GrandRounds UAMS Presents White Coats to First Physician Assistant Students In a ceremony signifying the transition toward becoming a health care professional, the first 26 students in the physician assistant program at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) received their student white coats today. The white coat ceremony was the first for the full-time, 28-month master’s degree program, which accepted its first students this year. Physician Assistants are licensed medical providers who work with the supervision of a physician. They take patient medical histories, conduct physical exams, order diagnostic tests, diagnose medical conditions, write prescriptions and manage acute illness and chronic disease with the supervision of a physician. The UAMS program, in its College of Health Professions, is the first at a public university in Arkansas. Each of the students donned a brand new white coat that they will wear during their clinical experiences in the program. The group then recited the Physician Assistant Professional Oath, which highlights their responsibility for professionalism, teamwork and providing the best possible care to patients. The UAMS physician assistant program, established in 2011, received accreditation in March from the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant, the final approval needed before admitting its first class of students. Students began classes in May. Arkansas ranks 49th in the nation for the number of practicing physician assistants.
St. Bernards Center for Weight Loss/HMR Program Earns Gold Standards Achievement The St. Bernards Center for Weight Loss/HMR Program has been awarded the 2012 HMR Gold Standard Certificate of Achievement. The award distinguishes the St. Bernards Center for Weight Loss from hundreds of clinics nationwide using the program for weight loss developed by HMR (Health Management Resources). HMR recognizes programs that demonstrate excellence in performance and patient care by presenting gold standard certificates annually to a select group of clinics. Certificates are awarded in categories such as greatest weight loss rates, outstanding group attendance and best weight maintenance data. HMR Programs nationwide submit clinical data in these areas, and the top programs can earn the HMR Gold Standard Certificate of Achievement. St. Bernards offers a comprehensive approach to weight loss that includes intensive lifestyle education with medical supervision. With both in-clinic and athome weight loss options, the clinic has
14
>
JUNE/JULY 2013
helped hundreds of individuals take off excess weight. The local program earned 17 separate awards based on data for achieving exceptional patient outcomes – and that translates to outstanding weight loss.
The St. Bernards program provides medical supervision to lose weight safely, and the center takes physician referrals and files insurance (with the exception of Medicaid for medical services).
BRMC Receives Diamond Award for Viewpoint Newsletter Baxter Regional Medical Center recently received a Diamond Award from the Arkansas Hospital Association for the Viewpoint quarterly newsletter. The Viewpoint was selected as one of the top healthcare publications in the state of Arkansas. The competition, cosponsored by the Arkansas Society for Healthcare Marketing and Public Relations and the Arkansas Hospital Association, is designed to recognize excellence in hospital public relations and marketing. Baxter Regional’s Viewpoint publication is produced quarterly and distributed as a newspaper insert throughout the hospital’s 14-county service area. The publication is also available at Baxter Regional clinics and reception areas within the hospital. The publication is written and compiled by BRMC staff and designed and produced by local firm, Brooks-Jeffrey Marketing, Inc. Diamond, Excellence, and Merit Awards were possible in three divisions (based on size of hospital) and 14 categories. Judging for each entry was based on goals and objectives of the publication, audience to whom the publication is directed, reasons for choosing the format, frequency of publication and quantity produced, portions of the publication that were created internally/externally, results/evaluation of the publication and the total budget for the project.
Batesville Oncology Clinic Moves to New Location The Batesville Oncology Clinic, offices of Dr. K. Raman Desikan and Dr. Muhammad A. Khan, recently moved into a new location on the ground floor of White River Medical Center’s East Tower, with the entrance being at the end of the Tower. The new location is more than double the size of the previous clinic. Patients and their families have a much larger seating area, employees have a more efficient space to check patients in and store patient records, the number of exam rooms increased from four to six, and the large, open chemotherapy suite holds fourteen chairs with pre-installed televisions. The new location also includes a nutrition area where chemotherapy patients can grab a drink or a snack; and an in-house pharmacy where medications can be mixed right away for use. The new area allows for the quickest, safest delivery of chemotherapy medications and allows patients to get treatment comfortably, as well as support each other during the treatment process. The Batesville Oncology Clinic’s new address is 1710 Harrison Street.
PUBLISHED BY: SouthComm, Inc. CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Chris Ferrell PUBLISHER Jackson Vahaly jvahaly@southcomm.com ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Rebekah Hardin rhardin@medicalnewsofarkansas.com Ad Sales: 501.580.8903 NATIONAL EDITOR Pepper Jeter editor@medicalnewsinc.com LOCAL EDITOR Becky Gillette bgillette@medicalnewsofarkansas.com CREATIVE DIRECTOR Susan Graham susan@medicalnewsinc.com 931.438.8771 GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Katy Barrett-Alley Amy Gomoljak Heather Hauser Christie Passarello CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Becky Gillette, Lynne Jeter, Cindy Sanders ACCOUNTANT Kim Stangenberg kstangenberg@southcomm.com CIRCULATION subscriptions@southcomm.com —— All editorial submissions and press releases should be emailed to: editor@medicalnewsinc.com —— Subscription requests or address changes should be mailed to: Medical News, Inc. 210 12th Ave S. • Suite 100 Nashville, TN 37203 615.244.7989 • (FAX) 615.244.8578 or e-mailed to: subscriptions@southcomm.com Subscriptions: One year $48 • Two years $78
SOUTHCOMM
Chief Executive Officer Chris Ferrell Chief Financial Officer Patrick Min Chief Operating Officer Ron Jiranek Chief Marketing Officer Susan Torregrossa Chief Technology Officer Matt Locke Business Manager Eric Norwood Director Of Digital Sales & Marketing David Walker Director Of Accounting Todd Patton Creative Director Heather Pierce Director Of Online Content/Development Patrick Rains Medical News of Arkansas is published monthly by Medical News, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of SouthComm, Inc. ©2013 Medical News Communications.All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Medical News will assume no responsibilities 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.
medicalnewsofarkansas.com
medicalnewsofarkansas
.com