For the third year in a row, HCA has been named as a Laureate in IDG's Computerworld Honors Program. The 2013 honor comes from the Cancer Navigation Solution developed jointly by IT&S and Sarah Cannon, HCA's Cancer Service Line.

The Honors Program recognizes visionary applications of information technology that promotes positive social, economic and educational change.

HCA's navigation system helps patients with suspicious findings through all phases of cancer treatment – prevention, addressing prevention, screening and early detection, diagnosis, treatment, palliative and supportive care.

By tracking progress, providing checklists, facilitating communication and producing reminders, the system becomes a vital documentation tool in the expansion of capabilities and patient outcome success.

"We are pleased with the success of the Cancer Navigation Solution and the service it provides to the patients who trust their care to HCA facilities. As the newly formed cancer service line of HCA, Sarah Cannon is committed to advancing science and transforming care. The Cancer Navigation Solution and solutions like it allow us to uphold this important mission by using technology and process to produce valuable, appreciated services to our physicians and patients so that people can receive successful, coordinated, effective cancer treatment services," said Andy Corts, CIO of Sarah Cannon.

Due to its success in the first twenty of HCA's hospitals, there are plans to deploy the program in 140 other HCA facilities by the end of the year.

In addition to cancer support, the navigator has been useful in other programmatic initiatives at HCA, such as the market breast conference.

"The market breast conference is a monthly gathering of many healthcare professionals, coming together under the leadership of Sarah Cannon physicians, to openly discuss and improve the care and treatment for women struggling with breast cancer.  The conference is exceptional and also improves physician engagement across the market," said Doug Ardoin, MD, CMO TriStar Division.

Prior to the Cancer Navigation System, HCA received honors from Computerworld for a management and information application related to Sarah Cannon clinical trials and a database that assisted HCA with routing financial and other assistance to employees victimized by the Middle Tennessee flood in 2010.

HCA will be presented with a medallion inscribed with the Program's mission, "A Search for New Heroes", at the Computerworld Honors Laureate Ceremony and Awards Gala on June 3, 2013.

The Frist Humanitarian Award is an annual recognition of those individuals who demonstrate a level of commitment and caring that goes beyond daily acts of kindness and who inspire us with their compassion and dedication.

For TriStar Summit Medical Center, Flora Patawi, progressive care unit nurse, David and Lorraine Helmers, hospital volunteers and Dr. Michael Thomas, general surgeon are this year's recipients.

This puts them in the running for the nationwide Frist Humanitarian Award for 2012.

"TriStar Summit is committed to delivering quality patient care and we are extremely proud to recognize our employees, volunteers and physicians for their efforts on behalf of our patients and our community," said Jeff Whitehorn, CEO of TriStar Summit Medical Center. "Their exemplary work and compassion set a high standard for health care professionals and we are proud to have them as part of our family.  Undoubtedly, our patients benefit from the kind of commitment and humanitarian efforts they demonstrate each day."

The Frist Humanitarian Awards were created to recognize one employee, one volunteer and one physician at each HCA facility who demonstrate extraordinary concern for the welfare and happiness of patients and their community. 

The Humanitarian Awards are given annually in recognition of the humanitarian spirit and philanthropic work of the late Dr. Thomas F. Frist, Sr., one of the founders of Hospital Corporation of America.

Photo: Michael Thomas, M.D., Lorraine Helmers and Ed Patawi*, (pictured left to right), TriStar Summit's 2012 Frist Humanitarian Award recipients. Not Pictured: David Helmers and Flora Patawi. *Ed Patawi accepted the award on behalf of his wife, Flora.

The fine people at LewisGale Hospital Montgomery have selected their Frist Award Recipients for 2012. These folks will go into the running for the National Frist Humanitarian Awards come May.

The LewisGale Montgomery winners include employee Jennifer Poole, R.N.C., B.S.N., volunteer Pierce Felch, and Dr. Gregory Beato in the physician category.

Jennifer has been with LewisGale Montgomery's Birthing Center for more than fourteen years now. In those years she has shown selfless devotion to her patients and community and has inspired he co-workers to do more to give back.

Jennifer donates countless hours to the Montgomery County Christmas Store, American Cancer Society's Relay for Life and the March of Dimes.

Pierce started volunteering at LewisGale Montgomery in 2006, having logged nearly 2,300 hours in that time. His fellow volunteers describe him as the perfect gentleman, always willing to help another volunteer, a patient or a family member.

Dr. Beato has cared for patients in the area since 2009. His patients nominated him for the compassionate care he provides, commenting that he always spent extra time explaining their care plan and attending to their medical needs.

One patient praised him for his bedside manner at a time when the patient was dealing with a cancer diagnosis.

Making his own comments on the Frist Award recipient, CEO Alan Fabian said, "The amount of compassion and kindness these winners have shown, not only to their patients and family members but also throughout the community, is what shows their high level of professionalism and dedication to medicine."

Congratulations to the three of you.

Redmond Regional has made its selection of Frist Humanitarian Award recipients to be nominated in the National awards program this May. Redmond's recipients are volunteer Charles Carlisle, employee Lauren Lyle and Dr. P. J. McElhone.

These three wonderful individuals are being honored for their extraordinary concern for the welfare and happiness of patients and community served by Redmond Regional.

"We are extremely proud to recognize Dr P.J. McElhone, Lauren Lyle, and Charles Carlisle for their efforts on behalf of our patients and our community," said John Quinlivan, CEO of Redmond.  "Their exemplary work and compassion sets a high standard for healthcare professionals.  We’re proud to have them as a part of our Redmond family.  Our patients benefit from the kind of commitment to humanitarian concerns that Dr. McElhone, Lauren, and Charles demonstrate each day."

Charles volunteers two days a week while serving as Vice President of the Redmond Volunteer Auxiliary. A certified Red Cross Volunteer, he is also a trained member of the Community Emergency Response Team.

Charles is very involved with his community. He volunteers with the Garden Lakes Church Food Pantry and Meals on Wheels and serves at the Westminster Presbyterian Church as an elder and on the Building and Grounds Committee.

Lauren has proven her excellent nursing skills in her ability to soothe the stress of a patient about to undergo surgery and the patient's family with her smile, quick wit and a quiet prayer.

She uses her skills in bargain hunting to fill food boxes for the needy, a mission she helps organize through her church.

Her compassion has earned her frequent compliments from patients and their family members.

Dr. McElhone is a family-focused, patient-focused, community-focused physician, being an active volunteer in his church and Saint Mary's School. He also puts in time for Operation Smile, an organization that provides free cleft palate surgery to patients around the world.

He is even learning Spanish to better serve the Spanish-speaking community of Rome.

Congratulations to you all.

Photo: From left to right is Charles Carlisle, Dr. McElhone and Lauren Lyle.

Mr. Jim Leath, Hyatt Sutton, M.D., and Ms. Karen "Lynne" Watts were recognized as the TriStar Centennial Medical Center 2012 Frist Humanitarian Award recipients.

"We are fortunate to work beside such caring and giving individuals as Mr. Leath, Dr. Sutton, and Ms. Watts," said Heather Rohan, president and CEO, TriStar Centennial. "They are each actively engaged in the care of our patients and reach out to help those less fortunate in our community as well.  Their exemplary work and compassion serves as an inspiration to all of us."

Our 2012 Volunteer Award recipient, Jim Leath, has been volunteering on campus to work with pre- and post-heart surgery patients for more than 11 years, a role he embraced after becoming a heart survivor himself in 2001. In fact, he is a founding member of The Red Hat Society, a volunteer group of heart survivors who spends time with heart patients both before and after heart care.

Jim has been a long-time volunteer for several programs sponsored by St. Philips Episcopal Church which includes their Second Harvest Food Bank program, transportation of older parish members, and a homeless shelter program.

He has also been active in the Special Olympics for twenty years, serving as state director of the Bocce venue in the Nashville Summer Games; he volunteers during the annual state basketball tournament in Nashville and assists new classes of "senior" level adults through the Donelson/Hermitage Leadership M3 level, processing community outreach projects and managing alumni communications.

Lynne Watts is our Employee Award recipient. Lynne serves as the administrative assistant for Centennial's Imaging department. As part of her daily responsibilities in addition to facilitating department leadership schedules, she rotates taking calls for the patient advocacy line.

Described as a dedicated, humble and caring individual by her peers, Lynne is said to always place the needs of others before her own.

She spearheaded the annual Salvation Army Angels campaign that has supported more than 600 children across Middle Tennessee. With the Angel Tree drive, Lynne garnered hospital support to adopt 120 Angels for the 2012 holiday season.

Having lost her son in 2012, Lynne has dedicated all of her efforts in leading the Angel Tree campaign to him.

Hyatt Sutton, M.D. is our Physician Awards recipient. An internist with the Frist Clinic at TriStar Centennial, Hyatt is described as a dedicated, compassionate physician.

Hyatt serves as the Chair, Medical Ethics Committee for TriStar Centennial where he is involved in planning for and discussing end-of-life care decisions for medical patients in all stages of life.

For the past five years, Hyatt has been intimately involved with Neverthirst, a Christian-based organization that provides clean and living water to the poorest communities around the world, through which he has personally traveled to and supported the mission in India, South Sudan, and Central African Republic.

He funds his own contributions to these communities by fostering relationships with area physicians, which include securing and shipping needed medications.

"These recipients are an inspiration to all our employees and volunteers," said Richard M. Bracken., HCA CEO. "Their generosity and dedication serve as a living example of HCA's commitment to the care and improvement of human life."

Photo caption (pictured left to right): Hyatt Sutton, M.D., Karen ‘Lynne’ Watts, Heather Rohan, and Jim Leath pose for a photo after TriStar Centennial Medical Center’s 2012 Frist Humanitarian Award ceremony on March 7, 2013.

And the winners are…

LewsiGale Hospital Pulaski has announced their recipients for the 2012 Frist Humanitarian Award. In the volunteer category, June Quesenberry; in the employee category, Diana Atkins; and in the physician category, Dr. Knotresha Stewart.

These fine humanitarians will be moving on to the National Frist Humanitarian Award nominations in Nashville where one individual from each category will be recognized for what is the highest honor our family members can receive at HCA.

"These winners have set a high standard for other healthcare professionals to achieve and should be commended for their efforts," said Mark Nichols, CEO, LewisGale Hospital Pulaski. "They are a tremendous asset to our patients and the community and we are proud to recognize them with this prestigious award."

June is one of Pulaski's most committed volunteers, having graciously provided her services since 1979. She has dedicated her life to serving those around her and to serving her church.

Diana has been a dedicated employee for over twenty-three years, most recently serving as the Facility Privacy Office/Ethics & Compliance Officer. Her peers chose her because of her giving spirit and her compassion for serving the patients of Pulaski and those in the community.

Dr. Stewart is known for always putting the needs of her patients first and for her involvement in community activities and the ministries in her church, such as in her help with the Community Health Fair at LewisGale Pulaksi in addition to providing medical care, helping organize clinics, providing medical supplies and counseling women on a mission trip to poverty-stricken areas.

While the final choices in recipients are most deserving of their recognition, there were several others who were nominated and warrant honorable mentioning here.

For the Employee Award, Norma Anderson, Teresa Arnold, Jessica Atkins, Marie Babb, Billy Cook, Anita Cox, Ellen Greene, Michelle Keesling, Susie Melvin, Etthan Miller, Marsha Myers, Wanda Reed, Christy Smith, Sam Spence, Shana Swecker, Debbie Thomas, Bessie Tickle, Debra Vaughn, Judy Weatherington and Helen Wolfe.

For our Volunteer Award, Inez Quesenberry, Wayne Ratcliffe and Joel Stuart.

And for the Physician Award, Dr. Joseph Cacioppo, Dr. Yung Chan, Dr. Paul Ferraraccio, Dr. Karanita Ojomo, Dr. Ehikioya Osemobor and Dr. Kenneth Pendergrast.

"I’m honored to lead such a great group of people," said Mark Nichols, "They exemplify our mission statement by their continued commitment to the care and improvement of human life."

Congratulations to all.

Photo: from left to right we have Dr. Knotresha Stewart, Diana Atkins and June Quesenberry.

We're wrapping up facility Frist Humanitarian Awards with this final post.

Congratulations to all of the recipients mentioned below and while we couldn't list every facilities' recipients, it is no reflection on the importance nor magnitude of their dedication to the well-being of their patients and the communities in which they serve.

In our final salute we congratulate the following:

Employee Chrystal Wilson, hospital volunteer Dot Prevatte and Dr. James Martin of Trident Medical Center.

Volunteer Rosemary McDonald, employee Pat Radar and Dr. Art Shepard of Summerville Medical Center.

You can read the Trident Health story here.

James Watson, MD, volunteer Lois Pellnitz, and employee Richard Dunham of Twin Cities Hospital. 

In addition to a framed certificate and lapel pin, the recipients also received monetary allocations to be distributed to the charitable organization(s) of their choice.

The Twin Cities story can be found here.

Employee Cathy Edmisten, Director of the Emergency Department, physician Robert Falkowski, MD, Emergency Department, and volunteer Karen Miles, North Tower and Oak Hill Hospital H2U Partner’s Club, all from Oak Hill Hospital.

Tampa Bay Newswire has the Oak Hill story.

Chippenham & Johnston-Willis Hospitals' Carolyn Mendel, Volunteer, Dr. Nadia Blanchet, and employee Kimberly Mayberry.

CJW CEO Tim McManus did a nice story on his folks.

TriStar Hendersonville Medical Center's Cana Fosbinder, Dr. Muhammad Asad and Lavonne Clifford, RN.

TriStar Henderson has their write-up here.

And last but not least on our list, LewisGale Medical Center's volunteer Dr. Lucien Brailsford, physician Dr. Robert Williams and employee Becky Asher.

You can read their wonderful stories here.

The Dr. Frist Humanitarian Awards were created to recognize one employee, one physician and one volunteer at each HCA-affiliated facility who demonstrate extraordinary concern for the welfare and happiness of patients and their community. 

The Awards are given annually in recognition of the humanitarian spirit and philanthropic work of the late Dr. Thomas F. Frist, Sr., a founder of HCA. 

National recipients will be honored in the spring at a reception at the company’s headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee.

Good luck to you all in the May ceremony.

The HCA Executive Development program would like to congratulate Will Windham on his promotion to Chief Operating Officer for the Medical Center of McKinney.

Will has been with HCA since 2007.

He was accepted into the COO Development program in 2010 as the Associate Administrator 1 for the Strategic Resource Group, where he worked on service line growth and planning at the corporate office.

In 2011, Will transferred to Centennial Medical Center as Associate COO 2 where he served as Chief Staffing Officer and Ethics & Compliance Officer. He was also responsible for the management of the Organ Transplant Program and several ancillary departments.

Will received his bachelor of science in Business Administration from UNC Chapel Hill and his graduate degree in Health Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University.

His new role as COO for The Medical Center in McKinney begins April 15, 2013.

Congratulations Will.

As of Monday, April 15, Dan Bowers is Riverside Community Hospital's new chief operating officer. The hospital named Dan to the role following the departure of former CEO Doug Long who left Riverside in January to become CEO of West Hills Medical Center.

Dan has extensive background experience in health administration. Before joining Riverside, he served as vice president for Accountable Care and Clinic Operations at Heritage Provider Network in Northridge, California.

Before that, he had a 15-year career with Tenet Healthcare, including a role as the corporate director of Rehabilitation and Post-Acute Services and as CEO of several Tenet facilities, including Joellen Smith Regional Medical Center and RINO in New Orleans, San Dimas Community Hospital and JFK Memorial Hospital in California.

"I am very pleased to be a part of the Riverside Community Hospital family and working for the health care benefit of the greater Riverside community. I believe Riverside Community Hospital has a long history of being a community partner and I look forward to enhancing that partnership," said Mr. Bowers. "I have lived and or worked in the greater Riverside area most of my professional career so I feel like I am at home. I am looking forward to developing relationships within and outside the hospital as we continue to move forward with our expansion plans to enhance the overall health of those we serve."

Dan received his master's in organizational management from Chapman University and his Bachelor of Science in nursing from Winona State University.

"We are delighted that Dan has joined Riverside Community Hospital as chief operating officer and as a part of our executive team," says President and CEO Patrick Brilliant. "Dan brings a wealth of health care experience to Riverside Community Hospital along with extensive experience in construction, program growth and development which will be instrumental as we continue to move forward in our hospital expansion project."

Congratulations Dan.

In its 41st annual ceremony, HCA named the recipients of the National Frist Humanitarian Awards for 2012 yesterday. The awards represent the highest honor one can receive within HCA and recognizes one employee, one volunteer and one physician. The three finalists were chosen from more than 200 hospital-level honorees.

Presented annually in recognition of the caring spirit and philanthropic work of the late Dr. Thomas Frist Sr., the awards are a tribute to those individuals who have demonstrated a commitment and dedication to providing outstanding patient care and humanitarianism in their work.

Crystal Glass was named for the employee category. She is an anatomic pathologic laboratory and transfusion services manager at OU Medical System in Oklahoma. Our volunteer is JB Bermudez-Koch from West Valley Medical Center in Idaho. And our physician award goes to Dr. Dennis McCarthy, an anesthesiologist at Memorial Hospital of Jacksonville, Florida.

The awards include a $5,000 donation to the charity of the recipient's choice plus $5,000 for the employee and volunteer. For the physician recipient, $10,000 is donated to the charity of choice.

"The Frist Humanitarian Awards reinforce our most important values and recognize those individuals whose achievements are an inspiration for all HCA caregivers, volunteers and employees." -HCA chairman and CEO Richard M. Bracken.

Chrystal's efforts in ensuring her cancer patients received the correct diagnosis and working tirelessly to provide them support won her the honor. Part of that work includes her creation of the "Turtle Club", a support group dedicated to pray for young patients who are undergoing surgery. "Just as a turtle carries its shell, Chrystal helps young cancer patients carry their burden." The extent of her care has reached to Nigeria where she's volunteered to promote diagnosis and detection of cancer. Having lectured to a trained group of 70 Nigerian lab techs, she taught microscope techniques to diagnose cancer at the cellular level. She also was part of the first of its kind cancer screening lab in Abuja and Lagos, Nigeria.

Eighteen year-old JB is three years into his volunteer service at West Valley Medical. JB says he became fascinated by the idea of helping people while a patient at the hospital himself. He started as an emergency room greeter, where his bilingual skills help with patients for whom English was not their native language and he spent lunch breaks at a summer job studying dog training, which helped him enlist Gesley, his Australian Shepherd certified by the Therapy Dogs Inc. Together, the two visit patients and guests, providing encouragement to all.

Dr. McCarthy initiated the City Rescue Mission's medical clinic in Jacksonville. The clinic is a short- and long-term residential program providing medical and spiritual care to patients suffering from addictions. In addition, he and his family regularly volunteer at local homeless shelters on major holidays delivering meals to those in need. Dennis' humanitarian efforts also extend to several countries. From the terrible earthquake that struck Haiti three years ago to the people of Guatemala, Ecuador, the Philippines, Thailand and Ghana, Dennis has volunteered the last 29 years of his medical mission work to helping those in the greatest need.

Congratulations to these three incredible and wonderful people and equally to all the dedicated and committed honorees!

SOURCE: Business Wire
PHOTO: HCA

In October 2012, HCA led a comprehensive study testing a new approach to reducing the risk of MRSA. On the success of that study, which involved nearly 75,000 patients over a year and a half and led to a 44 percent reduction in bloodstream infections, HCA implemented the universal decolonization procedure throughout its adult ICUs.

Now, that study has been published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

HCAtodayblog.com has also published a video with Jon Perlin speaking on the REDUCE MRSA program which you can see here.

Suzanne Beauvoir Jackson, CEO of Dominion Hospital for the past six years, will become CEO for HCA Virginia's John Randolph Medical Center beginning July 1, 2013. Suzanne replaces Dia Nichols, who will become CEO for Northside Hospital in Florida.

With more than 11 years-experience in healthcare leadership under her belt, Margaret Lewis, president of HCA's Capital Division says Suzanne "brings excellent credentials and experience to John Randolph and we know she will continue the positive momentum in terms of clinical performance and community and physician partnerships."

"I am honored and excited to join the John Randolph Medical Center team and the Tri-cities community," Suzanne said. "JRMC has long been part of the lifeblood of the Tri-cities with an outstanding medical staff and workforce fully focused on delivering the highest-quality care."

While at Dominion, Suzanne was responsible for improving the quality of the patient experience as well as establishing an internal culture of excellence within the hospital. Prior to her role at Dominion, she served as chief operating officer of West Palm Hospital in Florida and was associate administrator at both Westside Regional Medical Center and Aventura Hospital & Medical Center, both in Florida as well.

She received her bachelor's in community health from the University of Illinois and her master's in health services administration from the University of Michigan. Recognized as one of Success South Florida's Top 25 Influential and Prominent Black Women, Suzanne is a Fellow of ACHE, a member of the National Association of Health Services Executives and sits on the AHA's Institute for Diversity in Healthcare Management board.

George Elder, chairman of the John Randolph board of trustees, says Suzanne's track record as a successful leader will help "take JRMC to the next level."

Congratulations Suzanne.

The Kansas City Business Journal announced that Jackie DeSouza, Lee's Summit Medical Center CEO, is honored in its 2013 Inaugural Class of NextGen Leaders.

Her success as a business leader and the volunteer work she does in the Kansas City community has earned her the dedication. Jackie volunteers with the American Heart Association.

Congratulations, Jackie. You can read her story in the Kansas City Business Journal here.

Photo Credit: Andrew Grumke, Kansas City Business Journal.

For a fifth consecutive year HCA's IT&S department has earned recognition by Computerworld magazine as one of the 100 Best Places to Work for information technology professionals. HCA ranked 42 of the 100 companies selected.

"This distinction is recognition that HCA is a great place to work, not only for nearly 4,000 IT professionals, but for all 204,000 HCA employees across the country," said Marty Paslick, HCA's senior vice president and chief information officer.

HCA's IT&S department operates four data centers and 14 division support centers across the U.S. The support centers are responsible for delivering IT services to HCA and its subsidiaries such as Parallon Business Solutions and Sarah Cannon Research Institute.

These services include business analysis, systems development, systems integration, information security, customer support, training and education and infrastructure support.

IT&S is a diversified development program that provides a number of recognition opportunities for employees following their professional and personal ambitions in IT.

But the most emotionally charged offering is the IT Healthcare Connection program which immerses IT employees in the hospital environment and shows them firsthand the effect of their work.

SOURCE: Business Wire

Last week we wrote of Suzanne's promotion to CEO of John Randolph Medical Center in Hopewell, Virginia. Today we submit to you her farewell message to her friends and colleagues at Dominion Hospital.

"Today, I write this note to you with a heavy heart. While I am excited to announce that I have accepted the CEO position at HCA’s John Randolph Medical Center in Hopewell, VA, I am saddened by the fact that this means my last day at Dominion Hospital will be June 28th . The memories and relationships that I have created over the last five and half years are not only priceless, but are also too numerous to count. I can sincerely say that every experience here allowed me to grow personally and professionally, thus, affording me the opportunity for this next great adventure in my career.

"When I drive up to the facility each morning, I think about all the exceptional people I have had the privilege of working with in creating the optimal patient experience. As  a team, we have tackled many challenges and a few of our accomplishments include increasing the number of people we serve in our community by double digits, opening Reflections, improving the delivery of patient care, making physical plant renovations, enhancing Dominion’s community reputation and presence as well as solidifying Dominion’s future with the COPN ruling to keep Dominion operational after December 2015.  Because of our dedication as a team, we are now expanding our services outside the four walls of the facility with our move of the Adult Partial Program and the creation of a new Adolescent Intensive Outpatient Program.  Everyone should take great pride in the facility’s journey up to this point and be energized and inspired by its future.

"Even though my last day will be June 28th, Dominion Hospital, and all the people, will always remain in my heart. Because of Dominion Hospital, I will approach providing quality patient care from a more holistic perspective, integrating a patient’s physical and mental health.  For this, I thank you and hope for all the best, and I leave you with this thought concerning Dominion Hospital: We must continue to have a relentless pursuit of excellence in everything we do, because we have been provided an unique opportunity to transform the lives of those we serve."

In order to keep a running dialogue with CJW employees, physicians and residents in the community, CEO Tim McManus started a blog. And in only two years he's developed a formula for keeping his readers interested in what he has to say.

Learn why Tim even started blogging and what his formula is for keeping people's interests in an interview posted on HCA Today.

Come August 1, 2013, Michael Sherrod will take the reins of TriStar Greenview Regional as the hopsital's new chief executive officer, replacing outgoing CEO, Mark Marsh.

Michael comes over from HCA North Florida's Coliseum Northside Hospital in Macon, Ga., where he was CEO since 2010 and managed several successful improvement and customer service initiatives, launched new service lines like the spine and bariatric programs. He also developed strong relationships with physicians and supported the recruitment of primary care and specialty physicians.

In a column on WBKO.com, Steve Corbell, President of TriStar Health, to which Greenview is an affiliate, says that Mike brings "tremendous expertise" to the facility and that his involvement with Greenview is expected to continue to provide "outstanding healthcare to the residents of South Central Kentucky."

Before joining HCA, Michael served as a CEO for LifePoint Hospitals.

Currently a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives, he earned his Bachelor of Arts and business degree from Maryville College in Maryville, Tennessee and his master's in health administration from the Virginia Commonwealth University.

Congratulations on your promotion, Michael.

Earlier this week James C. Scoggin, president of HCA North Texas Division, announced his plan to retire in the fall. Taking his place will be current chief executive officer for Medical City Dallas, Erol R. Akdamar.

Of his 33 years in healthcare, James has been with HCA for 26, when HCA teamed up with the Methodist Healthcare System in Antonio. He's been president of the 14 hospital-strong North Texas Division since 2006.

"Jim has been both a colleague and an outstanding leader for many years. He has led a diverse group of facilities that achieved numerous quality milestones and strong growth," said Jon Foster, President of HCA's American Group. "We will miss him greatly, and we wish him well in retirement."

His replacement, Erol Akdamar, is a 20-year HCA veteran who has led Medical City Dallas as CEO since 2010. Before his time there, he was CEO of St. David's South Austin. Erol started with HCA in 1993 at Rapides Regional Medical Center.

Among his accomplishments, Erol was recognized as a rising young star in healthcare management after being named a Modern Healthcare "Up & Comer" in 2006.

A Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives and a member of the Texas Hospital Association's Council on Policy Development, Jon Foster sees Erol as a dynamic leader.

"His familiarity with both the market and HCA's culture will serve him well as he continues to build on our North Texas Division's strong reputation for clinical quality and operational excellence," said Foster.

The changeover in leadership at North Texas is set for October 1, 2013.

Source: HCA

Please join the Executive Development team in congratulating the promotions of two former CNO Development program associates, Tanya Simpson and Debbie Anglemyer.

Tanya has been named chief nursing officer for Regional Medical Center of Bayonet Point in Hudson, Florida.

Debbie is now CNO for Plantation General Hospital in Plantation, Florida.

Tanya has held several leadership positions at HCA since 2001, including being vice president of Burn Services for the Joseph M. Still Burn Center in Augusta, Georgia, the largest burn center in the United States.

She was clinical director of emergency department for St. Joseph Health Center, St. Charles, Missouri and as well as holding leadership positions in cardiac telemetry, CCU/CVR and critical care areas.

Tanya joined the CNO track of the Executive Development program as associate chief nursing officer for Northwest Medical Center in Margate, Florida in 2012.

She will be joining the Bayonet Point leadership team August 1, 2013 in the West Florida Division.

Debbie started her career with HCA in 2010 as director of telemetry services at Lee's Summit Medical Center, where she also joined the CNO Development program as an associate CNO.

In 2012 she was promoted to associate CNO II and transferred to Plantation General Hospital.

Debbie has eight years of management experience in internal and external clinical leadership roles in many diverse service lines.

She received her Bachelor of Science in nursing education from Research-Rockhurst College of Nursing in Kansas City, Missouri and her Masters of Science in management from Baker University of Professional and Graduate Studies, also in Kansas City.

Debbie was promoted to CNO of Plantation General Hospital in the East Florida Division in May.

Congratulations to you both.

After what president of HCA West Florida Division Peter Marmenstein called an exhaustive search for a new chief executive officer for Osceola Regional Medical Center, "it became clear that the same qualities that led to Bob's interim appointment are precisely what's needed to shepherd the hospital during this time of exponential growth and development."

And the appointment couldn't have come at a better time for the hospital as several developments are underway.

Osceola Regional is currently undergoing a major expansion that will raise its bed capacity to 317 by the end of the year.

The hospital was also recently approved to become a teaching hospital for the University of Central Florida's College of Medicine, which will see the first physicians arriving in 2014.

And the hospital is preparing to become a Level II Trauma Center.

Bob says he is "proud to continue to serve Osceola Regional and humbled by the opportunity to lead the team as we continue to transform healthcare. Osceola Regional has a long and impressive history, with many exciting new programs and services to come. I could not ask for a better team of physicians, nurses, staff and volunteers, all of whom are committed to providing high quality patient-centered care to the residents of Osceola and Orange counties and beyond."

William "Bob" Krieger was named interim CEO at Osceola in March but he possesses more than 25 years of hospital executive experience. Prior to Osceola he served as CEO of Delray Medical Center in Delray Beach, Florida, HCA's Orange Park Medical Center, Humana Hospital Biscayne in Miami, and Humana Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky.

A native of New Jersey, Bob earned his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Business Administration from Florida State University.

He says his ultimate goal for Osceola is to help build upon its reputation of high-quality care and patient satisfaction.

"We are confident Bob is the best fit for Osceola Regional," said Peter Marmerstein. "He has a true passion for patient-centered quality care and is a valued and respected leader who is already invested in the hospital’s vision and mission."

Source: Osceola Regional Medical Center