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Tennessee Implements Hospital Resource Tracking System
By the time 2007 rolled around, the Tennessee Department of Health was on schedule to have a resource tracking system up and running in 80 to 90 percent of the hospitals in the state. Funded with federal bioterrorism dollars, the tracking system will help direct injured people to appropriate hospitals and medical centers in the event of an emergency or disaster, natural or otherwise, and will also aid emergency medical services personnel on a day-to-day basis.
BY SHARON H. FITZGERALD |
Managing Change Remains Greatest Challenge for Practice Executives
Successful practice management depends on multiple factors, but none perhaps is more important than the leadership that forms the backbone of a practice vision and goals.
At two of Memphis' practices, OrthoMemphis and The West Clinic, executive management find themselves in increasingly challenging environments that are continually changing.
CEO Ken Beasley took the OrthoMemphis helm approximately 18 months ago and he is now overseeing the group on a day-to-day basis under the direction of the board.
BY KAREN OTT MAYER |
Physician Spotlight: Dr. Edward P. Scott
For 20 years, Memphis and the Mid-South Regional Blood Center have benefited from the dedication and leadership of Dr. Edward P. Scott.
Since his early years, Scott has been interested in studying hematology and found work within donor organizations closely aligned to his own interest.
Originally from Starkville, Miss., Scott was no stranger to university life.
"I was raised on campus because my father taught at Mississippi State," he said.
BY KAREN OTT MAYER |
Harbor Town Family Practice Offers Health for the Whole Person
In recent years, grassroots campaigns to build a healthier community have taken shape in Memphis.
As medical care has moved toward the power of prevention, physicians, community leaders and patients are taking a proactive role in promoting healthier habits to avoid chronic illness and disease. The obesity rate in America for all adults over age 20 is 32 percent, nearly 65 million, according to statistics complied by the National Institutes of Health. This leads to an overall cost to the medical industry of $117 billion because the risk factors associated with overweight and obesity.
BY HOLLI W. HAYNIE |
Experts Outline Simple Approaches to Childhood Obesity
Americans are getting fatter at a younger age than ever before.
And in most cases, say health experts, the pounds are being added as primary care doctors and nurses remain largely silent about the health threats they're facing.
Pediatricians from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry crunched the numbers from the most recent National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and concluded that the number of overweight boys had surged 65 percent in the six years from 1988 to 2004; the ranks of overweight girls grew by 70 percent.
BY JOHN CARROLL |
Memphis City Schools Take Active Role in Promoting Healthy Behaviors
Last year, major strides were made in the pursuit of healthier children with the state mandate replacing unhealthy snacks in vending machines with healthier options, as well as the federal mandate requiring free and reduced lunches to meet certain nutritional guidelines.
Since then, the Memphis City Schools (MCS) system, in conjunction with community collaborators such as the Healthy Memphis Common Table, has put together a more focused health and activity curriculum.
BY HOLLI W. HAYNIE |
Le Bonheur Launches Live Web Cast of Pediatric Hemispherectomy
Epilepsy and seizures affect 2.7 million Americans and approximately 200,000 new cases occur each year, according to the Epilepsy Foundation.
While many seizures are manageable by medication, some types are so severe that they limit quality of life and can lead to more health problems, even death.
BY HOLLI W. HAYNIE |
Tubby Baby Boomers Flirt with Higher Morbidity Rates
The debate over weight and health in America has reached a new tipping point.
Analyzing the health of 186,000 nonsmoking Americans over the age of 50 who were tracked from 1995 to 2005, a group of researchers at the National Cancer Institute recently reached a disturbing conclusion. First, weighing in as even moderately overweight raised the risk of death by 20 percent to 40 percent. Obesity — a well known killer — doubled or tripled the risk of mortality.
BY JOHN CARROLL |
Lifeblood Seeks Physician Support to Raise Patient Awareness of Blood Needs
A month after Harry Todtman, 57, underwent surgery for colorectal cancer, he began hemorrhaging profusely and was rushed to the emergency room, where he remained in critical condition for nearly a week.
After a massive amount of blood was pumped into his system, he was sent home, only to begin hemorrhaging a few days later. This time, blood was pumped in via three arteries so he could receive it fast enough. This is when Todtman figured he would die.
BY HOLLI W. HAYNIE |
MGMA President Reflects on Past and Future Practice Challenges
Practice administrator for the West Tennessee Bone and Joint Clinic (WTBJC) in Jackson and the new president of the West Tennessee chapter of the MGMA, Donna Klutts, reflects on current and future challenges facing practice managers.
"Managing any size practice is a challenge these days," she said. "The healthcare industry remains in a constant state of change."
BY KAREN OTT MAYER |
Improving Tennessee's Health Status
At the end of last October, public health professionals and state officials convened for the inaugural event of the Tennessee Institute of Public Health (TNIPH), a collaborative effort between the state's higher education leadership and the Tennessee Department of Health developed to improve the health of Tennesseans through education, research and policy analysis.
BY CINDY SANDERS |
Protecting Your Practice Against Disability
New business owners will find out quickly that they must manage a multitude of tedious details.
Some are more important than others, but all must be handled if a business is to survive in our treacherous business world. Managing one's medical practice demands facing more issues than managing a restaurant or a landscape business does.
Payroll is the thorn in the side of every owner. However, without payroll, retention of employees becomes a major problem.
By Jason Herrington and Tal |
County Rankings
As of last month, Tennessee counties have a new "knowledge is power" tool to use in assessing and ultimately improving the health of their citizens. The newly formed Tennessee Institute of Public Health released the state's first County Health Rankings: 2006 Index in early December.
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UTHSC Researcher Awarded NIH Grant to Discover How to Prevent Respirator Lung Injury
Patients depending on respirators for life support often experience further damage to the lungs from the life-saving treatment itself. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) have awarded a five-year $328,500 grant to Scott E. Sinclair, MD, assistant professor at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) to investigate the internal human mechanisms responsible for this lung injury.
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West Clinic Launches New B2B Consulting Firm, iwest
Steve Coplon, CEO of The West Clinic announced recently the formal launch of a new affiliated business to business consulting firm, iwest. The new firm will offer clients in the Mid-South and beyond innovative marketing, communications, and integrated business services primarily focusing on healthcare and biotechnology.
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