Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/1139554
Ascension Via Christi Home to State's Only Accredited Epilepsy Center West of Kansas City THE EPILEPSY CENTER AT A SCENSION VIA CHRISTI ST. FR ANCIS HA S ACHIE VED T WO-YE AR ACCREDITATION BY THE NATIONAL A SSOCIATION OF EPILEPSY CENTERS A S A LE VEL 3 EPILEPSY CENTER FOR ADULTS — MAKING IT HOME TO THE ONLY ACCREDITED EPILEPSY CENTER IN THE STATE WEST OF K ANSA S CIT Y. THE NAEC IS a national organization setting the standard and policy to provide quality epilepsy care. During the accreditation process, the NAEC Board reviews information about the hospital, technolog y, safety policies and the expertise of the epilepsy team, and based on that review, grants appropriate level of accreditation to a center. "According to NAEC, level 3 Epilepsy Centers have the pro- fessional expertise and facilities to provide the highest level medical evaluation and treatment for patients with complex epilepsy," says Ricky Lee, MD, a board-certified and fellowship- trained epileptologist who serves as the center's Medical Director. The Ascension Via Christi Epilepsy Center team is composed of specially trained caregivers who work together to provide the most appropriate diagnosis and treatment for epilepsy patients. The team includes board-certified neurologists; nurse practitioners; EEG technicians; neuropsychologists; an epilepsy neurosurgeon; neuro-radiologists; psychiatrists; and a clinical research coordinator. They share a common goal: helping patients control seizures and lead active lives using the latest diagnostic technologies to provide proper evaluation, diagnosis and treatment, which may include medication, surgery or implanted devices, depending on the type of epilepsy and seizures. "Many of the patients who have epilepsy have complex health issues," says Philip Newlin, MD, Chief Medica l Officer for Ascension Medical Group Via Christi. "Having a close to home epilepsy center where they can receive a diagnosis, plan of care and state-of-the-art treatment takes a tremendous weight off their shoulders." In addition to assembling a team with special expertise, training and experience in caring for adult and pediatric patients living with epilepsy, Ascension Via Christi has invested in the facilities and technology in which to provide that higher level of care. For example, St. Francis has an Epilepsy Monitoring Unit where patients of all ages can undergo continuous observation by trained neuro-diagnostic technicians and nurses in a safe and comfortable environment. There, the epileptologist can classify seizures, form an accurate diagnosis and, with input from the care team, design an individualized treatment plan using electroencephalography, or EEG, equipment to analyze the patient's brain activity and high-precision video cameras to document body movements during seizures. They also use the video EEG monitoring to rule out non-epilepsy-related events. E a c h of t he E M U 's four private rooms has a television, DVD player a nd ot her com for ts of home to help patients pass the time. Average length of stay for continuous i npa t ient mon it or i n g is 3 to 5 days. This pro- vides time to study the patient 's seiz ures a nd g a t h e r i n f o r m a t i o n . During a patient 's stay in the EMU, a tea m of trained individuals over- sees his or her monitoring and care. Working in pa r tner- ship with Ascension Via Ch r i st i R esea rch , t he E pi lep s y C ent er a l s o prov ides its adu lt a nd pediatric patients from throughout Kansas and northern Oklahoma the opportunity to gain early access to investigational Board-certified and fellowship-trained epileptologist Ricky Lee, MD, serves as Medical Director for Ascension Via Christi's Level 3 Epilepsy Center. M D N E W S . C O M /// M D N E W S G R E AT E R K A N S A S ■ 2 019 1 5