Penn Highlands Mon Valley adds new technologies, physicians to hospital
Penn Highlands Mon Valley introduced new technologies and specialties as it added to its physician list in the past year.
Penn Highlands Mon Valley was the first of two local hospitals to partner with Penn Highlands Healthcare. Its partnership began in October 2021. Spokeswoman Corinne Laboon said the partnership allows local people more access to physicians to receive the care they need.
Among their new technologies is a new MRI scanner expected to provide improved diagnostic information for patients and improve the care provided to patients.
“An industry-leading MRI scanner is improving the patient experience and providing sharper images for physicians at Penn Highlands Mon Valley,” Laboon said. “The new MRI decreases the need for rescans and increase scan consistency across a diverse patient population. In most cases, scan or table times are reduced.”
Patients undergoing kidney dialysis will have the opportunity to experience more convenient care, she said.
“Penn Highlands Mon Valley introduced the first-of-its-kind technology for inpatient kidney dialysis,” she said. “The fully automated system serves as a dialysis clinic on wheels by conveniently providing dialysis to patients anywhere at any time — across the continuum of care. This system reduces complexity of dialysis and leaves patients feeling refreshed and energized.”
Penn Highlands Mon Valley is in the process of opening its new Inpatient Withdrawal and Treatment Unit in the hospital, on Floor 7.
“The unit will be the first and only Level 4.0 inpatient withdrawal and treatment facility in Washington, Westmoreland, Fayette and Greene counties,” Laboon said. “The unit will provide a continuum of care for people with medical conditions, such as diabetes and high blood pressure, in addition to substance abuse. The unit provides treatment and rehabilitation for people through their first stage of substance withdrawal to help move them to the next phase of care.”
Women in need of hysterectomies also will be able to choose a procedure that could enable them to return to their normal activities within a few days, Laboon said. The minimally invasive procedure is called vaginal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (vNOTES). It was brought to Penn Highlands Gynecology, formerly Valley Women’s Health, by Dr. Walter R. Cox.
The treatment for prostate cancer also was updated at the hospital, Laboon said.
“Mohsen A. Isaac, MD, Medical Director of Radiation Oncology at the Hahne Cancer Center at Penn Highlands Mon Valley, expanded the high dose rate brachytherapy program to include treatment for prostate cancer,” Laboon said. “This procedure delivers a more conformal dose of radiation while preserving the surrounding tissue. When the patient leaves Penn Highlands Mon Valley, he is pain free and there is no risk of radioactive exposure to loved ones.”
Penn Highlands Mon Valley also recruited physicians including Dr. Ghassan Bejjani, “a world-class neurosurgeon,” Dr. Adil Waheed, a board-certified interventional cardiologist and Dr. Jan W. Madison, a board-certified pulmonologist, Laboon said. Dr. David Sheba and Dr. Justin Sheba, board-certified orthopedic surgeons, joined the staff of Penn Highlands Orthopedics and Sports Medicine. They are brothers, Laboon said.
The hospital, which previously had an individual website, also migrated into a new comprehensive website in April. The new website is www.phhealthcare.org.