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State Associations Focus on Goals, Challenges for 2007
The Tennessee Medical Association (TMA), Tennessee Hospital Association (THA) and Tennessee Nurses Association (TNA) have set their collective sights on the challenges and goals of the coming year.
Working independently on issues specific to their membership and collaboratively on agenda items that impact the broader healthcare industry, the state's provider organizations hope to be an instrument for change as they work with key government staff and legislative leadership on a state and federal basis.
BY CINDY SANDERS |
Memphis Bioworks Foundation Ends Year with Bang
The year 2006 for Memphis Bioworks Foundation (MBF) ended with a bang — literally.
In November, MBF, a nonprofit organization charged with facilitating the growth of Memphis into a leading center for bioscience, handled the nation's largest implosion project of the year when the 924,000-square-foot former UT-Baptist building was demolished to clear ground for construction of the new UT-Baptist Research Park.
BY RITA LEE, PHD |
Physician Spotlight: Dr. William C. Wolters
Local Memphis psychiatrist Dr. William C. Wolters has an unusual specialty: he's also an attorney.
Born in the hometown of Annie Oakley —Greenville, Ohio — Wolters said he planned to practice medicine as long as he could remember.
But after spending a particularly brutal winter studying pre-med at Bowling Green State University, Wolters decided to practice law.
"It was the winter of 1978, and Ohio had the absolute worst blizzard ever recorded.
BY KAREN OTT MAYER |
Nurse Practitioner: Misty Moore
Native Mississippian and nurse practitioner Misty Moore, MSN, ARNP, has covered a lot of ground, both literally and figuratively, for someone so young.
But then again, since career day in kindergarten, when she chose to be a nurse, this 27- year-old healthcare professional has known which road she would follow.
"I've always been interested in medicine and always know I would do this," said Moore.
BY KAREN OTT MAYER |
Valet Parking Makes Life Easier for Area
Parking at a couple of Memphis hospitals has become less complicated, thanks to the arrival of a new company in town called Healthcare Parking Systems of America.
Healthcare Parking, the nation's first and only company created to provide specialized parking management services exclusively to hospitals nationwide, arrived in the area approximately one year ago, when it began offering valet parking and front door services at Saint Francis. In the last few months, the company has begun operating at Baptist East Hospital located on Walnut Grove.
BY KAREN OTT MAYER |
BCBST Expands Electronic Enrollment Program
BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee (BCBST) has announced enhancements to the Caremark® Rx, Inc. iScribe® electronic prescribing program. The goal is to enroll 250 new BCBS network physicians who write more than 1,000 prescriptions per year.
Since the iScribe program first offered the free software to physicians in 2004, 60 Tennessee physicians have come on board and are prescribing meds with handheld devices.
BY GLORIA BUTLER BALDWIN |
Annual Meeting Draws Record Crowd
The Tennessee Hospital Association (THA) annual meeting drew a record number of attendees this year.
More than 1,000 members, compared to about 950 last year, attended the 68th annual meeting held Oct. 25-27 at the Nashville Convention Center and Renaissance Nashville Hotel.
"These things run in cycles, so it's hard to tell (why there were more attendees this year), but it indicates that hospitals are feeling that this is a good place to send employees to get continuing education," said THA president Craig Becker.
BY KATIE PORTERFIELD |
MGMA Responds to Medicare Payment Proposal
In a 20-page letter sent to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in October, Dr. William F. Jessee, FACMPE, president and CEO of the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA), outlined the myriad of concerns the organization has with the proposed 2007 Medicare physician fee schedule.
In his correspondence, Jessee noted, "We appreciate the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' outreach to the provider community and their willingness to participate in constructive dialogue to improve the Medicare program."
BY CINDY SANDERS |
Letters to Congress
Time is running out for action. Anyone can visit the MGMA Web site (www.mgma.com) to obtain more information or a sample letter to Congress that can be personalized to a specific practice. From the home page, scroll down to "Popular Topics" and click on the link to "tell Congress it is time to fix Medicare reimbursement." Similarly, the AMA site (www.ama-assn.org) features another option to reach legislators.
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The OIG's 2007 Work Plan Impact on Medicare Providers
Each year, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) of the Department of Health and Human Services outlines its 12-month plan of action to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of federal healthcare programs. The Work Plan, which covers a range of federal health programming, targets items that are considered vulnerable to fraud and abuse, thus signaling potential areas of investigation.
Within the purview of the Medicare program, several red flags should serve as a warning to providers and administrators to review their policies and make sure their facilities are within the letter of the law.
BY CINDY SANDERS |
New Dialysis Clinic Provides Patient-Friendly Atmosphere
Last month, Mid-South Nephrology Consultants opened the doors to their new Midtown facility.
Tall windows, handy gadgets and open spaces highlight the contemporary building that was designed to make patients as comfortable as possible while undergoing dialysis.
After St. Jude Children's Research Hospital became interested in buying the clinic's old location on North Parkway, physicians saw it as an opportunity to expand their territory. Medical director Jacinto Hernandez said it was important to stay close to the Methodist hospital system in Midtown and to continue serving that community.
BY HOLLI W. HAYNIE |
Is Cover Tennessee the Answer to the TennCare Vacuum?
In June, Gov. Phil Bredesen signed into law the Cover Tennessee (CoverTN) statewide insurance program designed to fill the gap left by the TennCare dismantling.
This comprehensive healthcare expansion program consists of five plans (CoverTN, CoverKids, CoverRx, AccessTN and the prevention/education component, ProjectDiabetes and Coordinated School Health) to provide uninsured and uninsurable residents with affordable, albeit more restricted health coverage.
BY HOLLI W. HAYNIE |
Accessibility, Effectiveness, Personal Responsibilty
Gov. Phil Bredesen's key themes for the Cover Tennessee healthcare expansion program include accessibility, effectiveness and personal responsibility. The state facilitates the market in order to bring health coverage costs within reach and make affordable options for children, the chronically ill and the working uninsured. The plans will pay for what is most cost effective: preventive care, primary care and generic drugs; and for what works: best practices and disease management.
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Physicians Beware the Silent PPO
The underhanded practice of larger insurance companies subcontracting healthcare providers to smaller insurance companies, known as silent PPOs, is a business blight straining the medical industry. As defined by the American Medical Association (AMA), a silent PPO refers to a situation where unbeknownst to its contracting physicians, a managed care provider (MCO) "sells" or "rents" its Preferred Provider Organization's (PPO) network of providers to a third party and that third party gets the advantage of whatever discount the MCO has negotiated with the physician.
by HOLLI W. HAYNIE |
E.coli Outbreak Prompts Renewed Focus on Disease Surveillance and Reporting Procedures
With the recent outbreak of E.coli, physicians are reminded once again about the importance of disease surveillance and reporting. Without it, the outbreak would never have been uncovered and more sickness and possible death might have resulted.
As soon as E.coli was suspected, Dr. Tim Jones, deputy state epidemiologist with the Tennessee Department of Health, immediately issued a warning to Tennesseans not to eat fresh spinach or fresh spinach products.
BY GLORIA BUTLER BALDWIN |
Dr iPod®
MDs replaced by iPods? Not likely. At least not yet!
But there's a lot to be learned from the success of a simple collection of electronics.
The iPod is slowly creeping its way into healthcare. Patients can now download advice from some of the world's most renowned doctors. So, instead of getting advice from the family physician on, say, how to live with high blood pressure, the advice is available free or almost free, at a time and place of the patient's choice, in a personal friendly and non-threatening setting.
BY RICHARD W. OLIVER |
Gifts for Doctors Range from Fun to Pure Luxury
This year, luxury retailer Neiman Marcus has the perfect solution for the doctor who wants to get away from it all: a trip to outer space.
The journey, which includes pre-flight medical assessments, training, a ride on the Virgin Galactic spaceship roughly 63 miles above sea level and a four-night, after-flight soiree at the private Caribbean island home of Virgin CEO Richard Branson for six, includes an astonishing view of earth and an opportunity to experience weightlessness. Price tag: $1.76 million.
BY LYNNE JETER |
Expanding HIV Testing
As another World AIDS Day is observed on December 1, there are more than 1 million Americans living with HIV/AIDS.
However, an estimated 25 percent of that group doesn't realize they are infected.
Healthcare professionals agree screening is a vital part of prevention, behavior modification, treatment and outcomes. Today, more people with HIV/AIDS are living longer and enjoying a higher quality of life as new medications have turned what was once an automatic death sentence into a much more manageable … albeit still frightening … disease.
BY CINDY SANDERS |
CDC's New HIV Screening Recommendations
While clinicians and researchers have made dramatic strides in treating HIV and AIDS, progress in effecting an early diagnosis of the immunodeficiency virus or syndrome has not been as stellar. An estimated 250,000 to 310,000 people are living without knowledge of their infection in the United States.
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Baptist Memphis Introduces New Imaging Technology
Baptist Memorial Hospital-Memphis recently introduced the Signa Excite imaging system, a new, high-definition magnetic resonance scanner.
The new technology will provide doctors at Baptist Memphis with highly detailed images of the anatomy and help evaluate a variety of conditions, including stroke, musculoskeletal diseases and heart disease. Baptist Memphis is the only Mid-South hospital with this technology.
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Saint Francis Hospital Opposes Expansion of Methodist Germantown
Saint Francis Hospital filed a letter of opposition today with the Tennessee Health Services and Development Agency against the expansion of Methodist Hospital -Germantown. Although Saint Francis Hospital supports appropriate growth in healthcare, the opposition letter questions the need for 100 additional beds at the Germantown hospital while shifting beds from Methodist University Hospital in Midtown and Methodist South in Whitehaven.
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Methodist Physician Team Awarded Prestigious Honor
James Porterfield, MD, FACC, director, electrophysiologic laboratories, Methodist University Hospital and Linda Porterfield, PhD, director cardiovascular research and education, Arrhythmia Consultants, were each awarded the designation of Fellow of the Heart Rhythm Society (FHRS). This distinction of honor is the highest category of membership within the Society and was awarded to them for the extensive research, numerous published articles, and the contributions they have made to the field of cardiology on a national and international level.
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Methodist Le Bonheur Associate Earns Certification
Angela Riggins, a physical therapist assistant at Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown Hospital, recently completed a program to receive certification of Advanced Proficiency for the PTA through the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA).
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Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare Receives Award for Diversity Initiatives
Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare was selected from among 100 companies to receive the Corporation of the Year Award from the Mid-South Minority Business Council.
Methodist's diversity initiatives include a Minority and Women Owned Business Supplier Diversity Program and multi-faceted involvement in the growth and development of Mid-South minority and women owned businesses.
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