The Ramsay Way 2019 | 03 17
Four Ramsay hospitals trial free online
news access
Patients have free online news access at four Ramsay Health Care sites in Queensland
and New South Wales, as part of a new pilot program.
News Corp Australia papers will be available online via the
WiFi network at Pindara Private Hospital, John Flynn Private
Hospital, St George Private Hospital and North Shore Private
Hospital to improve the patient experience.
Patients can access local and interstate news through the
Daily Telegraph, Herald Sun, The Courier Mail, Gold Coast
Bulletin, The Advertiser, NT News and Mercury.
The catalyst for the new trial has been Ramsay Health Care’s
commitment to improving the patient experience at all of
its hospitals.
As health services continue to grow, Ramsay is also rolling
out new digital channels and smart buildings, to ensure
patient needs are at the forefront of care.
The trial has been made possible following
a nation-wide upgrade to the WiFi network across
all Ramsay’s facilities.
There are now more than 5,000 WiFi access points,
which are 600 per cent faster; more than 230,000
WiFi connections are made each month.
Hard copy papers will still be provided to patients
who prefer them.
Hospitals interested in the new online newspaper
subscriptions, can email:
SimpsonLynne@ramsayhealth.com.au
HOSPITAL NEWS
Cost savings for emergency patients on the Gold Coast
Emergency department patients no longer have to pay out-of-pocket costs for medical imaging services at John Flynn Private Hospital and Pindara
Private Hospital, thanks to a partnership with South Coast Radiology.
The new initiative means people who seek urgent
treatment through the ED at either facility could save
hundreds of dollars on diagnostic imaging services.
Pindara Private Hospital CEO Mark Page said: “Affordability
of health care is always at the forefront of our minds. We
believe this initiative will be of great benefit to patients
who will now save what could have previously been many
hundreds of dollars in emergency imaging costs.”
John Flynn Private Hospital CEO Greg Jenke said:
“The new initiative is on top of a pre-existing
arrangement to bulk-bill all pathology with a relevant
Medicare item number for emergency department
patients at the facilities.”
The decision was made in an effort to reduce costs for
patients, while increasing accessibility to health care,
said South Coast Radiology.
Plans are now underway to achieve similar outcomes
for inpatients at the hospital.
South Coast Radiology CEO Warren Berry said:
“To achieve this we are undertaking a series of
negotiations with all major private health insurance
providers which we hope will prove successful.”
Precise skin cancer treatment available
at Hunters Hill Private Hospital
A well-regarded technique to treat common skin cancers is now on offer at Hunters Hill Private Hospital.
Mohs micrographic surgery (Mohs surgery) is considered
effective for removing Basal Cell Carcinoma and
Squamous Cell Carcinoma, which are the two most
frequently occurring skin cancers.
Hunters Hill Private Hospital dermatologist Dr Tai Phan
said: “Mohs surgery is ideal for removing skin cancers
which are in cosmetically sensitive locations – such
as the face and neck – where you don’t want to leave
major scarring.”
The procedure involves removing the cancer and taking
away microscopic layers of the patient’s skin around
the growth.
Skin samples are then examined immediately, while
the patient waits, to determine if the cancer has been
completely removed.
“Often more aggressive cancers are a lot larger than
they appear on the surface, so this procedure is much
more accurate in ensuring the cancer is fully removed on
the same day,” Dr Phan said.
During standard removal excisions, surgeons usually
remove an additional 3–4 millimetres of skin around the
cancer to help ensure it doesn’t return.
Dr Phan is able to reduce that to just 2–3 millimetres
using Mohs surgery, which helps to decrease scarring
while maintaining high cure rates.
“With Mohs, we can achieve a very high cure rate. I can
examine all the cancer margins through a microscope
so I’m confident when the cancer is completely
removed,” Dr Phan said.
The experienced surgeon has completed more than
3000 of the procedures since he was trained in the
surgery during a fellowship in Canada in 2015.
He decided to bring the procedure to Hunters Hill Private
Hospital in March, to offer residents on the North Shore
better access to skin cancer treatment.
“So far we’ve done 32 procedures. It has been a really
exciting process, to establish a laboratory here and start
offering the surgery,” Dr Phan said.
Approximately two in three Australians will be diagnosed
with skin cancer by the time they are 70.
Albury
Wodonga
performs
3000th
cath lab
case
Albury Wodonga
Private Hospital has
celebrated its 3000th
cardiac catheter laboratory case.
The milestone procedure was completed in June by local
cardiologist Dr Jan Du Plooy who works alongside pacing
technician Steve King, Nurse Unit Manager Kate Sutton
and nurses Peta King, Linell Kusz, Fleur Pressnell, and
Bev de Jong.
The cath lab is used to perform procedures which assist in
the diagnosis, early intervention and management of acute
cardiac conditions.
The cath lab has been through several changes in the
past ten years, including the introduction of diagnostic
angiograms, pacemaker implants and stenting. In 2015, the
cath lab underwent a major upgrade which led to improved
pictures, with much lower radiation doses.
The cath lab is utilised by a number of local and visiting
cardiologists in the Albury Wodonga Region.