Grand Rounds April


Let’s Give Them Something to Talk About!

Awards, Honors, Recognitions

Catherine Stallworth, MD has been installed as president-elect for Nashville Academy of Medicine. A Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation specialist, Stallworth will serve a 3-year term with the Academy, serving as president and then board chair over the next two years.
 
Healthways, Inc. (NASDAQ: HWAY) was recently honored by the CABLE organization, Tennessee’s largest and most established network of professionals, for commitment to gender balance among corporate leadership as one of the few Tennessee public companies to include more than two women in the makeup of its Board of Directors. Healthways was one of only 11 companies named to the inaugural CABLE Board Walk of Fame.
 
Last month, HCA was honored as New York-based think tank Ethisphere Institute announced its fourth annual selection of the World’s Most Ethical Companies. The list highlights 100 organizations that lead the way in promoting ethical business standards. Ethisphere honors companies that go beyond legal minimums, introduce innovative ideas benefiting the public and force their competitors to follow suit.
 
David Guth, CEO of Centerstone of America, has been recognized by the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare as the winner of the 2010 Award of Excellence in Visionary Leadership. Gut was acknowledged nationally for his exemplary leadership and commitment to a high quality behavioral healthcare system that addresses the needs of consumers and their families.
 
It’s a report card worthy of hanging on the refrigerator for Cumberland Consulting Group. The Nashville-based company has been recognized for excellence in health information systems consulting based on the feedback of thousands of healthcare providers as reported by KLAS.
 
KLAS, an independent research firm specializing in monitoring and reporting the performance of healthcare technology vendors, works with executives from more than 4,500 hospitals and 2,500 clinics nationwide. Cumberland was evaluated on an A through F grading scale in three categories: Vendor Selection, Systems Planning and Clinical Implementation and was awarded A ratings across the board.
 
Passport Health Communications Inc. recently received a Crystal Recognition Award from the Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission (EHNAC). The honor was presented during the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) annual exhibition to recognize Passport’s excellence in processing electronic healthcare transactions.
 
Dr. Mike Voight, professor of physical therapy at Belmont University, has been honored by the American Physical Therapy Association as a recipient of the Turner A Blackburn Lifetime Achievement Award from its Sports Physical Therapy Section. In addition, Voight was inducted into APTA’s Sports Physical Therapy Hall of Fame, recognizing his positive impact on the profession of physical therapy for over 25 years. 
 

TMA Statement on TennCare Hospital Tax

The Tennessee Medical Association recently released a statement in support of submitted legislation (HB 3310/SB 3528) creating the 3.5 percent “coverage fee” on hospitals’ net patient revenues that would generate nearly $230 million for the state’s Medicaid program and receive federal matching dollars for a total of $659 million. Through the federal stimulus program, CMS reduced the amount of money each state owes the government to help cover the cost of Medicare Part D. Tennessee’s payments were reduced by $121 million.
 
“We have heard from physicians all across the state that they had grave concerns over their abilities to remain in the TennCare program if the fees were cut another seven percent while we are seeing more patients enter the program during these tough economic times,” said incoming TMA President B. W. Ruffner, MD, of Chattanooga.
 
“We are thankful that we may all have a respite in order to keep the program sustained, at least for the next 12 months, without having to limit benefits or cut patients from the program,” he continued. “It would not be possible without the solution offered by the hospitals in Tennessee and the additional stimulus funds available from the CMS.” Ruffner added, “We certainly want to acknowledge the leadership of the Tennessee Hospital Association for their courage to push forward with a creative solution to help keep TennCare in working order, and minimize the funding cuts to the education of future physicians in our state and the frontline doctors that partner with their facilities to make this program work. We also appreciate all the hard work that Darin Gordon, Dr. Wendy Long and Commissioner Goetz supplied to make the best of a potentially horrible situation for TennCare patients and providers.”
 

TriStar Health System and UnitedHealthcare Extend and Expand Relationship

In March, TriStar Health System and UnitedHealthcare, a UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) company, announced their organizations have extended their TennCare Medicaid managed care relationship and, additionally, have expanded the agreement to include two new Medicare Advantage options. 
 
The TennCare agreement is effective immediately with no disruption in service or access to TriStar hospitals for AmeriChoice by UnitedHealthcare TennCare enrollees. TriStar has also entered into two new Medicare Advantage contracts with UnitedHealthcare. Effective March 1, 2010, TriStar Health System facilities became participating providers in AmeriChoice Secure Plus Complete, a program for TennCare enrollees who are also eligible for Medicare.  Additionally, TriStar Health System has become an in-network provider for UnitedHealthcare’s SecureHorizons and AARP Medicare Advantage HMO plans. 
 
The agreement will add more than 235 primary and specialty care physicians affiliated with the hospitals to the UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage network.
 

Vanderbilt Study Shows First Signs of Glaucoma Injury Occur In Brain, Not Eyes

Researchers at the Vanderbilt Eye Institute are now a step closer to deciphering a leading cause of blindness in the United States – glaucoma. In a recent study, David Calkins, PhD, director of Research at the VEI, discovered the first sign of injury in glaucoma actually occurs in the brain.
 
“Distal Axonopathy with Structural Persistence in Glaucomatous Neurodegeneration,” published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences last month, describes recent experiments in which Calkins’ laboratory shows that glaucoma is very much like other central nervous system diseases. “This is a paradigm shift on how we think about this disease,” said Calkins, associate professor of Ophthalmology at VEI and a member of the neuroscience program. “This will have global implications. This information opens up an entirely new domain of nerve-derived therapeutics.”
 
Combining this new understanding of where the first neuronal injury for glaucoma occurs, with the fact that the incidence of injury increases with age, researchers now have insight into how the loss of sensory function occurs in normal aging. Traditionally, glaucoma therapies have focused on lowering ocular pressure within the eye. But the recent PNAS study gives credence to taking a new direction of study focusing on neuronal activity in the middle of the brain where the optic nerve forms its first connections.
 
Using animal models with high pressure glaucoma, the team was able to see that a very early mechanism of vision loss involves the loss of communication between the optic nerve and the mid-brain, where sensory information about sound, heat, cold, pain and pressure originate.
 

MGMA Head to Retire

Last month, William F. Jessee, MD, FACMPE, FACPM, president and chief executive officer of the Medical Group Management Association, announced he will retire in the fall of 2011. Jessee has led MGMA for 11 years, through some of its most prosperous and successful times. During his tenure, MGMA and its certification body, the American College of Medical Practice Executives (ACMPE), experienced unprecedented membership and revenue growth.  Jessee is known as a pioneer in identifying and addressing sources of unnecessary administrative complexity in healthcare, and raising awareness of the medical practice management profession. He has consistently ranked in Modern Healthcare’s Top 100 Most Powerful People in Healthcare and Top 50 Most Powerful Physician Executives. A search for his successor is anticipated to begin this summer.
 

Meharry Celebrates Successful Match Day

Last month, anxious Meharry Medical College seniors breathed a sigh of relief as they learned they had been selected for prestigious postgraduate residency training programs across the United States during National Match Day. 
 
Students matched at residency programs at United States’ teaching hospitals such as Yale-New Haven Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine (Houston), Temple University Hospital (Philadelphia), Tulane University (New Orleans), Einstein/Montefiore Medical Center (Bronx, N.Y.) and Harvard University. At 85 percent, Meharry’s overall match rate for the 2010 class of graduating seniors soundly exceeded the national match rate of 71.2 percent for all applicants. 
 
In a standing room only ceremony, students shouted, yelled and cried tears of joy as they discovered where they would spend their next few years training.
 

Former FCC Commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate Joins CRI Board

Centerstone Research Institute (CRI) announced Deborah Taylor Tate has joined its Board of Directors. Tate began a three-year appointment in February in which she will help guide the operations and policies of the organization and support its efforts to improve behavioral healthcare through pioneering research. Tate has been closely involved with Centerstone for almost a decade and has served as chairman of the Board of Centerstone of Tennessee. An attorney, Tate served as Commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission from 2006 to 2009. She is referred to by many as the “Children’s Commissioner,” and is a champion of mental health causes and a noted advocate for issues including telemedicine, child online safety, child obesity and the prevention of cyber bullying.
 
Tate co-founded the Renewal House, a recovery residence for women addicted to crack cocaine and their children, and served as a director at Vanderbilt University’s Institute on Public Policy. She serves on the national boards of Common Sense Media and the Minority and Media Telecommunications Council, in addition to serving on numerous local boards.
 

SCRI Names CFO and President, SCRI Services

The Sarah Cannon Research Institute (SCRI) has named Dean Ferrigno chief financial officer and Phil Cestaro president, SCRI Services.
 
Cestaro, who previously served as chief financial officer, will continue his role as chief information officer in addition to the new position. In his new role as president, SCRI Services, he will lead the division specializing in clinical trial administration with a focus on oncology drug development programs. Prior to joining SCRI in 2006, Cestaro served as director of product management for Oracle Corporation.
 
Ferrigno joins SCRI’s executive team from Daiichi Sankyo Inc. in Edison, N.J., where he was senior director of research and development for finance and accounting. Daiichi Sankyo is the U.S. subsidiary of a Japanese pharmaceutical company that specializes in cardiovascular drug therapies. He brings more than 17 years’ experience in accounting, financial management and operations.
 

Simplex Names Fuqua CIO

Last month, seasoned information technology executive Richard G. Fuqua joined Franklin-based Simplex Healthcare as the company’s chief information office. As CIO, Fuqua will be responsible for providing vision and leadership for Simplex’s IT initiatives. Specifically, he will work to define and implement Simplex’s IT strategy and manage the achievement of overall performance objectives. Prior to joining Simplex, Fuqua served as the executive vice president and CIO of AIM Healthcare Services, a leading provider of healthcare cost management and data mining services.
 

State Names Rice eHealth Director

Late last month, Will Rice was named executive director of the Office of eHealth Initiatives for the State of Tennessee. Formerly a health informatics consultant with Vanderbilt Center for Better Health, Rice will manage the implementation of the statewide health information exchange strategic plan. He replaces Melissa Hargis, who left the post in January.
 

Neurologist and Sleep Specialist Michael Yu, MD, Joins Skyline

In mid-March, Michael Yu, MD, became part of the medical staff with Skyline Medical Center’s nationally recognized neurosciences program. He has joined the practice of Skyline Neuroscience Associates and is board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and the American Board of Sleep Medicine.
 
Yu completed a sleep medicine fellowship at Vanderbilt University where he served as a clinical instructor in the Department of Neurology and Division of Sleep Disorders. His medical degree is from West Virginia University, and Yu completed his Internship and residency at the Department of Internal Medicine at Ohio State.
 

MedSolutions Partners with Tufts Health Care Institute on Medical Imaging Webinars

Franklin-based MedSolutions, a leading provider of medical cost management services, has joined with Tufts Health Care Institute and Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston to offer a series of free educational webinars on high quality, cost effective medical imaging to physicians and other providers.
 
The three-part series is designed to increase physicians’ knowledge of appropriate and evidence-based use of high-tech imaging studies, encourage an epidemiological approach to testing, and promote effective communication with patients.
 
The webinars are certified educational offerings approved by the American Medical Association for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit. Physicians can register for the webinar and access past lectures at www.thci.org/medsolutions at no charge.
 

Jahrling Joins Carter Lankford CPAs

Karl Jahrling, CPA, has joined Carter Lankford CPAs, PC. Jahrling, who has more than 30 years of public accounting experience, focuses his practice on federal and state tax compliance for individuals, partnerships, corporations, nonprofit entities, trusts and estates. He was previously associated with accounting firm Horne LLP in Nashville.    
 
Since 1977, Jahrling’s accounting experience has been concentrated on working with partnerships, healthcare companies, physician practices and small businesses on a variety of federal and state tax-related issues including compliance. A graduate of the University of Missouri School of Accountancy, Jahrling is a member of the American Institute of CPAs, the Tennessee Society of CPAs and its Federal Tax Committee, and the Estate Planning Council of Middle Tennessee.
 

Knoxville Company Briefs State Legislators on New Colon Cancer Test

Last month, in conjunction with National Colon Cancer Month, Knoxville-based EDP Biotech briefed Tennessee state legislators on ColoMarker™ colon cancer test, which potentially could save 50,000 lives and more than $12 billion in healthcare costs annually in the United States. The legislators were also invited to participate in EDP’s latest research by enrolling in the control study group.
 
The innovative blood test measures a unique biomarker discovered by EDP Biotech and a testing process that utilizes inexpensive existing technology, ColoMarker™ has shown a greater than 99% accuracy rate for detecting colon cancer in the most treatable stages (I, II and III). 
 
EDP officials noted that early detection of colon cancer saves lives. Yet, less than 20 percent of Americans who should be screened by colonoscopy actually are. The ColoMarker™ test has the ability to reduce the physical, psychological and financial barriers to early screening. The hope is that people who would not participate in more invasive screening procedures would agree to a simple blood test.
 

Skyline Medical Center Names New Commission on Cancer Liaison Physician

General Surgeon Thomas B. Taylor, MD, FACS, has been named the new Cancer Liaison Physician at Skyline Medical Center. General Surgeon Gregory Neal, MD, previously served in the role for over nine years. 
 
Cancer Liaison Physicians (CLPs) are volunteer physicians responsible for providing the leadership and direction to establish, maintain, and support their facility’s cancer program. They are charged with the task of spearheading Commission on Cancer (CoC) activities at the facility and community level. CLPs are CoC approved cancer programs and serve a three-year term with eligibility to serve an unlimited number of terms.
 

Kraft Asset Management Leads Formation of Bright Sky Group

Kraft Asset Management, LLC, is a founding member of Bright Sky Group, an innovative alliance of independent, SEC-registered investment advisors. The alliance was formed based on a shared commitment to protecting client interests, and a fresh approach to investment and wealth management.
 
“Decades of historical data – and the turbulent markets of the past two years – prove how difficult it is to predict the movement of stock prices. Still many advisors continue to promote stock picking and market timing as preferred investment strategies,” says Stephen High, member in charge of Kraft Asset Management. “We feel strongly that allocating money to a range of asset classes is a far better alternative for the investor. We’re proud to be part of Bright Sky, a leading voice for asset class investing,” High says.
 

STHS Outpatient Rehab Hits Growth Spurt

Comprised of two divisions – Baptist Sports Medicine and Life Therapies – Saint Thomas Health Services (STHS) Outpatient Rehabilitation recently announced a partnership with Franklin-based BH1, a local not-for-profit group. The joint-venture will result in the creation of up to 15 new Baptist Sports Medicine and Life Therapies clinics over the next 18 months. They will be located throughout the state and into northern Alabama and southern Kentucky. Specific markets have not yet been announced. BH1’s primary goal is to identify opportunities and create healthcare services and solutions that benefit the organization and communities it seeks to serves.
 
The expansion of clinics complements STHS’ existing presence in the region with the STHS chest pain and stroke networks. The Saint Thomas Chest Pain Network, consisting of 13 accredited chest pain centers, is expected to grow to 15 centers within the coming months. The Stroke Network is following a similar model of expansion. 
 

Alan Henry, MD, Joins MedSolutions as CMO of Premerus

Medical cost management services company MedSolutions has appointed Alan Henry, MD chief medical officer of the company’s PremerusSM Diagnostic Accuracy program. Premerus is the nation’s first diagnostic platform that leverages proprietary technology to connect patients with certified expert diagnosticians.
 
A founding member of the American Society of Breast Surgeons, Henry is a nationally recognized expert on breast imaging and surgery. He has served as president of Breast Care Specialists of Virginia since 1996. Board certified by the American Board of Surgery with a specialty certification in breast ultrasound, he has conducted significant research in sentinel lymph node biopsy and was one of the first physicians in the nation to adapt image-guided breast biopsy. A graduate of Dartmouth College, Henry earned his MBA from Virginia Tech’s Pamplin College of Business and his medical degree from the Medical College of Georgia.
 

Cogent Healthcare, Seton Medical Center Team to Develop Hospitalist Services

Brentwood-based Cogent Healthcare recently announced a new hospital medicine affiliation with 375-bed Seton Medical Center, located in Daly City, Calif., and the Daly City Hospitalist Medical Group, an existing Seton physician group, to develop a distinctive hospitalist care delivery system. 
 
A member of the Daughters of Charity Health System, Seton Medical Center is committed to serving the healthcare needs of the entire community, with a special concern for assuring access to healthcare for the poor. With strategic hospital affiliations throughout the U.S., Cogent has experience developing an array of successful hospital medicine programs. Common among all programs is Cogent’s System of Care that aligns all parties around the hospital’s quality goals.
 

Recent Certifications, Accreditations & Commendations:

Southern Hills Medical Center has received full Cycle III accreditation status from the Society of Chest Pain Centers Accreditation Review Committee. Accreditation expires August 1, 2012. 
 
Passport Health Communications Inc. has again achieved full accreditation from the Electronic Healthcare Network Accreditation Commission (EHNAC) for demonstrating excellence in processing health data transactions in compliance with industry-established standards and HIPAA regulations. Passport was among the first health care IT organizations to participate in the EHNAC process, earning accreditation in 2002 and maintaining every two years since.  Passport is also certified by the CAQH Committee on Operating Rules for Information Exchange (CORE), is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner and in 2009 earned Level 1 Certification from the Payment Card Industry (PCI).
 
Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center have been re-accredited in the CEO Cancer Gold Standard from the CEO Roundtable on Cancer. The CEO Roundtable on Cancer was founded in 2001 to recognize organizations that take concrete actions to reduce the cancer risk of employees and their families through screenings, early detection and healthy changes in lifestyle.
 
Baptist Hospital has received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines® Stroke Silver Plus Performance Achievement Award recognizing the hospital’s commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of stroke care by ensuring that stroke patients receive treatment according to nationally accepted standards and recommendation.
 
Middle Tennessee Medical Center bariatric nurse coordinator, Angela Weems, RN, has received credentials as a certified bariatric nurse. According to the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery here are less than 1,000 certified bariatric nurses in the United States. The Bariatric Center at MTMC is a certified Center of Excellence by ASMBS.
 
Centennial Medical Center’s imaging department has been awarded a three-year term of accreditation for its computed tomography services as the result of a recent survey conducted by the American College of Radiology.
 
BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee has named Williamson Medical Center a Blue Distinction Center for Knee and Hip Replacement. Surgeons perform approximately 500 knee and hip replacements each year at WMC, which met clinical measures developed with input from expert physicians and medical organizations in order to receive Blue Distinction status.
 

Williamson Medical Center Expands Sleep Center

To address the rapidly increasing number of Americans with sleep disorders, Williamson Medical Center is expanding The Sleep Center. The new facility, located in the Williamson Tower, doubles the number of previous beds and makes patient comfort a priority while treating sleep disorders such as sleep apnea.
 
Credentialed sleep physicians and registered technologists at The Sleep Center use the latest technology in sleep medicine to diagnose and treat patients for a variety of disorders. The Sleep Center places emphasis on patient comfort in a quiet, home-like setting to help ensure proper diagnosis. Staff monitors patient brain activity, oxygen levels, movement of arms and legs, and other indicators during overnight stays. Daytime nap studies that help diagnose narcolepsy are also available.