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Watkins Uiberall, PLLC and J. William Appling & Associates Announce the Formation of Watkins Uiberall Strategic Consulting Group, LLC

The local CPA and financial advisory firm of Watkins Uiberall, PLLC and the local management and consulting firm of J. William Appling & Associates are pleased to announce the formation of Watkins Uiberall Strategic Consulting Group, LLC.

Watkins Uiberall Strategic Consulting Group, LLC specializes in providing highly customized financial, accounting, business advisory, process alignment and delivery improvements to clients in the health and medical industries as well as a wide variety of industry segments. Bill Appling, principal of J. William Appling & Associates will assume the role of president of Watkins Uiberall Strategic Consulting Group, LLC effective immediately.

"The creation of Watkins Uiberall Strategic Consulting Group combines the bench strength of Watkins Uiberall's accounting expertise and J. William Appling & Associates' consulting leadership to form a comprehensive service provider for physicians, hospitals and other entities that are looking to increase profitability within their organization," says Ben Watkins, CPA, CMPA and partner of Watkins Uiberall, PLLC.

Local Pharmaceutical Company Announces License Agreement to Expand Distribution of Wound Care Technology

Greystone Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced in July a license agreement with Minnesota-based 3M Health Care that significantly expands worldwide distribution of Greystone’s patented PHI technology which aids in the management of hard-to-heal wounds.

“We have had very good clinical trials for those stubborn wounds. With 3M Healthcare’s global presence, we believe we can bring valuable solutions to patients globally,” said Greystone’s CEO Greg Pilant.

This agreement includes the distribution of Epi-Max® wound dressing that has shown strong positive outcomes after nearly six years worth of clinical study and use.

Epi-Max® is a sterile wound dressing coated with an ointment containing polyethylene glycols and a combination of metal ions. The skin temperature actives the cream and the entire dressing can be readily applied by physicians, patients or a healthcare provider and is indicated for patients experiencing non-responsive chronic wounds.

The recent license agreement between 3M Health Care and Greystone Pharmaceuticals represents the second agreement between the two companies, with the first focusing on the introduction of 3M™ Tegaderm™ Matrix Dressing with Greystone’s patented PHI technology.

Almost simultaneously, Greystone announced the expansion of its downtown Memphis factory from 8,000 square feet to 22,000 over the next year to make enough wound-care products to service the massive licensing and distribution deal with 3M.

HealthSpring partners with St. Peter Villa to bring specialized care to facility’s residents

Nashville-based HealthSpring today recently it will partner with St. Peter Villa (SPV) to offer SpecialCare to residents of the Memphis nursing facility. SpecialCare is a Medicare Advantage Institutional Special Needs Plan specifically designed for long-term care residents. HealthSpring’s SpecialCare program will be available beginning August 1 to SPV residents meeting eligibility guidelines.

Residents of nursing facilities are often challenged with chronic health conditions. These conditions impact their quality of life and sometimes result in further complications and the need for hospitalization. HealthSpring’s SpecialCare program provides an extra level of preventive care to help keep members healthier. The program also includes Medicare Advantage benefits with additional coverage beyond basic Medicare and Medicaid.

The SpecialCare program provides a nurse practitioner for additional preventive-focused care. The nurse practitioner works closely with the facility’s physicians and communicates regularly with the member’s family. SpecialCare also provides a personal HealthSpring customer service representative, called a PAL, to answer questions for the member, the member’s family, and the facility.

Laura Carpenter joins CB Richard Ellis Memphis team

CB Richard Ellis Memphis is pleased to announce that Laura Carpenter has joined the CBRE team as an Associate for Healthcare Real Estate Services.

Prior to joining CBRE, she worked as Market Account Manager for the Procter & Gamble Healthcare division. Carpenter received her Bachelor of Business Administration from Mississippi State University with an emphasis on International Business.

Le Bonheur Neuroscience Notes

Dr. Dave Clarke has been named medical director of Le Bonheur Children's Epilepsy Monitoring Unit. Clarke is an epileptologist and sleep neurophysiologist with Le Bonheur's Neuroscience Institute who also serves as co-director of neurophysiology. In his new role, Clarke will lead the hospital's seven-bed unit, which offers long-term EEG with simultaneous video monitoring.

Neuropsychologist Vickie Brewer, Ph.D., recently earned her board certification in clinical neuropsychology. Brewer earned her certification through the American Board of Professional Psychology, with a specialty in pediatric clinical neuropsychology. There are fewer than 700 board certified clinical neuropsychologists in the country.

Brewer is chief of Neuropsychology for Le Bonheur Children's Neuroscience Institute and also serves as clinical associate professor in the departments of Pediatrics and Neurology at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.

Will Lowes has been named service line director for Le Bonheur Neuroscience program. He comes to Memphis from Children's Medical Center in Dallas and has extensive experience in service line management, strategic planning and operational leadership. Lowes will partner with the neuroscience physicians and operational leadership to provide planning development and strategic execution for Le Bonheur's Neuroscience program.

Kim Hallum has been named director of Neuroscience Operations. Hallum began her career at Le Bonheur as an administrative resident in 1994. She left Le Bonheur in 1999 to pursue leadership roles at Arkansas Children's Hospital and in the private business sector. In her new role, Hallum will have operational responsibility for the EEG/EMU, Sleep Center and MEG.

UT Medical Group Welcomes Interventional Cardiologists

Drs. Pranab Das and Santhosh K.G. Koshy have joined UT Medical Group Inc. as interventional cardiologists in the Department of Medicine.

Koshy comes to Memphis from Houston, Texas, where he was co-director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory and assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine. He completed fellowship training in interventional cardiology at the University of Alabama, Birmingham and in adult cardiovascular medicine at the University of Missouri. He is board certified in cardiovascular disease, adult comprehensive echocardiography, and interventional cardiology.

Das joins UTMG from Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine in Illinois, where he completed a fellowship in interventional cardiology and an additional year of interventional training in complex coronary interventions, peripheral and endovascular interventions, and non-coronary interventions. He completed general cardiology fellowship training at the Gill Heart Institute at the University of Kentucky. Das is board certified in cardiovascular disease, interventional cardiology, and nuclear cardiology. Both Koshy and Das specialize in minimally invasive procedures such as carotid stent placement, angioplasty, thrombolysis, and peripheral and endovascular interventions.

2008 Living Awards Recipients Named

Each year, the Methodist Healthcare Foundation Living Awards recognize individuals or organizations who have distinguished themselves by their leadership and commitment to the healing mission of Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare and to those whose faith-based initiatives have had a profound impact on healthcare locally, nationally, and globally.

The 2008 honorees are:
Thomas L. Gray, M.D., Inspiration in Faith and Health —After graduating with honors from the University of Tennessee College of Medicine, Dr. Gray served as a medical missionary in Africa and then continued his commitment to serving others as a staff physician at Christ Community Medical Center in Memphis. Today, Dr. Gray runs his own private practice and is the medical director of Life Choices.
R. Franklin Adams, M.D., Physician Inspiration in Faith and Health — Dr. Franklin Adams has been a driving force in ensuring patients at Methodist University Hospital receive the best possible care for a wide range of rheumatology illnesses. Dr. Adams has served as president of the Methodist Hospital Staff and was the original director of its internal medicine teaching program. Dr. Adams entered private practice in1970 and later became a founding member of The Arthritis Group, PC.
Raymond Hawkins, Jr., M.D., Physician Inspiration in Faith and Health — He began his medical career on the front lines of the Vietnam War. For the past 33 years, Dr. Hawkins has been the sole general surgeon for Methodist Fayette Hospital in Somerville, Tenn. Dr. Hawkins has performed over 25,000 surgical procedures. He performed the first laparoscopic cholecystectomy, at Methodist Fayette in 1990. Dr. Hawkins also performed one of the first laparoscopic adrenalectomies in the region.

Oakland First Baptist Church to Begin Adult Day Care

Oakland First Baptist will begin a new ministry this fall aimed at assisting caregivers. Entitled Grandma and Grandpa’s Day Out, The service is an opportunity for those caring for an Alzheimer’s, Dementia, or other highly supervised person to drop them off for the day. This allows the caregiver to run errands or simply get some rest.

In addition to this program, the church offers a support group for caregivers every other Wednesday night at 7:00 pm.

People who are caring for someone with Alzheimer's or Dementia often suffer from high levels of fatigue and stress. Additionally, victims of these diseases may be prone to worry, anxiety, sadness, and isolation. The church is hoping to address these issues with the offering of these programs.

Southeast Regional Network Fellowship

Applications are now open for the Environmental Leadership Program's 2009 Southeast Regional Network Fellowship class.

In the last year, ELP Fellows from the Southeast have been interviewed on NPR regarding Atlanta's water issues, started a grassroots environmental and social justice advocacy organization, conserved thousands of acres of land in northern Florida, traveled to Capitol Hill on lobby day to talk to representatives about the Farm Bill, and helped communities of color gain access to natural gas and energy efficient products.

The Environmental Leadership Program nurtures a new generation of environmental leaders characterized by diversity, innovation, collaboration, and effective communications. ELP addresses the needs of relatively new environmental activists and professionals by providing them with inspiring and up-to-date training.

Our yearlong fellowship program offers unique networking opportunities, intensive leadership and skills training, support and time for personal and professional reflection and thanks to the generosity of our funders it does not incur any costs to the participant. The Regional Networks Program provides an opportunity for talented individuals like you to garner professional recognition and have a substantial impact on the environmental and social change movements through collaboration with other emerging leaders.

Master of Health Informatics and Information Management Program at The University of Tennessee Health Science Center Earns CAHIIM Approval

On May 22, the Master of Health Informatics and Information Management program in the College of Allied Health Sciences at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) received designation as an “Approved Program” by the Commission on Accreditation of Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM). The UTHSC master’s level Health Informatics and Information Management (HIIM) program is currently only the fourth of its kind in the country to earn approval by CAHIIM.

CAHIIM and its sponsoring organization(s) cooperate to establish, maintain, and promote appropriate standards of quality for postsecondary educational programs in health informatics and information management to provide a competent, skilled professional workforce for the health care industry.

CAHIIM accredits degree-granting programs in health informatics and information management that have undergone a rigorous process of voluntary peer review and have met or exceeded the minimum accreditation standards as set by the professional association.

CAHIIM was established as an independent accreditation commission in 2004 by the house of delegates of the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA). AHIMA has conducted specialized programmatic accreditation since 1943, operating jointly with the American Medical Association and in subsequent collaboration with the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs.

Christopher J. Knott-Craig, MD, Named Chief, Division of Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery in the College of Medicine, Memphis, at UTHSC

Timothy C. Fabian, MD, chair, Department of Surgery, the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), Steve J. Schwab, MD, executive dean of the UTHSC College of Medicine, and Meri Armour, MSN, MBA, president and chief executive officer for Le Bonheur Children's Medical Center, announced the appointment of Christopher J. Knott-Craig, MD, as chief of the Division of Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery at UTHSC and co-director of the Pediatric Cardiovascular Institute at Le Bonheur.

Dr. Knott-Craig is an internationally known pediatric cardiovascular surgeon who currently serves as chief of Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery and professor of Surgery at the University of Alabama Medical Center at Birmingham. Dr. Knott-Craig received his medical degree in 1977 and completed his surgical training in 1978 from the University of Cape Town, Groote Schuur Hospital, South Africa. He will assume his new responsibilities in Memphis by October 1.
The national search for this position was conducted by Millican Solutions, Inc., and was ably led by Thomas Chin, MD, FAAP, FACC, professor of pediatric cardiology and co-director of the Pediatric Cardiovascular Institute at Le Bonheur.

Saint Francis Hospital-Memphis Implements VersantRN Program to Increase Nursing and Patient Satisfaction

Saint Francis Hospital-Memphis recently announced that it is the first facility in the state to of Tennessee to offer the Versant RN ResidencyT, an evidence-based, outcome-driven education solution to support their nursing workforce. Saint Francis Hospital has adopted the Residency program to increase the number of new nurse applicants, bolster the confidence and competence of new nurses, and standardize the delivery of quality patient care.

The first class in the Versant RN Residency program at Saint Francis
Hospital-Memphis is scheduled to begin September 15, 2008 with more than 20 nurses participating in the rigorous 18-week training program. The Versant
RN Residency program features support from a network of senior nurses to ensure that RN residents are well-equipped to deliver quality patient care.

Mastery of critical thinking skills, coordination of care, and time management are among the numerous core competencies that must be met as part of the successful completion of the residency.

Raza Dilawari, MD, Named Associate Chief Medical Officer, UT Medical Group

Steve J. Schwab, MD, executive dean of the College of Medicine at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), and Steven Burkett, chief executive officer, UT Medical Group (UTMG), announced the appointment of Raza Dilawari, MD, FACS, as associate chief medical officer for UTMG. In addition, Timothy Fabian, MD, Harwell Wilson Alumni professor and chairman of the Department of Surgery, has appointed Dr. Dilawari as vice chairman for Methodist University Hospital (MUH) in the Department of Surgery. The appointments will be effective on October 1.

Dr. Dilawari currently serves as professor of Surgery and associate director of the surgical training program at MUH. A regionally renowned general and
oncologic surgeon, Dr. Dilawari has built a robust referral practice founded on patient and referring-physician service. He has also fostered a remarkable working relationship between the College of Medicine and the Methodist University Hospital.

Dr. Dilawari is certified by the American Board of Surgery and performed his
oncologic surgery training at the University of Rochester, Strong Memorial
Hospital, Rochester, N.Y., and Roswell Park Memorial Institute, Buffalo,
N.Y.

Dr. Dilawari has been a key mentor and figure in the training and supervision of medical students and surgical residents on the College of Medicine campus in Memphis since 1976. He will remain as associate surgical program director for MUH.

Family Cancer Center Adds Ninth Physician

Dr. Aleksandar Jankov, an oncologist who has practiced in Memphis since 2003, has joined The Family Cancer Center.

Dr. Jankov will be seeing patients at the Family Cancer Center's Walnut Grove Office on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and the Oxford, Mississippi, office on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

He will be the ninth physician on staff at the Family Cancer Center, which has ten facilities in the three-state Memphis area.

Dr. Jankov is Board Certified in Medical Oncology, Hematology and Internal Medicine. He completed his Residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and his Fellowship in Hematology/Oncology at the University of Rochester Strong Memorial Hospital. He received his Medical Degree from the University of Novi Sad in Serbia.

Saint Francis Hospital-Memphis Dedicates New and Expanded Emergency Room

Saint Francis Hospital-Memphis has opened its new and expanded Emergency Room. The new ED has several features that will increase patient efficiency and improve patient satisfaction, including all private rooms versus a mix of semiprivate and private rooms in the previous design, flat screen TVs and a confidential registration area.

There is a state of the art cardiac monitoring system that allows staff to access previous patient EKGs (the MUSE system). In addition, the new ED features a Rapid Treatment Area designed to expedite patient assessment and treatment that will begin operation in August of 2008.

The project also included the expansion of the hospital's Chest Pain Emergency Center, now containing 12 beds with continuous 12 lead capability.
This means that the patient can be tested and monitored directly from the bed at all times.

The project added approximately 5,000 square feet of space and renovated 28,000 square feet. Patients will be greeted in a spacious reception area, designed with calm and healing colors, a large fish tank and child's play area.

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