Trinity Health Of New England's New Stone Program Launches at Saint Mary's Hospital

WATERBURY, Conn. -- Saint Mary’s Hospital’s Emergency Department is now offering the new, patient-centered Stone Program. With an estimated one in 11 people diagnosed with a kidney stone in their lifetime, this innovative program provides kidney stone patients who are diagnosed in the Emergency Department, with a streamlined continuum of care upon discharge. Launched by the Trinity Health Of New England Men’s Health Institute, the program provides patients with direct access to their Nurse Navigator who ensures a next-day appointment with one of their highly rated urologists.

A kidney stone is a hard object made from minerals and salts that form inside your kidneys. When there is too much waste and not enough liquid, crystals begin to form. Once a stone is formed, it either stays in the kidney or travels down the urinary tract to be expelled. If a stone is too large, it may cause a backup of urine in the kidney, ureter, bladder, or urethra. At this point, a person will likely begin to feel pain, in many cases severe pain.

The Stone Program taps into the multidisciplinary Men’s Health Institute team including Urologists, Nephrologists, Dietitians, and Radiologists to make sure patients receive the appropriate care they need as efficiently as possible. Early treatment and following a prescribed plan can help alleviate the pain and discomfort associated with kidney stones, speed up recovery, reduce the risk of recurrence, minimize missed workdays, and lower the risk of infection and kidney damage. The team approach helps to eliminate any fragmentation in care, which can often happen with stone patients. With all the specialists on the same team, care is streamlined, coordinated, and complete.

“A patient seen in the Emergency Department for a kidney stone is often discharged without treatment because the stone is not life-threatening,” explains York P. Moy, M.D. Director of the Men’s Health Institute. “We have found, however, that many patients do not have a previously established urologist, therefore they don’t often follow up for further treatment or education. Our Stone Program is changing that. We provide our patients concierge-style care through our Nurse Navigator who helps the patient through the process of follow-up appointments, tests or other secondary needs, ultimately reducing the chances of a return visit to the Emergency Department.”

“Nurse navigators are critical players in ensuring patients have an easy and simplified experience navigating the health care system, which can at times be complicated,” said Kathryn Bird, LPN, Men’s Health Institute Nurse Navigator. “They are in place to help alleviate stress and assist patients who may need to see multiple specialists or have a series of tests to complete.”

Trinity Health Of New England’s Stone Program is also available at Saint Francis Hospital in Hartford. For more information on The Stone Program or the Men’s Health Institute visit www.trinityhealthofne.org/stone for more.