Cape Girardeau, Missouri - HMR Weight Management Services (HMR) is one of U.S. News & World Report’s best fast weight loss diets of 2018, based on the rankings released in early January. The Healthy Weigh, Saint Francis Medical Center’s medically supervised weight-loss program, incorporates diet solutions from HMR.

HMR was ranked the number one Best Fast Weight-Loss Diet in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Diets of 2018 rankings. This is the third year the magazine has published the Best Fast Weight-Loss Diet category. HMR Programs focus on helping people lose weight quickly while teaching the healthy lifestyle skills needed for long-term weight management.

Saint Francis has offered the HMR Program for six years to community members in Southeast Missouri and beyond who are interested in losing weight fast and keeping it off. So far, participants have lost more than 18,000 pounds and counting!

“Successful weight loss is not only about losing pounds quickly, it’s about creating changes around eating and physical activity that you can sustain over the long term,” said Carol Addy, M.D. MMSc, Chief Medical Officer at HMR. “By keeping the plan simple, people can lose weight quickly while building the skills they need for long-term weight management.”

In a clinical study, 1,100 participants with a BMI of 40 or higher who completed at least 12 weeks of the HMR program lost an average of 66 lbs. after 26 weeks (using either the HMR Decision-Free® or Healthy Solutions® program). Participants using the Healthy Solutions® at Home program had a median weight loss of 23 lbs. over the first 12 weeks of the program. Clinically meaningful weight loss is typically defined as losing 5 percent or more of initial body weight. Healthy Solutions at Home participants using phone support maintained an average weight loss of 7.4 percent of initial body weight 18 months after starting the program.

It is well reported that weight loss is associated with favorable changes in medical risk factors.  Below are health risk reductions and medication changes for 721 HMR patients who participated in a clinic-based program (mean duration of participation 107.6 weeks):

Fasting Glucose (mg/dL): -9.4 percent

Total Cholesterol / HDL ratio: -10.3 percent

Diastolic / Systolic Blood Pressure: -7 mmHg / -4 mmHg

Triglycerides (mg/dL): -26.7 percent

Of 126 patients taking oral diabetes medications at baseline, 40.5 percent (n=51) had discontinued these medications at follow-up.

Of 45 patients taking insulin at baseline, 35.5 percent (n=16) had discontinued their insulin at follow -up.

Of 337 patients taking blood pressure medications at baseline, 36.2 percent (n=122) had discontinued these medications at follow-up.

During the ranking process, reporters and editors from U.S. News & World Report created in-depth profiles of 38 diets. A panel of nationally recognized experts on diet, nutrition, obesity, food psychology, diabetes and heart disease rated the diets on their effectiveness.

For more information on HMR’s inclusion in the Best Diets ranking, please visit www.health.usnews.com/best-diet. To learn more about The Healthy Weigh at Saint Francis, call 573-331-5686, or visit www.sfmc.net. 

HMR Weight Management Services (HMR) is a subsidiary of Merck specializing in weight loss and weight management. HMR programs, available in person or at home, offer lifestyle education, a structured diet and an emphasis on long-term weight and health management. Founded in 1983 by Lawrence T.P. Stifler, Ph.D. and headquartered in Boston, Mass., HMR’s medically-based programs are available to clinics, hospitals, major medical centers, and integrated delivery networks throughout the United States.  For more information, visit www.hmrprogram.com.

Saint Francis Medical Center is a 308-bed facility serving more than 713,000 people throughout Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee and Arkansas. Guided by its mission to provide a ministry of healing and wellness inspired by its Christian philosophy and values, the Medical Center has become a progressive, innovative regional tertiary care referral center. Saint Francis’ major service lines, which have received national recognition, include the Neurosciences Institute; Orthopedic Institute; Family BirthPlace, featuring the region’s first Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit; Heart Hospital; Emergency and Level III Trauma Center; Cancer Institute; and Fitness Plus. 

Pictured: Donna Ozark of Perryville, Mo., has lost 118 pounds since starting the HMR program with The Healthy Weigh at Saint Francis Medical Center in December 2016. She lost it all through diet and exercise alone, no surgery! 

“I’ve been overweight my entire adult life and I have tried many programs with limited results,” says Ozark. “This is the one that works!”

Her weight loss journey is proof that the HMR program works. The U.S. News and World Report named HRM Weight Management as the #1 best fast weight-loss diet.  

Cape Girardeau, Missouri - Saint Francis Healthcare System named Wayne Floyd, CISSP, the new cybersecurity officer for Information Technology. 

In this role, Floyd is responsible for the implementation of Information Technology security policies, procedures, standards, technical safeguards and solutions in response to ongoing assessment and evaluations as well as other identified business exposures. 

Floyd has over 20 years of experience in information technology and has focused on cybersecurity for the last five years. 

He earned his undergraduate degree from Southern Arkansas University and his MBA from University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Floyd is a certified information systems security professional through (ISC)², which is the world’s leading cybersecurity and IT security professional organization. 

 

Saint Francis Medical Center is a 308-bed facility serving more than 713,000 people throughout Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee and Arkansas. Guided by its mission to provide a ministry of healing and wellness inspired by its Christian philosophy and values, the Medical Center has become a progressive, innovative regional tertiary care referral center. Saint Francis’ major service lines, which have received national recognition, include the Neurosciences Institute; Orthopedic Institute; Family BirthPlace, featuring the region’s first Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit; Heart Hospital; Emergency and Level III Trauma Center; Cancer Institute; and Fitness Plus. 

Cape Girardeau, Missouri - Saint Francis Healthcare System announces the appointment of Kristen Conrad, LPN, as the new manager for system scheduling and authorization and referrals. 

In this role, Conrad will oversee the operations for all scheduling, service authorization, referral coordination services, online scheduling through MyChart and pre-service cash collections across the Healthcare System. 

Conrad has been with Saint Francis for six years and has worked as the practice manager for specialty, primary care and convenient care clinics in Cape Girardeau, Jackson, Perryville and Dexter. 

Saint Francis Medical Center is a 308-bed facility serving more than 713,000 people throughout Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee and Arkansas. Guided by its mission to provide a ministry of healing and wellness inspired by its Christian philosophy and values, the Medical Center has become a progressive, innovative regional tertiary care referral center. Saint Francis’ major service lines, which have received national recognition, include the Neurosciences Institute; Orthopedic Institute; Family BirthPlace, featuring the region’s first Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit; Heart Hospital; Emergency and Level III Trauma Center; Cancer Institute; and Fitness Plus

Cape Girardeau, Missouri - Saint Francis Healthcare System welcomes hospitalists Trae Brotherton III, DO; Chad McCormick, MD; and James Williams, DO, as new Saint Francis Medical Partners. They join 11 other hospitalists in providing expert, dedicated care to hospitalized patients at the Medical Center.

 

Brotherton, a Jackson native, earned his medical degree from A.T. Still University Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine in Kirksville, Mo. He completed his internal medicine residency at the University of Missouri Health Care in Columbia, Mo. He holds a wide variety of clinical interests, including hematology and infectious diseases, which is why he chose a physician role that allows him to treat the whole patient.

McCormick, a Kelso native, earned his medical degree from the University of Missouri School of Medicine in Columbia, Mo. He later completed his internal medicine/pediatrics residency at the University of Missouri Health Care in Columbia, Mo. His clinical interests include critical care, pediatrics, infectious diseases and internal medicine.

Williams, a Cape Girardeau native, earned his medical degree from Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences in Kansas City, Mo. He completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at Northeast Regional Medical Center in Kirksville, Mo. His clinical interests include helping patients manage chronic disease, diabetes and high blood pressure, as well as sepsis management.

“We are happy to welcome these three physicians back to Southeast Missouri, where they grew up,” says Steven C. Bjelich, FACHE-D, President and Chief Executive Officer, Saint Francis Healthcare System. “They will now be part of a team that is committed to reducing stay length, lowering costs and improving care for patients.”

Hospitalists are doctors at Saint Francis Medical Center who focus on the general medical care of hospitalized patients. Available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Medical Center hospitalists are dedicated to coordinating and managing the healthcare needs of each patient from admission to discharge. Hospitalists help ensure a seamless continuum of care among primary care doctors, physician specialists and inpatient care providers. 

 

To learn more about Dr. Brotherton, Dr. McCormick or Dr. Williams, or a hospitalist’s role, visit sfmc.net or call 573-331-3996.

Saint Francis Medical Center is a 308-bed facility serving more than 713,000 people throughout Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee and Arkansas. Guided by its mission to provide a ministry of healing and wellness inspired by its Christian philosophy and values, the Medical Center has become a progressive, innovative regional tertiary care referral center. Saint Francis’ major service lines, which have received national recognition, include the Neurosciences Institute; Orthopedic Institute; Family BirthPlace, featuring the region’s first Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit; Heart Hospital; Emergency and Level III Trauma Center; Cancer Institute; and Fitness Plus.

FOR JOINT REPLACEMENT EXCELLENCE 

Cape Girardeau, Missouri - On Tuesday, U.S. News & World Report named Saint Francis Medical Center a “High Performing Hospital” for both hip replacement and knee replacement, the only hospital in the region recognized with this designation. To earn this prestigious honor, Saint Francis’ Center for Joint Replacement & Revision performed significantly higher than the national average in three key areas for both joint replacement procedures.

High Performing Hospital Methodology 

Hospital rankings were based on demonstrated success in three healthcare-related areas:

Outcomes: measureable results of a program’s patient care and quality-of-life improvement

Process: how well a hospital goes about its day-to-day care delivery through best practices  

Structure: resources such as number of nurses, specialties, accreditations and certifications

“Our Center for Joint Replacement & Revision goes above and beyond for its patients,” says Steven C. Bjelich, FACHE-D, President and Chief Executive Officer of Saint Francis Healthcare System. “To receive recognition like this is a testament to the talents of our orthopedic surgeons, state-of-the-art facilities, knowledgeable staff and program best practices.”

To learn more about this Orthopedic Institute honor, call 573-331-3996 or visit sfmc.net.

Saint Francis Medical Center is a 308-bed facility serving more than 713,000 people throughout Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee and Arkansas. Guided by its mission to provide a ministry of healing and wellness inspired by its Christian philosophy and values, the Medical Center has become a progressive, innovative regional tertiary care referral center. Saint Francis’ major service lines, which have received national recognition, include the Neurosciences Institute; Orthopedic Institute; Family BirthPlace, featuring the region’s first Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit; Heart Hospital; Emergency and Level III Trauma Center; Cancer Institute; and Fitness Plus.