The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that it has selected MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper as one of nearly 200 physician group practices and 17 health insurance companies to participate in a care delivery model that supports and encourages higher quality, more coordinated cancer care. The Medicare arm of the Oncology Care Model includes more than 3,200 oncologists and will cover approximately 155,000 Medicare beneficiaries nationwide. Read more.

Cooper University Health Care recognized intensive care unit nurse Deborah Cannon, RN, of Beverly, NJ, with The DAISY Award for providing exceptional care.

Deborah was nominated by the daughter of a patient recovering from stomach cancer surgery who described her as very caring, empathetic, and supportive. “My father speaks very little English,” the patient’s daughter said. “Deb was able to communicate with him, make him laugh, and relieve a lot of his anxiety.” Read more.

Cooper has established a new Transitional Care Department to provide our patients with the right care in the right setting. The Transitional Care Department is comprised of a physician, inpatient social workers and home-health nurses, as well as its newest members: advance practice nurses and health coaches. Inpatient social work and home health will continue to focus on timely transitions for patients leaving the hospital with services including acute and subacute rehabilitation, visiting nurses, durable medical equipment, as well as many other patient-centered needs. Read more.

A team of emergency medicine residents from Cooper University Health Care — Stephanie Wilsey, MD; Rick Pescatore, MD; Grace Lam, MD; and Sarab Sodhi, MD  — captured first place in the SimWars, held during the New Jersey Chapter-American College of Emergency Physicians (NJ-ACEP) annual conference recently.

SimWars puts four-person teams from across the state in a medical emergency scenario where they must work together to assess the situation, make a quick diagnoses, and provide appropriate care on a patient simulator that acts, sounds, and looks like a real human. Read more.