Cigarran Resigns from Healthways Board
Last month, Healthways, Inc. announced Thomas G. Cigarran had resigned from the board of directors of the company he co-founded, effective Feb. 14, 2014.
Cigarran, 72, helped launch the company in 1981 and served as its CEO from 1989 to 2003 before retiring to serve as chairman until 2010, when he became chairman emeritus. In a letter to John Ballantine, current board chair, Cigarran said he was “no longer willing to continue as a director and watch this company fail to meet its potential and the reasonable expectations of its shareholders.” He added Healthways is well positioned to become a great company, but Cigarran said he did not think this could be accomplished “without changes in company focus and direction.”
Ballantine released a statement thanking Cigarran for his years of service and expressing surprise at the decision. The statement continued, “Our governance guidelines require directors to tender their resignation upon age 72, but given his extensive history with the company, the board had asked Tom to stand for election again this year. The board is surprised that he has chosen not to continue to work with his fellow directors to enhance shareholder value in the rapidly evolving healthcare industry, especially given the market adoption of the company's well-being improvement solutions.”
Ballantine added Healthways has just executed a very successful year of customer retention and new sales and reiterated the board’s support of embattled CEO Ben Leedle and the Healthways management team. North Tide Capital, which owns 11 percent of the Franklin-based company, has objected to Leedle’s leadership and strategic direction for the company and vowed to present its own slate of directors this spring.
Vanderbilt Scientists Contribute to Finding that Could Lead to RSV Vaccine
Vanderbilt University scientists have contributed to a major finding, reported last month in the journal Nature, which could lead to the first effective vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a significant cause of infant mortality. The virus, which worldwide causes nearly 7 percent of all deaths among children ages one month to one year and is the leading cause of hospitalizations among children under two, has been notoriously resistant to vaccine-design strategies.
The Vanderbilt scientists and other researchers analyzed in an animal model a new method developed at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) in La Jolla, Calif., for designing artificial proteins capable of stimulating an immune response against RSV.
“This project is the first work in which a protein that was designed on a computer has been shown to work as a vaccine candidate for a human pathogen,” said Vanderbilt’s James Crowe, MD, Ann Scott Carell Professor and a leading RSV researcher.
The TSRI scientists developed a new software app, “Fold from Loops,” to design proteins that folded around their functional fragments more naturally in a way that mimicked the viral epitope and which could serve as a key component of an effective vaccine. In rhesus macaque monkeys, whose immune systems are quite similar to humans,’ the designer “immunogen” proteins showed great promise. After five immunizations, 12 of 16 monkeys were producing robust amounts of antibodies that could neutralize RSV in the lab dish.
Collaboration Improves Efficiency in Pharmacogenetic Testing
Nashville-based Common Cents Systems, Inc. (ApolloLIMS) and Translational Software have successfully collaborated to improve Pharmacogenetic (PGx) testing and reporting processes. This strategic collaboration combines Apollo’s platform for operational excellence with Translational Software’s PGx decision support system to enable customers to improve turnaround time, decrease errors, and make test results more relevant for clinicians.
There is a rapid adoption of pharmacogenetic testing in laboratories across the nation as clinicians recognize the value of genetic testing. As a result, laboratories are producing large amounts of complex genetic data. To interpret the genetic data into actionable medical information a pharmacogenetic knowledgebase is needed. Typically a clinical laboratory does not have the dedicated resources available to develop a knowledgebase or the IT resources to link the laboratory and knowledgebase together.
The ApolloLIMS Lab Automation component gives the lab automated programmatic processes that intelligently send and receive data directly with the laboratory testing equipment without requiring data entry by the operator. By combining that with the Apollo eXchange HL7 Interface engine, the companies have been successful in creating a bi-directional seamless integration from the pre-analytic, analytic, and post-analytic phases.
LBMC Launches Tennessee Health Reform Online Resource
While some questions have been answered, many more remain when it comes to healthcare reform. Lattimore Black Morgan & Cain, PC and the LBMC Family of Companies, one of the Southeast’s largest accounting and business consulting firms, recently developed and launched a Tennessee Healthcare Reform website to provide the latest healthcare reform information in a consolidated site at TNHealthcareReform.com.
Let’s Give Them Something to Talk About!
Awards, Honors, Recognitions
Sumner Regional Medical Center Chief Nursing Officer Anne Melton was honored by her colleagues from across the state during the annual Tennessee Organization of Nurse Executives (TONE) meeting where she was awarded the annual Excellence in Nursing Leadership Award. Melton came to SRMC in 2006 as nursing director, was named vice president of Clinical Services in 2008 and named CNO the following year.
ReviveHealth has won The Holmes Report 2014 In2 SABRE Award for “Most Innovative – Content Creation/Syndication” for its LinkedIn native ad campaign to drive brand awareness.
The inaugural In2 SABRE Awards were created to recognize and showcase innovative work in the emerging areas of social and digital media.
Alzheimer’s Foundation of America has named Nancy Pertl of Mental Health America of Middle Tennessee as the national Alzheimer’s Dementia Care Professional of the Year. Pertl has been the coordinator of Alzheimer’s and Aging programs for 12 years. Throughout her tenure, she has taught emergency department personnel to distinguish between dementia and delirium, created and copyrighted a 4-series training for family caregivers, made weekly in-home visits to train caregivers one-on-one, and led numerous support groups.
Michael L. Kirshner, LPC/MHSP, director of Business Development for the Mental Health Cooperative (MHC) was awarded the 2014 President’s Leadership Scholarship sponsored by Argosy University in partnership with the Center for Nonprofit Management in Nashville. The full tuition scholarship is only awarded once per year to a candidate with a high degree of leadership potential. Kirshner will be pursuing his MBA.
Wishes Granted
Patrick Grohar, MD, PhD, assistant professor of Pediatric Hematology at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, has been awarded a $250,000 Reach Award from Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation to support Ewing sarcoma research. Grohar’s work aims to develop new approaches to target the gene, EWS-FLI1, which causes Ewing sarcoma tumors to grow and spread throughout the body. “Ewing sarcoma is the second most common childhood bone tumor with a poor prognosis particularly for patients who have relapsed or have metastatic disease,” said Grohar. “The goal of our lab is to develop and clinically translate novel therapies for Ewing sarcoma.”
The BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Health Foundation is providing $3 million in support of the Governor’s Foundation for Health and Wellness and its Healthier Tennessee initiative. The grant will provide $1 million per year in funding for three years. The Healthier Tennessee initiative strives to increase the number of Tennesseans who are physically active for at least 30 minutes five times a week, promote a healthy diet, and reduce the number of people who use tobacco.
Vanderbilt University’s AIDS Clinical Trials Unit (ACTU) has received a seven-year grant renewal from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The ACTU will receive approximately $1.4 million this year to continue studies aimed at improving treatment and ultimately developing a vaccine to prevent HIV infection.
Recent Certifications, Accreditations & Commendations
Three directors at TriStar StoneCrest Medical Center earned a Certificate in Healthcare Leadership from Union University - Center for Excellence in Health Care Practice. Amy Higgins, director of medical-surgical services; Jeff Johnson, director of physical medicine; and Dawn Warren, director of imaging and Sarah Cannon services, recently completed the 2013 TriStar Health Leadership Academy, a 12-month program offered through the TriStar Healthcare Educational Institute at Union University, Hendersonville.
The American Society of Hypertension (ASH) has recognized the Vanderbilt Hypertension Clinic as an ASH Designated Comprehensive Hypertension Center. Cheryl Laffer, MD, PhD, professor of Medicine, directs the Hypertension Service within the Division of Clinical Pharmacology. The clinic is now one of eight ASH Comprehensive Hypertension Centers in the United States.
Giselle Krieger, RN, BSN, MS, CPHRM, vice president of Risk Management at Capella Healthcare, has earned the designation of Certified Professional in Healthcare Risk Management (CPHRM). Administered through the American Hospital Association, a professional is required to have at least 3,000 hours of risk management experience to even qualify to sit for the exam.
TriStar Summit Medical Center’s Breast Center has been granted a three-year, full accreditation designation by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC), a program administered by the American College of Surgeons. TriStar Summit is the latest facility in Middle Tennessee to earn this elite designation.
Centerre Names Maxhimer COO
Nashville-based, Centerre Healthcare Corporation has announced the appointment of Terry Maxhimer as chief operating officer.
Maxhimer brings more than two decades of inpatient rehabilitation hospital experience, which has focused on leading clinical and organizational excellence. His background includes an emphasis on positive partner relationships through healthcare joint venture partnerships.
In the COO role, Maxhimer will lead the operations of the company’s freestanding inpatient rehabilitation hospitals.
PhyMed Promotes Two
PhyMed Healthcare Group, an anesthesia practice management company based in Nashville, recently announced two key appointments at Anesthesia Medical Group (AMG), which serves Saint Thomas and Centennial Medical Centers and is the flagship operation of PhyMed.
Michael Morgan has been named COO of AMG. He was formerly PhyMed's chief business development officer and will continue to serve in that capacity. Before joining PhyMed, Morgan was CFO and COO of FOAA Anesthesia Services in Washington, DC.
Tammy Myers has been named director of operations. Most recently she served as PhyMed's director of integration and has served as AMG's CFO. Myers has more than 20 years experience working at AMG.
Cogent Names Halasyamani CMO
Brentwood-based Cogent Healthcare, which runs hospitalist and intensivist programs in 26 states, recently named Lakshmi Halasyamani, MD, chief medical officer. The hospitalist fills the executive role left open when company founder and former CMO Ron Greeno, MD, moved to a new position overseeing strategy and innovation.
Halasyamani received her undergraduate degree from Saint Louis University and her medical degree from Harvard. She had been an attending physician at St. Joseph Mercy in Ann Arbor, Mich. Since 2000 and was named CMO in 2011. An active member of the Society of Hospital Medicine she served as a board member for the national association from 2007 to 2013.
LifePoint Announces Two VPs
Staton Joins LifePoint as VP of Enterprise Program Management
Brentwood-based LifePoint Hospitals® recently announced the addition of two new vice presidents.
Chip Staton has joined the company as vice president of the company’s newly established Enterprise Program Management Office. He comes to LifePoint from Deloitte, where he led the project management office responsible for ensuring the firm’s compliance with the federal government’s contractor regulations. His background includes leading shared services and project management operations in a variety of areas such as finance, technology, human resources, enterprise risk and audit. A certified public accountant in Texas, Staton received his bachelor’s degree in Accounting in from Texas A&M University.
Jennifer C. Peters has joined the company as vice president and chief operations counsel. In this new role, she will oversee how the company’s legal department meets the operational needs of LifePoint hospitals and physician practices. Most recently, she served as general counsel, secretary and chief compliance officer for Simplex Healthcare. Prior to that, was with Community Health Systems and part of the administrative team for a Pennsylvania hospital. Peters received her undergraduate degree from Buffalo State University, her master’s in Healthcare and Finance Management from the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health, and her law degree with a concentration in health law from the University of Maryland.
Van Donkellar Takes on Financial Role for Two Capella-Saint Thomas Partner Hospitals
Rodney A. Van Donkelaar has been named senior chief financial officer for River Park Hospital in McMinnville, Tenn. and Highlands Medical Center in Sparta, Tenn. The two hospitals are both part of the Capella-Saint Thomas Upper Cumberland health system, which also includes DeKalb Community Hospital in Smithville, and Stones River Hospital in Woodbury.
Most recently, Van Donkelaar served as CFO for Grandview Medical Center in Jasper, Tenn. For the past three years. He has been with Capella in various capacities since 2006. Originally from Michigan, Van Donkelaar earned his degree in Business Administration Accounting from Davenport University in Grand Rapids.
Cumberland Adds Two Partners
Two principals at Cumberland Consulting Group have been promoted to partners.
Mike Penich joined Cumberland in 2004, shortly after the company’s inception, and specializes in project management, systems analysis and design. He has a depth of experience in managing complex technology projects for a variety of providers including hospital systems, correctional health providers and managed care organizations. He received his bachelor’s degree in Operations Management & Information Systems from Northern Illinois University and is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP).
Greg Varner, a registered nurse with more than 22 years of experience in clinical healthcare delivery, has a successful track record as a consulting executive in healthcare IT. He has extensive experience in large acute care clinical system design and implementation projects, including revitalizing troubled projects and successfully obtaining clinician engagement and adoption of new systems. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
Both are members of the Project Management Institute and the Healthcare Information & Management Systems Society.
Capella Announces Slew of Promotions
Capella Healthcare recently announced the promotions of three senior leaders to executive management positions and four others to its senior management team.
Promoted to executive vice president are:
Neil Kunkel, EVP, chief legal and administrative officer,
Andy Slusser, EVP, chief development officer, and
Denise Warren, EVP, chief financial officer.
Promoted to senior vice president positions are:
Mark Medley, SVP, president – Hospital Operations,
Carolyn Schneider, SVP – Human Resources,
Alan Smith, SVP, chief information officer, and
Lori Wooten, SVP, chief financial officer – Hospital Operations.
Following the announcement of these seven promotions, President & CEO Michael Wiechart then announced eight other team members had been promoted in recognition of their contribution to the company. Michelle Carpenter, Jeff Cobb, Libba Estep, Shawn Green, Gay Huff, Terry Lague, Christina Patterson and Warren Smith all have new titles and expanded responsibilities with the Franklin-based owner/operator of acute care facilities.
Ardent Appoints Adams VP of Reimbursement
Ardent Health Services recently announced the appointment of Jim Adams as vice president of reimbursement. With nearly 20 years of experience, Adams brings a broad background in healthcare reimbursement with experience in both health systems and national business consultancies.
Most recently, he served as director of strategic reimbursement for the healthcare practice of Wipfli, LLP, a top 25 accounting and business consulting firm. Previously, he was a senior consultant with Ernst & Young where he specialized in Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement. A certified public accountant, Adams is a graduate of the University of South Alabama.
White Joins Clearwater Compliance as VP
Communications veteran Andrea White has joined Nashville-based Clearwater Compliance as vice president of marketing. She brings extensive experience in healthcare and Health IT, specifically focused on strategic marketing and executive communications, to the HIPAA compliance consulting firm.
White first joined the health IT sector as a member of Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen’s staff, helping launch the Governor’s eHealth Council and supporting national initiatives with the National Governors’ Association. She was also committee co-chair for a national pilot related to physician education about PHI privacy requirements under the federal Office of the National Coordinator for HIT (ONCHIT) Health Information Security and Privacy Collaborative (HISPC).
Most recently, White worked with Walgreens, leading innovations project management initiatives for the Take Care Health Employer Solutions Group.
The Nashville native, received her undergraduate degree from Georgetown University and earned her MBA at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business.
Avondale Adds May as Managing Director in Wealth Management
Nashville-based investment banking and wealth management firm Avondale Partners, recently announced the addition of Ben May as managing director.
A Nashville native, May has more than 30 years of investment banking experience and joins Avondale from Merrill Lynch, where he was a wealth management advisor. He began his career as a corporate bond trader at Drexel Burnham Lambert and then Dillon Read. He received his undergraduate degree from Yale and his MBA in Finance from New York University.
HCA Appoints Three New Independent Board Members
Nashville-based HCA Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: HCA) recently announced its board of directors appointed Nancy-Ann DeParle, Robert J. (Bob) Dennis and John (Jack) W. Rowe, MD, as independent directors.
DeParle is a founding partner of private equity firm Consonance Capital Partners and previously served as director of the White House Office on Health Reform and later in an executive role in the Obama Administration for policy. Her depth of healthcare experience also includes a stint as the administrator for CMS (at that time known as the Health Care Financing Administration). Dennis has served as president and CEO since 2008 and chairman since 2010 of Genesco. Rowe has been a professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health since 2006. Previously, he was chairman and CEO of Aetna, Inc.
Braddy Joins Kraft Asset Management
William H. Braddy III, CFP®, recently joined Nashville-based Kraft Asset Management, LLC as a senior manager/wealth advisor. He comes to Kraft with extensive experience in wealth management for high-net-worth individuals and families and most recently served as a senior vice president and private client advisor with U.S. Trust/Bank of America in Nashville where he oversaw all private banking activities in Tennessee.
Braddy earned his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and his MBA with a focus in finance and trust from Campbell University. He is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®). Braddy also holds a Series 66 securities license.
TDH Launches Breastfeeding Hotline for New Mothers
Tennessee families now have a new resource to support their efforts to breastfeed babies. The Department of Health recently launched the statewide Tennessee Breastfeeding Hotline, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Staffed by International Board Certified Lactation Consultants and Certified Lactation Counselors, the hotline is operated in partnership with Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis, Tenn. The toll-free number is 1-855-4BF-MOMS (855-423-6667). The hotline
“We are very excited about this free and innovative new service to assist nursing mothers and families in Tennessee,” said TDH Commissioner John Dreyzehner, MD, MPH. “When we think about how we can protect the health of a baby once she is born, breastfeeding is at the very top of the list, and almost all babies and mothers can reap a host of health, social and economic benefits from this, nature’s perfect baby food. This hotline will help more mothers and babies succeed in their breastfeeding efforts.”
Agency of Record Announcements
Recently, ReviveHealth announced the firm has been selected as the agency of record for all healthcare trade activities by athenahealth, a leading provider of cloud-based services for electronic health records, practice management, and care coordination.
Lovell Communications signed a number of contracts in the fourth quarter of 2013 to provide public relations and marketing support for a number of new healthcare-related clients across the country including Goco Center for Aesthetics, Lincor Solutions and Healthcare Realty Trust in Middle Tennessee and MedHost in Plano, Texas.
The Bohan Advertising has been named agency of record for Saint Thomas Health Services including MissionPoint and the health system’s physician network.
ACHEMT Announces 2014 Officers
Recently, the American College of Healthcare Executives of Middle Tennessee announced the naming of the 2014 board of directors and officers. For a complete list of board members, go to achemt.ache.org.
Tennessee Regent: Kevin Spiegel, CEO, Erlanger Health System
President: Greg Caples, COO, TriStar Summit Medical Center
President-Elect: Andrew McDonald, FACHE, partner Healthcare Consulting, LBMC
Immediate Past President: Bryce Sillyman, vice president of Emergency, Trauma & Critical Care, University of Tennessee Medical Center
Vice President: Robert “Bob” Fink, FACHE, chief pharmacy executive, Community Health Systems
Secretary: Keino Marbury, supervisor, Cytology Department, PathGroup, Inc.
Treasurer: Guice Smith, partner, Stanton Chase
ReviveHealth Promotes Speer & Musson
Healthcare communications firm ReviveHealth recently announced the promotion of two staff members.
Jeff Speer has been named a senior vice president and will serve as strategic team leader for clients. Prior to joining ReviveHealth in 2010, Speer served as a vice president in Porter Novelli's Life Sciences division following its acquisition of FischerHealth, where he led a wide variety of B2B, B2C, direct-to-physician, and integrated marketing programs.
Elizabeth Musson has been promoted to vice president. She has been with ReviveHealth since its start in 2009 and brings 10 years’ experience to her new role. Musson will serve as client team leader, providing strategy and execution for internal and external communications programs, issues and crisis management, and branding and reputation building. Previously, she served as a project coordinator at a national PR firm in California after four years with the American Cancer Society and the Colorado Foundation for Medical Care.
Essence Healthcare Renews Healthways Partnership through 2016
As part of its mission to help people achieve and maintain long-lasting health and wellness, Essence Healthcare, based in Maryland Heights, Mo., recently announced it has renewed its existing partnership with well-being improvement leader Healthways (NASDAQ: HWAY) to continue offering the award-winning SilverSneakers® Fitness Program through 2016. SilverSneakers, the nation's leading exercise program designed exclusively for older adults, is available to Essence Healthcare members throughout the St. Louis region. The program’s effectiveness was evidenced by surveys of Essence Healthcare members who have participated in the program. According to the 2012 survey results, 67 percent of Essence participants reported their health as excellent or very good, more than twice the national average of 32 percent for older adults. In addition, 84 percent of Essence respondents reported no impairment in activities of daily living, as compared to the national average of 63 percent for older adults.
Decosimo Names Cranford As Principal in Healthcare Practice
Decosimo, a Top 100 accounting and business advisory firm with a regional office in Chattanooga, recently the appointment of David Cranford as a principal specializing in Healthcare.
With more than 25 years of experience as a senior executive and financial manager in the healthcare field, Cranford served as a senior manager in Decosimo’s healthcare practice prior to his appointment as a principal. Specializing in physician services and healthcare consulting, he has broad experience in the areas of physician practice management, healthcare mergers and acquisition advisory and healthcare financial consulting -- including outsourced accounting, compensation modeling, due diligence and financial forecasting. He also provides expert witness testimony as litigation support in healthcare cases involving contractual disputes.
A graduate of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Cranford is a certified public accountant licensed in Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama and California. He is a member of the National Association of Public Hospitals.
BlueCross to Offer One-Year Extensions to Individuals with Policy Renewal Dates through Oct. 1, 2014
BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee will allow individuals with coverage renewal dates from Jan. 1, 2014 through Oct. 1, 2014 to keep their existing health plans for another year.
The extension option was offered in November by the federal government and Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance (TDCI) for what are considered non-grandfathered health plans under the Affordable Care Act. An estimated 50,000 individuals currently covered with BlueCross policies will be offered the extension option. These members will need to keep the exact same level of benefits and renewal dates in order to qualify for the extensions.
BlueCross will not offer small group customers (50 or fewer employees) with an extension option because the company had already provided an option for early renewal in 2013 to allow them to keep their existing plans through most of 2014.
“Many of our customers will now have the option to keep their health insurance,” said Bill Gracey, BlueCross president and CEO. “These plans have provided high-quality coverage that has met our customers’ needs. We expect many of them will welcome the opportunity to renew their coverage for another year.”
BlueCross individual members will have the option to renew their current plan for another year, or choose an Affordable Care Act-compliant plan, which may come with additional benefits and financial assistance, if eligible.
The individual plans that may be extended are considered as non-grandfathered health plans under the ACA and were required to be discontinued under the law in 2014.The extension effectively moves the deadline forward, but plans renewing after Oct. 1, 2014 must meet all requirements of the ACA. Extending existing individual plans will delay some of the more challenging consumer impacts of the ACA for another year and alleviate concerns of consumers who have had difficulty accessing the Marketplace. Customers who choose this one-year extension option will still need to move to ACA-compliant plans in 2015.
This extension option does not apply to consumers with coverage through any of the Cover Tennessee programs, which are operated by the State of Tennessee with BlueCross serving as a contracted administrator. For more details on the future of these state programs, visit www.tn.gov/tenncare/HealthInsurance.shtml.
