The Kansas City Jewish Chronicle - Financial Trends Heartland Spine and Specialty Hospital: meeting the needs of patients and insurance companies

When people are facing an upcoming surgery or need medical care, they are looking for a hospital that provides a combination of high-quality, compassionate care in a safe, high-tech environment.

When evaluating hospitals, insurance companies are also looking for positive outcomes in established hospital settings in addition to low hospital-acquired infection rates, short length of stays and overall low-cost patient care. Hospitals also need to demonstrate to insurance companies that they have a complete and comprehensive health care team, that they are proficient and that they can provide a positive patient experience.

Heartland Spine and Specialty Hospital, 10720 Nall Ave. in Overland Park, meets the needs and requirements of both patients and insurance companies. Read more... Heartland Spine & Specialty Hospital: meeting the needs of patients and insurance companies (html)

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In 1979, one year after the bacterium was discovered, Smith's 4-year-old son contracted C. difficile as a result of taking amoxicillin for a prolonged period of time to treat several illnesses. Fourteen years later, at the age of 52, Smith had an upper respiratory infection and received antibiotics as a treatment, she then contracted pneumonia and received more antibiotics until she was finally hospitalized with sinusitis, pneumonia and C. difficile.

Smith suffered from C. difficile for four years after she first contracted the disease in 1993, and it wasn't until 1997 that she finally felt cured. The relief was short-lived, and she relapsed in 1999.

Smith's story, once considered rare, is now something 500,000 people in the United States can relate to every year. Read more... How Proper Hand Washing Could Save your Life (html)

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Heartland Spine & Specialty Hospital: providing the highest level of care in the specialty areas

As its name implies, Heartland Spine & Specialty Hospital's practice reaches far beyond its renowned work in orthopedics, pain management and the spine.

At Heartland Spine & Specialty Hospital, the term "specialty" includes a wide range of services and procedures that are in high demand in the area.

Heartland Spine & Specialty Hospital, 10720 Nall Ave. in Overland Park, was founded by leading physicians from multiple practices and specialties located throughout the Kansas CIty area. Opening in September 2003 with approximately 20 physicians on the medical staff, Heartland Spine and Specialty Hospital has expanded the scope of practice to include new specialties and grown the medical staff to more than 80 physicians representing nine specialties. Read more... Heartland Spine & Specialty Hospital: providing the highest level of care in the specialty areas (html)

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More patients choosing bariatric surgery to assist in weight loss

Bariatrics is one of the many areas of specialty at Heartland Spine and Specialty Hospital

The demand for bariatric surgery has increased every year as people have become more knowledgeable about the health and lifestyle benefits of these procedures, particularly when the patient has a documented case history of illnesses such as hypertension, Type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, cardiovascular disease and osteoarthritis.

Bariatrics is one of the areas of specialty at Heartland Spine & Specialty Hospital, 10720 Nall Ave. in Overland Park. Practicing at Heartland Spine & Specialty Hospital is Stan Hoehn, MD, FACS, a recognized Bariatric Center of Excellence Surgeon by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.

Hoehn received specialized training in 2002 in San Diego, Calif., from Drs. Wittgrove and Clark, founders of the laparoscopic technique for Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery. He also trained with the InaMed Corporation, developer of the LapBand® system, in 2004. More patients choosing bariatric surgery to assist in weight loss (html)