Ronald W. Swinfard, MD, Lehigh Valley Health Network's (LVHN) president and chief executive officer, reported to the Board of Trustees, colleagues and members of the community that the health network's investment in community benefit was the highest ever in fiscal year 2012, which ended June 30.

Swinfard spoke to about 400 in attendance at LVHN's community annual meeting Dec. 5 in the Kasych Family Pavilion at Lehigh Valley Hospital Cedar Crest, Salisbury Township.

Swinfard spoke about enhancements in heart care, national recognition for stroke treatment, and how the health network is providing more access to clinical trials for patients through new partnerships announced this past year.

Among those Swinfard recognized during the public session was Noga Nir-Kistler, a health network information services employee and Paralympic swimmer who won a medal at the summer games in London.

Record benefit

Swinfard told trustees and community members that LVHN provided a record $251 million in community benefit during fiscal year 2012. That's a 16.7 percent increase over fiscal year 2011.

The total includes health clinics, support groups and free or reduced-cost care for which the not-for-profit charity is not reimbursed. Swinfard specifically cited providing free flu shots to the community more than 90,000 during the past 14 years and that excludes more than 11,000 given during drive-through sessions at Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom and Coca-Cola Park last month for fiscal year 2013.

In fiscal year 2012, LVHN cared for more than 68,300 patients admitted to the hospital, a 2 percent increase over the previous year.

Emergency department visits rose by about 8,000 to 173,600 patients.

Outpatient registrations were up by more than 30,000 to 522,300 visits and visits to the health network-owned physicians of the Lehigh Valley Physician Group grew by almost 8 percent to 1.6 million.

Swinfard announced that controlling operating expenses, which were $4.1 million below budget in fiscal year 2012, led to a successful year financially for the health network. LVHN's operating income for fiscal year 2012, which is reinvested in programs, services, facilities and technology, was $82.9 million, or 5.1 percent of total revenues. The health network's operating margin in fiscal year 2011 was $80 million.

Better technology

Swinfard told guests who attended the meeting about some of the advancements in technology implemented in the health network this year that are improving patient care.

These include the hybrid operating room, a combination operating room and cardiac catheterization lab that allows surgeons and interventional cardiologists to work together to perform procedures, including trans-catheter aortic valve replacement, which treats patients who have a diseased valve and are considered too high-risk to have traditional open-heart surgery.

Swinfard announced that the accrediting body, The Joint Commission, last month named Lehigh Valley Hospital as Pennsylvania's first Comprehensive Stroke Center, one of only five hospitals in the nation to receive the designation.

"This is thanks to the incredible team of doctors, nurses and caregivers who provide care in places like our emergency rooms, neuroscience intensive care unit, radiology department and our neuroscience center," Swinfard said.

Swinfard noted the health network's efforts to give cancer patients more hope by providing access to clinical trials through a relationship with The Wistar Institute of Philadelphia.

Honorees

Among those in the audience that Swinfard singled out was Noga Nir-Kistler, a customer service representative in LVHN's information services call center.

At age 21, a nerve disease left her paralyzed from the waist down. Rather than view her diagnosis as debilitating, she used it as motivation to reach new goals and inspire others.

She started swimming, trained faithfully and made the USA Paralympic swim team. In September, she won a bronze medal in the 100-meter breaststroke at the Paralympic Games in London, recording her personal best time.

"I help people be at their best by setting an example," she says. "When they see what I am able to accomplish, they stop looking at the wheelchair and start looking at the person."

Trustees elected

The LVHN Board of Trustees re-elected William F. Hecht, chairman and CEO (retired), PPL Corp., to a two-year term as chairman, effective Jan. 1, 2013.

Trustees re-elected the following members to three-year terms, effective Jan. 1, 2013: Rev. Jefferson K. Aiken Jr., DMin, senior pastor (retired), First Presbyterian Church, Allentown; Jeffrey P. Feather, vice chairman, National Penn Bancshares, Inc.; Stephen K. Klasko, MD, MBA, CEO, USF Health, dean, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida; Jarret R. Patton, MD, president-elect, medical staff, Lehigh Valley Health Network; Daniel H. Weiss, PhD, president, Lafayette College; and Susan C. Yee, CEO, Active Data Exchange, Inc.

The Trustees re-elected Matthew M. McCambridge, MD, past president, medical staff, Lehigh Valley Health Network, to a two-year term, effective Jan. 1, 2013.