Passport Health Names Vice Presidents To Lead New Corporate Division
FRANKLIN — Health care IT provider Passport Health Communications, Inc., has created a new product management division in its Franklin, Tenn. headquarters. Four vice presidents have been tapped to lead Passport’s product development and product management groups.
Howard Bright is vice president, product management. Bright was previously vice president of product development and has been promoted to oversee Passport’s integrated and claims status products in the newly created product management division, including the company’s flagship integrated product – Passport IntelliSource™. He is a graduate of Austin Peay State University and a Microsoft Certified Database Administrator and Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer.
Joan Hall is vice president, product management overseeing compliance and content delivery. She will be responsible for the direction of Passport’s current compliance products and for new product content and implementation models. Hall, who previously was vice president, operations–compliance division, spent 23 years in various hospital laboratory, radiology and IT capacities before joining Passport. She holds a bachelor’s degree in biochemical technology and is Board Certified by the American Society of Clinical Pathology.
Lance Mansfield has been named vice president, product management–financial products. He will oversee the company’s product offerings in the financial services arena. Mansfield relocated to the Nashville area from Seattle, where he was chief technology officer and vice president of engineering for Verus.
Brian McNeece has been promoted to vice president, product development. McNeece has held several positions since joining Passport as a software developer in 1998, most recently director of product development. He is a Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer and earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science from MTSU.
Vanderbilt University Awarded $40 Million for Clinical and Translational Research
Vanderbilt University has received a $40 million Clinical and Translational Science Award – its largest ever government research grant -- to expedite the translation of laboratory discoveries to patients in the community.
The grant from the National Center for Research Resources of the National Institutes of Health will help create a new Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translational Research. The institute will provide next-generation support to faculty working to translate fundamental scientific discoveries into clinical practice, with innovative training programs, and state-of-the-art informatics and biostatistical methods. Important to the overall success of the program is a focused partnership with historically black Meharry Medical College in Nashville.
Physicians at Heightened Risk of Having to Close Practices
According to a new book by Dr. David Zahaluk, a board certified family physician and director of practice development for the National Practice Management Association, physicians who trust their clinical skills but ignore their business acumen are at a greater risk than ever of having to close their doors. Last month’s release of “The Ultimate Practice Building Book” features his advice on how to avoid burnout and strengthen your practice and is available online from major booksellers.
BlueCross Names Roy Vaughn Director of Communications, Gregg Wins National Honor
BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee has named Roy Vaughn Director of Communications. In that role, Vaughn will be responsible for public affairs, media relations, government and internal communications. Vaughn was previously a partner at Nashville-based public relations firm KVBPR, which has served BlueCross for nine years.
In other news from BCBST, Vicky Gregg, president and CEO, was named 2007 Fellow of the Trust for The Health Ethics Trust, a division of The Council of Ethical Organizations. She was recognized for her accomplishments and leadership in advancing health care ethics and compliance.
Bone & Joint Clinic Adds Joint Replacement Specialist
Cory L. Calendine, M.D., an orthopaedic surgeon, has joined the physicians at The Bone & Joint Clinic. Calendine comes to The Bone & Joint Clinic from Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he completed his orthopaedic surgery residency. He then went on to dedicate an additional training year solely to the treatment of hip and knee arthritis at the Anderson Orthopaedic Clinic, which is just outside of Washington, D.C.
Calendine previously was a laboratory researcher for the National Institutes of Health and a clinical investigator for the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. His research has been published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Hip International and the Journal of Arthroplasty, as well as presented at several medical meetings.
Expansion of Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt Takes First Step
The Vanderbilt University Board of Trust recently took the first steps toward the expansion of Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, approving $5.4 million in planning fees for the proposed addition.
This eight-story, 340,000-square-foot addition, if construction goes forward following the planning phase, would include: Obstetrical services, which would move from Vanderbilt University Hospital; 72 to 96 Pediatrics Beds; 36 Neonatal Intensive Care Beds; 36 Obstetrical Beds; A Newborn Nursery; 16 to 20 Labor and Delivery Rooms; and 5 to 10 Operating Room
The total cost of the expansion is projected to be approximately $203 million, with groundbreaking in 2009 and construction to be completed in 2012, according to a project overview presented to the Board.
New Saint Thomas Heart Mid-State Cardiology, The Heart Group Unite with STHS
Mid-State Cardiology Associates and The Heart Group have united to form the state’s largest, private cardiology practice.
The physicians of Mid-State Cardiology, with offices on the Baptist Hospital campus, and The Heart Group, located on the Saint Thomas Hospital campus, will practice under the umbrella of Saint Thomas Heart, a new division of Saint Thomas Health Services (STHS). This combined group of 45 heart specialists sees more than 130,000 heart patients in a 69-county region that stretches throughout Middle Tennessee and into southern Kentucky and northern Alabama. Both practices have offices on the campus of Williamson Medical Center.
Saint Thomas Heart aligns all of Saint Thomas Health Services’ heart services, including an extensive network of community clinics, the STHS Chest Pain Center Network with 10 regional partners, and two joint-venture catheterization laboratories, under focused leadership.
Vanderbilt Nurses Elected to National Posts
Jana Lauderdale, PhD., RN, assistant dean for Cultural Diversity for Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, has been elected president of the Transcultural Nursing Society (TCNS) for the 2008-2010 term.
Lauderdale was also recently notified she has been selected as a Transcultural Nursing Scholar for 2007-2008 by TCNS International for her significant contributions to the field in terms of leadership, education, scholarly publications and public policy on local, regional and national levels.
Kevin High, MPH, RN, EMT, trauma program manager in Vanderbilt Emergency Services, has been elected to lead the Air/Surface Transport Nurses Association (ASTNA).
High will serve a three-year term — one year as president-elect, one year as president and then one year as past president.
In the Community: Awards, Honors, Reconition
SearchMedica.com, the specialty oriented professional medical search engines that contain practical clinical information, recently announced it has received the Standard of Excellence WebAward from the Web Marketing Association.
The Vine Hill Community Clinic and its four satellite sites have achieved status as a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) by the Department of Health and Human Services. The clinic is the flagship of the University Community Health Services (UCHS), a network of eight area health clinics, and the $650,000-a-year, three-year grant will go toward expanding services at Vine Hill and funding other health outreach efforts.
The Hospital Hospitality House of Nashville was recently honored with two media awards from the National Association of Hospital Hospitality Houses. HHH of Nashville was given the first place award for Web site Design and placed second in the Video Competition category for 2007.
Recently, Saint Thomas Hospital has received several national recognitions. The hospital has been awarded the Medal of Honor from the Department of Health and Human Services for its life-saving organ donation rates. The award is presented to hospitals for donation rates of 75 percent or more for a sustained 12-month period. Saint Thomas is one of only 368 hospitals in the United States and the only hospital in Nashville to meet the 75 percent conversion rate for organ donations.
Additionally, the Maria Nathanson Center of Excellence at Saint Thomas Hospital and Dr. Ron Pruitt have been selected to join the prestigious Olympus EndoTherapy Centers of Excellence program. The hospital has also received the “Spirit of Planetree Award” in the “Healthy Communities” category, recognizing the hospital’s Dispensary of Hope, which is a medication assistance program that provides free medications to patients who would otherwise be unable to afford them. Saint Thomas Hospital has also been designated one of only 41 U.S. hospitals named 2007 Leapfrog Top Hospitals, based on results from the Leapfrog Hospital Quality and Safety Survey, a rating system that provides an up-to-the-minute assessment.
AmMed Direct, a major provider of direct-to-consumer specialty products and services for people with diabetes, has received one of the highest scores possible in gaining its certificate of accreditation from the Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC). The company received a score of 97.65 percent, and the accreditation will be in effect until July 2010.
Dr. Sonali Sheth Joins Mental Health Cooperative
The Mental Health Cooperative has announced the addition of Sonali Sheth, MD, to its child psychiatry team. She will be charged with further development and supervision of the child and family program in addition to seeing children with serious emotional disorders. Dr. Sheth joins MHC in partnership with Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Dr. Sheth was raised in Nashville and received her medical degree from the University of Tennessee College of Medicine in Memphis. She completed her general psychiatry residency and child & adolescent psychiatry fellowship at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.
Emdeon Business Services Announces New Dental Eligibility Payers
Last month, Emdeon Business Services announced they have launched 16 new Delta Dental payers for insurance eligibility and benefits verification. Emdeon is offering these transactions through its vendor partners and through the Emdeon suite of products for dental practices including Emdeon Dental Provider Services (DPS), Emdeon’s interactive web portal. Emdeon Business Services now offers dental practices nationwide real-time eligibility and claim status connectivity to over 100 commercial payers including Aetna, Cigna, MetLife and 28 Delta Dental plans, as well as BlueCross plans and state Medicaid plans. This is in addition to Emdeon’s current dental claim connectivity to over 300 dental payers.
During the past 12 months, Emdeon Business Services has powered more than one million real-time transactions for more than 6,700 dental offices and 40 channel partners. Emdeon is actively engaged in developing innovative interactive transactions that will allow dental practices to operate more efficiently and effectively.
SeniorMetrix Names Vice President, Operations
SeniorMetrix, a leader in evidenced-based management for post-acute care, recently named Bethany Lance as Vice President, Operations. She is responsible for managing and coordinating post-acute care in a skilled nursing or home health setting utilizing data predictive outcomes, as well as establishing and maintaining business relationships with health plans and physician groups.
Lance brings more than 25 years of managed care and health care program experience, including five years of federal program Medicare experience, to SeniorMetrix. A Registered Nurse, Lance also has worked closely with provider networks and provided oversight of credentialing, provider relations, quality and medical management teams in both a managed care setting and Medicare claims operations. Prior to joining SeniorMetrix, Lance worked for CIGNA Government Services and CIGNA HealthCare.
Saint Thomas Names Jerry Kearney VP of Mission Services
Last month, Saint Thomas Hospital announced Jerry Kearney had been named Vice President of Mission Services for the hospital.
“Jerry has more than 25 years of senior level healthcare management experience,” noted Les Donahue, president and CEO, Saint Thomas Hospital. “I am confident that Jerry will help lead our ministry and mission into a new era. Our mission is our foundation, therefore we are trusting in his spirit and wisdom to help guide us forward.”
Kearney served as founder and principal of the Abilene, Texas-based Hesed Group, a behavioral healthcare management and operations firm, dedicated to bringing mental health and substance abuse services to underserved areas. Kearney has also directed behavioral health facilities in Kansas, Illinois, Virginia and Maryland.
Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital Researcher to Lead Collaborative Study on Possible Link Between ADHD Medication and Heart Risk for Children
A researcher with the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt has been named the principal investigator for the largest-ever data review to examine the potential for serious cardiac side effects in children who take prescription medications for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
William O. Cooper, MD, MPH, associate professor of Pediatrics and director of Vanderbilt’s Child and Adolescent Health Research Unit, along with investigators at four other research sites, received a contract from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to conduct the massive review of records.
Data for the study has been drawn from the insurance records of 10 million U.S. children. Among this group, nearly 300,000 children have been identified as having taken medications used to treat ADHD. This massive data review will determine whether further labeling changes or some other safety action is needed. The analysis will take two years to complete.
HCA Announces Retirement Of Far West Division President Tom May
HCA recently announced that Far West Division President Tom May would retire effective June 2008. While his retirement is technically effective in the summer of 2008, the company expects to name a replacement soon to allow for a smooth fiscal year transition.
Pediatrician Training Program To Aid Autism Diagnosis In Toddlers
Vanderbilt Kennedy Center autism experts are training Middle Tennessee pediatricians to evaluate young children for autism within their practices as part of a six-month pilot project aimed to broaden resources for early identification and intervention.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recently mandated that children receive screening evaluations at 18 months, 24 months and 30 months, but researchers said these mandates are actually ahead of resources available for referrals.
The joint initiative between Vanderbilt and the Tennessee Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (TNAAP) is the first of its kind. The most current estimates are that one in every 150 children has autism.
Cogent’s Russell Holman Co-edits New Manual On Hospital Medicine
Nashville-headquartered Cogent Healthcare, a national provider of hospital medicine, features prominently in a new textbook detailing the latest clinical and operational thinking in this fast-growing field.
Cogent physicians wrote seven of the chapters that make up Comprehensive Hospital Medicine, which was published by Elsevier Inc. in late September. Cogent Chief Operating Officer and President of the Society of Hospital Medicine Dr. Russell Holman co-edited the book and authored four chapters, while Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ron Greeno and Regional Medical Directors Dr. Shaun Frost and Dr. Eric Siegal each contributed a chapter.
November 2007
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