Grand Rounds March

Northwest Health System Announces New Physicians

Terry L. Hoyt, D.O., a board-certified Family Medicine physician, has joined Northwest Family Medicine – Creekstone in Bentonville. He joins Scott Musick, D.O., in the practice.
Dr. Hoyt received his medical education at Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Tulsa and then completed an internship at Hillcrest Health Center in Oklahoma City and a Family Medicine residency at the Kansas University School of Medicine in Salina, Kan.
Rhonda Edison Higgins, D.O., a Family Practice physician, has joined Northwest Internal Medicine — Bentonville. She joins David Ewart, M.D., in the practice.
Dr. Higgins received her medical education at the Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Tulsa, and then completed a Family Practice residency with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Area Health Education Center (AHEC) – Pine Bluff.
Hugh H. Jackson, M.D., a board-certified Family Medicine physician, has joined the medical staff at Bingham-Bledsoe Diagnostic Center in Springdale.
In practice since 1999, Dr. Jackson, comes to Northwest Health System from Fort Smith, where he has been part of group practices for the past 10 years. He received his medical education at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) in Little Rock and then completed a Family Medicine residency with the UAMS Area Health Education Center (AHEC) – Fort Smith during which he served as chief resident. He is board-certified in Family Medicine by the American Academy of Family Practitioners.
Rick B. Walker, D.O., a board-certified Orthopedic Surgeon recently joined the active medical staff at Northwest Medical Center – Springdale.
In practice since 1991, Dr. Walker comes to Northwest from West Plains, Mo., where he has been in practice for the past 10 years. He joins Marcus Heim, D.O., at The Orthopedic Center at Northwest in the Jones Clinic at Northwest Medical Center – Springdale.
Dr. Walker is board-certified in Orthopedic Surgery by the American Osteopathic Board of Orthopedic Surgery and is a member of the American Osteopathic Academy of Orthopedics, the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgery, the American Osteopathic Association, the American Medical Association and the Christian Medical and Dental Association.

UAMS Breast Cancer Awareness Program Receives Grant from Avon Foundation

LITTLE ROCK — The Witness Project, a program of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) to increase awareness of breast cancer, has been awarded a $20,000 one-year grant from the Avon Foundation Breast Care Fund. It is the eighth year the program has received Avon Foundation funding.
The Witness Project, sponsored by the UAMS College of Public Health and founded by the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, educates African-American and medically underserved women and refers them to low-cost or free mammograms and clinical breast exams in their communities. Mobile mammography units provide screenings for women living in counties with limited access to certified mammography facilities. The program also assists women with transportation and other unmet needs. Educational programs are presented at churches, civic centers, job sites and during community activities.
In the past five years, The Witness Project has educated and assisted more than 12,894 women in 23 Arkansas counties. Since January 2008, the program has reached more than 1,770 women with information about the importance of early detection of breast cancer and has referred almost 175 women for mammograms and clinical breast exams. Of the 175 women referred, 119 women received mammograms.
Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women in the United States and the leading single cause of death overall in women between the ages of 40 and 55. According to the American Cancer Society, 1,790 new cases of breast cancer were detected in Arkansas in 2008 and 410 lives were expected to be lost.
Nationwide, there is a new diagnosis every three minutes and a death from breast cancer every 14 minutes. While advances have been made in prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure, early detection still affords the best opportunity for successful treatment. Programs such as The Witness Project help ensure that all women have access to early detection information and options, even economically disadvantaged and medically underserved women.
"We are proud that the Avon Foundation shares the mission of The Witness Project. With these funds, The Witness Project will be able to reach the underserved and underinsured women in Arkansas' Delta region with early-detection screenings and provide services to these ladies who would not otherwise be screened," said Ella Anderson, Witness Project role model.

UAMS Psychiatric Research Institute-Northwest Names Medical Director, Clinical Manager

LITTLE ROCK — The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences' Psychiatric Research Institute-Northwest has added two members to the staff of the soon-to-open facility.
Michael Hollomon, M.D., an associate professor in UAMS' College of Medicine, recently took the position of medical director after serving the past six years as medical director of psychiatric services at Washington Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville. Judy Smith, a licensed clinical social worker, joined the institute as clinical manager in December with more than 10 years of experience as a clinical social worker and program manager in Connecticut.
A Texas native, Hollomon worked in the emergency room at Baxter Regional Medical Center in Mountain Home after two years in private practice in Jasper. Hollomon's years in the emergency room taught him many things.
"There were many conditions that I couldn't take care of by prescribing antibiotics or stitching with sutures," Hollomon said. "I was looking for a specialty that I could practice as long as I was physically able. I was drawn to psychiatry because it is a very intellectual field where you are able to develop a more long-term therapeutic connection with your patients."
With that in mind, Hollomon decided to go back and train in psychiatry. After a three-year residency at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, he was certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, returning to the state as an inpatient psychiatrist at Northwest Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville. He moved to Washington Regional when Northwest Regional's psychiatric unit closed in 2002.
Smith is seeing patients at the UAMS Area Health Education Center in Fayetteville and will move to the new institute offices in the Jones Medical Building later this year. Hollomon expects to begin admitting patients to the institute, located in Northwest Regional's North Tower, as early as April.
"We have had extremely limited inpatient psychiatric beds in this part of the state. We've had to send patients to Tulsa, Okla.; Joplin, Mo.; and Little Rock," Hollomon said. "This new unit will be a wonderful thing for our patients and their families."
Psychiatric Research Institute-Northwest will have 28 beds assigned to psychiatric patients and a staff of six provided by UAMS. The nursing and support staff will be provided by Northwest Regional, while Ozark Guidance Center will provide funding as well as pre- and post-outpatient services.
As clinical manager, Smith will oversee the outpatient clinic in addition to providing therapeutic treatment for patients.
"I've worked in a number of different psychiatric treatment settings as well as developed and directed an intensive outpatient program for adults with chronic, severe mental health problems and co-occurring substance abuse issues," Smith said. "I'm looking forward to having access to UAMS' expertise and using those resources as needed to provide our patients with access to specialized care."

UAMS Workshop March 13 to Offer Insight into Community-based Research Process

LITTLE ROCK — A free workshop at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) will provide insight into the process of community-based participatory research (CPBR). CPBR is research that is conducted as an equal partnership between traditionally trained experts and members of a community. Continuing education credits will be offered.
The Community-based Research Partnerships for Health Series is scheduled for 10 a.m.–3 p.m. March 13 on the 12th floor of the Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute at UAMS. Lunch will be provided. The free workshop is sponsored by the Cancer Control Program in the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute.
Free parking is available in the Outpatient Parking Deck at the corner of Cedar Street and Capitol Avenue. For information, call (501) 526-7045.
The workshop is designed for academic and scientific researchers, health care professionals and members of the community interested in the principles, challenges and development of collaborative research partnerships. It will include a discussion of the CBPR projects and accomplishments of the Detroit Urban Research Center.
Speakers will include Barbara Israel, Dr.P.H., professor of Health Behavior and Health Education at the University of Michigan, and Donele Wilkins, executive director of Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice.
Israel received her master's degree and doctorate in public health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has published widely in the areas of community-based participatory research, community empowerment, evaluation, stress and health, and social support and social networks.
Wilkins has more than two decades of experience in occupational and environmental health as an educator, consultant, trainer, administrator and advocate.

UAMS BioVentures Company to Market Cost-Cutting Services for Pharmacy Benefit Programs

LITTLE ROCK — The concept behind a unique program that saves Arkansas millions of dollars in Medicaid drug costs has spawned a new startup company through the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) BioVentures.
RxResults, LLC, and UAMS have formed a strategic partnership that will expand the client base of Arkansas' Evidence-Based Medicine program (EBRx), which is designed to cut prescription drug costs while ensuring patients receive the most effective, high quality medicines available.
The state Department of Human Services partnered in 2005 with the UAMS College of Pharmacy to form EBRx to analyze the clinical data for the effectiveness and safety of prescription drugs. The program's leaders have found that selecting the most effective medicines doesn't necessarily mean picking the most expensive drugs. Also, by creating a preferred drug list, the program, which serves about 500,000 Arkansans, has created a major incentive for drug companies to lower their prices.
The success of EBRx led to the recent creation of RxResults through UAMS BioVentures, the technology transfer and commercialization arm of UAMS. The company was formed by Tery Baskin, Pharm.D., CEO and president.
RxResults, through an exclusive license, markets the services provided by the EBRx program to other states, large self-insured businesses and other entities that offer pharmacy benefit programs, including fully insured programs. Customers pay a monthly fee for the drug evaluation services, with a portion going to the College of Pharmacy. The college also is expected to use the vast amounts of data from new clients to conduct additional research.

UAMS Participates in National Study Shown to Combat Frailty in Older Adults

LITTLE ROCK — An investigational drug that stimulates the body to produce more growth hormone has been shown to improve lean muscle mass and physical function in older adults, potentially helping to combat frailty, according to a study at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) and 12 other study centers.
Jeanne Wei, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging at UAMS and a physician at the Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center at the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System, is co-author of the study. Other participating centers include Duke University Medical Center, VA Puget Sound Health Care System and the University of Washington School of Medicine.
The Phase II study is the first to show improvements in physical performance among at-risk seniors taking capromorelin, an oral compound developed by Pfizer, which can help the body release more growth hormone. Older adults have greatly reduced production of growth hormone, which regulates metabolism and aids in the building of muscle mass even after adolescent growth has been completed.

Cheryl Fite Named Arkansas Hospice Pine Bluff Area Manager

Arkansas Hospice recently named Cheryl Fite, RN, Area Manager of Arkansas Hospice Pine Bluff. Fite will oversee the overall administration of homecare services in the Pine Bluff service area, which spans Dallas, Grant, Cleveland, Lincoln, Jefferson and Arkansas counties.
Fite, a Pine Bluff native, began her career in home health more than 22 years ago, and has worked specifically in hospice care for the past nine years. She is the Education Committee Chair for the Arkansas State Hospice and Palliative Care Association and also serves on the ASHPCA Standards Committee.

Cory Leigh Taylor Named to Development Post at UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute

LITTLE ROCK — Cory Leigh Taylor has been named director of development for cancer initiatives at the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). Her position will focus primarily on fundraising efforts for the Cancer Institute expansion currently under construction.
Taylor is a graduate of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Prior to arriving at UAMS, she served as statewide walk director for the March of Dimes, Colorado Chapter, in Denver, and as district director of the Muscular Dystrophy Association in Tampa, Fla. She also held the position of marketing communications manager for Federal Liaison Services in Dallas.

St. Bernards Takes Minimally Invasive Surgery to the Next Level With new da Vinci Surgical System

Surgeons at St. Bernards are taking laparoscopic surgery to the next level using one of the most sophisticated technologies available today - the da Vinci Surgical System.
It allows specially trained surgeons to perform what is called robotic-assisted minimally invasive surgery and lets them take laparoscopic surgery to the next level.
The new da Vinci Surgical System takes the good aspects of laparoscopic surgery and makes them even better - for both the physician and the patient.
Patient benefits of laparoscopic surgery are well documented. But benefits for patients who have robotic-assisted laparoscopic surgery are even further enhanced. Patients can expect shorter hospital stays, significantly less post-operative pain, fewer complications, lower risk of infection, less scarring, quicker recovery and - very important to patients - quicker return to normal activities.
The system does not perform surgery. It simply gives the surgeon tools to perform minimally invasive surgeries using robotic technology. It puts a computer between the surgeon's hands and his instruments, and it enhances his ability to perform surgery in a minimally invasive fashion.
Initially, the da Vinci system will be used at St. Bernards by gynecologists and urologists who are performing hysterectomies - removal of the uterus - and prostatectomies - removal of the prostate gland as a treatment for prostate cancer.

EngagementHealth® Launches Comprehensive Wellness Program with Hendrix College

Hendrix College, a leading liberal arts college, and EngagementHealth LLC, an innovator in employer wellness programs, announced today the successful launch of comprehensive disease prevention and health promotion programs at Hendrix College.
All of Hendrix College's benefits eligible employees and spouses were invited to participate in the incentive based wellness programs including biometric screenings, health counseling calls, and individualized targeted risk programs. More than 96 percent of all Hendrix faculty, staff and covered spouses elected to participate in the program, a record-setting participation rate, according to EngagementHealth®.
The program includes weekly weigh-ins and weight-challenge teams to encourage proper exercise, along with individual on-line health accounts to monitor progress in the program. Additionally, faculty and staff can choose from individualized targeted risk programs to specifically fit their needs, from exercise to smoking cessation to stress management to calorie counting. Participants are given financial discounts off their health insurance costs for participating in the program.
The program is enhanced by Hendrix's new $24 million Wellness and Athletics Center, a facility that provides faculty, staff and students with state-of-the-art exercise equipment and facilities to improve health. In addition to television-mounted treadmills and elliptical machines in the weight room, the facility has an indoor aquatic center, a stationary rock-climbing wall, competition and auxiliary gymnasiums and offers numerous exercise classes to faculty, staff, students, and members of the WAC. Hendrix opened its facility in 2007.

Arkansas Hospice & Arkansas Hospice Foundation Elect 2009 Board

Arkansas Hospice and Arkansas Hospice Foundation have elected new members to their Boards of Directors for 2009. Arkansas Hospice Board members include: Odessa Darrough, chair; Steve Bauman, chair-elect; Scotty Shively, vice chair; Ted Gammill, treasurer; Carol Roddy, secretary; Rebecca Ward, chair emeritus; Ladly Abraham; Donna Baas; Greg Bienvenue; Brooke Bumpers; F. Gladwin Connell; Cecile Malone; Brian McNamara; Jon Timmis; JoAnn Wilson; Bill Woodyard IV; and Rick Urquhart.
Arkansas Hospice Foundation Board members include: Bill Woodyard IV, chair; Ryan Solomon, chair-elect; Kim Clatworthy, vice chair; Pam Lamb, secretary; Brad Hudgens, treasurer; Leah Elenzweig, chair emeritus; Dorothy Babish; Odessa Darrough; Janet Davis; John Drake; Nick Ferrara; Frank Funk; Sharon Heflin; Jason LaFrance; Carol Lord; Natasha Marlow; Ann Morris; Gina Rouse; Walker Sloan; Mary Thomas; and Mitzi Tiffee. Honorary Board members are Gail Arnold and Bishop Kenneth Hicks.
Arkansas Hospice is a community-based, not-for-profit organization serving the terminally ill throughout Arkansas. For more information, please call 501-748-3333, toll free 877-257-3400 or visit www.arkansashospice.org

Online Continuing Medical Education

Physicians have always been confronted with the need to keep their knowledge current. Innovation and technology now allow for increased opportunities to attain Continuing Medical Education (CME) hours online at a time and place most convenient for the professional. Online CME has been described as a union of several trends that include new developments in the theory and practice of distance education, the ways practicing physicians learn, and innovative vehicles for delivering CME.
There is movement away from the "teacher-centered" model to a "learner-centered" model. No amount of academic preparation can keep pace with changes in the health field. Health professionals must take it upon themselves to be lifelong learners, and to engage in self-directed learning projects to stay current.
Online CME programs offer many advantages. The user may select a presentation on almost any medical topic from known experts in that specialty. Physicians may attend a lecture in the evening or on the weekend and view or listen repeatedly to the sections that are most interesting or most difficult. In many programs, the transcript may be printed for review at a later date.
The UAMS Rural Hospital Program's Online Continuing Medical Education website provides online CME programs offered by UAMS specialists. These programs have been planned in accordance with Policies of the ACCME through sponsorship with the UAMS College of Medicine's Office of Continuing Medical Education. To access these programs go to: http://www.uams.edu/rhp/onlinece

Fortune Announces That Arkansas Children's Hospital Is Included On The 2009 "100 Best Companies To Work For" List

FORTUNE announced Thursday that Arkansas Children's Hospital has been ranked No. 85 on the 12th annual "100 Best Companies to Work For" list. The full list and related stories appear in the Feb. 2 issue of FORTUNE, available on newsstands on Monday, Jan. 26, and now at www.FORTUNE.com/bestcompanies
A driving factor for the companies on this year's list is that they excel at creating jobs. Of the 100 companies on the 2009 list, 73 are currently hiring.
In his FORTUNE.com blog, Managing Editor Andy Serwer writes, "No matter what happens with the economy, the demand for talent will remain. Great companies know that super-motivated, happy, world-class employees are an incredible competitive advantage."
To pick the "100 Best Companies to Work For," FORTUNE works with Robert Levering and Milton Moskowitz of the Great Place to Work® Institute — a global research and consulting firm with offices in 30 countries — to conduct the most extensive employee survey in corporate America.
"Arkansas Children's Hospital is very pleased to again be ranked among FORTUNE's '100 Best Companies to Work For,'" said ACH President and CEO Jonathan Bates, MD. "It is wonderful that our staff enjoys working here. Indeed, their survey response is the largest factor in these rankings. Best of all is the way the spirit at ACH helps the children and families we serve."
More than 81,000 employees from 353 companies responded to the 57-question survey created by the Institute. Two-thirds of a company's score is based on the survey, which is sent to a minimum of 400 randomly selected employees. The remaining third is based on a company's responses to the Culture Audit questionnaire, which asks detailed questions about demographics, pay and benefits, and open-ended questions on philosophy, communication and more.
Any company that is at least seven years old with more the 1,000 U.S. employees is eligible to be included on the list. The deadline for applying for next year's list is March 31, 2009. For an online nomination form, go to www.greatplacetowork-100best.com