2006 News Releases

San Juan Regional Medical Center (SJRMC) is introducing a new patient assessment program for the common medical condition called deep vein thrombosis (DVT).

DVT occurs when a blood clot forms in a deep-lying vein, often in the legs. This type of clot is dangerous and can be life-threatening since the clot may break loose, travel through the bloodstream and then block arteries in the lungs. The American Heart Association estimates up to 2 million Americans are affected each year by DVT. However, according to a national survey sponsored by the American Public Health Association, more than seven in 10 Americans have little or no awareness of DVT.

"We want to prevent patients from getting DVT. With that goal in mind, we will be screening all patients on admission for risk factors. Based on the screening results, we will provide treatment as needed," SJRMC Surgical Floor Manager Barbara Galvan said.

In addition to Galvan, Dr. James Spence, Intensive Care Unit/Critical Care Unit Manager Kris Cuthair and Nursing Clinical Director Suzanne Smith were integral in the implementation of the DVT program based on recommendations from the SJRMC Trauma Committee.

DVT may occur when blood moves through deep veins in legs more slowly than normal or when there is a factor that makes blood more likely to clot. Patients who are bedridden after surgery or those who sit for long periods of time are examples of risk factors, along with stroke, congestive heart failure, varicose veins, some cancers and smoking.

About half of the people with DVT have no symptoms until a clot blocks a major vein. When DVT does cause symptoms and blocks blood flow, those symptoms may include a general swelling in the calf, foot, ankle or thigh; increased warmth of the leg; redness; pain in the leg; night leg cramps; or bluish discoloration of the skin on the leg or toes.

Following diagnosis of DVT, the goals of treatment include the prevention of more clotting, the prevention of clot complications, such as stroke, and allowing time for the clot to dissolve. Blood-thinner drugs are used to treat DVT.

"This is a national movement that we are taking part in to help prevent DVT among patients at San Juan Regional. The screening tool is a program that will automatically calculate the patient's risk and will download the current evidence-based literature for the doctors to complete the admission orders," Galvan added.

FARMINGTON - Deborah Kendall-Gallagher, RN, JD, MSN, is the new director of Quality Systems at San Juan Regional Medical Center (SJRMC). A native of Farmington, Kendall-Gallagher has a wealth of experience in leading and implementing quality improvement processes in hospital and health systems during a 25-year career in healthcare.

The director of Quality Systems at SJRMC administers multiple departments, implements strategic direction and recommends policy changes for quality and performance improvement throughout the hospital.

"I think San Juan Regional is very committed to continuous quality improvement issues," Kendall-Gallagher said. "We are focused on placing the patients at the center of everything we do. We need to always strive to improve our processes and performance, and that's where quality initiatives come into play."

Mostly recently, Kendall-Gallagher served as research and health science specialist for the Dept. of Veterans Affairs Eastern Colorado Health Care System in Denver. Also an attorney, Kendall-Gallagher has additional leadership experience in quality improvement programs at hospitals and healthcare systems in Alexandria, Va.; Albuquerque and Seattle, along with a time as a legislative analyst and attorney advisor for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C.

Kendall-Gallagher, currently a PhD distance student at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center School of Nursing in Denver, started her healthcare career as a registered nurse (RN) at hospitals in Colorado, New Mexico and Texas. She is a 1970 Farmington High School graduate and earned her nursing degree from the University of Arizona in 1975. She also has a master of science in nursing degree from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and is a member of the New Mexico and Washington State Bar Associations.

She added that she is pleased to be back home in Farmington to help with SJRMC's quality improvement programs.

"It's exciting and interesting to see how things have changed both in Farmington and at the hospital. The partnership between the community and the hospital here is great. I'm pleased to be a part of it all now," Kendall-Gallagher added.

Contact: Eric Fisher, public relations coordinator, San Juan Regional Medical Center, (505) 324-2242.

FARMINGTON, NM (December 11, 2006) Effective January 1, 2007, San Juan Regional Medical Center will expand their Community Service Fund program so that more people will qualify. Currently the Community Service Fund is available to those whose income does not exceed 200 % of poverty guidelines, but the expanded program will increase that level to 400 % of poverty guidelines. Currently, the poverty income level for a couple is $13,200 annually. The amount of funds available to an applicant is determined from their financial data, and funds are available on a sliding scale. From 0 % to 100 % of the applicant's bill may be paid by the fund. The Community Service Fund is not automatic and must be applied for.

The typical applicant for these funds is a person who is uninsured, but the fund can also apply to insured persons for amounts above the insurance for which they are responsible. Before funds are made available, the applicant must exhaust all other sources of funding for their medical bills such as insurance, government insurance programs, the county indigent fund or other such sources.

San Juan Regional Medical Center will also implement a discount program for hospital bills on January 1, 2007. The amount of the discount, which must also be applied for, is 15%. The discount applies to the uninsured portion of the patient's bill and is not income qualified. The discount will be applied before Community Service Funds are applied.

Besides the new discount program and the expanded Community Service Fund program, other arrangements for payment may be made through San Juan Regional Medical Center's Business Services Department. According to Ken Moody, Director of Business Services, "Patients facing a large hospital bill sometimes fail to make arrangements for payment because they don't realize they have options. They may believe their only choice is to default on the debt and risk hurting their credit. They might be surprised to learn that they do have options. Any patient facing a San Juan Regional Medical Center bill, with limited resources to pay it, should talk to one of the financial advisors in the Business Services Department of the hospital."