A Tribute to Irvin Fleming, M.D.

 Dr. Irvin Durant Fleming, a lifelong Memphian and renowned surgical oncologist, died on August 8, 2011. He was a graduate of Christian Brothers High School, did his pre-med at Vanderbilt University and received his medical degree from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. He served in the United States Army Medical Corps from 1956-1959.  Dr. Fleming did his post-graduate work at Sloan Kettering in New York City and later became a professor of surgery at the University of Tennessee, Memphis. He was a staff surgeon at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital for more than 35 years and also served as Medical Director of the Methodist Healthcare Cancer Center.

Dr. Fleming was a 50-year volunteer with the American Cancer Society (ACS) and served as its National President 1993-1994.  In Memphis, he was the driving force for the Harrah’s Hope Lodge, a home away from home for adult cancer patients traveling to Memphis for their treatment, according to Leighanne Hart, Development Officer for the Mid-South Division of the ACS.  

Dr. Fleming leaves his wife of 58 years, Anne Talley Fleming, who was the inspiration for his war against cancer.  He also leaves four sons and 13 grandchildren.

The Fleming family has requested that memorials be sent to the American Cancer Society Harrah’s Hope Lodge, 1378 Union Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee  38104.

The West Clinic’s ASTC Receives AAAHC Accreditation

The West Clinic, the Mid-South’s premier cancer center, is pleased to announce that it has achieved accreditation from the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC). Accreditation distinguishes the ambulatory surgery center from other outpatient surgical facilities by providing a safe work environment and the highest quality of care to patients. Approximately 5,000 ambulatory health care organizations across the United States are accredited by AAAHC.

UT Medical Group Names Vice President of Physician Services

Jill Powelson has been named vice president of physician services for UT Medical Group.  She previously served as director of operations for the department of surgery, the transplant institute, and the adult cardiovascular surgery institute.

A registered nurse, Powelson has undergraduate and graduate degrees in business from the University of Memphis and a master’s degree in public health from Johns Hopkins University.  She is also a graduate of the Maurice Elliott Leadership Institute and served as a mentor for promising undergraduate students in the Memphis Institute for Leadership Education. 

Regional Medical Center Improves Financials

Regional Medical Center at Memphis closed its fiscal year at the end of June 2011 with a $17.7 million bottom line, improved operations, enhanced facilities, and well positioned for the future to continue providing compassionate care and exceptional services to the community.

Regional Medical Center’s net income before special appropriations for FY2011 is $17,658,000, far exceeding the budget expectation of $8,800,000. Several factors made the strong position possible, including positive changes in the payor mix; successful efforts to increase patient revenue while holding expenses steady; and creating an improved environment for patients to receive their care at Regional Medical Center. During FY2011, the organization had improvements in its commercial insurance, managed care and Medicare payor categories. The organization implemented several initiatives to strengthen the revenue cycle and improve the billing and collection process.  

Memphis Jewish Home & Rehabilitation Center Partners with Reliant Rehabilitation

Memphis Jewish Home & Rehabilitation Center (MJHRC) is now partnering with Reliant Rehabilitation to provide Model 10, a new clinical model of care specifically designed for seniors. This program serves as a guide for therapists that focuses on efficiency, effectiveness, and efficacy of rehabilitation services and produces positive results for patients. The program covers physical, occupational, and speech therapies.

At the start of the program, therapists evaluate and design the patient’s personal therapy plan. As they work through their therapy, the plan moves them toward regaining their independence. Utilizing Model 10, therapy plans are designed for each specific therapy discipline needed. Weekly progress is measured according to the 10 point Model 10 scale which determines how much more therapy the patient will need and when they’ll be able to go home.

Qsource Receives $13.9 Million to Improve Healthcare in Tennessee

Qsource, a nonprofit healthcare quality improvement and information technology consultancy, announced a three-year $13.9 million contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to share knowledge to improve healthcare in Tennessee.

CMS leads a national healthcare quality improvement program which is implemented locally by an independent network of Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs) in each state and territory. Qsource, which serves as the QIO for Tennessee, employs 98 individuals and has offices in Memphis, Nashville, and Knoxville as well as Little Rock , Arkansas .

Qsource CEO Dawn FitzGerald said the new contract focuses on three aims: better patient care, better population health, and lower healthcare costs through improvement. She believes improving health quality is an urgent priority that will take everyone’s best efforts.

Qsource will convene both providers and patients to build and share knowledge, spread best practices and achieve rapid, wide-scale improvements in patient care according to FitzGerald.

Since 1973, Qsource has been the sate agency Medicare beneficiaries should contact to report quality of care concerns. Qsource protects beneficiaries and improves the value of healthcare by addressing quality complaints and reviewing discharge appeals.

Saint Francis da Vinci Robot is in

There’s a new surgeon at Saint Francis Hospital-Memphis – and he’s got four arms and lots of computer processors. You see, the “surgeon” actually is the da Vinci SI surgical system, a computerized robot that helps surgeons in the operating rooms.

Robotic-assisted surgery provides surgeons with a steady set of hands that can hold and manipulate instruments under that the surgeons control. During the procedure, the surgeon’s hand movements are translated through the computer to the robot’s arms that then do the work. Safety mechanisms are in place to ensure that the robot only moves under control of the surgeon. If the surgeon looks away from the computer terminal, the robot locks in place.

The robot helps during laparoscopic surgeries that involve special instruments that are inserted through several small incisions in the body. One of the robot’s arms holds a special camera that provides three-dimensional views, including magnification of the area where the surgeon is working. Surgeons using the da Vinci surgical system report that the robotic instruments move more freely than the human wrist does, enabling them to get the instruments placed at the correct angle. Plus the robot can hold instruments without any of the fine motor movement that a human’s hands would have, making the surgery more precise. The robot’s arms can get to areas of the body that are harder to reach compared to traditional open and laparoscopic surgery.

St. Jude Appoints Richard Gilbertson, M.D., Ph.D., to Lead Comprehensive Cancer Center

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital officials have named Richard Gilbertson, M.D., Ph.D., director of its Comprehensive Cancer Center and an executive vice president in the organization. St. Jude is home to the first and only National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children.

Gilbertson will oversee the Cancer Center and its programs, directing, shaping and advancing the institution’s pediatric oncology research. He will also chair the Cancer Center Advisory Committee, serve as principal investigator of a Cancer Center Support Grant from the NCI and will collaborate with other NCI Cancer Center directors. Gilbertson was recruited to St. Jude in 2000.

During the past decade, Dr. Gilbertson has emerged as perhaps the world’s top physician-scientist working on childhood brain tumors. He is a highly collaborative and insatiably driven investigator said Dr. William E. Evans, St. Jude director and CEO. He also said that Dr. Gilbertson will bring that same engagement and vision to the Cancer Center as it continues to serve as a worldwide leader in understanding what causes childhood cancers and how to translate this knowledge into better treatments.”

At St. Jude, Gilbertson has led international efforts that have dramatically advanced understanding of the biology driving several common childhood brain tumors, and he has been actively engaged in clinical trials to translate this into innovative therapies.

Gilbertson trained as a pediatric oncologist, earning a medical degree from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne in England. Shortly afterward, he became a member of the Royal College of Physicians and completed his Ph.D. He left the United Kingdom to join the St. Jude Developmental Neurobiology and Oncology departments. Gilbertson has served as director of the hospital’s Molecular Clinical Trials Core and co-leader of the Neurobiology and Brain Tumor Program. He plans to continue his laboratory work focused on childhood brain tumors.

Methodist Extended Care Hospital Receives Prestigious Designation

Methodist Extended Care Hospital (MECH), a long term acute care hospital focused on the treatment of patients with an average length of stay of 25 days, has received the honor of being designated a Nurses Improving Care for Healthsystem Elders (NICHE) hospital.

Sandra Bailey-DeLeeuw, VP Senior Care/CEO MECH said the hospital has a dedicated team of associates who work tirelessly to provide our patients with the best possible care.

NICHE is the only national geriatric initiative to improve the care of older hospitalized adults. The organization’s mission is to stimulate a change in the culture of healthcare facilities to achieve patient-centered care for older adults.

Professor Jonathan Jaggar of The University of Tennessee Health Science Center Receives $1,850,000 Grant to Further Hypertension Research

Jonathan Jaggar, PhD, professor of Physiology at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), has received a grant totaling $1,850,000 from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, a subsidiary of the National Institutes of Health.  The award will be used to further his study on hypertension, commonly referred to as high blood pressure.  The study titled, “Arterial Smooth Muscle Chloride Channels,” will be funded over a five-year period.

Dr. Jaggar’s research focuses on smooth muscle channels as they relate to blood flow in the brain.  The brain requires a constant supply of blood to function properly.  Blood vessels in the brain, termed “cerebral arteries,” relax and contract to modify brain blood flow.  Within the walls of cerebral arteries are small muscle cells, called smooth muscle cells, which control the contraction of cerebral arteries.  Vascular diseases, including high blood pressure, lead to changes in vascular smooth muscle cells that may contribute to other brain disorders, such as stroke, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.  Small proteins in vascular smooth muscle cells called “ion channels” regulate artery relaxation and contraction, thereby, allowing arteries to modify brain blood flow. 

Ultimately, this work may lead to the development of novel therapies and drugs to treat high blood pressure and brain disorders that result from hypertension.

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