MediSys Hollis, one of Jamaica Hospital Medical Center’s family health care facilities was recently awarded Level Three National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) – Patient Centered Medical Home 2011 status.

All nine of the MediSys’ Family Health Centers at Jamaica Hospital and the Ambulatory Care Center at Flushing Hospital have now achieved this status.

NCQA’s Patient Centered Medical Home 2011 (PCMH) is an innovative program for improving patient-centered primary care delivery. The objectives of the program include:

• Establishing long-term partnerships between clinicians and patients, instead of a series of hurried and sporadic visits.
• Clinician led teams who coordinate prevention and chronic condition care for patients.
• The promotion of shared decisions by medical teams, which will enable patients to make informed choices and get better results.

This model of quality assurance was created with a key focus on providing stellar primary healthcare and patient satisfaction.  MediSys Health Network’s ability to secure this designation for its outpatient care centers at Jamaica Hospital and Flushing Hospital is a reflection of the networks dedication to ensuring that patients receive the highest level of care at all times.

Congratulations to the Engineering Department at Jamaica Hospital, recipient of the 2015 ecoMediSys Initiative award.

This year marks the third anniversary of MediSys Health Network’s ecoMediSys initiative.  In observance of this milestone Jamaica and Flushing Hospital Medical Center celebrated Earth Day on April 22^nd by showcasing our environmental protection efforts. The events were held in each hospital’s main lobby.

The ecoMediSys initiative was created with the goal of identifying and highlighting ecological initiatives that we have implemented. The program helps in reducing waste, increasing recycling and conserving energy.

Some of the changes we have applied include:

• The conversion to a paperless, electronic medical records (EMR) system throughout the hospital and our ambulatory care centers.  This drastically reduced the amount of paper previously used in patient charts.
• The implementation of a digital radiology system that eliminated the use of chemicals associated with conventional x-rays.
• The elimination of blood pressure machines and thermometers that contain mercury.
• The installation of energy efficient boilers and chillers, as well as a conversion from oil to gas.
• A transition to energy efficient LED lighting and the implementation of a fluorescent tube and bulb recycling program.
• An increase in our paper as well as bottle and can recycling programs.
• Shredding and recycling containers have been added throughout the campuses in both offices and patient care areas.
• The motor transport department has replaced all of it’s vehicles with higher mpg cars and vans and initiated a no-idling program for all hospital vehicles.
• The hospital also added auto-off light switches in many offices and replaced all old PCs with energy star-rated computers.

Each year a department is recognized for their efforts in making the hospital more ecologically responsible. The Third Annual ecoMedisys recognition was awarded to Mr. Hans Waldvogel and the Engineering Department at Jamaica Hospital. One of the department’s initiatives included the use of more environmentally safe cleaning and building supplies.

Earth Day showcase at Flushing Hospital

As major healthcare providers Jamaica Hospital and Flushing Hospital understand the impact of these environmental initiatives and embraces its role as a leader in any efforts to improve the well-being of the communities we serve.

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Dr. Madhu Rajanna delivers an educational and insightful presentation about PTSD in returning veterans

Jamaica Hospital Medical Center’s Department of Psychiatry hosted a very important event to help health care professionals effectively treat returning combat veterans living with mental health disorders.

The hospital in conjunction with the New York State Psychiatric Association and the Queens District Branch of the American Psychiatric Association hosted the Veterans Mental Health Primary Care Training Initiative on Thursday April 2^nd. The auditorium in the D building was filled to capacity with hospital clinicians eager to learn more about the best practices to treat members of the military suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or other mental health conditions.

It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of veterans suffer from combat- related mental illnesses but only 23-40% seek professional help, because mental illness is sadly and often stigmatized. The negative perceptions associated with mental illness can sometimes lead veterans to believe that they are weak or should be ashamed of seeking professional help.

In order to cope with the complications of mental illness, some veterans may self-medicate by using alcohol or narcotics and in extreme cases commit suicide instead of reaching out to a medical professional for help.

Assembly Member David I. Weprin addresses the room and commends the hospital on a job well done

Dr. Madhu Rajanna, Director of Jamaica Hospital’s Mental Health Clinic and Assistant Director of the Psychiatry Residency Training Program was the event’s main speaker. He conducted a dynamic presentation about the effective and compassionate means of communication health care professionals can utilize when gathering medical information from veterans.  This collected information can be vital in assessing the mental health of service members.  Dr. Rajanna was later followed by Assembly Member David I. Weprin who commended the department on their efforts for raising awareness on mental illnesses and congratulated the event organizers on a job well done.

Several staff members of the hospital such as Dr. Richard Pinsker, are also veterans and believe this training initiative was fundamental.  According to Dr. Pinsker, “Attitudes towards PTSD and other mental illnesses are shifting in a positive direction; many are recognizing that the emotional and mental wounds can be as detrimental to our vets as the physical ones.”

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As of Monday, March 16^th, The Jamaica MediSys Family Care Center has a new home. The center, formerly located on Sutphin Blvd has moved to a new address – 149-18 Jamaica Avenue.

The new location will offer all the same services, including internal medicine, pediatrics, and podiatry, but will also accommodate patients in 11 larger and more modern exam rooms .

The new site is centrally located in the heart of the busy Jamaica shopping district and is easily accessible by public transportation. In addition, there is a municipal parking garage conveniently located just steps away from the center.

New York State is one of the first states in the nation to encourage universal electronic prescriptions, this includes controlled substances. The law which enhances patients’ safety is currently scheduled to go into effect on March 27, 2015 but there may be delays as it is currently awaiting the governor’s signature.  Once it becomes law, all prescribers will have to send their patient’s prescriptions to be filled at pharmacies, electronically. One of the goals of “E-prescribing”   is to prevent theft of prescriptions for illicit use. Another benefit will be that it will eliminate illegible handwritten prescriptions from being filled incorrectly.

E-prescribing will help ensure that prescriptions are being written safely and will help both the prescriber and the pharmacy manage a patient’s medications. E-prescribing will also cut down on the amount of time spent calling between a pharmacy and a prescriber to verify prescriptions. It will make the filling of prescriptions easier for the patient and potentially help with compliance with taking medications. It will also help both the prescriber and the pharmacy to fill the prescription in a cost effective manner. All of these benefits ultimately will help the patient.

All prescribers need to enroll with Epic to capture their fingerprint, and install “Digipass” the numerical code app.  Licensed providers (MD, DO, NP, PA, CNM, podiatrist, dentist) need to also register with NYS on the Health Commerce System (HCS) website. If you need further assistance on registering for E-prescribing please contact, 718 206-7878.