As a special addition to our member promotion services, the Chamber is now offering a free Featured Member Profile, which will be printed in the Chamber View and posted on the website for a month, then moved into a prominently-placed online archive for the remainder of the year.  To win this free publicity, just drop your business card into the Featured Member Fishbowl at each monthly Networking Mixer and be present for the drawing.  For more information, call the Chamber, 410-719-9609.

Featured Member

Rehab Treatment and Much More
Kernan Hospital Meets the Needs of Aging Boomers - December 2008

Kernan Hospital is one of only two Maryland facilities with the Lokomot robotic treadmill for patients with spinal cord injuries.

It’s all part of the consideration given to visitors, patients, and families alike.

Now celebrating over a century of service to patients from Baltimore City, Baltimore County, and the state of Maryland, Kernan’s services are closely attuned to the changing needs of the aging Boomer generation. Problematic joints and spines, chronic pain, work-related injuries, and trauma from falls and accidents are all part of the patient picture that Kernan sees every day.

As the largest provider of inpatient rehabilitative care in the state of Maryland, Kernan receives patients referred from Shock Trauma, Johns Hopkins, and hospitals statewide, as well as from nearer facilities such as St. Agnes. With six operating rooms, an ICU, a Medical-Surgical unit, and diagnostically focused inpatient units, patients receive comprehensive care from surgery through rehabilitation.

But, Ms. Summerlin says, the full scope of the hospital’s services, and its advances in technology, surgery, safety, and patient care, are not as well known. For example, in addition to orthopedic surgery and rehabilitation for adults, elders, and children, the hospital treats patients with a broad range of other conditions, such as brain and spinal cord injuries, stroke, and multiple sclerosis.

A short list of outpatient specialties includes pain management, rheumatology, urology, neurology, scoliosis, cleft lip and palate, and amputee services, as well as an outpatient pharmacy and a full-service dental center for special-needs patients and the community at large. In addition, Kernan hosts specialized clinics such as the University of Maryland Pain Management Center and Center for Integrative Medicine.

Ms. Summerlin points out that Kernan is accredited for comprehensive integrated inpatient rehabilitation, brain injury, spinal cord system of care, and stroke treatment by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF).  This accreditation, required for Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement, gives the hospital heavyweight status among rehab facilities in Maryland as the population ages.

“We are licensed for acute, rehabilitative, and chronic care beds,” she says. “This is a distinct benefit to Medicare patients, as it keeps them from using up their skilled nursing days while giving them access to experts in physical therapy. It’s not what you would get in most rehab facilities: here, if the patient needs more therapy, they’ll get what they need, there’s no discussion.”

Add this to Kernan’s notable focus on communication with patients and their families,  the hospital’s emphasis on hourly rounding to monitor a patient’s needs and condition, and the national recognition it has won for attention to patient and staff safety, and you have a rare institution indeed.

To enhance Kernan’s position, Ms. Summerlin adds, “our CEO encourages sharing across institutional boundaries. Continuing education is not an issue; our priority is staying on top of what is going on in health care, taking a leadership role. “

This dedication to leadership shows up repeatedly across the hospital, from the 15-plus research projects currently underway; to the staff’s leading-edge initiatives for safe lifting and handling of patients;  to Ms. Summerlin’s service as a national CARF surveyor.

While evaluating hospitals by the CARF standards, she meets with staff members to share and receive insights and tips on best practices. This cross-fertilization pays off at Kernan in state-of-the-art improvements to patients’ gyms and home life practice apartments.

“I love my job,” says Ms. Summerlin. “It’s challenging and rewarding, with the opportunity to make changes that benefit our patients. The hours are flexible; the people are friendly. We’re at the end of the patient-care continuum, so we see the value of the work we do in the patients’ progress. “

 “We’re the hidden gem in Catonsville’s backyard,” she says. “We want to make our services available to the community and to partner with the health care institutions in Catonsville.”

 Past Featured Members