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SMH Today

HEALTH & WELLNESS UPDATES FROM SARASOTA MEMORIAL

Written in the Stars

New Technique for High BP

SMH Today

News and advice from Sarasota Memorial Health Care System

Written in the Stars

SMH Achieves What No Other Florida Hospital Could: Perfect 5-Star Rating, 10 Years in a Row

Sarasota Memorial is a communityowned health system governed by the nine-member elected Sarasota County Public Hospital Board.

SARASOTA MEMORIAL HEALTH CARE SYSTEM

David Verinder - President & CEO

SARASOTA COUNTY PUBLIC HOSPITAL BOARD MEMBERS

Kevin Cooper – Chair

Brad Baker

Pam Beitlich, DNP, APRN

Gregory Carter

Sharon Wetzler DePeters, APRN

Bridgette Fiorucci, BSN, RN

Sarah Lodge

Patricia Maraia, BSN, RN

Victor Rohe

SMH Today is a semi-annual publication produced by Sarasota Memorial Health Care System and Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation. For more SMH news and contact information, visit smh.com/news.

Sarasota Memorial Health Care System kicked off 2026 achieving what no other Florida hospital could: a perfect 5-Star rating from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) – every year – for 10 years straight.

For patients and families on the Suncoast, the decade-long quality streak serves as a powerful promise, said David Verinder, CEO of the community-owned health system.

David Verinder Sarasota Memorial President & CEO

“This is far more than a plaque on the wall – it is a promise and personal commitment from 2,500 physicians and 11,000 staff members – the people behind our stars – to prioritize our patients’ health and safety above all else,” Verinder said.

The 5-Star rating places Sarasota Memorial in the top tier of medical institutions nationally. Of more than 4,000 U.S. hospitals evaluated, the flagship Sarasota hospital is one of only 17 nationwide – and the only one in Florida – to earn 5-Star ratings from CMS every year since it launched the star rating program in 2016.

In addition to the federal government’s top rating, SMH is repeatedly ranked among the nation’s best and safest hospitals by multiple independent hospital rating organizations, including U.S. News & World Report, Newsweek and Forbes, and has earned straight “A’s” for patient safety from The Leapfrog Group for a decade. It also is among 2% of hospitals that have maintained Magnet Nursing Recognition, the nation’s highest honor for nursing excellence from the American Nurses Credentialing Center, for more than 20 years.

The CMS star ratings are particularly meaningful because they summarize a hospital’s overall performance, with broad, standardized metrics across five critical areas: Mortality, Safety of Care, Readmission, Patient Experience, and Timely/Effective Care.

To celebrate the quality milestone, Sarasota Memorial launched a multi-media “Written in the Stars” campaign in January spotlighting the clinicians and staff behind the stars.

“While the five stars are a symbol of hospital quality, the real story is the people behind the stars,” Verinder said. “This campaign is a tribute to the dedication and diligence of our clinicians and staff and all that they do on a daily basis to provide the best care and outcomes for our patients.”

Send an SMH “Stargram”

Community members can share a note of thanks and send a digital Stargram recognizing staff members who went above and beyond via the hospital’s website: www.smh.com/stargram

Stargrams will be delivered directly to recognized employees and their leaders, ensuring the people “behind the stars” receive the personal recognition they deserve.

SMH Offers New, Drug-Free Treatment to Lower Resistant High Blood Pressure

S arasota Memorial Hospital is among the first wave of U.S. hospitals offering renal denervation, a minimally invasive outpatient procedure to treat people with high blood pressure that does not respond to conventional medications and lifestyle therapies.

“We are very excited to bring this innovative therapy to our community,” said Sarasota Memorial Health Care System Chief Medical Officer James Fiorica, MD. “Uncontrolled hypertension is a leading cause of heart disease, stroke, and kidney failure. For patients who don’t respond to medication, renal denervation offers a crucial new treatment option and promising new path forward.”

The first device-based treatment for resistant hypertension, renal denervation was approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration in late 2023, but it wasn’t until December 2025 that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued a national coverage determination, paving the way for broad insurance coverage and access in 2026.

precisely controlled and targeted radiofrequency pulses to disrupt and reduce overactive nerve signals between the kidneys and brain, which helps lower blood pressure.

For many with resistant hypertension, the procedure provides sustained relief, allowing them to reduce their blood pressure medication dosage or stop taking the medications completely.

That’s what Sarasota retiree Donald Fagan, 73, is looking forward to in 2026. On Dec. 30, 2025, after struggling for years to manage his hypertension with multiple medications, exercise and other lifestyle changes, he was the first patient to receive the catheter-based blood pressure treatment at SMH.

On the day of his procedure, his blood pressure reached a high of 188/110. He remained awake for the 1-hour procedure and said he felt better almost immediately. He happily posed for photos with Dr. Rossi and the SMH team before going home the same day.

SMH interventional cardiologists Daniel Molloy, MD, Jeffrey Rossi, MD, and Ricardo Yaryura, MD, are among the first providers in Florida using Medtronic’s FDA-approved Symplicity Spyral™ system.

During the 1-hour outpatient procedure, doctors make a small incision in the groin and guide a catheter to the renal arteries in the kidneys. They use the specialized catheter to deliver

The morning after his procedure, Fagan was amazed to find his blood pressure near normal, measuring 139/85, down from an average 160/90 or higher.

“I feel like the poster boy for this new procedure,” Fagan said with a chuckle. “That was exactly what we were hoping for. Hopefully, it’s a good sign for the year ahead.”

t Sarasota retiree Donald Fagan takes a moment to pose with interventional cardiologist Jeffrey Rossi, MD, and the SMH cath lab team following an outpatient procedure to treat his resistant hypertension.

SMH’s New Sleep Disorder Center Helps Improve Quality of Sleep, Daytime Alertness and Long-Term Health

S arasota Memorial Health Care System has opened a new and expanded Sleep Disorder Center dedicated to evaluating and treating a wide range of sleep disorders that can impact long-term health.

Community members experiencing loud snoring, pauses in breathing during sleep, unrefreshing sleep, morning headaches, or excessive daytime sleepiness are encouraged to speak with their healthcare provider about a sleep evaluation and potential overnight study.

Early diagnosis and effective treatment of sleep disorders can significantly improve quality of life and reduce the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and other long-term complications.

“Sleep is fundamental to overall health,” said Rabih Loutfi, MD, a board-certified pulmonologist, critical care, and sleep medicine physician with SMH First Physicians Group who serves as the center’s medical director. “When sleep is repeatedly disrupted by conditions such as sleep apnea, it can trigger a cascade of effects that negatively impacts immune function, increases the risk of chronic disease and impairs cognitive abilities such as memory and concentration.”

Led by Rabih Loutfi, MD, Sarasota Memorial’s Sleep Disorder Center team provides comprehensive sleep studies and treatment for a wide range of conditions disrupting essential sleep.

At Sarasota Memorial’s Sleep Disorder Center, a multidisciplinary team provides comprehensive evaluations, overnight diagnostic sleep studies and individualized treatment plans for a wide range of conditions disrupting essential sleep, including obstructive and central sleep apnea, circadian rhythm disorders, insomnia, narcolepsy and hypersomnia, snoring, and restless legs syndrome.

Overnight sleep studies are performed by specially trained, registered sleep technologists in private, hotel-like sleep suites in Sarasota Memorial’s sleep medicine facility, which is accredited by the American Academy for Sleep Medicine. The center utilizes the latest technology, as well as remote monitoring that can be used at home, to record breathing patterns, oxygen levels, brain waves, heart rhythm, and leg movements while patients sleep. Board-certified sleep medicine physicians meet with patients to discuss the results and potential treatment options.

Appointments & Information

The Sarasota Memorial Sleep Disorder Center is located in Waldemere Medical Plaza, 1921 Waldemere Street, Suite 705. Sleep studies and treatments are covered by most major insurance plans. A physician referral is required. For appointments or information, call the SMH Sleep Disorder Center at 941-262-5248 or visit: https://www.smh.com/Home/Services/ sleep-disorder-center

UPCOMING

Sarasota Memorial Joins

Clinical

Trial for Patients with Aortic Valve Disease

A re you 50 years or older with a confirmed diagnosis of moderate calcific aortic valve stenosis (CAVS)?

You may be eligible to participate in a clinical trial with Sarasota Memorial’s Kolschowsky Research and Education Institute, aimed at evaluating whether Ataciguat, an investigational medication, can slow the buildup of calcium in the aortic valve in adults with moderate CAVS.

Led locally by interventional cardiologist Ricardo Yaryura, MD, the phase 3 clinical study will enroll an estimated 1,400 patients across approximately 100 sites worldwide. If proven safe and effective, Ataciguat could become the first pharmacologic therapy to slow the progression of aortic valve calcium build-up in adults with CAVS.

For more information, or to find out if you are eligible to participate in the local study, contact the research team at 941-917-2225 or email: researchinstitute@ smh.com

Childbirth Education

Sarasota Memorial offers in-person and online childbirth education classes and Mother-Baby Support Groups, as well as 1-on-1 lactation counseling and support. For more information or to register for a class, visit smh.com/ childbirth-education.

Weight Loss & Wellness Coaching

Sarasota Memorial weight and wellness specialists offer the following programs to help people lose weight and reduce their risk factors for heart disease and stroke, without medications or surgery:

• RENEW (Restore and Empower through Nutrition, Exercise and Wellness), a lifestyle program that combines professional health coaching group activities, meal feedback, exercise monitoring, and unlimited peer support to help people achieve their personal weight and wellness goals. Learn more or apply at smhRENEW.com.

• Dr. Ornish’s Program for Reversing Heart Disease, a nineweek program focused on four scientifically proven life style strategies: a low-fat, plant-based diet; 30 minutes of daily exercise; stress management; and social support. Learn more or apply at smh.com/ornish.

SMH Named Among 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals

S arasota Memorial’s flagship Sarasota campus has once again been recognized among the 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals in the nation.

The prestigious ranking, published in Modern Healthcare in February, identifies the highest-performing hospitals in the U.S. for cardiovascular care.

SMH was recognized for its excellence in treating complex conditions, including heart attacks and heart failure, and for its superior outcomes in procedures like heart bypass surgery and cororary angioplasty. Produced in partnership with Premier Inc, the annual list recognizes hospitals with superior clinical outcomes, including:

• Higher survival rates and fewer surgical complications

• Shorter hospital stays and fewer readmissions

• Lower average costs and higher patient satisfaction

To learn more about our award-winning cardiac programs, visit Sarasota Memorial Heart and Vascular Services at smh.com/heart

Pregnancy Care & Support

Supporting you –and your growing family

Pregnancy can be a time of excitement and challenges. If you are feeling overwhelmed or having trouble accessing prenatal care, contact SMH’s Pregnancy Care Team. Our OB nurse navigators can help guide you to the services and support you may need throughout your pregnancy, including assisting you in finding a prenatal care provider, ensuring care coordination, and connecting you and your family with community resources. To access the free pregnancy support, call 941-917-MOMS (6667).

Physician Lectures & Health Events

Check out our community calendar each month for a list of free, informative lectures by Sarasota Memorial physicians and specialists, and other SMH-sponsored events. Hear directly from the experts about the latest treatments and emerging technologies giving patients more options than ever before. Visit smh.com/calendar or call 941- 917-7777 for information.

Classes & Support Groups

Visit smh.com/calendar for our monthly calendar of events.

Call 941- 917-7777 or visit smh.com/healthline for help finding a doctor, services and support groups.

For health tips and advice, visit smh.com/blog.

Check out our podcast for a healthy dose of information from experts you can trust. Visit smh.com/podcast, or download on your favorite streaming app