GAUTIER—Singing River Health System and George Regional Health System—both community-owned and not-for-profit—announced in May a partnership to provide medical specialty services and identify other opportunities for residents in the Mississippi Gulf Coast region.

 

George Regional, which employs more than 500 employees and admits nearly 1,900 patients annually, operates a hospital in Lucedale. Singing River, which employs more than 2,600 and admits nearly 18,000 patients annually, operates hospitals in Pascagoula and Ocean Springs, and a network of primary care providers in Jackson, Harrison and Mobile counties, a cancer center, neuroscience center and cardiovascular program.

 

In May, Singing River opened George Regional Specialty Center in Lucedale with neurologists and pain management specialists. Singing River-operated Hospice of Light, which has provided care in George County since 2006, moved into the Lucedale facility a month earlier.

 

Singing River CEO Chris Anderson said the health systems have signed a statement declaring their intention to collaborate.

 

“The most important thing I’ve learned as I’ve worked with the leadership team at George Regional and some of their staff,” said Anderson, “we basically have the same organizational structure, we have very consistent missions and we serve a lot of the same people. We do a lot of things in our market and have resources they don’t have. There are a lot of opportunities for us to assist them. They do some things really well and they have some things in their market that we can benefit by being part of.”

 

Health system leaders began discussing the partnership earlier this year.

 

“We really can’t work all this out until we spend a lot of time together and we know as we do that, people are going to want to know what is going on,” said Anderson. Because of our common mission, what we’ve really decided is it makes infinitely more sense in this complex world we work in, to work together where we can to support each other and to help each other become stronger clinically, stronger from a business market share standpoint and more efficient.”

 

George Regional CEO Paul Gardner said the new relationship with SRHS is unique because of the commitment both organizations have to improving the quality of life in this community.

 

“The exceptional care George County residents already expect and receive from GRHS will be enhanced by the addition of selected medical specialties previously unavailable here,” he said.

 

For example, health systems and patients can benefit from a closer relationship concerning cardiac surgery. Singing River performs about 300 heart surgeries annually, yet has the capacity to handle 400, Anderson pointed out, adding that George County patients could stay closer to home for heart surgery and return home for recovery.

 

HATTIESBURG — Hattiesburg Clinic neurologist, Christopher Scott Lynn, M.D., recently received recertification from the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in the subspecialty of neurology.

 

Lynn holds a medical degree from the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, Ga. He also completed an internship in internal medicine and a residency in neurology at the Medical College of Georgia.

 

His professional associations include the American Medical Association, American Academy of Neurology, and American Headache Society.

 

Monte Bostwick has been named Chief Executive Officer of Biloxi Regional Medical Center. Mr. Bostwick received his Bachelor of Science from Lubbock Christian University and his Master of Business Administration from Texas Tech University.

 

Prior to relocating to Biloxi, Monte has been with Health Management Associates, Inc. since 2001 and has served as Regional Practice Manager, Assistant Administrator, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Executive Officer most recently at HMA’s facility, Yakima Regional Medical and Cardiac Center. He is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives, Rotary International, and a past member of the United Way Board of Directors in Monroe County and Yakima County.

 

Radiologist Larkin Carter, MD, represented Baptist Breast Health Center, at the Ochsner Ironman 70.3 on April 18 in New Orleans. Carter grabbed second place from 215 participants in the male 45- to 49-year-old age group, with an impressive result time of 4:33. The finish represents his best for the half Ironman distance. The competition marks the first in a series of triathlon and running events, where Carter will represent Baptist in the promotion of mammograms and early breast cancer detection.

 

Stoneville — The Delta Health Alliance is giving new meaning to the word “BLUES” thanks to a $14.7 million dollar grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and its American Recovery Act Beacon Community Program. This grant will support the Delta Health Alliance’s BLUES (Better Living Utilizing Electronic Systems) project.

 

The BLUES project is a regional collaboration with various agencies in the Delta and state to bring health information technologies in the Mississippi Delta to a new level by establishing and supporting a network of Electronic Health Records (EHR) systems.

 

Greenville — Stroke patients and other patients suffering from upper- and lower-extremity paralysis caused by central nervous system injuries or disease will find new treatment options at Delta Regional Outpatient Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine: the NESS H200 Hand Rehabilitation System and the wireless NESS L300 Foot Drop System from Bioness Inc. The innovative functional electrical stimulation (FES) systems help patients recovering from stroke, traumatic brain injury, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy and incomplete spinal cord injury regain muscle control.

 

The NESS H200 Hand Rehabilitation System is easy to use and has been shown to facilitate return of hand function in patients at the acute phase of recovery following stroke and brain injury, as well as in select patients whose injuries are years old.

 

The NESS H200 consists of a soft polymer fitting that rests over the patient’s hand and forearm. The fitting has five embedded surface electrodes that, on command, stimulate the muscles in the hand and wrist to extend and flex. A separate control unit allows the clinician to program the system with a series of exercises customized for each patient. The NESS H200 can be sued in the inpatient and outpatient setting, or can be self-administered in the home. Patients are encouraged to purchase the NESS H200 for home use to maximize rehabilitation.

 

The innovative NESS L300 is the first FES system that is wireless, low profile, and lightweight. The system has three components: a gait sensor worn in the shoe, a wireless stimulating leg cuff worn below the knee, and a clinician-programmed control unit. When the gait sensor detects “heel off,” it sends a message to the leg cuff, which then stimulates the leg muscles to lift the foot accordingly. The advanced Intelli-Sense Gait Sensor technology of the NESS L300 Foot Drop System allows patients to achieve a more-normalized gait on changing terrains and at varying speeds.

 

Greenville – Delta Regional Medical Center announces the addition of a new Pediatric Physical Therapist, J.V. Limtengco, PT to DRMC Outpatient Rehabilitation & Sports Medicine. Limtengco received his Bachelor of Science degree in 2003 from University of the East – Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center, Quezon City, Philippines. Since that time he has specialized in providing physical therapy to children in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Limtengco has extensive experience in physical therapy for cerebral palsy, spina bifida, Down syndrome, and other disorders/diseases. Limtengco and his wife, Jen Chloe, have their first child on the way, a baby girl, due July 20th. They live in Greenville.

 

Limtengco joins B.C. Neill-Irwin MOT, OTR/L, Melissa George, M.S., CCC-SLP, Sangie Alford, M.S., CCC-SLP, Jessica Mitchell, Rehab Technician and Angie McClellan, Patient Services Specialist to complete the pediatric rehabilitation team. Together the therapists offer a combined 42 years of experience in pediatric therapy.

 

Stephanie Kent, Director of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at DRMC said that the addition of an experienced pediatric physical therapist allows the center to provide a full range of therapy services to the area.

 

Magnolia Regional Health Center has recently implemented the use of an electronic Transfusion Administration Record (TAR) as part of its ongoing initiative to provide better quality of care and information safety to their patients by utilizing information technology.

 

Magnolia Regional Health Center is one of the first hospitals in the nation to implement TAR, stated Rick Napper, MRHC CEO & President.

 

Implemented at MRHC in March, the electronic transfusion verification system utilizes bar code technology. The nurse scans the patient’s bar coded wristband, the blood product’s bar coded label, and the user ID bar code at the bedside using either tethered or wireless scanners. The system verifies that the patient and blood product are both correct and allows the nurse to proceed with the transfusion. The nurse has the ability to document vital signs, the start and end time, as well as any transfusion reactions. The TAR application is fully integrated with MEDITECH’s Blood Bank application, Electronic Medical Record (EMR) and Patient Care System Module.

 

HATTIESBURG – Kevin B. Clement, M.D., is welcomed back to Hattiesburg Clinic Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine in the practice of sports medicine.

 

Clement holds a medical degree from Louisiana State University School of Medicine in New Orleans, La. He completed a family practice residency at Moses Cone Hospital in Greensboro, N.C., and a primary care sports medicine fellowship at Andrews Sports Medicine & Orthopaedic Center in Birmingham, Ala.

 

He is board certified by the American Board of Family Practice in family practice and sports medicine. Clement is a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians, American Medical Society for Sports Medicine, American Medical Association, Alabama State Medical Association and Alabama Academy of Family Physicians.

 

He joins David W. Bomboy, M.D.; Brian E. Humpherys, M.D.; Bruce M. McCarthy, M.D.; J. Michael Weaver, M.D.; Raymond Y. Whitehead, M.D.; J. Stewart Williford, M.D.; and Billy R. Windham F.N.P.

 

Magnolia Regional Health Center’s Internal Medicine Residency Program was awarded continuing approval for four years on April 8, 2010, by the AOA (American Osteopathic Association) Program and Trainee Review Council. “The MRHC medical staff continues to support medical education efforts in our community and the surrounding communities that we serve, stated Gene Combest, M.D., MRHC Vice-President of Medical Affairs. He added, “I am appreciative to my fellow physicians for the integral part they have played in achieving this accreditation.”

 

As the only accrediting agency for osteopathic medical education, the AOA is responsible for developing and enforcing postdoctoral training requirements, policies and procedures in order to ensure the highest quality residency programs. According to MRHC President and CEO, Rick Napper, “We feel that through this program, MRHC will be able to meet the challenging task of recruiting primary care physicians to rural areas of northeast Mississippi.” MRHC’s residency program is ACOI (American College Osteopathic Internists) approved for Internal Medicine Specialty.

 

As of July 1, 2010, MRHC will have three residents in their third year of training, four residents in their second year of training and seven residents in their first year of training.