Issue link: https://tmcpulse.uberflip.com/i/1138339
t m c » p u l s e | j u ly 2 0 1 9 17 analytics to identify patients who are most likely to benefit from early interventions so they can be reached "before they fall off the cliff," Andrieni said. For example, Houston Methodist purchases food through Meals on Wheels for patients who won't be able to shop for or prepare food after a hospital discharge, and it hopes to integrate a software ser- vice called "Aunt Bertha" that connects patients to food, housing and trans- portation providers via its Epic electronic health records system. In a similar vein, Memorial Hermann Health System officials recently unveiled a new service center at Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital in Sharpstown, where health navigators can con- nect patients to legal aid organizations, homeless shelters, FQHCs and other services. Their goal is to work with patients before they're in a crisis, said Carol Paret, CEO of Memorial Hermann Community Benefit Corporation. The resource center is open to anyone, not just patients. Memorial Hermann has enrolled about 100 patients in its own program that provides six weeks of Meals on Wheels services after hospi- tal discharge. That program, Paret noted, has the added benefit of putting extra eyes on the patient. If drivers see a patient is struggling, they can suggest that a Memorial Hermann caseworker follow up. This is part of a broader effort to use trained "navigators" to screen Memorial Hermann patients for food insecu- rity. The system's ultimate goal is to determine whether all patients— regardless of how they've entered the Memorial Hermann system—have reliable access to healthy food. Trained "navigators" started screening patients for food security more than a year ago. Now, the questions are built into patients' electronic health records and physicians are getting training in how to pay attention to the responses. "What I tell doctors, all the time, is that if your patient is food insecure, they're not going to follow the diet and they're not going to fill the prescription," Paret said. Hospitals must recognize the importance of conditions beyond their walls. "The reality is, hospitals can't do it all," Paret said. "But hospitals are a piece of the solution." CME Course for Health Care Providers Tobacco and Nicotine Counseling for Adults and Adolescents According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, tobacco use claims an estimated 480,000 lives each year in the United States. That's why the experts at MD Anderson Cancer Center have developed a free online CME course to support medical profes- sionals in reducing tobacco use in adult and adolescent patients. In this CME course, you'll learn how to: · Identify appropriate pharmacological options for tobacco and nicotine cessation · Counsel adult and adolescent patients to enhance their motivation to quit smoking · Counsel patients to reduce their susceptibility to beginning the use of tobacco and nicotine products Upon completion of the course, you'll have access to additional resources to support your patients. TOGETHER, WE CAN END TOBACCO-RELATED CANCERS. Visit mdanderson.org/TOEP to enroll in this free and convenient online CME course. Enroll today! 2.25 CME credit hours * MD Anderson is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing education for medical professionals. Carol Paret is CEO of Memorial Hermann Community Benefit Corporation, which works with health care providers, government agencies and business leaders to ensure that all Houston-area residents have access to care.