Receives Accreditation
The Sleep Disorders Center of Trinity Medical Center, directed by Alan Q. Thomas, MD, recently received program accreditation from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM).
To receive a five-year accreditation, a sleep center must meet or exceed all standards for professional health care as designated by the AASM. The accreditation process involves detailed inspection of a center’s facility, including an evaluation of testing procedures, patient contacts, and physician training.
BHS Names System’s First Chief Medical Information Officer
Baptist Health System has named John Christopher Davis, MD as the organization’s Chief Medical Information Officer.
“Dr. Davis will play an essential role in our current effort to fully implement and transition to electronic medical records with our new Epic system,” said Elizabeth Ennis, MD, chief medical officer
Before joining BHS, Davis served as Chief Medical Officer at Sisters of Mercy Health System in St. Louis, Missouri. During his six-year tenure, he participated in the design, building and implementation of an Epic electronic medical record for the system, which involved 18 hospitals in four states.
In addition to his administrative roles, Davis was a practicing physician following graduation from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1998 until 2009. He is board certified in Emergency Medicine and for eight years served as a flight surgeon with the Arkansas Air National Guard.
Cooper Green CEO Receives Award
Momentum, a women’s leadership organization in Alabama, has selected Sandral Hullett, MD, CEO of Cooper Green Mercy Hospital, as the recipient of the Woman of Excellence in Health Care Award for 2012.
Hullett was named CEO and Medical Director of Cooper Green in 2001 and has devoted her career to improving rural health care in Alabama. After earning her medical degree from Medical College of Pennsylvania and her Master’s in Public Health from UAB, she began her career began as a family practice physician in Greene County. She has been honored by many organizations, including the National Rural Health Association “Rural Practitioner of the Year,” Birmingham Business Journal’s “Businessperson of the Year” and Black Enterprise magazine as one of America’s leading black doctors.
Princeton Baptist Achieves Heart Failure Accreditation
Princeton Baptist Medical Center has received Heart Failure Accreditation from the Society of Chest Pain Centers (SCPC). Princeton was the first and only hospital in Birmingham to become an accredited chest pain center by the SCPC in 2009 and is the first hospital in Birmingham to receive Heart Failure accreditation.
To receive Heart Failure Accreditation, Princeton BMC engaged in rigorous reevaluation and refinement of its cardiac care processes in order to integrate the healthcare industry’s successful practices and newest paradigms into its processes for the care of heart failure patients.
BHS and LHC Group Form Partnership
Baptist Health System has formed a partnership with Louisiana-based LHC Group Inc., a national provider of post-acute care. The new entity, Baptist Health System HomeCare, is based in Birmingham and will provide full-service home care to area residents.
“At Baptist Health System, it’s our vision to reach superior levels of performance throughout our organization – and to engage those who share in our vision,” said Shane Spees, Baptist CEO. “In LHC Group, we have found a partner that places patient care and employee satisfaction at the forefront of every decision, and that’s a great fit for Baptist.
UAB to evaluate new treatments for Alzheimer’s
Researchers at UAB are conducting a clinical trial of a new investigational drug that may slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. Investigators want to enroll people ages 50-88 with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease; call 205-934-2484 for more information on participating.
Alzheimer’s is marked by the presence of amyloid plaques in the brain. The research focuses on a monoclonal antibody called bapineuzumab that appears to dissolve amyloid plaques.
“We’re investigating whether bapineuzumab will improve cognition and memory in patients who suffer from Alzheimer’s disease by dissolving abnormally deposited amyloid plaques,” said Cleveland Kinney, MD, professor of psychiatry and behavioral neurobiology in the UAB School of Medicine.
A second component will evaluate the effect of bapineuzumab on genes that are suspected to play some role in the development of Alzheimer’s.
AL Hospital Association Honors Heroes
The Alabama Hospital Association recently honored ten hospital employees from around the state at the ninth annual Hospital Heroes luncheon. The honorees include:
Darryl Searcy, Grounds Consultant, D.W. McMillan Memorial Hospital, Brewton
76-year old Darryl Searcy is a retired botanist with a doctorate degree in systematic botany. While most of his work is voluntary, he maintains a full schedule, giving lectures and bringing flower cuttings to patients.
Libby Junkins, RT, Radiology Department, DCH Regional Medical Center, Tuscaloosa
Libby Junkins has worked in the DCH Radiology Department for 28 years, serving in a number of positions, including ultrasound technician and desk/patient flow coordinator.
Deborah Owen, MEd, Director of Psychiatric Services, East Alabama Medical Center, Opelika
Owens is a licensed professional counselor, a certified non-violent crisis intervention instructor, and one of the only critical incident debriefing team leaders in the country.
Bobbie Edwards, Central Sterile Technician, Flowers Hospital, Dothan
Edwards has worked at Flowers for 32 years and has not missed a day of work in the past 13 years.
Jerria Carter, RN, Radiation Oncology, Gadsden Regional Medical Center, Gadsden
Carter has over 40 years of healthcare experience. In addition to her hospital work, she facilitates cancer patient support groups and is active with the American Cancer Society.
Tiffany Watkins, RN, Neonatal Intensive Care, Huntsville Hospital, Huntsville
After the 2011 tornadoes, Watkins organized a north Alabama relief effort. After recently being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, she quit her full-time position to avoid any possibility that her condition could jeopardize care for NICU babies.
Kay Walters, MBA, Director Respiratory Care, Jackson Hospital, Montgomery
When Walters began her career at Jackson Hospital, she was a widow raising five children. Yet she returned to college to earn her degree, followed by an MBA. Through her efforts, all respiratory staff members are required to be licensed and certified through the American Heart Association.
Samuel Shortt, RN, Telemetry, Southeast Alabama Medical Center, Dothan
After advancing through several nursing units, Shortt now holds a more sedentary position in the telemetry department, which allows him to continue working after developing muscular dystrophy.
Steve Goren, RN, Director Cardiac Rehab, Springhill Medical Center, Mobile
Since Goren took over the cardiac rehab program, it has grown from 2000 patient visits in 2003 to 10,000 patient visits in 2011.
Sherry Cole, RN, Cardiovascular Clinical Nurse Specialist, Trinity Medical Center
After researching therapeutic hypothermia as a treatment modality, Cole went through all the procedures to implement the procedure at Trinity.
John Kerr, II, MD, Marion Regional Medical Center, Hamilton
Kerr has practiced family medicine in Hamilton for 39 years, and is considered one of the leading medical care providers in the region. He helped save the hospital from closure by getting the city council to pass a $3 million bond to invest in facility renovation.
Cecelia Jones Named Princeton Employee of the Year
Princeton Baptist Medical Center has named Cecelia Jones, RN as Employee of the Year. Jone, who has worked for Princeton for over 22 years, was nominated because of her keen observation skills and her ability to intervene in critical situations.
While working in the cardiac catheterization lab recently, Jones noticed a physician assessing a patient who was experiencing a sudden onset of slurred speech and right-sided weakness following a cardiac procedure.
Fearing that the patient was having an acute stroke, Jones explained the Code Stroke process to the physician and cath lab staff. As a result of her actions, the patient received t-PA (a clot-busting drug) 53 minutes after onset of stroke symptoms and had complete resolution of his symptoms.
IMS Promotes Steinbeck
IMS has named Russ Steinbeck Vice President of Operational Systems. Steinbeck previously served as Senior Vice President/Franchise Support, Training and Operational Systems for Express Oil Change & Service Center. At IMS, Steinbeck is charged with devising metrics and systems to drive revenue and bottom-line growth.
Jackson Thornton CPA Earns Accreditation
Jackson Thornton is pleased to announce that Christy Weakley has earned her designation of Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE).
Weakley, who works in the Firm’s Healthcare Consulting Group, completed the certification process with the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE). To become accredited by ACFE, the candidate is required to complete an intensive training and testing process in four key areas: Fraudulent Financial Transactions, Legal Elements of Fraud, Investigation Methods, and Fraud Prevention and Deterrence. Weakley received her Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Auburn University and her Masters in Business Administration from Troy University.
“We work with clients throughout the Southeast and find that healthcare fraud is on the rise,” said Patti Perdue, Jackson Thornton Principal and leader of the Healthcare Consulting Group. “Christy’s recent designation will be a real asset to the Group as we continue to expand these services in response to physician concerns of perceived and actual occurrences of fraud.”