Strategic Planning--Now More than Ever

Healthcare practices focus on providing quality care to the patients they serve, utilizing the resources, techniques and expertise available.

Considerations Upon Joining a Physician Practice

One Practice Focuses on Obesity

"It's not just a weight loss clinic," says Liliya Slutsker, MD, about her practice in Trussville. "I want to treat obesity." Opened a year ago, Carrington Medical Spa and Weight Loss Clinic approaches the treatment of obesity with an in-depth, medical approach.

DOJ: EHR Companies Should Consider Themselves on Notice

Make no mistake, the federal government intends to hold health information technology ("HIT") companies accountable for failures to develop HIT in accordance with federal certification standards and compliance with federal fraud and abuse laws, including payments for customer referrals.

HHS Publishes Guidelines on Cybersecurity

This December, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Healthcare & Public Health Sector Coordinating Councils issued voluntary guidelines to assist healthcare providers assess cybersecurity risks and suggestions for mitigating those risks.

CMS Changes Durable Medical Equipment Regs

Starting January 1st, Medicare will put the competitive bidding program (CBP) on durable medical equipment on hiatus. For patients and businesses alike, this opens the door to easier access and a larger market in Birmingham for the sales and rentals of anything from nebulizers to prosthetics to home hospital beds.

The Stark Law: A Reminder and Request

If you ask a healthcare provider to state the healthcare laws and regulations that give them a headache, you are likely to receive a range of responses.

New Drug Should Benefit Majority of Cystic Fibrosis Patients

A triple-combination drug has been shown to be effective in improving lung function for the majority of patients with cystic fibrosis. The new therapy should provide therapeutic benefits for 90 percent of all patients with the genetic disease.

Some People are Resilient to Alzheimer's

Researchers believe that some people -- perhaps 30 to 50 percent of the population -- are resilient to the effects of Alzheimer's disease.

The Quest for Quality in Clinical Trials

The Association of Clinical Research Professionals is focused on workforce training and development to ensure clinical trials are well designed, executed, and reported to move the science forward.

New Breathing Tube for Cardiac Arrest Could Save Thousands

A study comparing two breathing tubes used by paramedics during out-of-hospital cardiac arrest shows that the King laryngeal tube was superior to the more commonly used endotracheal tube.

Precision Medical Serves as Team Physicians for Birmingham Iron

When pro football arrived in Birmingham this spring, they needed team physicians trained to treat the injuries from multi-hundred-pound men crashing into each other for hours at a time.

UAB Telemedicine for Stroke Care

Every minute an embolism blocks blood-flow to your brain, 1.9 million oxygen-starved neurons can die.

MILD Shows Promise for Relief from Lumbar Spinal Stenosis Pain

A relatively new procedure is showing promise for patients suffering from lumbar spinal stenosis, according to Scott Kendrick, MD with Southside Pain Specialists.

Saving Brain Cells with Neuro-Endovascular Intervention

A complex network of arteries and vessels supply the oxygen-rich blood that nourishes the millions of neurons that make human thought possible. This is also where clots that block this blood- flow trigger the ischemic crisis that causes 80 percent of strokes.

Migraine Therapy Available at New Brookwood Infusion Suite

Migraine headaches affect 10 percent of the world's population and are most common in women. This neurological disease can be extremely debilitating with intense pain, nausea and vomiting, and increased sensitivity to light or noise.

Finding Grace in Times of Trouble

Everyone needs grace during difficult times. With that in mind, Jason Carroll and John Burdett founded Red Mountain Grace, a non-profit dedicated to providing housing for families whose loved ones are hospitalized in the Birmingham area.

Violence in U.S. Emergency Departments on the Rise

By their very nature, emergency departments are high-stakes settings filled with vulnerable patients and frightened families. Increasingly, they are also high-risk settings for healthcare providers.

Georgiana Medical Center Will Close

Georgiana Medical Center, located in Greenville, Alabama, will close its doors on March 31. The hospital's operator, Ivy Creek of Butler, says patient care will be directed to L.V. Stabler Memorial Hospital in Greenville, as well as to other providers.

NIH Funding to UAB Near $300 million

Research funding to UAB from the National Institutes of Health came in just shy of $300 million in 2018, placing UAB 23rd on the list of universities receiving NIH funding, according to figures published by the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research.

Allen Jarzombek, MD Joins Grandview Medical Staff

Allen Jarzombek, MD has joined the medical staff of Grandview Medical Center. Jarzombek is board certified in Family Medicine and practices with Grandview Medical Group Primary Care in Chelsea.

Donaldson Named CFO at Cullman Regional

Cullman Regional has named Nesha Donaldson, FACHE, as Chief Operations Officer, a role she has filled in conjunction with her Chief Financial Officer position for more than a year.

Jade Brice Roshell, MD, MBA, FHM, FACP Named Chief Medical Officer of Shelby Baptist

Jade Brice Roshell, MD, MBA, FHM, FACP, who serves as Director of the Shelby Baptist Medical Center Hospitalist Program has been named Chief Medical Officer (CMO).

Jacobsmeyer and Rock Named Go Red for Women Co-Chairs

Barbara Jacobsmeyer and Dawn Rock are the co-chairs of the American Heart Association's 2019 Birmingham Go Red for Women campaign.

Children's to Provide At-Home Monitoring

Parents of infants with complex heart defects will now be given a new telehealth platform when they are discharged from Children's of Alabama to monitor the home recovery process.

Two Brookwood Baptist Health Officers Named to Becker's 2019 List of African American Leaders

Becker's Hospital Review has published its 2019 list of 68 African American Leaders in Healthcare. The list highlights African Americans who have taken on healthcare leadership roles across the country.

Baskin Named President of Jefferson County Health Action Partnership

Monica Baskin, PhD, professor at the UAB Division of Preventive Medicine, was recently installed as president of Jefferson County Health Action Partnership.

UAB Researchers Find New Biomarker for Age-Related Macular Degeneration

UAB Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences researchers have discovered a genetic biomarker that is associated with age-related macular degeneration and delayed rod-mediated dark adaptation -- the first visual function for incident AMD in older adults with normal macular health and early AMD.

DCH Employees Honored

Michele Jones and Carrie Ridgway recently received the DCH Excellence Award, which is given to DCH employees who exemplify the highest standards of excellence in attitude, job performance, dependability,and contributions to DCH beyond the call of duty. Employees nominate their peers for the award.

Brookwood Baptist Medical Center is Second Hospital in Alabama to Earn CARF Accreditation

Brookwood Baptist Medical Center received a three-year accreditation from CARF International for its adult Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit.