Grand Rounds November on Mississippi Medical News

Grand Rounds November

Stonnington Receives Recertification From National Orthopaedic Board

Dr. Michael Stonnington of Southern Bone and Joint Specialists, P.A. was recently recertified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS).

The recertification examination evaluates an orthopaedist's continuing competence through evidence of continuing medical education, credentialing and examination.

Stonnington, a board certified orthopaedic surgeon with special interests in traumatology, total joint replacement and sports medicine, focuses on the treatment of acute fractures, post-traumatic deformities and non-unions including injuries to the pelvis and acetabulum at the Orthopaedic Trauma Services at Forrest General Hospital.

Stonnington is co-chairman of FGH department of surgery. He received his undergraduate degree with distinction from the University of Virginia. He then received his medical degree from Duke University and his orthopaedic surgery training at the University of Florida. He is the founding co-director of Orthopaedic Trauma Services at Forrest General Hospital. Stonnington recently authored two chapters in a major musculoskeletal textbook.

Patient-Centered Medical Home Summit

The Mississippi Academy of Family Physicians with help from Merck and Company is sponsoring A Healthy Mississippi: Patient-Centered Medical Home Summit at the Jackson Medical Mall in Thad Cochran Hall on Monday November 2, from 10-am until noon.

Featured speaker will be Dr. Paul Grundy, MPH, FACOEM, FACPM, director of Healthcare, Technology and Strategic Initiatives at IBM. Hear about the outcomes of implementing Patient-Centered Medical Home Interventions and review the evidence on quality, access and costs from recent studies.

There is no fee to attend but space is limited so please send your registration in advance or for more information contact cheryl@msafp.org.

Daphne David Named Chief Operating Officer For Garden Park Medical Center

Daphne David has been named Chief Operating Officer for Garden Park Medical Center, located in Gulfport Mississippi, according to Tim McManus, CEO. The 130-bed hospital is part of the Delta Division of HCA Inc.

Daphne has held several positions at Garden Park over the past ten years, most recently as an Assistant Administrator. Her responsibilities include oversight of all Ancillary and Support services.

Daphne earned a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Southern Mississippi in addition to two Master degrees from William Carey College in the areas of Industrial Psychology and Business Administration, respectively. Daphne is actively involved in the community, serving on the Board of Boys and Girls Club, Chamber of Commerce and a graduate of Leadership Gulf Coast. She is also a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives.

MMC To Host Med-Surg Conference

North Mississippi Medical Center Will Host A Medical-Surgical Conference, "Changing Treatments For Unchanging Problems, Nov. 2-3 In The Hospital's North Education Center, 830 S. Gloster St.

The conference will examine the new and current treatments, technologies and pharmaceuticals to treat long-standing disease processes still prevalent today.

Registration and breakfast begin at 7:45 a.m. Sessions begin at 8:30 a.m. Nov. 2 and at 8:10 a.m. Nov. 3. For a complete listing of topics or to receive a brochure, e-mail shelia.willis@nmhs.net.

Continuing education credit is available for nurses and physicians, and has been requested for pharmacists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech-language pathologists and social workers. The program is free to NMMC employees; others pay $60 for one day or $110 for both days. To register or for more information, call (662) 377-3900! .

Bruns Recertified By American College of Healthcare Professionals

Dennis R. "Denny" Bruns, FACHE, President and CEO of River Oaks Hospital was recently recertified as a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, the nation's leading professional society for healthcare leaders.

Fellow status represents achievement of the highest standard of professional development. Only 7,500 healthcare executives hold this distinction. To obtain Fellow status, candidates must fulfill multiple requirements, including passing a comprehensive examination, meeting academic and experiential criteria, earning continuing education credits and demonstrating professional/community involvement.

Bruns joined River Oaks Hospital in June of 2008. Prior to that he served as President and CEO of Frye Regional Medical Center in Hickory, North Carolina. Denny has over 35 years of healthcare experience serving as CEO at hospitals in Tennessee, California, New York, South Carolina, North Carolina and now Mississippi.'

UMMC Physician Gets National Award

The Preeclampsia Foundation in Minneapolis, Minn., announced today that Dr. James Martin will receive the foundation's Hope Award for his lifetime achievement in preeclampsia research.

Martin, a Jackson resident, is professor of ob-gyn at the University of Mississippi Medical Center and director of maternal-fetal medicine. The foundation will present the award on Oct. 24 in Chicago.

According to the foundation, preeclampsia is the most frequent complication of pregnancy accounting for 15 percent of all premature births and 76,000 maternal deaths worldwide.

Martin's career spans 30 years during which he has changed the way physicians throughout the country treat preeclampsia. He's written more than 500 papers on the subject, three books and 71 book chapters. He is a past president of the North American Society for the Study of Hypertension in Pregnancy and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine. He served 12 years as District VII chair of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. He's been on the UMMC faculty since 1981.

Hattiesburg Clinic Cardiologist One of First in MS to Utilize New ICD Technology

Wassim E. Mouannes, MD, a cardiologist with Hattiesburg Clinic's The Heart Care Center - Laurel, recently became one of the first cardiologists in Mississippi to use an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) that utilizes the latest in defibrillator lead technology. This new technology - known as the Attain StarFix - is used treat patients who suffer from irregular heart beats or heart failure and require cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT).

CRT is a treatment for heart failure that uses an implantable device that sends mild electrical pulses to the heart to improve pumping efficiency and increases blood flow to the body. An ICD, or pacemaker, is a small device placed in a patient's chest or abdomen. The defibrillator is connected to the patient's heart through a wire known as a "lead." The pacemaker sends electrical pulses or shocks through the lead to the heart, causing the heart muscle to contract, thereby controlling life-threatening, irregular heartbeats that could cause sudden cardiac arrest.

One challenge of successfully implanting a pacemaker is that a patient's vein size or configuration may make it difficult to secure the lead in an optimal location. The Attain StarFix's unique design includes three soft, polyurethane lobes that, when expanded, enable a stable placement in the target location. Once deployed, the electrode is securely fixed in place, reducing the potential for dislodgement.

Nipper Receives Board Certification

Elliott B. Nipper, M.D. with Southern Bone and Joint Specialists, P.A. was awarded board certification by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery.

Nipper received a bachelor's degree in chemistry and psychology from the University of Mississippi. He received his medical degree from the University of Mississippi School of Medicine and completed his residency and internship at University of Mississippi Medical Center. He is a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, American Medical Association and Mississippi Orthopaedic Society.

Nipper, a native of Grenada, joined SBJS in 2008 after a fellowship in joint replacement in Phoenix, Ariz.

Surgical residency receives full ACGME accreditation

Keesler's 81st Medical Group, which boasts the largest Air Force surgical training residency program, has received full ACGME accreditation as a joint training platform.

The program was evaluated by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, the governing body for all United States physician medical training programs, in April 2009.

The surgical residency received full accreditation from the ACGME to proceed with training four general surgeons each year for five years of general surgery residency.

The program is unparalleled and it will serve as a major element in recruiting and producing the next generation of outstanding military surgeons.

According to Col. Martha Stokes, 81st MDG director of graduate medical education, the surgical residency was electively closed following Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and re-established in July 2007. The program was restructured in 2008 under the leadership of Program Director Lt. Col. (Dr.) Valerie Pruitt to include integration with the Naval Hospital in Pensacola, Fla., 96th Medical Group at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., and the Biloxi Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

The surgical residents also perform specialty rotations at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, Brooke Army Medical Center Burn Unit in San Antonio and Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. Colonel Pruitt noted this training platform enforces and sets a clear understanding of the functioning of the joint service environment and reflects the current operational environment.

MRHC Designated Level III Trauma Center

Magnolia Regional Health Center proudly announces receiving designation as a Level III Trauma Center and Primary Pediatric Trauma Center from the Mississippi Trauma Advisory Committee.

On July 6, 2009 a Trauma Center Survey Team for the Mississippi State Department of Health, Bureau of Emergency Medical Services and Trauma System Development, conducted a trauma center inspection of MRHC for the purpose of assessing the institution's ability to be a designed Trauma Center. Following the inspection, the Survey Team concluded that MRHC meets the standards of the State of Mississippi for this designation. The Survey Teams' recommendation received concurrence from the Mississippi Trauma Advisory Board on August 26, 2009, and formally notified MRHC of the upgraded designation.

Hattiesburg Clinic Dermatology Provider to See Patients in Meridian

Rhonda Hicks, MSN, BCFNP, is now accepting new patients at Dermatology Clinic of Meridian, a service of Hattiesburg Clinic, located at Tulane Dermatology Affiliates.

Ms. Hicks is a graduate of The University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Miss., where she received both a Bachelors and Masters degree in nursing.

Ms. Hicks is a member of the American Nurses Association, Mississippi Nurses Association, and American Academy of Nurse Practitioners.

She is board certified as a family nurse practitioner by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC).

New CEO at CMMC

Glen M. Silverman has been promoted to the position of CEO of Central Mississippi Medical Center (CMMC) in Jackson. Silverman has acquired almost 20 years of healthcare management experience. He has served in several administrative capacities since 2004 when he transferred from a sister Health Management Associates (HMA) hospital to serve as the CFO at CMMC. In 2007, he was named COO.

Silverman joined HMA in 1998 as an assistant controller at Riverview Regional Medical Center in Gadsden, Ala. In 1999, he was assigned to Sandhills Regional Medical Center in Hamlet, N.C. He served as CFO at Lake Norman Regional Medical Center, a 117-bed acute care hospital operated by HMA in Mooresville, N.C.

Silverman received a bachelor's degree in healthcare administration from Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Fla. He obtained an MBA from the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, Fla. He is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives and the Healthcare Financial Management Association.