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You are here: Home / Archives for Dignity Health Yavapai Regional Medical Center

Dignity Health Yavapai Regional Medical Center

A Caring Heart: Dr. Soundos Moualla is YRMC’s Physician of the Year

February 25, 2023 By quadcities Leave a Comment

Moualla’s relentless commitment encompasses the compassion she generously shares with patients and their families.

Soundos Moualla, M.D., FACC, FSCAI – Dignity Health Yavapai Regional Medical Center’s 2022 Physician of the Year – describes the passion and drive she pours into her work as “relentless commitment.”

“My parents and grandmother guided me to always do my best and to treat every patient as family,” said Interventional Cardiologist Dr. Moualla of the James Family Heart Center at Dignity Health YRMC.

Moualla’s resolve to care for patients with heart disease began as a child. She recalls putting her ear on her father’s chest and listening to the whooshing sound of his heart murmur. Eventually, her father underwent open heart surgery at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. And years later, after earning a medical degree from the National University of Ireland in Dublin, Moualla returned to Mayo Clinic in Minnesota to pursue an internal medicine residency and an interventional cardiology fellowship. Moualla also completed her fellowship in cardiology at the Cleveland Clinic.

Joining the James Family Heart Center
Moualla joined YRMC’s James Family Heart Center in 2017 to oversee the Structural Heart Program, which had started the previous year. Among her first major initiatives was the expansion of  the Heart Center’s successful Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) Program. Moualla also helped implement processes to identify patients with valvular heart disease early and expedite the delivery of state-of-the-art treatment by the heart team. All of this, she notes, was accomplished with the collaboration of the cardiothoracic surgical team, other cardiologists, primary care physicians and inpatient hospitalists.

Moualla also worked with physician colleagues and clinical team members to create a comprehensive Structural Heart Program. In a short time, the team introduced an array of advanced interventional heart and stroke-prevention procedures – transcatheter mitral valve replacement and repair, paravalvular leak closure, left atrial appendage closure and more.

“We now have a full-blown, comprehensive Structural Heart Program,” Moualla said. “That would not be possible without teamwork. Physicians, advanced practitioners, nursing and clinical staff, administrative staff and every member of the Structural Heart team contributed to building the program. This award is truly a recognition of their work and the James Family Heart Center team.”

Passionate About Patient Care
Moualla’s relentless commitment encompasses the compassion she generously shares with patients and their families.

“Structural heart disease is a disease of the elderly,” she said. “In a community with a significant number of retirees, structural heart services are fundamental. Serving these patients and providing good patient outcomes is the most rewarding aspect of my work.”

This is underscored by the many YRMC team members who nominated Moualla for Physician of the Year. According to one colleague, “Dr. Moualla treats her patients and their loved ones as though they are her own family. She spends extended time with her patients and gets to know each of them as people, not just as a diagnosis.”

Moualla also volunteers her time and expertise, providing medical care to homeless patients and refugees. In her free time, she enjoys swimming, cooking and traveling.

YRMC’s Physician of the Year is selected annually by YRMC employees and medical staff. QCBN

By Bridget O’Gara 

Bridget O’Gara is a writer, communications strategist and project manager who specializes in health care. Bridget has spent her career writing about healthcare topics. She works with mission-driven healthcare organizations, including hospitals, other healthcare providers and advocacy organizations.

Filed Under: Columnists Tagged With: Bridget O'Gara, Dignity Health Yavapai Regional Medical Center, Dr. Soundos Moualla, YRMC’s Physician of the Year

Smart Monitors Available for Diabetes Management

December 28, 2022 By quadcities Leave a Comment

“Understanding the reason for a patient’s fluctuating glucose levels leads to targeted care plans,” Wilson said.

Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) is a game changer for people with Type I and Type II diabetes. That’s how Bonita Wilson, RN, CDCES, diabetes educator at Dignity Health Yavapai Regional Medical Center (YRMC), describes the impact of CGM technology on the lives of people with diabetes.

“CGM is the latest and greatest way to monitor blood sugar levels,” she said. “And, it’s done without finger sticks.”

This is good news for the one in 10 Americans who live with diabetes, some of whom may need up to seven finger sticks a day to monitor their glucose (blood sugar) levels. Even better news is that CGM gives people greater control of their blood sugars and their long-term health.

“With CGM, patients can see the results of their dietary choices as they’re experiencing them,” explained Wilson. “If you eat a high-carb food, your CGM registers how that’s affecting your glucose levels as it’s happening. It’s immediate and it’s meaningful.”

CGM’s smart technology also provides trending data that a healthcare provider can download and review for patterns. This creates a complete picture of how blood sugar levels change over time. It also helps people with diabetes – and their providers – understand how food, activity, stress and illness affect their blood sugar levels.

“Understanding the reason for a patient’s fluctuating glucose levels leads to targeted care plans,” Wilson said. “This is important to diabetes management.”

How Do CGM Systems Work?

CGMs include the following three components that work together to gather and share information on blood sugar levels.

Glucose Sensor: This is painlessly inserted under the skin of the upper arm or abdomen either by the individual or, if the model requires, a healthcare provider. How frequently your sensor needs to be changed depends on the CGM model. It can vary from approximately six days to six months.

Transmitter: This small piece – which fits on the sensor – gathers information on the individual’s glucose levels and wirelessly sends the data to the receiver.

Receiver: A smartphone app or a small monitor captures the information from the transmitter and immediately displays current glucose levels. Some CGMs also send glucose information directly to an insulin pump.

The data gathered from a CGM is shared with whomever the patient designates – their healthcare provider, spouse or a neighbor.

“There’s lots of fear about high and low blood sugar levels,” said Wilson. “This CGM feature keeps people close to you informed of your glucose levels so they can check in if there’s a dip or spike. It’s a great safety feature.”

Diabetes, CGM Education Program Offered

YRMC’s Diabetes Education program is for anyone with diabetes, from the newly diagnosed to people who have lived with diabetes for decades. Recognized by the American Diabetes Association  for Quality Self-Management Education, YRMC’s menu of learning opportunities include:

Pre-Diabetes Session: An hour-long, free information session presented by Wilson that YRMC will host a total of six times in 2023 – three in Prescott and three in Prescott Valley.

Individual Consultations: During one-on-one meetings, Wilson advises people on all matters related to their diabetes, including CGM.

Diabetes Self-Management: Wilson leads this five-week series, which covers an important “M” topic each week – meals, motion, medications, monitoring and mindfulness.

“Participants learn from each other and they learn that they are not alone,” said Wilson of the Diabetes Self-Management series.

Wilson calls the series an underutilized Medicare benefit, as only 7% of people who are eligible for it actually take advantage of the opportunity. QCBN

By Bridget O’Gara

Check out DignityHealth.org/YRMC for more information about the Diabetes Education program or call 928-771-5794 in Prescott or 928-759-5920 in Prescott Valley.

Bridget O’Gara is a writer, communications strategist and project manager who specializes in health care. Bridget has spent her career writing about healthcare topics. She works with mission-driven healthcare organizations, including hospitals, other healthcare providers and advocacy organizations.

Filed Under: Columnists Tagged With: Bridget O'Gara, CGM, Continuous glucose monitoring, Diabetes Self-Management, Dignity Health, Dignity Health Yavapai Regional Medical Center, Yavapai Regional Medical Center

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