UMMC, Health Management Explore Possible Affiliation

 The University of Mississippi Medical Center and Health Management Associates, Inc., which owns 10 hospitals in Mississippi, have announced that they are exploring a possible affiliation to expand health professions education in the state, enhance the delivery and quality of medical services, and prepare both organizations for a changing national health-care landscape in the years ahead.

Officials said today that the potential affiliation will pave the way for broad cooperation that will create more opportunities for community-based training of resident physicians and other trainees, offer a menu of health services in settings ranging from a rural community clinic to an urban academic medical center, and open additional venues for population-based health research to improve care and the health status of Mississippi residents.

Dr. James E. Keeton, UMMC vice chancellor for health affairs and dean of the School of Medicine said that in this new era of health care, no one can stand alone anymore and that there has to be collaboration to survive.  He said that this collaboration will help boost the number of physicians that are trained in Mississippi, in response to a shortage that will only grow worse over time.

The affiliation between a public academic health science center and an investor-owned company is not unusual.  Health Management, which owns 66 hospitals and 461 clinics in 15 states, has relationships with other academic centers both public and private.

In the Jackson metro area, Health Management facilities include River Oaks Hospital and Woman’s Hospital at River Oaks, both in Flowood, Crossgates River Oaks Hospital in Brandon, Madison River Oaks Hospital in Canton and Central Mississippi Medical Center.   The company also owns hospitals in Amory, Batesville, Biloxi, Clarksdale and Natchez. 

In one option being explored, UMMC will work with Health Management to create educational opportunities for medical residents and fellows – physicians who are pursuing specialty training following medical school – in its Mississippi hospitals.  Doing so would enhance UMMC’s ability to grow the number of physicians in Mississippi, which lags behind nearly every other state in its per-capita supply and distribution of doctors.

Medicare Covers Screening And Counseling For Obesity

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today announced that Medicare is adding coverage for preventive services to reduce obesity. This adds to Medicare’s existing portfolio of preventive services that are now available without cost sharing under the Affordable Care Act. It complements the Million Hearts initiative led jointly by CMS and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in partnership with other HHS agencies, communities, health systems, nonprofit organizations, and private sector partners across the country to prevent one million heart attacks and strokes in the next 5 years.

Screening for obesity and counseling for eligible beneficiaries by primary care providers in settings such as physicians’ offices are covered under this new benefit. For a beneficiary who screens positive for obesity with a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30 kg/m2, the benefit would include one face-to-face counseling visit each week for one month and one face-to-face counseling visit every other week for an additional five months. The beneficiary may receive one face-to-face counseling visit every month for an additional six months (for a total of 12 months of counseling) if he or she has achieved a weight reduction of at least 6.6 pounds (or 3 kilograms) during the first six months of counseling.

BCBSMS Awards $250,000 Grant to HealthWorks!

Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation has awarded a $250,000 grant to Health Care Foundation of North Mississippi for a HealthWorks! project that will expand children’s health education school outreach programming and provide schools in the region with additional resources to develop and sustain their school health councils.

The Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation grant was awarded as a part of its continuing effort to fund successful health programs and initiatives that work to improve the health of Mississippians, especially children’s health and physical education.

School health councils are volunteer advisory groups that advise schools on aspects of their comprehensive school health program.

With this donation Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation becomes the center’s most significant contributor. In 2006 the Foundation contributed $500,000 to the initial capital campaign to develop the center.

McMahan Receives National Award

Lynn B. McMahan, M.D. was recognized for his years of participation on the Council of the American Academy of Ophthalmology during the Academy’s Annual Meeting in Orlando.

The Council serves as an advisory body to the Academy’s Board of Trustees.  Nationally, approximately 100 Academy members serve on this council and act as liaisons between the 20,000 members of the Academy and the Academy’s Board of Trustees.

For his work on the council Dr. McMahan received the academy Distinguished Service Award, one of the highest honors given by the Academy.

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