Health Care

Providing great care in the shadow of change

Photography by Matthew Wood

The prognosis for health care is inconclusive. With no specific treatment plan to follow, health care providers are left to speculate about the future of the industry. “The largest piece of the puzzle is the health care legislation and what is going to change in an acute care environment over the coming 18 to 26 months,” says Chip Denton, chief executive officer of Grenada Lake Medical Center. “That will bring a lot of clarity.”

But for Delta-area hospitals driven by Medicare and Medicaid patients, this uncertainty limits their immediate future as they also brace for state funding cuts. At North Sunflower Medical Center, the population is aging and about 85 percent Medicare, says Administrator Billy Marlow.

Northwest Mississippi Regional Medical Center’s population is approximately 70 percent Medicaid and Medicare. “We take care of patients regardless of their ability to pay,” says CEO Joan Strayham.

That commitment to serve the region’s health care needs stretches across the Delta. Strayham’s goal is for people to seek medical care within the Delta, and has added advanced technology, specialists and primary care doctors. “That has been my priority from day one,” she states.

Recruitment continues to be one of the Delta’s main concerns. “Doctors are the pipeline to the hospital,” says Greenwood Leflore Hospital Executive Director Jim Jackson. He hopes to expand specialties by attracting additional physicians in urology, ENT and orthopedics.

Grenada Lake Medical Center recently welcomed Myron Stokes, a general surgeon with advanced training in GI procedures, and Mike Barr, an orthopedic surgeon. “He has been a real success story so far and will only do better in the coming year,” says Denton. In 2012, ob/gyn Scott Beer joins the medical center’s staff.

Northwest Mississippi Regional Medical Center welcomed a pediatrician, a hospitalist and a surgeon in 2011, and will welcome a full-time ENT in February and a second internal medicine/infections diseases physician in the summer.

Strayham plans to continue her efforts to recruit local nurses. “We’re doing pretty good with that, but we definitely want to continue hiring local and build a workforce from the Delta,” she says.

In late 2011, Bolivar Medical Center announced the appointment of Scott Smith as its new chief executive officer, replacing interim CEO Tim Flusche. Smith most recently served as CEO for the Central Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson.

“We couldn’t be happier to welcome Scott Smith to Bolivar,” says Bolivar Medical Center Board Chair Trena Danna. “The board is confident that he is the right person to lead our hospital into the future.

Hospitals are also developing programs to better serve their communities, specifically the growing number of senior citizens. Baptist Memorial Hospital-DeSoto is responding to this population’s needs with its new NICHE program, which addresses the emotional and physical needs of the frail elderly, including those with Alzheimer’s disease. “We’re excited about having this dedicated unit,” says CEO James Russell Huffman, which will consist of two wings and 24 beds.

The program, which begins in January, meets the seniors’ medical requirements and helps with changes in their environment, making the hospital stay safer and less traumatic. Huffman isn’t aware of another similar program in the Mid-South.

North Sunflower has branched out to provide dental services to nursing homes around the state. Currently, the hospital works with 20 nursing homes, with two full-time dentists visiting every six months to screen patients, especially Medicare patients, and see to their dental needs. “It’s a very neglected segment of the nursing home business,” Marlow says. “We’re finding a void there. We’re trying to fill that void.”

The program began locally and proved so successful nursing home owners and administrators began calling the hospital to invite the dentists to visit. North Sunflower also plans to partner with Mississippi Sports Medicine in 2012 to offer orthopedic surgery—specifically hip and knee replacements—in Ruleville.

Technology continues to improve health care. Grenada Lake Medical Center has spent the last 18 months focused on its internal information systems—to gather the correct information and determine its maximum utilization in patient care, says Denton.

Additionally, with imaging now digitalized, physicians can call up these images and medical records online. Digital mammography also benefits patient care. “It’s really been a step forward in direct care from the patient standpoint and the correct, most recent, accurate information we can get to the clinician,” explains Denton.

Baptist DeSoto’s True Beam Linear Accelerator for cancer treatment went live in October, says Huffman, calling it a “tremendous piece of equipment.” Additionally, the staff is now being trained to use the daVinci surgical robot.

The Telemed program provides access to specialty care in a quick timeframe, especially important when the live feed connects a neurologist to a potential stroke victim in the ER, says Huffman, who expects the interactive system to be in use at Baptist DeSoto by summer.

In December, Baptist DeSoto introduced outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation for patients with COPD and chronic lung conditions to help transition them back into the community. In March, it begins offering outpatient wound care with hyperbaric therapy, as well as more traditional methods of care for evaluating individual medical conditions.

There are also physical changes taking place at many of the Delta’s health care facilities. Greenwood Leflore Hospital is starting capital improvements to the hospital’s physical plant: the chillers, boilers and pipes, some of which are the original 1952 equipment. The 18-month project has a price tag of $10.5 million. “We’re excited to finally be getting that project underway,” says Jackson.

At Northwest Mississippi Regional Medical Center, Strayham is planning a renovation of the maternal/child care unit, as well as the special procedures lab/cardio cath lab.

Baptist DeSoto is planning a complete renovation of the Women’s Pavilion. “We’re constantly looking at ways to make it not only more patient friendly, but more family friendly,” says Huffman. The hospital delivers 2,100 babies a year, with slightly more than half coming from DeSoto County, but also attracting expectant mothers from all over North Mississippi and even parts of Shelby County.

In 2011, North Sunflower Medical Center opened its wellness center. Marlow says hopes were for 150 to 200 members; membership now stands at 450. It offers a full line of equipment, as well as four in-house personal trainers who work with members to develop personalized exercise plans.

Area hospitals offer outreach programs and health fairs as a means to share information. Jackson says Greenwood Leflore Hospital plans to not only continue, but expand these efforts. “Wellness and preventative medicine is key to lowering costs,” he says. “We want to do our part in providing that care in the community.”

There are steps individuals can take to improve health care, starting with education. “Know your numbers,” says Mississippi Hospital Association President and CEO Sam Cameron, referring to weight, BMI, cholesterol and blood pressure. Additionally, small businesses should keep track of the health care reforms and how these will affect them.

According to Cameron, one out of every four new jobs will be created by health care. Grenada Lake Medical Center, with 500 employees and 20 contract vendors, has a $100 million impact on the local community, says Denton.

With so many people depending on health care, Jackson says Greenwood Leflore has a renewed and refocused effort on patient satisfaction scores and quality of care scores. “We feel like it is our mission to offer high-quality, reasonable (priced) care,” he says.

Delta Regional Medical Center has developed four strategic initiatives for 2012. “Our focus revolves around improving net revenue, decreasing expenses, improving our quality of clinical care, and improving our service to our patients and our community,” states Stansel Harvey, chief executive officer.

“In order to move forward in our mission to care for and care about our community, it is vital that we continue to focus on creating a more efficient and effective health care system allowing us to better serve our patients. With our population shrinking at the rate of two percent each year, it is incredibly important for our services, our medical staff and our health care professionals to ensure that each and every patient is cared for in stellar fashion so that positive word of mouth generates additional community support and loyalty.”

With its marketing director, Dianne Mitchell, as the new president at the Clarksdale/Coahoma Chamber of Commerce, Northwest Mississippi Regional Medical Center is recommitting itself to the community, in addition to its sponsorships, donations and health events. “For this community, reinvesting back in the community is very, very important right now,” says Strayham. DBJ