MDNews - Greater Kansas

"While the risk of stroke follow- ing a TAVR procedure is relatively small — 1.5 percent — it is crucial that we cut that risk even fur ther as we begin using the therapy with lower-risk and younger patients," says Bassem Chehab, MD, a structural hear t special - ist with Cardiovascular Consultants of Kansas and member of the team. The Sentinel device has been shown to capture debris flowing toward the brain in 99 percent of TAVR cases and to reduce the incidence of strokes by 63 percent within the first 72 hours of the procedure. TWO KANSAS HOSPITALS CLOSE AFTER DECLARING BANKRUPTCY, THIRD REMAINS OPEN Hor ton and Oswego community hospi- tals abruptly closed this year and have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protec- tion, and Hillsboro Community Hospital, which also filed for bankruptcy protec- tion, is still open under a cour t-appoint- ed receivership. All three hospitals had been operated until recently by EmpowerHMS, a company that once touted itself as a leader in the management and ownership of rural hospi - tals throughout the nation. Many of the oth- er hospitals associated with EmpowerHMS have had similar financial troubles — late payroll checks and unpaid bills — that had hit the three Kansas hospitals, and a number of them have also filed bankruptcy or closed, according to news reports. Earlier this year, a Marion County judge in Kansas appointed Cohesive Healthcare Management + Consulting LLC of Shawnee, Oklahoma, to continue operating the Hillsboro hospital while it faced foreclo - sure proceedings. In Januar y, the Bank of Hays had filed a foreclosure petition against the hospital on a construction loan, originally made for $9.7 million in 2015. MDSAVE, ASCENSION VIA CHRISTI PARTNER TO OFFER DISCOUNTED PROCEDURES MDsave and Ascension Via Christi have par tnered to help people who are unin- sured or covered by a high-deductible health plan a new option to afford select elective procedures. By pre-purchasing a voucher through MDsave, patients can receive a 40 to 60 percent discount off the elective procedure. The voucher discounts the ser vice rate, which in most cases includes relevant fees for hospital, physician ser - vices and anesthesia. Ascension Via Christi hospitals and diagnostic centers in Wichita, Manhattan and Pittsburg are par ticipating in the MDsave program, which has established bundled rates for bariatric surgeries, colonoscopies, hernia repairs, diagnostic imaging, and physical and occupational therapy. Sleep studies, cardiac imaging and other procedures, such as labor and deliver y, may be added in the future. Co-located in Brentwood, Tennessee, and San Francisco, MDsave is the world's first online healthcare marketplace that works to simplif y healthcare billing for patients and providers through negoti - ated rates, bundled pricing and up- front payments. SENTENCING ANNOUNCED IN TWO CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE CASES The office of U.S. Attorney Stephen McCallister has announced sentencing in two unrelated cases related to controlled substances. A former EMT, Colby W. VanWagoner, 33, of Mayetta, Kansas, was sentenced to five years on federal probation for stealing mor - phine from vials after pleading guilty to one count of obtaining a controlled substance by deception and one count of making a false statement during an investigation. The crimes took place while VanWagoner was working for the Jackson County Emergency Medical Service in Holton, Kansas. In his plea, VanWagoner admitted he tampered with vials of morphine sulfate. He replaced morphine with saline solution and put the vials back into narcotic boxes on ambulances and in office stocks. In another case, Wichita physician Steven R. Henson, MD, was sentenced to life in federal prison for unlawfully distributing prescription drugs. Henson, 57, who operated the Kansas Men's Clinic at 3636 N. Ridge Road in Wichita, stood trial in October and was convicted of a number of counts, including unlaw - fully distributing oxycodone, methadone and alprazolam that resulted in a death of a victim. Evidence at trial showed Henson was giving dangerous, maximum strength opioid pre - scriptions to people who did not need them. WORKWELL KS TO FOCUS ON DECREASING WORKSITE TOBACCO USE WorkWell KS, a statewide initiative to create sustainable change for better em- ployee health, has received a grant from the Kansas Health Foundation to help reduce smoking, second-hand smoke and tobacco use among employees at Kansas workplac - es. Its core partners are the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita, Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas, the KHF and the Wichita Business Coalition on Health Care. n NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE Continued from page 15. 1 8 1 8❱❱❱❱❱ H O S P I T A L R O U N D S

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