The story of Dr. Al Sindi is a remarkable narrative of perseverance, support and recovery. His wife, Dr. Eman, shared it with us on the day before her husband was to be discharged.

"My husband had spinal surgery in April of 2015. After the procedure, he was highly functional and everything looked like it was going well, until he had an embolic stroke not long afterwards. He lost all function and developed serious complications, including sepsis" said Dr. Eman. "He was admitted to Northwestern Memorial Hospital where he had extensive surgical treatment to stabilize his condition - which couldn't have been more serious as he was completely disabled by the stroke."

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 "We must distinguish ourselves on the quality of CARE we provide, the FUNCTION we restore or maintain, the COMPASSION we show our patients and each other, and the PHYSICIAN we work with and support. Kindred must provide SERVICE and a patient experience that is second-to-none."  

This is the message Dr. Marc Rothman, Chief Medical Officer of Kindred Healthcare, conveys in his recent video addressing Kindred's company-wide commitment to improving the quality of the care they provide day in and day out.

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Erline is the Patient Advocate and Activity Coordinator at Kindred Tomball, and she shared that she was drawn to the medical field from an early age. This is her story of defying the odds.

 

"I began working as an orderly at Methodist Baytown in 1991, then I became a CNA and started doing home health" Erline said. "Then one morning in October of 1997 when I was driving to my first appointment my life was to be changed forever."

"I lost control of my car that morning and collided with a very big oak tree. I don't remember how it happened, or much of anything else, although I remember arriving at the hospital - and then nothing, until I woke up seven days later." 

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AHA Issues Guide for Improving the Patient Experience through the Physical Environment

One way for hospitals to improve patient satisfaction is to focus on their physical environment, according to a new guide by the AHA's Hospitals in Pursuit of Excellence initiative and American Society for Healthcare Engineering. Read More    

Hospitals Eye Community Health Workers to Cultivate Patients' Successes

Donnie Missouri, 58, doesn't have medical training. He started his health career in the linens department in Johns Hopkins Hospital. Read More

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Do you know what to do if you receive a phishing e-mail or lose a mobile device? What types of events qualify as HIPAA violations? Reporting security and privacy events when they happen can significantly reduce their impact. Phishing e-mails can be blocked and mobile devices can be wiped. The exposure from misdirected faxes and other PHI disclosures can be limited if you act quickly. Do your part  to protect Kindred, your coworkers and our patients by being aware of threats and reporting them when you see them. 

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Number of Seniors Who Need Personal Care Help Increasing, CDC Says

A "significantly" increasing number of adults over age 65 need help with personal care, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Read More  

Why Redefining 'Sepsis' Could Save Lives

An international task force has released an updated definition of sepsis-the condition responsible for approximately half of all hospital deaths-that it hopes will improve early identification and treatment. Read More

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With today's abundance of digital toys and devices, children of this generation are exposed to technology from the day they are born. Many of these devices are connected to the Internet, which brings the world to their fingertips, provides them with educational opportunities, entertainment and connections to friends and family through social media. Just like the physical world, however, cyberspace has its dark alleys and shifty characters. Limit your children's access to the seedy side of the net by following a few best practices:

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At Kindred Healthcare, we consider ourselves fortunate to call Tucson, Arizona one of our homes. Our 51-bed transitional care hospital, located in the beautiful Sonoran Desert, allows us to offer long-term acute care to medically complex patients in the Tucson area. Many of our patients come to us with serious medical conditions that require a coordinated, specialized approach from our dedicated team of professionals.  Read Full Post

Cloud-based services are applications or infrastructure that users access via the Internet. While cloud solutions can be easy to set up and are affordable compared to traditional IT infrastructure and software, there are risks that need to be considered when reviewing cloud-based services for use at Kindred. The Contract Policy for Third Parties Hosting Kindred Data is a new Enterprise policy that governs the review and acquisition of all types of cloud-based services. The following highlights the policy and some questions to ask when considering a cloud-based solution: 

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Colorectal cancer, the cancer of the colon or rectum, is among the cancers that can affect both men and women. It is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. About 140,000 Americans are diagnosed with colorectal cancer each year and more than 50,000 people die from it. However, the disease is highly preventable.

And for that reason, March is designated as National Colon Cancer Awareness Month, and more specifically, Friday, March 4th was recognized by the state of Kentucky as Dress in Blue Day. Here at the Kindred Support Center and the K-Live Campus, we were happy to participate in raising awareness.

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