News from Franciscan St. Anthony Health-Michigan City: Gastrointestinal Services Receive Prestigious Recognition

Franciscan-St-Anthony-Health-receives-rave-reviews-for-gastrointestinal-services-02Recent recognition by an internationally renowned program assures patients at Franciscan St. Anthony Health-Michigan City and its Woodland Health Center the area’s best possible care from the most qualified physicians, said Eugene Lyubashevsky, M.D., medical director of gastrointestinal endoscopy for the two facilities.

The Endoscopy Unit Recognition came several months ago from the American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE), following a stringent, year-long evaluation process that involved quality measures, policies, innovations, excellence in patient care and outcomes and other areas. Franciscan St. Anthony Health and Woodland have the only such designation in Porter and LaPorte counties, according to the ASGE website.

Dr. Lyubashevsky, who made the proposal and supervised the evaluation process, said the recognition was “tough to get,” but well worth the effort.

"Each of our four surgeons was scrutinized for five or six quality measures they have to obtain,” he said, adding, “We all are board-certified, are ASGE members, and have to have a certain level of expertise. Quality measures for surgeries were tracked and reported and based on those factors and others, we received the recognition award.”

Dr. Lyubashevsky, who has been with Franciscan St. Anthony Health for 10 of his 17 years in practice, added, “When patients come here, they know they are getting the best care, as conferred on us by a major international society. There is no higher award for quality of care for gastroenterologists. The bottom line is, patients can trust in the care they get from us.”

Meanwhile, the latest technology is enhancing Franciscan St. Anthony Health-Michigan City’s ability to more accurately diagnose esophageal-reflux issues and helping to better differentiate patients who may need surgery from those who instead can be treated with medication.

“Upgraded technology helps us better measure esophageal motility and helps us identify reflux events more clearly,” said David Fumo, M.D., a 25-year gastroenterology specialist, who practices with Dr. Lyubashevsky.

Franciscan-St-Anthony-Health-receives-rave-reviews-for-gastrointestinal-services-01Dr. Fumo said the new equipment has two components: the first of which provides high-definition esophageal motility measurements.

“We currently have 20-year-old motility equipment. The new device gives us more information and allows us to much more accurately diagnose disorders,” he said, adding such patients typically present with difficulty in swallowing or unexplained chest pain.

“The procedure is done with the patient awake and there is very little discomfort. It takes about 15 to 20 minutes,” Dr. Fumo said.

The second component is an impedance measurement for esophageal reflux. Dr. Fumo said many patients have mild acid reflux that responds well to medications. Some, however, continue to have heartburn or regurgitation, despite medical therapy. Some have a hiatal hernia.

After the procedure, the patient goes home and does normal activities, including eating and drinking. The device measures reflux episodes continually during a 24-hour period. The patient returns to the GI lab and has the catheter removed, again with little to no discomfort.

“We are then provided with a detailed account of the patient’s reflux through a much-improved process,” Dr. Fumo said.

The procedures are performed at Woodland Health Center, 8865 W. 400 N., Michigan City. Call (219) 872-6566 for gastroenterology services.