Rush Medical Foundation

Programs: Rush foundation hospital is a 215-bed tertiary care facility located in meridian, ms in lauderdale county and is the flagship hospital of rush health systems which also includes the specialty hospital of meridian, medical foundation, inc. , laird hospital, union, mississippi, h. C. Watkins hospital in quitman, mississippi, scott regional hospital in morton, mississippi, john c. Stennis memorial hospital, dekalb, ms and choctaw general hospital, butler, al. While the city of meridian's population is approximately 38,000 people, rush foundation hospital and its sister facilities in rush health systems serve a population of 232,900 people in a 45-mile radius and 526,500 residents in a 65-mile radius. Nine counties in east mississippi and three counties in west alabama, most of which are primarily rural counties, make up the majority of the service region. In 2016, rush foundation hospital served 5,524 inpatients, 180,814 outpatients and 30,578 emergency room patients. Rush foundation hospital provided the major services of cardiovascular surgery, cardiology, vascular and thoracic surgery, orthopedics and orthopedic surgery, neurology, general surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, a gastroenterology laboratory, pain treatment center, vein center and critical care in addition to a full complement diagnostics and treatment services and access to more than 100 physician specialists and primary care physicians. Additionally, the health system has more than seventy nurse practitioners and nurse midwives who extend care to the patient population. Specialized services provided through rush foundation hospital include: a level iii trauma center in the 24-hour a day physician-staffed emergency department; the newborn intensive care unit, a 12-bed unit that offers a special quality of care for premature and high-risk infants; rush rehabilitation services, housed in a 17,632-square-foot facility, which earned recognition from the national studied entitled focus on therapeutic outcomes (foto) and offers services including physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, aquatic therapy and a reading clinic; and the rush heart institute, located in the hospital, provided cardiac care including prevention, detection and treatment, cardiovascular and vascular surgery and an array of non-invasive testing including: treadmills, nuclear medicine, echocardiography, arrhythmia detection and pacemaker evaluation. Interventional cardiology includes balloon angioplasty and stents, as well as robotic cardiac procedures. In 2016 rush foundation hospital received the following prestigious quality awards and state/national-level recognitions: named by blue cross & blue shield of mississippi as a blue distinction+ center of excellence for knee and hip replacement; the american heart association's mission lifeline achievement award at the bronze receiving level; and by the march of dimes and the american congress of obstetricians and gynecologists for reducing early elective deliveries. In 2013 and 2014, rush foundation hospital earned national recognition for quality care from the cms-sponsored hospital quality incentive demonstration. Rush foundation hospital received awards in the categories of treatment of patients with heart attacks, treatment of patients with heart failure, the surgical care program and treatment of patients with pneumonia. In 2014, rush foundation hospital was dually accredited by the dnv. Rush foundation hospital provides quality medical care regardless of race, creed, sex, national origin, handicap or age. Additionally, and very importantly in 2013 rush foundation hospital was certified as an iso 9001:2008 quality management systems compliant organization. This certification is accredited by dnv certification inc. Of houston tx. Rush foundation hospital is one of only three hospitals in the state and one of only fifty in the nation to achieve this distinction. As presented in the attached schedule h, rush foundation hospital provided financial assistance and certain other community benefits during 2016 at a cost of $5,527,052. Although equitable payment for services is essential to the organization's financial viability, rush foundation hospital recognizes that not all individuals possess the resources required to reimburse the hospital for all services provided. Keeping its commitment to the community, rush foundation hospital provides free care and subsidized care within existing resources where the need for such care exists. In 2016, rush foundation hospital continued its participation in a 340b drug program designed to help patients, particularly those who do not have prescription drug coverage under their insurance programs or who are uninsured receive significant discounts on prescription medications. Along with being the region's second largest employer and a major economic stimulus by virtue of its payroll, rush foundation hospital and its sister facilities provide many benefits to the broader community in the areas of civic involvement and giving; mentoring and program support to nursing and allied health programs at meridian community college, east mississippi community college, mississippi state university/meridian branch and the university of west alabama; a strong and generous program of community health education, charitable donations, school and sports physicals, industrial health screenings and wellness events, volunteer hours and pastoral care. Additionally in 2016, rush foundation hospital used its social media platform to promote health awareness and education programs, hosted civic and governmental leaders at the hospital, participated in county and region-wide disaster training and awareness, and disseminated public health messages and information to the employee and provider base and to the patients of their facilities through educational outreach. Several of the larger-scale examples of these programs which occurred during 2016 include the sponsorship of health education seminars especially for women, , diabetes education, dyslexia awareness, skin cancer education and screenings, breast health awareness, blood drives and media placements of health information provided by rush-affiliated physicians (both paid media and by using the health systems' social media platforms). Additionally, rush foundation hospital provided ongoing prenatal and breastfeeding classes (rush began offering complimentary online childbirth education to its patients in 2016, further extending the reach of important prenatal and postnatal education) as well as providing specialized community education programs for women's health, heart health, breast health, gastroenterological health, sleep disorders, general health fairs, back pain, wound and ostomy care and prostate screenings. Rush foundation hospital also continues to provide and promote web-based access for patients to obtain certain health information in keeping with fulfillment of the meaningful use guidelines. Rush is also a founding sponsor of the state games of mississippi, which in 2016 brought more than 5,000 amateur athletes from around the state to meridian for competition in twenty-nine sporting events. The hospital employs certified athletic trainers to provide the area high schools with basic healthcare and instructional services at no cost on a daily basis during practice and training as well as at in-season competitions and during saturday morning clinics.