Cheyenne Regional Medical Center takes a look back at 2022

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (Wyoming News Now) –

Cheyenne Regional Medical Center took a look back at the success they had in 2022.

HOSPITAL QUALITY AWARDS: CALENDAR YEAR 2022

• Healthgrades designated CRMC as one of “America’s 100 Best Hospitals” for Coronary Intervention for 2022 – Based on superior clinical outcomes.

• CRMC received the following specialty quality awards from Healthgrades:

– Pulmonary Care Excellence Award for six years in a row (2017-2022)

– Gastrointestinal Surgery Excellence Award for four years in a row (2019-2022)

– Coronary Intervention Excellence Award for two years in a row (2021-2022)

• CRMC also received top 5-star ratings from Healthgrades for the following services:

– Treatment of Heart Failure for eight years in a row (2015-2022)

– Treatment of Heart Attack for four years in a row (2019-2022)

– Coronary Interventional Procedures for three years in a row (2020-2022)

– Pacemaker Procedures in 2022

– Treatment of Respiratory Failure for 10 years in a row (2013-2022)

– Treatment of Bowel Obstruction for three years in a row (2020-2022)

– Hip Fracture Treatment for four years in a row (2019-2022)]

– Treatment of Pneumonia for 11 years in a row (2012- 2022)

• Received the 2022 Get With The Guidelines® – Heart Failure Gold Plus with Target: Heart Failure Honor Roll and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll Award

– Recognized CRMC’s commitment to ensuring heart failure patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines, with the goal of speeding recovery and reducing hospital readmissions for heart failure patients. This was the fourth year in a row for CRMC to receive a gold plus award for heart failure treatment from the American Heart Association/ American Stroke Association.

• Recognized as a Primary Heart Attack Center

– CRMC was recognized as a Primary Heart Attack Center by The Joint Commission and the American Heart Association—and is the only hospital in Wyoming to have this designation. Certification shows that CRMC is committed to fostering ongoing improvement in patient safety and quality of care for heart attack patients.

• Verified as a Level III Trauma Center – CRMC was verified as a Level III Trauma Center by the American College of Surgeons’ (ACS) Committee on Trauma. CRMC is the only ACS-verified trauma center in Wyoming.

• Credit Rating Raised to A+ – Standard & Poor’s raised Cheyenne Regional’s credit rating from an “A” to “A+.” Having a strong credit rating means our health system is better able to afford new technology and updated services and facilities as part of our mission of inspiring great health.

• Medical Legal Partnership Established – Cheyenne Regional’s Institute of Population Health hired a medical legal partnership attorney who can help Laramie County residents facing housing instability, by helping determine if individuals and families qualify for the emergency rental assistance program.

• Robotic-Assisted Weight-loss Surgery Performed at CRMC – In January Napolean Cieza, MD, performed robotic-assisted weight-loss surgery at CRMC. This was the first time for a bariatric surgery to be performed at CRMC using the hospital’s da Vinci XI robotic surgical system.

• Heart Device Implanted to Decrease Patient’s Stroke Risk – In March two cardiac electrophysiologists, Dr. Oussama Lawand and Dr. Jason Rytlewski, implanted a WATCHMAN FLX device in a patient’s heart to help reduce the patient’s risk of having a stroke. CRMC is one of two hospitals in Wyoming to offer this implant procedure as an alternative to the lifelong use of blood thinners for individuals with atrial fibrillation not caused by a heart valve problem. This was the first time for the procedure to be performed at CRMC.

• CRMC Offered First-of-its Kind Treatment for Heart Disease – In March CRMC became the first hospital in Wyoming to use Shockwave technology to safely open a patient’s coronary artery that was blocked due to a buildup of calcified plaque. The procedure was performed by Dr. Abdur Khan, interventional cardiologist.

• Cardiac Cath Lab Performed Atrial Septal Defect Procedure – Dr. Atman Shah, an interventional cardiologist with CRMC, performed an atrial septal defect (ASD) procedure in CRMC’s Cardiac Cath Lab. This was the first time for this procedure to be performed at CRMC. An ASD is a hole between the upper chambers of the heart that can make the heart and lungs work harder, gradually causing damage. Surgically closing the hole corrects the issue.

• Online Tool Launched to Provide Quicker, More Efficient Access to Care

– Cheyenne Regional Medical Group partnered with telehealth solutions company Bright.md to provide Care Finder, a new online tool that directs community members to the right venue of care more quickly and efficiently.

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS AND ACHIEVEMENTS: CALENDAR YEAR 2022

• Dr. Sodienye Tetenta Recognized as 2022 State Physician of the Year – Dr. Sodienye Tetenta, CRMC Pulmonary/Critical Care specialist at the time, was selected as the 2022 State Physician of the Year by the Wyoming Medical Society. The award was presented to Dr. Tetenta in recognition of his outstanding contributions to Wyoming communities throughout his nearly 14 years of practicing medicine at our hospital and health system. The announcement highlighted the many ways that Dr. Tetenta served and helped Wyoming communities. This included his leadership and commitment to our state throughout the pandemic, noting that “he has earned a reputation as someone who leads through thick and thin with grace, humor, impeccable integrity, kindness, humility and fairness.”

• Cheyenne Regional President, CEO Installed as Chair of the Wyoming Hospital Association Board – Tim Thornell, Cheyenne Regional President and CEO, was installed as the 2022-2023 Chair of the Wyoming Hospital Association’s (WHA) Board of Directors at the WHA’s annual membership meeting in September.

• Cheyenne Regional President, CEO Named Grassroots Champion of Wyoming – Tim Thornell, Cheyenne Regional Health System President and CEO, was presented with the 2022 American Hospital Association’s Grassroots Champion Award during the association’s annual meeting in the spring. The award is presented to one person from each state who is selected by that state’s hospital association.

• CRMC ICU Nurse Given 2022 Preceptor Award – Becky Erpelding, RN, CRMC ICU, was presented with a 2022 Preceptor Award from the University of Wyoming’s Fay W. Whitney School of Nursing. Becky was nominated for the award by nursing student Abigail Smith. Becky was nominated for being a “true role model” and for being an “outstanding nurse and preceptor.” Only two Preceptor Awards from the nursing school were given in 2022.

• Presented with the 2022 Get With The Guidelines® – Stroke Gold Plus with Target: Stroke Honor Roll and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll Award – Validated CRMC’s intensive and ongoing focus on providing the latest scientific-based treatments for stroke patients, to help them achieve the best possible outcomes.

• Named to Emergency Quality Network Honor Roll – The American College of Emergency Physicians named CRMC to the Emergency Quality Network Honor Roll for significant achievement in stroke treatment quality metrics and performance data sharing. This Honor Roll represents best-in-class efforts by recognized emergency departments to standardize and improve the quality of patient care delivered on the front lines. CRMC is one of two Wyoming hospitals to be named to the Honor Roll for 2022.

• Received ‘Most Wired’ Status for 10th Consecutive Year – The College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME) recognized CRMC as a “Digital Most Wired” hospital for the 10th consecutive year. Healthcare organizations participating in the Most Wired program are certified as Level 1-10 based on the results of the annual CHIME survey. CRMC was the only hospital in Wyoming to receive Level 7 or higher for 2022.

ACHIEVEMENTS: CALENDAR YEAR 2022

• New Mother/Baby Unit Opened – CRMC celebrated the grand opening of its new Mother/Baby Unit on December 12. The new unit includes eight spacious labor and delivery rooms, two labor triage rooms, 12 postpartum rooms, seven neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) rooms (including two NICU rooms that can accommodate twins), state-of-the-art lighting and equipment, headwalls that offer integrated technology, bigger bathrooms and an inviting, comfortable atmosphere to enhance each mother and family’s birthing experience.

• Reinstated Genetic Cancer Risk Assessments – The Cheyenne Regional Cancer Center reinstated its genetic cancer risk assessment program to help individuals determine if they have a genetic variant that could put them at a higher risk for developing cancer.

• RISE Launched to Help Employees – The RISE (Resiliency in Stressful Events) peer-to-peer program was implemented to offer support, encouragement and peer counseling to employees.

• GE Venue Ultrasound Machine Purchased for Infusion Center – The machine, purchased with a grant from our Foundation, allows infusion nurses to perform peripheral IV insertions on patients with fragile or challenging veins without the help of the Vascular Access Team. This means shorter wait times and increased satisfaction for patients.

• Laramie County Ranked 5th in Wyoming for Health Factors – Laramie County moved from 10th the previous year to 5th in Wyoming for health factors in 2022. Our Institute of Population Health is one of the agencies working on improving the overall health and well-being of Laramie County residents through a variety of initiatives.

• “You Matter/Talk to Us” Campaign Launched – Our Institute of Population Health partnered with Wyoming State Parks and Historic Sites and Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon’s office on a suicide prevention campaign that includes informational posters on how to seek help via phone (1-800-273- TALK) or text (“WYO” to 741741).

• Student Nurse Internship Program Started – CRMC partnered with Laramie County Community College and the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services to provide paid student nurse internships at CRMC. This was the first time for this program to be offered at CRMC. The first class took place over the summer, with seven student nurse interns participating.

• New VitalBeam Linear Accelerator Installed at CRMC – CRMC’s Radiation Oncology Service installed a new VitalBeam linear accelerator in the summer of 2022, for use in treating cancers. It is the second linear accelerator in use in the Cheyenne Regional Cancer Center.

• Community Health Needs Assessment and Community Health Improvement Plan Completed – CRMC’s Institute of Population Health worked with the Laramie County Community Partnership (LCCP) to develop the 2022 Community Health Improvement Plan, based on the needs identified in the LCCP’s 2022 Community Health Needs Assessment. The goal is to improve conditions of well-being for residents of Laramie County. • First Local Stroke Wellness Retreat Offered – In partnership with the Cheyenne Regional Foundation, CRMC hosted its first-ever local wellness retreat for stroke survivors and their families/caregivers over the summer.

CRMC Telehealth Program Manager Presented with State Award – The Wyoming Telehealth Consortium and Wyoming Telehealth Network presented Cheyenne Regional Telehealth Program Manager Kevin Smith with the first-ever Dr. James Bush Award for Excellence in Telehealth. The award is given to an individual or organization that has accomplished outstanding work in the field of telehealth.

• Performance Improvement Team Presented at National Meeting – Vizient, Inc., invited our Performance Improvement (PI) team to present at the company’s Joint Medical and Quality Executives Network meeting attended by more than 100 executives. Our PI team explained how Lean Daily Management sustains performance improvement work and is associated with improved employee engagement scores and lower turnover rates. WYOMING TRIBUNE EAGLE 2022 AWARDS FROM READERS

• Best Nurse – April Ojeda, RN, was voted “Best Nurse.” April has worked at CRMC for the past 11 years, as an orthopedic nurse on our Ortho/Neuro Unit and most recently as a specialty certification coordinator.

• Best Family/General Practice Physician – Dr. Greg Stampfli received the most votes in the “Family/ General Practice Physician” category. Another one of our providers, Dr. Amy Jo Harnish, was among the three finalists. Dr. Stampfli is in practice at Family First, and Dr. Harnish is in practice at Cheyenne Family Medicine.

• Best Overall Hospice Service – Davis Hospice Center was recognized as our community’s best overall hospice service.

Copyright 2023 KGWN. All rights reserved.