CMH News

Jessica McNaughton, N.P. has joined the staff at Central Maine Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine located at 76 High Street in Lewiston.

McNaughton attended The University of Maine in Orono and University of Southern Maine in Portland receiving her Bachelor of Science in Food Science and Human Nutrition with a Minor in Neuroscience and Bachelor of Science in Nursing, respectively. She received her Master of Science in Nursing, Family Nurse Practitioner degree from St. Joseph’s College of Maine in Standish.

>Prior to joining Central Maine Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine, McNaughton worked was a Registered Nurse, Level II on the Pediatrics and Adult Medical Unit. Her time as an RN included roles as a charge nurse and new hire preceptor. She brings her knowledge of nutrition and compassionate care to patients with sleep disorders.

“I find Sleep Medicine very rewarding as sleep disorders have a pervasive effect on health, productivity, quality of life and enjoyment of waking hours. Eliminating any barriers and helping a patient achieve the most they can out of life is very gratifying,” said McNaughton of her specialty.

< Central Maine Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine is part of Central Maine Healthcare and can be reached by calling 207-795-5544.

facebookexternalhit/1.1 (+http://www.facebook.com/externalhit_uatext.php)

Gretchen Pianka, MD, MPH has joined the staff at Central Maine Pediatrics located at 12 High Street, Suite 301 in Lewiston.

Pianka attended Amherst College in Amherst, Mass. and earned her medical degree at the University of Vermont in Burlington, Vt. She also holds a Master’s Degree in Public Health from the University of New England in Biddeford, Me.

She completed her Pediatrics residency at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Va. Pianka is board certified by the American Board of Pediatrics and a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

“I believe that my role is to listen with an open mind and then to offer the family what western medicine has to help them. I will also listen to non-western medicine ideas and work with the family on incorporating other strategies to help their children. My role as their pediatrician means that I am only one of many people helping to make important decisions about a child’s health and well-being, and I always endeavor to be 100% present during those interactions,” said Pianka of her role as a pediatrician.

Central Maine Pediatrics, part of Central Maine Healthcare, is accepting new patients and can be reached by calling 207-795-5730.

CMMC Family Medicine Residency welcomes seven new medical graduates this June. Pictured – (Front Row): Terra Wilkins, MD, Jennifer Couture, DO, Olivia Simpson, MD; Christopher Decker, DO; (Back Row) Ross Watson, MD; Justin Quinlan, DO; Bryan Stanley, MD. This class of residents is the 39th class to join the residency and we are so excited to have them join us.

The CMMC Family Medicine Residency attracts resident physicians who are bright, enthusiastic and who want to make a positive difference in the lives of their patients. All of these physicians are required to complete a three-year post graduate residency in their chosen specialty of Family Medicine in order to become board certified Family Physicians.

Since its inception in 1978, the Family Medicine Residency has been a leader in innovations in healthcare at CMMC. It operates out of the Oscar Treat Turner Family Medicine Center located at 76 High Street, an outpatient health center adjacent to the medical center complex. Family physicians offer care to entire families across the lifespan. The Family Medicine residents pictured here will provide care to a group of patients and families at all stages of life including: pregnancy, delivering babies, baby/child/teenager care, adults, and elder adults including end of life care. In addition, they will spend time caring for patients in the hospital under the supervision of primary care doctors and sub-specialist physicians.

The mission of CMMC’s Family Medicine Residency is to provide a progressive and stimulating environment in which to learn and to develop the skills necessary to be highly competent family physicians. Many of the residency’s graduates continue to practice in the Lewiston-Auburn area or in Maine after graduation.

Central Maine Medical Center (CMMC) has received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award. The award recognizes the hospital’s commitment and success in ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence.

To receive the Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award, hospitals must achieve 85 percent or higher adherence to all Get With The Guidelines-Stroke achievement indicators for two or more consecutive 12-month periods and achieved 75 percent or higher compliance with five of eight Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Quality measures.

These quality measures are designed to help hospital teams provide the most up-to-date, evidence-based guidelines with the goal of speeding recovery and reducing death and disability for stroke patients. They focus on appropriate use of guideline-based care for stroke patients, including aggressive use of medications such as clot-busting and anti-clotting drugs, blood thinners and cholesterol-reducing drugs, preventive action for deep vein thrombosis and smoking cessation counseling.

“A stroke patient loses 1.9 million neurons each minute stroke treatment is delayed. This recognition further demonstrates our commitment to delivering advanced stroke treatments to patients quickly and safely,” said Peter Tilney, D.O., CMMC Emergency Department Co-Medical Director. “Central Maine Medical Center continues to strive for excellence in the acute treatment of stroke patients. The recognition from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines-Stroke further reinforces our team’s hard work.”

“The American Heart Association and American Stroke Association recognize Central Maine Medical Center for its commitment to stroke care,” said Paul Heidenreich, M.D., M.S., national chairman of the Get With The Guidelines Steering Committee and Professor of Medicine at Stanford University. “Research has shown there are benefits to patients who are treated at hospitals that have adopted the Get With The Guidelines program.”

Get With The Guidelines-S puts the expertise of the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association to work for hospitals nationwide, helping hospital care teams ensure the care provided to patients is aligned with the latest research-based guidelines. Developed with the goal to save lives and improve recovery time, Get With The Guidelines-S has impacted more than 3 million patients since 2003.

Central Maine Healthcare (CMHC) has named Ryan McKeown as its Vice President of Strategy and Managed Care. He started July 3.

McKeown will develop CMHC’s strategy to position the system for long-term success as a regional healthcare innovator and patient experience leader. Initially, he’ll focus on exploring strategic partnerships and markets, strengthening the system’s payer and employer relationships, and developing a vision to reshape how CMHC measures and delivers quality healthcare and value in central and western Maine.

A native Mainer, McKeown’s healthcare leadership experience began at Martin’s Point Health Care where he was responsible for driving programs and provider partnerships, ultimately achieving Medicare’s highest rating for quality and member satisfaction. Most recently he served as Vice President of Strategy and Business Integration for Optum, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group. While there, he executed multiple strategic partnerships and investments resulting in new market opportunities and capabilities driving revenue growth and expanded payer and provider relationships and physician engagement.

“I’m excited to continue my work in healthcare leadership. Central Maine Healthcare has been providing high-quality healthcare in central and western Maine for more than 125 years, and I’m looking forward to creating strategies that will allow CMHC to serve this region for another 125 years,” said McKeown.

McKeown’s efforts to help drive revenue growth and set new patient experience standards at CMHC will allow it to innovate, grow and continuously exceed the expectations of the communities it serves.

McKeown, his wife Lynne, an elementary school teacher, and their two dogs return home to Maine from Nashville, Tennessee.