPOLIS – Andrew R. Barksdale, M.D., is an established cardiothoracic and vascular surgeon with Cardiac Surgery Associates (CSA), one of the largest cardiac, vascular and thoracic surgery practices in the United States.

In 2006, Franciscan St. Francis Health established a successful partnership with Cardiac Surgery Associates to build a national center of excellence in cardiovascular surgery and to ensure that residents of Indiana have the nation’s leading surgeons who are committed to providing every patient with innovative surgical treatment and superior care.

“St. Francis Health and Cardiac Surgery Associates are committed to providing our patients with exceptional care," said Marc W. Gerdisch, M.D., chief of cardiovascular and thoracic surgery at Franciscan St. Francis Heart Center and a partner of Cardiac Surgery Associates. “Dr. Barksdale is a highly-skilled surgeon with broad-based expertise in cardiac, vascular and thoracic techniques, including complex procedures and minimally invasive treatment of lung disorders and cancer. We are fortunate to welcome him to Franciscan St. Francis Heart Center."

Dr. Barksdale joins fellow CSA surgeons Dr Gerdisch and Manesh Parikshak, M.D. Their office is located at 5255 E. Stop 11 Rd., Ste. 200 on the Franciscan St. Francis Health -Indianapolis campus.

Dr. Barksdale has performed hundreds of cardiac, vascular and thoracic surgeries including coronary artery bypass, valve replacement and repair, lung and heart transplant, minimally invasive lung surgery and a variety of vascular operations. He is certified by the American Board of Thoracic Surgery and American Board of Surgery. He has been published widely in professional journals.

A native of Indianapolis, Indiana, Dr. Barksdale received his bachelor’s degree in clinical laboratory science from Indiana University and his medical degree at IU School of Medicine.

He completed his post-graduate training in surgery at the University of Kentucky (UK). During his residency, he performed more than 1,100 major general surgery cases and endoscopic procedures, and taught workshops to medical students during their clinical rotations. He also was a surgical research fellow at UK, where he received the National Institutes of Health/National Research Service Award.

Dr. Barksdale joined CSA after completing a three-year fellowship in cardiovascular and thoracic surgery at the University of Minneapolis, where he performed a variety of complex procedures.

CSA is one of the top private cardiac, vascular and thoracic surgery practices in the country consisting of 29 surgeons dedicated to providing unsurpassed excellence in patient care, research and innovative surgical techniques at 25 hospitals in Indiana, Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin. You can learn more at OpenHeart.net.

Dr. Barksdale is an independent physician, who chooses to practice at Franciscan St. Francis Health. CSA’s Indianapolis physicians work at the Franciscan St. Francis Heart Center and in coordination with St. Francis Medical Group’s Indiana Heart Physicians. More information about services at the Heart Center is at MyHeartCare.net.

St. Francis Health physician is ‘Moore’ than doctor to patients, colleagues

INDIANAPOLIS – David H. Moore, M.D., is the latest recipient of the Healing Hands Award presented by Franciscan St. Francis Health.

With his colleagues and support staff looking on, Moore today (Oct. 26) received the award at a ceremony at his office, Gynecologic Oncology Specialists near the hospital’s Indianapolis campus.

Awarded quarterly, the Healing Hands Award was established in 2010. Its goal is to recognize St. Francis physicians for excellence in clinical skills, patient relations, research, stewardship and their reflection of the hospital’s health-care ministry, values and mission.

Testimonials from Moore’s patients attest to his commitment to their care. One writes: “Dr. Moore is an incredibly talented surgeon, but he also exhibits true caring for his patients as individuals. Following my recent surgery, he sat with my husband, daughter, and mother and explained the procedure to them in terms they could understand. He spent a lot of time with me on rounds after surgery was completed. I feel confident that he saved my life…”

That similar sentiment is shared by his Franciscan St. Francis colleague, Joseph LaRosa, M.D.

“David is an incredible surgeon and faithful servant to Franciscan St. Francis Health,” LaRosa said. “Dealing with the emotional and fear-filled aspects of cancer in addition to performing very difficult surgical cases on a daily basis can only be accomplished by very special people.”

A Diplomate of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Moore’s work encompasses the most advanced surgical, radiation and medical treatments, including use of the da Vinci robotic surgical system. He also participates in a number of cooperative group and industry-sponsored trials using cancer-fighting drugs.

Moore, a member of St. Francis Medical Group, earned his medical degree from the Indiana University School of Medicine, where he completed a residency in obstetrics and gynecology. He advanced his education at the University of North Carolina (UNC)-Chapel Hill, completing a fellowship in gynecologic oncology.

He has held several academic appointments with UNC and the IU School of Medicine. At the latter institution, he also was chief of gynecologic oncology and held the Mary Fendrich Hulman Professor in Gynecologic Oncology chair.

During his career, Moore has received many academic and professional awards, including Phi Beta Kappa and Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. He has been listed among U.S. News & World Report’s Top Doctors and Indianapolis Monthly magazine’s Top Docs for many years, including this year’s listings.

Moore, who has been published widely in peer-reviewed journals, is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and is a member of the Indiana State Medical Association, Indianapolis Medical Society, International Society of Gynecologic Oncology, American Society of Clinical Oncology and the Hoosier Oncology Group.

Dr. David Moore is presented with the awarded and flanked by Dr. Christopher "Topper" Doehring (l) and Dr. Joseph LaRosa.

New St. Francis Health Network partnership reaches out to needy patients

INDIANAPOLIS – Windrose Health Network, a federally qualified health center which provides primary and preventive health services to families with limited financial means and no insurance, has entered a partnership with Franciscan St. Francis Health through the St. Francis Health Network (SFHN).

Windrose physicians will participate in the Network’s Anthem Blue Cross & Blue Shield delivery system serving Hoosier Healthwise members. Their membership in the Network will provide Hoosier Healthwise patients who have Windrose physicians with better service, access and continuity of care.

“This relationship fits with our Franciscan mission of providing care to the poor and uninsured, and it will help tie our two organizations together,” said Jennifer Westfall, regional executive director of St. Francis Health Network. In another move to provide better access, the physicians at Southside OB/GYN, a practice long affiliated with Franciscan St. Francis, will begin providing deliveries and late-term checkups for pregnant patients under the care of Windrose physicians.

“Expectant patients will continue to see their Windrose physicians over the course of their pregnancies until they reach the final weeks,” added Westfall, who also serves as vice president of marketing and product development for Franciscan St. Francis. “This arrangement will provide stable care and help prevent patients in labor from arriving at the emergency department.”

Windrose maintains health facilities on Indianapolis’ south side and in Trafalgar, Edinburgh and Hope, Ind. Designation as a federally qualified health center means that the facility is located in an area identified as medically underserved and provides primary health, oral, and mental health/substance abuse services to persons of all ages.

They charge for care on a sliding-fee scale based on the patients’ family income and size.

Several St. Francis Health physicians featured among Indy magazine’s ‘Top Doctors' list

INDIANAPOLIS – Thirty-two Franciscan St. Francis Health physicians have been recognized as “Top Doctors” by Indianapolis Monthly magazine (November 2011).

They were among those selected by nationwide surveys of tens of thousands of physicians conducted by Castle Connolly Medical Ltd., representing the upper tier of board-certified physicians in the Indianapolis area.

Members of *St. Francis Medical Group and hospital-affiliated physicians and their specialties:

*Richard Beardsley M.D. (family medicine)
*William Berg M.D. (interventional cardiology)
Michael Elmore M.D. (gastroenterology)
Thomas Fairchild M.D. (otolaryngology)
Jack Farr II, M.D. (orthopedic surgery)
Peter Garrett M.D. (radiation oncology)
Marc Gerdisch M.D. (thoracic surgery)
*Charles E. Hughes III M.D. (plastic surgery)
Jan Jansen, M.D. (hematology)
*Olaf Johansen M.D. (colon and rectal cancer)
*Denise Johnson Miller M.D. (breast surgery)
Martin Kaefer M.D. (urology)
Baron Kidd M.D. (pediatrics)
*Robert Kinn M.D. (cardiac electrophysiology)
*Charles Kinsella M.D. (pulmonology)
*Frederick Lane M.D. (colon and rectal surgery)
G. Todd Lemmel M.D. (gastroenterology)
S. Chace Lottich M.D. (breast surgery)
*Jonathan Mandelbaum M.D. (surgery)
Mary Lou Mayer M.D. (medical oncology)
*David Moore M.D. (gynecologic cancer)
*Dan Nordmann M.D. (pain management)
*Jeffrey Peterson M.D. (family medicine)
*Jeffery Pierson M.D. (orthopedic surgery)
David Pound M.D. (gastroenterology)
*Ana Priscu M.D. (endocrinology)
Juan Sanchez M.D. (pediatric endocrinology)
*Bridget Sanders M.D. (colon and rectal surgery)
*Richard Shea M.D. (cardiology)
Barbara Sturm M.D. (dermatology)
James Thompson D.O. (medical oncology)
*G. Alan Von Stein M.D. (obstetrics/gynecology)

Two Franciscan St. Francis physicians also were the subject of features in the issue.

Marc Gerdisch, M.D., director of cardiothoracic surgery and a partner with Cardiac Surgery Associates, discusses his first-in-the-world work which uses a unique biomaterial to repair patients’ damaged heart tissue. Gerdisch is an independent physician who has chosen to affiliate with Franciscan St. Francis.

Surgeon Denise Johnson Miller, M.D., of SFMG’s Breast Specialists, discusses how MRI technology adds value in the treatment of breast cancer. Led by Isaac J. Myers II, M.D., St. Francis Medical Group physicians offer a variety of primary care and specialty care services and all practice at Franciscan St. Francis Health hospital facilities.

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