HealthEast KSI Honored for Innovation

ST. PAUL, MN--(Marketwire - Nov 4, 2011) - A novel innovative model of care, developed by the HealthEast Kidney Stone Institute (KSI), is providing rapid expert care to patients with kidney stones. This strategy is improving patient care, reducing unnecessary repeat emergency room visits and hospitalization, and drastically cutting health care costs. That's why HealthPartners just awarded KSI with a 2011 Innovations in Health Care Award.

"The KSI integrative model of care gets patients on a 'fast-track', regardless of stone complexity," said Andrew Portis, MD, Chair and Medical Director of HealthEast Kidney Stone Institute. "By initiating expert care at the time of first diagnosis, we are saving of more than one-thousand dollars per emergency department encounter while markedly improving the patient experience"

Kidney stones strike like lightning with unanticipated disabling impact. To care for this population, KSI has created unique infrastructure to respond just as rapidly with the goal highly efficient and efficacious management, minimizing life interruptions for stone patients. Critical elements of the program include: enhanced communication between Emergency Physicians and stone specialists; same day/next day clinic appointments; rapid prognostic stratification to surgical or non-surgical pathways; and effective outpatient symptom control strategies with 24 hour telephone service.

Kidney stone patients, such as Andrea Place, a 26-year-old mom from Maplewood, benefit by getting subspecialty stone expertise as soon as possible. Andrea had a severe stone episode in January 2011, just two weeks after giving birth to her first baby. In the past, she would likely have been hospitalized and required multiple surgeries. Luckily for her, she was supported at home by the integrative program, had a single successful elective outpatient procedure and was able to care for her newborn daughter without interruption of the critical bonding period. Andrea says she was very happy to be treated so quickly and have her kidney stones behind her, so she could enjoy her baby girl.

A 2 year study of HealthEast KSI's new model of care found it cut repeat emergency department visits nearly in half and decreased hospital admissions by 42 percent. The study also showed this model of care greatly enhanced the patient satisfaction and cut the cost of care by more than twenty-one percent.

For more information on HealthEast Kidney Stone Institute call: 651-326-3830 or visit: www.healtheast.org

HealthEast Care System is a community-focused, non-profit health care organization that provides innovative technology, compassionate care and a full spectrum of family health services. HealthEast includes Bethesda Hospital, St. John's Hospital, St.Joseph's Hospital, and Woodwinds Health Campus as well as outpatient services, clinics, home care and medical transportation services. Practicing financial responsibility, HealthEast is the largest, locally-owned health care organization in the Twin Cities' East Metro with 7,300 employees, 1,200 volunteers and 1,400 physicians on staff.