Healing Communities: Saint Anthony Hospital Is Building an In-House ED Staff
Saint Anthony Hospital has been a fixture on Chicago’s Southwest Side since it began serving patients in 1898. Today, the hospital’s emergency department (ED) sees 80-100 patients every day. Instead of bringing in clinicians from an outside emergency medicine group, the hospital is growing its own staff.
The hospital recently replaced ED staff from an outside group with seven full-time doctors and several physician assistants. It’s part of an effort to build a culture of camaraderie and compassion in serving neighborhoods where between 20%-33% of residents live in poverty.
Romeen Lavani, MD, Saint Anthony Hospital Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, is upfront about the challenges of caring for historically marginalized communities. He asks job candidates if they’re ready for the challenges ahead.
“It was very hard to make a third-party team understand what we are trying to do for the community,” Dr. Lavani said. “They were professionals, they were doing a good job, but they didn’t feel the need to immerse themselves completely into this mission.”
Since adding new ED staff, the percentage of patients seeking emergency care who’ve left without being treated has fallen from nearly 5% to less than 2%. The hospital’s patient satisfaction rating has also improved since the staffing transition—and the ED team hopes for even more positive results to come.
NIST: Critical Vulnerability Found in 7-Zip Archiving Software
A critical vulnerability has been identified in 7-Zip, a free software program used for archiving data,
according to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The vulnerability allows remote cyber actors to execute code on affected installations of 7-Zip. Notably, there is no automatic patch available for the vulnerability; those using 7-Zip must manually update their software.
DEADLINE: Medicaid Provider IMPACT Revalidations Due Nov. 30
The Illinois Dept. of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) is currently conducting IMPACT Medicaid provider revalidations. Providers in the November cohort must complete IMPACT revalidations by this Sunday, Nov. 30.
If you are in this revalidation cycle and do not submit your revalidation information by Nov. 30 you will be disenrolled from the IMPACT system and cannot receive retroactive enrollment. NOTE: If a physician providing services at your hospital does not revalidate, your hospital will not receive payment for services provided by that physician. HFS has provided IHA with step-by-step instructions to check the status and due date of servicing providers that you can access
here. The
IMPACT Provider Revalidation website includes step-by-step instructions, a frequently asked questions document and a townhall webinar recording.
IDOR Shares Tips for Safe Online Holiday Shopping
As the holiday shopping season begins, the Illinois Dept. of Revenue (IDOR) is
urging residents to stay alert when shopping online and to take simple steps to protect themselves from fraud and identity theft. With more Illinoisans shopping online each year, the threat of cybercrime continues to grow. The Department emphasized the importance of:
- Shopping with trusted retailers: Stick to websites you know and trust. Make sure the retailer has a physical address and customer service contact information.
- Paying with a credit card: Credit cards offer stronger consumer protections than debit cards or other payment options.
- Checking for secure websites: Before entering payment information, look for “https” in the URL.
- Using strong passwords and enable multifactor authentication: Create complex, unique passwords for each account and turn on multifactor authentication whenever possible.
- Avoiding public Wi-Fi for online shopping or financial transactions: Public networks can expose your data. Use a secure home network or trusted mobile hotspot instead.
- Monitoring your financial accounts regularly: Review your bank and credit card statements often. Report any suspicious or unfamiliar charges immediately.
- Protecting your personal and tax information: IDOR will never request sensitive personal information—such as your Social Security number or bank details—through email or text message, unless you are already engaged in an established and secure communication with the department.
- Being alert for delivery and tracking scams: Do not click links on emails or texts claiming to provide package tracking unless you can verify the sender.
