"The Ronan Report" provides insight about the activities at the Western Maryland Health System in Cumberland, Maryland, and about the changes taking place in healthcare today from a CEO's perspective.

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Docs Promoting Healthy Lifestyles

As we work to promote healthier lifestyles among our patients, we need to better utilize our physicians in this process.  We need to have our docs be the message bearers that their and our patients need to live their lives based on health and wellness focus.  A tall order, yes ,but one that has merit.

At WMHS we are undertaking a series of initiatives to reduce hospital admissions, especially readmissions.  We are pulling out all stops to encourage healthy eating, exercising, quitting smoking and the list goes on.  Take quitting smoking among pregnant women, we need our OBs to take a stand and widely publish that stand.  We have one of the highest rates in the state and many of the young pregnant women just don't get it as to the effects that smoking have on the unborn child.  This will be quite the undertaking, but so worth it if patients embrace a healthier lifestyle.

No comments:

Post a Comment