Surgical Pathways

The UAB-led Chronic Hypertension and Pregnancy (CHAP) trial received the David Sackett Trial of the Year award from the Society for Clinical Trials.

The CHAP trial evaluated the effects of prescribing blood pressure medication to pregnant women with mild chronic hypertension. Results published in the New England Journal of Medicine showed treatment improved pregnancy outcomes without compromising the baby’s growth and health, which has been a primary concern for physicians. CHAP results have since led to changes in national guidelines.

“Chronic hypertension causes serious and life-threatening complications for pregnant women and their babies,” said Alan Tita, MD, PhD, professor of obstetrics and gynecology in the UAB Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine. “Between 70 percent and 80 percent of pregnant women with chronic hypertension fall into the ‘mild’ category, where there was not a medical consensus for treatment.”

Investigators launched the CHAP program in 2014 with funding from the National Institutes of Health’s Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. From September 2015 to March 2021, CHAP enrolled more than 2,400 pregnant women with mild chronic hypertension whose blood pressure was greater than 140/90 mmHg but less than 160/105 mmHg.

Notably, the CHAP trial is one of the most comprehensive and diverse studies of its kind. The black patient population is disproportionately affected by chronic hypertension, and almost 50 percent of study participants were black mothers.

BlueCross & BlueShield of Alabama (BCBS) and Secure Exchange Solutions

(SES) won the first K2 Peak Award for innovation in provider-payer collaboration. The award recognizes innovative programs that reduce provider friction and create alignment between payers, providers, and their technology partners. SES and BCBS earned a KLAS Points of Light award, which highlighted the program to engage primary care physicians to deliver impactful results, including:

•Real-time health event alerts at the point of care, reducing administrative burden.

• A 50 percent decrease in hospital readmissions.

• Reduced emergency department (ED) visits, leading to a 46 percent decrease in costs.

With Care Alerts from SES Notify, BlueCross & BlueShield of Alabama minimizes inefficiencies related to inpatient and ED admissions by improving communication with primary care providers. Care Alerts help providers keep track of their patients’ health, improve patient outcomes, and reduce repeated ER visits. These alerts improve patient visibility at the point of care and lead to better follow-up care.

The Honda USA Foundation has awarded a grant to Children’s of Alabama to support the Health Education and Safety Center at Children’s of Alabama. The Children’s of AL Health Education and Safety Center conducts several child safety programs, including ThinkFirst Alabama and Child Passenger Safety.

ThinkFirst Alabama is an evidencebased curriculum taught in schools statewide. It uses age-appropriate concepts to teach children about helmet use, bicycle safety, pedestrian safety, concussion awareness and prevention and ATV safety.

The Child Passenger Safety Program educates caregivers about choosing, installing and checking their child's appropriate car seat or booster seat. Thanks in part to support from the Honda USA Foundation, the program will provide car seats and booster seats to families who need them. This includes families discharged from Children’s of Alabama and families identified through community partners.

The American Association of Critical Care Nurses awards several distinctions each year for excellence, including the Beacon Award, which recognizes units within hospitals that set the standard of excellence and surpasses benchmarks both regionally and nationally.

In June, Brookwood’s Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU) was awarded the Silver level of the Beacon Award. The unit will hold this award for the next three years and will be recognized at the next National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition conference in Spring of 2024. With this award, Brookwood’s SICU is one of only 10 units in the state of Alabama to hold this distinction and one of 546 units in North America.

Jayla Smith, MD has joined Ascension St. Vincent's Primary Care in Oneonta. Smith, who is board-certified in Family Medicine, has special interests in chronic illnesses, routine preventive treatments, women's health, rural community health and treating adolescents.

She earned her medical degree at the University of Alabama Birmingham and a Master of Science in Human Environmental Science - Rural Community Health at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa

On July 27th, SIP Oasis held a webinar to educate practice administrators on the security protocols they need to put in place to protect their practice from any of the 84,000 new malware threats that are released every day.

The panel included Ron Shoe of SIP

Oasis, Joe Parker with the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency, and Thomas Stroud of PNC Healthcare Banking. The experts talked about the latest strikes, the strongest defenses, and how HIPAA plays a part.

At the July meeting of the Birmingham chapter of Medical Group Medical Group Management Association (MGMA), Jason Biddy, outgoing Executive Director, turned over the role to Jennifer Cork, CMPE. As Executive Director, Cork, who is the CEO of Total Skin & Beauty Dermatology Center, will oversee all aspects of the chapter, including managing membership, soliciting sponsorship, and fostering community awareness about the group. In addition to attending all board meetings and monthly luncheons, she will also serve as a representative of the Birmingham Chapter to the Alabama State MGMA.

MGMA Birmingham was founded in 1976 and is the state's largest and oldest local chapter affiliate with over 200 current members. MGMA Birmingham's members are primarily administrators and managers of medical practices, clinics, large and small group practices, and freestanding, hospital affiliated and university affiliated medical groups. MGMA Birmingham typically hosts nine luncheons a year with guest expert speakers who present information on healthcare topics.

Kassouf & Co will be hosting a healthcare workshop on September 13 at 11:30 a.m. The meeting will include a panel of experts to discuss all AI has to offer the healthcare industry.

The complimentary event will be offered in a hybrid format with a limited number of tickets for in-person attendees, along with a virtual option that will take place over zoon. Learn more and register via www.kassouf.com.