Coastal Insurance Risk Retention Group (CIRRG) has declared a dividend to its shareholders in the form of a policyholder dividend and direct payments of $10,000,000. This is the largest dividend in the company’s history. “We are pleased to announce our dividends for 2012,” said Mel Capell, President and CEO. “Our shareholders are reaping the benefits of their participation in our company. Our investors are receiving dividends equal to or greater than their original investment.”
Shareholders in CIRRG will receive policyholder dividends totaling $5 million and a shareholder dividend of $5.95 per share totaling another $5 million.
CIRRG’s sister company, Healthcare Worker’s Compensation Fund (HWCF) also declared a member dividend to its members totaling $1.5 million. This marked the fourth consecutive year HWCF has paid dividends.
CIRRG also provides a Patient Safety Organization (PSO) through its component organization, Healthcare Improvement Patient Safety Organization of Alabama, Inc. (HIPSO). HIPSO helps healthcare providers improve the quality and safety of their health care delivery.
CIRRG is owned by Alabama hospitals and physicians, and provides medical malpractice insurance and risk reduction strategies for it members. HWCF is a group self-insurance fund sponsored by the Alabama Hospital Association. The company provides workers’ compensation coverage, claims management, loss control consulting, case management, utilization review, bill screening and educational seminars.
Three New Associates at Cockrell & Associates
Cockrell and Associates, LLC announces the addition of three new associates.
Susan M. McDaniel, MS, RN, who is experienced in third Electronic Medical Record selection and implementation, private practice management, and third party relations, has joined the company to focus on EMR and management support of medical practices.
Jordan C. Cockrell, currently in the Masters in Public Health program at UAB has joined the company and will focus on the development of Patient Centered Medical Homes and other healthcare delivery models.
Marchelle Cagle, CPC, CPC-I, PCS, through Cagle Medical Consulting, LLC, is now a business associate. Cagle is an AAPC-licensed instructor with over 15 years of billing and coding experience as a Practice Administrator with extensive experience conducting seminars in coding, accounts receivable, HIPPA, compliance adherence, as well as fraud and abuse and risk management.
Statewide Hospital Heroes Honored
One physician and nine hospital employees from across the state were honored as “Hospital Heroes” at a recent luncheon in Birmingham hosted by the Alabama Hospital Association (AlaHA).
“It really makes you proud to be a part of the hospital field when you hear stories like the ones co-workers tell about these heroes,” said J. Michael Horsley, FACHE, president of the Alabama Hospital Association. “The men and women we are honoring truly represent the best in health care; they are people who make a difference every day.”
Those named as the Alabama Hospital Association’s 2013 Hospital Heroes include: Rick Diaz, general manager of dietary services, Springhill Medical Center, Mobile; Patricia “Patti” Kulovitz, MSW, medical social worker, Citizens Baptist Medical Center, Talladega; Joanne Powers, cancer registry coordinator, Flowers Hospital, Dothan; Stephanie Rice, LPN, RN, IV therapy/bed access nurse, Crestwood Medical Center, Huntsville; Rebecca “Becky” Smith, RN, emergency department director, Cherokee Medical Center, Centre; Paula Stokes, CTRS, CPM, M.Ed, J.D., associate director, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Tuscaloosa; Lynne Vining, MSN, RN, nurse manager, medical intensive care unit, UAB Hospital, Birmingham; Erica Whitehead, RN, CCRN, East Alabama Medical Center, Opelika; and Cynthia Wilson, RN, nursing supervisor, Flowers Hospital, Dothan. The 2013 Hospital Physician Hero is Dr. Roland Brooks, cardiologist, Flowers Hospital, Dothan.
National Center for Sports Safety Involved in National Action Plan
The National Center for Sports Safety (NCSS) participated in finalizing the inaugural “National Action Plan for Sports Safety” at the Fourth Annual Youth Sports Safety Summit held recently in Washington, DC. Proper education and protocols put in place were key factors outlined in the Action Plan, and will aid in preventing and treating athletic injuries in youth athletes across the nation.
The National Action Plan is a new education initiative pioneered to improve sports safety, achieve appropriate medical care in secondary schools, and bring to light the many benefits of playing sports.
NCSS participated in finalizing two critical areas of the Action Plan including ‘Cardiac Events’ and ‘Dietary/Substance-Induced Conditions.’ The Birmingham-based non-profit (NCSS) educates coaches on the importance of sports safety and injury prevention through a sports first aid course, PREPARE. The PREPARE course, developed in 2002 by medical experts, is designed to educate coaches in all levels of youth sports. It facilitates the recognition of the signs of potentially dangerous situations, and how to respond until a medical professional arrives on scene.
For more information about the NCSS or the PREPARE course, please visit www.SportsSafety.org or call 866.508.NCSS (6277).
Spann Named Statewide Trustee of the Year
James Spann, a hospital trustee with Trinity Medical Center and chief meteorologist for ABC 33/40, was honored by the Alabama Hospital Association (AHA) as its 2013 Trustee of the Year.
“Today’s hospital trustees must not only be passionate about the hospital’s mission, but also have a good understanding of how hospitals are operated and financed,” said Mike Horsley, president of AHA. “Being a hospital trustee takes a lot of time and it’s a critical role in the success of a hospital.”
Spann has served as the chairman of the board at Trinity Medical Center since 2005 and is credited with providing the type of leadership that has helped Trinity succeed in many endeavors, including receiving national recognition by the Joint Commission as a Top Performer on Key Quality Measures.
“As a board member, Mr. Spann is responsive, available and supportive of making sure we deliver the highest quality of care in the most personalized manner possible,” said Keith Granger, President and CEO of Trinity.
A leader in his career field of meteorology, Spann has earned several distinctions, including the National Weather Association’s 2012 National Broadcaster of the Year and the American Meteorological Society’s 2013 Award for Broadcast Meteorology. He is also the recipient of an Emmy Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for his live coverage of the deadly tornado which hit Tuscaloosa in December 2000.
Crestwood’s Hudson Named to Federal Reserve Bank Board
Pam Hudson, MD, chief executive officer of Crestwood Medical Center in Huntsville, has been appointed to the board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s Birmingham Branch.
Hudson, who has been CEO of Crestwood since 2007, began her career at the hospital as a physician in the Emergency Department and was promoted to several management positions throughout the organization, including chief medical officer and chief operating officer.
Hudson is a director of the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County, ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) Alabama Chapter, John Stallworth Scholarship Foundation, and is a past president of the National Children’s Advocacy Center. Other memberships include Business Council of Alabama, Leadership Alabama, Leadership Huntsville Madison County, Huntsville Rotary Club, Women’s Economic Development Council and Huntsville Community Chorus. She is a former board member of Phoenix Industries and Bancorp South Advisory Board.
Hudson is a 1979 summa cum laude graduate of Western Maryland College and received her doctor of medicine degree magna cum laude from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in 1983. She completed her family practice internship and residency at the School of Primary Medical Care at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, where she served as chief resident. She was recognized for Outstanding Achievement by Community Health Systems in 2007 and awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award from UA Huntsville in 2010.
Mag Mutual to Acquire South Carolina Physician Assurance Company
Mag Mutual Insurance Company (MMIC), a leading provider of medical professional liability insurance for physicians in the southeastern United States, and South Carolina Physician Assurance Company (SCPAC), a leading writer of physician liability insurance throughout South Carolina, announced today that they have entered into an Agreement whereby SCPAC will be acquired by MMIC.
Joseph S. Wilson, Jr., MD, CEO and Chairman of MagMutual, said that “Our ability to serve our South Carolina policyholders and our steadfast commitment to the South Carolina marketplace is greatly enhanced by the merger of our two firms. We believe the acquisition of SCPAC will further reinforce our position as the insurer of choice for South Carolina physicians.”
“As a physician and founding member of SCPAC, I am certain that this will be a smooth transition for all of our current policyholders,” said Gregory Tarasidis, MD, Chairman and the First Policyholder of SCPAC. SCPAC President Todd Atwater stated, “We are impressed with MagMutual’s commitment to its physician owners and the level of partnership they extend to all of their mutual policyholders. Our Board believes MagMutual is poised to become the premier insurer not only in South Carolina, but throughout the Southeast.”
The proposed transaction is subject to execution of a final definitive agreement, final corporate approvals and regulatory approval by the South Carolina Department of Insurance. The parties anticipate finalization of the transaction by the end of the first quarter of 2013.
Trinity First Hospital in Alabama to Use Germ-Zapping Technology
In an ongoing effort to improve patient safety, Trinity Medical Center is the first hospital in Alabama to use Xenex Healthcare Services’ innovative germ-zapping room disinfection technology.
“Incorporating new technologies plays a key role in nurturing our culture of patient safety,” said Keith Granger, President and CEO of Trinity Medical Center.
Xenex’s portable room disinfection device delivers pulsed Xenon ultraviolet light throughout Trinity’s isolation rooms, Intensive Care Units (ICUs), and Emergency Department (ED) to destroy viruses, bacteria and bacterial spores – typically in about five to 15 minutes per room. Trinity is using the Xenex device in rooms as an added step after they have been thoroughly cleaned by environmental services staff.
“Xenex supports our staff’s cleaning efforts by providing an extra measure of disinfection,” Granger said.
Xenex systems are currently in use by hospitals throughout the U.S. and have proven to be effective against a variety of the most dangerous superbugs, including Clostridium difficile (C. diff), MRSA, VRE and Acinetobacter.
Drs. Kennedy and Ostrowski Join Medical West
Kevin Kennedy, MD has joined Medical West as an Anesthesiologist.
Kennedy, a Birmingham native, received his medical degree from Louisiana State University and completed his internship at LSU, followed by his residency at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, where he received the Outstanding Senior Clinical Resident Award. Before joining Medical West, Kennedy was an Attending Anesthesiologist at Cooper Green Mercy Hospital. He is board certified in Anesthesiology.
David Ostrowski, MD has joined Medical West as an Orthopaedic Surgeon. Ostrowski graduated from the University of Michigan with distinction. He holds a medical degree from Wayne State University, and completed internships and residencies at Emory University, a pediatric orthopedic fellowship at the Denver Children’s Hospital, and a fellowship in orthopedic hand, upper extremity, and microsurgery at UAB.
Ostrowski holds memberships in the American Society for Surgery of the Hand, the Medical Association of the State of Alabama, the Jefferson County Medical Society, and the Member, International Dupuytren’s Society.
Board-certified in orthopedic surgery, Ostrowski holds a Certificate of Added Qualifications in Hand Surgery.
Mize Named CEO of State Volunteer
State Volunteer Mutual Insurance Company has named John H. Mize as its President and Chief Executive Officer effective in January 2013. He succeeds Steven C. Williams who will retire July 1, 2013 after 37 years of service to the company, the last 20 years as the CEO.
Mize is currently with Towers Watson, an international actuarial and consulting firm. He has been the Office Line of Business Leader for property, casualty and life actuarial practices for the firm’s Atlanta, Dallas and San Antonio offices, and co-leader of Towers Watson’s professional liability practice. In that capacity he has been SVMIC’s consulting actuary for the past 15 years.
He is a graduate of Georgia Institute of Technology where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering.
“John Mize brings most impressive qualifications to SVMIC,” said Williams. “We are pleased that someone we have known and respected for so long will be moving into this key position.”
Formed in 1976, State Volunteer Mutual is a physician-owned and physician-governed provider of medical professional liability insurance and consulting services to over 14,000 physicians, primarily in Tennessee, Arkansas, Kentucky and Alabama.