Frederic Jones, MD, medical director for the Emergency Department at DCH Regional Medical Center, has been named a 2013 Medical Director of the Year for Emergency Medicine by TeamHealth, one of the nation’s largest providers of outsourced physician staffing solutions for hospitals.
Jones was one of 13 professionals recognized for excellence in physician leadership by TeamHealth’s operating division presidents. The winners are among more than 8,900 health care professionals affiliated with TeamHealth.
Samford Nursing Graduates Honored
Samford University’s Ida V. Moffett School of Nursing honored 17 alumni at its annual Courage to Care awards gala. The honorees, including Living Legacy award recipient Frances Mellett Robinson, were cited for their adherence to the maxims of the school’s namesake, the late Ida V. Moffett.
Courage to Care honorees are:
Rosemary Cox Bamberg; Roxane Cobb; Audrea A. Dooley; Frances Dobynes Ford; Yvonne Harper; Robbie Smith Heaton; Susan Tucker Hornsby; Lisa A. Jones; Lisa Kuntz; Rebecca G. McAnnally; Ann Hughes McEntire; Pennie Nichols; Rebecca Dick Peinhardt; Kelly Snow Preston; Molly Shaw; Joan Wolfe Williamson.
St. Vincent’s Health System (STVHS) has received accreditation with commendation as a provider of continuing medical education (CME) by the Medical Association of the State of Alabama (MASA). Accreditation with commendation, or “Level 3,” means that STVHS has received a six-year accreditation and is among the top 25 percent of providers offering CME in the United States.
STVHS is one of only two organizations in Alabama to achieve this prestigious accreditation.
The Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) and state medical associations, such as MASA, rigorously evaluate the overall CME programs of institutions according to standards adopted by all seven sponsoring organizations of the ACCME.
“This accreditation with commendation designation recognizes that our CME program has an influence on quality, safety and improvement in professional practice and affects the quality of care offered to our patients,” said Kathy Loyd, RN, MSN, JD, human resources director of clinical services at STVHS.
Harding University Dedicates Health Sciences center to Swaids
Birmingham neurosurgeon Swaid N. Swaid, MD and his wife, Christy, were recently honored by Harding University at a building dedication ceremony. The University named the newly constructed health sciences center the Swaid and Christy Swaid Center for Health Sciences.
The 44,000-square-foot building is home to the University’s Carr College of Nursing and the department of communication sciences and disorders.
Born in Galilee in 1952, Swaid came to the United States in 1969 to attend Harding University. After graudating summa cum laude, he earned his medical degree from the UAB School of Medicine. He is a world-renowned neurosurgeon with vast experience in treating complex brain and spine disorders and he has been named one of America’s Top Doctors.
Christy Swaid is a six-time world champion professional watercraft racer. She was recognized as “one of the fittest women in America” by Competitor Magazine and Muscle and Fitness.
BHS Hospitals Earn “A” in Patient Safety
When the national, nonprofit Leapfrog Group released its latest Hospital Safety Scores recently, three Baptist Health System (BHS) medical centers once again were recognized with an “A” rating.
Princeton, Shelby and Walker Baptist Medical Centers were each awarded an “A” score. Only one non-Baptist hospital in the area received an “A” rating.
In the ratings, the Leapfrog Group assigned a Hospital Safety Score (A, B, C, D or F) to 2,539 hospitals through the U.S. Letter scores – A, B, C, D or F – were determined by the hospitals’ performance on 28 safety measures. Only 813 of those hospitals, including Princeton, Shelby and Walker Baptist, received an “A” score.
“At BHS, we believe hospitals should be transparent with their quality and safety information and that the communities they serve should know the efforts we are making to protect our patients,” said BHS President and CEO Shane Spees.
The latest Leapfrog safety scores were also used to rank U.S. states based on the percentage of hospitals in each state that received an “A” grade. With a third of its reporting hospitals rated “A,” Alabama ranked number 20 on the list.
$1 Billion Goal for UAB’s Largest Fundraising Campaign
UAB today has kicked off the public phase of The Campaign for UAB: Give Something, Change Everything, the university’s largest fundraising campaign to date, with an ambitious $1 billion goal.
The campaign will run through 2018.
“The theme reflects the fact that, when you give to UAB, you help us change our community and our world for the better, whether by finding the cure for a disease, enabling a bright young person to go to college or lighting the spark for a new innovation,” UAB President Ray L. Watts said.
Donors can:
• Fund scholarships that remove financial barriers to a UAB education
• Create endowments that attract faculty at the top of their fields
• Expand facilities to accommodate increasing enrollment and new or growing programs
• Invest in new technologies that support teaching, research and global outreach
• Underwrite efforts to commercialize discoveries
• Expand patient-care facilities to improve the health of residents
• Support arts and cultural programs that enrich our lives and strengthen the fabric of our community
Participation will also come from within; at least $35 million of the $1 billion goal is expected from UAB faculty and staff.
“I anticipate that the UAB family, who knows more than anyone the great contributions this institution makes, will step up in a big way,” Watts said.
To learn more about the Give Something, Change Everything campaign, visit uab.edu/campaign.
UH-Clear Lake Awards Spees
Baptist Health System President and CEO M. Shane Spees received the University of Houston-Clear Lake Alumni Association Early Achievement Award in October. The award is presented to a UHCL alumnus age 45 or younger with notable accomplishments in her/his business, community service, or involvement in the Alumni Association.
Spees has led Baptist Health System since 2007. The system produces approximately $600 million in revenues and includes four hospitals, 45 physician practices and more than 800 physicians throughout central and north Alabama. In 2011, Spees was appointed by the governor to the State of Alabama Health Insurance Exchange Study Commission and served as president of the Birmingham Regional Council of the Alabama Hospital Association. He also serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Alabama Hospital Association and the American Heart Association, and as a member of the United Healthcare Hospital Executive Advisory Board.
Prior to joining Baptist, Spees held executive positions with Valley Baptist Hospital in Harlingen, Texas, and Memorial Hermann Healthcare System in Houston. Under his leadership, recognitions have included being named by the Birmingham Business Journal as one of the Top Ten Best Places to Work in Birmingham for four years running and one of the 2013 Best Companies to Work for in Alabama by Business Alabama. Hospitals within Baptist Health System have been named “Top Hospitals” by their accrediting body, the Joint Commission, as well as being named one of the “Best Hospitals” in their market by U.S. News and World Report.
Spees received his Master of Healthcare Administration from UHCL in 1997.
MagMutual Launches Patient Safety Institute
MagMutual Insurance Company has announced the establishment of the MagMutual Patient Safety Institute. Underscoring its commitment to improving quality across care delivery settings, MagMutual’s $50 million investment offers physicians a wide range of tools that facilitate the adoption of best practices to improve safety and decrease exposure to risk.
“We believe the best defense against medical error is to assist our policyholders in the creation of environments conducive to optimal care and outcomes,” says Joseph Wilson Jr., MD, MagMutual’s chairman of the board. “Patient safety is one of the most pressing healthcare challenges facing our physicians, making it a priority for us to invest in helping them improve their quality of care as well as reduce risks associated with that care delivery.”
The MagMutual Patient Safety Institute will compile a database of information from more than 18,000 physician policyholders and compare those findings with those from other national databases. This data will enable the Institute to craft continuing medical education from evidence-based research and offer MagMutual policyholders access to successes achieved by their peers in the field of patient safety. The Institute will also assist policyholders with self-assessments based on root-cause taxonomy.
Future plans for the Institute include a state-of-the-art simulation lab that will model patient safety best practices in a simulated real-life environment.
With more than 25 years of experience in cardiac surgery, patient safety and hospital administration, Mary Gregg, MD, FACS, MHA, MagMutual’s chief medical officer and senior vice president, has been named president of the MagMutual Patient Safety Institute. “Dr. Gregg’s passion for advocating the safe practice of medicine makes her the perfect fit for this role,” Wilson says.
Tinney Joins Medical West
Sean Tinney has joined Medical West as Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.
Sean received his bachelor’s degree from Auburn University and his master’s in Health Administration from UAB.
Before joining Medical West, Tinney served as President of Rural Hospital Operations for St. Vincent’s Blount, St. Vincent’s St. Clair, and St. Vincent’s East
Mathis Announces for Congress
Chad Mathis, MD, part owner of Alabama Bone and Joint Clinic in Pelham, announced his campaign for Congress in Alabama’s 6th Congressional District last month. The news comes after Representative Spencer Bachus announced recently that he would not seek reelection next year.
Mathis, an orthopedic surgeon, decided to run because he wants to do something about the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and the out of control spending in Washington. He believes that the ACA is the wrong approach for America’s healthcare system. He thinks reforms that focus on improving the doctor/patient relationship like strengthening health savings accounts are a better way forward. He also thinks SGR needs to be reformed with regard to Medicare and worries how changes in scope of practice rules are affecting the quality of healthcare patients receive.
Mathis, a member of Mountaintop Community Church, lives in Indian Springs with Angie, his wife of 19 years, and their two children.
Trinity Names Assistant CFO
Michael J. Breault has been named the Assistant Chief Financial Officer at Trinity Medical Center.
Most recently, Breault was Controller for Cedar Park Regional Medical Center in Cedar Park, Texas. Prior to that, he served in various finance roles for several healthcare facilities including Seton Healthcare Family in Austin, Texas; Saint Joseph Mercy Health System in Ann Arbor, Michigan; and Oakwood Healthcare in Dearborn, Michigan.
Breault received a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Michigan and a master’s of Business Administration degree from the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
UAB Becomes Largest Cancer Study Enrollment Site in U.S.
With 1,209 participants, UAB has become the largest single-site enrollment location in the United States for the Cancer Prevention Study-3 (CPS-3). This surpasses the previous record set in Albany, New York where 1,200 people enrolled at one site.
“We’re thrilled to break this national record,” said Edward Partridge, MD director of the Comprehensive Cancer Center and past-president of the American Cancer Society.
“I would venture to say that this current effort at UAB is one of the most significant enrollments in the history of our enrollment period, and it may very well be what helps push us over our 300,000 goal nationwide,” said Alpa Patel, PhD, principal investigator for the CPS-3 study.
Ramsey Begins Term as President of Pediatrics Society
Michael J. Ramsey, MD, FAAP began his term on October 1st as president of the Alabama Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AL-AAP), a statewide society of pediatricians.
Ramsey attained his medical degree at UAB in 1994 and completed his pediatric internship and residency at Children’s of Alabama. He joined Dothan Pediatric Clinic in 1997, where he has served as medical director and financial director.
Ramsey has held numerous roles within the leadership of the AL-AAP. His expertise on payor issues prompted his serving as an advisor to Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama’s Medical Home Demonstration Pilot, during which he led his practice’s transformation to become the first Alabama practice recognized by the National Committee on Quality Assurance as a Patient-Centered Medical Home. He was also a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ (AAP) Accountable Care Organizations workgroup, and more recently, he has served on Governor Robert Bentley’s Medicaid Advisory Commission and Medicaid Pharmacy Advisory Commission.
Trinity CEO Keynote Speaker
Keith Granger, President & CEO of Trinity Medical Center, was a keynote speaker at the Studer Group’s 11th annual What’s Right in Health Care conference held in Atlanta. Granger’s topic was Elevating Results through Systems, Processes and Accountability.
More than 1,200 health professionals attended the conference designed to share best practices and tools to help an organization achieve and sustain clinical, service and operational excellence.
Granger was asked to share the story of how Trinity Medical Center, in a short period of time, has achieved top-tier rankings for quality initiatives and patient experience. He was the only hospital CEO to serve as a keynote speaker.
Colin Luke Joins Waller
Veteran healthcare attorney Colin H. Luke has joined Waller in the Birmingham office.
“Colin is respected throughout the Southeast as a leader in healthcare law,” said Waller chairman John Tishler. “Our goal is to build world-class healthcare practices in our Birmingham and Austin offices that complement the skills we’ve developed over 40 years in Nashville.”
“I have always held Waller and its attorneys in high regard for the work they do in the healthcare industry,” said Luke.
The former chair of the Alabama Bar’s Health Law Section, Luke’s healthcare career spans more than two decades. He advises hospitals, physicians and outpatient service providers on regulatory compliance matters involving the federal Anti-Kickback Statute and Stark law, HIPAA, state healthcare regulations and the development of effective corporate compliance programs. Luke also counsels healthcare clients on operations issues, such as provider and payor certifications, facility licensure and certificates of need and in transactional matters.
Luke earned his J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School and his B.A., summa cum laude, from Vanderbilt University. He has been named “Best of the Bar” by the Birmingham Business Journal, and he is listed in Best Lawyers and Alabama Super Lawyers. Luke is a member of the American Health Lawyers Association and the Health Law and Business Law Sections of the Alabama State Bar and the American Bar Association.
Cerfolio Closes Association Presidency with Annual Address
UAB Chief of Thoracic Surgery Robert Cerfolio, MD, gave the 60th annual presidential address at this year’s Southern Thoracic Surgical Association meeting which marked his last duties as 2012-2013 president of the organization.
Cerfolio, a world-renowned thoracic surgeon who has performed more than 15,000 operations, is a leader in developing new ways to reduce pain, reduce air leaks, and make operations more efficient for patients, with less morbidity.
Cerfolio has hosted more than 200 visiting surgeons from around the world to observe his novel surgical techniques. He has written more than 154 original peer-reviewed articles and more than 50 book chapters, and he is scheduled to release his first nonmedical book, The Athleticism of Surgery, in 2014. In addition, he will complete his MBA degree in December.
At age 51, Cerfolio is one of the youngest presidents of any major cardiothoracic society.
