April 12, 2004

MHA NewsWeekly Electronic Edition
Vol. 22, No. 14
April 12, 2004

Quote of the Week
“The person who insists upon seeing with perfect clearness before deciding never decides.”
~ Henri Amiel

In this week's edition...
1. Coastal Trauma Symposium Set for April 30-May 1
2. MHA, HFMA and MGMA Hosting Session on Stark II Phase II
3. Results of IQH’s Mammography Pilot Project
4. Scheduled Lab Week Teleconference Locations
5. Medicare annual payment update alert
6. Joint Commission kicks off living organ donor campaign
7. National Hospital Week, National Nurses Week, Cover the Uninsured Week coming in May
8. Hospitals encouraged to partner with recipients of DOL grant
9. Positions Available
10. People in the News
11. News Around the State
12. MHA Education Calendar

1. Coastal Trauma Symposium Set for April 30-May 1
   The Coastal Trauma Care Region, in conjunction with Singing River Hospital in Pascagoula and Gulf Coast Medical Center in Biloxi, will present their 3rd Coastal Trauma Symposium, Trauma: A Continuum of Care, on April 30-May 1 at the Isle of Capri Casino in Biloxi.
 This year’s symposium will cover all aspects of care, from pre-hospital through the ER, from the CCU to the OR, from adult practice to pediatrics. Speakers include Dr. Avara, Jim Craig, Lynn Gerber-Smith, Dr. Maxson, Dr. Racht, Jorie Klein and Phillip Thomas.
 Registration will begin at 7:30 a.m. on April 30. The sessions will run from 8 a.m. till 4:30 p.m. There will be a reception that evening. On May 1, registration will again begin at 7:30 a.m. Sessions will begin at 8 a.m. and the symposium will adjourn at noon.
 The cost of this symposium is $250 for physicians; $200 for physician assistants, residents and nurse practitioners; $100 for nurses; and $80 for students, pre-hospital employees and ancillary employees (RT, X-ray).
 Pre-registration is required. To have a registration form sent to you, contact Gail Thomas, Coastal region trauma coordinator, at (228) 327-3987. The deadline for registration is April 25. Room rates at the Isle for this conference are $89 per night for a double or single room.
   For daily updates on disaster readiness issues, join the Disaster Readiness/Bioterrorism Community at  MyMHA.

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2. MHA, HFMA and MGMA Hosting Session on Stark II Phase II
   On April 29, the Mississippi Hospital Association, the Mississippi Chapter of the Healthcare Financial Management Association and the Medical Group Management Association will present a Stark II Phase II Forum for Compliance Officers at the MHA Atrium Conference Center in Jackson. Attendees can choose between a morning session (Session A) from 8 a.m. till noon or an afternoon session (Session B) from 1 p.m. till 5 p.m.
 This Stark II Phase II seminar will update compliance officers on the most recent changes to regulations affecting hospital and physician relationships, including employment, independent contractors, space and equipment rental and other types of hospital-physician relationships. The critical changes to interpretations of fair market value exception, the legality of “per click” arrangements, percentage compensation arrangements and the multiple new Stark regulatory exceptions will be covered. There will also be a panel discussion with the speakers.
 This forum was designed for chief executive officers, chief financial officers, physician office managers and compliance officers. The speakers will be Dinetia Newman and Jeffrey Moore of Phelps Dunbar LLP, Jonell Williamson and Michael Hess of Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz PC, Mark Hodges and Margaret Williams of Wise Carter Child & Caraway and Gregory Anderson, CPA, CVA, of Horne CPA Group.
 The cost of this forum is $50 per person. To have a registration form e-mailed, faxed or mailed to you, contact Stacy Bishop at (800) 289-8884, (601) 368-3221 or sbishop@mhanet.org. For more information about the forum, contact Judith Forshee at (800) 289-8884, (601) 368-3216 or jforshee@mhanet.org. To register online, visit www.mhanet.org and click on Education Opportunities.
   For daily updates on compliance issues, join the Compliance Community at MyMHA.

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3. Results of IQH’s Mammography Pilot Project
   Information and Quality Healthcare (IQH), Mississippi’s quality improvement organization, in conjunction with local partners, conducted a pilot project to target African-American Medicare women ages 52-69 in 10 Delta counties by extending hours for mammography services.
 Eight hospitals participated in the project by extending their hours in the evenings and one Saturday a month. The total number of mammograms performed after hours during the three-month pilot project was 156. The pilot project, which began in October of 2003 and ended in December of 2003, was a kick-off to breast cancer awareness month. The project focused on reducing health care disparities related to late-stage diagnosis and early treatment for breast cancer. The target counties were Hinds, Holmes, Humphreys, Leflore, Madison, Sharkey-Issaquenna, Sunflower, Warren, Washington and Yazoo.
 The project utilized radio and television ads and the extended hours to educate women on the importance of screening mammograms. Health fairs, breast cancer presentations and live radio remotes were implemented to increase the awareness. Reminders and alerts were mailed to physicians informing them of extended hours, scheduling times and telephone numbers.
 IQH continues to work with local and national partners to promote mammograms among the underserved African-American Medicare women. Activities with partners consist of developing a comprehensive cancer plan for Mississippi and planning the 4th annual Mississippi Partnership for Comprehensive Cancer Control statewide conference on Sept. 29-Oct. 2, 2004. IQH Project Leader Lisa Camel is an executive board member for both activities.
   For daily updates on quality issues, join the Patient Safety & Quality Community at MyMHA.

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4. Scheduled Lab Week Teleconference Locations
   There are multiple lab week teleconferences being held on Wednesday, April 14 at 1 p.m. Mississippi Blood Services is hosting an AABB teleconference titled Process Improvement Tools and Process Mapping. To register for this teleconference, contact Bill McMahen via fax at (601) 984-3783.
 Several hospitals around the state are registered to present The Laboratory Test Begins with Phlebotomy. This National Medical Laboratory Week 2004 teleconference will be presented by Carol Caruana, SH(ASCP). Local Facilities Registered for the Lab Week 2004 Teleconference include St. Dominic’s Hospital, Jackson (ppeeples@stdom.com); South Central Regional Medical Center, Laurel (LBrown@SCRMC.com); North Mississippi Medical Center, Tupelo (Loralei.Mcgee@nmhs.net); Central Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson (reedna@cmmc.hma-corp.com) and Grenada Lakes Medical Center, Grenada, (miles.jeffery@glmc.net). Contact the facility contacts at the e-mail addresses in parentheses if you would like to arrange to have members of your staff attend the conference at their sites.

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5. Medicare annual payment update alert
   To ensure your hospital receives its full Medicare Annual Payment Update for 2005, participate in and meet the requirements for the Reporting Hospital Quality Data for Annual Payment Update (RHQDAPU).
   Under Section 501(b) of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA), hospitals must submit quality performance data for all payers on all 10 required quality measures to receive the full Annual Payment Update. Hospitals that do not participate in RHQDAPU will receive a 0.4 percent reduction in the Annual Payment Update. To receive the full Annual Payment Update, hospitals must:

Register now for QualityNet Exchange

Complete and submit a RHQDAPU Notice of Participation form

1. Collect data on all 10 quality measures for all payers:
2. • Acute Myocardial Infarction patients (AMI),
   • Heart Failure (HF) patients and
   • Pneumonia (PNE) patients.
3. Data collection must include January – March 2004 discharges
4. Submit the data on all 10-quality measures by July 1, 2004to www.qnetexchange.org with the knowledge that CMS intends to publicly report the data.
      Information and Quality Healthcare (IQH) is Mississippi’s resource for enrollment and participation in RHQDAPU. Their goal is to make sure that your hospital receives the full Annual Payment Update.  To find more information about the annual payment update click here or contact Debbie Miller at 601-957-1575 ext. 226 or dmiller@msqio.sdps.org .   
      For daily updates on Medicare issues, join the Medicare/Medicaid Community at  MyMHA.

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6. Joint Commission kicks off living organ donor campaign
   The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations has launched a national campaign to help individuals prepare to become living organ donors and make the process as safe as possible. Living donation is not without its challenges and risks. Beyond time lost from work and the necessary recovery period, living donors are patients who may experience complications and eventually require transplantation as well.
   The campaign provides basic facts about living organ donation, what individuals should ask their doctors, talking with previous living organ donors and where to learn more about living organ donation. A brochure is available that explains how living organ donation can affect the lives of living donors as well as the risks and expectations of donor surgery. It also provides questions that living donors can ask their doctors as they prepare for surgery. Artwork for the brochure, which includes a panel that hospitals can personalize, is available free of charge on the Joint Commission Web site here. Brochures can be ordered on the Web site or by calling (877) 223-6866.
   For daily updates on JCAHO issues, join the Accreditation Community at MyMHA.

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7. National Hospital Week, National Nurses Week, Cover the Uninsured Week coming in May
   This year, National Hospital Week, National Nurses Week, and Cover The Uninsured Week all fall within the month of May. These events offer hospitals and health systems an opportunity to recognize employees, volunteers, physicians, trustees and others associated with your hospital

and health system community for their extraordinary efforts as well as to demonstrate to your entire community your organization’s commitment to caring, quality, and community. For additional information or ideas on how to plan celebratory events in conjunction with these weeks, visit the websites below:
• Nurses Week (Thursday, May 6 – Wednesday, May 12)
• Cover The Uninsured Week (Monday, May 10 – Sunday, May 16)
• Hospital Week (Sunday, May 9 – Saturday, May 15)

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8. Hospitals encouraged to partner with recipients of DOL grant
   The U.S. Labor Department is soliciting applications from state and local workforce investment boards and faith-based and community organizations for $6.5 million in grants that will be used to prepare people for jobs in high-growth fields such as health care. Though hospitals are not eligible to apply for the grants, they are encouraged to participate as partners in the grant projects, said Scott Shortenhaus, associate director of business partnerships for the Labor Department's Center for Faith Based and Community Initiatives. He said hospitals and health care providers can locate WIBs near them through a listing at www.nawb.org, or contact their local faith-based and community organizations to find out if they're applying and how they might participate. For more on the grants, see the Federal Register notices here under "Labor Department." Hospitals can also contact Shortenhaus at (202) 693-6459 or shortenhaus.scott@DOL.GOV.
   For daily updates on workforce issues, join the Workforce Community at MyMHA.

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9. Positions Available
   North Mississippi State Hospital is currently accepting applications for Registered Nurses for our Tupelo campus and for our Crisis Intervention Center in Corinth. Must be licensed in the state of Mississippi. For an application or information, contact Human Resources at (662) 690-4200.
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 Mississippi State Hospital is currently seeking a BE/BC internal medicine or family medicine physician to practice 40 hours, M-F, in a collegial atmosphere with no call. For more information, contact Gene Amason, medical staff liaison for MSH, at P.O. Box 157A, Whitfield, MS 39193; (601) 351-8381 or amasoge@msh.state.ms.us.
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   Trace Regional Hospital in Houston, Miss., has an immediate opening for the position of Chief Nursing Officer. A minimum of a BS in nursing required, master’s preferred. Management experience required. For more information, contact Human Resources at (662) 456-1003 or fax resumes to (662) 456-1169.
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 Hancock Medical Center has a full-time opening for a Med Tech Supervisor. MT (ASCP) with a minimum of five years of experience. Management experience preferred. Must be flexible to work off shifts as needed. Interested parties should apply at Hancock Medical Center, 149 Drinkwater Blvd., or mail resume to Human Resources, P.O. Box 2790, Bay St. Louis, MS 39521-2790.
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 H. C. Watkins Memorial Hospital has an immediate opening for a Director of Pharmacy. Applicants should be registered pharmacists. Resumes may be sent via e-mail to swilliams@watkinshospital.org or via mail to Stephanie Williams, HR Director, 605 S. Archusa Avenue, Quitman, MS 39355.
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 H. C. Watkins Memorial Hospital is seeking a Surgical Tech or LPN with scrub experience for a critical access hospital surgery department. Resumes may be sent via e-mail to swilliams@watkinshospital.org or via mail to Stephanie Williams, HR Director, 605 S. Archusa Avenue, Quitman, MS 39355.
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 South Mississippi State Hospital has openings for full-time RNs, 3-11:30 PM and 11 PM-7:30 AM shifts. For more information, contact Gwen Kelly or Ruthalyn Thomas at (601) 794-0100.
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 Baptist Health Systems is seeking an Education Coordinator. Must have RN with master’s degree. Teaching, critical care experience, CPR and ACLS instructor preferred. Apply at www.mbhs.org or call (800) 844-1084 ext. 3363 or (601) 960-3363 for more information.

   For a listing of additional hospital jobs available in Mississippi and to post your confidential resume for health care recruiters to view, visit www.mshealthjobs.com.

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   MHA is updating our records. If your hospital's chief nursing officer position has changed recently, please notify Judith Forshee, director of education, of the new employee's name, phone and e-mail address. Information may be e-mailed to jforshee@mhanet.orgor faxed to (601) 368-3200, Attn: Judith Forshee. For more information, call Judith at (601) 368-3216.

10. People in the News
   Mary Frances Crotwell has joined Mississippi State Hospital in Whitfield as an accounting auditing technician in the Fiscal Services Division. She comes to MSH from BankPlus, where she worked as an account service representative for more than two years.
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 Brennan Lollar has joined MSH’s Public Relations Division as an assistant in the Clothing/Donation Center. Lollar transferred from the Information Management Division where he was a switchboard operator.
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 Lisa Harris has been promoted in MSH’s Public Relations Division to manager of the Clothing/Donation Center. Previously, she was an administrative assistant in the Public Relations Division.
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 Dr. Timothy Jones, an emergency medicine physician, has joined the active medical staff of Rush Health Systems in Meridian. He earned his medical degree from the Hahnemann University School of Medicine in Philadelphia. He completed a surgical internship at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego and then trained in aerospace medicine at the Naval Aerospace Medical Institute in Pensacola. Previously, he was a flight surgeon for Training Wing One in Meridian.
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 Dr. Thomas McFarland, a cardiologist, has joined the active medical staff of Rush Health Systems and the practice of Rush Medical Group. He comes to Rush after 21 years as a staff cardiologist at the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. He earned his medical degree from the University of Chicago. He completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at Henry Ford Hospital, the completed fellowships in cardiology from the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and the Mayo Clinic.
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 J. Leslie Kellum, DDS, MD, an anesthesiologist, has joined Rush’s Medical Foundation, Inc., in the practice of anesthesiology. He comes from Tulane University Medical Center, where he served as an anesthesiologist and an assistant professor. A native of Tupelo, Dr. Kellum first practiced as a dentist from 1976 to 1985. He returned to medical school and earned his degree from the University of Mississippi Medical Center in 1987. He also completed an internship and residency at UMC.
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 Dr. Ben Mitchell has been named the new dean of the School of Health Related Professions (SHRP) at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. Mitchell succeeds Dr. J. Maurice Mahan who served as the school’s dean from 1993 till 2003. Jack Gordy has served as interim dean since Mahan stepped down. Mitchell joined the medical center in 2001 as associate vice chancellor for institutional affairs.
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   Dr. Butch Gilbert, professor and chair of endodontics at UMC, has been named the School of Dentistry’s first senior associate dean. He has been a faculty member since the school’s inception. Gilbert will remain the chair of endodontics and will continue to lead the school’s 2004 Strategic Planning Initiative until its completion and then oversee and monitor its implementation and ongoing examination of outcomes. He receive his dental degree from the University of Alabama and his specialty training at Louisiana State University. He obtained board certification in 1984.
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 Dr. Gardner Fletcher, a pulmonary specialist at Wesley Medical Center in Hattiesburg, was the winner at Wesley’s Donor Doc Blood Drive. He signed up the most participants to give blood in his honor. The annual event is held in conjunction with Doctor’s Day each year.
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 Emily Young, CHE, has been named the vice president of operations at Central Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson. Previously, she served as administrative projects director at St. Dominic-Jackson Memorial Hospital. She holds a BS in Commerce and Business Administration-Health Care Management from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa and a Master’s of Science in Health Administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She is a Diplomat in the American College of Healthcare Executives and a member of the Mississippi HIPAA Implementation Task Group.
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   Roger Cole has joined Neshoba County General Hospital and Nursing Home in Philadelphia. He will take on the position of assistant administrator to the hospital and nursing home after becoming state and federally licensed. A native of Brookhaven, Cole began his duties at the end of February and his initial focus has been instituting a new management system at the nursing home. A four-year military veteran and former self-employed drilling fluids consultant, Cole went into nursing in the late 1980s, receiving his LPN license in 1988 from Jones County Junior College and an associate's degree in nursing in 1991 from Meridian Community College. Prior to coming to Neshoba General,  he has worked as a state surveyor for the Mississippi Department of Health for the past five years inspecting nursing homes, dialysis clinics and home health agencies.
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    Theresa Ann Hale of the G.V. Sonny Montgomery Veteran's Administration Medical Center was recently awarded the Secretary of Veterans' Affairs Hands and Heart Award. She has been employed by the medical center for 16 years. She is a 1988 graduate of the University of Mississippi School of Nursing. This award recognizes compassionate individuals who render care to veterans with expert knowledge, dedication and outstanding patient care.

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11. News Around the State
   The Rush Wound Care and Hyperbaric Center recently received a distinguished recognition. The Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society designated the center as an Accredited Clinical Hyperbaric Medicine Facility. The center joins only 27 other facilities in the nation with accreditation from this recognized authority for hyperbaric medicine. Bret Holiday services as the director for the wound care center.
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 Rush Health Systems recently added two new additions to its Web site at www.rushhealthsystems.org. Family and friends can now send E-Greetings to patients at the hospital through the Web site. Incoming messages are delivered to the volunteer information desk. Volunteers deliver the greetings to patients between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. Also, prospective employees can now fill out job applications online.
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 UMC’s Clinical Research Program is seeking volunteers to participate in a research study to prevent high blood pressure with a dietary supplement. Volunteers must be 22 years or older with blood pressure in the range of 120/80 to 159/95 and not be taking medication for blood pressure. Blood draws and supplements will be included at no cost to the participant. Dr. Marion Wofford is principal investigator. For more information or to volunteer, call (601) 985-1339. 
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    Baptist Memorial Hospital-DeSoto in Southaven recently added a new technique for fighting uterine fibroids. Uterine Fibroid Embolization (UFE) involves the use of catheters which are injected in tiny plastic particles that restricts the blood flow to the tumor. The new technique shuts off the blood supply to the tumor so it begins to shrink after a few weeks. Dr. David W. Peeler, a vascular interventional radiologist for Mid-South Imaging and Therapeutics, P.A., and section head of Vascular Interventional Radiology at the hospital, performs the technique at Baptist in Memphis and Southaven.
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   Hardy Wilson Memorial Hospital in Hazlehurst secured a grant so that their local fire department could purchase a new automated external defibrillator (AED). The AED will allow first responders to provide better care for cardiac arrest patients en route to an emergency center. The AED is worth an estimated $3,000.
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   North Mississippi Medical Center recently signed a multi-year deal with UnitedHealthcare, the nation's largest insurer. The deal will give new options to employers who take part in Health Link, NMMC's preferred provider organization. UnitedHealthcare's subsidiary is currently serving 700,000 in Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama. The network includes 12,000 physicians and 300 hospitals. Health Link covers 145,000 people by linking insurers and their patients to a hospital-physician network that includes more than NMMC hospitals in Tupelo, West Point, Pontotoc and Eupora. Other hospitals in the PPO system include Calhoun Health Services in Calhoun City, Oktibbeha County Hospital in Starkville, Gilmore Memorial Hospital in Amory, Magnolia Regional Medical Center in Corinth, Pioneer Hospital in Aberdeen, Tippah County Hospital in Ripley, Trace Regional Hospital in Houston and Baptist Memorial Hospital in Booneville. Other insurers who have contracted with Health Link include Trustmark, Pacific Life, Federated and American National. UnitedHealthcare will market policies through independent insurance brokers in the region.
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   Rankin Medical Center in Brandon recently became a Century Sponsor of the Girl Scouts Council of Middle Mississippi. The sponsorship consists of a $1,000 donation to the council.
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   Baptist Memorial Hospital-North Mississippi in Oxford has signed on a Florida surgeon for its cardiac program. Cardiovascular surgeon Dr. Jake Lambert, who is moving from Tallahassee, will join the staff of the hospital in May. Currently, physicians from Cardiovascular Surgery Clinic of Memphis are providing backup coverage for Oxford cardiologist Steve Purdon one or two days a week. For a few months in 2003, the hospital had to send patients elsewhere for stent procedures and surgical cardiac care when the town's cardiovascular surgeons closed their practices. When Lambert arrives, he will have two state-of-the-art heart surgery suites that were created during a 2003 renovation. Lambert completed his general surgery residency and served as chief resident at the University of Mississippi School of Medicine in Jackson. He lived in Mississippi for six years during that time. The hospital also recently expanded its electrophysiology program, which analyzes the electrical impulses that drive the heart's rhythm, with support from a Memphis-based physician and newly renovated facilities. The hospital also has plans to add two additional interventional cardiologists to support Dr. Purdon.
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   The Marion General Hospital Auxiliary in Columbia recently purchased 10 practice mannequins for the community CPR program. Hospital employees and practical nurse students from Pearl River Community College, as well as community members, frequently use the mannequins to learn CPR techniques.
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   Perry County General Hospital in Richton recently installed a new ultrasound machine to assist with diagnosis. Tests performed by the machine include abdomen, aorta, gall bladder, liver, pancreas, spleen and others. Hospital officials also have plans for a new CAT scan machine that will be able to perform tests and offer results in minutes. Previously, local patients had to go out of the area to have these tests done.
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   Individuals scheduled for an outpatient procedure at North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo can now shorten their waiting time by pre-registering online beforehand. Patients can visit www.nmhs.net and click on "Outpatient Registration." The electronic format allows patients to submit necessary information prior to arrival to expedite their visit. Electronic pre-admission is also available for outpatient procedures scheduled at Longtown Medical Park, the Center for Digestive Health, Women's Hospital, Breast Care Center, Behavioral Health Center and Cancer Center.

12. MHA Education Calendar

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