UMC Policy Change Effective in 2008

By January, doctors who practice medicine part-time at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson must move to a full-time basis or stop working at the state’s only teaching hospital. The new closed staff policy will reportedly stabilize finances and improve monitor care, officials have said. UMC physicians will also be encouraged to refer patients within the hospital system.

Officials say lack of financial resources and intense competition among academic institutions across the country are making it difficult to attract and retain physicians at UMC. The teaching hospital began the fiscal year in July with an 18 percent vacancy rate, with many empty slots in sub-specialty areas.

2008 Heart & Soul Gala to Focus on Stroke in African American Community

Stroke is the third leading cause of death in Mississippi and a leading cause of disability. African Americans have almost twice the risk of having a stroke as White Americans. The American Heart Association’s 2008 Heart & Soul Gala will focus on raising awareness about stroke risks, warnings and prevention particularly in the African-American community.

Dr. Malcolm and Gwen Taylor will serve as the chairs of this year’s gala, which is in its second year. The gala will be held Friday, February 8th at the Marriott Hotel downtown. The black-tie event will feature live entertainment, a silent and live auction, and a seated dinner.

The Heart & Soul Gala will also honor six African-American pioneers in medicine; Dr. Robert Smith, Dr. Helen Barnes, Dr. Aaron Shirley, Dr. James Anderson, Dr. A.B. Britton, Jr. and the memory of Dr. Harvey Sanders. “These leaders helped lay the foundation for many African Americans that practice medicine in Mississippi today,” said Taylor.

The money raised during the event will go to support research and educational programs for the American Heart Association. For more information about the Heart & Soul Gala or how you can fight heart disease and stroke in your community call the American Heart Association at 601-321-1200.

The Heart & Soul Gala is presented by BankPlus. Media partners include WDBD Fox 40, The Mississippi Link and Hallelujah 95.5.

O’Dell Named Chief Quality Officer at NMMC

Michael O’Dell, MD, has accepted a position as Chief Quality Officer (CQO) at North Mississippi Medical Center.

As CQO, Dr. O’Dell will direct the hospital’s clinical quality and outcomes program. He will work with management and clinicians to continue the excellence in clinical outcomes at NMMC that was recognized by the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in 2006. Dr. O’Dell will also continue in his role as director of NMMC’s Family Medicine Residency Program.

Dr. O’Dell has served as director of the FMRP since March 2002. During his tenure at NMMC, he has overseen the full accreditation of the program and has successfully grown the program to 20 current physicians in training, in addition to other duties at the facility.

Dr. O’Dell received his bachelor’s degree from Kansas State University in 1974 and received his Doctorate of Medicine in 1977 from the University of Kansas Medical Center at Kansas City. After a year of internship, Hel was called to active duty service with the Navy. He returned to the University of Kansas in 1981 to complete his residency training, and then joined the faculty of the University of Kansas. Dr. O’Dell has served on the faculties of the University of Texas Medical Branch and the University of Alabama — Birmingham. He is board certified by the American Board of Family Practice.

He became a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians in 1985, and completed a master’s Degree in health care administration at University of Alabama — Birmingham in 2005. He has written several professional articles and book chapters.

More than 2000 Walkers Take Steps to a Healthier Lifestyle

Metro Jackson residents walked to advance heart health one step at a time at the American Heart Association’s 2007 Metro Jackson Start! Heart Walk. The 3.2 mile non-competitive walk was held Sunday, October 21st at the Mississippi State Capital.

More than 2,000 walkers participated and raised more than $250,000 to fund research and educational programs aimed at building healthier lives free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke.

Dr. Dan Jones, Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs at the University of Mississippi Medical Center and president of the American Heart Association President, spoke at the event which also featured music by the Provine High School Band and a family fun center.

The American Heart Association’s Start! movement encourages people to take the first step towards a healthier lifestyle by becoming physically active.

Start! is nationally sponsored by Subway, AstraZeneca, Healthy Choice and locally sponsored by Wal-Mart Stores. The 2007 Metro Jackson Start! Heart Walk was presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Mississippi. Media partners include WLBT, MISS 103, the Mississippi Business Journal and Lamar Outdoor.Officials say lack of financial resources and intense competition among academic institutions across the country are making it difficult to attract and retain physicians at UMC. The teaching hospital began the fiscal year in July with an 18 percent vacancy rate, with many empty slots in sub-specialty areas.

Gamma Knife Center at CMMC Holds 20-Year Anniversary Celebration and Open House

At an Open House on Tuesday, October 9, 2007, Central Mississippi Medical Center celebrated 20 years of providing the latest radiation oncology and diagnostic services to patients at the Cancer Care Center. At the event, the hospital unveiled the very latest technology for patients who have brain tumors, vascular malformations and facial pain — the Leksell Gamma Knife® PERFEXION™.

Central Mississippi Medical Center acquired Mississippi’s first and only Leksell Gamma Knife® in April 2001. Since then, Elekta, maker of the Gamma Knife, has enhanced its instrument to attain a new level of accuracy, precision and efficiency.

In October 2007, CMMC is one of the first hospitals in the country to provide the Leksell Gamma Knife® PERFEXION™, to patients. The Gamma Knife treats benign and malignant brain tumors, metastatic tumors, vascular malformations, and Trigeminal Neuralgia. Renovations began on August 20, closing the center throughout the month of September.

A list of improvements have been made to the Gamma Knife® PERFEXION™. According to Elekta, the reduction of radiation exposure during treatment is the foremost improvement in patient/operator safety. This is achieved by an automatic delivery of the radiation dose using a robotic couch and automated collimator movement resulting in a shielding level for at-risk organs that is up to ten times better than alternative technologies.

The second safety feature is the minimization of the need to change helmets due to the new collimator configuration. Because the treatment times can be reduced with the Leksell Gamma Knife® PERFEXION™, the center can expect to be available to treat more patient in need of its specialized services.

Dr. Zachow, believes that physicians and patients will benefit from the shorter treatment time. Previously, the Gamma Knife would only allow physicians to treat areas of the brain only. The Leksell Gamma Knife® PERFEXION™ will allow physicians to treat the brain, neck and cervical spine.

The center averages 125-150 patients per year who travel from Mississippi, Florida and Louisiana to utilize the $3.5 million dollar equipment.

Congratulations to the 2007-2008 MHA Society for Health Care Marketing and Public Relations Board

CONGRATULATIONS to the 2007-2008 MHA Society for Health Care Marketing and Public Relations Board. The installation of officers will be held at the annual business session held on Friday, November 9th following the Junior and Senior Professional of the Years Awards Brunch.

President - Jana Fuss,
St. Dominic-Jackson Memorial Hospital

President-Elect - Jarrod Ravencraft, Mississippi State Hospital

Past President - Millie Swan,
Forrest General Hospital

Central Region - Emily Myers,
River Oaks Hospital

Northern Region - Debbie Hall, North Mississippi State Hospital

Southern Region - Jennifer French, Singing River Hospital

At-Large Members - Robby Channell, Mississippi Baptist Health Systems, Inc.; Julie Hollingsworth, Baptist Memorial Health Care Corporation; Marsha Tapscott, North Mississippi Health Services; Amy Ford, Rush Foundation Hospital

Thompson Selected as Presenter at VEITHsymposium™

Dr. J. Keith Thompson, a vascular surgeon with Hattiesburg Clinic, has been selected as a presenter at the prestigious VEITHsymposium™ sponsored by the Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Thompson’s work in the area of endovascular surgery was chosen as one of twenty-five submissions for presentation at a special session during the 2007 VEITHsymposium™ to be held November 14-17, 2007 in New York. A panel of judges including the chairman, co-chairmen, and committee of the VEITHsymposium™ selected Dr. Thompson’s work from submissions by vascular surgeons worldwide.

For 34 years, the VEITHsymposium™ has featured prestigious international faculty and has become a worldwide event in vascular disease intervention. Each year over 2,000 vascular surgeons are attracted to the symposium by rapid-fire presentations, live case demonstrations and dynamic panel discussions that address the timely and controversial issues, advances and techniques in vascular and endovascular surgery.

Dr. Thompson is a board certified vascular surgeon with Vascular and Endovascular Specialists of Hattiesburg Clinic. Dr. Thompson has published several studies in prominent medical journals including the Annals of Vascular Surgery and the Journal of Vascular Surgery. Dr. Thompson, along with Dr. Lewis Hatten, is among the first to successfully perform emergency endograft interventions for traumatic life threatening aortic injuries. Dr. Thompson specializes in the minimally invasive treatment of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA).

Southern Surgical Associates Adds New Physician

Lee L. Turner, MD, a general surgeon, recently returned to Mississippi and has been hired by Southern Surgical Associates.

Dr. Turner relocated to Hattiesburg after completing his general surgery residency at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle, WA.

He is a graduate of Mississippi College in Clinton and received his medical degree from the University of Mississippi School of Medicine in Jackson.

Dr. Turner’s wife, Stephanie Robinett, MD, is a pediatric neurologist and has joined the physicians of the Southern Neuroscience Center. She will begin seeing patients in November.

Tyra Named New CEO at Rankin Medical Center

Officials with Health Management Associates, Inc. (HMA) have announced that Allen Tyra has been named Chief Executive Officer at Rankin Medical Center.

Prior to joining HMA, Tyra was employed in the healthcare industry by another healthcare management firm for several years; before that he was the Director of Cardiopulmonary Services at the University of South Alabama, where he was promoted to management positions after joining the hospital as a respiratory therapist in 1987. He received both his undergraduate and master of business administration degrees from the University of South Alabama at Mobile.

Medical Center Builds MomentUM with Kick-off Event

A celebration to launch the University of Mississippi Medical Center’s $50 million capital campaign recently took place Oct. 30 in the front lawn of University Hospital.

The MomentUM Jubilee is part of the Medical Center’s portion of the MomentUM campaign, the University of Mississippi’s academic enrichment drive.

“For Mississippi’s Better Health: MomentUM,” will help fund the UMC Cancer Institute; a new heart and vascular center; relocation and renovation of the existing children’s clinics which will allow for the relocation and expansion of the children’s emergency department; a medical research scholars program; and distinguished chair endowments.

“The MomentUM campaign is an opportunity for our community to express its support for the programs at the University of Mississippi Medical Center,” said Dr. Dan Jones, vice chancellor for health affairs. “Private giving is an important source of support for all successful health science centers.

“I am grateful for the generous support from many in our community and am confident we will have strong support in this public phase of our campaign.”

According to Matt Isch, executive director of development at UMC, the MomentUM campaign focuses on goals, like the Cancer Institute, and endowed chairs and scholarships, which will lay the foundation for growth in the years ahead.

“Currently, we have fewer than 10 endowed chairs on campus that are fully funded,” Isch said. “Our goals for the campaign include completing funding on some of the chairs that have already been established and establishing and funding several new ones in key areas.

“The Medical Center recognizes that if it is going to ‘grow’ its student population and compete for the very best students in the state, it has to be able to offer competitive scholarship support,” Isch said.

Suzan Thames, chair of the Friends of Children’s Hospital Board of Directors and co-chair of the MomentUM campaign, said faculty and staff at the Blair E. Batson Hospital for Children and Friends of Children’s Hospital are proud to be a part of the campaign at UMC.

“Growth and expansion of the pediatric division at the Medical Center is vital to providing the very best in quality health care for Mississippi’s children and insuring that we attract and retain the very best and most qualified physicians to practice in our state,” she said. “Our Children’s Hospital has been blessed with the highest caliber of dedicated, committed and cutting-edge staff and physicians.


December 2007