Mississippi Medical News November 2015

PROUDLY SERVING THE MAGNOLIA STATE

November 2015 >> $5

PHYSICIAN SPOTLIGHT PAGE 2

B. Judson Colley III, MD, MPH

ON ROUNDS Outside Influences Improving the Environment to Improve Health It’s easy to think of many of the key target areas for environmental health specialists as pertaining to ‘someone else.’ After all, the United States has clean drinking water, sewage containment, air quality standards and large federal agencies focused specifically on food safety, emergency preparedness and infectious disease ... 8

Lakeland Surgical Clinic Perfecting its Use of Robotics New Generation of Robots Proving More Versatile

By CHRISTOPHER CUSSAT

Highly functional and intuitive robots no longer reside just within the minds and stories of science fiction writers. For years now, robots have become more and more prevalent and even commonplace necessities just about everywhere. In fact, robots are utilized every single day in almost every industry including agriculture, automotive, construction, food manufacturing , law enforcement, military, mining, research, transportation, utilities, and of course, healthcare. With drones replacing pilots, cars now navigating without drivers, and just about everyone talking to their smart phones for information, there is currently much

The surgeons of LSC include (l to r) Drs. Timothy A. Abston; J. Kevin Chandler; Richard L. Yelverton, Jr.; Patrick H. Scanlon, Jr.; Jonathan R. Adkins and Steven J. Patterson.

(CONTINUED ON PAGE 6)

World’s First Virtual Care Center Launched Accelerating Telehealth

By LyNNE JETER

Nanotechnology Meeting its Potential Silver Bullets Battle Infection RALEIGH, NC—A North Carolina State University (NCSU) engineer has spearheaded groundbreaking research considered a milestone achievement in fighting postsurgical infections ... 9

ONLINE: MISSISSIPPI MEDICAL NEWS.COM

More than 300 physicians, nurses, specialists, researchers and support staff at the Virtual Care Center are delivering constant care.

ST. LOUIS, MO — Last month, Mercy unveiled the world’s first Virtual Care Center in the heartland of America. Bishop Edward Rice of the St. Louis Archdiocese officially blessed the nonprofit Catholic health system’s newest facility Oct. 6 in Chesterfield, Mo., a suburb located 15 miles west of St. Louis.

The new $54 million building on a 38-acre campus houses the nation’s largest single-hub electronic intensive care unit (ICU/Mercy SafeWatch), and also provides a center for telemedicine innovation and a testing ground for new healthcare products and services. More than 300 physicians, nurses, specialists, researchers and support staff at the four-story, 125,000-squarefoot center are tapping into technology to deliver care to patients around the clock via audio, video and data connections to locations across Mercy and around the country through partner(CONTINUED ON PAGE 4)

Keep your finger on the pulse of Mississippi’s healthcare industry.

Available in print or on your tablet or smartphone

www.MississippiMedicalNews.com

SUBSCRIBE TODAY

PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER

PRST STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID FRANKLIN, TN PERMIT NO.318

PhysicianSpotlight

Jackson Electrophysiologist Aims to Apply Latest Techniques Catheter Ablation for Arrythmia, Better Device Longevity are Among Advances in Field

By LUCY SCHULTZE

Managing heart-rhythm disorders like atrial fibrillation (AFib) or supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) is a complex task. But for B. Judson Colley III, MD, MPH, helping patients understand what’s going on is an important part of the treatment process.

“Whether it’s SVT or AFib, a lot of patients feel somewhat uneducated when it comes to what this condition is they’re living with,” said Colley, an electrophysiologist at Jackson Heart Clinic. “When patients come here, our goal is to not only manage the problem, but also to educate them and make them feel comfortable with understanding their disease process.”

The good news for patients is that the treatments for such disorders have come a long way in the past decade. Among advances, Colley is able to use catheter ablation to treat the structural abnormalities or areas of dysfunction that cause heartrhythm disorders. The process is now guided by real-time 3D mapping.

“Over the last 10 or 15 years, we have begun using very sophisticated mapping tools that are able to guide us to the heart by way of a catheter,” Colley said. “With these systems serving as the internal eyes to the electrical system of the heart, we

can identify these problem areas and treat them with the same catheter to eliminate the rhythm problem.”

While medications can still be the best choice for patients in certain situations, he said, having the chance to actually fix the problem is a tremendous advance.

“The catheter ablation we perform is an option that can sometimes provide a

Keep your finger on the pulse of Mississippi’s healthcare industry at www.MississippiMedicalNews.com

complete cure, so that patients are not dependent on medicine to ease the problems they have,” he said.

Such a cure was not available when Colley was first introduced to AFib through the experience of his grandfather, who was diagnosed with the disorder as a young man.

“He lived his entire life with AFib,” Colley said. “When he was first diagnosed, there were not a lot of options for addressing this medical condition. We’ve come a long way since then, and I get a lot of pleasure in treating something that was previously not able to be addressed effectively and now being able to offer a cure.”

Colley’s grandfather, a physician, also served as an early inspiration for Colley’s future career. Colley grew up in a small town in Alabama and had an early interest in medicine, working as an orderly at a local hospital during his youth.

“I enjoyed providing care for those in need,” he said. “From there, it grew into a desire to provide more sophisticated care at a higher level.”

At the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Colley worked his way through college as a paramedic. He went on to attend medical school at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, from which he earned both a doctor of medicine degree and a master of public health degree.

During rotations in medical school, Colley honed in on cardiac abnormalities as a primary interest. He completed UAB’s Tinsley Harris Internal Medicine residency program, followed by a cardiol-

St. Dominic’S WelcomeS

Timothy Alexander Abston, M.D. After receiving a B.S. Degree in Science from Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi, Dr. Abston earned his Medical Degree from The University of Mississippi School of Medicine. He went on to complete his internship and residency in General Surgery at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. He is a member of the American College of Surgeons as well as the American Medical Association.

Dr. Abston completed his residency in June of 2015 and is happy to return and treat patients in his home state of Mississippi. Dr. Abston has been married to his wife, Lizzy, for five years and has one son, Grant. He enjoys golf, fishing and most outdoor activities.

Lakeland Surgical Clinic PLLC 971 Lakeland Drive, Suite 1460 Jackson, MS 39216 601-982-3202

stdom.com

S k i l l e d H a n d s . C o m p a s s i o n at e H e a r t s .

2

StDAbston7.44x4.25CR.indd 1

>

NOVEMBER 2015

ogy and cardiac electrophysiology fellowship at the Medical University of South Carolina.

Colley is board certified in adult cardiology and cardiac electrophysiology. He serves on the Mississippi Heart and Vascular Institute Board as the Complex Arrythmia Director. He also belongs to the Heart Rhythm Society, American College of Cardiology, American Medical Association and the Mississippi State Medical Association.

Colley joined Jackson Heart Clinic in 2009. The 13-man group includes general and interventional cardiologists and serves as the primary cardiac providers at St. Dominic Hospital, across the street from the clinic. One of the largest cardiology groups in the state of Mississippi, the Jackson Heart Clinic was established in 1973 and is situated today on the fifth and sixth floors of the Dominican Plaza.

There, Colley’s practice focuses on treating arrythmias and includes the implant and follow-up of pacemakers and defibrillators. He is frequently involved in device-based clinical trials involving defibrillators and pacemakers, as well as trials dealing with ablation technology.

“Our goal is to offer the most cuttingedge treatments and to learn from this technology, in order to provide information to other colleagues in the field,” he said. “I’m very proud of the research work that we do. Being able to participate in clinical trials will hopefully better us as providers as well.”

In the case of pacemakers and defibrillators, he said, technology has improved in recent years particularly in the devices’ longevity.

“We’re now looking ahead to wireless pacemakers that can be controlled through radiofrequency rather than having a wire inserted from a vein into the heart tissue,” he said. “That’s an exciting prospect.”

Likewise, he said, catheter-based ablation tools continue to grow more sophisticated.

“Traditionally, we would have to use x-ray to follow the movement of catheters in the heart,” he said. “But now we’re able to use 3D mapping tools and to get feedback from these catheters about how much force is being generated when the catheter touches the wall of a blood vessel.

“It’s sort of like a pilot flying an airplane: He relies on certain instruments to give him more awareness. The more awareness we have with the tools we use, the safer and more effective our treatments can be.”

Outside of work, Colley enjoys a wide range of hobbies, including exercise and reading. An avid outdoorsman, he loves hunting and fishing.

9/18/15 10:43 AM mississippimedicalnews

.com

WHO’S TENDING OUR DOCTORS?

World’s First Virtual Care Center Tailored to Improve Physicians’ Quality of Life, Too

By LYNNE JETER

ST. LOUIS, MO — Internist Randall Moore, MD, MBA, recalls countless nights of sleep interrupted by on-call requests.

Moore, now president of Mercy Virtual, is doing his part to make sure more doctors enjoy their private lives when they clock out of their practice, clinic or hospital.

“Instead of getting a 2 a.m. call to come in, they can sleep,” said Moore, who helped open the world’s firstof-its-kind Virtual Care Center last month near St. Louis, Mo. “It’ll enable them to be more productive, have less chance of burnout, and improve their quality of life while we enable better, more responsive care for their patients.”

When Mercy’s electronic intensive care unit (ICU), also known as Mercy SafeWatch, was established in 2006, Mercy had one “full” intensivist group in one site. Now, Mercy has intensivist groups at multiple sites, said Moore.

“One reason why, aside from our

overarching mission of care, is to improve the quality of life for our doctors,” explained Moore. “For example, if a doctor goes into a community with no virtual care and he’s the only intensivist, he’s on call all the time. It’s tough and doctors burn out. With the virtual team, the doctor can go home and have a life. We do that increasingly across the board, not just Mercy SafeWatch. Using a nurse-on-call feature, which is housed inside the Virtual Care Center, 70 percent of the calls our doctors were getting a couple of years ago are now handled without them being bothered.”

Moore said Mercy will take another step to making it easier for doctors by bringing more physicians into the Virtual Care Center.

“Hopefully, we’ll approach 100 percent of the calls at night no longer going to our doctors,” he said. “By not taking calls at night, doctors can be more productive.”

Physicians have shared concerns about Virtual Care Center operations and how it will impact their practices, Moore shared.

“The Virtual Care Center isn’t a call center,” he emphasized. “It should be progressively integrated into the doctor’s

practice. We’ve designed it specifically the way the doctor would want it done. You might say it’s somewhat of a mass customization … supporting our doctors and other healthcare professionals via the Virtual Care Center.”

In one-on-one conversations with doctors, Moore is often asked how the Virtual Care Center “can be better than what I can do?” Bolder ones ask: “Is it a threat to my

practice?”

“The Virtual Care Center is another resource for a doctor or hospital to have in the care of their patient when they don’t have the time, resources or infrastructure to do it on their own,” he said. “It’s very complementary to what they do.”

One telehealth success story involves Mercy’s early warning system for sepsis.

To identify patients at risk for sepsis and alert doctors to these risks for early intervention, Mercy’s Early Warning & Identification System (EWIS) monitors multiple patient variables in real-time.

(CONTINUED ON PAGE 5)

WHEN YOU INTERVIEW A REGIONS BUSINESS BANKER, be sure to grill them about our unique financing solutions.

Recruiting the right talent for your company is crucial. So when you sit down with a Regions Business Banker, please ask the hardest-hitting questions on your mind.

1 How will you work to understand my business and financial goals?

2 Will you give me lending options based on my specific needs?

3 Can I expect smart advice and guidance through all those options?

4 How do you ensure my loan is in line with my objectives?

You’ll find that we have a lot of thought-provoking answers to address the critical issues you face. So interview a Regions Business Banker today to learn how we can help your business move forward, now and down the road.

For an interview with a Regions Business Banker, call 1.800.833.9776 or visit us online at regions.com/interview.

© 2015 Regions Bank. All loans and lines subject to credit approval. | Regions and the Regions logo are registered trademarks of Regions Bank. The LifeGreen color is a trademark of Regions Bank.

mississippimedicalnews

.com

NOVEMBER 2015

>

3

World’s First Virtual Care Center Launched, continued from page 1 ships with other health care providers and large employers.

“This is a huge and impactful step forward for telehealth and I appreciate that Mercy leadership had the vision and determination to demonstrate to their community and the world how telehealth is one powerful and effective solution to the issue of diminished access to healthcare that many citizens in America and across the globe are experiencing,” said Rena Brewer, CEO of Global Partnership for Telehealth Inc., and director of the Southeastern Telehealth Resource Center.

Randall Moore, MD, MBA, Mercy Virtual president, spoke with Medical News exclusively about establishing the Virtual Care Center and the positive impact it’s already making on Dr. Randall Moore practices, clinics and hospitals across the United States.

How did the idea of Mercy creating a Virtual Care Center originate?

It was an evolutionary process. We launched our first virtual program – Mercy SafeWatch, our electronic ICU– in 2006, and we’ve experienced great success. As the team continued to build programs and saw the importance of virtual care becoming a transformational path-

Audio, video and data streams merge at the Virtual Care Center for service across both the Mercy system and across the globe.

way for our health system, a light bulb went on. It made sense to create a Virtual Care Center that worked like a hospital to bring together teams, resources and infrastructure to care for patients in a much more coordinated manner and to offer a care continuum that extends 24/7/365.

We needed a facility for this conduit of care, just as we’d need one for a particular service like cancer care.

How did the concept evolve into the world’s first-of-

BUSINESS HEALTH IS ALSO IMPORTANT Professional services designed to help physicians manage their business.

• Management Advisory Services • Cost Management • Financial Forecasts & Projections

Learn more at GranthamPoole.com Grantham, Poole, Randall, Reitano, Arrington, & Cunningham, PLLC 1062 Highland Colony Pkwy, Suite 201, Ridgeland, MS 39157 | P 601.499.2400

4

>

NOVEMBER 2015

its-kind telehealth center?

The Virtual Care Center evolves from the culture and charism of Mercy.

The Sisters of Mercy who founded our health system were famously known as ‘the walking sisters.’ That goes back 187 years, when nuns were mostly cloistered and did good deeds from their convent for people in need. The walking sisters, who were quite independent, didn’t want to wait for people to find them. Instead, they searched for people in need and addressed those needs on the spot. They were an anomaly for their time.

When you think about hospitals in general, we wait for people to come to us, and we give them exceptional care.

The idea permeating our culture was to seek those needing medical care by taking virtual care teams from our clinics and hospitals and proactively identifying their healthcare needs, intervening with them earlier and more completely. It translates to a lower cost, high impact option to keep a person from deteriorating.

At the board level and leadership level, (Mercy president and CEO) Lynn Britton and (Mercy CFO) Shannon Sock were the primary drivers of this project, understanding the Virtual Care Center is 100 percent consistent with our organizational mission – and also a model for us to progressively replace our hospital-based care with care when and where people need it. If we do this well, we’ll be able to realign our contracts to be rewarded for keeping people well.

How have you made the Virtual Care Center a sustainable business model while also dealing with the complexities of regulations, interstate commerce, and the like?

First, it’s important to know we didn’t go into the Virtual Care Center thinking that a fee-for-service equivalent would make it a sustainable business model.

We weren’t expecting, though we’d have welcomed it, very much direct reimbursement as has panned out. In Missouri, our parity laws have helped.

We’re broadening it to enable us to move our teams and our patient centricity from our facilities, which are somewhat limiting, to virtual care anytime, anywhere.

If we did that with something like performance-based, population health contracts, we could intervene earlier and more effectively, and then it would pay for itself.

For example, here’s how it works in today’s environment in the hospital ICU vs. the floor. In the hospital ICU, the hospital is paid a lump sum for a patient with a given condition and it’s a fixed amount of money. The ICU is more expensive, and the patient usually doesn’t have as good an outcome. One result of our Mercy SafeWatch program shows the actual v. predicted mortality for the last few quarters in our Joplin (Mo.) hospital has been running around 50 to 55 percent. In other words, 45 to 50 percent of the patients who ‘should’ve’ died didn’t. That statistic doesn’t help much with finances, right? It should help us with market differentiation; by having Mercy SafeWatch in place, we can do a better job taking care of people.

But here’s another example: Looking at the risk-predicted length of stay, both in the hospital and the ICU, our length of stay is running 20 to 30 percent less than predicted in the ICU, and 30 to 35 percent less than predicted on the whole hospitalization. If we can get a sick person well faster, that’s less time for the patient in the ICU. Looking at it financially, the direct variable ICU costs us about of $900 a day. If it costs us $650 a day to use Mercy SafeWatch, then we’re getting 100 percent return on our investment of virtual care without being paid directly for it.

But the most important aspect is that a third of the ICU patients predicted to die aren’t dying. That’s just the tip of the iceberg, and it implies that patients accessing the Virtual Care Center are doing better. We expect to deliver more efficient, effective, and higher impact care as we integrate virtual into bedside and clinic care.

What’s Mercy’s longerterm goal for the Virtual Care Center?

One of our key growth areas for our mission is to create the Virtual Care Center as a conduit of care anyone, anywhere can access. We’ve been on a 10-year, several hundred million dollar journey to get where we are. We’ve learned many positive things, and we continue to learn from missteps.

We’re proposing that instead of selling our services, or having an entity trying to replicate the same services without us being able to provide much support, we’d like to build a national consortium of interdependent partners. We’d continue packaging our offerings and building our infrastructure with our partners’ support.

They could buy into our entity, we could capitalize it together and replicate what we’ve learned with a fraction of time and money, and also do it in an interdependent way so we could then go to GM, Boeing, CMS, United Healthcare to offer it to people they’re covering throughout the 50 states. mississippimedicalnews

.com

Merit Health Medical Group Reopens Walk-In Clinic Clinic Offers Alternative to Emergency Room

pointment or follow a special process to see a physician On September 1, • Convenient loca2015, Merit Health Medition cal Group proudly re• Extended hours opened its Merit Health • Ease of use Walk-In Clinic near In addition, the Parham Bridges in Jackclinic’s physicians: Nason. The first of its kind than McIntosh, MD, and previously a CarePPatrick Ferriss, MD, Juslus Clinic, this renewed tin Daniels, MD, Trey healthcare services locaNichols, MD and Jason tion from Merit Health Schwanebeck, MD, are represents and embodies all emergency trained the group’s fundamenand on staff at Merit tal goals for growth as it Health River Oaks. strives to continually proNow the patients in this vide total quality care. Pictured from left to right are: Dr. Nathan McIntosh, Dr. Patrick Ferriss, Dr. Justin Daniels, community can receive This Fall, all affiliated clin- Dr. Trey Nichols, Dr. Jason Schwanebeck urgent care if they need ics were rebranded under it and possibly avoid a Merit Health Medical Group. visit to the emergency room. “We are exus,” said Nathan McIntosh, MD. “PaThe impetus for reopening the Merit cited to be part of the first Merit Health tients have been very positive about the Health Walk-In Clinic is directly related Walk-In Clinic,” said McIntosh. “Injuries convenience of our location, our extended to Merit Health’s goal of increasing access and illnesses do not always occur during hours, and clinic design.” to quality healthcare for patients in all the traditional office hours--this is why it was The Merit Health Walk-In Clinic’s communities it serves. In the neighborso important to us to offer convenient and operating model improves the quality of hoods and surrounding areas of the clinic, extended hours for urgent care needs.” patient care in several ways: there was evident need for a convenient, The Clinic’s overall goal is for patients • Merit Health is providing the neighextended hour, no appointment necessary to have a place to go for emergency-type borhoods and surrounding communities solution, to help accomplish this goal. By items at convenient hours, and potentially in this area with access to a clinic staffed expanding hours, convenience, and access avoid the emergency room, since it has by highly trained physicians to its other existing clinic locations, Merit emergency-trained physicians on staff.

• Patients do not need to make an apHealth hopes to make quality care more easily obtainable throughout Mississippi.

“Already, we’ve seen the value of having our location within our community, with many patients stopping by to visit with

By CHRISTOPHER CUSSAT

There is a strategic significance to the change in name as Tobey Houston, vice president of network development for Merit Health explained, “As affiliates, our hospitals and clinics already have a lot in common and enjoy strong working relationships. This is a logical opportunity to combine the strengths and resources of all of our hospitals into an even stronger system, to better serve our patients and communities throughout the state.” This past July, Merit Health updated all of its clinic signage to reflect the branding of Merit Health Medical Group. “This unified approach allows us to clearly communicate to patients and the community that our facilities work together to help them lead healthier lives,” Houston added.

Merit Health is currently comprised of 13 hospitals in Mississippi and over 30 clinics. Strategically, the group’s goal is to grow and be proactive leaders and innovators as healthcare continues to evolve. As the largest healthcare network in the state, Merit Health hopes to continue to expand throughout Mississippi over the next several years. “We are participating in several strategic alliances to enhance technological tools, diagnostic and treatment procedures, and quality and safety measures,” noted Houston. We look forward to seeing the positive results these partnerships yield in the short and long term.

World’s First, continued from page 3

“We look at building programs as ways to partner with doctors to create a seamless integration for the patient,” explained Moore. “We look at how we can improve the value of that entity – practice, clinic or hospital – in the local marketplace so they can show first and foremost, they can deliver better care with documented outcomes for the patients they serve. Secondly, we show how they’ll be financially and operationally rewarded instead of having their revenue adversely affected.

I’ve had doctors say, ‘I don’t know how to sustain my practice if that happens.’

Instead, we’re helping them build a financially sustainable and professionally more rewarding offering in the community.”

Moore recalled a primary care physician sharing his experience after working with the Virtual Care Center. “He told me that after 35 years of the practice of medicine (without telehealth),” said Moore, “it was the most rewarding time of his professional life. That’s what we strive for, to allow doctors to get back to the basics of practicing medicine.” mississippimedicalnews

.com

When you need it.

Medical professional liability insurance specialists providing a single-source solution

ProAssurance.com

NOVEMBER 2015

>

5

Lakeland Surgical Clinic Perfecting its Use of Robotics, continued from page 1 discussion within socioeconomic circles about the effects of robots on labor and how they are replacing workers. While robots do and will continue to replace their human counterparts in some industries, it is safe to assume that for highly-skilled professionals (like surgeons), robots, even at their most advanced evolution, will only be able to assist and supplement the required physical intricacies and medical manipulations of human surgical hands.

One such robot at the forefront of surgical assistance is the da Vinci Xi Surgical System by Intuitive Surgical. Known as a global leader in robotic-assisted, minimally invasive surgery, Intuitive Surgical’s da Vinci Xi Surgical System is considered to be the most technologically advanced option for large-incision abdominal surgeries (open surgery) with a minimally invasive approach.

Lakeland Surgical Clinic (LSC) has used the da Vinci Xi Surgical System more

than any other surgical center in Mississippi. In fact, LSC has performed over 1000 Robotic procedures through 2014.

Steven J. Patterson, MD, explains the progression of the da Vinci’s use at Lakeland.

“Early on we saw the benefits of the wristed instrument, better visualization as well as less pain compared to laparoscopic procedures. It was a good tool, but had limitations in general surgery.” He says that the development of a wristed stapler and vessel sealer changed this and really allowed da Vinci to enter the world of general surgery.

“At this point, the robot truly became an important technological benefit and tool in complex abdominal procedures,” Patterson added.

This is because the new da Vinci Xi Surgical System has broader capabilities than its own prior generations. For example, it can be used across a wide spectrum of minimally invasive surgical procedures and has been optimized for complex,

da Vinci Xi System’s key features: • New overhead instrument arm architecture designed to facilitate anatomical access from virtually any position.

• A new endoscope digital architecture that creates a simpler, more compact design with improved visual definition and clarity.

• An ability to attach the endoscope to any arm, providing flexibility for visualizing the surgical site.

• Smaller thinner arms with newly designed joints that offer a greater range of motion than ever before.

• Longer instrument shafts designed to give surgeons greater operative reach.

• In addition, the da Vinci Xi System is built to be compatible with Intuitive Surgical’s Firefly Fluorescence Imaging System. The technology is used to provide the surgeon with additional visual information in a variety of surgical procedures by enabling real-time visualization and assessment of vessels, bile ducts and tissue perfusion.

JNLMSMed-2 JNLMSMed-2

FrAuD FrAuD &A &buse Abuse : : A TerminAl A TerminAl DiAgnosis.

DiAgnosis.

Our healthcare Our healthcare specialists have specialists solutions havetosolutions most every to most situation everyyou situation may you may encounter in encounter your practice in your - and practice more-importantly, and more importantly, can help you canavoid helpmany you avoid many pitfalls thatpitfalls often occur that often in theoccur complex in theworld complex of today’s worldmedicine. of today’s medicine.

Every day we Every partner day we with partner hospitals, withphysicians hospitals, and physicians other healthcare and other healthcare providers providers with issues with regarding issuesreimbursement, regarding reimbursement, Stark & Anti-kickback, Stark & Anti-kickback, Licensure, HIPAA, Licensure, HIPAA, and Certificates and Certificates of Need - asofwell Need as well asneeds as -everyday everyday suchneeds as practice such as structure, practice structure, employment employment guidance and guidance liabilityand defense. liability defense.

We’re the perfect We’re the partner perfect for partner your healthcare for your healthcare practice. Give practice. us a call Give to us review a call to review your challenges your challenges - we’ll make- we’ll a prescription make a prescription for a trouble-free for a trouble-free path. path.

1076 HIGHLAND 1076CHOLONY IGHLAND COLONY CONCOURSEC600, ONCOURSE SUITE 100 600, SUITE 100 RIDGELAND,RMS IDGELAND 39157 , MS 39157

(601) 856-7200 (601) 856-7200 www.cctb.com www.cctb.com

6

>

NOVEMBER 2015

multi-quadrant surgeries. Intuitive Surgical designed the new da Vinci Xi Surgical System with the goal of further advancing the technology used in minimally invasive surgery for complex diseases and conditions in gynecology, urology, thoracic, cardiac, and general surgery. For more than a decade, da Vinci Surgical Systems have been providing patients with a minimally invasive alternative to open surgery.

LSC’s integration of the da Vinci Surgical System was an easy and natural fit because as a group, LSC is committed to and has a passion for minimally invasive surgery. According to Patterson, the group’s robotic experience includes colon resection (right, left, LAR, APR), all types of hernias, hiatal hernia/GERD surgery, splenectomy, gastrectomy, adrenelectomy, gallbladder, single site surgery, and the ability to assist other specialties such as genecology and urology that also utilize robotic technology. “In addition to the fact that we are all trained in these techniques, we are also fortunate that our hospital administrations have endorsed this technology as well.”

Earlier generations of surgical robots were limited to one quadrant, but the new da Vinci system is a multi-quadrant tool. “Our goal is to develop technology that enhances surgical performance,” said Gary Guthart, intuitive surgical president and CEO. “The da Vinci System’s new overhead architecture means that multi-quadrant surgery can be performed without repositioning the system, an innovation long sought by surgeons who perform complex procedures. We strive to provide the most advanced, least invasive option for surgery, and we are working hard to make minimally invasive surgery the standard of care.” Patterson says that as a result of this innovation, surgeons are now are able to work all over the entire abdomen without undocking the machine. “It is also much smaller, which makes it easier to use, and allows the arms to work without collisions;

the wristed staplers and vessel sealers give you angles that cannot be done laparoscopically; and you can also move the camera from port to port – it is truly space-aged technology,” he added.

Other notable advancements of the new da Vinci Xi Surgical System are its ability to enable efficient access throughout the abdomen and chest, wristed instruments, crystal clear 3D-HD visualization, intuitive motion, and an ergonomic design. The da Vinci Xi Surgical System’s immersive 3D-HD vision system provides surgeons a highly magnified view, virtually extending their eyes and hands into the patient.

Some of the measurable and quantifiable benefits that LSC has documented since its implementation of the da Vinci System include a significant decreased length of stay, ileus, and wound infections (colon). Also, less pain medicine is generally required and patients return to work at an earlier rate. Colectomies often have intracorporeal anastomosis, thus allowing the colon to be removed through a one to two inch muscle splitting McBurney incision (open appendectomy incisions). “These patients (after robotic assisted surgery) have a much quicker return of bowel function, and minimal pain, with most patients being discharged on post-operative day number two or three,” explained Patterson. “They also resume full activities typically in two to four weeks, and often return to work within one to two weeks if they are motivated patients,” he added.

For surgeons to effectively work with and properly utilize robots like the da Vinci Surgical System, time and training must be invested, not to mention the financial commitment – but LSC has found that the resulting benefits of the da Vinci System far outweigh any initial investments. Patterson says that with any new tool or innovative process, operative time can be longer early on in the learning experience, but this usually normalizes as users become more and more comfortable working with the robot.

“In regards to cost effectiveness, we have analyzed the cost of hernia procedures and they are equivalent to laparoscopic repairs.

Colon resections are a little more expensive, but cost is quickly recovered through decreased length of stay and decreased complication rates.”

As patients continue to search for more cost effective surgeries, they also expect quicker recovery times and fewer complications. Robots and robotic assisted surgeries are the probable answer not only for these patient desires and concerns, but also for surgeons’ immovable goals of providing the highest quality, least intrusive, and best prognoses for those whom they treat and care.

Robotic colon resections length of stay is 3.3 days, which is 2.5 days faster than laparoscopic and 4.5 days better than open colons. Robotic low colon resections have an average length of stay of 4.3 days, which is 0.5 days earlier than laparoscopic and 5 days earlier than open LAR.

mississippimedicalnews

.com

Annual Survey Shows ACOs Still Struggling with Interoperability

By RON VATALARO and DAVID RICE

Accountable care organizations (ACOs) are coming together around the country to deliver a more efficient and effective brand of healthcare, but getting their IT systems to work together continues to be a big challenge to progress.

In August 2015, Premier, Inc. and the eHealth Initiative released their third annual survey of ACOs to measure how interoperable IT systems are across these provider networks. The goal of the survey was to determine the current level of interoperability of the 69 ACOs which responded, what challenges they face and to look at their data use and analytics platforms.

This is important, because interoperable health IT allows providers to gather and put to use health data that can improve care as the patient goes across the care spectrum, from seeing a physician to receiving tests and treatments or filling a prescription and participating in home monitoring.

The ACO landscape is only just beginning to coalesce, so the approaches to improving and expanding the necessary IT framework capabilities in the healthcare industry are still developing and large in variety. A set of best practices is not yet in place.

Challenges Ahead

The results of the survey show there is no shortage of work to be done to get the nationwide healthcare IT landscape to where it needs to be. While systems are getting better, poor interoperability due to the disparity between systems plagues the ability of ACOs to achieve their desired effect on delivering streamlined healthcare.

Among the issues to negatively affect the work of the ACOs were: • Data integration: Impacted 62 percent of respondents • Change management: Impacted 55 percent of respondents • Access to data outside the organization: Impacted 78 percent of respondents • Obtaining commitment to participate from providers: Impacted 33 percent of respondents • Cost of new technology: Impacted 38 percent of respondents The numbers are an improvement over those reflected in the 2014 survey, where 100 percent of respondents said that access to data outside of their networks was a significant challenge. That year, 88 percent said they faced significant challenges integrating data from outside sources.

While the processes are getting better and the numbers surrounding these issues

improving, the costs have not. Providers have been frustrated by interoperability issues, the survey showed, though the level of that frustration has decreased between 2014 and 2015 by more than 50 percent.

The implementation of electronic health records (EHRs) was a difficult development for the medical community to deal with in the last few years, but recent data shows that EHRs are proving to be more efficient and effective in helping to improve patient care. The impact of health IT is being felt around healthcare organizations in a profound way that is showing up in medical insights and the actions of healthcare professionals.

But there is also an incredible amount of analytical data to emerge from all this information sharing that as of yet, has not been used in a way that fulfills its potential.

The key to analytics is interoperability, but the cost of increasing interoperability and training staff to be more analytically oriented remain as hurdles for ACOs to clear.

Other pieces that have yet to fall into place in the bigger healthcare puzzle, such as data integration and care coordination, will be important developments in the coming years.

In addition, using patient friendly tools that can improve efficiency, such as e-prescribing, patient web portals, self-service

scheduling, telemedicine, remote monitoring devices, personal health records and mobile phone apps, may be the first step in the right direction when it comes to reducing administrative headaches.

At this juncture, ACOs all over the country are at different stages when it comes to aggregating and putting patient data to use. The bigger, more sophisticated ACOs have “big data” warehouses, but others have yet to create the storage spaces that will allow them to combine information from across the spectrum of care.

Those smaller providers are a step behind, relying on data pooled by partner providers or through their own EHR systems.

As the ACO market becomes larger, smaller companies increasing their interoperability will create a level of efficiency the healthcare marketplace has not previously seen.

Ron Vatalaro works at Bisk Education with USF Health Morsani College of Medicine at the University of South Florida and writes about health informatics. Ron holds an advanced degree in Business Administration with a concentration in technology. He can be reached at ronaldvatalaro@bisk.com.

David Rice writes for Jacksonville University on behalf of Bisk Education, covering health informatics and nursing.

He is a graduate of the University of South Florida’s Mass Communications program.

www.bcbsms.com Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi, A Mutual Insurance Company is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. ® Registered Marks of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, an Association of Independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans.

mississippimedicalnews

.com

NOVEMBER 2015

>

7

Don’t Miss the Big Event

www.MississippiMedicalNews.com

From industry conferences and continuing educational units to fun ways to support the area’s many non profits ... check the online calendar for healthcare happenings.

8

>

NOVEMBER 2015

Outside Influences

Improving the Environment to Improve Health

By CINDy SANDERS

It’s easy to think of many of the key target areas for environmental health specialists as pertaining to ‘someone else.’

After all, the United States has clean drinking water, sewage containment, air quality standards and large federal agencies focused specifically on food safety, emergency preparedness and infectious disease. Yet, a second glance underscores how real those problems are here, as well.

National Environmental Health Association Executive Director David T. Dyjack, DrPH, CIH, pointed out concerns at home include transitions in the conditions under which individuals live, the food they eat, drought and other effects of cli- Dr. David T. Dyjack mate change, emerging threats brought into the country, and an aging infrastructure. Adding stress to that infrastructure is a shifting population pattern. America, like most of the rest of the world, is rapidly urbanizing. Dyjack noted 5 percent of local health departments now service 50 percent of the U.S. population.

As needs shift, the field of environmental health is also evolving. While prevention has always been a focus, the need for early intervention has taken on increasing importance.

“In line with the social determinants of health, 80 percent of a person’s health status has little to do with a person’s clinical care … 80 percent is related to where you live and lifestyle choices – what you eat, what you drink, how you recreate,” he said, adding that is the purview of the environmental health specialists that make up NEHA’s membership. “This is why clinicians and environmental health professionals need to work together much more collaboratively.”

Prevention, he said, is a ‘pennies on the dollar’ proposition. However, Dyjack continued, “The irony is over 95 percent of every health dollar spent in this country is spent on clinical care, and less than 5 percent is spent on prevention.” He added, “Public health and environmental health is a best buy for citizens of this country. The investment is inverted.”

One Health

“One of the issues that is not getting the attention it deserves is what is being referred to as ‘One Health,’” Dyjack said.

He explained the concept seeks to unify the health of animals and humans.

The initiative looks to forge collaborations “between physicians, osteopathic physicians, veterinarians, dentists, nurses and other scientific-health and environmentally related disciplines,” according to OneHealthInitiative.com.

In addition to emerging zoonotic diseases, the One Health concept recognizes the ease of geographic transmission of illness in modern society. “The world is effectively globalized,” said Dyjack.

“The diseases that are incubating in megacities and in the developing world, those diseases can easily be transported in a day.”

He continued, “For the record, what happened this last year with Ebola was entirely predictable, entirely preventable, and environmental health professionals should have played a major role in both the prevention and mitigation of the chaos that ensued.”

Dyjack added that a system should have been put in place after the breakout in the 1970s to thwart future epidemics.

However, money wasn’t allocated at that time. “And we paid the price for that lack of investment this year,” he said.

In addition to the very real human toll, the World Health Organization estimates $32 billion has been spent in the aftermath of the recent Ebola crisis. Dyjack pointed out building health systems in West Africa would have been a fraction of the cost.

“It is in our own interest to ensure rudimentary health systems are in place where organisms like Ebola are likely to be present. Hygiene, sanitation, water sys-

tems, the use of personal protective gear … this is the domain of environmental health.”

U.S. Water Supply

A safe water supply isn’t only a challenge for less developed nations, however.

Dyjack said it is a very real issue for Americans, as well.

“On average each year in this country, we lose about one trillion gallons of fresh water,” he said, adding the loss comes from cracks in a crumbling and aging infrastructure.

That loss impacts both economies and the health of populations. The combination of water management processes and prolonged drought has had a dire effect on a number of agricultural counties in California. In addition, Dyjack said, valley fever has become a growing problem in the area as the desiccation of the land allows wind to blow around organisms in the topsoil and spread fungi into the air.

Other water-borne issues include the spread of Legionella (which can lead to Legionnaires’ disease and Pontiac fever), a bacteria that has been showing up in commercial buildings in the ventilation systems and can be inhaled through water aerosols. In the Great Lakes area, an algae bloom producing the toxin microcystin is contaminating the water supply, posing a challenge for traditional water treatment systems. In the Pacific Northwest, the algae has also led to economic damage as crab and clam harvests have had to be closed down at times.

Leading NEHA Efforts

Passionate about his profession, Dyjack took the helm of the NEHA in May of this year. He has almost 30 years experience in environmental health, emergency preparedness and response, public health informatics, infectious disease, workforce development, governmental infrastructure, maternal and child health, health equity, and chronic disease. A board certified industrial hygienist, Dyjack also has advanced degrees in public health with a doctorate from the University of Michigan and a master’s degree from the University of Utah. Previously he served as associate executive director for programs with the National Association of County and City Health Officials and also has 18 years of academic experience in public health at Loma Linda University.

“I believe environmental health is central to health and wellness of individuals, to families … and frankly, to economies of cities, counties and states,” Dyjack said.

When we have resisted moves to intervene early, he noted, the cost has often been much heavier on the back end. “We just have to have the courage to redirect resources from the clinical environment to a prevention strategy,” Dyjack concluded. mississippimedicalnews

.com

Nanotechnology Meeting its Potential Silver Bullets Battle Infection

By LYNNE JETER

RALEIGH, NC—A North Carolina State University (NCSU) engineer has spearheaded groundbreaking research considered a milestone achievement in fighting postsurgical infections.

Rohan Shirwaiker, PhD, an assistant professor and adjunct assistant professor of biomedical engineering for the NCSU Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISE), led Rohan Shirwaiker, PhD, led a research team to develop and test a research team to develop and battery-activated nanotechnology built directly into orthopedic implants to stave off microscopic, infection-causing pathogens, test battery-activated nanoincluding antibiotic-resistant bacteria such as MRSA. technology built directly into orthopedic implants to stave off (AAOS) Best Young Investigator in 2014, microscopic, infection-causing pathogens, is also exploring the development of a including antibiotic-resistant bacteria such smartphone app to control the power as MRSA. source and the release of silver ions re“Silver has long been known for its antimotely, and track the biophysical activity bacterial properties, but first it must ionize around the implant area. to be effective,” explained Shirwaiker, who “It’s quite exciting work,” said has been engaged in research on the projShirwaiker. “The possibilities to improve ect since 2007, when it became his doctoral the patient experience are endless.” theme at Penn State University. “UnderWith more than 1 million joint restanding how this work could be effectively placement surgeries performed annually improved for medical devices, especially in the United States, Shirwaiker’s innoimplants, hadn’t been explored much from vation in silver microbial technology has an engineering standpoint. The breakthe potential to save significant healthcare through was in demonstrating that a little sums while allaying treatment costs for electric current to the silver on the implant post-surgical infections (now topping $1.6 releases the ion particles, which attach to billion annually) and also boosting patient bacteria cells and either kill them or prevent outcomes. them from replicating.”

“A few years ago, a study predicted Here’s how it works: The power that by 2020, the number of knee replacesource, similar to a watch battery, is inments would increase six-fold,” he said. tegrated into the joint implant design. A “Similarly, cases of infection could dralow-intensity electrical charge to a silvermatically increase.” titanium implant releases low-toxicity silShirwaiker’s research extends to the ver ions to kill or neutralize bacteria. The development and characterization of 3Dbody’s own fluids serve as a conducting bioprinting processes for knee joint tissues medium between battery and silver, enand the trachea. His work also includes abling the low-level charge. similar projects with the University of “It was very exciting when we showed North Carolina (UNC)-NCSU Joint Dehow the electrical activation of silver sigpartment of Biomedical Engineering. nificantly enhances the antimicrobial ef“I’m heavily involved in some of the ficacy connected to the implant,” he said, 3-D printing aspects of medical projects, “and when I say significantly, I mean quite especially tissues of the knee joint,” said significantly.”

Shirwaiker. “There will be a point when Research showed a 99 percent dethese types of implants, combined with crease in bacteria growth on and around live cells and silver microbial technology implants after 24 hours, and an infectionto fight infections, won’t even show up on free environment after 48 hours. x-rays a few years down the road because The son of a retired pharmacist, and tissues will have formed around them and a native of Mumbai (Bombay), India, the body will have absorbed them.”

Shirwaiker completed his master’s degree Shirwaiker, whose 9-member rein engineering at Penn State University, search team includes PhD candidates, while concurrently interning with Harley graduate students and undergraduates, Davidson making motorcycles. “A great exsaid groundbreaking research will transperience,” he called the internship. “I really late to commercial success with total colenjoyed it. But when I was searching for a laboration from invested parties. research project for my PhD, I was fasci“When you really have contributions nated by the biomedical world, and started from doctors, surgeons and biomedical encollaborating with orthopedic surgeons.” gineers,” he said, “that’s truly when things Shirwaiker, 31, named the Ameriare going to start working very well.” can Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons’ mississippimedicalnews

.com

GrandRounds HIPAA Compliant SelfEncrypting Rx App In 2014, more than 4.02 billion prescriptions were filled at retail pharmacies in America. Writing and refilling prescriptions is a high-volume, repetitive task for physicians and their staff that can be time consuming both in and out of the office. A new mobile app, getRx, uses smart phones, tablets or PCs to connect patient, prescriber and pharmacy. The app is available in both a physician and a patient version and can be downloaded from ITunes, Google Play as well as Amazon and is compatible with Apple and Android smart phones, tablets and PC’s.

GetRx, is a tool that eliminates the need to call or fax a pharmacy, which saves a significant amount of time according to Dan Rudd, MD, in Murfreesboro who developed the app with software developer Metova Inc. The cloud-based app is a mobile prescription pad that is HIPAA compliant with encrypted texting within the app.

It is linked to a medication database, which allows the physician to select from a drop down menu the medication and dosage. Google maps is also embedded in the app making selection of a convenient pharmacy easier when the patient is not at home.

More efficient than a traditional prescription pad, getRx lets physicians and

their office staffs write and refill prescriptions and communicate with patients and pharmacies directly from a smart phone, tablet or PC. Prescriptions can be written and sent to the pharmacy of choice in 20 seconds. Once the prescription is sent, both the patient and the office receive written notification of the prescription, making charting easier. Any dialogue between patient and physician within the app is also sent to the office for placement in the patient’s chart.

When open, getRx, looks like a prescription pad. As you type, drop down menus let you select the correct patient, medication and dosage so there is little margin for error. And there is no charting; the app does that for you by sending the script back to the office. The app even remembers my preferred prescribing patterns on medications which further reduces the time to complete prescriptions said Rudd.

For patients, the app is free. It connects them to any and all of their physicians that use the getRx app. This allows the patient to request refills and communicate securely with their physician or their office in mere seconds, right from their smart phone, tablet or PC, which eliminates office staff time answering and returning phone calls for refills or prescriptions. Find more information at www.getrx.com

P RO GR AM S NC LAENS OM ITIAP EFPL BCEN S S TA /GR AMRK RO AEBUPSE &NC RA UD FOM PL IA C T EN RK M TA OY M PL SE / S & AEBU OR & ABUD FLRA ENTSE EFEN YM CELOD TI MP AC E PR & AL LMAB OR EG SEULATION R EN & EF AWD ACETILCE PRAR EDIC MAL M &N S IO ULAT EGON &SIRTI QUI AW E ,LA RS AR GE ERIC MED M SISTI ON S & NT QUIRE OI ATU , EN RSV GE MJER S RE TU EN V OI NNT CJO

�

�

�

�

�

�

� �

�

�

�

�

�

CHOINPA A ICAAL S TA FF ED A H MIP

IC AL IO NS TA FF ED AT M TAX N N ’ C OM PE NS AT IO IO ATKE RS AXOR T W N IO AT AT IO NS ELNS CTOMRPE KE RS ORER NM’EN W G OV AT IO NS EL R T y EN ic NM ERic P ol G u bl POV M ed ic ai d

THERE WAS A TIME WHEN YOU ONLY HAD TO PRACTICE MEDICINE. Our attorneys work hard every day in the ever-changing medical law environment.

So, we’re up-to-date on all the latest rules, regulations and trends that affect the business side of health care. Call us today, and concentrate on your patients.

Expect results.

JACKSON

401 East Capitol St., Suite 600 Jackson, MS 39201 P.O. Box 651 Jackson, MS 39205-0651 PH. 601.968.5500 FAX 601.968.5593

GULF COAST

27811105 C.T.Switzer, Sr. Drive, 30th Avenue Suite 307 Suite 300 Biloxi, MS 39531 Gulfport, MSF39501-1817 PH.228.385.9390 AX 228.385.9394

Ph. 228.867.7141 Fax 228.867.7142

HATTIESBURG

601 Adeline St. Hattiesburg, MS 39401 P.O. Box 990 Hattiesburg, MS 39403-0990 PH. 601.582.5551 FAX 601.582.5556

www.wisecarter.com

WCF MHA directory ad1.indd 1

3/10/09 3:05:11 PM NOVEMBER 2015

>

9

GrandRounds Memorial Physician Clinics welcomes Diane Edrington, NP Memorial Physician Clinics welcomes Diane Edrington, CFNP, in the practice of internal medicine at Beatline Medical Clinic in Long Beach.

Edrington received her Master’s Degree in Nursing from the University of South Alabama. She has worked as

a Certified Family Nurse Practitioner (CFNP) on the Mississippi Gulf Coast since 2000. In the past, she worked as a medical advisor with the Harrison County Sheriff’s Depart- Diane Edrington ment, Correctional Academy and Law Enforcement Academy.

NMMC Heart Institute Receives Echocardiography Accreditation North Mississippi Medical Center has been granted a three-year term of accreditation in echocardiography for adult transthoracic and adult transesophageal by the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission.

Accreditation by the IAC means that NMMC has undergone a thorough review of its operational and technical components by a panel of experts.

The IAC grants accreditation only to those facilities that are found to be providing quality patient care, in compliance with national standards through a comprehensive application process including detailed case study The NMMC Heart Institute echocardiography team includes (seated, from left) review. IAC accredita- Betsey Miller, Hannah Odom; (standing, left to right) Jackie Simpson, Angelia Samuel Robbins, Suzanne Tackett, Waydean Cooper and Kristie Meador. tion is a “seal of ap- Stennett, Sue Hill is also a member of the echo team. proval” that patients can rely on as an indication that the facility has been carefully critiqued on all aspects of its operations considered relevant by medical experts in the field of echocardiography.

The Heart Institute is located on the second and third floors of NMMC’s East Tower. Visit www.nmhs.net/heart_institute for more.

Anderson Announces New Executive Roles Anderson Regional Health System has announced two promotions within the system. Betty Young-Cryer, RN, MSN, NE-BC, CRRN has been named Administrator of Anderson Regional Medical Center- South, and Steven Brown has been Betty YoungCryer named Vice President of Finance for Anderson Regional Health System.

Cryer began her nursing career in 1975 at Riley Hospital, now Anderson Regional Medical Center- South. She has held Steven Brown numerous positions during her tenure including Chief Nursing Officer, Acute Medical Clinical Director, Nurse Manager, Assistant Nurse Manger and Staff Nurse. Cryer also served as Director of Riley Home Health Services early in her career.

Steven Brown has been named Vice President of Finance after serving as Controller and Accounting Director of the organization. Brown has worked in the accounting field for 25 years, including five years at Riley Hospital, now Anderson Regional Medical Center- South.

Brown is a licensed Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in the state of Mississippi. He began his education at Meridian Community College and went on to receive a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with an emphasis in Accounting from the University of Southern Mississippi.

Hattiesburg Clinic Welcomes Pellerano

www.msbluesmarathon.com

presented by:

Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi, A Mutual Insurance Company, is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. ® Registered Marks of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, an Association of Independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans.

Volunteer for the Blues!

More info at www.msbluesmarathon.com 10

>

NOVEMBER 2015

Edward Pellerano, MD, recently joined Hattiesburg Clinic Critical Care Medicine.

Pellerano received his medical degree from Universidad Iberoamericana in Gazcue, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

He served a general surDr. Edward gery internship at St. VinPellerano cent’s Hospital and Medical Center of New York, NY, an internal medicine residency at Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center of Bronx, NY, and a critical care medicinefellowship at Mount Sinai Hospital of New York, NY. Pellerano is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine.

His professional affiliations include the Society of Critical Care Medicine and the American Board of Internal Medicine.

He joins Kevin L. Keeton, MD; Charles R. McCollum, III, MD; Lewis W. Neese, MD; Charles J. Parkman, MD; Michael J. Raggio, MD, FCCP; Andrew H. Rogness, MD; Steven W. Stogner, MD; Walid G. Younis, MD; David Johnson, CNP; and Brad Pickering, CNP.

PUBLISHED BY: SouthComm Business Media, Inc. GROUP PUBLISHER Dennis Triola dtriola@southcomm.com 310.422.6637 ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Kathy Arich karich@mississippimedicalnews.com Ad Sales: 601.941.3075 ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Perry Patterson LaCour placour@mississippimedicalnews.com Ad Sales: 601.941.1603 NATIONAL EDITOR Pepper Jeter editor@medicalnewsinc.com LOCAL EDITOR Lynne Jeter lynne@medicalnewsinc.com CREATIVE DIRECTOR Susan Graham susan@medicalnewsinc.com GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Katy Barrett-Alley, Amy Gomoljak James Osborne, Christie Passarello CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Christopher Cussat, Lynne Jeter, Cindy Sanders, Lucy Schultze CIRCULATION subscriptions@southcomm.com —— All editorial submissions and press releases should be emailed to: editor@medicalnewsinc.com —— Subscription requests or address changes should be mailed to: Medical News, Inc. 210 12th Ave S. • Suite 100 Nashville, TN 37203 615.244.7989 • (FAX) 615.244.8578 or e-mailed to: subscriptions@southcomm.com SOUTHCOMM BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. Chief Executive Officer Chris Ferrell Chief Financial Officer Ed Tearman Chief Operating Officer Blair Johnson Director Of Financial Planning And Analysis Carla Simon Vice President Of Human Resources Ed Wood Vice President of Content Patrick Rains Vice President Of Production Operations Curt Pordes Chief Revenue Officer Dave Carter Director Of Digital Sales & Marketing David Walker Controller Todd Patton Creative Director Heather Pierce Mississippi Medical News is published monthly by Medical News, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of SouthComm Business Media, Inc. ©2015 Medical News Communications.All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Medical News will assume no responsibilities for unsolicited materials.

All letters sent to Medical News will be considered Medical News property and therefore unconditionally assigned to Medical News for publication and copyright purposes.

mississippimedicalnews.com mississippimedicalnews

.com

GrandRounds Pine Grove Launches a New Family-centered Initiative Pine Grove Behavioral Health & Addiction Services is proud to be the first treatment center in the country to offer our patients Debra Jay’s Structured Family Recovery™ initiative.

Structured Family Recovery™ empowers family members to have a positive impact on loved ones, who are recovering from their addictions. Due to Debra Jay this focus on the importance of recovery it is fitting that Pine Grove is launching Structured Family Recovery™ in conjunction with September’s National Recovery Month, which is held annually to increase public Structured Family Recovery™ is a specialized program that outlines how family members impact a patient’s recovery after treatment. Developed by noted author and Pine Grove Consultant, Debra Jay, Structured Family Recovery™ creates a defined family support system to provide empathy and accountability while a patient completes a residential treatment program at Pine Grove. Jay said that in early recovery, a time when a united front is crucial, families can make the difference between success and failure.

The residential treatment programs offering Structured Family Recovery™ include Pine Grove’s Next Step program for men and the Women’s Center. These programs provide hope and healing to patients, who are battling substance abuse addictions. Structured Family Recovery™ is also offered to family members and patients with Pine Grove’s Professional Enhancement Program, known as PEP, which treats professionals with inter-personal difficulties. Pine Grove’s

Family and Alumni Programs are also educating family members about Structured Family Recovery™ and how they may participate in the program.

Lunch. Dinner...

Lunch. Dinner...

UMMC Pediatrician Honored for Compassionate Care Dr. Rick Boyte, professor of pediatrics and division chief of pediatric palliative medicine at Batson Children’s Hospital, has been named one of six finalists for the 2015 Schwartz Center National Compassionate Caregiver of the Year (NCCY) Award.

The Schwartz Center for Compassionate Healthcare, a national nonprofit leading the movement to bring compassion to every patient-caregiver interaction, selected six health-care providers throughout the U.S. for the prestigious award.

Boyte has worked at Batson for more than 20 years and spent the first 16 of those in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. He credits those years and the families he encountered there with steering him towards palliative care.

Boyte’s interest in palliative medicine grew into the formation of a pediatric palliative care service in 2009, which began with two full-time, dedicated people – himself and one nurse practitioner – and operated on a consult-only basis.

In 2013, Boyte spearheaded efforts to create a fellowship program in pediatric hospice and palliative medicine, one of the first in the country. The program is now hosting its second fellow.

The award recipient will be announced on November 18 by awardwinning author Atual Gawande at the 20th Annual Kenneth B. Schwartz Compassionate Healthcare Dinner, and will receive a $5,000 monetary prize.

Did you miss out on our Foie Gras season?

Did you miss out on our Soft Shell Crab season?

Don’t miss out on our seasonal specials again!

We change our menu to feature the freshest local ingredients...

Celebrations.

Celebrations.

Baptist Union County Earns Prestigious Award Premier, Inc. has recognized Baptist Memorial Hospital-Union County with the Quest® Award for High-Value Healthcare for providing outstanding patient care.

Only three hospitals in the nation received the award for achieving top performance in all seven of the areas measured in Premier’s Quest collaborative, including cost and efficiency; inpatient and outpatient evidence-based care; mortality; safety; patient experience; and appropriate hospital use.

QUEST is a performance improvement collaborative of approximately 365 hospitals working to make health care safer, more efficient and consistently effective.

Premier Inc, is a leading health care improvement company, uniting an alliance of approximately 3,400 U.S. hospitals and 110,000 other providers to transform health care.

Pictured (l-r): Walter Grace, CEO & Administrator, Barbara Owens, Administrative Director, Rebecca Churchill, RN, Nurse Manager, Dr. H.F. Mason, BMG-New Albany Surgical Associates, Dr. Mark Swanson, Vice President and Chief Medical Office, BMHCC, Dr. Tim Thompson, Medical Director of Hospital Medicine, Randy White, Chief Nursing Officer.

mississippimedicalnews

.com

Specialty Catering & Events

115 W. Capitol St • Jackson, MS 39201 601.360.0090 events@parlormarket.com www.parlormarket.com NOVEMBER 2015

>

11

FREE ONLINE SUBSCRIPTION TO

IH EXECUTIVE

ihexecutive.com/subscribe Sign up online for a subscription and learn how to thrive in the new integrated healthcare paradigm.

On a business trip?

Out of the country?

IH Executive is everywhere you are.

Online 24/7.

The way we deliver healthcare outside of the hospital is rapidly changing. Forward-thinking practitioners are collaborating with other providers to improve the patient experience while decreasing costs. If you are an executive or medical director who seeks to thrive in the new integrated healthcare paradigm, then join the conversation by subscribing to IH Executive, and find out how your peers are already improving outcomes with greater efficiency.

ihexecutive.com/subscribe