Latest news with #AlleghenyHealthNetwork
CBS News
2 days ago
- Health
- CBS News
Allegheny Health Network warns most Signa customers could lose in-network coverage unless agreement is reached
Allegheny Health Network is warning that most Cigna members won't have in-network access to its physicians and facilities unless a new agreement can be reached by the end of the month. In a letter sent to patients, Allegheny Health Networks said it has been "unable to reach a fair and mutually acceptable agreement" with Cigna after several months of negotiation. "We understand how disconcerting and stressful this news may be for you, and please know that it is our sincerest hope that we will reach a new agreement with Cigna before June 30 that will enable you to continue receiving the health care services you need at AHN over the long term," AHN's letter read. If the contract does end, the health system said it's "committed" to making sure there are no care disruptions for Cigna members who are actively in treatment. AHN also said it will try to ensure that transitions to new physicians, if necessary, are "seamless." "In the unfortunate event that AHN's contract with Cigna does come to an end, however, our highest priority will be minimizing the inconvenience, stress, and burden of this development on you and other Cigna members," the letter says. AHN encourages anyone with questions to contact the Cigna customer service line on the back of their card or call 1-800-997-1654. In 2023, about 20,000 Cigna customers were at risk of losing in-network coverage at Allegheny Health Network facilities, but the two did reach an agreement.
CBS News
3 days ago
- Climate
- CBS News
Canadian wildfire smoke could affect several sensitive groups, AHN pulmonologist says
The haze Pittsburgh-area residents will see in the sky on Tuesday is coming from wildfires in Canada. Blown by the current prevailing winds, that smoke is a point of concern, especially for the vulnerable. While the smoke may have come a long way, somewhere in the neighborhood of 1,300 miles, the distance hasn't diminished the threat. "You know the people with bad COPD or asthma, or people who have underlying lung disease for other reasons, those are the folks I really worry about," said Allegheny Health Network pulmonologist Dr. Tariq Cheema. What about the general population? "Children and older adults. That's the population." Dr. Cheema says that what you see is what you breathe. "Especially with these particles and smoke, you know, they can sometimes embed in your lungs, and then it irritates the lungs, and then you start coughing. You start coughing up all that stuff," Dr. Cheema said. Even if you don't have chronic lung issues, we're all breathing the same haze or smoke. "You'll just kind of feel like the air is heavy. Some people may have an irritant, they'll start coughing, a dry cough, just like you would be exposed to, like at a barbecue, or you're exposed to somebody else smoking around you," Dr. Cheema said. The coming rain could bring relief. What can you do if you're in one of these vulnerable groups? "Stay indoors, if you can. Keep the air conditioning on, keep the windows closed. If you do have to go outside, wear a mask, an N95 if you have one. If not, even a regular mask will do." While the amount of smoke right now is fairly light, it's building and settling in. The rain can't come soon enough.
Miami Herald
19-05-2025
- Health
- Miami Herald
Post-stroke, a Pittsburgh-area musician regains the ability to play with a new treatment
On Scott Pavlot's 65th birthday, he unwrapped a beautiful, custom-made Ibanez electric bass. Just two days later, a stroke left the Pine Township man wondering if he'd ever be able to play it. But thanks to the implantation of a vagus nerve stimulation device - described by Pavlot's neurosurgeon as a kind of defibrillator for the nervous system - music is starting to flow from his fingers again. Pavlot, now 66, was the first person in the Pittsburgh area to be implanted with a technology called the MicroTransponder Vivistim Paired VNS System, or Vivistim for short, said Alexander Whiting, the neurosurgeon who implanted the device about seven months after Pavlot's stroke in February 2024. Whiting is also the director of epilepsy surgery for Allegheny Health Network's Neuroscience Institute. The Food and Drug Administration approved the device in 2021 to "treat moderate to severe upper extremity motor deficits associated with chronic ischemic stroke" by using vagus nerve stimulation. Nearly 800,000 people in the U.S. experience a stroke annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Every 40 seconds, someone has a stroke; every 3 minutes, 11 seconds, someone dies of one. The Vivistim is similar to the vagus nerve stimulation that has been used since 1988 - and FDA approved since 1997 - as an implanted therapy tool to treat epileptic focal or partial seizures that do not respond to seizure medications, according to the Epilepsy Foundation. Since Pavlot underwent the implantation, two additional stroke patients at Allegheny General Hospital on the North Side have received the device and several others are awaiting insurance approval to undergo the procedure, Whiting said. Right after the stroke, Pavlot could not walk or use his left hand - he's a lefty - for much of anything. His nerves could not deliver the correct impulses to the muscles to coordinate any sort of dexterity or strength. He also experienced spasticity, where muscles involuntarily contract and stiffen, often causing pain and limiting movement, per the American Stroke Association. After experiencing a stroke like Pavlot's, doctors typically prescribe physical therapy to help patients try to regain control of the nerves that were damaged, Whiting explained. At some point the progress tends to plateau. "Most people after a stroke, after about six months, most of what they are going to recover has happened. People can still make recoveries, but it certainly slows down at six months," Whiting said. "Before this device, it was really just therapy. That's all we had. This is kind of the first tool - the first surgical tool we've had - that can jumpstart that recovery process. Part of what's happening with the device is, Scott is retraining his brain." Pavlot, an active grandfather of two and the founder of the West View Hub community center where he spends most of his days, did not hesitate when Whiting, at their first meeting, suggested becoming the first to undergo the Vivistim implantation at AGH. During a chat last month, Pavlot reminded the surgeon that they had met for the first time about 25 years earlier. Pavlot was deejaying a middle school dance in the Pine-Richland School District, where Whiting was a classmate of Pavlot's son. "You should have seen him do the 'Macarena,'" Pavlot said, laughing and gesturing to his doctor. "It takes a special person to want to be the first person to have something done," Whiting said. "(O)ne of the benefits of Scott being first is that he doesn't see these things as insurmountable. I think he sees them all as challenges, which is a special thing, and so that makes him an inspiring person. But also, I think it's why he's done so well." The system is implanted in the chest, similar to a pacemaker. "We run a wire up to your neck, wrap it around your vagus nerve a bunch of times. It's the exact same idea as the devices we use for epilepsy. That's actually why I was the one that did it," said Whiting, who has implanted numerous such devices in patients with epilepsy. To activate the device, a handheld magnet is swiped across the skin above where it's implanted. Then, the device will deliver an electrical impulse to the vagus nerve once every seven seconds for 30 minutes, Pavlot said. Pavlot then performs physical therapy exercises in order to retrain his damaged nerves to resume their normal function. Sometimes, when nerves are severed during the stroke, other nerves can be taught how to take over new functions, picking up the slack of the dead nerves. Using electrical impulses, the device operates similarly to a transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) unit that is often used in physical therapy settings. A TENS unit delivers mild electrical impulses through the skin to help manage pain by blocking pain signals or stimulating the body to release natural pain-relieving chemicals and promote healing. "Electrical current with a TENS unit is basically just waking up your muscles and saying, 'Pay attention to me!'" Whiting said. "Same thing is happening here. It's sending all this electrical stimulation" to the vagus nerve, which has connections throughout the brain. "So when we stimulate it, we think we're basically waking up the whole brain saying, 'Hey, pay attention! Look what we're doing down here. We're moving our fingers. Pay attention! Make some connections!' I think that's why it supercharges it," Whiting said. Candidates for the implant, Whiting said, must meet two conditions: The patient has experienced an ischemic stroke and six months have passed. The Mayo Clinic defines an ischemic stroke as one caused by a blood vessel blockage whereas a hemorrhagic stroke is caused by bleeding in the brain due to a ruptured blood vessel. Most strokes - about 87% - are ischemic strokes, in which blood flow to the brain is blocked, per the CDC. Down the road While originally intended to be used only for a set amount of time, Whiting said that patients are reporting that they're continuing to progress in their recovery far beyond what was expected. "I don't think we really know where the road eventually leads yet. The idea originally was you would put it in, and people like Scott would get what they need out of it, then you would take it out," Whiting said. But with patients reporting continued improvements, "I don't think we really know where the off-ramp is yet. So far, everybody's done well, continuing to use it even past the period of time we thought they would need it for." In theory, the device could remain for the rest of the patient's life, although battery replacement would be needed at some point, probably after seven to 10 years. Pavlot said he'll keep activating his device and doing his therapy exercises for as long as it takes to regain what he lost. He remembers well the first time he was able to brush his own teeth, feed himself at a restaurant and walk without a cane. And he's looking forward to breaking in that new bass guitar soon: He and his band have some concert dates set for the summer. The day after his stroke, he received a get-well message from an online acquaintance: musician Bootsy Collins, who played with James Brown in the early 1970s before joining the Parliament-Funkadelic collective and later forming his own side project, Bootsy's Rubber Band. "The day after my stroke, (Collins) sent me a video. He's like, 'Scott, you got to keep that bass in everybody's face,'" said Pavlot, as he strummed his bass ukulele in Whiting's office in April. "Keep that funk alive." _____ Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
CBS News
14-05-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Pittsburgh doctor shares tick safety tips
Spring is in full swing across western Pennsylvania, and so are the ticks. Ticks are already starting to appear, and they're not just a nuisance. Ticks pose a serious threat to your health, as well as to your family and pets. Tick season underway in Pennsylvania It's that time of year again when the sun is shining, the weather is warming up, and it's the perfect season to get outside, take a walk or work in your yard. But there's a hidden danger lurking in the grass: ticks. The tiny hitchhikers are waiting for a chance to latch on and come home with you. Experts say ticks are already active and currently in their nymph stage. Though they may be small, they pack a powerful punch, and this is the stage when they're most likely to transmit Lyme disease. "They're very tiny at this point. They are about the size of a poppy seed," Dr. Brian Lamb of Allegheny Health Network said. In western Pennsylvania, the high population of white-tailed deer and mice helps ticks thrive. That's a big reason why the region sees so many tick-borne illnesses. But there are steps you can take to protect yourself, your children and your pets. "You want to check the pits and everywhere else because ticks like those areas," Dr. Lamb said. "They don't necessarily want to be somewhere where they can be seen." Ticks love to hide in hard-to-see places, so doing a full body check and taking a shower after spending time outdoors can make a big difference. "The less skin that's available, the less area for ticks to get on," Dr. Lamb added. "Remember, they don't fly, they don't really jump. You actually have to brush up against the vegetation where the tick is waiting." How to protect yourself from ticks Wear long sleeves and pants. Use insect repellent. Treat your clothing with permethrin. Check your body thoroughly after being outside. This is especially important in Pennsylvania, which leads the nation in Lyme disease cases. "That tick has to be on your body, embedded in your skin, for 24 to 48 hours," Dr. Lamb said. If the tick is removed earlier than that, you're likely in the clear. But once that window passes, your risk of Lyme disease increases, and recognizing early symptoms is key. The most common early sign? The bullseye rash. "A rash that some people will get," said Dr. Lamb. "The second is a type of arthritis. You can get a tick-borne arthritis. Usually, it is in one of our larger joints." While Lyme disease is rarely life-threatening, it can lead to chronic fatigue, joint pain and even neurological issues if left untreated. What to do if you find a tick? So, what should you do if you find a tick? "Use want to get a pair of tweezers," said Dr. Lamb. "You want to gently grasp the tick, gently work its way out, so gentle traction to pull the tick out. The tick has buried its head under your skin. You don't want to just pull because what you'll do is break the tick in two." Bottom line? Be your own body's detective until tick season winds down.
CBS News
13-05-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Major renovation and expansion project underway at Allegheny General Hospital's emergency department
A $43 million project is underway that will renovate and expand Allegheny General Hospital's emergency department. Allegheny Health Network announced the project, worth $43 million and consisting of 36,000 square feet, is expected to be complete by the end of 2027. Allegheny General Hospital President Dr. Imran Qadeer said the new facility will be state-of-the-art and will "enable AGH's caregivers to provide the highest level of care to all patients who come through the emergency department's doors." AHN says the new emergency department will have 57 treatments rooms with 48 patient beds and open sight lines that will help maximize efficiency for both care and for patient safety. "At AGH, we are committed to providing exceptional care and services for every emergency health need, and this new facility will greatly expand our capacity to do so," Dr. Qadeer said. "It will be a facility that better accommodates the growing demand for emergency services and empowers one of the best emergency medicine teams in the country to excel in meeting that demand." AHN says the expansion and renovation work will be done in five different stages so that patient care is minimally disrupted. The first phase, focused on a new waiting area and a space for patients waiting for test results is expected to be completed by this fall. The second phase of construction will include relocations the trauma and resuscitation rooms and six trauma bays will be equipped with expanded technology and will be able to be converted into negative pressure rooms. AHN didn't detail the third, fourth, or fifth phases of the project.
