In view of Day by day, a better LRMC
Dear Friends, It has been nearly two years since I made the decision to join the Lakeland Regional Health Systems team, and what a dynamic and challenging two years it has been! In that time, our system has been dealt two major cuts to our state Medicaid funding, on top of federal Medicare budget cuts and requirements to achieve national healthcare reform. Our response has been to lead the way to affordable, accessible healthcare through leaner processes and structural improvements. In our last issue of Touching Lives, we shared with you our transformation to greater physician leadership and engagement, with the hiring of Mack Reavis, MD, as Executive Vice President for Clinical Integration and Chief Medical Officer. He is partnering with other local physicians as Clinical Department Chairs to help lead us to national standards of quality care. We also presented information about renovations and process improvements in our Emergency Department that have resulted in practically eliminating wait times and faster overall visit times for our patients. This project continues to evolve to meet patient needs, and while we hope you never need our ED, you can be assured that we are working hard to provide the highest quality care in a more pleasant, efficient and convenient way. In this issue, we share an update on the implementation of our Electronic Health Record (PEARL), which went live this summer. Physicians, nurses, other clinical staff and I.T. professionals have devoted countless hours to ensure a safe and seamless transition to a paperless system that will enhance communications between clinicians and safety for our patients. Also, our hospital has recently launched a new Facebook site to engage our community in conversations about health and well-being and to share the exciting and moving stories that take place in our organization every day. Search for Lakeland Regional Medical Center on Facebook and “like” us to join this conversation. Thank you for your continued support of our hospital and system, through your gifts, your time and your loyalty.
Elaine C. Thompson, PhD President & CEO Lakeland Regional Health Systems
Touching Lives Summer 2012
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