St. Charles staff and patients have seen an uptick in scams related to medical equipment.
These scams usually take the form of an unsolicited call (or other communication) from someone claiming to be from St. Charles, Medicare, an insurance company or a durable medical equipment company, offering you a free or low-cost medical device as an insurance “benefit.” These calls may even display what appears to be a legitimate phone number on caller ID.
These callers are trying to get valuable information from you, such as your Social Security Number or your insurance information. Do not give them your personal information. Instead, hang up and call your provider’s office to find out if they need information from you.
Furthermore, don’t order medical equipment over the phone unless you are advised to do so by your provider, and refuse delivery of medical equipment unless it was ordered by your doctor.
If a caller urges you to order a piece of equipment now for future use, that is a red flag. Charging insurance for equipment before your doctor certifies it as medically necessary is illegal.
Frequently review your health plan’s Explanation of Benefits or Medicare Summary Notice to ensure all charges are appropriate. If you see charges you don’t recognize, call Medicare at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) or your insurance company immediately.
If you believe you have been a victim of any kind of phone scam, please consider reporting it to the organizations below.
The Federal Trade Commission is the primary government agency that collects scam complaints:
A “perfect storm” of respiratory viruses is brewing, straining resources at hospitals across Oregon and prompting health care officials to urge people to protect themselves against the flu, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
The first wave of this storm has already hit children. Governor Kate Brown has issued an emergency declaration in response to a surge of pediatric cases and hospitalizations driven by RSV. Additionally, three hospitals in the Portland area have moved to crisis standards of care in response to the surge.
St. Charles has not done that, but we are seeing an increase of pediatric cases in our community. While it’s impacting bed capacity in our Bend hospital, children are still getting the care they need.
“There are many St. Charles caregivers working hard and working together for our youngest patients, including nurses, respiratory therapists, pharmacists, dieticians, social workers, the physicians and providers in our Emergency Departments and our Pediatric Hospitalists, and so many more,” said Dr. Steve Gordon, interim president and CEO of the health system. “Unique to St. Charles are our additional efforts minimizing transfers to Portland whenever possible because of the extra burden this places on Central Oregon families. Our region is incredibly fortunate to have such talented and compassionate people delivering clinical excellence for our children and their families.”
At the same time, flu and COVID-19 cases are starting to increase, as expected.
“Influenza numbers are rising rapidly,” Dr. Cynthia Maree, St. Charles’ infectious disease section chief, told The Bulletin this week. “Our hospitals are already strained. We’re seeing the number of visits going up to the emergency department and urgent care.”
Maree warned that this winter could bring “a perfect storm of having viruses affecting all ages of the spectrum.”
Health care officials are encouraging everyone to take steps to prevent and reduce the spread of respiratory viruses. For flu and COVID-19, that means taking the time to get vaccinated and using everyday preventive actions to stop the spread of germs:
Avoid close contact
Stay home when you are sick
Cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing
Wash your hands.
Locally, you can get vaccinated at many places. Visit the St. Charles website to learn more about the flu and COVID-19 vaccines.
The basics on RSV
If your child is high risk and showing symptoms of RSV, reach out to their pediatrician. If you don’t have access to a pediatrician, call 211 for help finding one.
Those at greatest risk for severe illness from RSV include:
Premature infants
Infants, especially those 6 months and younger
Children younger than 2 years old with chronic lung disease or congenital (present from birth) heart disease
Children with weakened immune systems
Children who have neuromuscular disorders, including those who have difficulty swallowing or clearing mucus secretions
People infected with RSV usually show symptoms within 4 to 6 days after getting infected. Symptoms of RSV infection usually include:
Runny nose
Decrease in appetite
Coughing
Sneezing
Fever
Wheezing
These symptoms usually appear in stages and not all at once. In very young infants with RSV, the only symptoms may be irritability, decreased activity, and breathing difficulties. Almost all children will have had an RSV infection by their second birthday.
There is no specific treatment for RSV infection, and most go away on their own within a week or two. Here are some steps you can take to relieve symptoms:
Manage fever and pain with over-the-counter fever reducers and pain relievers, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen. (Never give aspirin to children.)
Drink enough fluids. It is important for people with RSV infection to drink enough fluids to prevent dehydration (loss of body fluids).
Talk to your health care provider before giving your child nonprescription cold medicines. Some medicines contain ingredients that are not good for children.
Victoria Stephens was still recovering from surgery when she knew she wanted to find a way to give back to those who had helped her.
Her first goal was to thank the medical team in charge of her ovarian cancer treatment, led by Dr. Emily Berry at the St. Charles Cancer Center.
Stephens was immediately impressed with Dr. Berry’s manner and level of care when she sat down with her for the first time after her diagnosis.
“She told me, ‘My team and I are going to be beside you,’” Stephens said. “‘We’ll be at the end of the phone. We’re going to have open doors. And we’re going to help you get through this.’”
She was also thankful for the employees of the Cancer Center, where a simple smile could make a difference in someone’s difficult day.
“From the gal that checks you in early in the morning to the person who checks you out at night (and) the people who help you in between – the people in the infusion room – I would like to thank each and every one of them,” she said. “They are absolutely beautiful people.”
Stephens’ second goal was to give something tangible to the people who had been such a source of encouragement during her cancer journey – namely, the online community from all over the country who participated in live auctions through her family's Redmond antique store. When those folks learned of her diagnosis, they flooded her with support and kindness.
“Their prayers held me up a lot during this time,” she recalled. “It was very, very comforting to know that these people, most of whom I didn’t even know or see, reached out and held my hand, prayed for me, asked how I’m doing.”
Stephens settled on embroidering handmade pillows with the inspirational words and phrases that had always provided her strength and comfort, such as Joy, Hope, Be Thankful and Faith Over Fear. And then there was Courage, which was specifically inspired by the unexpected passing of her brother in the midst of her chemotherapy treatment. Her hope was that the pillows could give people something to hold on to if they needed encouragement, or pass on to someone going through a hard time.
With a little decorating help from her granddaughter, Stephens completed 11 pillows throughout the rest of her chemo treatment before she was declared cancer free in May of 2022. The plan was to sell the pillows through live auctions, with 100% of the proceeds going to the St. Charles Foundation in dedication to Dr. Berry and her team.
The online auction took place on her birthday, and she hoped to get around $10 for each pillow. With her family and friends beside her, Stephens watched in shock as bidding wars erupted over each one, with some selling for as much as $300 to $600 each to the same members of her online community who had supported her through her health issues. By the end of the auction Stephens had raised $3,467 for the Cancer Center.
“I was so overwhelmed,” she said. “There wasn’t a dry eye in the building.”
Beyond donating to the center, Stephens hopes to spread awareness about ovarian cancer, which is one of the hardest cancers to detect due to its lack of symptoms in the early stages. Her own symptoms were initially misdiagnosed as a liver condition, and several months went by before a specialist at OHSU discovered that it was, in fact, Stage lll ovarian cancer.
She encourages women to advocate for themselves if something doesn’t feel right: “Women, if your stomach swells, if you’re feeling punky, please go get checked.”
For more information on the signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer and to learn if you might be at risk, visit www.ovarian.org.
It is no secret that this has been a challenging year at St. Charles. A number of regional, national and even global factors have caused workforce shortages, patient capacity issues and financial struggles. Aftershocks of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to rattle hospitals across the country, including ours.
But I firmly believe St. Charles is on the right track, both operationally and financially, thanks to our caregivers’ team work, professionalism and dedication to patient care excellence. I want to give you a brief update and assure you that Central Oregon’s largest health care provider – and employer – is committed to being here and continuing to provide critical care to our communities.
Service lines
Based on input from physicians, frontline caregivers and leaders, we are making some significant structural changes to how we deliver care. The basic idea is care should be organized around the patient, rather than us operating in silos, and we must pull together to succeed.
One way we are doing this is the development of what we call service lines. In the health care industry, a service line is an organizational structure that aligns, coordinates and advances services for a certain patient population with similar clinical needs. Within the service line, we will group and manage services that support the patient’s journey from beginning to end. A service line structure is less about buildings, departments and geography and more about why patients seek care and how we can re-think the way we work to support their needs.
As an example, cardiac patients are often treated in both hospitals and clinics. Building a system that reinforces and promotes communication and support across different areas of the health system will improve patient care, patient outcomes and patient satisfaction. The goal, as always, is to do what’s best for you.
Financial improvement
On the financial side, we are starting to see green shoots of progress after months of efforts by everyone in the organization – from the Board of Directors to the frontline caregivers to the folks who balance the books – to seek out new sources of revenue and to spend only what’s necessary. In this way, our budget is probably a lot like yours at home.
One thing that has helped significantly is we have finished paying back $95 million in advance payments we received from the federal government as part of a pandemic relief program. Without this drag on operating cash flow, we will see more immediate impact from our financial stabilization and improvement efforts.
Here’s the good news: October was the fourth consecutive month in which we achieved a positive operating income, albeit modest. That result was driven by a decrease in contract labor and lower than expected use of medical supplies, among other factors.
The not-as-good news is that our year-to-date operating loss stands at nearly $28 million, so we are not yet out of the financial woods. But as I said above, I believe we are on the right track, and I’m grateful for all of our people who I see working hard every day to deliver great care and to keep us moving in the right direction.
With the addition of three OB-GYN physicians to its staff, the St. Charles Center for Women’s Health is improving access to reproductive health care for all women.
The three physicians – Michal Montana, MD, Nicole Berrigan, MD and Amy Yuan, DO – join the center’s robust group of providers, including nurse midwives, behavioral health experts, nurse practitioners and doctors. With many providers accepting new patients, it’s easier than ever to get in to see someone.
“Our patients love our providers, and they tell their friends who tell their friends. The word is out, and that has kept our schedules very full in recent months,” said Tricia Clay, administrative director of Women’s and Pediatric Services for St. Charles. “With these arrivals, we’re expecting wait times for appointments to see our providers to significantly decrease.”
The center offers an array of services, including routine and preventive women’s care; obstetrics from preconception through postpartum; gynecology and gynecologic surgery; and pelvic floor therapy and procedures for overactive bladder/urinary retention. Providers see patients in Bend, Prineville, Redmond and Sisters and they perform surgeries in Bend and Redmond.
The new physicians will also bring new options for care to the practice, Clay said.
“One in three women experience bladder leakage during their lifetime. This is known as urinary incontinence, and it often worsens with age,” Clay said. “We are excited to bring new, minimally invasive procedures to our practice that will offer women more treatment options for their bladder symptoms.”
Dr. Michal Montana
Dr. Michal Montana completed residency training at Loma Linda University Medical Center and prior to that she attended medical school at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine in Michigan. She lives in Bend with her husband, two daughters and dog. Together, they love exploring the region’s natural beauty.
“My interest in women’s health came from a desire to incorporate a passion for hands-on care with lifelong patient relationships,” she said. “I look forward to serving the women of Central Oregon throughout some of the most special, vulnerable and difficult times of their lives.”
Dr. Nicole Berrigan
Prior to joining St. Charles, Dr. Nicole Berrigan worked in private practice for three years in the Willamette Valley. She completed her OB-GYN residency through the University of North Carolina and medical school at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in her hometown of Omaha, Neb. She and her husband love trail running, mountain biking, skiing and paddle boarding, and they’re excited to do those things in Central Oregon.
Berrigan practices the full spectrum of obstetrics and gynecology with special interest in surgery including robotic hysterectomies and pelvic floor repair. She also received a degree in studio art and has a special interest in integrating art into her practice.
“Having a piece of art to focus on during an exam or playing music during a procedure has been shown to decrease patient anxiety and pain,” Berrigan said. “I am looking forward to integrating art into our practice.”
Dr. Amy Yuan
Board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist Dr. Amy Yuan completed her OB-GYN residency in Cincinnati, Ohio and then was in private practice in Colorado before moving to Oregon to join St. Charles. She loves spending time with her family, traveling, camping, mountain biking, snowboarding and skiing, and she is thrilled to move to the area.
Yuan enjoys all aspects of women’s health, including helping people through high-risk pregnancies, infertility, urinary incontinence, pelvic pain, sexual dysfunction, menopause, and minimally invasive surgery, especially robotic assisted procedures.
“As an OB-GYN,” she said, “it is my goal to provide a comfortable and safe space to address sensitive and important issues for people in Central Oregon.”
St. Charles Health System’s Trauma Services team is taking life-saving Stop the Bleed training and tourniquet kits to local schools and businesses this fall, thanks in part to money donated at the St. Charles Foundation’s Saints Gala fundraiser in 2019.
That year, the event raised money to benefit the trauma program, which provides injury prevention education and help for those who suffer traumatic injuries in Central Oregon. Donors at the event gave around $250,000 to the cause.
Trauma Services has spent some of that money on things like upgrading the Bend hospital’s trauma rooms and a new ultrasound machine. Now, the team is ready to relaunch Stop the Bleed training after more than two years off because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“With a focus on injury prevention outreach, we are using some of the money we have left to purchase Stop the Bleed kits and get them out into the community,” said Jeremy Buller, trauma program coordinator for St. Charles.
Stop the Bleed trains, equips and empowers people to help others who are injured following a traumatic event. It is part of a national campaign organized by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
St. Charles regularly receives requests for the training from local individuals and organizations such as Bend-LaPine Schools and the Bend Chamber of Commerce, Buller said. Those requests have increased since the Aug. 28 Safeway shooting on the east side of Bend, he said.
Shootings can cause traumatic injuries, of course, but the majority of traumas in Central Oregon happen as the result of car crashes, falls off bikes and e-bikes, camping accidents and other everyday occurrences, Buller said.
“Hemorrhage is the number one leading cause of preventable death in trauma patients,” he said. “So the things we see on TV aren’t necessarily the reason we do this training. It’s more likely that you’re going to run across a need for this while you’re running an errand or you’re out on the trails.”
Training sessions are currently planned in November and December at Mountain View and Bend Senior high schools and the Bend Chamber, with more to be scheduled. Soon, Buller hopes to relaunch training that’s open to the public, and Stop the Bleed is now being taught as part of Trauma Services’ standard CPR education.
The department is also using the Saints Gala money to buy Stop the Bleed kits, which contain a tourniquet, gauze, gloves, scissors, a pressure bandage and more. They give these kits away for free as part of the training.
“The goal is to have these kits readily available in the event you run across someone that is experiencing life-threatening bleeding,” he said, “and to train as many people as possible on how to use them.”
If you have any questions about our Stop the Bleed classes, contact our Trauma Team via email.
The St. Charles Board of Directors has begun working with a national search firm to find our next inspiring president and Chief Executive Officer for St. Charles Health System.
As part of the process, we are actively seeking input from St. Charles employees, providers, community partners and many other key stakeholders on what attributes are most needed in our next CEO. We launched an internal survey this week to our more than 5,000 employees and members of our medical staff to ensure they have a chance to share their voice on this important topic.
The information gathered will go into development of the job profile used to source candidates who are both highly qualified and a great fit to lead St. Charles into the future. Once the profile is created, we anticipate beginning the public search phase for candidates in early 2023.
Ultimately, the St. Charles Board of Directors has the responsibility to select our next president and CEO. The input-gathering phase we are going through now will ensure the board’s search committee knows what matters most to the communities we have the privilege to serve. Because St. Charles is a community asset, we also believe it is important to keep you informed about the steps we are taking along the way.
Thanks to those of you who have already dedicated time to this process. It is heartening to know that our communities are invested in the future success of our health system.
St. Charles is seeing a concerning increase in respiratory illness in children and is encouraging families with infants to protect them as much as possible by limiting their exposure to others and practicing good hand hygiene.
“It has been a rough respiratory season so far, with rhinovirus and enterovirus starting to circulate in August and causing illness in a lot of kids,” said Dr. Suzanne Mendez, a pediatric hospitalist at St. Charles Bend.
Now, she said, RSV (respiratory syncytial virus)—which can be serious especially for infants—is hitting about two to three months sooner than usual.
Dr. Mike Johnson, St. Charles’ senior data scientist, said the health system has seen a pronounced difference in the number of pediatric patients who have visited a St. Charles Emergency Department with flu-like symptoms in September and October. In those two months, St. Charles saw 443 children versus 368 during the same period in 2021. He noted that COVID-19 does not appear to be among those viruses causing an increase in visits, as case numbers have remained relatively low for both children and adults in recent weeks.
The rise in pediatric respiratory cases in Central Oregon and around the country has created a shortage of hospital beds for children.
On Monday night, St. Charles Bend’s pediatric unit was full, and the health system is now working on a surge plan in anticipation of the West Coast following the trends currently being seen on the East Coast, where many children’s hospitals are full.
“We’ve also had to transfer more children to pediatric intensive care units in Portland than is usual for this time of year, and now we have early winter conditions that can make those transfers challenging,” Mendez said. “So, taking preventive measures to keep young children healthy is especially important right now.”
The COVID-19 virus is ever-changing, and so is our collective response to the pandemic. One thing that hasn’t changed, however, is this: The best way to protect yourself against severe illness as the result of COVID-19 is to make sure you’re up to date on your vaccinations and boosters.
St. Charles has the new bivalent boosters, emergency authorized by the FDA, which provide broad protection against both the original strain of COVID-19 as well as the omicron variant. Appointments are available for those 12 and older at any St. Charles Urgent Care clinic. If our schedule doesn’t work for you, please check out the many options for vaccination in Central Oregon.
“COVID-19 vaccines available in the United States are effective at protecting people from getting seriously ill, being hospitalized, and dying,” says the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, which publishes recommendations for different age groups. “As with other diseases, you are protected best from COVID-19 when you stay up to date with the recommended vaccines, including recommended boosters.”
Here are answers to five frequently asked questions about COVID-19 boosters:
What is a bivalent vaccine? How does it work?
Bivalent COVID-19 vaccines include a component of the original virus strain to provide broad protection against COVID-19 and a component of the omicron variant to provide better protection against COVID-19 caused by the omicron variant. They are called bivalent COVID-19 vaccines because they contain these two components.
When should I get a booster? Should I wait for another surge?
The CDC recommends vaccination for everyone ages 6 months and older and boosters for everyone age 5 and older, if eligible. Children ages 5-11 are recommended to get the original (monovalent) booster, and people age 12 and older are recommended to get the updated (bivalent) booster. More information is here, and the CDC has a handy chart showing who should get what (and when) here.
With a busy holiday season on the horizon and Australia experiencing a severe flu season (which is often an indication of what’s to come in the United States), October is a great time to get up to date on your flu shot and COVID vaccines.
I recently had COVID-19. Should I get a booster?
Getting a COVID-19 vaccine after you recover from COVID-19 infection provides added protection against the virus. People who already had COVID-19 and do not get vaccinated after their recovery are more likely to contract the virus again, according to the CDC.
However, per the CDC: “You may consider delaying your vaccine by three months from when your symptoms started or, if you had no symptoms, when you received a positive test.”
Are there side effects from the booster?
Reactions reported after getting a booster are similar to those after the primary series, including fever, headache, fatigue and pain at the injection site. Most side effects have been mild to moderate, and they vary from person to person. More information is here.
Can I get a COVID-19 booster and my flu vaccine at the same time?
Yes. There is no recommended waiting time between the COVID-19 booster and the flu vaccine or any other vaccine.
