Effective October 19, 2015, Alabama Cardiovascular Group, PC (APG) began operating in alignment with Grandview Medical Group, the affiliated physician practice group of Grandview Health.
“Our history of service is built on the expertise and commitment of our medical staff, the numerous specialties, the depth of the programs we offer, our commitment to advanced technologies, and the dedication of our team,” said Keith Granger, President and CEO of Grandview Medical Center.
ACG is comprised of 14 cardiologists with two primary locations at St. Vincent’s Birmingham and St. Vincent’s East, along with six satellite offices. ACG has a robust practice and will provide general cardiology, structural and interventional cardiology, as well as advanced arrhythmia management and electrophysiology services.
The group has moved into a new 15,000 square foot office in the Grandview Physicians Plaza, located on the Grandview Health campus. ACG will also continue to provide services in areas previously served throughout the region and plans to expand services to new locations over the next 12 months.
“Alabama Cardiovascular Group has grown over the past few decades and our alignment with Grandview will allow us to continue the service that our patients deserve,” said Joaquin Arciniegas, MD, senior partner with ACG. “This is a mutual partnership with Grandview that will allow us to expand our services throughout the local and state markets and on a regional level. It also is an opportunity for us to have access to the latest technology in cardiovascular care within a facility that is patient-centered.”
Imaging Suite Open at Northside Medical
Northside Medical Associates has opened a new 8,000 square foot imaging suite at its Pell City campus. The new suite features a wide bore, open MRI, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, the only one of its kind in St. Clair County. It has earned national accreditation by the American College of Radiology.
The suite expansion is part of a plan for Northside to better care for patients with services and specialties all under one roof.
According to Michael Dupre’,MD, this cutting edge MRI is not only precise in its imaging capabilities, it is open, quiet and quick. Made by Toshiba, its unique technology puts the magnet in a vacuum container to prevent the transmission of sound.
Most studies take 15 minutes or less, and it has the capability to test 25 patients a day versus the 10 to 12 average with the older technology.
The next phase of Northside’s expansion plans include a multi-specialty building expected to begin construction this fall. Specialty doctors are already serving patients at Northside, but this newest phase will enable specialty physicians to own part of the facility.
It will include cardiology, ophthalmology, optometry, pulmonary, Ear, Nose and Throat, orthopedic surgery, dermatology, urology and gastroenterology specialists.
The newest expansion and future plans come on the heels of Northside opening medical clinics in outlying areas. In addition to the original office in Pell City, Northside has opened new offices in Moody and Vincent.
UAB Cancer Center Named to List of Great Oncology Programs
Becker’s Hospital Review has named the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center as one of the nation’s 100 Hospitals and Health Systems with Great Oncology Programs.
The UAB Cancer Center, the only one listed from Alabama, was recognized for its clinical outcomes, multidisciplinary care teams, clinical expertise and oncology research.
Becker’s Hospital review is a monthly publication offering business and legal news and analysis relating to hospitals and health systems. It also publishes a number of lists of outstanding facilities throughout the year.
The UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center is the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center in the Deep South region, including Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina. The center is home to a faculty of more than 330 physicians and researchers, many of whom are nationally and internationally recognized for their expertise.
The center has about 5,000 new patients each year and provides ongoing care to more than 20,000 cancer patients annually.
MASA Announces Prescription Assistance Program
Patients who need help with the cost of prescription medications can now get a free prescription assistance card made available by the state’s largest association of physicians.
The Medical Association of the State of Alabama (MASA) will distribute the Alabama Rx Card, a discount drug card free to Alabama residents. The discount card generates savings of up to 75 percent on prescription drugs at hundreds of participating pharmacies statewide.
The discount card helps uninsured and under-insured residents afford prescription medications, which has already saved Alabama residents more than $25 million since inception.
“Alabama’s physicians are committed to our patients’ well-being, so helping patients get the medications they need is a priority,” said MASA President Buddy Smith Jr, MD of Lineville.
The Alabama Rx Card discounts will benefit patients whose health insurance coverage does not include prescription benefits. Those who do have prescription coverage with their health insurance can use this program to get discounts on medications that are not covered by their insurance plan. Patients will have the ability to go to the Alabama Rx Card website to see prices for their particular prescriptions and determine the level of discount they might receive.
All Alabamians are eligible regardless of their current prescription coverage benefits.
Alabama residents can print a free card, search drug pricing, and locate participating pharmacies at www.alabamarxcard.com, www.masalink.org, or www.alabamamedicine.org/.
Anuradha Rao, MD of CVA Honored by Women’s Fund
Anuradha Rao, MD, FACC, a cardiologist with Cardiovascular Associates, was one of ten women chosen as 2015 Smart Honorees by the Women’s Fund of Greater Birmingham. The women, considering some of Birmingham’s smartest and most innovative, were recognized at a fundraiser held at Iron City. Money raised will help the Women’s Fund continue their mission of helping women escape poverty.
Rao earned her medical degree at Memorial University of Newfoundland School of Medicine and did an internal medicine residency at William Beaumont Hospital. She did a Fellowship in Cardiovascular Disease at the Tulane University Medical Center.
BHS Names New President of Legacy BHS Organization
As a part of Baptist Health System’s (BHS) joint venture with Tenet Healthcare Corporation, BHS will create a legacy BHS organization, which will oversee the ongoing mission of the Baptist Health Foundation and provide oversight for BHS investments.
The BHS Board of Trustees appointed Amy Allen, current BHS vice president of finance, as president and CEO of the legacy BHS organization. Keith Parrott, current BHS president and CEO, has been tapped to lead the joint venture.
“Amy has been a trusted member of the BHS team for nearly 20 years, and has held several key roles, including vice president of audit services and vice president/chief accounting officer, which uniquely position her to lead Legacy BHS,” said John Holcomb, Chairman, Board of Trustees, Baptist Health System.
As president and CEO, Allen will be responsible for the overall mission of BHS and the Baptist Health Foundation by setting short and long-term objectives, while under the direction of the Board of Trustees. She will implement annual strategic operating and financial plans.
Allen was recognized with BHS’s Excellence in Executive Leadership award in 1999. Most recently, she was an integral part of the team that negotiated the joint venture with Tenet.
Allen is a 1990 graduate of Auburn University, where she earned a B.S. in accounting and subsequently achieved her Certified Public Accountant certification.
Brookwood Earns “A” Grade by Hospital Safety Score
Brookwood Medical Center is one of the two Birmingham hospitals to earn an A grade in The Hospital Safety Score, which is a national ratings program compiled under the guidance of leading patient safety experts that rate hospitals on errors, injuries, accidents and infections.
The Hospital Safety Score which is administered by The Leapfrog Group, an independent nonprofit, and peer-reviewed in the Journal of Patient Safety, uses 28 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to produce a single A, B, C, D, or F score. More than 2,500 U.S. hospitals were assigned scores in October 2015, with 773 hospitals receiving an A grade.