Hartford HealthCare Institutes

Opened headache centers in West Hartford and Waterford. The new centers, along with the facility in Meriden, offer services unique to headache patients: special shades and lighting, a headache psychologist, clinical trials, medication infusion bays and a wide range of related healthcare services all under one roof.

Opened headache centers in West Hartford and Waterford. The new centers, along with the facility in Meriden, offer services unique to headache patients: special shades and lighting, a headache psychologist, clinical trials, medication infusion bays and a wide range of related healthcare services all under one roof.

Opened a movement disorders location in Meriden with the recruitment of another physician specialist. The Chase Family Movement Disorders Center now has three locations with a fourth opening in Plainfield in 2018.

In March, the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer accredited the Cancer Institute as an Integrated Network Cancer Program — something only 60 cancer centers have been able to accomplish nationwide. The accreditation was granted following rigorous site reviews focusing on 34 standards. The Cancer Institute surpassed what was required and received “commendations” in three areas — clinical research, nursing care and accuracy of data.

Enhanced patient access to cancer specialists and treatment options through the Institute’s new Melanoma and Skin Care Center.

Expanded its footprint, programs and technology by partnering with Oncology Associates, placing a new cancer program along the shoreline in Waterford, adding a thoracic program at The Hospital of Central Connecticut, adding robotic surgery to MidState Medical Center and new radiation therapy technology at Backus.

The Institute, which is the charter member of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Alliance, has among the highest five-year survival rates in Connecticut and cancer programs in the National Cancer Database for colon, breast, lung, prostate and rectum cancers, according to the National Cancer Institute.

The pathology program in collaboration with the Hartford HealthCare Cancer Institute launched genomic testing of cancer specimens and instituted digital synoptic cancer pathology reports, making Hartford HealthCare community hospitals among the first in the nation to do so. This will help facilitate patients receiving the most advanced cancer treatments through the Cancer Institute’s partnership with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

A team of physicians at the Institute became the first in Connecticut to repair a life-threatening aortic aneurysm using a new device as part of a clinical trial approved by the Food & Drug Administration. The Institute was chosen based on clinical experience and research capability, as a result of a cutting-edge vascular surgical team committed to being early adopters of new technology.

Shortly after FDA approval in June, the Institute adopted the expanded use of a heart-valve replacement technology for patients too ill for open-heart surgery. Transcatheter Mitral Valve Replacement, or TMVR, allows doctors to replace a malfunctioning mitral valve — either the patient’s own or bioprosthetic valve from a previous surgery — using a catheter inserted into a large vein in the groin instead of conventional open-heart surgery.

Expanded electrophysiology services across the system with state-of-the-art tertiary services at Hartford Hospital, and named a director of electrophysiology labs for Hartford HealthCare, to build on the expertise of the existing electrophysiology team. Also added an established Westerly, RI practice.

Along with Hartford Hospital’s #1 rating for regional hospitals by U.S. News & World Report, several HVI specialties and procedures were ranked as “high performing” by the publication: Clinical Cardiology; Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair; Aortic Valve Surgery; Heart Bypass Surgery; and Heart Failure.

Increased market share by 3.7 percent, office visits by employed urologists by 10.7% and were market leaders for overall urologic and kidney disease as well as general urology, urologic cancer, pelvic health and stones.

Expanded the use of the UroLift procedure, a minimally invasive, same-day operation for enlarged prostates.

Expanded male fertility services and developed a Men’s Health Program.

Initiated systemwide advanced practitioner urology skills training program in conjunction with CESI.

Provided 29 community education programs, including talks on the psychology and physiology of sexual function, the role of the PCP, urologist and cardiologist in caring for men, understanding PSA testing, kidney stones, prostate cancer, bladder cancer, kidney cancer and female incontinence.

Added recovery coaches to emergency departments at Backus Hospital, Windham Hospital, The Hospital of Central Connecticut and MidState Medical Center. Approximately 90 percent of drug and alcohol clients are now keeping their recovery appointments, compared to 20 percent prior.

Because people with chronic health problems tend to have behavioral health conditions, the network expanded its Primary Care Behavioral Health initiative across Hartford HealthCare, with behavioral health professionals embedded into primary care practices. More than 80 percent of patients are keeping their follow-up behavioral health appointments and emergency room visits and inpatient stays are down.

Launched first Behavioral Health Network Clinical Council to focus on the Zero Suicide initiative, which started at the Institute of Living and is being rolled out across the network. The national program includes best practices and tools for health systems.

The MATCH (Medication Assisted Treatment Close to Home) program continues to grow, with Natchaug adding services for teenagers and Rushford adding a new location in Avon. Rushford and Natchaug also continue to provide first responders, patients, family members and others with Narcan, a life-saving drug for overdose patients — and training on how to use it.

The Bone & Joint Institute added top talent to its team this year, onboarding an impressive 21 new physicians and recruiting a physician to lead the system-wide rheumatology service line. Bone & Joint Institute physicians led 27 community outreach programs in FY 17.

In collaboration with the Hartford HealthCare Rehabilitation Network, the Bone & Joint Institute’s Center for Musculoskeletal Health created an integrated, multidisciplinary program to care for sports and arthritis patients.

The Bone & Joint Institute attained best-practice outcomes this year, reducing surgical site infection rates, blood clot rates and transfusions in elective total joints and spine procedures.

The Bone & Joint Institute’s PREPARE program, which patients complete before their orthopedic procedure, continued to evolve this year with integration of care coordination, preoperative risk assessment and enhanced patient education.

Nearly 800 surgeries were performed between April and September 2017.

35 physicians were credentialed to perform surgery at COI in FY17.

The COI received nearly perfect Press Ganey scores. When measured against other Connecticut hospitals, the COI comes in at the 93rd percentile among patients who would recommend the institute. It was rated in the 99th percentile for two categories, including “staff do everything to help with pain” and “overall assessment.”