May/June Newsletter 2013

www.escambiacms.org

May/JUNE 2013

BULLETIN

VOlUME 43, NO. 3

Upcoming Events Tuesday July 9 | Cactus Flower | 5:30p Topic: Debt Management Speakers: Richard McCool & Bessann Watson Topic: Physician Burnout Speaker: Fred Mixon, M.D. Topic: Organized Medicine at the local and state level Speaker: John Katopodis, M.D. July 26, 27, 28 FMA Annual Meeting Orlando, Florida August 13 | People’s Home Health | 5:30p Topic: “Fall Risk & Prevention” | Speaker: Matt Norton, DPT

RSVP: 478-0706 info@escambiacms.org

Founded in 1873

President’s Message

A look into the Escambia County Medical Society Wendy Osban, D.O. Why be a member of the Escambia County medical Society? I believe there are many reasons why and I hope that this article helps explain some of them, but don’t just take my word for it, listen to what some of our board members had to say on the subject.

2013 E.C.M.S. President: "I joined E.C.M.S. to give back to the medical profession and interact with other doctors in the community.

I know my contribution to E.C.M.S. will help keep the legislature strong for physicians." - Wendy Osban, D.O. 2013 E.C.M.S. President- Elect: "I have always felt it was my duty to participate in organized medicine to help protect and promote medicine as a profession. One of my mentors pointed out, 'You owe it to all those physicians who came before you and gave their time and money to create the professional environment you enjoy today.'" - Susan Laenger, M.D. 2013 E.C.M.S. Vice- President: "I joined E.C.M.S. because being involved in organized medicine allows me to keep up with the changes in healthcare and to be involved in shaping those changes." Christopher Burton, M.D. 2013 E.C.M.S. Secretary/Treasurer: "I joined E.C.M.S. because it gives me the opportunity to meet community physicians and work with them to improve the quality of health care in Pensacola." Brian Kirby, M.D. A few things you may not have known The Escambia County medical Society (ECMS) was created in 1873 and serves as a nonprofit organization that represents over 400 physicians living or working in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. The mission of the Escambia County Medical Society is to promote the art and science of medicine in order to improve the health of our community. The ECMS supports the Florida medical Association (FMA) and the American medical Association (AMA) although a physician does not have to be a member of either organization to join the ECMS. The medical society serves as a referral agency to the public for the location of reputable, legally qualified doctors in Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties.

Also a part of the ECMS is the ECMS Foundation. The foundation was created in 1994 and serves as a nonprofit organization with its primary goal being to assure access of adequate healthcare for the medically indigent in the area. The two programs currently sponsored by the ECMS Foundation are the We Care Program and the Go Seniors Voucher Program.

The We Care Program provides medically indigent patients with specialists who provide their care on a volunteer basis. Go Seniors Voucher Program is a voucher transportation program that provides transportation vouchers to local patients 60 years of age and older. The vouchers pay for transportation to

Wendy Osban, D.O. physician appointments and/or to get to the pharmacy to obtain their medications. The foundation gathers it’s moneys for the programs through, always appreciated donations, and fund raising activities. Just last year the foundation raised over $4000.00 through a silent auction conducted at the 2013 Annual Inaugural Ball.

Why should I join?

The ECMS benefits our members in a number of ways. It assists physician members in seeking self-improvement, leadership abilities, and volunteer opportunities potentially leading to opportunities in other organizations like the FMA. For example, Dr. Burton graduated from the FMA Physicians Leadership Academy in 2012 and now holds a position on the Council on Medical Services and Healthcare Delivery Innovation. The ECMS also gives its members the opportunity to help each other exchange ideas, as well as give support (emotional and financial) to those who journey to Tallahassee to ensure that our voices are heard.

Another benefit provided to ECMS members is DocBook MD at no cost. This is a smart phone application that provides member physician’s names, addresses and an ease of contacting them via secure messaging. Also included with DocBook MD are local pharmacy locations and phone numbers. Other discounts to members include reduced fees for CE Broker, malpractice insurance, worker's compensation insurance, and discounts on purchases from the online resource store at the Florida Healthcare Law Firm. Additionally, members have the ability to get free consultation from the Florida Health Care Law Firm.

In recent years the medical society has held many innovative programs and lectures. Every year traditionally the society has a doctor's day celebration in March and a mini health fair in May. Important CME meetings presented yearly include: risk management, domestic violence, and medical errors: this provides physicians with mandatory hours for relicensure. Additionally, in 2012 our board welcomed two Florida State University College of Medicine students onto our board to increase the awareness of organized medicine among them and medical students as a whole.

Looking Forward Looking forward to the next couple of months a lot of exciting events are taking place within the medical society. We would like to invite all of our medical society members to bring a peer physician to our next meeting for free and show them the benefits of this outstanding society. Our medical society is a success because of the members. It is a unique society because it encompasses all types of physicians from the community.

Thank you all for your participation.

E.C.M.S. Bulletin The Bulletin 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 the induct members to organized medicine.

Views and opinions expressed in the Bulletin are those of the authors and are not necessarily those of the directors, staff or advertisers.

Editors: Brian Kirby, M.D. Erica Huffman, Executive Director

Ad placement Contact Erica Huffman at 478-0706 Ad rates Full page: $600

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¼ page $150

2013 ECMS officers President - Wendy Osban, D.O. President-Elect - Susan Laenger, M.D. Vice President - Christopher Burton, M.D. Secretary/Treasure - Brian Kirby, M.D.

Contents Page 3 - New Members/ Member Dues & Benefits Page 4 & 5 - OIG Shoots Down Physician Owned Distributorships (PODS) Page 6 - 2013 Mini Health Vendor Fair Page 7 - Continuing Education Page 8 & 9 - New Approach to License Renewal Page 10 - Sacred Heart Hospital News Page 11 - Baptist Health Care News

Membership

ESCAMBIA COUNTY MEDICAL SOCIETY IN CONJUNCTION WITH SANTA ROSA COUNTY

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NEW MEMBERS Timothy Gooden, M.D. Twelve Oaks Recovery Center Addiction Medicine 2068 Healthcare Avenue Navarre. Fl., 32566 (P) 850-939-1200 (F) 850-939-1257

Michael Coyle, D.O. Santa Rosa Medical Group Urogynecology 6072 Doctors Park Road Milton, FL 32570 (P) 850-983-3528 (F) 850-983-3546

Benjamin Havard, M.D. Pensacola Pathologists, P.A. Anatomic and Clinical Pathology 5149 N. 9th Avenue Suite 122 Pensacola, FL 32504 (P) 850-416-7780 (F) 850-416-7524

Douglas Bunting, M.D. Renalus Center for Kidney Care Nephrology 1619 Creighton Road Pensacola, FL 32504 (P) 850-444-4700 (F) 850-444-7497

Samuel Sauer, M.D. US Army School of Aviation/ Naval Aeromed Institute Internal Medicine USASAM 340 Hulse Road Pensacola, FL 32508 (P) 850-452-4740

Jennifer Miley, M.D. Gulf Coast Primary Care Family Practice 1921 E. Nine Mile Road Pensacola, FL 32514 (P) 850-479-4858 (F) 850-494-2260

Membership Dues: • Active ECMS Member: $375 • First Time Member: $250 • Part-Time Physician: $200 20 hours or less/week • Retired Physician: $100 Receiving $0 in income • Active Military: $60 Contact ECMS Today to Become a Member P: 850-478-0706 x2 F: 850-474-9783 Email: info@escambiacms.org www.escambiacms.org Meeting RSVP's First, let me thank everyone for their participation in the ECMS dinner meetings to this point. There has been a good showing and some great topics discussed. I would just like to remind everyone that ECMS has to pre-pay for the meeting venues and menu so if you are not able to attend we completely understand with everyone’s busy schedule but ask that you do not RSVP as it adds to un-needed cost for the ECMS. If you do RSVP and find that you will be unable to attend, a 72 hour advance notice, if possible would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your support of the ECMS.

Member Benefit ECMS provides our members several membership benefits including free CME, discounts on professional services, and more!

I would like to tell you about the FREE HIPPA Compliant iPhone & Android Application that you have access to as an ECMS member called DocBookMD.

DocBookMD: > A Convenient way to share vital patient information at the point-of-care > HIPPA-secure messaging > easy to use > accurate up-to-date physician contact information > details on local pharmacies > ability to attach high-resolution images of EKG's, X-rays, or wounds to any message

How to sign up to se DocBookMD: 1. Download app onto your iPhone, iPad, or Android 2. Launch the app on your device and click on Register 3. Put in your email address (Twice to confirm)

Philip Ham, D.O. West Florida Medical Group Family Medicine 1190 E. Nine Mile Road Pensacola, FL 32514 (P) 850-857-4040

4. Put in state (FL) and society (Escambia) 5. Put in society number (call ECMS for your #) 6. Put in password (twice to confirm) 7. Answer sponsor questions 8. Sign HIPAA compliance The Escambia County Medical Society 2013 Pictorial Directory has been published. Please come see us at the 2013 ECMS Mini Health Vendor Fair to pick up your copy. If you cannot make it to the event please call us to pick up your copy or we will arrange a time to deliver a copy to your office.

Thank you again to Ballinger Publishing for publishing the ECMS Pictorial Directory for our Physician Members.

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ESCAMBIA COUNTY MEDICAL SOCIETY IN CONJUNCTION WITH SANTA ROSA COUNTY

Practice Management

OIG SHOOTS DOWN PHYSICIAN OWNED DISTRIBUTORSHIPS (PODS)

By Jeffrey L. Cohen, The Florida Healthcare Law Firm Physician owned distributorships (PODs) have been the source of considerable controversy for years. A couple years ago, they caught the attention of Congress. Now, the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services (“OIG”) has issued a Fraud Alert making clear their dislike of PODs and sending a clear shot across the bow of those who are in that industry.

PODs distribute various things, most commonly surgical implants and devices, that are reimbursed by insurers. A patient needs a spinal rod, a surgical implant/device company makes it and a distributor rep distributes it. Device/implant companies usually contract with distributorships to sell their products. Distributorships contract with reps who are paid commissions for sales. Surgeons who actually order the devices sometimes think “Since I’m the one doing the surgery and ordering all this stuff, why can’t I earn something from that? I’m not ordering anything I don’t need or that I don’t think is good for the patient.” PODs are one way for physicians to financially benefit from the sales of devices and items their patients need, but they have never been more controversial than now.

Conceptually speaking, PODs are controversial because government regulators think physicians who have an economic stake in health care items or services will tend to over utilize them.

Moreover, there is a specific concern that allowing physicians to profit from the devices their patients need violates federal anti kickback laws or the Stark prohibition on compensation arrangements. That’s exactly what the OIG thinks; and physicians who are owners of PODs can expect to be investigated by the feds.

In 2006, the Office of the Inspector General of HHS and CMS expressed major concerns about PODs, and cited concerns about “improper inducements.” At that time, the OIG stopped short of

prohibiting them, but called for heightened scrutiny. CMS itself has stated that PODs “serve little purpose other than providing physicians the opportunity to earn economic benefits in exchange for nothing more than ordering medical devices or other products that the physician-investors use on their own patients.”

Implantable medical devices are unusual in the way they come into use. Unlike DMEPOS, for instance, medical devices are not sold to distributors. They’re sold from the manufacture to the medical facility where the surgery will take place. So, the argument goes, physicians are not actually in a position to drive the sales volume of the implants.

The counter: physicians invested in a POD can leverage their hospital admissions to influence the device choice of hospitals and surgery centers.

The biggest legal hurdle for PODs is the federal Anti Kickback Statute, which carries both criminal and civil penalties. Simply put, if even one purpose of an arrangement is to pay for patient referrals, the law is violated. So, the law is arguably violated if one purpose of the POD is to induce physicians to order implants for their patients.

Looked at another way, the law is violated if one purpose of a hospital doing business with a POD is to ensure patient referrals by the physician POD investors.

A 1989 OIG Special Fraud Alert on fraudulent physician joint ventures is especially interesting on the fraud and abuse issues in pointing out that the following would indicate unlawful intent to induce patient referrals— Investor choice. If the only investors chosen are surgeons with an opportunity to refer and if they lack any business or management expertise, the arrangement appears to be a cloaked way to incentivize unlawful referrals (i.e. ordering implants). The key question is whether the business, in selecting investors, is looking to raise capital or to lock in referral sources.

Risk. If the POD investment involves little or no financial risk, the OIG would likely take issue with it.

The bottom line seems to be that if there isn’t a real business, with real financial risk and qualified investors, a POD will likely be viewed as a suspicious arrangement based on locking in patient referrals or physician admitting pressure by physician investors.

In its June, 2011 Inquiry “Physician Owned Distributors (PODs): Overview of Key Issues and Potential Areas for Congressional Oversight,” the U.S. Senate Finance Committee Minority Staff, the Committee reports “A number of legal and ethical concerns have been identified as a result of this initial inquiry into the POD Models.” The Committee reviewed over 1,000 pages of documents and spoke with over 50 people in preparing its report. The Committee cited longheld concerns regarding PODs, and leaned heavily on the 2006 Hogan Lovells (previously Hogan & Hartson) law firm’s anti-POD analysis.

Practice Management

ESCAMBIA ESCAMBIACOUNTY COUNTYMEDICAL MEDICALSOCIETY SOCIETYININCONJUNCTION CONJUNCTIONWITH WITHSANTA SANTAROSA ROSACOUNTY COUNTY

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PODS continued It is clear now that the OIG has accepted the Hogan Lovells antiPOD reasoning. In particular, the OIG, on March 26, 2013, issued a Special Fraud Alert regarding PODs. In it, the OIG recounts the reasoning of the Anti Kickback Statute and also reminds readers of the concerns raised by Congress on the 2011 Senate Finance Committee Report. The Fraud Alert goes further than any governmental pronouncement on PODs than ever before, keying in on such things as (1) “corruption of medical judgment,” (2) “overutilization” and (3) “unfair competition.” The OIG continues: “We do not believe that disclosure to a patient of the physician’s financial interest in a POD is sufficient to address these concerns.” Calling PODs “inherently suspect under the anti-kickback statute,” the Fraud Alter specifies eight areas of particular concern, including: • “The size of the investment offered to each physicians varies with expected or actual volume or value of devices used by the physician;” and • “The POD is a shell entity that does not conduct appropriate product evaluations, maintain or manage a sufficient inventory in its own facility, or employ or otherwise contract with personnel necessary for operations.”

The OIG has gotten more proactive than ever by stating that the eight specified areas of concern are not intended to be used as a defense by those who structure PODs in such a way that responds to those concerns. For instance, those structuring a POD in a way that the size of the physician investment does not vary on the basis of expected or actual volume or value of devices used by the physician will likely find the OIG unimpressed by the distinction. Instead, the OIG invites parties to engage in the OIG Advisory Opinion advisory process. They are saying “Don’t do it.” If you think you can put together a POD that won’t violate the law, show it to us and we’ll tell you if we think you got it right.”

Is this the death knell for PODs? Probably not, but the stakes are remarkably higher now that the OIG has presented clear prosecutorial intent. Those physicians committed to developing a POD need to take more seriously than ever (1) the legal risks, (2) the cost of investigation and enforcement, and (3) engaging in the advisory process.

With almost 25 years of healthcare law experience following his experience as legal counsel for the Florida Medical Association, Mr. Cohen is board certified by The Florida Bar as a specialist in healthcare law. With a strong background and expertise in transactional healthcare and corporate matters, particularly as they relate to physicians, Mr. Cohen’s practice involves him in regulatory, contract, corporate, compliance and other healthcare law related matters. As Founder of the Florida Healthcare Law Firm, Mr. Cohen can be reached at 888-4557702 or online at jcohen@floridahealthcarelawfirm.com.

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ESCAMBIA COUNTY MEDICAL SOCIETY IN CONJUNCTION WITH SANTA ROSA COUNTY

Health Vendor Fair

2013 Mini Health Vendor Fair Topic: Digital Medicine | 2 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ Speakers Wilson Gottschild, VP Sales Trice Imaging, Inc. Pam King, AHCA Craig Dalton, Strategic Health Intelligence Moderator Paul Glisson, D.O., MDA, FACEP, CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD, STRATEGIC HEALTH INTELLIGENCE, CMIO BAPTIST HEALTHCARE Panelist Wilson Gottschild, VP of Sales Trice Imaging Inc. Pam King, AHCA Craig Dalton, Strategic Health Intelligence Kathy Ross, VP/CIO Sacred Heart Health Systems Sharon Hoyle, CHC, CHPC, CPC Vendors The Blake BBVA Compass Bank Catalyst CRE Digital Boardwalk Emerald Coast Medical Group Management Association Fisher Brown-Bottrell Insurance Gilmore Services MAG Mutual MASS Mutual Regions Bank Underwood Anderson & Associates Inc. Strategic Health Intelligence™ Sky Warrior, Inc. Trice Imaging, Inc.

Medical/Legal

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BUREAU OF OPERATIONS CONTINUING EDUCATION INTEGRATION PROJECT RELEASE PLAN www.ceatrenewal.com The Department of Health will now verify a practitioner’s continuing education record at the time of license renewal. If a practitioner’s continuing education record is incomplete they will be prompted to report their hours.

The project will be implemented in two phases.

The first phase (optional phase) will prompt practitioner’s to input required continuing education hours, but will not prevent licensure renewal. The second phase (mandatory) will require reporting of all required continuing education hours in order to proceed with license renewal. Below is a chart identifying the optional phase and first mandatory phase for each Profession.

PROFESSION

FIRST OPTIONAL REPORTING CYCLE

FIRST MANDATORY REPORTING CYCLE

2/1/12 - 1/31/14 2/1/14 - 1/31/16 Medical Doctors Expiring 1/31 even year Medical Doctors Expiring 1/31 odd year

2/1/13 - 1/31/15 2/1/15 - 1/31/17

Osteopathic Physicians

4/1/12 - 3/31/14 4/1/14 - 3/31/16

To place an ad in this Bulletin contact Erica Huffman at 478-0706

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Medical/Legal

ESCAMBIA COUNTY MEDICAL SOCIETY IN CONJUNCTION WITH SANTA ROSA COUNTY

New Approach to License Renewal Frequently Asked Questions www.CEatRenewal.com Department of Health, Medical Quality Assurance will verify a practitioner’s continuing education record in the electronic tracking system at the time of renewal. Practitioners will be able to view their course history in the continuing education tracking system free of charge. The course history will show all the courses that have been reported for the practitioner.

If the practitioner’s continuing education records are complete, they will be able to renew their license without interruption.

If the practitioner’s continuing education records are not complete, they will be prompted to enter their remaining continuing education hours before proceeding with their license renewal.

Why is continuing education being verified at renewal?

Continuing Education is a requirement to renew a professional license.

Section 456.025(7), F.S. requires the Department to implement an electronic continuing education tracking system for each biennial renewal cycle and to integrate such system into the licensure and renewal system. The two systems are now integrated.

When will this change become effective?

Beginning with licenses expiring May 31, 2013, practitioners will be prompted to report continuing education credits during the renewal process.

Can I create an account in the tracking system prior to being licensed?

No, you will not be able to create an account until you receive a license number from the Department of Health. Students need to know this information and once they are licensed begin reporting their continuing education.

What will happen if I do not have the required continuing education for renewal?

Beginning in 2015 you will not be able to renew a license without having your continuing education reported into the continuing education tracking system. If you do not have the hours to report, your license will move to a delinquent status at expiration. In order to renew a delinquent license you will be required to complete the continuing education requirements.

Additional fees may apply.

Do I have to wait until license renewal to report my continuing education credits to the electronic tracking system?

No, you can report your hours free of charge anytime during the biennium by registering for the Free Basic Account. The Department encourages you to report early to avoid a delay in the license renewal process. For more information please visit www.CEatRenewal.com.

Please note, if you take a course from a Florida Board approved Provider they are required to report on your behalf. If

you take a course from a National organization it is your responsibility to report completion. There may be other ways for you to obtain credit towards continuing education required for license renewal. For specific approved methods of obtaining continuing education for your profession please review the Board rules by visiting www.flhealthsource.com Do I have to subscribe to the electronic tracking system?

No, subscriptions remain optional. There are a number of services you can receive by subscribing, however, it is optional.

You do however need to report your hours. You can always search for courses, report your hours, and view your course history free of charge by creating a Free Basic Account How will I know what has been reported?

You are be able to view your course history in the tracking system free of charge. Your course history will show all the courses that have been reported, the completion date and the total number of hours. You can create your basic account or professional account at www.CEatRenewal.com If I create a free basic account and enter all of my hours, will the system tell me if I have met the continuing education requirements for my Profession?

If you are using the Basic Free Account it will be your responsibility to know the continuing education requirements for your Profession and calculate your compliance using the data listed on your course history.

If you enter your hours prior to renewal in a basic account the system will not generate a compliance status, however, the system will check compliance during your renewal period using the basic account. You will receive a complete or incomplete message at the time of renewal. Profession specific information and copies of the Board rules can be found at www.flhealthsource.com.

What is the difference between viewing my course history using the basic free account or subscribing to the continuing education tracking system?

With a free Basic Account you can view your basic course history, which will list the course name, educational provider name, date of completion and hours reported. It would then be up to you to determine whether all of the courses that have been reported will complete all of your specific continuing education requirements. You can also self-report any continuing education that may be missing.

A Professional Account (paid subscription) provides you with all of the tracking tools that CE Broker offers. Your transcript will display what your specific CE requirements are and will calculate what requirements have been met and what may still be outstanding. A Professional Account is a subscription service and is not a requirement but it can be a useful tool in managing your Florida continuing education requirements should you chose to subscribe.

Medical/Legal New Approach to License Renewal Cotinued

Do I have to report my continuing education completion into the tracking system or will the Provider report on my behalf?

If you take a course from a Florida approved continuing education provider, the provider is responsible for reporting your course completion. If you take your course from a National organization you will be required to self-report into the tracking system.

How long does a Florida approved Provider have to report my continuing education completion into the tracking system?

Pursuant to Rule 64B – 5.002, F.A.C Providers are allowed up to 90 days to report. However, during the renewal period this process is modified to allow licensees to self report courses taken from a Florida approved Provider to avoid a delay in license renewal.

Where do I go to report my hours?

You can report your hours by logging into MQA Services using your user id and password at www.flhealthsource.com OR you can visit www.CEatRenewal.com. Both sites will direct you to the tracking system to create a free basic account.

For more information please visit www.CEatRenewal.com.

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ESCAMBIA COUNTY MEDICAL SOCIETY IN CONJUNCTION WITH SANTA ROSA COUNTY

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In The Community

ESCAMBIA COUNTY MEDICAL SOCIETY IN CONJUNCTION WITH SANTA ROSA COUNTY

Hospital News - Sacred Heart Hospital Orthopedic Excellence Awards Sacred Heart Hospital Pensacola was recently named a Blue Distinction Center for Specialty Care in the areas of spine surgery and knee-and hip-replacement surgery. The national designation identifies hospitals that have a proven track record for delivering better results – including fewer complications and readmissions – compared to hospitals without such recognition. The program of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association has recently been expanded to include additional measures focused on improved patient safety and health, as well as new cost-efficiency measures.

Incentives for Rural Medical Practice Physicians The Rural Practice Development Center (RPDC) announces the availability of several significant financial-assistance programs to eligible medical-school students, residents and physicians desiring to practice in a Primary Care specialty in qualified rural areas of Florida. Sponsored by Sacred Heart Health System and the State of Florida Department of Health, the RPDC aims to improve the quality of healthcare available to people living in rural areas of north Florida. The Center provides rural-medicine training opportunities to medical residents, and financial incentives for medical students, residents and physicians desiring to establish Primary Care Practices in rural locations. For more information, contact Becky Bray at (850) 416-2840.

New Therapy for Critically Ill Newborns Whole-body cooling therapy to prevent brain injury in critically ill and premature newborns is now being offered at Children’s Hospital at Sacred Heart. The hospital is the first in the region to offer wholebody hypothermia, which helps protect the developing brains of critically-ill newborns who are affected by hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). Brain cooling has been effective in reducing the extent of brain injury even when begun up to six hours after the baby’s birth.

In The Community

ESCAMBIA COUNTY MEDICAL SOCIETY IN CONJUNCTION WITH SANTA ROSA COUNTY

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Hospital News - Baptist Health Care Baptist Cardiology Team Offers Alternative to Bypass Surgery For the millions of people suffering with severely or completely blocked coronary arteries (chronic total occlusions or CTOs), Baptist Health Care and its team of 29 cardiovascular specialists, Cardiology Consultants, now offer an advanced CTO procedure that provides patients a minimally invasive alternative to traditional open heart bypass surgery and/or medical therapy.

The Baptist cardiology team is the first and only team on the Gulf Coast to offer the innovative CTO procedure that involves a highly skilled, specially trained interventional cardiologist using the newest FDA-approved catheter technology to reopen the completely blocked (CTO) artery. Balloon angioplasty and stents are then used to restore blood flow.

“CTO is the most common cause for open heart surgery, so by providing this minimally invasive procedure, Baptist and Cardiology Consultants are improving the quality of life of people suffering from heart disease in a significant way. We can now help patients who have previously been told that bypass or ongoing medication management are their only options for chronically occluded coronary arteries,” explains F. James Fleischhauer, M.D., F.A.C.C., the board certified interventional cardiologist who completed the region’s first procedure on March 12, 2013, at Baptist Hospital.

Baptist Hospital, Inc. Received Stroke Quality Achievement Award Baptist Hospital, Inc. received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award. The award recognizes Baptist Health Care’s commitment and success in implementing excellent care for stroke patients, according to evidence-based guidelines.

To receive this award, Baptist Hospital, Inc. achieved 85 percent or higher adherence to all Get With The GuidelinesStroke Quality Achievement indicators for two or more consecutive 12-month intervals and achieved 75 percent or higher compliance with six of 10 Get With The GuidelinesStroke Quality Measures, which are reporting initiatives to measure quality of care. Baptist Hospital, Inc. also earned the Target: Stroke Honor Roll designation for improving stroke care and achieving 60-minute “Door to Needle” times for at least 50 percent of patients during a three-month period.

“The Gold award and the honor roll are two new achievements all of us at Baptist Health Care can take pride in.

Our greatest award is caring for our patients and turning treatment guidelines into lifelines,” says Wanda Kaye Hambrick, vice president of quality and safety for Baptist Health Care.

GBH Top 100 Gulf Breeze Hospital was named one of the nation's 100 Top Hospitals® by Truven Health Analytics, formerly the healthcare business of Thomson Reuters. Truven Health Analytics is a leading provider of information and solutions to improve the cost and quality of health care.

The Truven Health 100 Top Hospitals® study evaluates performance in 10 areas: mortality; medical complications; patient safety; average patients stay; expenses; profitability; patient satisfaction; adherence to clinical standards of care; postdischarge mortality; and readmission rates for acute myocardial infarction (heart attack), heart failure, and pneumonia. The study is celebrating its 20th year, and has been conducted annually since 1993.

"We are thrilled to receive this honor for the second consecutive year. It recognizes that our patient-centered focus and Baptist Health Care culture bring value, efficiency and the highest quality of care possible for our patients and our community," said Robert J. '"Bob" Harriman, Ph.D., senior vice president of Baptist Health Care and administrator of Gulf Breeze Hospital.

To conduct the study, Truven Health researchers evaluated 2,922 short-term, acute care, non-federal hospitals. Hospitals do not apply, and winners do not pay to market this honor.

Training Magazine’s No. 39 out of the ‘Top 125’ Baptist Health Care (BHC) again has earned a spot on Training Magazine’s Top 125 corporate institutions in the U.S. This is the 12th consecutive year BHC has made the list for its commitment to employee training and people development.

BHC, the area’s only locally owned, not-for-profit health care provider, is No. 39 in the rankings and is one of only seven health care organizations in the nation to be recognized by the magazine. Only one other Florida health care provider made the list – Miami Children’s Hospital, Miami, Fla. The Top 125 ranking is determined by assessing a range of factors, including financial investment in employee development, the scope of development programs, and how closely such development efforts are linked to business goals and objectives.

“The emphasis on continuing education to our team members extends from the philosophy that an organization’s success and sustainability is contingent upon the knowledge and training of its employees,” said Darlene Stone, vice president of human resources, BHC.

www.escambiacms.org

8880 University Pkwy., Suite B Pensacola, FL 32514 Ph: 850-478-0706 Fx: 850-474-9783 Email: info@escambiacms.org Executive Director: Erica Huffman

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MECOP Reminder 44th Annual Pediatric Symposium 2013 Memorial Day Weekend, May 25-27, 2013 Saturday | 7 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.

Sunday | 7 a.m. - 11:15 p.m.

Monday | 7 a.m. - 11:45 p.m.

12 AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM

Member Benefit: The Health Care Attorney On Call Hotline (561) 306-5699 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.