Geisinger Launches Innovative, Non-Invasive Treatment Option for Patients With Knee Pain Geisinger, in partnership with AposHealth, today announced that a new non-invasive, drug-free treatment for patients suffering knee pain from osteoarthritis will be available to Geisinger Health Plan’s commercial members in Pennsylvania starting on April 1. AposHealth treatment is available exclusively at Geisinger in Central and Northeast Pennsylvania. Developed by experts in orthopedics and sports medicine, the AposHealth device is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to help temporarily reduce knee pain and improve lower extremity function. The AposHealth program is a year-long, at-home treatment that requires patients to wear a personalized device for approximately one hour a day during normal daily activities. Supported by more than 60 clinical studies, including recent research published in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), patients using the AposHealth system have experienced significant improvements in temporary pain relief, function and gait patterns. “Providing personalized treatments for individual conditions is a tenet of Geisinger’s approach to musculoskeletal care,” said Michael Suk, MD, JD, Chief Physician Officer, System Services and Chair of the Musculoskeletal Institute at Geisinger. “AposHealth’s at-home treatment is perfectly aligned with our way of thinking of managing total health. Embracing new technologies and treatments allows us to reimagine the care pathway for knee osteoarthritis.” “We are excited to be part of the innovative approach to treating knee pain taken by Geisinger, a Center of Excellence for Knee Replacements. This partnership brings a convenient, clinically proven knee osteoarthritis treatment option to patients and provides clinicians with an alternative non-invasive option,” added Cliff Bleustein, MD President and CEO of AposHealth®. The AposHealthtreatment is currently available to Geisinger Health Plan’s commercial members in selected Geisinger locations in Danville, Wilkes-Barre and Scranton. Throughout 2021 Geisinger will be exploring opportunities to make this treatment available to more Geisinger patients across the it’s footprint in Central Pennsylvania. Please call 800-275-6401 to schedule an appointment.
Geisinger Partners With Acadia Healthcare to Expand Behavioral Health Services Geisinger and Acadia Healthcare Company have formed a joint venture to address the urgent need for expanded, high-quality inpatient behavioral health services in central and northeastern Pennsylvania. As part of the joint venture, two new freestanding inpatient behavioral health facilities will be constructed in Moosic and Danville with plans to serve adult and pediatric patients beginning in 2022 and 2023 respectively. Geisinger, which serves more than 1 million people across 45 counties in Pennsylvania, has partnered with Acadia Healthcare, the nation’s largest stand-alone behavioral healthcare company, to establish these new 96-bed, 73,000-square-foot facilities. Geisinger chose Acadia Healthcare, as its partner based on their shared commitment to quality care, strong clinical outcomes, and successful track record of collaborating with numerous premier health systems. Geisinger and Acadia will be investing a combined close to $80 million into these two facilities that together are expected to create approximately 200 new jobs by 2024. “At Geisinger, we are setting out to make better health easier for the communities we serve,” said Jaewon Ryu, MD, JD, Geisinger’s president and CEO. “This joint venture was a natural fit based on a shared commitment to identifying behavioral health needs in the community and partnering to bring world-class care close to home for everyone who needs it in central and northeastern Pennsylvania.” Both the Danville and Moosic locations are easily accessible from the entire central and northeastern Pennsylvania regions, and are near Geisinger hospitals in Danville, Scranton and Plains Township. Construction is scheduled to begin in Moosic in Fall 2021 and in Danville in 2022. The partnership will provide an opportunity for Geisinger to consolidate inpatient behavioral health programs from Geisinger Medical Center, Geisinger Bloomsburg Hospital and Geisinger Community Medical Center into these new facilities, which will allow an opportunity for these vacated units to be repurposed for additional capacity, including expanded private room availability. “Acadia is proud to be partnering with a leading health system like Geisinger to provide these life-saving services to individuals and families throughout central and northeast Pennsylvania,” said Debbie Osteen, Chief Executive Officer of Acadia Healthcare. “We look forward to collaborating with Geisinger to create these two state-of-the-art, patient-centered facilities that will provide hope and healing for those in need. The increased bed availability and freestanding structures will enable us to care for more patients who require these critical services and help meet the growing need for inpatient behavioral healthcare in these communities.” A recently released 2020 Mental Health America Report estimates that 47 million Americans now struggle with mental health challenges, an increase of 4 million people since the 2018 report, which mirrors trends locally in central and northeastern Pennsylvania. Upon completion, the two new inpatient behavioral health facilities will address current and future demand for adult, pediatric and adolescent patients who struggle with acute symptoms of mental health disorders such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, psychosis, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This vast array of acute behavioral health services provides a level of care previously not seen in central and northeastern Pennsylvania, especially for children and adolescents. Learn more at geisinger.org or connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.
Geisinger South Wilkes-Barre Opens New Cardiology Clinic Geisinger has opened a new cardiology clinic on the campus of Geisinger South Wilkes-Barre to make heart-care services more accessible to the community and better health easier for patients in northeastern Pennsylvania. The newly renovated space at 50 Roosevelt Terrace offers pediatric and adult cardiology services, providing care for adult patients with congenital heart disease, and featuring noninvasive diagnostics like echocardiography and electrocardiography. Pediatric spaces were specifically designed to calm the youngest congenital-heart patients. Staffed daily with cardiologists, advanced practitioners, sonographers and technicians to accommodate both pediatric and adult patients, the refinished clinic features a new echocardiography bed, electrocardiography (ECG or EKG) machine, and high-end blanketwarmingcabinet. “We know patients have wanted a cardiology practice to come back to the South Wilkes-Barre community for some time, and we wanted to provide that service again,” said Kelly Austin, RN,operations manager for the clinic. “This practice will increase appointments available to cardiology patients in Luzerne County and bring cardiology services closer to home for patients in or near South Wilkes-Barre.” Pediatric cardiologist Dr. Karen Lurito will lead pediatric cardiology services at the clinic, and she is passionate about expanding heart care in the northeast. “In one place, you get a full spectrum of care. We have the ability to treat children with cardiovascular disease and continue that specialized care as they mature,” Lurito said, noting the importance of lifelong care for the growing number of patients who now live longer with congenital heart disease due to advancements in treatment. Patients who need additional heart-care services can take advantage of the robust cardiology and congenital heart disease programs at Geisinger. For example, services in interventional cardiology, electrophysiology, cardiac surgery, pediatric stress testing and metabolic stress testing are all available in the northeast at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center. And pediatric and congenital heart surgery services are offered at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville. Systemwide, the congenital heart team has been strengthened recently with the addition of a surgeon with 30 years of experience to lead pediatric and adult congenital heart surgery and a certified registered nurse practitioner well-versed in building adult congenital heart disease programs. The team also features cardiologists who have achieved Adult Congenital Heart Disease board certification and can care for patients throughout their lives. Care even extends to the maternal and fetal medicine clinic, where pediatric cardiologists will do echocardiography on fetuses. “We will care for you from your prenatal days all the way through adulthood,” Lurito said.
Geisinger Celebrates 40th Anniversary of Child Life Department The Child Life Department at Geisinger is celebrating its 40th anniversary this month coinciding with Child Life Month. It is a time to celebrate child life specialists at Geisinger Janet Weis Children’s Hospital (JWCH) who support pediatric patients and their families through play, education and emotional support. “Child Life’s presence at Geisinger has been long standing and incredibly impactful,” said Dr. Frank Maffei, MD, Chair of the Department of Pediatrics. “Their 40 years at Geisinger predates the construction of our JWCH and the services they provide to our children are indeed foundational and essential.” In the program’s early days, specialists focused on playroom activities that encouraged socialization and self-expression, normalizing the hospital environment, providing support for patients and family members of chronically ill patients, supervising volunteers in the inpatient setting and event planning to gather donations for funding. The team also offers medical play to work through feelings and understanding of medical experiences, preparation for tests and procedures, pet therapy, and serve as liaison to the CSIU Hospital School Teacher Program so children don’t fall behind in their academics while hospitalized and more. 15-year-old patient, Leah Williams and her family have had a positive experience with a child life specialist at JWCH. Leah was officially diagnosed with “ALG 13 mutation” in 2014. This condition is a rare disorder and disease-causing variants in ALG13 have been reported in fewer than 20 individuals. Leah’s diagnosis means that she has a seizure disorder, a severe developmental delay, and hypotonia. “Child Life has helped Leah cope and feel comfortable while being at the hospital. Our child life specialist Rose Lauck noticed that Leah responds well to physical touch and enjoys having her arms, feet, and hair rubbed. Rose also makes sure there are things for Leah to look at or listen too while being seen. When it’s time for Leah to have a procedure, she stays with us and provides continuous reassurance. The support has been tremendous, and we are grateful for it,” said Krista Williams, Leah’s mom. Today, the Child Life team has grown to 12 certified child life specialists who support patients admitted to the JWCH inpatient setting, both at Geisinger Medical Center and Geisinger Wyoming Valley, and children visiting various pediatric outpatient subspeciality clinics. This includes hematology and oncology, gastroenterology, cystic fibrosis and orthopedics clinics, same day surgery, sedation services and the emergency department. “The 40th anniversary of our Child Life Department is a celebration of our past, present and future. The continued growth of our department is a result of both the hard work the team has invested over the years and the strong working relationships they have built with members of the multidisciplinary team,” said Rebecca Drumheller, Geisinger’s Child Life Program manager. “Our programming continues to expand as these creative, flexible, out-of-the-box thinkers take the initiative to improve upon the services we provide for our patients and families,” she added. To learn more about Geisinger’s Child Life services, special events or how to make a donation, click here.
Geisinger ADMI Offers Online Training for First Responders Geisinger’s Autism & Developmental Medicine Institute (ADMI) is offering free online training for first responders to help them better assist children with special needs during emergencies. The training is also open to other community members. Up to 15% of children have a developmental or behavioral disorder, including autism, speech and language disorders, intellectual disabilities, or conditions like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and anxiety. The training program provides an overview of these conditions, their related behaviors, and strategies for communicating with children who have these disorders in a variety of situations. The training is facilitated by Barbara Haas Givler, director of education and behavioral outreach at Geisinger’s ADMI, and Cora Taylor, ADMI assistant professor. “This training for first responders provides practical strategies for approaching and supporting children with special needs in emergency situations,” Haas Givler said. “We appreciate all that first responders do for our patients with special needs, including autism, and we’re thrilled to be able to give something back to them.” Interested community members can view the webinar at geisinger.org/ADMIEMStraining. The training was funded in part by the Rite Aid Foundation. ADMI has also created materials to help children with special needs and their families understand what to do in an emergency. For more information, visit geisingeradmi.org/admi-approved-resources.
Researchers Find AI Can Predict New Atrial Fibrillation, Stroke Risk A team of scientists from Geisinger and Tempus have found that artificial intelligence can predict risk of new atrial fibrillation (AF) and AF-related stroke. Atrial fibrillation is the most common cardiac arrhythmia and is associated with numerous health risks, including stroke and death. The study, published in Circulation, used electrical signals from the heart—measured from a 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG)—to identify patients who are likely to develop AF, including those at risk for AF-related stroke. “Each year, over 300 million ECGs are performed in the U.S. to identify cardiac abnormalities within an episode of care. However, these tests cannot generally detect future potential for negative events like atrial fibrillation or stroke,” said Joel Dudley, chief scientific officer at Tempus. “This critical work stems from our major investments in cardiology to generate algorithms that make existing cardiology tests, such as ECGs, smarter and capable of predicting future clinical events. Our goal is to enable clinicians to act earlier in the course of disease.” To develop their model, the team of data scientists and medical researchers used 1.6 million ECGs from 430,000 patients over 35 years of patient care at Geisinger. These data were used to train a deep neural network—a specialized class of artificial intelligence—to predict, among patients without a previous history of AF, who would develop AF within 12 months. The neural network performance exceeded that of current clinical models for predicting AF risk. Furthermore, 62% of patients without known AF who experienced an AF-related stroke within three years were identified as high risk by the model before the stroke occurred. “Not only can we now predict who is at risk of developing atrial fibrillation, but this work shows that the high risk prediction precedes many AF-related strokes,” said Brandon Fornwalt, M.D., Ph.D., co-senior author and chair of Geisinger’s Department of Translational Data Science and Informatics. “With that kind of information, we can change the way these patients are screened and treated, potentially preventing such severe outcomes. This is huge for patients.” Geisinger and Tempus continue to work together to advance precision medicine using practical applications of artificial intelligence. Funding for this project was provided by Geisinger Clinic and Tempus. Geisinger has an exciting research environment with more than 50 full-time research faculty and more than 30 clinician scientists. Areas of expertise include precision health, genomics, informatics, data science, implementation science, outcomes research, health services research, bioethics and clinical trials.
Geisinger Uses Virtual Consult at Orthopaedic Urgent Care Clinics Patients can connect with an orthopaedic provider on a real-time video consultation through the virtual consult service at Geisinger Orthopaedic Urgent Care clinics. The virtual consult expands the service and offers more convenience to patients as they have their injuries assessed on a video call and find out next steps. Last May, Geisinger Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine opened five orthopaedic urgent care clinics, giving people with bone, joint and muscle injuries a convenient alternative to the emergency room or urgent care clinics with no appointment necessary. Now, the virtual consult offers adults and children immediate access to specialized orthopaedic care for common injuries like a strain, a sprain or a simple fracture that occurred in the last 72 hours. Virtual consultations are available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The team at each facility has the capability to evaluate and treat injuries, perform X-rays, apply splints and casts and schedule follow-up appointments. “This virtual consult allows orthopaedic providers to help decide the best treatment care plan for minor injuries, thus avoiding the inconvenience of an emergency room visit and making health easier for our communities. It improves access not only for orthopaedic patients but for all other Geisinger patients — especially now, when many facilities are overwhelmed due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Dr. Michael Suk, chair of Geisinger’s Musculoskeletal Institute. Once a patient is seen by an orthopaedic provider, they are scheduled for follow-up care as needed. The five orthopaedic urgent care clinics are in Danville, Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Lewistown and Port Matilda. All locations offer weekday hours, and most offer weekend hours as well. To access the virtual consult, visit https://www.geisinger.org/patient-care/conditions-treatments-specialty/ortho-urgent-care or call any of the sites below for more information: Geisinger Woodbine Lane16 Woodbine Lane, Danville570-271-7430Monday – Friday, 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.Saturday, 8 a.m. – noon Geisinger Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine3 W. Olive St. Suite 118, Scranton570-961- 3823Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Geisinger Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine1175 East Mountain Blvd., Wilkes-Barre570-808-1093Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.Saturday, 8 a.m. – noon Geisinger Electric Avenue Medical Center310 Electric Ave. Suite 240, Lewistown717-242-8124Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Geisinger Gray’s Woods132 Abigail Lane, Port Matilda814-272-6754Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Saturday, 8 a.m. – noon
Geisinger, Evangelical Community Hospital and the Department of Justice Reach Agreement Geisinger, Evangelical Community Hospital and the Department of Justice today announced that the three parties have reached an agreement on a proposed final judgment that will allow Geisinger to maintain an investment in Evangelical. The judgment resolves the underlying Department of Justice lawsuit filed in August 2020. “We are pleased to have worked with the Department of Justice to develop a resolution that allows us to maintain our investment in the health of this community,” said Matthew Walsh, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Geisinger. “We are grateful that the Department of Justice acknowledges the investments Geisinger has made to Evangelical to date and we look forward to our continued work on projects that will benefit patients and the community at large.” Under terms of the agreement, which are pending a public comment period and final court decision in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania later this year, Geisinger would maintain an investment in Evangelical. Since the original minority investment was announced on Oct. 1, 2018, Geisinger has made investments in programs that enhance the health and wellness of the Lewisburg community and surrounding areas. This investment will support expanded access to high-quality care close to home and furthers Geisinger’s commitment to make better health easier in the communities it serves.
Geisinger Issues Alert About Scammers Posing as Vaccine Schedulers Geisinger is alerting patients to recent reports of scammers trying to steal personal data by posing as COVID vaccine schedulers. The suspected fraudulent activity involves automated calls and/or text messages or live callers reaching out to Geisinger patients under the guise of scheduling a COVID-19 vaccine. The scammers are asking patients for their name, date of birth and Social Security number in order to schedule a vaccine appointment. The community and patients should be aware that Geisinger will never ask for a Social Security number, and if someone asks for it, it is a scam. Anyone receiving such a call should hang up or not respond. For more information about this scam and to learn about ways to protect your personal information, visit geisinger.org/security. The webpage provides information about the latest security alerts from Geisinger. This includes more information about phone spoofing scams, ways to help protect yourself against becoming a scam victim, and how to contact Geisinger if you have an information security concern related to Geisinger. As a reminder, never give out personal information, such as your Social Security number or medical record number, over the telephone — and do not rely on caller ID to be accurate. If you receive a call that is unexpected, suspicious or about which you have any doubts, you should hang up and call Geisinger directly at 800-275-6401 or check your myGeisinger account for messages.
COVID-19 Hospitalizations Improving, but Remain High Despite Vaccine Rollout Despite daily hospitalizations declining and tens of thousands more members of our community receiving the vaccine, Geisinger continues to feel the strains of the pandemic and asks for patience during the vaccination process. While COVID-19 activity continues to be high in central and northeastern Pennsylvania, Geisinger is seeing fewer positive COVID-19 tests, lower positivity rates and a reduction in overall hospitalizations, but our communities remain at levels we saw in late November. Over the past two weeks, we’ve averaged about 200 positive COVID-19 tests per day, with an average positivity rate of about 14%.That is down from an average of more than 400 new positive tests per day in December and a positivity rate as high as 23%.This past week, we reached the milestone of having fewer than 200 patients hospitalized with COVID-19, getting as low as 185 earlier this week.Our previous peak was more than 350 in late December. “We are still in a tenuous place, so even a small increase in hospitalizations can put us into a troublesome capacity situation that jeopardizes care for COVID and non-COVID patients,” said Jaewon Ryu, M.D., J.D., Geisinger’s president and chief executive officer. “Despite the vaccination rollout underway, we can’t lose sight of the fact we’re still facing challenges in our hospitals. In the past week, we are still admitting more than one new patient with COVID-19 to our hospitals every hour.” There is uncertainty surrounding available vaccine supply, and because of this, we cannot accept any new first dose appointments at this time. All existing appointments will continue as scheduled for the time being. We are working closely with the state to understand quantities we can expect going forward. We look forward to opening additional appointments as supply becomes available. This week Geisinger provided its 50,000th COVID-19 vaccine.About two-thirds of Geisinger employees have chosen to receive the vaccine.We are encouraged by promising trends among the COVID-19 positivity rate for our employees since introducing the vaccine. Current positivity rates among employees are at levels comparable to last summer. “Demand for the vaccine is still incredibly high in our communities, and we will continue to provide the vaccine as supplies and logistics allow,” Ryu said. “We know a lot of people continue to have questions about when they can get an appointment. We ask for everyone’s patience and encourage you to visit geisinger.org/COVIDvax and myGeisinger regularly for the latest information.” Vaccine supply globally is fluctuating each week, but has been and will continue to be low over the next several weeks, increasing the time it will take to get through the state’s Phase 1A. That is why although vaccines are being provided across the Commonwealth each day, it remains necessary to continue following the preventive measures that have been in place to help stop the spread of the virus. Wearing a mask, thoroughly washing hands and avoiding large and small gatherings are still needed, as we are still likely months away from being able to loosen these measures. For continued updates on the COVID-19 vaccine and updates on availability, visit geisinger.org/COVIDvax.
