One of the biggest tragedies in modern healthcare is that, while transplants are hugely effective for failing kidneys with a 96 percent success rate, there are only about 25,000 kidneys available annually with 800,000 patients who need them. Doctors have to deal with the heartbreak of having patients who might die before they can receive an organ for transplant. The UAB Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine took a big step toward solving this problem and potentially saving hundreds of thousands of lives when they performed the first successful transplant of genetically modified pig kidneys into a brain-dead human. The results of the surgery were released in a peer-reviewed paper in January. The surgery, which was performed in September, was the result of years of work and research in the UAB Xenotransplantation Program, which was launched in 2016 with a $19.5 million grant from United Therapeutics Corp. Pigs are considered a good candidate for xenotransplantation because (CONTINUED ON PAGE 4) UAB Xenotransplant team. From left, front row: Jayme Locke, MD, Katie Stegner, Lindsey Banks, Amy Johnson, MD, Sara Macedon; Back row: Babak Orandi, MD, Jordan Lee, MD, Paige Porrett, MD, Brett Findley, Natalie Budd, Douglas Anderson, MD, Drew Shunk, MD, JennyAnn Eads by Jane ehrhardt “I’m a huge fan. It’s revolutionary,” says Amit Shah, MD, about leadless pacemakers. Shah, who is a clinical cardiac electrophysiologist with Cardiology Consultants, has deployed approximately 200 of these devices in the last three years, with about 80 of them being the newest version by Medtronic, called Micra AV, approved by the FDA in February 2020. “Now with the Micra AV, any patient with heart block—which is the majority of the patients for pacemakers—is a candidate for a leadless pacemaker. It has really opened the door in terms of patients who would benefit from it,” Shah says. The original Micra Transcatheter Pacing System (TPS), now called Micra VR, is predominantly for patients afflicted with atrial fibrillation (AFib). Implanted directly into the right ventricle, the world’s smallest pacemaker delivers electrical impulses that pace the heart through an electrode at the end of the device. The Micra AV serves to synchronize. The device doesn’t pace the atrium, but it does adjust pacing in the ventricle to coordinate with the atrium. “It’s a detection device to help keep the atrium and ventricles synchronized with each other,” Shah says. “As long as the patient’s atrial activity is normal, this is a wonderful device.”
The Micra AV is implanted into the right ventricle.
The Micra AV is the size of a big vitamin capsule.
UAB Performs First Transplant of Pig Kidney to Brain-Dead Human by SteVe SPencer
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The two leadless options cannot yet pace the atrium. Only the traditional pacemaker can pace and synchronize the four chambers. “Down the road, we’re hoping for leadless atrial pacing and even leadless left ventricular pacing, which will be a game changer,” Shah says. The two leadless pacemakers match in all but one thing. “Everything about them is identical, their implant technique, their profile,” Shah says. “It’s just a software difference and one little sensor. But with that little sensor, the Micra AV gives
Leadless Pacemaker for Patients with AV Block (CONTINUED ON PAGE 6)
2 • FEBRUARY 2022 Birmingham Medical News Driving business, practicing law. wallerlaw.com A partner in healthcare law that KNOWS all the ANGLES No representation is made that the quality of the legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers. Contact: Colin Luke 205-226-5717. Waller is proud to be recognized as #1 in the South region in the ABA Health Law Section’s 2019 Law Firm Recognition List.
The Physicians Endoscopy Center at One Nineteen plans to open near the end of March. The clinic will be located on the second floor of the ambulatory build ing. “This will allow us to provide more patients with high quality care without having to travel,” Dasher says. The facility will offer four proce dure rooms, one more than when they were part of the multi-specialty area of the campus. “This should allow us to see 15 cases per room per day instead of the eight to 12 before,” Dasher says. The focus on one just one specialty will make the difference. “When the staff is doing 100 percent endoscopy it’s a much better experience for the patient,” Dasher says. “If you’re doing one spe cialty, all the staff is very skilled in endos copy, and they never have to cover for other patients. It becomes a well-oiled machine with good work flow.” The location, which allows patients to park right outside the door, not only offers the same ease of access to this common procedure but caters to an increasing pop ulation. “That’s the other driving force,” Dasher says. “We recognized a growing need for high quality endoscopy services in Shelby County. A lot of patients right now are having to travel another 30 min utes further down 280 to downtown.”
Ascension St. Vincent’s Opens Two New Centers
Jon Binkerd, MDCharles Dasher, Jr., MD
Birmingham Medical News FEBRUARY 2022 • 3 Works for YOU! We Make Sure Your Evaluation is Right, The First Time We offer workers compensation and orthopedic spine solutions that help you get the right evaluation and the right care, every time. Our team can refer to any health system in the state of Alabama. Call Our 24/7 Dedicated SpineWorks Hotline Today: 205-202-5715 Fax: 833-673-0476 | www.myspineworks.com Works for YOU! We Make Sure Your Evaluation is Right, The First Time We offer workers compensation and orthopedic spine solutions that help you get the right evaluation and the right care, every time. Our team can refer to any health system in the state of Alabama. Call Our 24/7 Dedicated SpineWorks Hotline Today: 205-202-5715 Fax: 833-673-0476 | www.myspineworks.com OSEsurg.com • 205.838.3888 52 Medical Park Drive East, Suite 401, Birmingham, AL 35235 WE’RE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD! You may drive by us every day. And that means when you’re in need of our services, we’re here. Close by. With our 13 surgical/procedural suites, you can be assured that most any outpatient surgery or procedure you may need, we can perform for you. When you’re with us, you’ll be in the hands of a board-certified specialist along with over 100 other compassionate, skilled staff who will care for you from start to finish. YOU’RE MORE THAN A PATIENT TO US. YOU’RE OUR NEIGHBOR. OUR SERVICESOUR LOCATION WE’RE LOCATED IN PROFESSIONAL OFFICE BUILDING #52 ON THE ST. EASTVINCENT’SCAMPUS. If you’re needing an outpatient procedure, let your physician or specialist know that you’d like to use our convenient, caring services. GI Endoscopic Procedures Orthopedic Surgery Hand & Wrist Surgery Foot & Ankle Surgery Pain Management Procedures General Ear,GynecologicalOphthalmicSurgerySurgeryUrologicSurgeryProceduresNose&ThroatSurgeryBariatricSurgery by Jane ehrhardt “Chilton has plenty of folks with diabetes and peripheral vascular disease, which results in a lot of wound care pa tients,” says Jon Binkerd, MD, the medical director for the new wound care center at Ascension St. Vincent’s Chilton. Chilton, a 30-bed hospital, opened in 2016 and offers an emergency room, di agnostic imaging, and more than 20 spe cialties. When the cardiology clinic moved into its own facility last year, the hospital chose to fill that outpatient clinic space with the wound center, alongside the gas troenterology and orthopedic centers. The new clinic is run by Restorix Health, which manages comprehensive wound and amputation prevention cen ters throughout the United States in part nership with health systems. “Our job is to eliminate the obsta cles that make wound healing difficult,” BinkerdWithsays.aphilosophy of inclusive care, the clinic’s providers focus on the whole patient and work to address the cause of the wound, as well as healing it. “You don’t just take care of the foot, you take care of the organism attached to the foot,” Binkerd says. “This means working with an orthotist to change the way the person walks, or connecting diabetics to nutrition ists, and referring people with poor blood flow in their legs to a cardiologist. “It’s nothing magical. It just involves a different perspective. Having the clinic within a hospital improves the treatment simply by having those specialists and lab services in-house. It also means patients, most of whom are elderly, don’t need to travel at least 40 minutes to Birmingham or Montgomery.”
With new, state-of-the-art equip ment and a full staff dedicated to endos copy, Dasher says, “We’re improving the patient experience, so you can complete most pre-procedure requirements prior to when you get here, you get the procedure done, then you head right back home.”
Opened on December 15, the clinic will run three days a week, but Binkerd ex pects that to quickly expand. “This is just the beginning and Chilton County is not going to get smaller. There’s a need here. And as this clinic starts having results with effective care, it will continue to grow.”
In Birmingham, another new spe cialty center opened on an Ascension St. Vincent’s campus. This one at their One Nineteen location off Highway 280. The campus not only offers medical services, such as physician specialists, outpatient surgery, diagnostics, physical therapy, and lab services, but a fitness center, spa, and wellness services to not only care for the community during illness, but also pro vide support to keep them well. Their latest expansion will be a gas trointestinal clinic focused exclusively on endoscopy. Previously, that procedure had been part of the outpatient center. Four physician investors have partnered with Ascension St Vincent’s for the project. “We’ve learned from experience else where that we can deliver a much more user-friendly endoscopy experience out of a single specialty center,” says Charles Dasher, Jr., MD, gastroenterologist and the medical director of the new clinic.
4 • FEBRUARY 2022 Birmingham Medical News Aggressively Pursuing Victory Over Injury SPECIALTIES Elbow • Foot & Ankle • General Orthopaedics • Hand & Wrist • Hip • Joint Replacement • Knee Shoulder • Spine & Neck • Sports Medicine • Non-Surgical Sports Medicine for Adults & Children OUR NON-SURGICAL SPORTS MEDICINE PHYSICIANS
Charles T. Carnel, MD Trussville 7201 Happy Hollow Road | Trussville, AL 35173 Cullman 1301-A Bridge Creek Dr NE | Cullman, AL 35055 Pelham Pelham AL 35124 Birmingham AL 35205 323 Road, Ste Gardendale, AL 35071
Thethis.transplantation with a braindead human is considered a pre-clinical model. “This human preclinical model is a way to evaluate the safety and fea sibility of the pig-to-non-human primate model, without risk to a living human,” said Locke, who is also coordinator of the UAB Kidney Chain, which is the nation’s longest single-site kidney chain. In order to pave the way for a future clinical trial, the study was conducted to meet the standards comparable to those that would apply to a Phase I human clinical trial, mirroring every step of a standard transplant between humans. Locke is optimistic about what this means for the future. “This game-chang ing moment in the history of medicine represents a paradigm shift and a major milestone in the field of xenotransplanta tion. This is arguably the best solution to the organ shortage crisis,” she said. “We have bridged critical knowledge gaps and obtained the safety and feasibility data necessary to begin a clinical trial in liv ing humans with end-stage kidney failure disease.”
UAB Performs First Transplant of Pig Kidney to Brain-Dead Human, continued from page 1 their organs to similar sized to human organs. For this surgery, the donor was housed at a clean facility where the pigs are kept free of specified infectious agents like pig cytomegalovirus through rigorous practices of veterinary care. In addition, through herd husbandry, the porcine endogenous retrovirus C (PERV-C) has been bred out of the pigs, helping to pre vent the chance of PERV transmission to human organ recipients. The donor pigs are tested every three months by the Uni versity of Minnesota Veterinary Diagnos tic Laboratory for 13 pig viruses and one mycoplasma.UsingCrispr, ten genes were changed in the donor pig. Four pig genes were disabled, including three that would cause hyperacute rejection, along with the pig hormone growth receptor gene, which was deleted to prevent the kidneys from growing too large in the recipient. Six human genes were inserted to help prevent rejection. Before the surgery, UAB researchers generated safety and feasibility data by applying tests that could not be done in previous work involving non-human pri mates. “We developed a novel crossmatch assay that helped us predict that the donor organ would be compatible with the recipient,” said Jayme Locke, MD, di rector of the UAB Comprehensive Trans plant Institute. “We took blood from the decedent and lymphocytes from the pig and then screened in a flow cytometry crossmatch assay. We were looking for the presence of preformed antibodies in the recipient that react with antigens in the donor pig that would cause a hyperacute kidney rejection. The assay results gave us confidence that this would be a compat ible transplant. “This was the first time a prospective crossmatch has been validated between the two species. The development of this novel assay is critical for us to be able to use xenotransplantation widely for a liv ing human population with end-stage kidney disease. “We were also able to test whether a kidney from a pig could tolerate a human environment. This was essential because non-human primates, as well as pigs, don't have the same mean arterial pres sure as an adult human. We didn't know if the vascular integrity in the human would hold up.” Once the kidney had been installed, the surgery team held their breath and watched. If a recipient’s immune system recognizes a donor organ as foreign, hy peracute rejection will occur within min utes. As seconds ticked by, it became clear that the kidney would not be rejected. “The kidney turned beautiful and pink,” Locke said. “Within 23 minutes, it started making urine. It re-perfused nor mally just like a human allograft does. The vascular anastomoses stayed intact. We didn't have any major bleeding epi sodes, and the kidneys remained viable until the experiment was ended after 77 hours.”One kidney was more effective than the other in producing urine, and despite urine production, the blood serum level of creatinine, a waste product normally removed by healthy kidneys, did not drop. It’s not yet clear what may have im pacted
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ORTHOPAEDIC SURGEONS
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Jay S. Umarvadia, MDMonte Ketchum, DO T. Daniel Smith, MDJosé O. Ortega, MD Emily Bell Casey, MDChristopher S. Carter, MD Ricardo E. Colberg, MD Rachel G. Henderson, MD
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The team preparing the kidneys for transplantation.
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Birmingham Medical News FEBRUARY 2022 • 5 Did you know atrial fibrillation (AFib) is the most common heart rhythm abnormality? Don’t miss a beat celebrating those special moments with your loved ones. With four physicians who specialize in treating AFib, the electrophysiologists with Brookwood Baptist Health Specialty Care Network are here for you. Symptoms of AFib include the following: Visit BBHCareNetwork.com/Specialties/Cardiology for profiles and contact information for each provider. Slow or rapid heart rate ChestShortnessDizziness/faintingofbreathpain Weakness or fatigue TransientStroke Ischaemic Attack (TIA) Lower extremity swelling Make an appointment with an electrophysiologist today. Ibrahim R. Hanna, MD BBH Specialty Care Network Heart & Thoracic Services – Princeton 205-786-2776 Sanjeev S. Hasabnis, DO, FACC, FHRS Cardiovascular Associates 205-510-5000 Sarah Sandberg, MD, FACC Cardiovascular Associates 205-510-5000 Macy C. Smith, Jr., MD, FACC, FHRS Cardiovascular Associates 205-510-5000 Your heart health can’t wait. We are committed to diagnosing your heart rhythm problem and discovering which treatment options are right for you. Keep making memories with those you love.
The patient gets one stitch. “Usually within four to six hours, they’re up and walking and can go home,” Shah says, “but most patients generally stay over night, because patients needing pacemak ers usually have comorbidities or have traveled too far to return that day.”
6 • FEBRUARY 2022 Birmingham Medical News Expect more from your lab 205-918-7156 • southeastlabs.com • Local testing • Accurate billing • turnaroundIndustry-leadingtimes • connectivityEMR/EHR • Lower cost to your patients Let us create a customized laboratory solution for your practice At Southeast Clinical Lab, we give you more— us the ability to detect the atrium and get atrial synchrony.” About two-thirds of Shah’s patients who would have previously needed a traditional pacing device now end up as candidates for the leadless option. “It’s changed my practice,” he says. Slightly larger than a big vitamin capsule, but with short, flexible prongs at one end, the Micra pacemakers are guided through a small slit in the thigh via a catheter up the inferior vena cava and through the right atrium of the heart into the right ventricle where it is deployed. “It’s on a tether, so you can control it,” Shah says. “When you’re comfortable that it’s well adhered in the right place, we cut the tether and remove the whole system.”
The whole procedure takes about 10 minutes. It takes around 45 minutes to insert a traditional pacemaker, which also requires a two-inch incision to develop a pocket under the skin below the collar bone where the device rests. Then with the traditional, the leads are fed through a vein down into the appropriate chambers of the heart where the device syncs either or both the atria and ventricles. Because of the leads and the pocket, the traditional pacemaker also comes with additional risks, such as infections, lead displacement, and thrombosis. Pa tients of leadless devices not only avoid those risks, but also avoid immobilization requirements after the procedure. Tra ditional pacemakers patients must keep their left arm in a sling for one to three weeks to prevent the leads from shifting. “That sling is a problem for patients who use canes and walkers, or have issues from strokes,” Shah Cosmetically,says.the Micra pacemakers also leave no mark. Being completely in side the heart, they leave no bump under the skin and no scar, like devices. “Lit erally no one knows you have it, which the younger patients are excited about,” Shah says. The leadless pacemakers are still an evolving new technology, and having been introduced only five years ago, some pa tients and providers may be reticent or unfamiliar with them. “There are still a lot of people who either don’t feel com fortable with them, don’t have experience with them, or don’t have access to them,” Shah says. Not surprisingly, traditional pacemak ers are also changing. “There are advance ments in traditional pacing coming out that make us wonder whether going back to traditional pacing may have some ad vantages because of where you can put the wire,” Shah says. “This is an exciting time in pacing. In the past 40 years, the only evolution had been in devising smaller devices and batteries. There hasn’t been a major advancement in pacing technology until the past few years with leadless and induction pacing. Now instead of having just one tool, we have multiple options, which is very, very exciting.” Amit Shah, MD
Leadless Pacemaker for Patients with AV Block, continued from page 1
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Birmingham Medical News FEBRUARY 2022 • 7 Average-risk patients ages 45 and older who refuse or are unable to have colonoscopy Not for patients with high risk of colorectal cancer or conditions associated with high risk, such as personal history of polyps, IBD, and family history of certain cancers 453525 5565758585453525 75 85 85 Patients age 76 and older should be referred to gastroenterologist.a The only test for those with risk factors such as personal history of polyps or colorectal cancer, o r family history of certain cancers Colonoscopy: The Gold Standard The only screening that detects and prevents cancer Stool-Based Screening Appropriate option for certain patients Help ColorectalPreventCancer Discuss available screening options with your patients The U.S. Preventative Services Task Force and the American Cancer Society now recommend those at average risk of colorectal cancer start regular screening at age 45. Recommendedforages45-75 For more information, please visit alagastro.org alabamagastrosociety@gmail.com | 334-702-3535 is the New Guideline 45 45
A recent peer-reviewed article in the Journal of the American College of Car diology is confirming sus pected links between cancer treatment and cardiovascu lar risk. Leon Cannizzaro, III, MD, FACE, with Ala bama Cardiovascular Group, wants physicians to be aware of the increased risk and be prepared to monitor their pa tients accordingly. “We certainly know that cancer treatments are associated with cardio vascular risk,” he said. “The field of cardio-oncology was born based on that realization. The better oncologists did with their treatment regimens to keep cancer patients alive, the more we real ized some of the long-term side effects of chemotherapy and radiation therapy.”
The study presented some significant statistics. For example, women without breast cancer in the 25 to 39 year-old age group have a risk of heart disease that’s less than one percent, whereas women in the same age group who had received leftsided radiation had a 5.9 percent risk. In the 40 to 54 year-old age group, women without breast cancer had a 6.6 percent risk of heart disease, compared to women of the same age who received left-sided ra diation having a risk of 18.7 percent.
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While this study was quite targeted, Cannizzaro said it should call attention to other cases where there is radiation ther apy in the area of the heart. “It would be helpful to study the radiation effects on men with Hodgkin’s lymphoma,” he said. “In the 80s and 90s, they would have received relatively high doses of ra diation to their chest. We are now seeing some of those long-term effects.”
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The article defined heart symptoms as a heart attack or chest pain related to heart disease. “The initial onset of car diac problems was about five years, at least, following treatment,” Cannizzaro said. “They followed these patients for almost 30 years. So down the road, we need to be aware of this and treat these patients as if they have a higher risk of heart disease, because they do. “We may see patients who have a history of breast cancer, and when they come to their provider with chest pain or heart failure symptoms, it’s important to ask questions to learn more about their breast cancer. What kind of treatment did they have? What kind of chemotherapy? Certain types of chemotherapy can cause heart damage. Was it left or right sided, and did they receive radiation? That can put a primary provider on alert when pa tients have some of these symptoms.”
Cannizzaro suggests that when phy sicians screen patients for possible heart symptoms, they be more specific than simply asking about chest pain. “Nobody wants to say they have chest pain, but tightness and heaviness in our book is the same. So I’ll ask, ‘Is it sharp, stabbing, burning, aching, squeezing, tightness, pressure?’ Any of those things is a type of chest pain, and from there, the patient is describing the nature of that pain.”
“One of those mitigation techniques is the breath-hold technique. If you take a deep breath, your diaphragm goes down in your chest. Your heart sits on your dia phragm, so that holds your heart down, and they shoot the beam while you are holding that deep breath. That helps minimize how much the radiation actu ally affects the Cannizzaroheart.”cautions all physicians to consider these risks when treating women with a history of breast cancer. “You need to put them in a higher risk category if they report any of these chest symptoms. Keep it on your radar.”
Breast Cancer Survivors May be at Greater Risk for Cardiovascular Problems
Leon Cannizzaro, III, MD, FACE
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The new study is more specific about those risks, focusing on women under 55 years of age with breast cancer, trying to identify if the cardiovascular risk was higher based on whether the cancer and resulting radiation therapy were left sided or right sided. “This study confirmed the suspicion that younger women who received left-sided radia tion treatment were more likely to develop cardiovas cular disease than women with right-sided cancer. It seems obvious, since the heart is on the left side of the chest, but this quantifies it in a way that stood out,” Cannizzaro said. “The best studies are randomized, controlled studies. This was a retrospective study where they used a cardiovascular health questionnaire, so of course, there are going to be limitations on that. But it’s a very well-done study.”
The most recent treatment of a pa tient in the study was 2008, and cancer treatment has continued to evolve. “On cologists are doing more now to protect the heart when they are doing left-side radiation,” Cannizzaro said. “So some of these effects are going to be mitigated, but it is still something we need to be aware of.
8 • FEBRUARY 2022 Birmingham Medical News
SKIN
The surgeon can also access more viewing options with FORS, and with out needing to move imaging equipment mid-procedure. For example, the supe rior mesenteric artery—one of the blood vessels to the intestine—runs toward the front of the body versus left to right. “So if I’m going to watch the wire navigate into the superior mesenteric artery on normal fluoroscopy, I have to turn the in the World with New Fiber Optic Visualization Technology
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 13)
Adam Beck, MD
Surgeons see the wire in yellow and the catheter in blue.
A unique, exciting spa experience is coming soon. opening early 2022 by Jane ehrhardt The UAB Cardiovascu lar Institute is one of only six centers in the world with a new light-based, visual ization technology called Fiber Optic RealShape (FORS). Adam Beck, MD, the director of the UAB Di vision of Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy, performed the first procedure in the southeast using the technology last November, making UAB one of only three locations in the U.S. to uti lize FORS. The other two centers are UMass Memorial Health and Beth Is rael Deaconess Medical Center in Bos ton. The navigational technology, cur rently used at UAB for complex aortic repairs for aneurysms, relies on fiber optics in both the catheter and the guidewire. Tethered to a computer, the flexible microscopic glass fibers relay data defining the location of the de vices. “It cross talks with your imaging equipment to show the entire length of the catheter and wire, overlaid with three-dimensional images of the arterial anatomy,” Beck says. With this technology, surgeons see a 3D version of the wire in yellow and the catheter in blue on the monitors. It even shows the position of the wire within the catheter, on top of a ghost-like, grey background of the body and vessels pro duced by fluoroscopy and pre-op CT scans. As the de vices move, the image reflects that motion in real-time. “They look a bit like a video game,” Beck says. Prior to FORS, just a two-dimensional image would show. Unlike fluoroscopy that requires stepping on a pedal to trigger a flow of x-rays that show the movements of de vices, FORS generates continuous data without any effort from the surgeon. “With FORS, the computer system knows exactly where the catheter and wire are inside the body, so you don’t have to step on the fluoroscopy pedal as often during the procedure,” Beck says. That also means less radiation ex posure for everyone in the operating room, which accumulates over the life of health providers’ careers, despite wear ing protective gear. “I wear 15 pounds of lead on my shoulders while I do these procedures all day long. It’s heavy,” Beck says. “Hopefully at some point, we’ll be able to do the entirety of the procedure with this technology, without the need for lead protection.”
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Manny Tetralogy of Fallot Patient For Manny, by Maryellen Pickrell and JeSSe neil
An executive order from President Biden called for increased antitrust en forcement, with a “focus” on healthcare as one of four key industries. While the potential implications for merger and ac quisition activity are obvious, there could also be secondary ramifications for phy sicians and other healthcare providers. These consequences may be significant— and often unintended. The executive order encourages the FTC to use its regulatory authority to curtail the unfair use of non-compete provisions. By issuing a blanket instruc tion to promote antitrust enforcement without an exception for the sale of a business, the order marks a dramatic fed eral intervention into policy traditionally within the purview of state law. Before Biden’s order, the FTC had already embarked on a path of aggres sive enforcement concerning rulemak ing and enforcement activity that goes well beyond M&A — though that is certainly a significant part. Recently, the Commission took the position that it is unconstrained by conventional antitrust precepts like the “rule of reason” and the consumer welfare principle. Many observers believe that the FTC is likely to seek the expansion of its Section 5 au thority to investigate practices that have been commonly accepted under other federal and state antitrust statutes and case law. The FTC will likely attempt to outlaw such practices through regulation, litigation or both. Now, with the empowerment and mandate from Biden’s order, the FTC will take a deep look at what it can do to restrict the enforcement of non-compete provisions.
TELEHEALTH
2022: The Ever-Changing Healthcare Regulatory Landscape (CONTINUED ON PAGE 13)
SURPRISE BILLING
While some industry observers her alded the trend as a new day in health care, a closer look shows that telehealth use may continue to flourish in some limited areas, such as mental health or chronic care management, but usage rates may settle back into historical levels overall. A recent study by Trilliant Health found that even with dramatic increases in telehealth use in 2020, less than 15 percent of the U.S. population used tele health services in 2020. The study also found that telehealth usage was already waning in most states in 2021. Additionally, many of the emergency telehealth rules put in place during the pandemic have expired—meaning that many states will need to make regulatory changes to allow for widespread use of telehealth services.
10 • FEBRUARY 2022 Birmingham Medical News
It’s no secret that the number of physicians offering telehealth increased dramatically during the COVID-19 pan demic in 2020 — jumping from 25 per cent of physicians in 2018 to almost 80 percent of physicians in 2020, according to the American Medical Association.
The No Surprises Act — which took effect in January 2022 — was intended to address the persistent problem of balance billing patients for the cost of services provided by facilities and providers that are not in their health plan network, often with no prior notice. The No Surprises
NON-COMPETES
HEART
To learn more visit ChildrensAL.org/heart MENDINGHIS
was a very sensitive issue. Manny was born with a congenital heart defect requiring several surgeries, which is fairly common. What’s unique is that Manny has sensory sensitivities that can cause stress, anxiety and overwhelming feelings. Through Children’s of Alabama’s Sensory Pathway, Manny’s Child Life Specialist, Noelle, was able to help him cope with the stress and scary feelings about his surgery. She was with him every step of the way, making the experience less stressful for him.
As we look ahead in 2022, it’s a good opportunity to re-visit key regulatory challenges from 2021 and what poten tially lies ahead in each of these key areas.
CARE AT HOME Providers, operators, investors and policymakers agree that home-based healthcare options are transforming how healthcare is delivered and the economics that drive it. Regardless of the specialty, care at home implicates a discrete set of local, state and federal legal issues, in cluding corporate practice of medicine limitations, site-of-service restrictions, scope of practice, professional consider ations, supervision requirements, reim bursement issues, telehealth regulations and traditional home health licensure requirements.Atthesame time, the regulations have not fully caught up with the vari ous business models being adopted, and CMS and various states are actively ex perimenting with waivers, pilot programs and new reimbursement methodologies. Anticipating this trend, we have seen in creased investment by providers, payors and private equity firms into both pro vider platforms and technology compa nies that facilitate care at home.
Birmingham Medical News FEBRUARY 2022 • 11 Providing compassionate, comprehensive care to the Birmingham and Bessemer communities for over 10 years. BamaPain.com | 205.332.3160
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An Old Technology Gives Cancer Patients a New Chance at Life Vikas
S T R E A M L I N I N G T H E R E L E A S E O F I N F O R M A T I O N WHO ARE WE?
ACTON CORPORATION info@actoncorporation.com 1 888 678 7227 by laura FreeMan “Colon and rectal cancer are the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States,” said Vikas Dudeja MD, FACS, James P. Hayes En dowed Professor and Director of the Di vision of Surgical Oncology at UAB. “As these tumors metastasize, the most com mon site they target is the liver. Unfortu nately, by the time we see these patients here at UAB, in many cases, the tumors in the liver are too advanced to remove them all.” With this in mind, UAB Medicine, O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Cen ter and the UAB Heersink School of Medicine have launched a new Hepatic Artery Infusion Pump Program to offer more treatment options to patients with colon or rectal cancer that has spread to the liver. In this procedure, physicians im plant an infusion pump under the pa tient’s skin, which is connected by a small catheter to the hepatic artery. On cologists are able to deliver high-dose chemotherapy through the pump di rectly to the liver. As a result, in 40 per cent of these patients, the cancer in their liver has shrunk enough that it can be surgically removed. In the other 60 per cent, response varies by case, but most patients are living longer and able to spend more time with their loved ones. “Since most chemotherapy goes throughout the body, side effects tend to limit the dosage,” Dudeja said. “Because the hepatic artery infusion pump deliv ers the chemotherapy directly to the liver, nausea isn’t usually a problem, and we can use stronger doses of FUDR and Mitomycin C. “We monitor patient labs closely to avoid damage to bile ducts in the liver. Our nurses work closely with patients during the five days or so they are in the hospital, and then in recovery and follow up. It’s a team approach.”
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Dudeja MD (CONTINUED ON PAGE 13)
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“A few major medical centers re cently began investigating how it might be used to deliver stronger chemother apy to the liver and possibly make a dif ference in outcomes for patients with colon and rectal cancer that had spread to the liver. Memorial Sloan Kettering in
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12 • FEBRUARY 2022 Birmingham Medical News Birmingham ID & Infusion, offers your patients needing long-term antibiotic therapy or biologic infusion therapies a unique outpatient alternative. • We handle entire intake process for you • Always treated by trained infusion nurse • Not affiliated with any hospital • All insurance accepted • Supervision by a physician • Open 7 days a week Anurag Gandhi, MD William Lapidus, MD Bruce Tucker, MD Lily Colpitts, MD 205-739-2266 BHMINFUSION.COM 4704 CAHABA RIVER ROAD, BIRMINGHAM AL 35243 Near I-459 and Hwy 280, Behind the Colonnade INFUSIONOUTPATIENTCENTER neurology | gastroenterology | rheumatology pulmonology | dermatology | nephrology INFUSION THERAPIES FOR Make fast, easy referrals in our new web portal using simple prompts. Click “REFER TO US” at bhminfusion.com to start. info@actoncorporation.comWHO888-678-7227AREWE? Disclosure of protected health information (PHI) has been our focus for 25 years. As the demands for PHI increase, partnering with Acton is an ideal way to relieve staff, enhance work ow, and provide additional HIPAA assurances. STREAMLINING THE RELEASE OF INFORMATION S T R E A M L I N I N G T H E R E L E A S E O F I N F O R M A T I O N WHO ARE WE? Disclosure of protected health information (PHI) has been our focus for 25 years and it is a simple way to improve workflow and the overall patient experience. As the demands for PHI increase, partnering with Acton is an ideal way to relieve staff, enhance workflow, and provide additional HIPAA assurances. RELEASE OF INFORMATION The benefits of using our ROI service are instant. You will see reduced phone calls and better patient care all while remaining HIPAA compliant. We maintain one of the highest client retention rates with many of our clients trusting our ROI service for over 20 years.
Three surgeons from UAB’s oncol ogy surgery department perform the implant procedure, with a multidisci plinary team contributing their support to patient“Aftercare.patients are released from the hospital, we generally recommend the usual six weeks of taking it easy post-sur gery. Then patients can continue with their usual activities. However, we do tell them no skydiving or scuba diving with the implant to avoid sudden changes in pressure,” Dudeja said. After chemotherapy has had time to work, patients are evaluated to see if the cancer in their liver has shrunk enough to be surgically removed. “We typically recommend leaving the pump in for up to five years, even after surgery, Dudeja said. “That way, if there is a recurrence, we could immedi ately start treatment.”
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The hepatic artery implant pump was developed a generation ago, but ended up back on the shelf due to a combination of the specialized skills needed to use it and advances in treat ment that replaced it in its original role.
“In a patient with cancer too widely spread throughout the body, an implant to treat the liver may not be enough to make a difference. But if we can detect the cancer sooner and get more patients evaluated, so we can be ready to quickly fight any spread to the liver, we can save more lives and give others more time with the people they love. In that regard, if there is one thing I can communicate to physicians treating patients whose colon or rectal cancer has spread to the liver, it’s this: every patient should be evaluated for surgical options as soon as possible. Even a diagnosis of stage four with liver involvement doesn’t necessar ily have to be a death sentence.”
Birmingham Medical News FEBRUARY 2022 • 13 BIRMINGHAM | HUNTSVILLE | MONTGOMERY | MOBILE 866.951.7676 | DYNAMICQUEST.COM WE CARE FOR YOUR DATA. YOU CARE FOR YOUR PATIENTS. Your patients trust you with their private medical data — data that you need access to 24/7/365 to keep your doors open to offer them that trusted care. We know how crucial it is for you to have a secure and compliant technology infrastructure. Our team of engineers works around the clock to ensure your network is consistently monitored and downtime is minimized. Dynamic Quest IT services provides you with 24/7/365 support. gantry angle all the way lateral,” Beck says, requiring shifting of major equip ment mid-surgery. With FORS, the surgeon or IR tech nologist uses the computer to rotate the view of that vessel in 3D on one of the two screens. “I can see the wire and cath eter moving in multiple views at the same time,” Beck says. That fluoroscopy-free capability also lessens radiation exposure. This new navigational tech also offers angles of view that are physically impos sible with the more cumbersome fluoros copy. “If you needed a view directly from the feet to the head for a vessel with a funny angle, you might not get that with plain fluoroscopy,” Beck says. “But with FORS, someone can just take their mouse and turn the patient and their aorta right on their head and you can watch the cath eter and wire navigate in that angle.” Beck notes that this is the very first generation for this technology. “You still need to touch on the fluoroscopy pedal for non-navigational parts of the proce dure, like initially delivering wire into the body,” he says. In addition, FORS is currently lim ited to only two catheters and one type of wire, where most vascular suites and interventional radiology departments stock hundreds of catheters in various shapes, stiffness, diameters, and lengths. “But you can navigate into nearly any vascular bed with these three options right now, except intracranial or coro nary arteries,” Beck says. But Philips, the FORS maker, al ready has plans to mitigate that limita tion. “One of next big things from this company is a system that will allow at tachment to any catheter,” Beck says. They also plan to produce an array of wire lengths and widths to enable its use in other“Thisprocedures.technology will get expanded pretty dramatically over the next few years,” Beck says, including reaching into other specialties, like neurosurgery, interventional radiology, and cardiology. “All of these specialties will benefit from this technology.” UAB One of Six in the World with New Fiber Optic Visualization Technology, continued from page 9
2022: The Ever-Changing Healthcare Regulatory Landscape, continued from page 10 Act bans balance billing for emergency services and prohibits out-of-network charges in most circumstances without notice to and consent from the patient. Surprise billing also creates problems for payors and providers. Payors are often required to spend additional time helping unhappy employees or enrollees under stand why the services they received were not covered under their health plans. For providers, the disparities in payment rates may lead to uncollected fees and patient dissatisfaction. In response, mul tiple states have passed legislation aimed at addressing this practice. The Act is the first comprehensive effort at the federal level, and it affects health plans, hospitals, physicians and air ambulance transporta tion Thecompanies.endofsurprise billing is expected to be a blessing for patients, but for provid ers, insurers and employers, it could result in significant compliance hassles. MaryEllen Pickrell is a partner with Waller where she advises healthcare providers on complex M&A transactions. Jesse Neil is a partner with Waller who advises providers on healthcare operations and public policy.
Old Technology Gives Cancer Patients a New Chance at Life, continued from page 12
New York has done a great deal of work in this area,” Dudeja said. There are still very few hospitals offering the procedure compared to the many patients who could benefit from it. Dudeja introduced the implant through UAB’s surgical oncology program. It is the only place the procedure is available in Al abama and one of very few in the South. UAB Surgical Oncology is also in troducing another state-of-the-art ap proach. “We have recently initiated a program using Heated Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC) to treat pa tients whose cancer has spread to the lining of the abdominal cavity,” Dudeja said. “We performed the first procedure in January and hope to soon report back on how our patients are responding.”
14 • FEBRUARY 2022 Birmingham Medical News Grandview Physicians Plaza II is a state-ofthe-art outpatient companion to the nationally ranked Grandview Medical Center PHYSICIAN OFFICE SPACE AVAILABLE FOR LEASE 3680 GRANDVIEW PARKWAY | BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA • PREMIER LOCATION Excellent visibility and accessibility on the campus of Grandview Medical Center • CUSTOMIZABLE OFFICE SPACE New Construction. Suites may be specifically designed for the unique requirements of each physician practice. • DESIGNED FOR CONVENIENCE Enclosed crosswalks provide easy access to and from Grandview Physicians Plaza I and Grandview Medical Center. Convenient parking immediately beneath the building for physicians; convenient surface parking for patients and staff. JIM ADAMS JADAMS@DANIELCORP.COM 205.443.4522 (OFFICE) | 205.515.3402 (CELL) II by kelli c. FleMing As of January 15, 2022, the Biden Administration is requiring insurance companies and group health plans to provide insurance coverage for at-home COVID tests. As a result of this recent mandate, beneficiaries with private health insurance coverage, including coverage provided by an employer, can purchase an at-home COVID test and have it cov ered by their insurance carrier, with no out-of-pocket payment by the beneficiary in most instances. Coverage for COVID tests may be provided directly at the point of sale or by way of reimbursement upon submission of a valid receipt to the insur anceUndercarrier.the new requirement, up to eight (8) at-home COVID tests per bene ficiary per month are covered, regardless of whether the tests are purchased all at once or over time and regardless of how the tests are packaged and distributed (e.g., single test or multiple tests packaged together). Further, at-home COVID tests addressed by this new requirement do not require a physician office visit or a physician order. If an insurance carrier has not set up a network of preferred stores, pharma cies, or retailers at which a beneficiary can purchase an at-home COVID test pursuant to this mandate, then the car rier is required to reimburse the benefi ciary for the full cost of the test. If the insurance carrier has set up a network of preferred stores, pharmacies or retailers at which a beneficiary can obtain an athome COVID test, the beneficiary has two options. First, the beneficiary can obtain the test at a preferred retailer at no charge. Alternatively, the beneficiary can obtain the test elsewhere and be re imbursed by the carrier either the actual cost of the test or $12 per test, whichever is less. Thus, as a result of the $12 cap, insurers are incentivized to establish a network of preferred stores, pharmacies, or retailers from which a beneficiary may obtain an at-home COVID test free of charge.An interesting, somewhat odd ex ception to the new requirement man dated by the federal government relates to Medicare beneficiaries, as the federal Medicare program is not bound by the coverage mandate. In other words, while private payors are now required to pro vide coverage for at-home COVID tests, the Medicare program is not. In fact, Medicare generally only covers COVID testing performed by a laboratory and or dered by an authorized healthcare pro fessional; although Medicare does allow Medicare beneficiaries to receive one (1) laboratory performed COVID test per beneficiary per year without a physician order – a stark contrast to the eight (8) COVID tests per month the private in surers are now required to cover. Ironically, this elderly population traditionally served by the Medicare pro gram has been the most susceptible to severe illness and death resulting from COVID-19. In fact, according to the CDC, almost 75 percent of deaths from COVID in the United States occur in the 65 and older population. Finally, coverage for an at-home COVID test is dependent on whether or not a beneficiary can actually locate an at-home COVID test to purchase. As of the writing of this article, with the spike in cases caused by the Omicron variant, athome COVID tests are hard to come by, with people flocking to retailers as soon as tests are rumored to be in-stock. This latest action by the Biden Administration does not address the shortage and supply issues the United States is currently fac ing, although the Administration has put in place other measures aimed at address ing the supply deficit. Kelli Fleming is a Partner at Burr & Forman practicing exclusively in the firm’s healthcare practice group. Kelli may be reached at (205) 458-5429 or kfleming@burr.com.
Coverage for At-Home COVID Testing - For Some but Not All Kelli C. Fleming
ON PAGE 17)
(CONTINUED Blair Voltz
16 • FEBRUARY 2022 Birmingham Medical News Trust your Heart & Vascular Needs to Birmingham Heart Clinic LEADERS SPECIALIZING IN Chest Pain & Hypertension • Cutting-Edge Minimally Invasive Therapies Watchman & Treatment of AFIB • Varithena Without Incision For Varicose Veins BHC Trussville 100 Pilot Medical Dr, Ste 300 | Birmingham 205.856.2284 BHC at MedicalNorthsideHome 74 Plaza Dr, Ste 2B | Pell City 205.815.4818 BHC at St. BlountVincent’s 150 Gilbreath Dr | Oneonta 205.274.3323 BHC Vein Center 100 Pilot Medical Dr Ste 185 | Birmingham 205.815.4800 BHC at St. GardendaleVincent’s 2217 Decatur Hwy | Gardendale 205.518.7660 CALL TODAY TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT • BIRMINGHAMHEART.COM by blair Voltz There is no question that professional liability premi ums have risen significantly in Alabama over the past two to three years. We are currently in what is referred to as a ‘hard’ market in the insurance world. Losses are up, capacity is down, reserves are down, discounts are shrink ing, profitability is down, and therefore prices are Beforeincreasing.weexamine what is hap pening in Alabama, let’s take a look at Georgia. Because Georgia is next door to Alabama and is the most similar to us, what happens there has somewhat of an impact on what happens here. National carriers know that Alabama isn’t Florida. We also cannot be compared to Mississippi because that state’s legislature has written some unique laws in order to back the company that writes the majority of business there. The same is true with Louisiana. So from a national perspec tive, Alabama and Georgia most closely resemble each other. Not surprisingly, four of the top six professional liability carriers that write in Alabama also write in Georgia. This chart will give you an idea of recent his tory of rate increases in the two states: (graphic above) The market was soft from the mid to late 2000’s through 2016/2017. In Geor gia, especially, there was a nasty price war where rates tumbled, discounts were given liberally, as all the insurers wanted to increase market share through attrac tive pricing. The same was true to a lesser degree in Alabama. 2017 saw the beginning of the end of this soft market, as insurers began to see dis turbing numbers in their bottom line and their suddenly declining surplus. One of the major insurers in Georgia experienced a drop in their surplus of almost $250 Million dollars from 2017 to 2020. Under-pricing and surprisingly bad trial results (one ver dict alone was for $46 Million) resulted in the alarm bells going off for that company, as well as others in the market. Meanwhile, the same was happening in Alabama. Less premium income and increased losses in the courtroom (the larg est was $30 Million) made Alabama more volatile than ever before. As you can see This is the third in a three-part series on the professional liability climate and the increasing rates in Alabama. In the first article, we discussed the professional liability market in the United States over all, and detailed how rates were rising nationwide. The second installment reviewed the factors that always affect premium. To find these articles, go to www.birminghammedicalnews.com and in the right-hand column on the home page, click on blog. Once you are there, scroll down. You will find the first article on June 29 and the second one on August 19.
AlabamaIncreasingLiabilityProfessionalRatesin
TO VISIT OUR BLOG Go to www.birminghammedicalnews.com and click blog on the far right column or go directly to Whilewww.birminghammedicalnews.com/mod/blogpress/index.phpthere,youarewelcometoscrolldownforpastblogarticles. DON’T MISS THE Birmingham Medical News BLOGBLOGSCHEDULE FEBRUARY 8 Mag Mutual Billing Under Another Provider’s Number Can Land Physicians in Hot Water FEBRUARY 15 Veritas Medical Real Estate Advisors The Nuances of Medical Real Estate FEBRUARY 22 Stephanie Vaught of Sonos Imaging Ten Marketing Strategies to Increase Patient Volume MARCH 1 Jill Smith of Alabama Gastroenterological Society Colorectal Cancer Screening; New Guidelines and Best Practice MARCH 8 Patrick Owns, MD of ENT Associates of Alabama New Procedures in ENT MARCH 15 Courtney Haun, PhD of Samford University Harnessing Change: Higher Education for Healthcare Leaders
Birmingham Medical News FEBRUARY 2022 • 17 from the chart above, insurance compa nies flocked to the Alabama Department of Insurance to file for rate increases. Ala bama trailed Georgia in the timing of the onset of those increases and I do not be lieve we have seen the last of them. In addition to rate increases, there are other ways an insurance company can get more premium out of a client without raising rates. Many providers/ practices may have seen their premium increase over the last few years even if the insurance company did not file for a rate increase. The insurance company does this by taking away discounts. During a soft market, insurers get generous with discounts in order to compete for busi ness. In hard markets, those discounts get adjusted, resulting in a premium increase. Every provider, practice manager, and hospital CEO/CFO needs to ask themselves when they should proactively respond to the continuing rate increases. There are several questions to consider in order to determine if you are with the best company for your practice, and to decide whether you should pay the in creased price to stay with your current insurer or look at alternatives. Any legitimate consultant or agent will tell you that if you have not compared companies, rates, and options in the last few years, you are doing yourself a dis service. The answers to all these questions can be determined by a consultant/agent who will analyze the information for you. If you are with a carrier direct, (no inde pendent consultant/agent involved), then you don’t have an unbiased independent consultant/agent, you have a company representative. A company representa tive cannot objectively analyze the pros and cons of the other potential carriers. Every practice and every hospital should have a consultant/agent who will compare all of the important criteria and render an honest analysis of what you currently have, and what the options and alternatives are. Blair Voltz began his career in medical profes sional liability in 1987, spending the next 25 years with Alabama’s largest medical malprac tice carrier before establishing Voltz Profes sional Risk Advisors in 2011. Since then, he has helped over 200 physicians and a major hospital system improve their coverage, as well as their bottom line. Professional Liability, continued from page 16 GRAND ROUNDS
Minuteman Disaster Response Expanding into Birmingham Minuteman Disaster Response (MDR), a non-profit first responder support team comprised of trained volunteers, is ex panding into Birmingham, and will host an informational meeting on Wednesday, February 16 at 6:30 pm. Those interested in serving can visit the following link to regis ter and get more information: Arkansas,toutemanoperations.muck-outs,gencyground,arecommunitiesby501(c)(3)minutemanresponse.org/bham-interesthttps://www.MinutemanDisasterResponseisacharitablenon-profitthatisdrivenover230trainedvolunteerswhoserveafterdisasters.Volunteerstrainedinsearchandrescuefromtheair,andwateraswellasemercommunications,floodedhomechainsawandheavyequipmentSinceitsfoundingin2011,MinDisasterResponsehasdeployed26majordisastersinTexas,Oklahoma,Louisiana,andKentucky.
Grandview Names Assistant CEO
The NHLBI R35 Program provides long-term support to experienced princi pal investigators who have demonstrated their ability to make major contributions to heart, lung, blood and sleep research. The R35 is intended to support a research program, rather than a research project, by providing the primary and most likely Ashley Mathews “Ryan”MargueriteIrvin,PhD
sitions and expansions, physician recruit ment, and strategic planning. A native of Gadsden, Mathews earned her bachelor’s degree in Public Relations with a concentration in management from Auburn University. She earned her master’s degree in Health Administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Mathews is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives, Medi cal Group Management Association, Ala bama Rural Health Association, and serves on Forge Breast Cancer Survivor Center’s Leadership Team.
Grandview Medical Center has appointed Ash ley Mathews to the role of Assistant Chief Executive Officer.Mathews previously worked for seven years at DeKalb Regional Medical Center in Fort Payne where she most re cently served as the Executive Director of Operations and Business Development. Prior to this, she was the Dekalb Regional Medical Center’s Executive Director of Em ployed Practices. In this role, she oversaw management of DeKalb’s primary care, neurology, pediatrics, interventional cardi ology and orthopedics clinic operations. She also has experience in practice acqui
Irvin Receives $6 Million Funding Marguerite “Ryan” Ir vin, PhD, professor of epi demiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, has received an Emerging Investigator Award from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). Irvin is the first investigator from the UAB School of Public Health and third at UAB to receive this award. The award provides Irvin more than $6 million over seven years to evaluate genet ic risk scores that can help predict personal risk for cardiovascular and renal diseases, as well as African Americans’ treatment re sponses to common antihypertensive ther apies. The study will test existing scores developed in other ethnic groups and cre ate new and hopefully better-performing scores for comparison.
Vickers Takes Reins of UAB Health System
Certified in Reproductive Endocrinology/Infertility Gail
Samford University’s School of Public Health has launched an undergraduate major in health informatics and analytics, designed to prepare graduates to be the critical link between health care providers, payers and patients by analyzing data for decision-making.“Healthinformatics and analytics have become a priority in health care due to technology and a reliance on electronic data for decision-making,” said Lake sha Kinnerson, assistant professor in the school’s Department of Healthcare Admin istration and Informatics. The program’s curriculum integrates hands-on learning with traditional class room education, requiring all students to complete at least one internship with an organization relating to the field of health informatics and analytics. In addition, students will earn a Geo graphic Information System certificate from Samford and a Basic Certificate in Quality and Safety through the Institute for Health Improvement. The program also prepares students to sit for certification as a Health Data Analyst through the American Health Information Management Association. Students with this major also have the opportunity to add a concentration in sports injury prevention analytics. The con centration was created in response to the growing demand of using predictive analy sis and tracking metrics to prevent injuries in athletes.
• Bariatric Surgery Comprehensive Breast Care • Cancer Care Minimally Invasive Surgery
18 • FEBRUARY 2022 Birmingham Medical News GRAND ROUNDS ValentineDoesyourSnore? JAMES SOSNOWCHIK, MD • H. ANDREW WILSON, JR., MD 205-871-9112 • SLEEPANDLUNGDOCS.COM BROOKWOOD MEDICAL CENTER • 2022 BROOKWOOD MEDICAL CTR DR, SUITE 310 Helping You Breathe Easier - Day & NightPULMONARY& SLEEP ASSOCIATES OF ALABAMA P.C. with a Sleep Evaluation RekindleRomanceYour Your dream is within reach & within your budget With 2 affordable IVF options under $5,000, plus second and third cycle discounts, we make adding a new baby to your family not only possible, but practical. In addition to exceptional clinical and laboratory capabilities, you’ll be in the experienced, caring hands of Dr. Long, who holds over three decades of helping yearning couples like you achieve their dream of a healthy baby. ivfalabama.com • Brookwood205.307.0484MedicalCenter Alabama Center for Reproductive Medicine
Sadis Matalon, PhD NHLBI MediSYS Promotes Lewis & Hires Keel MediSYS has promot ed Mark Lewis to Vice Presi dent of Sales. Lewis joined the company in 1996 as an Account Manager, was pro moted to Senior Account Manager in 2001, and was promoted to Senior Health care Information Consultant in 2004. He graduated from Hampden–Sydney College in Virginia with a Bach elor’s degree in Managerial Economics and worked at Regions Bank, Brookwood- Baptist Hospital, and United Healthcare before joining MediSYS.
Cullman Practice Joins Urology Centers of Alabama Cullman Urology has joined Urology Centers of Alabama (UCA). The Cullman practice, which consists of Drs. Rodney Sanders, Nick Braswell and Amy Burdette-Gray, CRNP, has offices in Cullman, Moulton, and St. Vincent’s Blount, which will expand UCA’s footprint to 16 lo cations and 47 providers across central and northern“WeAlabama.areextremely pleased about our Cullman Urology joining UCA,” said Mi chael Bivins, MD, President of UCA. “This relationship will be collaborative with our successful expansion into the northern Ala bama area.”
funding on individual grant awards.
Cecil A. Long, MD Board “Beth” Hide, MSN, CRNP, RDMS Cassidy PA-C Cecily Metzler, CRNP
sole source of
UAB Hospital Receives Women’s Choice Awards
Selwyn Vickers, MD, senior vice presi dent for Medicine and dean of the UAB Heersink School of Medicine, has assumed the role of CEO of both the UAB Health System and the UAB/Ascension St. Vin cent’s Alliance, while continuing as dean. Vickers replaces the retiring Will Ferniany, PhD, who led the Health System for nearly
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Mark GraceLewisKeel
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The University of Alabama at Birming ham received nine 2022 Women’s Choice Awards, including being named one of the 100 Best Hospitals for Patient Experi ences. UAB Hospital received numerous America’s Best Hospitals designations for women’s health practice areas, including:
Samford Launches Health Informatics Program
“We plan to grow our services division by 25 percent and the company software installation footprint around the southeast, and we are confident that Mark will be an important asset to help us reach this goal,” said Nancy Ellis, the owner of MediSYS. MediSYS has also hired Grace Keel as Account Manager, joining the Market ing and Sales division in the Montgomery office. With a strong background in sales, she will help lead the company’s marketing efforts to launch several new products and services this year. Matalon Selected for the Academy of Athens Sadis Matalon, PhD, Al ice McNeal Endowed Chair of the UAB Department of Anesthesiology, has been elected a corresponding member of the Academy of Athens, one of the oldest research institutions in Greece. This is one of the highest honors a scientist of Greek descent can receive. “Being selected as a corresponding member of the Academy of Athens has been a dream of mine,” Matalon said. “It is an honor to be among such distinguished colleagues.”Matalon was selected because of his numerous contributions to the field of acute lung injury and repair. Funded by NIH since 1978, he is considered a leading investigator in understanding the mecha nisms by which toxic gases and pathogen damage to the lungs can cause pulmonary edema.His work has been published in more than 360 publications and 17,000 biblio graphic references. He is also the owner of five international patents for various treat ments for acute lung injuries caused by vi ral infections and exposure to toxic gases.
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• Obstetrics • Stroke Care • Women’s Services
Quimby,
Demolition of the parking deck at Cooper Green Mercy Health Services is un derway and will be completed this summer. Jefferson County and UAB will construct a new 150,000-square-foot facility for Cooper Green Mercy Health Services on the site. The new clinic will offer the current services, along with new services, including behavioral health and pain management services, as well as nutrition medicine. The project is expected to cost between $55 and $65 million, funded by county-backed bonds and public funding for indigent care. The construction should be complet ed by 2025.
Demolished for New Building
Cooper Green Parking Deck
Birmingham Medical News FEBRUARY 2022 • 19 EDITOR & PUBLISHER Steve Spencer VICE PRESiDENT OF OPERATIONS Jason Irvin CREATIVE DIRECTOR Katy Barrett-Alley CONTRIBUTINGWRITERS Cara Clark, Ann DeBellis, Jane Ehrhardt, Laura Freeman, Cindy Sanders, Marty Slay Birmingham Medical News 270 Doug Baker Boulevard, Suite 700-400, 205.215.711035242AdSales: Jason Irvin, 205.249.7244 All editorial submissions should be mailed to: Birmingham Medical News 270 Doug Baker Boulevard, Suite Birmingham,700-400AL35242 or e-mailed to: editor@birminghammedicalnews.com All changesrequestsSubscriptionoraddressshouldbemailed to: Birmingham Medical News Attn: Subscription Department 270 Doug Baker Boulevard, Suite Birmingham,700-400AL35242 or e-mailed to: steve@birminghammedicalnews.com Birmingham Medical News is published monthly by Steve Spencer ©2021 Birmingham Medical News, all rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Birmingham Medial News will assume no reponsibilities for unsolicited materials. All letters sent to Medical News will be considered Medical News property and therefore unconditionally assigned to Medical News for publication and copyright purposes. birminghammedicalnews.com FOLLOW US GRAND ROUNDS Flexible, Comprehensive Revenue Cycle Management Contact Us Today! 888 - 874 - 7084 (ext. 3 for Sales)info@thevallettagroup.comwww.thevallettagroup.com Unrivaled Accuracy Our team has unparalleled experience, which means our clients collect more in revenue. No Need to Change Software We work with countless EHR software platforms, so practices can get the help they need, without overhauling their operations. True Customer Service No offshored call centers. Our responsive, articulate team operates right here in the U.S. EnrollmentProvider AssistanceCoding Charge Entry & Review SubmissionClaim PaymentPosting AR & AppealsClaims StatementsPatient CollectionsPatient InquiriesPatient Analytics Reporting& The GoldenPoint Testing Laboratory utilizes next-generation robotic Instruments, equipment and software to precisely run and report test panels. Our lab facility consists of a dedicated molecular PCR-only lab space and a toxicology lab space with highly trained scientists and lab technicians who follow a regimented test methodology from beginning to end. GoldenPointLabs.com (205) info@goldenpointlabs.573-6222 com Our powerful technology and software applications provide streamlined collection, processing and resulting solutions for our clients. • Full line of viral and pathogen testing • Rapid resulting • Specimens processed locally at our Hoover location • High complexity lab • CLIA # 01D2176939 • Technology-driven healthcare platform • Veterans Administration verified business The Gold Standard for LaboratoryMedical Testing 13 years.Vickers, a member of the prestigious Institute of Medicine of the National Acad emy of Sciences, is a world-renowned sur geon, pancreatic cancer researcher, and pioneer in health disparities research. He earned his undergraduate and medical degrees from Johns Hopkins Uni versity and completed a surgical residency there. He joined the faculty of UAB as an assistant professor in the Department of Surgery, where he was later appointed to professor, division director and the John H. Blue Chair of General Surgery. He was a founder of the UAB Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Center and was principal investigator of UAB’s first pancreatic cancer SPORE. In 2006, Vickers left UAB to become the Jay Phillips Professor and chair of the Department of Surgery at the University of Minnesota Medical School, one of the old est surgery departments in the country. In 2013, Vickers became senior vice president of Medicine and dean of the UAB Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine, one of the largest public academic medi cal centers in the United States. In his role as dean, Vickers leads the medical school’s main campus in Birmingham, as well as its regional campuses in Montgomery, Hunts ville and Tuscaloosa. He was inducted into the Alabama Academy of Honor for the class of 2021, which recognizes living Alabamians for their accomplishments in serving the state and country.
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