Grand Rounds March on Mississippi Medical News

Grand Rounds March

Baptist Medical Center Announces New President and Health Systems COO

JACKSON — Mark F. Slyter, FACHE, has joined Baptist Medical Center as President and Baptist Health Systems as Chief Operating Officer. He was previously the Administrator of Baptist Medical Center Beaches (Baptist Health, Jacksonville, FL) and Administrator of Hillcrest Hospital & Patewood Medical Campus (Greenville Hospital System, Greenville, SC).

Slyter holds a Masters in Health Services Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science from The University of Kansas. He achieved Fellow status in the American College of Healthcare Executives.

Dr. Robbins as 2009's Doctor of the Year

Baptist pediatric orthopedic surgeon Craig Robbins, M.D., with Pediatric Orthopaedic Specialists of Mississippi in Jackson, celebrated this past Valentine's Day as "America's Most Loved" doctor. DrScore.com, the online patient satisfaction survey site, has named Dr. Robbins as 2009's Doctor of the Year.

He had more than 160 patient ratings through the site, and his average score was a 9.8 out of 10.

Dr. Robbins attended the University of Miami School of Medicine in Miami, Fla., and completed his residency in orthopedic surgery at Tulane University in New Orleans. In addition, he completed a fellowship in pediatric orthopedic surgery at the Campbell Clinic in Memphis, Tenn., and a mini-fellowship at the International Center for Limb Lengthening in Baltimore, Md.

He had more than 160 patient ratings through the site, and his average score was a 9.8 out of 10. In the surveyís comments section, patients wrote about his great personality, how attentive he is to children and how wonderful he is at explaining medical facts.

Dr. Robbins attended the University of Miami School of Medicine in Miami, Fla., and completed his residency in orthopedic surgery at Tulane University in New Orleans. In addition, he completed a fellowship in pediatric orthopedic surgery at the Campbell Clinic in Memphis, Tenn., and a mini-fellowship at the International Center for Limb Lengthening in Baltimore, Md.

HealthGrades Ranks River Oaks Hospital #1 in Mississippi for Orthopedic Services, Joint Replacement and Spine Surgery

FLOWOOD — River Oaks Hospital held a special press conference to announce its recent HealthGrades rankings: #1 in Mississippi for overall orthopedic services, joint replacement and spine surgery. The 110- bed facility located in Flowood was also ranked among the top 10% nationally in overall orthopedic services, among the top 5% nationally in joint replacement and among the top 5% nationally in spine surgery. This is River Oaks Hospital's third year to receive the spine surgery award making it the only hospital in Mississippi to receive this honor.

HealthGrades is the leading healthcare ratings organization, providing ratings and profiles of hospital, nursing homes and physicians. The HealthGrades study of patient outcomes at the nation's approximately 5,000 hospitals is one of the most comprehensive annual studies of its kind, analyzing more than 41 million Medicare hospitalization records from 2005 to 2007. The study examines a wide range of procedures and conditions from virtually every specialty.

SRHS Labor And Delivery Nurses To Teach Certification

Two Singing River Hospital nurses are teaching Advanced Cardiac Life Support-Obstetrics (ACLS-OB) certification.

Ginny Decuir, Nurse Manager, and Stacey Glenn, RN, both in Women's and Children's Health Services, are two of only 95 total Advanced Cardiac Life Support-Obstetrics (ACLS-OB) instructors in the country.

The classes will be open to any registered nurse in the area, and they are the only two instructors between Texas and Georgia.

Women are having babies later in life now, Decuir said, which can lead to more complications during birth, such as hypertensive problems and gestational diabetes. She said complications can also arise from women having multiple gestations from fertility and women who were born premature now having children.

Decuir said obstetrics nurses are trained to focus on the areas of the patient which are physically birthing the baby, but the ACLS-OB certification makes them better able to deal with other medical complications that may come about during childbirth.

"Patients can feel more comfortable knowing they have a more educated staff taking care of them," Decuir said. "We're just going to provide an even better quality of care from this."

SRHS nurses will benefit from having a more familiar learning environment with instructors they may already work with. Also, the class is open to any registered nurse in the area who may be interested in taking it.

Wesley Home Health changes name to Wesley Home Care

Wesley Home Health has announced that it has a new name, Wesley Home Care. "We are beginning the New Year with a new name and a renewed commitment to our patients, their families and our partners in the healthcare community," said Carol Tatum, agency director. "We are here because of each of you and are thankful for your continued trust."

The community-based home care provider has been serving the community since 1996 and has a staff with collective healthcare experience of over 150 years.

Wesley Home Care continues to offer skilled nursing, home care aides, all therapy services and many other health services in the home. The agency will continue to extend Wesley Medical Center the ability to refer to and partner with post-acute service providers to address the specific healthcare needs in south Mississippi.

With its "Partners in Care" culture, Tatum said that Wesley Home Care believes it has opportunities for enhanced collaboration, extending disease management programs and primary treatment plans beyond the walls of the hospital and into the homes of community residents.

Leading Medical Lab Begins Columbus Operations

COLUMBUS — American Esoteric Laboratories (AEL), a leading regional medical laboratory testing company, has expanded to Columbus, MS. "AEL now can provide better service to patients, physicians, long-term care facilities, and home health agencies in Lowndes County and the surrounding area," said Jeanie Wrather, M.T., the AEL Columbus Lab Supervisor.

AEL Columbus is located at 425 Hospital Drive, Suite 6. This space previously was home to the Internal Medicine Associates laboratory. "Many former Internal Medicine professionals are working for us at the location, so we can provide uninterrupted care for those who have used their lab services in the past," Wrather explained. "We take pride in providing phlebotomy and same day testing services in a professional and patient-focused atmosphere."

The company offers an extended test menu of routine and esoteric testing, as well as microbiology, toxicology, and cytology services. AEL uses advanced information technology solutions to accelerate and automate electronic test ordering and result reporting for its customers.

Casey to lead Jeff Anderson Regional Medical Center

The Board of Directors of Jeff Anderson Regional Medical Center (JARMC) is pleased to introduce Mr. William Casey as the hospitalís Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

Mr. Casey was carefully selected by the Board to lead the hospital following the November 18, 2008 retirement announcement of long time President and CEO Mark McPhail.

Beyond his achievements in healthcare administration, Mr. Casey has strong philanthropic interests. He co-founded Propapa Missions, a charitable foundation that has developed two medical centers for the poor in Honduras.

MRHC Home Health & Hospice Ranked Among Top 100 Of Home Health Providers In The Country

Magnolia Regional Health Center Home Health & Hospice today announced that it has been named to the 2008 HomeCare Elite, a compilation of the most successful Medicare-certified home health care providers in the United States. This annual review identifies the Top 100 of agencies, ranked by an analysis of performance measures in quality outcomes, quality improvement and financial performance.

Student Provides Winning Entry in Central Mississippi Medical Center's "Name the Robot" Competition

JACKSON — "Doc Oc" was recently judged to be the winning entry in Central Mississippi Medical Center's surgical robot naming competition which was held in honor of the arrival of the da Vinci® Surgical System. This new technology will be used to perform hysterectomies and prostatectomies.

The "Name the Robot" contest was open to CMMC employees and their family member. Twelve-year-old Parker Sowers, son of Daniel Sowers in Rehabilitation Services, supplied the winning entry. Sowers admitted to being a big fan of the Spiderman comic book series in which the fictional character "Doc Ock" (Otto Octavius) is an arch enemy.

Jackson VA Opens New Clinic for Nation's Newest Veterans

On Thursday, the G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery VA Medical Center held a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony to celebrate the opening of its Post Deployment Clinic that provides services to our Nation's newest veterans returning from military tours in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The clinic, staffed by professionals from multiple disciplines, is designed to provide a seamless transition of services for Veterans returning from Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Jackson VA Staff Receive National Honor for POW Program

The Military Order of Purple Hearts recognized two Jackson VA employees for their hard work and dedication that has improved care for former Prisoners of War.

Dr. Jo Harbour (left) from the G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery VA Medical Center and Ms. Nancy Mullins (right) from the VA Regional Office for Benefits designed the Ex-POW Case Management Initiative Program that streamlines normal VA operations, provides world class, personalized VA service to former POWs and targets specific problems associated with the processing of claims. The program, a collaborative effort between the Medical Center and Regional Office, is considered the gold-standard for POWs.

Hattiesburg Clinic Breaks Ground on New Construction

Hattiesburg Clinic recently broke ground on a two-story, 20,000 square foot expansion. Once complete, the new facility will create a central location for Hattiesburg Clinic's imaging and diagnostic equipment.

"The new expansion will also bring the latest imaging technology to the Hattiesburg community," said Billy Allen, Senior Assistant Administrator of Clinic Operations. Upon completion, Hattiesburg Clinic will acquire a new 3T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) that will complement the capabilities of the Clinic's two current MRI machines. "The 3T MRI contains a stronger magnet which will provide clearer definition," said Karen Crutcher, Director of Laboratory and Imaging Services.

The second floor of the new facility will be utilized as needed for future Clinic expansions. Renovations are also being made to the current parking lot to streamline patient and employee traffic and improve parking availability.

The expansion is projected to take approximately 15 months. Completion date is tentatively scheduled for late 2010.