Adam Harrison, DO Joins CRMC Medical Staff
Adam Harrison, DO has joined Cullman Internal Medicine, PC practicing at Cullman Regional Medical Center. A 2002 graduate of Cullman High School, Harrison obtained his Bachelor of Science Biomedical Science degree from Auburn University in 2006 and received his degree in Osteopathic Medicine in 2010 from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine Georgia Campus in Suwanee, Ga. He successfully completed an internship through Columbus Regional Medical Center in Columbus, Ga. in 2011. He will complete his residency through UAB Family Medicine in Huntsville, Ala.
Harrison is a member of the American Medical Association, the Alabama Osteopathic Medical Association and the American Academy of Family Physicians. He has also participated in multiple volunteer positions.
“As a Cullman native, I am excited about coming home,” Harrison said. “My wife and I look forward to being of service to the community that has given so much to me.”
Kumar Selected as a Top Surgeon in Tuscaloosa
Naresh Kumar, MD has been selected as a Top Surgeon in Tuscaloosa by the International Association of Healthcare Professionals.
The IAHCP spotlights physicians who have demonstrated leadership in their profession and provides an opportunity to network with other medical professionals from around the globe.
Kumar will be spotlighted in the publication The Leading Physicians of the World.
Kumar has been on staff at DCH Regional Medical Center for 37 years. He has received a lifetime distinguished service award from the American College of Surgeons, the American Academy of Surgery and the American Board of Surgery in 2012.
Princeton Names New Chief Medical Officer
Princeton Baptist Medical Center has named Alan Strauss Craig, Jr., MD as Chief Medical Officer.
Most recently, Craig served as Director of the Hospitalist Program at Princeton Baptist. His previous experience includes private practice in internal medicine; several significant positions in the UAB Health System and the University of Alabama Health Services Foundation; and Principal Clinical Coordinator, Alabama Quality Assurance Foundation.
He holds numerous honors and awards including Physician of the Year – HIM Department at UABMW; Chairman, Alabama Chapter of the American College of Physician Associates Committee; Winner of Excellence, The UAHSF Circle of Excellence Award; Healthcare Financing Administration-Administrator’s Citation Award and the American Medical Association Physician’s Recognition Award in Clinical Medical Education. He is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and as a Diplomat of the National Board of Medical Examiners.
Craig graduated with honors from the University of South Alabama College of Medicine in Mobile and served his residency at UAB Hospital in Birmingham.
Samford Receives Third Largest NFLP Grant in Nation
Samford University’s Ida V. Moffett School of Nursing has received a $1,310,955 grant which is the third largest award nationally of the 92 Nurse Faculty Loan Program (NFLP) grants for 2014-15. This was the largest of five grants in the state of Alabama and was more than double the combined grants of other Alabama institutions. This is the 12th year Samford has received the grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).
The grants are designed to help ease a national shortage of nursing educators, according to Jane Martin, associate nursing dean at Samford. Students who receive loans for master’s or doctoral degree programs can have up to 85 percent of the loan forgiven in exchange for service as full-time nursing faculty members at an accredited school of nursing.
Martin noted that in 2013-14, Samford was able to use HRSA grant funds to help students from 16 different states extending from Massachusetts to California. To date, over 200 students have benefitted from NFLP loan awards at Samford and are serving as nurse educators across the country.
Princeton Names Chief Nursing Officer
Princeton Baptist Medical Center recently named Paula Davenport, BSN, MS, CNOR to the position of chief nursing officer (CNO).
“It is an honor to be selected to lead the outstanding nursing staff at Princeton Baptist,” Davenport said. “In addition to continuing to seek innovative ways to deliver quality care to our patients, one of my goals will be to maintain the culture that, I believe, separates Princeton Baptist and Baptist Health System from other health care organizations.”
Davenport began her career as a staff nurse in the Princeton Baptist operating room. She has as executive director of nursing at Princeton since 2009.
Davenport holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Samford University, and received a master’s degree in Health Administration from the University of Saint Francis in Joliet, Illinois. She is an active member of leading professional organizations, including the Alabama Organization of Nurse Executives and the Association of Peri-Operative Registered Nurses and is executive officer of the Birmingham Regional Organization of Nurse Leaders.
Coastal Insurance Names Margaret Nekic President and CEO
Coastal Insurance Company, Inc. (CIC) has named Margaret M. Nekic as President and Chief Executive Officer. She will oversee the daily business operations, leading the development and implementation of the organization’s strategy.
CIC’s Chairman of the Board, Robert Chapman said “the Board of Directors is very pleased to have Margaret heading up our team. She will bring her creative skills combining corporate and entrepreneurial experience that will lead CIC’s future growth and continued strong financial results.”
Nekic has over 17 years of industry experience, serving most recently as Chief Operating Officer of Advantica in St. Louis, Missouri. She earned a Master’s in Business Administration from Fontbonne University and her Bachelors of Arts from St. Louis University.
Nekic replaces Melvin Capell who has served as President and CEO since helping form the company in February 2003. “We are grateful for the many contributions Mel has made to this organization and particularly for his leadership through those early years. The Board and CIC team of professionals all wish Mel the best in his retirement.”
Franks Elected to Lead MASA
Mobile psychiatrist Ronald D. Franks, MD, was recently installed as the 2014-2015 president of the Medical Association of the State of Alabama (MASA).
Franks is vice president for health sciences at the University of South Alabama where he also serves as professor of psychiatry. He previously served as vice president for health affairs and dean of medicine at East Tennessee State University and has served as both secretary-treasurer and president elect for MASA. He is certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and is a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association.
Franks graduated from the University of Michigan Medical School, underwent a medical internship at Virginia Mason Hospital and did a four-year psychiatry residency at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.
ACC Alabama Elects Miller to President
Andrew P. Miller, MD has been elected President of the Alabama Chapter of the American College of Cardiology. Miller will serve as President-Elect for 2014-15 and as President for 2015-18. He plans to focus on instilling community across the state and supporting the entire cardiovascular team that is comprised of physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistance, pharmacists, and practice managers.
For the past seven years prior to his currently elected position, he has served as Education Chair and most recently chaired the Chapter’s Annual Meeting. Miller has been in practice with Cardiovascular Associates since 2008, where he specializes in preventive and invasive cardiology, echocardiography and nuclear cardiology.
American Family Care Acquires Medical Staffing Firm
American Family Care (AFC) has acquired Trinity Medical Contractors (TMC), an Alabama-based health care staffing firm. The combined company is named American Healthcare Resources (AHR), merging AFC’s in-house recruiting team with TMC’s staffing services.
American Healthcare Resources has three divisions of focus; physician recruitment for the more than 50 AFC clinics located in Alabama and around the southeast, as well as AFC/Doctors Express clinics in 26 states; an outside locum tenens physician service; and nursing services.
Recruiters and support staff members at AHR will offer a diverse set of services, including direct hires, temporary to permanent placement, travel nurses, long-term contractual nursing and short-term per diem staffing, including medical doctors and nursing professionals.
Baptist Launches House Calls Program
Baptist Health System (BHS) has launched of the Baptist Health System House Calls Program, a pilot program that focuses on patient education, encourages empowerment for self-care and works to prevent unnecessary readmissions. The Program is available to patients who live near Princeton Baptist Medical Center.
As part of the house call, the in-home team accesses each patient’s electronic medical records and develops a pre-visit care plan. Once in the home, the team assesses the patient’s condition, evaluates the home environment, and spends time educating the patient on their medications, self-care and identifying signs of changes in their medical condition that would require follow up.
“At BHS, we work to empower our patients to care for themselves and make sure they have the social structures in place to get to their primary care visits, take their medications and maintain a healthy lifestyle,” said Teresa Shufflebarger, BHS vice president of strategic planning and business development. “There could be underlying social issues that send a patient to the ER when the ER is not the best option for their follow-up care.”
Each house calls team includes a medical resident, a nurse and a medical-education physician faculty member. The team works to ensure that patients are able to care for themselves before they are discharged from the hospital. The Baptist Health System House Calls team is led by Tiffany Lewis, MD, internal medicine program director, and Claudia Wilkey, director of BHS’s outpatient cardiac disease centers.
Birmingham Heart Clinic Receives Echocardiography Accreditation
Birmingham Heart Clinic (BHC) has been granted a three-year term of accreditation in echocardiography by the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC).
Echocardiographic testing has become one of the standard diagnostic tools to detect and manage many types of heart disease. This complex imaging technique relies on the training of both the physician and sonographer as the interpretive and technical abilities of these individuals determine the diagnostic accuracy of an echocardiographic examination.
To earn this accreditation, BHC underwent rigorous examinations by a panel of experts. The skill of the technologist performing the examination, the type of equipment used, the background and knowledge of the interpreting physician, and quality assurance measures are all critical to ensuring quality patient studies.