November 22, 2022

Regional & Divisional News

Click to see what's happening locally:

• Central WI Region
• UP Region
• North WI Division
• Northeast WI Division
• Northwest WI Division
• South WI Division
• Southeast & Southwest WI Division 

Don't know your region or division?

Click the map to find out.

In This Edition

• Conditions of Employment: Deadline is Next Week!
• Yellow Pages & Toner Scams
• Changes to Physician Connect Line
• Aspirus Health Featured in WHA Report
• Grand Rounds: Radiation Therapy for Non-Cancerous Diagnoses
• Save the Date: Aspirus Heart Care Winter Conference
• Diabetes Awareness Month: Did you know?
• Thanksgiving Recipes
• Understanding Why Antibiotics Aren't Always the Answer
• EAP Front Line Newsletter

Conditions of Employment: Deadline is Next Week!

Yellow Pages & Toner Scams

Do not pay or code invoices for directory listings or toner

Scammers are targeting Aspirus Health locations across our system. Two scams we see frequently concern Yellow Pages directory listings and toner cartridges.

Aspirus contracts with specific vendors for these services. You should never receive a call or invoice about directory listings or toner cartridges as this is not the process followed by our approved vendors.

Know this:

• Our marketing department works with a Yellow Pages vendor for all official directory listings. Marketing also manages the processing and payment of invoices for these listings.

• We receive toner for free through our contract with EO Johnson. EO Johnson, Staples or any other company will not call us to order toner. We call EO Johnson to order it.

Important:

• If you receive an invoice for a Yellow Pages directory listing or for toner, do not pay or code this invoice.

• If you get a call from a company about directory listings, toner or office supplies/equipment, please tell them we have a contract and to add us to their do-not-call list. Don’t let scammers use your words against you; avoid saying “yes,” “correct,” “I agree” or any similar phrases on the phone.

• Report suspicious emails to our Aspirus IT Phish Tank by clicking the “Report Suspicious” button that appears in the blue banner at the top of emails sent from outside our organization.

Thank you for being attentive to potential scams and helping protect Aspirus Health.

Changes to Physician Connect Line

Aspirus Health has transitioned the call handling system for our Physician Connect Line (PCL) to Cisco Finesse, effective today (Nov. 22). PCL is used throughout the system to facilitate physician consultations and patient transfers. The change to Cisco Finesse will more efficiently prioritize the PCL’s increasing call volumes.

The current PCL numbers will remain unchanged, but callers will notice a change to the prompts to better meet their needs. Callers are encouraged to be patient with PCL staff during the transition and listen to all prompts to better direct calls. The prompts in the new system are:

#1 STEMI, Trauma, RAAAP1

#2 NICU or OB

#3 All other urgent calls

#4 Consults & non-emergent

Aspirus Health’s community contributions are featured in a new report by the Wisconsin Hospital Association (WHA). Showcasing the many ways hospitals give back to the communities they serve, the 2022 WHA Community Benefits Report found Wisconsin’s nonprofit hospitals collectively provided nearly $2 billion in community benefits in fiscal year 2021.



Read about some of the ways Aspirus Health is serving our communities by clicking the link below.

Aspirus in the News

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

The Center for Advancing Health says between 11-23% of all combat veterans experience Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Wausau-area veteran Quincy Kasper is undergoing a treatment to help his PTSD at Aspirus Health that he says has reduced his anxiety levels to a third of what they were.

The treatment performed by Dr. Kris Ferguson involves injections into nerves in the neck that cause an overreaction to stress.

Grand Rounds

Radiation Therapy for Non-Cancerous Diagnoses

Andrew Huang, MD, and Christopher Platta, MD, radiation oncologists with Aspirus Cancer Care, will be speaking at the next System-Wide Grand Rounds.

• Topic: Radiation Therapy for Non-Cancerous Diagnoses
• When: December 14
• Time: 5-6 p.m. (CT)
• CME activity: Designated for 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit.
• Format: Webex
• Meeting number: 2462 017 0667

For more information on this presentation, please call 715-847-2184 or email cme@aspirus.org.

Save the Date:

Aspirus Heart Care Winter Conference

The annual Aspirus Heart Care Winter Conference is slated for Friday, March 3, 2023, at the Hilton Garden Inn of Wausau. 

This educational event is free for Aspirus employees.

More details to come, but topics for the 2023 conference include:

• Heart Failure
• Cardiac Imaging - what test, when
• Pre-Op cardiovascular evaluation
• Diabetes - medications update - clinical application for cardiology patients
• Contemporary research on the aging process: biophysics, exercise and pharmacology

Registration will open closer to the event date but mark your calendars now.

Stay up to date at aspirus.org/winter-conference.

Diabetes Awareness Month

Did you know?

Our robust diabetes education program at Aspirus Health offers comprehensive education about the prevention and management of diabetes and lifestyle modification for overall health.

We have educators and dietitians located throughout our system to support you. To learn more about the services offered in your area, please call your primary care doctor’s office for a referral. Diabetes Education and Medical Nutrition Therapy are covered benefits open to employees through our Health Plan.

Thanksgiving Recipes

Click the images for some healthy recipes the whole family can enjoy this Thanksgiving, including those living with diabetes.

Understanding Why Antibiotics Aren't Always the Answer

Antibiotics can save lives, but patients and providers need to outweigh the risks of side effects and antibiotic resistance, especially with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and projections of a more severe flu season.

“When antibiotics aren’t needed, they won’t help you and the side effects can actually hurt you,” says Aspirus Antimicrobial Stewardship Coordinator and Infectious Diseases Pharmacist Tristan O’Driscoll. 

Visit the Aspirus Media Center for other recent stories featuring Aspirus experts.

EAP Front Line Newsletter

Check out the November edition of Front Line, Aspirus Employee Assistance’s monthly newsletter.

Topics include:

• Practicing detachment from alcohol issues
• Prioritize productivity above politics
• Inflation stopper apps for your phone
• Should you screen your teen for depression and anxiety?
• Anticipating the holidays with a self-care plan
• Are you a bully, but don’t know it?
• Wake up more refreshed
• Consume news with awareness

Remember to Check Out Your Local News

Click the links below for your region/division below to see what's happening locally.

Regional & Divisional News

• Central WI Region
• UP Region
• North WI Division
• Northeast WI Division
• Northwest WI Division
• South WI Division
• Southeast & Southwest WI Division 

Don't know your region or division?

Click the map to find out.