Baylor University Medical Center Proceedings April 2014, Volume 27, Number 2 | Page 72

Baylor news ■ The Heart Hospital Baylor Denton opens On January 6, 2014, The Heart Hospital Baylor Denton began treating cardiovascular patients at its newly remodeled location, 2801 South Mayhill Road, Denton. Part of Baylor Scott & White Health, the 68,580-square-foot, 16-inpatient bed specialty hospital offers comprehensive cardiac and vascular services. According to the hospital’s administrators, all Denton cardiac surgeons are members of the facility’s medical staff, and more than 90% of the area’s cardiologists have joined the medical staff of The Heart Hospital Baylor Denton. “Expanding our brand of five-star services further into North Texas has been a goal of ours,” said Mark A. Valentine, president, The Heart Hospital Baylor Plano. “We’re pleased to be welcomed by Denton cardiovascular physicians.” Valentine also serves as president of the new Denton facility. Services at The Heart Hospital Baylor Denton include a cardiac catheterization lab; an electrophysiology lab; cardiovascular operating suites (with a hybrid operating suite used for minimally invasive procedures, which can be converted to open surgery); and advanced imaging, including a 256-slice computed tomography scanner, threedimensional and two-dimensional ultrasound, fluoroscopy, and 1.5T magnetic resonance imaging. A 16-bed inpatient nursing unit will be expanded to 22 beds in May 2014. In addition, there is a 12-bed outpatient ambulatory surgery unit and outpatient cardiovascular services through the Center for Advanced Cardiovascular Care. A Comprehensive Wound Center offers hyperbaric oxygen therapy; the emergency department has been expanded from 2 to 5 beds; and the full-service hospital laboratory offers 24/7 services, including transfusions. Baylor acquired the facility in May 2013 and quickly began a two-stage renovation project that is scheduled to be completed in May 2014. The second phase of construction will add six more intensive care unit suites and an additional cardiovascular operating room. Ascension Architects Inc., CBRE, and MEDCO Construction comprise the renovation team. ■ Baylor Emergency Medical Center at Murphy opens The new Baylor Emergency Medical Center at Murphy opened as the first center of its kind from Baylor in Collin County when it began 146 seeing patients at 511 FM 544, Suite 100, on February 3, 2014. Baylor Emergency Medical Center at Murphy offers emergency medical and inpatient care that is “patient-centric” in its innovative approach. From the moment the patient enters the facility, the experienced medical staff, systems, and technology will be ready to meet the patient’s needs in a way that is convenient, accessible, efficient, and compassionate. Unlike urgent care centers, which are designed to handle non–life-threatening medical complaints, or freestanding emergency departments, Baylor Emergency Medical Center at Murphy will be a licensed hospital, providing clinical quality and efficient operations. At Baylor Emergency Medical Center at Murphy, patients have convenient access to an emergency physician, whom they can usually see within minutes, with an average door-todoc time of less than 10 minutes; hospital-level amenities, including a dedicated inpatient wing; an in-house laboratory for prompt results; and on-site imaging, including x-ray, computed tomography scanning, and ultrasound. An added benefit to this community hospital is the inpatient beds it offers. If a patient requires an overnight stay, Baylor Emergency Medical Center at Murphy offers comfortable inpatient beds and around-the-clock care. Baylor opened its first emergency medical center in Aubrey, and other emergency medical centers are planned for other areas. ■ Baylor research uses stem cells to heal the heart As scientists investigate the medical potential for adult stem cells, new research from Baylor’s Soltero Cardiovascular Research Center (SCRC) seeks to provide deeper insight on the topic. Led by Cara East, MD, medical director of the SCRC, the center is involved in a set of two clinical trials studying the use of autologous adult stem cells in various heart and vascular conditions. The team has researched stem cells in particular for more than 8 years because of the cells’ special ability to “mend.” Autologous stem cells come from the patient’s own body. “Adult stem cells are actually ‘super repair cells,’” Dr. East said. “We know—from recent, basic research—that adult stem cells do not transform into new cells. Rather, they stimulate removal of scar tissue, which then causes healthy cells to grow and replenish. After the healthy cells do their work, the adult stem cells die; they may only live 2 weeks to 3 months. This ensures that the repair cycle does not continue indefinitely, which could result in tissue overgrowth.” Each clinical trial has its own criteria, objectives, and parameters, but they share a similar goal: to explore (and possibly harness) the human body’s restorative power through its own cells. The first trial studies patients with critical limb ischemia, to determine if the injection of bone marrow into damaged tissues improves blood flow. The ixCELL study is for patients with congestive heart failure. Through this research, investigators will determine if catheterbased injection of ixmyelocel-T (compared with placebos) is effective, safe, and tolerated for certain heart failure patients. Ixmyelocel-T is developed by culturing the patient’s own bone marrow. The resulting cell treatment is then injected into the patient’s heart muscles to encourage growth of new tissue and improve inflammation. “Our dream is to develop therapies that are less invasive and can help patients who cannot currently be helped with available therapies,” Dr. East said. “Plus, we hope this research leads us to treatments that work even better than our current therapies.” ■ Baylor prescribes FollowMyHealth, new patient portal Baylor Health Care System (BHCS) patients are beginning to use FollowMyHealth™ to manage their personal health records. Baylor’s FollowMyHealth is a patient portal that provides a convenient and secure way for patients to manage their personal health record from any computer or mobile device with Internet access. Patient portals are an effective tool for patient engagement, where patients are partners in their own medical care, supporting Baylor’s patient-centered focus. Patient portals are also one of the objectives of the federal government’s Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act. The meaningful use provision requires that patient portals be made available and used by patients. Patients receive automatic email invitations to create accounts after discharge. If they choose not to connect by email, they can go to the Baylor consumer portal, BaylorHealth.com/ FollowMyHealth, to fill out and return a request form to the health information management department of the hospital where they were most recently a patient. Proc (Bayl Univ Med Cent) 2014;27(2):146–148