AMMC Opens New Diabetes Care Clinic
PARAGOULD — Arkansas Methodist Medical Center in Paragould has opened a new Diabetes Care Clinic.
According to Pat Malone, R.N. and certified diabetes educator, the clinic will help those with diabetes self-manage their disease, help new patients learn more about the disease process, medications, complications and risk factors, as well as raise public awareness and educate the community about diabetes.
For patients diagnosed with diabetes, Malone said the clinic will provide patients with guidance on their diets and nutrition, including monitoring their carbohydrate intake and reading nutrition labels. They will also learn about monitoring their blood sugar levels and taking insulin or other medications, if needed.
Along with Malone, Angie Skinner, a dietician will be on staff at the clinic, which is located in the medical center’s Education Department. The clinic operates from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with patients receiving referrals from their physician for an appointment.
In addition to patient care, community outreach is a key focus of the clinic’s efforts. “There is a great deficit of information and knowledge among the general public about diabetes, what it is, and how to prevent it. We want to bridge that gap,” Malone explained. The clinic will be hosting a wide range of community events, free to the public, to help spread their message.
Cancer Support Group Forming at St. Anthony’s
MORRILTON — According to the Arkansas Central Cancer Registry, over 500 cases of cancer have been diagnosed in Conway County since 2001. Presently, there is opportunity for a facilitated support group to help those battling cancer and their caregivers through this difficult process. In response to this need, St. Anthony’s Medical Center is forming a monthly support group; the first meeting was June 5.
The Conway County Cancer Support Group is for men and women and open to both survivors and caregivers with any cancer diagnosis. Meetings will be held the 1st Thursday of every month in St. Anthony’s Dining Room from 6:30 – 7:30. Facilitators and topics will be determined based on the needs of those participating in the group.
The Conway County Cancer Support Group has been coordinated in association with St. Vincent’s New Outlook Cancer Support Program and the American Cancer Society. Those coordinating the development of this group include St. Anthony’s employees and cancer survivors Melanie Morrison, RN, Gina Usery, BSN, RN, and John Payne, LSW, as well as New Outlook Director Alesa Garner and Leslie McNeal, Community Outreach Coordinator for St. Anthony’s.
AFMC Receives Five National Communications Awards
The Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care (AFMC) recently received five national awards for communications and outreach projects. These awards are:
- A gold Aster Award for the HEDIS Report 2007.
- A gold Aster Award for the 2007 5 Million Lives Campaign.
- A silver Aster Award for the 2007 series of Arkansas Medicaid Inpatient Quality Incentive Ads.
- An American Inhouse Design Award for Medicare Talk, a health information newsletter for Medicare beneficiaries.
- A gold award from the 25th Annual Healthcare Advertising Awards for the 5 Million Lives Campaign.
The Aster Awards is an annual medical marketing awards program that allows health care organizations and advertising agencies to compete against similarly sized competitors from across the nation and world. The Aster Awards is hosted by Creative Images, Inc.
The American Inhouse Design Awards honor the work of graphic designers from corporations, publishers, nonprofit organizations and government agencies across the U.S. Graphic Design USA, a monthly trade magazine for graphic design professionals, presents the Inhouse Design Awards each year. This year, more than 5,000 entries were submitted nationwide.
Summit Medical Center Receives The Joint Commission Gold Seal
VAN BUREN — By demonstrating compliance with the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organization’s national standards for health care quality and safety, Summit Medical Center has earned the Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval™ once again.
The Joint Commission conducted an unannounced, on-site evaluation of Summit Medical Center May 28 – 29, 2008. The award of accreditation recognizes Summit Medical Center’s dedication to complying with the Joint Commission’s state-of-the art standards on a continuous basis.
Ark Chapter HFMA Unveils Officers
Little Rock, AR – The Arkansas Chapter of the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) has unveiled its 2008-2009 slate of officers with terms beginning June 1, 2008.
The new Board Members include the following:
President: Shanna L. Knowles, Director of Physician Practice Management for Drew Memorial Hospital in Monticello, AR
President Elect: Julie A. Carpenter, Administrative Director of Revenue Cycle for St. Vincent Health System in Little Rock, AR
Secretary: William T. Couch, Jr., FHFMA, CPA, Healthcare Partner with Hughes, Welch & Milligan, CPAs in Batesville, AR
Treasurer: Brent W. Beaulieu, CPA, Assistant VP of Finance with Baptist Health in Little Rock, AR
Director: Paula D. Archer, RHIA, Managing Consultant with BKD, Ltd. in Little Rock, AR
Director: Melony J. Goodhand, CPA, Vice Chancellor of Finance and CFO with UAMS in Little Rock, AR
Director: Trisha G. Smith CHFP, Assistant Controller with Washington Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville, AR
Director: Jeannie K. Ware, CHFP, CPA, Assistant Controller with St. Joseph’s Mercy Health System in Hot Springs, AR
The new Board of Directors will be responsible for managing all chapter activities and for the overall operation of the chapter. They will ensure member needs are addressed and that a high quality level of activity is maintained.
According to Shanna Knowles, HFMA Arkansas’ Chapter President, “Arkansas has one of the most nationally recognized HFMA chapters with regards to education, member satisfaction, and member
Arkansas Children’s Hospital Ranks 24th In U.S. News & World Report’s 2008 Edition Of America’s Best Children’s Hospitals
LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas Children’s Hospital ranks 24th in U.S. News & World Report’s 2008 edition of America’s Best Children’s Hospitals. The 2008 ranking is the third time in recent years that Arkansas Children’s Hospital has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report for quality in pediatrics. The hospital was ranked in 2005 and in 2006.
In a further extension of the 2007 pediatric rankings that listed the top 30 pediatric centers overall, the 2008 America’s Best Children’s Hospitals now includes the 30-top ranked hospitals in cancer, digestive disorders, heart and heart surgery, neonatal care, neurology and neurosurgery, respiratory disorders and general pediatrics. Arkansas Children’s Hospital ranked 24th among the best hospitals in general pediatrics and 28th in pediatric cardiovascular care and pediatric cardiovascular surgery.
The specialty rankings of this year’s America’s Best Children’s Hospitals were based on a new and improved methodology that weighed a three-part blend of reputation, outcome, and care-related measures such as nursing care, advanced technology, credentialing, and other factors. A detailed description of the methodology can be found online at www.usnews.com/pediatrics.
Ranking-eligible facilities were largely drawn from members of the National Association of Children’s Hospitals and Related Institutions (NACHRI) in either of two categories—a freestanding children’s hospital or a children’s “hospital within a hospital” (a large, multidisciplinary pediatric service within a medical center). In addition, several non-NACHRI members were added because of known expertise or at the recommendation of experts. Of the 143 children’s hospitals invited to complete a survey asking for information as detailed as whether a center offers postgraduate fellowships in pediatric cardiology, 113 responded. The survey was constructed by RTI International, which collects the data and oversees the methodology behind the adult Best Hospitals rankings.
Full rankings for America’s Best Children’s Hospitals can be found online at www.usnews.com/pediatrics
Cottrell Begins Seeing Patients
Dr. Amy Cottrell, of the St. Vincent Family Clinic/Chenal will begin seeing patients on July 7, 2008. A graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Medicine, Dr. Cottrell’s education and employment background includes anesthesia, emergency medicine and genetics research.
Hardman Named Medical Director For UAMS Women’s Clinic
LITTLE ROCK — Mary Pat Hardman, M.D., has been appointed as medical director for the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Women’s Clinic, located in the Pulaski County Health Unit.
Hardman, an assistant professor in the UAMS Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, received her medical degree from UAMS in 2003. She completed her residency at UAMS in 2007, achieving the highest exam score among UAMS OB/GYN resident physicians.
Hardman has served as the practice director of the University Women Clinic. She is a member of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the American Medical Association.
UAMS College of Medicine Appoints O’Donnell to Lead Urology
LITTLE ROCK — Dr. Pat O’Donnell, a native Arkansan and University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) graduate, has been appointed chairman of the Department of Urology in the UAMS College of Medicine.
O’Donnell is a 1972 graduate of UAMS and former chief of urology at the John L. McClellan Memorial Veterans Hospital at UAMS.
O’Donnell, a Benton County native, completed his internship and residencies in general surgery and urology at UAMS and a fellowship in female urology and urodynamics at the University of California Los Angeles Center for Health Sciences. After returning to Arkansas to lead urology at the VA, he became a UAMS associate professor and director of the Arkansas Center for Incontinence in 1984. He was promoted to professor and director of urological research in the Department of Urology at UAMS in 1989.
Most recently, O’Donnell was a professor of urology at Southern Illinois University (SIU) School of Medicine and director of the SIU Incontinence Center.
O’Donnell replaces Nabil K. Bissada, M.D., who was serving as interim chairman of the Department of Urology.
UAMS Is First In Arkansas With Robotic Procedure For Cervical Cancer
LITTLE ROCK — Dr. Alexander “Sandy” Burnett, at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) has become the first surgeon in Arkansas to use a robotic procedure to remove a patient’s cancerous cervix through the abdomen while preserving her ability to have children.
Burnett, a gynecologic oncologist, performed the robotic radical trachelectomy April 28 using UAMS’ recently acquired da Vinci surgical robot.
Ideally, the procedure would have been done through the vagina, which is the least invasive method and would give the patient the best chance of becoming pregnant someday. But the 25-year-old patient had never had children, which meant her cervix was too difficult to reach for a vaginal procedure.
By using the robot, which provides dexterity far beyond other surgical methods, Burnett was able to use small incisions to go through the abdomen without damaging reproductive organs while removing the cancerous cervix.
Following the procedure, the patient was discharged after an overnight hospital stay and her prognosis is good; her cancer was in its early stages and her pelvic lymph nodes tested negative for cancer. She will return for exams at the end of June and the end of August. Her August visit will determine if there’s been any recurrence of cancer. If not, she will be cleared to have children if she wishes.
Burnett has performed radical trachelectomies since 1995 by going through the vagina and with an open surgical approach through the abdomen. Until Burnett’s breakthrough robotic surgery, open abdominal surgeries have been the only option for women whose cervix could not be reached through the vagina.
During the robotic procedure, Burnett was able to make small incisions in the abdomen for a miniature camera that provides a 3-D view and tiny surgical instruments that Burnett could easily maneuver without damaging reproductive organs and blood vessels.
The robot has four arms, which the surgeon manipulates at a console just a few feet away.
UAMS Neonatologists Now On Call For Regional Hospitals
LITTLE ROCK — Four regional Arkansas hospitals have joined a new round-the-clock telemedicine program that links their doctors with University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) neonatologists anytime a newborn requires special medical attention. A neonatologist specializes in the care of newborns up to two months old.
The neonatal telemedicine program links UAMS neonatologists on staff at UAMS and Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH) with the Medical Center of South Arkansas in El Dorado, St. Edwards Mercy Medical Center in Fort Smith, Washington Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville and Willow Creek Women’s Hospital in Johnson.
This latest telemedicine program serves Arkansas women and their babies who live in outlying areas. The program will assist local physicians with low-birth-weight newborns and those with other medical emergencies.
UAMS expects to add another eight hospitals to the program by the end of the calendar year, said UAMS’ Whit Hall, M.D., a neonatologist who is leading the regionalization effort.
ACH’s Angel One helicopter will be used to transport mothers and their sick newborns to the most suitable hospital in the program. The patients’ medical needs and available bed space among the participating hospitals will determine the most suitable placement for each newborn.
The program for newborns is funded by UAMS’ Center for Translational Neuroscience (CTN) and its Community Based Research and Education (COBRE) Core Facility. Funding for this program originated at the NIH’s National Center for Research Resources.
Lammico Rated“Excellent”
METAIRIE — A.M. Best, a national rating agency of insurance companies, affirmed LAMMICO’s A- (Excellent) rating for 2007. Best’s opinion of LAMMICO’s operating performance and overall financial condition earned LAMMICO a rating of “Excellent” for the 15th consecutive year.
The rating announcement follows a recent decision by the company’s Board of Directors to approve a $10.5-million dividend to all policyholders in Louisiana and Arkansas. Approximately 4,700 customers are in the process of receiving a 20 percent dividend of a policyholder’s premium for all policies in force as of February 29, 2008.
July 2008
Facebook
Technorati
Newsvine
Google
