Mercy Hospital Southeast Nationally Recognized for High-Quality Heart Failure Care
Mercy Hospital Southeast is being nationally recognized with the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® - Heart Failure Gold Plus quality achievement award for its commitment to improving outcomes for patients with heart failure, meaning reduced readmissions and more healthy days at home.
About 6 million U.S. adults are living with heart failure, a number that is expected to increase to more than 8 million by 2030. Despite the name, heart failure doesn’t mean the heart has stopped working – it means the heart is having a hard time pumping blood and oxygen throughout the body. While there’s no cure for heart failure, patients can live a quality life by working with their health care team to create and stick with a plan that may include medication, symptom monitoring and lifestyle changes.
“We’re very excited to receive this recognition,” said Regina Moore, Mercy Southeast quality management specialist. “This is our sixth year earning this award for the work we do to care for the heart failure patient population in Southeast Missouri. There are a lot of moving parts in this work, which include the heart failure team, led by Dr. Munis Raza, and our heart failure nurse practitioner, Morgan Siemer. For our hospital inpatients, education is provided by the nursing, cardiac rehab, transitional care, palliative care, pharmacy and nutrition teams.”
The Get With The Guidelines - Heart Failure quality achievement award is earned by hospitals that demonstrate a commitment to treating patients according to the most up-to-date guidelines as outlined by the American Heart Association. Get With The Guidelines puts the expertise of the American Heart Association to work for hospitals nationwide, helping ensure patient care is aligned with the latest research- and evidence-based guidelines. The program aims to increase healthy days at home and reduce hospital readmissions for heart failure patients.
“Our specialists work hard to serve our patients at the outpatient level as well, and in return, we are able to decrease hospital admissions,” Moore said. “Serving our patients to the best of our ability is our mission.”
Mercy Hospital Southeast is also recognized on the American Heart Association’s Target: Heart FailureSMHonor Roll and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll™. Hospitals on the heart failure honor roll meet specific criteria that improve medication adherence, provide early follow-up care and coordination and enhance patient education. The goal is to further reduce hospital readmissions and help patients improve their quality of life in managing this chronic condition.
The Target: Type 2 Diabetes honor is for facilities that aim to ensure patients with Type 2 diabetes, who might be at higher risk for complications, receive the most up-to-date, evidence-based care when hospitalized due to heart disease.
Mercy, one of the 20 largest U.S. health systems and named the top large system in the U.S. for excellent patient experience by NRC Health, serves millions annually with nationally recognized quality care and one of the nation’s largest Accountable Care Organizations. Mercy is a highly integrated, multi-state health care system including more than 50 acute care and specialty (heart, children’s, orthopedic and rehab) hospitals, convenient and urgent care locations, imaging centers and pharmacies. Mercy has over 900 physician practice locations and outpatient facilities, more than 4,500 physicians and advanced practitioners and more than 47,000 co-workers serving patients and families across Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Mercy also has clinics, outpatient services and outreach ministries in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.
Mercy Southeast Names New Vice President of Mission Integration
Mercy Southeast welcomes a new vice president of mission integration, George Avila. He joins Mercy with an impressive background in helping health care organizations develop a common identity, experience and inclusive culture.
“George joins us with more than 20 years of progressive health care leadership experience,” said Ryan Geib, Mercy Southeast president. “He is adept at driving successful people strategies, cultural and mission integration and transformation, organizational development, change management and community health initiatives. These are important qualities as we work to blend the shared goals of Mercy and southeast Missouri in caring for this community.”
Avila comes to Mercy Southeast from CRISTUS Health in Dallas, Tx., where he served most recently as system vice president of change integration and previously as system vice president of mission integration.
“I have been blessed to serve in Catholic health in a variety of positions that have provided a sense of purpose and connection for me,” Avila said. “I am reminded that God creates straight paths with many lines, and I have felt Him guiding the way, which has taught me to always be open to the next adventure.”
As a child of immigrant parents who struggled to access and navigate the health care system, Avila added that he has always been drawn to ensuring all people have access to high quality and equitable health care. As a new leader at Mercy Southeast, Avila looks forward to “listening to our caregivers and community to understand their hopes for this new ministry. I know that together we will add to the exceptional legacy of SoutheastHEALTH and step forward into our new future as Mercy Southeast Communities.”
Avila earned his Master of Arts in health care mission from the Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis and a Master of Arts in urban and regional planning-community health planning from the University of California – Irvine. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish-bilingual education from the University of California – Irvine.
Mercy Hospital Southeast Receives National Recognition for Commitment to Quality Heart Attack Care
The American Heart Association recognized Mercy Hospital Southeast with its Get with the Guidelines® – Coronary Artery Disease STEMI Receiving Center Gold Plus award. This recognition highlights Mercy Hospital Southeast’s commitment to offering rapid, research-based care to people experiencing a specific type of heart attack known as an ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), known to be more severe and dangerous than other types of heart attacks.
Each year, about 285,000 people in the U.S. experience this type of heart attack, caused by a complete blockage in a coronary artery. Nearly 40% of people who seek emergency treatment with acute coronary syndrome are diagnosed with a STEMI. Like all heart attacks, it requires timely treatment to restore blood flow as quickly as possible.
“We are honored to be recognized for this distinguished award once again,” said Kristi Mueller, Mercy Southeast’s STEMI program coordinator. “Our team is committed to making cardiovascular treatment a priority and ensuring quality care is provided to our patients. We continue to strive for excellence in the services we provide our patients and their families.”
Recognition as a STEMI Receiving Center is designed to showcase hospitals that provide 24/7 support for STEMI patients and demonstrate a commitment to treating patients according to the most up-to-date research-based guidelines for STEMI care as outlined by the American Heart Association. These important facilities coordinate with a network of referring hospitals and emergency medical services to provide guideline-directed STEMI and non-STEMI care.
Mercy Hospital Southeast also received the American Heart Association’s Target: Type 2 Diabetes™ Honor Roll award. Target: Type 2 Diabetes aims to ensure patients with Type 2 diabetes, who might be at higher risk for complications, receive the most up-to-date, evidence-based care when hospitalized due to heart attack.
Mercy, one of the 20 largest U.S. health systems and named the top large system in the U.S. for excellent patient experience by NRC Health, serves millions annually with nationally recognized quality care and one of the nation’s largest Accountable Care Organizations. Mercy is a highly integrated, multi-state health care system including more than 50 acute care and specialty (heart, children’s, orthopedic and rehab) hospitals, convenient and urgent care locations, imaging centers and pharmacies. Mercy has over 900 physician practice locations and outpatient facilities, more than 4,500 physicians and advanced practitioners and more than 47,000 co-workers serving patients and families across Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Mercy also has clinics, outpatient services and outreach ministries in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.
Anna Lopez Brings Her Health Care and Leadership Experience to Mercy Southeast Team
Anna Lopez started her career in health care as a frontline caregiver serving as a radiology tech. Over the next 28 years, she dedicated herself to one nonprofit health care system and worked her way up to chief operating officer. Now Lopez brings her vast experience to Southeast Missouri as the new chief operating officer for Mercy Southeast.
“I’m thrilled to be joining both Mercy and the Southeast Missouri community,” Lopez said. “I see so much opportunity to grow the care we provide here. And I’m looking forward to serving this community in a way that fulfills the legacy and carries out the mission established by the Sisters of Mercy.”
Prior to joining Mercy, Lopez served with Methodist Le Bonheur Health System. She has 14 years of leadership experience, including the last five years as the chief operating officer of Methodist Le Bonheur’s hospital in Germantown, Tennessee.
Lopez and her husband, Jose, have four children, three sons and a daughter. They enjoy spending time together, whether it’s at the soccer fields watching one of their boys play or enjoying college football games.
“Cape is a beautiful area. I’m excited to get to know the area and get involved in the community,” Lopez added.
Lopez earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from Union University in Jackson, Tennessee, and a Bachelor of Radiologic Science Administration degree from Saint Joseph’s College of Maine in Standish.
Mercy, one of the 20 largest U.S. health systems and named the top large system in the U.S. for excellent patient experience by NRC Health, serves millions annually with nationally recognized quality care and one of the nation’s largest Accountable Care Organizations. Mercy is a highly integrated, multi-state health care system including more than 50 acute care and specialty (heart, children’s, orthopedic and rehab) hospitals, convenient and urgent care locations, imaging centers and pharmacies. Mercy has over 900 physician practice locations and outpatient facilities, more than 4,500 physicians and advanced practitioners and more than 47,000 co-workers serving patients and families across Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Mercy also has clinics, outpatient services and outreach ministries in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.
Mercy Southeast welcomes a new cardiologist, Raphael Ngengwe, MD, who will be serving the Cape Girardeau community. Dr. Ngengwe specializes in cardiac electrophysiology.
As an electrophysiologist, Dr. Ngengwe treats issues related to the heart’s electrical system, which controls the rhythm of the heart. Examples of these conditions include atrial fibrillation, ventricular fibrillation, atrial flutter and more. Dr. Ngengwe will be seeing patients at Mercy Clinic Heart and Vascular – Broadview.
“My philosophy of care is that what I do is more than a job or a career. It is a calling. A calling to help, heal and serve with the knowledge I was blessed to learn,” Dr. Ngengwe said. “I do not take this blessing for granted. ‘Voca’ in Latin means ‘to call’. I believe all I have achieved and all I have accomplished have been a calling to serve patients in what is my new home, Cape Girardeau.”
Dr. Ngengwe earned his medical degree at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine. He is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in clinical cardiac electrophysiology, cardiovascular medicine and internal medicine. Dr. Ngengwe most recently served as an electrophysiologist with St. Bernard’s Heart and Vascular in Jonesboro, Arkansas.
Dr. Ngengwe joins the Mercy Clinic Heart and Vascular team that includes every cardiologist who previously served SoutheastHEALTLH. They have finalized their agreements to continue serving patients as Mercy physicians.
“We are extremely pleased to officially welcome the highly regarded team at Mercy Clinic Heart and Vascular,” said Dr. Naresh Agarwal, chief medical officer for Mercy Southeast. “Our team of cardiology specialists will continue to provide exceptional heart care for patients in southeast Missouri as we further Mercy’s mission of healing.”
The board-certified team at Mercy Heart and Vascular includes cardiologists Bryan Beck, MD; Steven Carr, MD; Ali Farooq, MD; Chizor Iwuchukwu, MD; David Law, MD; and Munis Raza, MD. Working alongside these physicians are nurse practitioners Jena Scholl, APRN; Morgan Siemer, APRN; and Dawn Walston, APRN.
Mercy, one of the 20 largest U.S. health systems and named the top large system in the U.S. for excellent patient experience by NRC Health, serves millions annually with nationally recognized care and one of the nation’s largest and highest performing Accountable Care Organizations in quality and cost. Mercy is a highly integrated, multi-state health care system including more than 50 acute care and specialty (heart, children’s, orthopedic and rehab) hospitals, convenient and urgent care locations, imaging centers and pharmacies. Mercy has over 900 physician practice locations and outpatient facilities, more than 4,500 physicians and advanced practitioners and 50,000 co-workers serving patients and families across Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Mercy also has clinics, outpatient services and outreach ministries in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. In fiscal year 2023 alone, Mercy provided more than half a billion dollars of free care and other community benefits, including traditional charity care and unreimbursed Medicaid.
