Health briefs

SOUTHEAST ANNOUNCES NEW BRAND

The Southeast Hospital health care system has a new brand name in an effort to better reflect the services offered and the people it serves. SoutheastHEALTH will be the new brand name, which President and CEO Debbie Linnes said better reflects the network of providers, services and facilities that make up its regional health care system. The hospital in Cape Girardeau is dropping the word "Missouri" from its name, changing to just Southeast Hospital. The logo will continue to look much as it has in the past with the exception of the word "Missouri." Linnes said this no longer reflects the geographic region served by Southeast, as residents of southern Illinois, western Kentucky and northern Arkansas also turn to Southeast for their health care needs. Linnes said that the switch from Southeast's current name to its new name, SoutheastHEALTH, will be a gradual one. Interior and exterior signage will be replaced in a prioritized manner over time, she said.

FRANCIS RECEIVES FELLOWSHIP

Pat Francis, office manager at Southeast Hospital's Plaza Primary Care, Plaza Primary Care West, Plaza Internal Medicine and the Campus Health Clinic at Southeast Missouri State University, has become a fellow in the American College of Medical Practice Executives. Fellowship in the ACMPE is the highest distinction in the medical group practice management profession. Of the nation's 21,000 Medical Group Management Association members, only 500 are fellows. Francis is one of only two Cape Girardeau practice administrators to hold this distinction, and one of only 38 in Missouri. Francis is president of the Southeast Missouri chapter of the Medical Group Management Association, and a state and national MGMA member.

P.B. HOSPITAL PLANNING MAJOR CONSTRUCTION PROJECT

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center is seeking state approval to build a 300-bed facility at the junction of U.S. 60 and 67. The $270 million facility, part of the Eight Points development in Poplar Bluff, is planned to open in early 2014. A decision is expected during the first quarter of 2011. The new facility would directly create more than 250 jobs and indirectly create 250 jobs, according to Steve Halter, president of the Greater Poplar Bluff Area Chamber of Commerce.

LADIES FIRST RELOCATES

FARMINGTON, Mo. -- Ladies First OB/GYN relocated to 1103 Weber Road, Suite 203, Farmington. A ribbon cutting was held Sept. 9 with the Farmington Chamber of Commerce.

LAKEVIEW HOME CARE OPENS

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- The Greater Poplar Bluff Area Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting recently to officially open Lakeview Home Care, 1616 S. Broadway.

HEALTH DEPT. HONORS TWO

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- The Butler County Health Department named Helen Fears from Reynolds County as Homemaker of the Month for October. She works for the health department's satellite location in Ellington, Mo. Additionally, Nicole Moreno from Butler County was Homemaker of the Month for September. She works for the department's in-home services.

LEWIS JOINS CREATE WELLNESS

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Kerry Lewis joined Create Wellness Chiropractic as a licensed massage therapist. She has experience in deep tissue, relaxation and therapeutic massage.

VEIN CARE HOLDS GRAND OPENING

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- The Greater Poplar Bluff Area Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting for the grand opening of Missouri Vein Care, 2725 N. Westwood Blvd., Suite 7.

SOUTHEAST HOSPITAL NAMES NEW VP, CFO

Southeast Hospital appointed Hugh King as vice president and chief financial officer. He has been serving as interim CFO for the past few months. King, a certified public accountant, has worked in the health care industry for more than 25 years, including eight years in the Health Care Auditing and Consulting Group at Ernst & Young, known for its expertise in identifying and capitalizing on business opportunities. During his career, he has served as a chief financial officer at a two-hospital system in Indiana and a five-hospital system in Florida. He also has been chief operating officer/chief financial officer at a three-hospital system in California and the CEO at two smaller hospitals in Texas.

SOUTHEAST EARNS HEART ASSOCIATION AWARD

Southeast Hospital received the Get With The Guidelines Heart Failure Silver Performance Achievement Award from the American Heart Association in recognition of the hospital's efforts to provide excellent heart care to its patients. The national recognition signifies that Southeast has reached an aggressive goal of treating heart failure patients with 85 percent compliance for one year to core standard levels of care as outlined by the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology. Get With The Guidelines is a quality improvement initiative that provides hospital staff with tools that follow evidence-based guidelines and procedures in caring for heart failure patients. Under the guidelines, heart failure patients are started on aggressive risk-reduction therapies such as cholesterol-lowering drugs, aspirin, diuretics and anticoagulants in the hospital. They also receive referrals for cardiac rehabilitation before being discharged.

SAINT FRANCIS RECOGNIZED BY HEALTHGRADES

Saint Francis Medical Center's Orthopaedics and Cardiac Services programs has received multiple five-star ratings and national recognition from HealthGrades, the leading independent health care ratings organization. The designations indicate that Saint Francis' patient outcomes are better than predicted. The HealthGrades study, an analysis of patient outcomes in the nation's 5,000 hospitals, reviewed patient records from the most current federal governmental data from 2007 to 2009. This research is the only comprehensive analysis of its kind focused on how well hospitals provide effective and appropriate patient care resulting in superior quality.

BELLIS JOINS CAMPUS CLINIC

Gina Bellis has been hired as a family nurse practitioner at the Campus Clinic at Southeast Missouri State University, which is operated by Southeast Missouri Hospital. She previously worked as a family nurse practitioner at Missouri Delta Medical Center in Sikeston, Mo., and in a similar capacity at Saint Francis Medical Center.

SOUTHEAST RANKS AMONG TOP HOSPITALS

Southeast Hospital ranks among the top 5 percent in the nation for patient satisfaction. According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Southeast had some of the nation's highest patient satisfaction scores in the most recent 12-month reporting period (January through December 2009). The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services oversees random patient surveys of some 4,000 hospitals nationwide through a program called Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS). Southeast ranked above the 95th percentile for overall HCAHPS scores and was among the top three of Missouri's hospitals in six of the 10 survey categories. The hospital ranked first in Missouri in the categories of "pain control" and "communication with nurses," and second on the "recommendation" question, in which 87 percent of those surveyed said "definitely yes" when asked if they would recommend the hospital. View the complete scores at www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov.

SOUTHEAST EARNS HIGH MARKS FROM HEALTHGRADES

Southeast Hospital achieved five-star ratings and high state rankings in several clinical areas, including ranking No. 1. in Missouri for vascular surgery, according to a new report released by HealthGrades, the nation's leading independent health care ratings organization. Based on its Thirteenth Annual HealthGrades Hospital Quality in America Study, which measured clinical outcomes at nearly 5,000 U.S. hospitals between October 2007 and September 2009, HealthGrades determined that Southeast achieved significantly better outcomes than the vast majority of those hospitals in heart care, orthopedic services, stroke treatment, prostatectomy and vascular surgery. More information about HealthGrades and Southeast's ratings and rankings can be found at www.healthgrades.com

SAINT FRANCIS ADDS HOSPITALIST

Saint Francis Medical Center recently welcomed hospitalist Dr. Kellie Rogers. She joins 10 other hospitalists at the medical center in caring for inpatients. She earned her medical degree from Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences in Kansas City, Mo., and completed a residency in internal medicine at The University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis.

SAINT FRANCIS OPENS ALS CLINIC

Patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, can now receive comprehensive treatment and specialized care at Saint Francis Medical Center's Neurosciences Institute. Dr. Robert E. Gardner Jr., a board-certified neurologist, leads Saint Francis' new ALS Clinic, whose multidisciplinary treatment team includes speech and respiratory therapists and an ALS Association case manager.

WILLS NAMED EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR

PARK HILLS, Mo. -- Sarah Wills, RN, was named Employee of the Year at Southeast Missouri Mental Health Center. She was recognized for her competency, compassion, dedication and leadership skills.