Physician Advocacy Since 1873
Bulletin
JAN/FEB., 2022 VOLUME 52, NO. 1
Editors: Alejandro Arevalo, M.D. | Erica Huffman, Executive Director www.escambiacms.org
President’s Message
Contents Page 4 - Medical/Legal Page 10 - Foundation
As this is the first newsletter of 2022, I wanted to greet each of you and take the opportunity to introduce myself. My name is Kacey Montgomery, MD and I am proud to serve as your 2022 Escambia County and Santa Rosa County Medical Society (ECMS) President. This year I will have the honor and privilege of serving with Dr. Maureen Padden, Dr. Dawn Hannah, Dr. Alejandro Arevalo, Dr. Caroline Wolverton, Dr. Anthony Pietroniro and Dr. Josh Hackel. Everyone who is reading this please take a moment to thank Dr. Casey Mickler for leading the organization throughout another successful year, especially another unique year where COVID and discussions related to it and the vaccine remained a focus for our community and country at large. I want to thank those that attended the inaugural ball on January 22nd. It was a lovely time filled with fellowship, excitement, and hope for a successful year. As I looked around the room during my inaugural speech, the two words that kept coming to my mind were grateful and humbled. Grateful for the encouragement and support of not only my family and friends but the amazing community of physician colleagues throughout the area and in this place that I call home. Humbled as I saw the past Escambia County Medical Society Presidents
who continue to serve and dedicate their time, expertise and passion to the organization, the community, and organized medicine. These are truly people who want to make a difference. I was humbled to have the Florida Medical Association President, Dr. Doug Murphy attend and perform the installation as well as the attendance of Representative Michelle Salzman; two people who are dedicated to the advancement of medicine for not only our community but for the great state of Florida. To those that could not attend, I certainly understand and look forward to fellowship, discussions, and advancement in 2022. I want to take this opportunity to share my visions and thoughts on the upcoming year. In order to do this, it is important for me to take a step back and share with each of you more about myself, my passions, and my involvement with the ECMS. As most know by now, I am an Interventional Pain Medicine Physician at Clearway Pain Solutions currently serving as the Medical Director for the Southeast division. I was a collegiate athlete at the University of Tennessee where I was a Rower. I have always had a love for sports not only for the health benefits but the camaraderie that goes along with it. This translates into my love for the ECMS and organized medicine. I later attended medical school and Anesthesiology residency at the
Page 12 - Community
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AT T E N T I O N PHYSICIANS
Named a top 50 heart hospital*
Are you getting close to retirement, or would you like an opportunity to contribute care to the medically needy of our community? There are multiple worthwhile volunteer positions available. Volunteering your talent and time allows you to keep your hand in medical care which can be very gratifying. Opportunities include general medicine, cosigning ultrasounds, gyn care, etc. Call Paul LaRose, MD for more information, 850-380-6775
Led by nationally recognized cardiologists When your patients need heart care, start a conversation with nationally recognized cardiologists at Ascension Sacred Heart about any heart symptoms. From screenings
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to advanced heart care or help managing a chronic condition, leading heart care is available close to home. Know that we’re maintaining strict precautions to keep patients safe in our care. *Fortune/IBM Watson Health 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals 2022
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Please pay your membership dues by March 1st to be included in the 2022 ECMS Member Directory. ECMS needs your help updating our member directory. If you have moved or changed any of your business information since 2021, please email director@escambiaCMS.org.
Member Updates E.C.M.S. Bulletin The Bulletin is a publication for and by the members of the Escambia County Medical Society. The Bulletin publishes six times a year: Jan/Feb, Mar/ Apr, May/Jun, Jul/Aug, Sept/ Oct, Nov/Dec. We will consider for publication articles relating to medical science, photos, book reviews, memorials, medical/ legal articles, and practice management.
Vision for the Bulletin: • Appeal to the family of medicine in Escambia and Santa Rosa County and to the world beyond. • A powerful instrument to attract and induct members to organized medicine.
New Members Roberta Beals, D.O. Woodlands Medical Specialist Family Practice 4724 N. Davis Highway Pensacola, FL 32503 (850) 696-4000 Fax: (850) 607-7317
Robert Dimick, M.D. Santa Rosa Medical Group Orthopaedic Surgery 6007 Berryhill Road Milton, FL 32570 (850) 981-4009 Fax: (850) 981-9925
Patricia Kachur, M.D. Medical Center Clinic Rheumatology 8333 North Davis Highway Bldg. 2, Fl 2 Pensacola, FL 32514 (850) 474-8387 Fax: (850) 969-2891
Updated Practice Information Jeff Buchalter, M.D. Professional Medical Consultants 698 Brent Lane, Pensacola FL 32503 850-898-1800 www.professionalmedicalconsultants.com
Stephen Kimura, M.D. Medical Center Clinic Allergy/Immunology 5401 Corporate Woods Drive, Suite 100 Pensacola, FL 32504
Mission:
Advancing physicians’ practice of medicine in our community.
Editor Dawn Hannah, D.O. Executive Director Erica Huffman 4771 Bayou Blvd. # 157 Pensacola, FL 32503 Ph: 850-478-0706 Fx: 850-474-9783 Email: info@escambiacms.org www.escambiacms.org
Ad placement Contact Erica Huffman at 478-0706 Ad rates 1/2 page: $350 · 1/4 page: $200 · 1/8 page: $150 View and opinions expressed in the Bulletin are those of the authors and are not necessarily those of the board of directors, staff or advertisers. The editorial staff reserves the right to edit or reject any submission. www.escambiacms.org | 3
President’s letter cont’d
University of Florida. I went to the University of Washington for an Interventional Pain Medicine Fellowship. From there I joined a private practice in Orlando for several years and I moved up to the Panhandle almost 6 years ago. My original plan was to live in the same place I grew up and make Orlando my permanent home. For several reasons, a topic for a different article, I decided to make a change. My family packed up and we moved to the Panhandle knowing that worst case scenario I would be here for 2 years to serve out my non-compete and then move back to Orlando if I so chose. But something happened, perhaps it was my first Blue Angels Show, but I truly fell in love with the area and the people and in my heart, this became my home. I joined the ECMS right away as a chance to meet people as I am a bit of an introvert by nature unless it is something I am truly passionate about. I stayed because I became inspired. I stayed because perhaps I may have found something that was missing for me, that same camaraderie that I felt as a college athlete, people working together for a common goal. I began to wonder: What was the ECMS all about? How could I get involved? Could I make a difference? Surely, I could not, but then, again, why not me? I listened to those that came before me and continue to serve. I listened to the viewpoints of those that were different than mine and continue to do so. I genuinely believe that the practice of medicine is a privilege. We are privileged to take care of human beings during some of the most vulnerable times in their lives. It is humbling and without a doubt an honor, one of my biggest honors. How can I continue to make a difference? Can I make a difference amidst all of the chaos, especially the chaos of the last 2 years? Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be helping to lead a practice and serve on the ECMS executive board during a pandemic, certainly not one that lasted two years. No one could have possibly imagined or been prepared. The light in the middle of the storm is that we figured it out together. We figured it out and continue to figure out how to weather the tough times and make decisions in the best interest of our community and patients. The hospital systems worked together and shared information and resources to care for our patients and community. For me, us coming together, that was and is the light in the darkness. Perhaps (fingers crossed) in the not so distant future “the time of COVID” will become a memory and a lesson in the history books. I pray that we never forget all that we have learned throughout this unprecedented time and we still always remember that our goals and passion are common and unite us all. 4 | Escambia County Medical Society in conjunction with Santa Rosa County
In our organization and in our meetings, you will listen and discover that you have other passions that are similar to those of your colleagues and together you can work to advance medicine for our community, state, and country. In these rooms you will find people that are eager to give back but do not know how and they will connect with colleagues that do know how and are doing so successfully. How we learn and grow is by stopping, listening, and becoming involved. Thus, my message and mission for this year, is for us to learn to come together in fellowship and truly hear one another. Only then will we be able to effect change, whether it be in your hospital, your practice, your city, your state, or your country. Dream big. Perhaps some of the issues that divide us aren’t black or white or right or wrong. Can you discuss one side of an issue without truly trying to understand the other side? One of my favorite speeches was Dr. Ellen McKnight’s speech about becoming an Activated Physician. How much more powerful would we be if we were not only activated, but we were activated together? Together we march forward. Whether you are just starting out in your career, get involved. Whether you are nearing retirement, get involved. We need your wisdom and guidance. Whether you are hospital employed, private practice, academic or military, Generation A through Z, get involved. We effect change by coming together in fellowship and listening to each other, learning from each other, and becoming inspired by each other. If you heard my inaugural speech, I took a moment to thank my amazing husband, for which none of my accomplishments would be possible, my children, my family, my dear friends, and my colleagues. I shared with each of you in attendance a bit about my village. They say it takes a village to raise a child. I will use the same statement and say that it takes a village, our village to effect change. I thank you for being a part of my village and look forward to seeing you all soon.
– Kacey Montgomery, M.D.
www.escambiacms.org | 5
Medical/Legal
Medicare Changes That Can Save Money for Seniors by Dennis Mayeaux, M.D. and Maureen Padden, M.D. Medicare benefits can be a challenge to navigate, and unanticipated bills for services you thought were covered can cause financial strain. This has been an issue with some of the vaccinations currently recommended – while some are covered under Medicare Part B, others are covered under Part D. This disparity has led to wide variation in deductibles, copayments, and formularies for vaccines recommended to preserve your health. This causes some individuals to forgo crucial vaccinations that could protect their health, while others proceed unaware of this difference until the bill arrives in the mail. Forgoing crucial vaccinations affects our most vulnerable population the most—our seniors. As physicians, we know firsthand how dangerous that can be for Florida’s elders, whose weakened immune systems make them more susceptible to the worst consequences of infectious diseases. However, there is a solution to this problem. In Congress, a bill called the Protecting Seniors Through Immunization Act is gaining bipartisan support. This bill would align the rules under Parts B and D and eliminate copays for these lifesaving, recommended vaccinations. Seniors are already pinching pennies, and simple measures such as this would allow many to obtain the vaccinations crucial to protecting their personal health and the health of their community. In addition to better protecting our most vulnerable citizens, expanding preventive medicine in this way will also benefit our entire health care system. Allowing greater access to vaccines is cost-effective, helping to keep many people out of the hospital and avoiding the need for costly care.
6 | Escambia County Medical Society in conjunction with Santa Rosa County
Our experience with COVID-19 over the past two years reinforced that our aging 65+ population is more seriously affected by infection. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 75% of people who have died from the virus in the United States have been 65 or older. That’s a rate of 1 in 100 seniors, compared to 1 in 1,400 individuals younger than 65, dying from a virus that could have been prevented, or at least lessened. We should all encourage Congress to support the Protecting Seniors Through Immunization Act as it works its way through the system. This bill would create some much-needed changes to Medicare by increasing the access and affordability of vaccines and, in turn, save lives. Health protection is one issue we can all get behind in 2022. Dennis Mayeaux, M.D., is a family physician/geriatrician in Milton, FL.
Maureen Padden, M.D. M.P.H., is a family physician in Pensacola, FL.
Medical/Legal
To Measure and Reduce Diagnostic Error, Start With the Data You Have David L. Feldman, MD, MBA, FACS, Chief Medical Officer, The Doctors Company and TDC Group; Senior Vice President, Healthcare Risk Advisors As a patient safety problem, diagnostic error differs from wrong-site surgery or medication errors. While we have not yet eliminated these errors, we know that systems-safety interventions like checklists and time-outs make an impact. But in considering diagnostic errors—when we are often trying to get inside someone’s head to determine why they did or didn’t think a certain thing—it is a totally different proposition. Moreover, at times, we lack clear distinctions between true diagnostic error and the natural progression of a disease. We know that diagnostic errors occur across specialties and patient populations, but surprisingly, we see that common conditions are often missed. Progress has been made over the past decade, as shown by Hardeep Singh, MD, MPH, during his recent presentation for the Healthcare Risk Advisors (HRA) Virtual Conference Series. Dr. Hardeep Singh, MD, MPH, an expert in diagnostic safety for the VA Medical Center in Houston and a Professor of Medicine for Baylor College, says that healthcare is striding through the 2020s with its best tools yet to continue improving. To improve diagnostic safety, he recommends focusing not just on individual performance, but also on the performance of the system where clinicians practice. For example, an organization must first measure its current rate of diagnostic error—which is easier said than done.
Use Accessible Data to Measure Diagnostic Error For those planning to improve diagnostic safety in their own institutions, Dr. Singh suggests four potential sources of data: Use the data that are already available. Adverse event reports, medical malpractice data, and patient complaints present learning opportunities.
8 | Escambia County Medical Society in conjunction with Santa Rosa County
Solicit reports from clinicians about diagnostic errors and near misses. Most reports come from nurses, pharmacists, and other allied health professionals. Many clinicians are reluctant to report. Find a way to invite their information that makes sense for your organization. Learn from patients. At many institutions, patient complaints are being gathered but not being harvested for signals for improvement. Meanwhile, researchers hear patients say things like, “I kept telling them about this specific concern, but they didn’t listen to me.” Whether it is a case of misaligned expectations or actual diagnostic error, every patient complaint is an opportunity to learn. Open notes could also be leveraged for improvement opportunities. Make your EHR work for you. Your EHR can help you identify patients with diagnostic concerns by flagging records selectively with e-triggers. For instance, you might view only records that fit a certain clinical profile versus all records. Two examples include: (a) a low-risk patient who is transferred to ICU or initiates a rapid response team within 15 days of admission, or (b) a patient who visits primary care, followed by an unplanned hospital admission within 14 days. These scenarios invite us to ask if there was a missed red flag.
Address Ambiguous Responsibility With Clear Policies In healthcare, and especially in any fragmented healthcare systems, the responsibility of who is doing what may not always be clear. Here is an example of ambiguous responsibility that Dr. Singh discussed: A primary care physician refers a patient to a pulmonologist. The pulmonologist orders a test that returns an abnormal finding. An EHR will alert both clinicians of that result, so who is responsible for follow-up? What Dr. Singh’s team found is that each might think it’s the other. To address ambiguous responsibility, all organizations should create, formalize, and promote a crystal-clear policy regarding who is responsible for followup of abnormal test results and in what time frame.
Close the Calibration Gap With Feedback Calibration is the alignment between diagnostic accuracy and a physician’s confidence in that accuracy. For a vignette study,1 physicians were presented with sample cases, both relatively easy and hard to diagnose. Physicians were asked for their differential diagnoses and their confidence in their differential diagnoses. Before they rendered their final diagnosis for each case, physicians were asked if they had resource requests, such as wishing to consult a colleague, desk reference, or web-based tool. Dr. Singh and fellow researchers had hypothesized that when cases were more difficult, clinicians would seek more
Medical/Legal assistance, because they would be very uncertain—but that turned out not to be the case. For the easier-to-diagnose cases, physicians were right about 56 percent of the time, and fairly confident. But accuracy for the difficult cases was below 6 percent—with confidence almost unchanged.
Choose a Resource
That’s the calibration gap—and it can be closed with feedback. Finding ways to close it will be crucial to our long-term efforts to improve diagnosis. At HRA, among other things, we are working with our emergency department (ED) collaborative on missed strokes. From a small review of 43 HRA cardiovascular diagnostic cases, we saw that 20 of those patients returned to an ED after their first presentation. Of those, 10 presented at a different ED, so the clinicians they first saw probably did not know those outcomes.
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ): Operational Measurement of Diagnostic Safety: State of the Science
Physicians, like all other professionals, need accurate and timely feedback to gauge performance. When patients simply go elsewhere, we lose valuable information.
We have more tools than ever before to help us improve diagnostic safety. To begin implementing them, start with any of the valuable, open-source resources below.
Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI): Closing the Loop: A Guide to Safer Ambulatory Referrals in the EHR Era World Health Organization (WHO): Diagnostic Errors: Technical Series on Safer Primary Care WHO: Global Patient Safety Action Plan 2021–2030: Towards Eliminating Avoidable Harm in Health Care
Make a System-Wide Effort Dr. Singh’s findings align with our claims experience at HRA and The Doctors Company. Roughly 20 percent of claims involve diagnostic error, and what we learn from such claims has implications for patient safety in all areas of ambulatory, inpatient, and ED care. Examining our medical malpractice claims through the lens of the diagnostic process of care framework created by CRICO, the risk management arm of the Harvard medical institutions, we see that care most often diverges from an optimal outcome early on, with an incomplete history or with a cognitive bias like anchoring or premature closure. To address these ongoing concerns, which affect clinicians and patients across the spectrum of care, we are engaging in a variety of efforts—from a new project looking at primary care, to partnering with national societies to improve diagnosis and prevent errors. In envisioning healthcare’s next decade, Dr. Singh sees many promising developments in diagnostic safety, but says we still have miles to go. As we implement new tools and best practices to foster learning and improvement, it’s time to make diagnostic safety not just an individual priority, but also an organizational priority.
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Community
The 2022 ECMS Annual Inaugural Ball
10 | Escambia County Medical Society in conjunction with Santa Rosa County
Community
www.escambiacms.org | 11
Foundation
ESCAMBIA COUNTY MEDICAL SOCIETY FOUNDATION As we get ready to welcome in a new year, an opportunity is afforded to us to look back and see what we have accomplished and what we still have yet to do. There is always something that remains to do but I would like to focus on what the Foundation has accomplished in 2021. In early 2021, we had our first Stress Management and Resiliency training (SMART) program. The SMART program, for me, was enlightening, affirming, and transforming. It is enlightening to learn more about the mind-body connection and it’s importance to our physical and emotional health. We will be announcing the dates for next year very soon. Please consider taking this course, you will benefit greatly. We had a very successful fundraising event at the Gulf Breeze Zoo over Easter weekend. The weather was beautiful and a great time was had by all. The event activities included viewing the animals at the zoo, riding the train, and an Easter egg hunt. The Easter bunny took pictures with the children, creating life long family memories. Stay tuned for announcements regarding our upcoming event at the zoo. The Foundation received a 10,000 dollar grant from the Fellow’s Foundation in order to continue our outreach to seniors, especially those seniors who are on a fixed income. I am thankful for the efforts of Dr. Wayne Willis to secure this very generous donation. This donation will enable us to further our goal of helping at risk seniors to get access to their physician and their pharmacy. We recently had another successful fundraiser at the Wahoo’s stadium before Halloween. The children dressed up, as did many adults. Many generous sponsors from our community gave out candy and other treats to the children. There was a photo booth and many other fun activities. This event, along with our Easter fundraiser, should be on your “must do” list. Our Christmas wreath sale and fundraiser is now underway. This is a joint venture with Fiore, a well-known local florist, renowned for high quality floral arrangements. Please consider ordering wreaths as decorations for your home or office, presents for family and friends, or all of the above. These beautiful fresh wreaths will bring joy to your heart, and the hearts of others, as you help the Foundation fulfill our commitment to the physicians and the economically stressed patients of our community. We had two new members of the 1873 society, Dr. Michael Riesberg and Dr. J. Howell Tiller. We encourage all members of the ECMS to join the 1873 society. This helps us to expand our mission.
In case you didn’t know…. The Escambia County Medical Society Foundation Supports our community and our physicians. Here’s how: Blood Pressure Cuff Program: dedicated to helping patients monitor their blood pressure at home by providing free blood pressure cuffs. We Care Program: dedicated to helping the poor and uninsured patients access care. This is only achievable because of our member physicians who generously donate their time and skill. Please consider joining this effort. Go Seniors Program: dedicated to helping the elderly poor see their doctor on a regular basis by covering transportation expenses to physician offices and pharmacies. Pensacola State College Endowment: dedicated to funding scholarships of students attending Pensacola State College who are interested in health-related fields of study. 1873 Society: dedicated to funding all of the initiatives/programs of the ECMS Foundation. This is made possible through the generous donations of our physician colleagues. Please consider becoming a member of the 1873 society. We need you! Physician Wellness Program: dedicated to helping our physician colleagues who may be suffering personal and professional angst. Member physicians may access three private sessions with a highly trained and skilled psychologist. These sessions are private and the ECMS foundation does not know who is utilizing these services. Please call directly if you are wanting to utilize these services. 850434-5033 ext-8. Telemedicine is also available. SMART Program: dedicated to teaching the techniques of stress management and resiliency training to physicians. SMART stands for Stress Management and Resiliency Training. Our physician instructor is Dr. Rohit Amin who will teach a 90 minute class each week over nine weeks. Most physicians could benefit from learning skills which may help them to handle stress more appropriately and be more resilient when meeting life’s challenges. We are planning our next course at this time. Please let Erica know it you are interested in participating. Please consider supporting our efforts at the Escambia County Medical Society Foundation. Ellen W. McKnight, M.D.
Foundation 12 | Escambia County Medical Society in conjunction with Santa Rosa County
Foundation
THE 1873 SOCIETY Since 1873, Escambia and Santa Rosa County Medical Society physicians have dedicated themselves to their patients and the people of Escambia/Santa Rosa County. To further our mission and build on the loyal support of our members, the Board of Directors approved the formation of The 1873 Society, a special recognition opportunity to formally honor physicians who contribute to our organization and have demonstrated a long-term commitment to the quality of health care and well-being of our community. As a member of The 1873 Society your good name as a physician will be honored in our community
forever – entwined with the good works of the medical society in a cherished legacy. Membership in The 1873 Society is for physicians who have chosen to pledge $3,000 to Escambia County Medical Society Foundation, Inc. This can be accomplished through a single gift or a recurring gift of $1,000 over three years, THREE IN THREE! The 1873 Society members are recognized and awarded with their names permanently engraved on a traveling Wall of Honor to be displayed in the ECMS office and at ECMS and ECMSF events.
THE 1873 SOCIETY MEMBERS
The individuals listed below are both founding members as well as others who have joined The 1873 Society since its founding. We thank you for joining their distinguished ranks.
Michelle Brandhorst, M.D.
Jennifer Miley, M.D.
Robert Sackheim, M.D.
Joanne Bujnoski, D.O.
Jack Kotlarz, M.D.
J.Howell Tiller, M.D.
Kurt Krueger, M.D.
Hillary Hultstrand, M.D.
Steve Ziller, M.D.
Ken Long, M.D.
Brett Parra, M.D.
Ellen W. McKnight, M.D.
Michael Riesberg, M.D.
Who is the Escambia County Medical Society Foundation? The Escambia County Medical Society Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing healthcare services on a volunteer and funding basis through its members. The Foundation was created in 1994. The primary goal is to assure access to adequate healthcare for the medically indigent citizens of the area, to study and promote improved methods and facilities for healthcare, to pursue the protection of public health, implement the means of financing healthcare at reasonable costs, to cooperate with other organizations and institutions interested in pursuing these goals, and disseminate information concerning healthcare in general. Current Foundation programs include “We Care” and “Go Seniors!” Contact the ECMS Foundation for more information | 850.478.0706 or info@escambiaCMS.org
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2021 We Care Awards
Physician contributions: $62,000 | Hospital contributions: $108,000 Medical Group/outpatient services: $63,000
The 2021 non-surgical Bell-Shippey We Care Doctor of the Year Dr. Brian Kirby
The 2021 surgical Bell-Shippey We Care Doctor of the Year Dr. Donald Dewey
Medical Group who donated the most services and highest dollar amount Endoscopy Group Outpatient Clinic with highest # of services: Radiology Associates of Pensacola Outpatient Clinic with highest dollar amount of donated care: Medical Center Clinic
Hospital with largest number of treatments: West Florida Hospital
Community Foundation Robert B. Turnage, M.D., FACS, Joins Baptist Heart & Vascular Institute
Andrews J. Moses, M.D. Joins Baptist Heart & Vascular Institute
Robert B. Turnage, M.D., FACS, has joined Baptist Heart & Vascular Institute. Dr. Turnage earned his medical degree from the University of Mississippi Medical School in Jackson, Mississippi. He completed his internship and residency in general surgery at Carraway Methodist Medical Center in Birmingham, Alabama, and completed a fellowship in cardiovascular and thoracic surgery at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine in Albuquerque. Dr. Turnage is board certified by the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Thoracic Surgery.
Baptist Heart & Vascular Institute welcomes Andrew J. Moses, M.D. Dr. Moses He earned his medical degree from Saint Louis University School of Medicine in Kansas City, Missouri. He completed an internship and residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in cardiovascular disease at the University of South Alabama in Mobile. He is board certified in internal medicine and cardiovascular disease by the American Board of Internal Medicine, Certification Board of Nuclear Cardiology and the National Board of Echocardiography.
Katherine Abella, M.D., Earns Second Board Certification
Baptist Medical Park Surgery Center – Nine Mile is one of only 13 centers across the United States to be named a Leapfrog Top Ambulatory Surgery Center in 2021. The award recognizes quality and patient safety. The quality of patient care across many areas of ASC performance is considered by The Leapfrog Group in identifying award winners, including staffing, patient experience, hand hygiene, surgical checklist protocols and error prevention.
Baptist Medical Group rheumatologist Katherine Abella, M.D., has earned board certification in rheumatology from the American Board of Internal Medicine. She is also board certified in internal medicine. Dr. Abella earned her medical degree at Ross University in Dominica, West Indies, completed her residency at AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and completed a fellowship at Albany Medical Center in Albany, New York. She joined Baptist in November 2021.
Baptist Surgery Center Earns Prestigious Leapfrog Award
Hospital introduces Deep Brain Stimulation
Dr. Toledo selected as national speaker
Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola performed its first deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery on Oct. 13 to improve symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, including tremors, stiffness, and trouble walking. The surgical team was led by Dr. Deborah Boland, a neurologist specializing in movement disorders, and Dr. Ann Carr, a neurosurgeon.
Dr. Maria Toledo, an endovascular neurosurgeon with Ascension Medical Group Sacred Heart, was selected by the national Congress of Neurological Surgeons to speak at an on-demand seminar. Dr. Toledo discussed treatment alternatives for ischemic stroke.
DBS delivers electrical impulses to a targeted area of the brain that is responsible for the movement symptoms caused by Parkinson’s disease. The electrical impulses disrupt the abnormal activity that occurs in the brain’s circuitry. In the multi-stage procedure, electrodes are positioned in the brain and a device that sends the electrical pulses to the electrodes is implanted under the collarbone.
Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola serves as Northwest Florida’s only Comprehensive Stroke Center and provides the most advanced capabilities to diagnose and treat strokes. Dr.Toledo has experience and expertise in using minimally invasive surgical techniques to remove blockages in blood vessels in the brain that cause stroke.
Hospital earns high mark for safety Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola has earned a grade of “A“ on the fall 2021 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade. Leapfrog provides the only hospital ratings program based exclusively on hospitals’ prevention of medical errors and other harms to patients in their care.
Best Hospital for Maternity Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola was named to a list of Best Hospitals for Maternity, which was recently released by U.S. News and World Report. The Best Hospitals for Maternity evaluation looked at 2019 data related to uncomplicated pregnancies. U.S. News rated how well hospitals performed on C-section rates, newborn complication rates, breast milk feeding rates, early elective delivery rates and if a hospital offers vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC). Only 237 hospitals were named to the list. www.escambiacms.org | 15
Wish You Were Here! Advertise your Business in the ECMS Newsletter. Call or Email Erica Huffman, Executive Director 850.478.0706 | Director@escambiacms.org
