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West Tennessee Ob/Gyn Welcomes New Provider

West Tennessee OB/Gyn Services welcomes Elliott C. Roberts Jr., MD to its staff. Dr. Roberts is from Baltimore, Maryland. He completed his medical education at Louisiana State University School of Medicine in New Orleans. Dr. Roberts’ residency in obstetrics and gynecology was completed at Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit. He is certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Dr. Roberts is an Associate Professor and Assistant Residency Director of Meharry Medical College, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in Nashville.



Jackson-Madison County General Hospital Joins The Institute For Healthcare Improvement’s Project Joints Initiative

Jackson-Madison County General Hospital announced today that it has joined the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s Project JOINTS initiative, a federally-funded program designed to speed adoption of proven methods to prevent surgical site infections (SSIs) after hip and knee replacement surgery. Tennessee is one of five states participating in the first stage of this three-year project. Project JOINTS stands for “Joining Organizations IN Tackling SSI.”

Maureen Bisognano, President and CEO of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) says patients are not getting the best care reliably enough, and that it can take years from the publication of evidence-based advancements to when patients can reap the benefits. Organizations taking part in Project JOINTS are dedicated to accelerating the spread of practices shown to protect patients from potentially devastating infections.

Launched in April of 2011, Project JOINTS is focusing on hip and knee replacement surgery because infections following these procedures can be catastrophic for the patient and those caring for them. Treatment can mean multiple surgeries, months of medical and physical therapy, prolonged periods of recuperation, and often considerable pain and sizeable out-of-pocket expenses. For some, permanent disability and long-term financial problems are the results.

Health care facilities that choose to participate in Project JOINTS commit to implementing the IHI Enhanced Surgical Site Infections Prevention Bundle, a set of five evidence-based practices designed to prevent SSIs in patients undergoing hip and knee replacement surgery.



Ronald Williams, MD Joins HCMC and Tri-County Family Medicine and Urgent Care

We welcome Ronald Williams, MD, Family Medicine to Henry County Medical Center and the Tri-County Family Medicine & Urgent Care Clinic in Paris. He has joined in practice with Toby Hampton, MD and John Blankenship, MD.

Dr. Williams moved to Paris in late spring and he and his wife, Monica, already love it here. Together, they have six children ranging from age 19 to 38.

Dr. Williams comes to us from Winslow, Arizona and the Little Colorado Medical Center via Akron and Toledo, Ohio. He received his Bachelors and Masters Degrees from the University of Akron in Ohio, the city where he grew up, as well. He received his Medical Degree from the University of Toledo College of Medicine after completing his internships in Family Medicine at HSPHS Hospital in New Orleans and his residency at Riverside Hospital in Toledo.

Tri-County Family Medicine and Urgent Care Clinic is located on Jim Adams Drive in Paris.



Kirkland Cancer Center Sponsors “Beyond The C”

The Kirkland Cancer Center invites anyone touched by cancer to the first survivorship conference called “Beyond the C,” Saturday, August 13 at Jackson-Madison County General Hospital. The conference, from 8:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m., will be devoted to motivation of survivors with a nautical theme.

Breakout sessions will include helpful information about “Wading Through” Medicare and TennCare, “Navigating the Course” through child rearing and how adults compare to children, “Smooth Sailing,” through long term treatment and “Knowing the Ropes,” about healthy lifestyles as well as “Weathering the Storm,” for family members of survivors. Information about survivorship, nutrition, fitness, relationship and hope will all be part of the day long conference designed to uplift survivors through their journey.

There is a $10 registration fee. Please bring caregivers and family members to receive information that could benefit them.

Please call the Kirkland Cancer Center at Jackson-Madison General Hospital at 731-541-5087 for more information or to reserve your seat at the conference.



American Health Assistance Foundation Announces Latest Grants for Innovative Vision Research

The American Health Assistance Foundation (AHAF), a nonprofit organization with a history of funding cutting-edge research on age-related diseases, announced today that it has awarded 22 new grants totaling nearly $2.2 million to scientists worldwide who are studying glaucoma and macular degeneration. The two conditions are the leading causes of irreversible vision loss and blindness in the U.S.

Over the years, AHAF has awarded more than $115 million to advance research on age-related degenerative conditions, including $31.5 million in grants for glaucoma and macular degeneration research, said Stacy Pagos Haller, AHAF’s President and CEO.

Researchers in Florida, Tennessee, and Singapore are studying the genetics of age-related macular degeneration in Caucasian, African American, and Asian populations, respectively. Discovering how genes affect a person’s risk of AMD may lead to prevention and treatments.

One of the grants for macular degeneration was awarded to Jonathan L. Haines, Ph.D., director of the Center for Human Genetics Research at Vanderbilt University, will look for risk genes by comparing the DNA of African Americans with AMD to that of unrelated African Americans without AMD. Results could show whether AMD progresses differently in African Americans than in other populations.



Data Facts and iCIMS Partner to Provide Candidate Solutions to Baptist Memorial Health Care

The 14 hospitals that stretch over three states in Baptist Memorial Health Care’s (BMHC) system employ about 12,000 people. That’s a lot of jobs for a human resources department to look after. And what makes the challenge even tougher for a health care organization such as BMHC is the vast array of state and federal rules and regulations the human resources office has to deal with.

To tackle this challenge, BMHC leveraged a partnership between Data Facts, a Memphis-based organization that provides businesses with crucial background information and iCIMS, an organization that provides on-demand web-based business solutions related to candidate and employee management. With the alliance of iCIMS and Data Facts in full gear, BMHC can initiate background checks with the click of a button.

By jumpstarting the background check, Data Facts is able to deliver a wealth of vital information about a job applicant in as quickly as 24 hours said Lisa P. May, Vice President of Resource & Development at Data Facts.

Data Facts is a national background screening company, provides comprehensive candidate screening services that support workforce safety and regulatory compliance. The company, more than two-decades old, has been providing a range of services to BMHC since 2003. During that time the two have built an excellent working relationship. As BMHC’s needs grew and regulations expanded and became more complex, Data Facts’ provided proactive health care screening solutions.

Data Facts is able to provide Baptist proper and acute screening quickly, allowing BHMC to process applications much more efficiently according to May. It greatly eliminates the chances of spending too much time on a candidate who is not qualified. The turn-around time on processing applications is tremendously improved.



Mgma And Acmpe Name Susan Turney, Md, Facmpe As President And Ceo

Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) and its credentialing and standard-setting body, American College of Medical Practice Executives (ACMPE), recently named Susan Turney, MD, MS, FACP, FACMPE as their new president and chief executive officer. Turney, an internist, will take the helm at the Associations in early October. She succeeds William F. Jessee, MD, FACMPE, who will retire in September after 12 years at the associations. The Boards of Directors selected and confirmed Turney after a year-long national search conducted by a professional search firm under the guidance of member leaders.

Turney, who has earned the status of Fellow in ACMPE, the highest level of board certification one can earn in the medical practice management profession, will oversee the strategy and operations of MGMA, ACMPE and their affiliated organizations.

Turney has broad experience with both practice management and association management. Turney has served as the CEO and executive vice president of the Wisconsin Medical Society since 2004. Among other achievements, she founded and chaired the Wisconsin Statewide Health Information Network (WISHIN) to improve individual and community health, promote patient-centered healthcare, and advance the use of information technology to improve health care quality and efficiency.

Turney also co-founded the Wisconsin Health Information Organization and spearheaded the vision, strategy and execution of initiatives to optimize healthcare delivery and to help ensure accessible, efficient, patient-centered quality care for Wisconsin citizens. Along with her clinical practice, Turney also served as the medical director for patient financial services at Marshfield (Wis.) Clinic.

Turney served as the 2005-06 MGMA Board chair as well as in other Board and committee positions and has been an ACMPE Fellow since 2005.

Turney has served on state and national health care committees, including committees of the National Quality Forum, and fulfilled many other appointments from the Wisconsin governor and the secretary of the U.S. Health and Human Services. Turney holds a medical degree and a master’s of science degree in administrative medicine from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. She served her internal medicine residency at Marshfield Clinic/St. Joseph’s Hospital.



UT Medical Group Appoints President And CEO

Dr. J. Lacey Smith has been named president and chief executive officer of UT Medical Group, Inc., succeeding Steven H. Burkett.

Smith has been UT Medical Group’s chief medical officer and executive vice president since 2008. He is a long-time faculty member at the UT Health Science Center, where he currently serves as professor of medicine and most recently was interim dean for the College of Medicine.

Smith is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine with subspecialty certification in gastroenterology. After completing his residency in internal medicine and fellowship in gastroenterology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, he joined the faculty there. He joined the UT Health Science Center in 1989.





The Medical Group Partners With SergeMD for NextGen Solutions

The Medical Group, PLLC, an 8 provider Internal Medicine group, is partnering with local healthcare IT provider SergeMD to deploy the NextGen ambulatory Electronic Health Record and Practice Management suite of solutions. SergeMD is a Memphis based reseller of NextGen software that will handle the training, implementation and ongoing support for The Medical Group.

The Medical Group’s software purchase and partnership with SergeMD affirms the practice’s commitment to investing in the latest technologies that enhance patient care and satisfaction. The implementation of the NextGen suite of solutions will enable The Medical Group to streamline clinical workflow, efficiently document patient encounters, and will provide immediate and secure access to patient data, eventually eliminating the need for paper records. From a patient perspective, the goal is to eliminate the clipboard said Shad Williams, President of SergeMD.

SergeMD and The Medical Group will also partner on several initiatives to prepare the practice for the achievement of the Meaningful Use incentives established in the HITECH Act of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. NextGen provides a module specifically designed to report the data required for Meaningful Use.

The Medical Group has been preparing for this implementation for several months and will set the standard for patient-centered care in the Mid-South states Williams.



New ED Registration and Triage Areas Open At The MED

Regional Medical Center at Memphis is continuing efforts to increase efficiencies, upgrade the physical plant and improve patient access in the hospital with renovations in the Emergency Department. Phase 1 of the Emergency Department renovation project is now complete.

The newly renovated area, which includes new registration and triage spaces, opened for patients and guests in July. Patient access and comfort were key elements in the design of the new space during this first phase of construction, which began on March 28. Also improving access, the Emergency Parking Lot located on Jefferson Avenue opened June 30 for patients and guests.

The next phase of construction is underway now to build a main entrance to the hospital. The new main entrance will be located on Jefferson Avenue. The entrance will provide a much needed “front door” for guests to access the hospital. This phase of construction along with phase 2 of the Emergency Department waiting room is expected to be completed by September.

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