Mississippi Medical News June 2013

By LyNNE JETER

TUPELO – Two surgeons at North Missis-sippi Medical Center (NMMC) and a Digestive Health Specialists’ gastroenterologist are offering a revolutionary procedure for patients with gastro-esophageal refl ux disease (GERD) that’s so new, many primary care physicians and some special-ists aren’t aware of it as an option.

“When the FDA ap-proved the LINX Reflux Management System, and the New England Journal of Medicine recently discussed the effi cacy of the system, word began getting out,” said Sam Pace, MD, a board-certifi ed gastroen-terologist with Digestive Health Specialists in

December 2009 >>

Allison Wall, MD

PAGE 3

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Taxing TaxesSeven tax law changes for 2013 that will increase your income tax bill

Will Rogers once said, “The only two things in life that are certain are death and taxes; but at least death doesn’t get worse every time Congress gets together.” ... 5

A Sense of IndependenceNearing retirement in an era when 70 is the new 50, it can be diffi cult to picture a time when you won’t be able to hop in your car to run errands, swing a club or a racquet, attend an exercise class, or enjoy an evening out with good friends ... 9

Digestive SolutionNMMC physician trio only ones statewide to offer LINX option for GERD patients

By LyNNE JETER

The Mississippi Hospital Association (MHA) is working on a dynamic nurse initiative through the Missis-sippi Offi ce of Nursing Workforce (MONW) to redesign nurse education to bolster the advancement of nurses in the state.

“Our nurses are in high demand,” said Wanda Jones, RN, MS, executive director of the MONW. “This will continue to provide challenges as our baby boomer popu-lation ages. The future of nursing starts with a streamlined track for education, and we feel it’s important to get out information on these efforts to improve healthcare in Mississippi.”

The AARP and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) de-veloped the national program, Future of Nursing: Campaign

for Action (Campaign), and is working with 20 states to implement the Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) evidence-based recommendations on the next chapter of nursing. (The IOM defi nes “evidence-based practice” as a combi-nation of best research evidence, best clinical experience, and consistency with patient values.)

Mississippi received grant funding to establish a Re-gional Action Coalition (RAC), a highly diverse group of nurse partners statewide.

“The redesign falls under the fi rst phase of the strate-gic map set forth by the Mississippi Regional Action Co-alition’s steering committee,” explained Coker. “A large

team of colleges and nurse leadership worked on this education pro-gram to help advance nurses in our state.”

(CONTINUED ON PAGE 8)

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Campaign for ActionMHA and MONW collaborating on national nurse education redesign program

Wanda Jones

Dr. David Gilliland leading an OR staff to perform the LINX procedure for GERD.

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Allison Wall, MDPhysicianSpotlight

By LUCy SCHULTZE

Of all the gifts her patients give her, the most remarkable is perspective.

“Just like every person, my life’s so busy,” said Gulfport oncologist Allison Wall, MD. “But if I think I’ve had a bad day, I put it in perspective real quick when I think about what I see and what I do every day.

“It makes you not sweat the small stuff.”

As a medical oncologist at Memorial Hospital at Gulfport, Wall works to buy her patients more time in life – be it years, months or less.

“Seeing what my patients go through, I think every day how sacred life is,” she said. “You don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow, so you should just live each day like you might not have an-other.”

Treating cancer patients is a calling Wall came to through the experience of her grandmother, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in her late 50s. Wall was a young child when her grandmother came to live with her family, and watched her mother care for her until her death at home.

“That left a lasting impression on me, and as I got older, I really enjoyed helping take care of people,” Wall said.

“I was also fascinated, as I got older, by how much more could be done for breast cancer than what my grandmother had available, and how much longer women with metastatic breast cancer could live, compared to her not even liv-ing a year.

“I decided I want to help people live longer and be with their families longer

when they get such a diagnosis.”The daughter of a family-practice

physician and a nurse, Wall was raised in Dothan, Ala., and attended Auburn Uni-versity for her undergraduate degree. She went on to earn her medical degree at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine.

She spent three years at Saint Louis University in St. Louis, Mo., for a fellow-ship in hematology and oncology. She joined the five-physician medical staff at Memorial Cancer Center in Gulfport in 2008.

Wall is board certified in internal medicine, hematology and medical oncol-ogy. Her special interests include breast cancer, leukemia and lymphoma.

In her practice, Wall bears daily wit-ness to the way oncology has changed since her grandmother’s battle with breast cancer in the 1970s.

“There are so many more chemo-therapy drugs, and the side effects are so

much better compared to what they used to be,” she said. “Radiation therapy is not nearly as toxic as it used to be, and the ma-chines are so much more sophisticated.”

Additionally, the general public has a different level of awareness today in re-gards to preventive screenings.

“My grandmother didn’t do early detection, because she was just afraid and didn’t know how important that was,” Wall said. “I think women today are more educated about it. They’re not as afraid to make sure they’re screened and get a mammogram.”

Wall takes advantage of any chance she has to continue to spread the mes-sage of early detection. That can take the form of speaking at events such as cancer-walk kickoffs, but more importantly, she reaches out regularly to the families of her patients.

“I always make sure they understand their risk when their family members are diagnosed,” she said. “Other friends and family really listen when they see their loved ones being affected. They’re more likely to do what they should do and fol-low up.”

Wall’s manner of patient care recently earned her the designation of Guardian Angel, a patient-nominated award given by the Memorial Hospital Foundation.

In her daily practice, the peaks and valleys of treating cancer resonate at a per-sonal and spiritual level.

“The real highs of the job are when you can meet someone who has cancer but has found it early,” she said. “You can go into a room and tell somebody, ‘Yes, you’ve got cancer, but there’s prob-ably a cure.’ And then to be able to follow them through their life and watch them do well.”

On the other hand, telling a patient

their illness is terminal never gets easier – although even a bleak diagnosis can offer a ray of hope.

“In this day and age, the treatment is so different,” Wall said. “You can tell people you’ll probably live years instead of months.

“I also want to be able to support them not only physically but also spiritu-ally. I always bring my faith into it. That part makes the work rewarding, even when it’s tough.”

Those kinds of patient interactions aren’t easy to leave behind after a long day in the clinic. At home, Wall seeks a balance between focusing on her children and bringing them into her world as a physician.

“I always talk about my work with them, and we pray for my patients,” said Wall, the mother of Katherine, 3, and Grant, 2.

“I really try to let them see, even though I’m working all the time and they don’t get to see me as much, that God put this job in my life for a purpose. I hope it will motivate them to see what purpose God has for their lives.”

Wall also looks forward to when her children are old enough to join her on hospital rounds sometimes, as she did with her father growing up.

“When I’m gone all day, it’s not like they don’t know what I’m doing,” she said. “Then when I’m home, I really try to give them my time. Of course, being a physician, you’re never really off.”

Helping make the work-life balance possible is Wall’s husband, Mark, a U.S. Air Force officer whose appointment to Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi brought them to the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

The family makes their home in Ocean Springs.


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When Jennifer Wahnee Sherman en-tered Mississippi State University (MSU) about 20 years ago, more people lived in her residence hall than in her hometown.

Sherman’s small-town upbringing adds insight to her new position as execu-tive director of the Mis-sissippi Rural Physicians Scholarship Program.

“I realize how impor-tant it is to do something that helps Mississippi, especially rural commu-nities,” said Sherman. “This program does that.”

Headquartered at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) in Jackson, the program has tried since its debut in 2008 to relieve the state’s shortage of primary care physicians in rural areas, awarding state-funded scholarships to medical students committed to practicing there.

“Medical students with large debts are less likely to practice in small towns,” admit-ted Sherman, who earned her doctorate of education at the University of Alabama. “With these scholarships, they avoid those debts so they can return to those communi-ties.”

Sherman grew up in Lena, population 148, as of the 2010 U.S. census.

During her career as an administrator in higher education, she worked at Missis-sippi University for Women (MUW), the University of Alabama, MSU and the Uni-versity of Memphis.

Before returning home to assume her new job on Feb. 25, she worked nearly four years in Tuscaloosa, directing community service opportunities for more than 30,000 students at Alabama. Prior to that, she held

various positions at MUW, including assis-tant vice president for student services.

“You’ve got a winner,” said Homer “Bucky” Wesley, Sherman’s supervisor at MUW, former vice president for student services, now vice chancellor of Student Success and Enrollment Management at the University of Colorado. “There was no limit to the time she was willing to put into her job helping students. Students are drawn to her. They can tell that she cares.”

Sherman has another asset, Wesley noted: “She loves Mississippi. She wanted to get back there, in part, because of her desire to make Mississippi a better place.”

Sherman is undertaking a task begun by Janie Guice of Ocean Springs, who re-tired on Jan. 17.

More than 50 students receive more than $1.6 million in scholarships.

“It’s nice to take over something so well established,” Sherman said.

Sherman has already demonstrated her passion for the job, said Diane Beebe, MD, chair of family medicine at UMMC, who also serves on the scholarship pro-gram’s board.

“She brings her experience working with college students, recruiting, manag-ing state budgets and working with a state institution of higher learning and the leg-islature,” said Beebe. “We’re fortunate to have her.”

Sherman’s plans include expanding the network of pre-med advisors and link-ing the program to social media.

“We need to figure out ways to let peo-ple know what the program does,” she said.

“When doctors go back to these small communities, they’ll be ambassadors for the program; but it takes a while to grow a doctor.”

Promoting RuralMississippi native returns to take reins of Rural Physicians Scholarship Program

Mississippi Rural Physicians Scholarship Program In 2007, state lawmakers authorized the Mississippi Rural Physicians Scholar-

ship Program (MRPSP), creating a unique longitudinal program that identifies rural college students who aspire to return to their roots to practice medicine.

Academic enrichment, faculty and physician mentoring plus solid medical school financial support through the MRPSP enables capable young Mississippians to address the challenge of Mississippi’s healthcare crisis.

MRPSP’s reach-out phases include pre-matriculation to medical school, medi-cal school training, and generalist residency training. Maintaining a high level of awareness and involvement in Mississippi’s rural healthcare is a constant in every phase of training. Channeling scholars into primary care specialties (family medi-cine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, or internal medicine) will target the current rural physician shortage.

In 2008, to jumpstart the flow of primary care physicians in the healthcare pipeline, 10 University of Mississippi School of Medicine students were awarded state-funded scholarships valued at $30,000 for 2008-09. The number doubled in 2009-10. Ten more were added in 2010-11, and another 10 in 2011-12. With con-tinued strong legislative support in 2012, MRPSP will award $1.5 million in state-funded scholarships. This fall, 54 medical students will each receive $30,000 for their studies in medical school through the combined resources of the Mississippi Legislature, Medical Assurance Company of Mississippi, Selby and Richard McRae Foundation, and the Madison Charitable Foundation for a total of $1.6 million. The challenge of fully funding renewable scholarships each year remains.

SOURCE: University of Mississippi Medical Center.

Jennifer Wahnee

Sherman

Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi, A Mutual Insurance Company, is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.® Registered Marks of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, an Association of Independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans.


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By DAVID W. RUSSELL, CFP

Will Rogers once said, “The only two things in life that are certain are death and taxes; but at least death doesn’t get worse every time Congress gets together.”

Now that you’ve just sent your check to Washington for your 2012 federal in-come tax, what lies ahead for 2013 and 2014 could be even more troubling for many.

Provisions under two major tax acts, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), signed into law in 2010, and The American Taxpayer Re-lief Act of 2012 are likely to have signifi-cant impact on the personal income taxes paid by higher income Americans – much more than the seemingly modest increases in the marginal tax brackets for “wealthy Americans.” Below are seven provisions scheduled to go into effect in 2013 that will potentially increase your tax bill next year.

• 0.9 percent additional Medi-care Hospital Insurance (HI) tax on high income taxpayers. Under current law, an employee is liable for an HI tax equal to 1.45 percent of covered wages. Self-employed individuals are sub-ject to an HI tax of 2.9 percent of net self-employment income. Beginning in 2013,

taxpayers with incomes above certain thresholds will pay an additional HI tax of 0.9 percent. For an employee, the ad-ditional 0.9 percent effectively increases the HI tax from 1.45 percent to 2.35 per-cent on income in excess of the applicable threshold. For self-employed taxpayers, the additional tax of .9 percent effectively raises the HI rate to 3.8 percent of net self-employment income in excess of the ap-plicable threshold. Also, for self-employed individuals, the additional .9 percent HI tax isn’t deductible. The thresholds are $250,000 in case of a joint return (the earnings of both spouses are considered) or a surviving spouse, $125,000 in the case of a married individual filing a sepa-rate return, and $200,000 for any other taxpayer.

• 3.8 percent unearned income Medicare contribution. The new leg-islation imposes a 3.8 percent unearned income Medicare contribution tax on in-dividuals, estates, and certain trusts. For individuals, the tax is 3.8 percent of the lesser of net investment income or the excess of modified adjusted gross income over a threshold amount. This threshold is $250,000 in the case of a joint return or a surviving spouse, $125,000 in the case of a married individual filing a separate return, and $200,000 in any other case.

Investment income, generally, refers to (1) income from interest, dividends, annuities, royalties and rents; (2) gross income from a business to which the tax applies (such as income from “passive” activities); and (3) the net gain from the disposition of certain property. The term does not include dis-tributions from IRAs and other qualified retirement plans.

• Threshold for itemized de-duction of unreimbursed medical expenses generally increased to 10 percent. Under current law, an indi-vidual is allowed an itemized deduction for regular tax purposes for unreimbursed medical expenses to the extent that such expenses exceed 7.5 percent of Adjusted Gross Income (AGI). Beginning in 2013, the new legislation increases the threshold for the itemized deduction for unreim-bursed medical expenses from 7.5 percent of AGI to 10 percent of AGI. However, for the years 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016, if either a taxpayer or spouse is age 65 before the end of the taxable year, the threshold remains at 7.5 percent.

• New Tax Brackets and an ad-ditional 39.6 percent bracket for “high-income” earners. The for-mer 10 percent, 15 percent, 25 percent, 33 percent, and 35 percent brackets are made permanent. A 39.6 percent rate will

apply to taxable incomes above $450,000 (married filing joint); 425,000 (Head of Household); $400,000 (Single); and $225,000 (married filing separately).

• 20 percent Capital Gains Tax Rate for High Income Earners. For taxpayers in the 39.6 percent bracket, a 20 percent tax rate will apply to long-term capital gains and qualified dividends. For those in the 25 percent, 28 percent, 33 percent, or 35 percent brackets, a 15 per-cent rate will apply. For those in the 10 percent or 15 percent brackets a 0 percent rate is applicable.

• Personal and Dependent Ex-emption Phase-Out. This provisions requires taxpayers whose income exceeds certain limits to phase-out their personal and dependent exemptions. For 2013 these limits are: $300,000 for Married filing joint; $275,000 for Head of House-hold; $250,000 for Single; and $150,000 for Married filing separately. The thresh-olds are subject to adjustment for inflation.

• Itemized Deductions Phase-Out. Taxpayers whose incomes exceed specified limits must reduce certain, oth-erwise deductible, items on Schedule A. The same threshold amounts applicable to the personal exemption phase-out (see above) apply to the itemized deduction

Taxing TaxesSeven tax law changes for 2013 that will increase your income tax bill



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Dr. Van Cleve is one of few surgeons who trained under both world renowned heart surgeons Michael DeBakey and Denton Cooley. After eight years in private practice, Dr. Van Cleve returned to academia where he completed a fellowship in advanced mitral valve repair under internationally renowned surgeon Dr. David H. Adams at the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. He joins Dr. Ronald Kennedy, who also trained under Dr. DeBakey, to direct The Heart Valve Center at St. Dominic’s Mississippi Heart and Vascular Institute.

For qualifying patients, mitral valve repair can increase quality of life and reduce or eliminate the need for future procedures.

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Tupelo, and director of the Heartburn Center of North Mississippi, among the only three LINX-ap-proved surgeons in Mis-sissippi performing the procedure.

NMMC, the na-tion’s largest rural hospi-tal, is one of few medical centers in the United States that Torax Medi-cal selected to launch the procedure nationwide. Torax Medical develops and markets products de-signed to restore human sphincter function via its technology plat-form, Magnetic Sphincter Augmenta-tion (MSA), which uses attraction forces to augment weak or defective sphincter muscles to treat GERD, which may irri-tate the esophagus, causing heartburn and other symptoms. Left untreated, refl ux could lead to serious complications such as esophagitis, stricture, Barrett’s esophagus and esophageal cancer.

“I applaud the medical company for not doing a wholesale release,” said Pace. “In-stead, the company is re-leasing it to centers that do a lot of refl ux work so the proper evaluation can be done.”

The LINX Sys-tem’s new device is a quarter-sized flexible band of magnets encased in tiny titanium beads. The magnetic attraction between the beads helps keep a weak esophageal sphincter closed to prevent refl ux. Im-planted around a weak sphincter just above the stomach, the minimally invasive procedure typically takes less than an hour to complete.

“The force of swallowing breaks the magnetic bond to allow food and liquid to pass through, and then the magnetic

attraction closes the lower esophageal sphincter back to form a barrier,” said David Gilliland, MD, FACS, a surgeon with Surgery Associates PA, in Tupelo, also an LINX-approved sur-geon.

Until now, physi-cians had only two op-tions for treating refl ux: medication or the surgi-cal procedure, laparoscopic Nissen fun-doplication, widely used since the early 1990s. In this procedure, the top part of the fundus is wrapped around the lower esophagus to improve the refl ux barrier. Even though Nissen fundoplication may be effective, it has several drawbacks.

“After a patient has fundoplication, he can no longer belch or vomit,” said Gil-liliand. “Some patients report gas bloating because of this.”

Three years after sphincter augmen-tation with the LINX System, the majority of treated patients were able to substan-tially reduce or resolve their refl ux symp-toms, while also eliminating their use of refl ux-related medications, according to the New England Journal of Medicine sum-mary.

In 100 percent of patients, severe

regurgitation was eliminated, and nearly all patients (93 percent) reported a sig-nifi cant decrease in the need for medi-cation. Ninety-four percent reported satisfaction with their overall condition after having the LINX System procedure, compared to 13 percent before treatment while taking medication.

“For years, surgery for refl ux patients would best be described as a static deal, where you sew everything down,” said Pace. “The LINX procedure is dynamic because opening and closing simulates the normal sphincter, except you’re keeping it closed so you don’t have refl ux. Now we have a choice for patients that we can tailor-make the surgical approach to this problem.”

The customized approach facilitated a solution for Noel Moore of Baldwyn, who suffered for more than a quarter cen-tury with GERD and had developed pain-ful heartburn and chronic cough.

“I took over-the-counter Mylanta, Alka-Seltzer, baking soda, anything I could fi nd to cool it down,” Moore said, including daily PPI (proton pump inhibi-tor), the most widely prescribed medica-tion to suppress stomach acid.

Even though her physician had rec-ommended Nissen fundoplication years ago, Moore was hesitant to commit be-

cause of potential side ef-fects and the fact that the procedure could not be undone without diffi culty. While the Nissen proce-dure is permanent, the LINX procedure is merely supportive and may be re-moved if necessary.

Last August, Pace told her about the LINX Re-fl ux Management System. After discussing it with Robert McAuley, MD, FACS, of the Surgery Clinic of Tupelo PA, the second LINX-approved

surgeon in Mississippi, she had surgery in October.

“The LINX device is dynamic, help-ing the lower esophageal sphincter open and close,” Pace said. “It mimics the muscle and how the muscle is supposed to work. Patients can still belch and vomit, so bloating isn’t an issue.”

Like Nissen fundoplication, the pro-cedure is done laparoscopically through fi ve small punctures in the abdomen.

“Once we’re in the OR, we can de-cide which procedure the patient is bet-ter suited for, depending on anatomy,” Gilliland said. For example, the LINX procedure cannot be done if the patient has a hiatal hernia larger than three cen-timeters.

Another benefi t is a quicker return to solid food.

“We try to get LINX patients to eat regular food right away to train the de-vice,” Gilliland said. “With the Nissen procedure, they’re on a prescribed diet for at least two weeks.”

After a one night recovery at NMMC, Moore was discharged the following day on a liquid diet. Within three days, she returned to work and graduated to soft foods. By the following week, she resumed her normal diet.

“I could defi nitely tell an immediate difference,” said Moore, who stopped tak-ing her PPI medication after surgery and also realized an unexpected perk. “After the surgery, I’ve had to eat slower for food to go down, so now hunger is satisfi ed with less food than I used to consume. I’ve even lost a little weight.”

Because the procedure is new, insur-ance coverage varies by provider and is usually approved on a case-by-case basis.

Digestive Solution, continued from page 1

Refl ux LINX closed Swallowing

Dr. Sam Pace

Dr. David Gilliland

Read Mississippi Medical News Online:

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PULL QUOTE: “Once we understand the habit forma-tion loop – cue, routine, reward – then we can begin to retool our habits and form new ones.”

By CINDy SANDERS

Preventing America’s seniors from falling is a national health priority both in terms of injury and cost. Yet, fall pre-vention programs have only proven to be marginally successful over the long term.

Cathleen S. Colón-Emeric, MD, MHS, and colleagues focused on the gap between quality improve-ment (QI) protocols and sustained bedside imple-mentation in the nursing home setting. An associ-ate professor of Medicine in the Division of Geri-atrics at Duke Univer-sity School of Medicine, Colón-Emeric said pre-vious studies found the desired improvements occurred when out-side trainers and researchers stepped in to create interventions. The external staff ad-dressed multiple risk factors to help lower fall rates, recurrent falls and injurious falls. However, she continued, “When you try to train the existing nursing home staff to do those things, it doesn’t seem to work.”

Based on social constructivist theory, complexity science, and prior studies, the research team believed there was a direct link between the failure to successfully de-ploy fall interventions and the hierarchi-cal culture present in most skilled nursing facilities. Colón-Emeric, who also serves as associate director – clinical program for the Durham VA Geriatric Research, Edu-cation & Clinical Center (GRECC), noted the vertical command structure doesn’t foster broad-based, interdisciplinary staff interaction.

“They lack the connections with their coworkers that they need to share information and problem solve,” she said. “Nursing home staff tend to work in silos.”

Colón-Emeric continued, “Coordi-nation of a multi-factorial risk reduction program requires a great deal of commu-nication. Older adults don’t fall because of one risk factor … they fall because of five or six factors. To reduce risks, you have to intervene on all of those things.”

She added reasons for a fall might in-clude any number of factors from a long, diverse list ranging from poor vision and tripping hazards to a drop in blood pres-sure upon standing or suboptimal choice of an assistive device.

“In order to improve fall rates,” Colón-Emeric said, “the team needs to know what the resident’s behavior is like.”

However, the person with the most hands-on knowledge often isn’t the one creating that resident’s specific care plan. Colón-Emeric pointed out aides deliver the majority of care in the nursing home setting. Yet, nurse aides aren’t typically part of the decision-making process and are often expected to communicate only within the chain of command. “They are less likely to implement the care plan if

they haven’t been involved in making it in the first place,” she noted.

In an article published in Imple-mentation Science last year, the research team said QI programs could not reach optimal levels of staff behavioral changes unless the context of social learning was present. The team developed the CON-NECT educational intervention to foster improved connections within and between disciplines, heighten communication flow

and encourage cognitive diversity in solv-ing problems on behalf of residents.

The next step was to see if the ‘all hands on deck’ approach made a differ-ence in fall rates in comparison to tra-ditional QI initiatives that focus on an individual’s mastery of content and pro-cess change.

Colón-Emeric said eight nursing homes in North Carolina and Virginia were selected with half randomized to

receive three months of CONNECT training followed by three months of a traditional falls QI program and the other half receiving only the QI program train-ing. The eight participants included a mix of community nursing homes and VA fa-cilities.

The CONNECT intervention in-cluded interactive in-class learning sessions, unit-based mentoring and rela-

CONNECTing Caregivers to Prevent Patient Falls

Dr. Cathleen S. Colón-Emeric


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Jones and Rita Wray, deputy execu-tive director of the Mississippi Department of Finance and Administration, are leading the 40-plus member Mississippi Nursing Action Coalition, which includes the RAC.

The RWJF committed $3 million to help states like Mississippi prepare the nurs-ing profession to address the nation’s most pressing healthcare challenges.

The Future of Nursing State Imple-mentation Program will boost efforts al-ready underway across the nation and the District of Columbia. The Campaign, explained the foundation, provides a voice and a vehicle for nurses at all levels to lead system change by collaborating with busi-ness, consumer, and other health profes-sional organizations.

“This program is designed to spur progress by supporting action coalitions, most of which are led by volunteers, that are doing promising work to implement the IOM recommendations,” said Susan B. Hassmiller, PhD, RN, RWJF senior ad-viser for nursing and director of the Cam-paign. “The foundation is committed to providing states with the support they need to build a more highly educated, diverse nursing workforce that will improve health outcomes for patients, families and com-munities.”

The initiative provided two-year grants of up to $150,000 to state-based ac-tion coalitions that have made substantial progress toward implementing the IOM recommendations. The grants call for states to match funds. Other states involved in the initiative are Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Jersey, Penn-sylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming. This pressing issue was addressed at the American Hos-pital Association’s annual meeting April 28-May 1 in Washington, DC, which fo-cused advocacy efforts on transforming the healthcare delivery system, maintaining es-sential resources, and reducing the regula-tory burden.

The U.S. Department of Labor has identified nursing as the fastest-growing oc-cupation through 2012. More than 1 mil-lion new and replacement nurses will be needed to fill the nation’s healthcare needs.

“Current demand for quality nurses far outstrips the supply,” said Sheila Keller, PhD, project director of the Mississippi Barriers to Nursing Education Survey. “In-creased future needs will only exacerbate the crisis. In 2002, the Health Resources and Services Administration estimated that over 30 states were experiencing nurs-ing shortages, and the shortfall would grow to over 44 states by the year 2020. Missis-sippi is one of the 30 states experiencing a nursing shortage with a vacancy rate of 7.7 percent.”

The Campaign is one of various strate-gies the MONW has developed and imple-mented to decrease the nursing shortage by partnering with nursing schools, policy makers, healthcare facilities and other stakeholders, said Kelly.

Hassmiller said grant recipients are working to implement programs that

prepare nurses to lead system change, strengthen nursing education, expand access to care by maximizing the use of nurses, recruit and train a more diverse nursing workforce, and improve quality and coordination of healthcare.

The Center to Champion Nursing in America (CCNA), an initiative of AARP, the AARP Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, serves as the national program office for the Future of Nursing State Implementation Program.

“This new program will help action coalitions get the strategic and technical support required to advance their goals,” said Susan Reinhard, PhD, RN, senior vice president of the AARP Public Policy Institute and CCNA chief strategist. The nonprofit, nonpartisan national organiza-tion with more than 37 million members is among the nation’s most powerful lobbying groups. “Our hope is that states will get the boost they need to be effective in achiev-ing the triple aim of addressing cost, quality and access.”

Campaign for Action, continued from page 1

phase-out. These threshold amounts will be subject to adjustment for inflation in future years.

What should you do now?• Schedule a meeting with your CPA.

Because there are many other provisions of these major tax acts, just how they’ll ul-timately impact you depend on many fac-tors. The best thing you can do over the next few months is to schedule a meeting with your CPA or tax advisor to do some advance calculations as to how your tax liability might change. Don’t wait too long to do this as it could result in you needing to increase your tax withholding or esti-mated payments.

• Implement a tax efficient invest-ment plan. Your investment plan should be tweaked to minimize taxable investment income and high-turnover capital gains distributions. This will be a major theme for the next few years as investors seek to maximize after-tax returns on their portfo-lios and thus avoid some of these new taxes.

Tax rates won’t likely head lower until our federal budget deficit and overall debt picture has improved. Nevertheless, as Fed-eral Judge Learned Hand once remarked,

“Anyone may arrange his affairs so that his taxes shall be as low as possible; he is not bound to choose that pattern which best pays the treasury. There is not even a patriotic duty to increase one’s taxes. Over and over again, the courts have said that there is nothing sinister in so arranging affairs as to keep taxes as low as possible. Everyone does it, rich and poor alike and all do right, for nobody owes any public duty to pay more than the law demands.”

Taxing Taxes,continued from page 5

David W. Russell, CFP, senior vice president and trust officer for Pinnacle Trust in Madison, [email protected].


By CINDy SANDERS

Nearing retirement in an era when 70 is the new 50, it can be difficult to picture a time when you won’t be able to hop in your car to run errands, swing a club or a racquet, at-tend an exercise class, or enjoy an evening out with good friends. Perhaps in the recesses of your mind the possibility exists that you might need a little assistance at some point in the very distant future … but that time is cer-tainly not now.

Still, in your most pru-dent moments, you know the big house and big yard are really too big now that the children are grown and gone. And you hate the thought of your spouse or the kids hurriedly having to make critical decisions should some-thing happen to you.

Still, you just aren’t ready to give up your self-sufficiency. And why should you when a solution exists that allows you to keep your independence while having a contingency plan in place?

For a growing number of senior adults,

continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs) provide the best answer – sup-porting active, independent lifestyles while offering increasing levels of care when re-quired. That continuum allows residents to age in place.

Headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa, Life Care Services has been developing and managing senior living communities for more than four decades. As the nation’s leading manager of full-service senior living communities, the company owns or oper-ates more than 80 communities in 28 states and the District of Columbia and serves nearly 30,000 residents.

Erik Gjullin, vice president/director of marketing & sales for Life Care Services, explained that residents arrive while inde-pendent with the knowledge that assisted living, skilled nursing and memory care facili-ties are available onsite. Key draws for living in CCRCs are the socializa-tion aspect and knowing that once you are in, you have a home for life. Yet, Gjullin said, the focus of their communities is on maintaining wellness and independence.

“The driver for our prospects, who are looking for solutions to senior housing, is to live somewhere where it’s easy to par-ticipate in a lifestyle that enhances health,” he said.

Gjullin explained Life Care Services takes a ‘whole person’ approach to wellness. “Our HealthyLife™ Services program is really the overall health and wellness pro-gram that we practice in all our communi-ties. It’s not just fitness,” he continued, “It’s nutrition. It’s socialization. It’s education. It’s ongoing lifestyle that really creates the

wellness for the whole person.”While a number of programs and ser-

vices are consistent across Life Care Ser-

vices developments, the communities are far from ‘cookie cutter.’ Gjullin said, “The unique part of it is people live in different geographic regions for a reason. They like the lifestyle. They like the architecture. So if you go into our community in Phoenix, Ariz., it looks like it belongs in Phoenix. It’s got local architecture, spaces and cuisine. It’s got the flavor of the southwest.”

Residents enjoy a range of living op-tions from apartment-style residences to garden villas to detached cottages. Mani-

cured lawns, gardening plots, walking and bik-ing trails, guest accom-modations, a clubhouse with restaurant-style menus, day spa, put-ting green, cocktail lounge, fitness center, library, convenience store, weekly cleaning service, 24-hour secu-rity and more are part of the well-appointed surroundings.

Luxury, of course, does come with a price. Gjullin said residents pay a one-time en-trance fee and ongoing monthly fee, both of which vary depend-ing on the size of the residence selected. The monthly fee, he continued, “covers ev-erything you could pos-sibly think about that you would be paying if you were living in your own residence.”

At death or upon moving, there are two return-of-capital plans that give back either 80 percent or 90 per-

cent of the entrance fee to the resident or the estate. If residents needs to move to a higher level of care … either temporarily or permanently … they are guaranteed a bed, and the monthly fee remains the same as in the independent living phase.

“As you move through the continuum of services, your monthly fee does not in-crease,” Gjullin said of a unique aspect of Life Care Services. In comparison to a skilled nursing facility where a room could

A Sense of Independence

Erik Gjullin

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CONNECTing Caregivers to Prevent Patient Falls, continued from page 7

Falls Hurt Physically & Financially

According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, one in every three adults age 65 and older falls each year. In this age group, falls are the leading cause of injury death and are the most common cause of nonfatal injuries and hospital admissions for trauma.

In 2010, 2.3 million nonfatal fall injuries among older adults were treated in the emergency room with more than 662,000 requiring hospitalization. The direct medical cost of these falls, adjusted for inflation, was estimated to be $30 billion.

A Sense of Independence, continued from page 9

tionship mapping. All activities were fo-cused on helping the staff build networks and relationships for problem-solving activities. “We designed the CONNECT intervention to show staff where their communications weren’t working … where gaps existed … and to teach them some practical tools to better communi-cate,” she explained.

Post-intervention, three areas were reviewed for both the CONNECT and control groups — staff communications measures, charting, and fall rates. Colón-Emeric said to measure communication, the team used surveys before, during and

after the intervention. The team also re-viewed documentation of the types of prevention interventions in the medical record. Fall rates, she added, were viewed as an exploratory outcome in light of the small number of study sites.

“What we found was that the staff communication levels improved a little bit in the CONNECT group but decreased in the control facilities,” she said, adding the net result was significant. Among the CONNECT group, increased communi-cation was more pronounced in the com-munity settings, as Colón-Emeric said the VA facilities already had high levels of

communication. Charting turned out to be a non-fac-

tor. “Both groups improved a little bit and neither was significant,” she said, adding improved documentation did not corre-late with decreased falls. “We don’t think the chart measures are really a good mea-sure of what is happening at the bedside … at the site of patient care.”

As for the most important outcome — preventing falls — Colón-Emeric said the team saw the desired trajectory. “There was no change in fall rates in the control group, but the fall rate in the CONNECT facilities improved … they went down

about 12 percent,” she said. Colón-Emeric was quick to temper

the significance of the outcome in light of the small number of participating study sites. However, she said the group is now in the second year of a larger trial of 24 nursing homes with 12 each in the CON-NECT and control groups.

“If we see the same magnitude of ben-efit, that would be statistically significant.” She continued, “We should be finished with our last nursing homes in 2014 and have the results out shortly thereafter.”

Colón-Emeric added that if the im-proved collaboration is proven to posi-tively impact falls QI initiatives, then it would be reasonable to apply the same tactics to other multi-factorial issues fac-ing America’s growing senior population.

cost $300-$400 a day, those who transition within the CCRC continue to pay their monthly fee … for a couple in an apart-ment-style residence that typically runs under $200 a day and under $100 a day for an individual in a one-bedroom apartment. “If you wanted to preserve your assets, what other program would you select?” he questioned.

Again, Gjullin stressed, the goal is to keep seniors spiritually, physically, mentally and emotionally healthy for as long as pos-sible to enjoy the array of options that come with this type of community. On any given day, seniors can be found attending a yoga class, planning community outings, choos-ing from chef-inspired cuisine, working out in the fitness center, sipping cocktails with friends or enjoying a relaxing manicure.

“Our philosophy is choice, flexibility, and control,” Gjullin said. “That’s what we offer people who live here. That’s what seniors want. They didn’t get to the point where they could afford to live in a com-munity like this and not have that as a basic philosophy.”


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By MARTIN WILLOUGHBY

In my business coaching practice, one of the key points I emphasize is the impor-tance of knowing yourself. To be an effec-tive team member and leader, you have to know your strengths, weaknesses, personal-ity, and blind spots.

The ancient Greeks had a temple with the words “know thyself” inscribed in the forecourt. The famous English playwright William Shakespeare similarly wrote, “Of all knowledge, the wise and good seek most to know themselves.” Thales, another an-cient Greek philosopher, wisely noted, “The most difficult thing in life is to know yourself.” Thales’ point is well taken.

The challenge is that knowing yourself is no easy task.

I believe we’re all prone to self-decep-tion and misunderstanding. If you don’t understand yourself, you’ll have a very dif-ficult time understanding your co-workers, clients, patients, and customers.

As a start, I encourage people to take a personality assessment like the DISC, Myers Briggs, or StrengthsFinder. My personal favorite is the Birkman assess-ment tool, which I use in my practice. The Birkman Method® has been used for more than 50 years for more than 2.5 million people to measure productive behaviors, stress behaviors, underlying needs, mo-tivations and organizational orientation. These type assessments aren’t “tests.” They’re simply tools to increase our self- awareness. I also encourage people to ask those closest to them for feedback on their strengths and weaknesses. It takes cour-age to ask, but we can grow significantly when we take the time to get this type of feedback. Often, there are significant gaps between our own view and others’ per-spective of us. We often can uncover blind spots that are hindering our relations with others in this process.

In my work with teaching apprecia-tion in the workplace, I commonly see the results of a lack of self-awareness. Based on the work of Dr. Gary Chapman and Dr. Paul White in their book The 5 Lan-guages of Appreciation in the Workplace, we know that people have different ways they receive appreciation in the workplace. Organizations can waste considerable time and money by trying to show appreciation to an employee that’s not in the employee’s individual “language.” Most people tend to show appreciation in the way they like to receive appreciation versus the way that re-cipient actually likes to receive appreciation. A great way to think about this for leaders is to follow the Platinum Rule (an adaptation of the Golden Rule), which is “Treat others in the way they like to be treated.” This nu-ance takes the focus off of ourselves and puts it rightly on the other person.

Self-deception can have a crippling ef-fect on leaders. In my study of leadership,

it’s one of the greatest challenges to true success. In our fast-paced world, it’s critical to “confront the brutal facts,” as leadership guru Jim Collins would say. You can only do this if you have a clear view of reality. When leaders are self-deceived, they don’t have a real view of the problem and so any potential solutions can often just make matters worse.

The Arbinger Institute published an influential book on this topic entitled Leadership and Self Deception – Getting Out of the Box. They make the powerful statement, “Whether at work or at home, self-deception obscures the truth about us, corrupts our view of others, and our circumstances, and inhibits our ability to make wise and helpful decisions.”

They argue that self-deception begins when we see other people as “objects” instead of actual “people.” This leads to self-betrayal as we take actions that are contrary to what we feel we should do for others and then we justify our own actions; it’s a vicious cycle. As we come up with our self-justification, we begin to distort re-ality. When we fall into this cycle, they de-scribe it as being “in the box.” In contrast, when we honor others as actual people by acknowledging their needs, hopes, dreams, and worries that are as real and legitimate as our own, then we’re successfully able to get “out of the box.”

Research has shown that high per-formance organizations are ones in which the team members are others-focused and aligned to achieve powerful results. It’s not easy, because human nature leads us to get “in the box” but the results are worth it. Who wouldn’t want to work in an orga-nization where people are authentically treating each other as people and working together to accomplish great things?

In today’s 21st century work envi-ronment, it will take great teamwork and innovation to survive and thrive. Per-haps treating people as objects may have worked in the industrial age, but that has almost completely gone away, particularly in the complex service oriented fields like healthcare. Real leaders understand they need to increase their own self-awareness, be wary of self-deception, and purpose-fully try to apply the Platinum Rule in their workplaces. These type organizations will be high performance and have the best pa-tient and customer satisfaction.

Ultimately, these types of organiza-tions are about people taking care of peo-ple. There’s no room to treat people like objects in that environment. I hope you and your organization are on a journey of greater self-awareness!

Leadership and Self Knowledge

MedicalEntrepreneurs

Martin Willoughby is a serial entrepreneur, author of the book Zoom Entrepreneur, and a business consultant. Direct questions to Martin at [email protected]


Woman’s Hospital Pathologist Earns Advanced Breast Pathology Certification

Woman’s Hospital is pleased to an-nounce J. Christopher Hancock, M.D., a pathologist for the hospital, has earned certification in Multidisciplinary Breast Pa-thology through the College of American

Pathologists’ Advanced Practical Pathol-ogy Program.

The program is designed for patholo-gists seeking a higher skill level in breast pathology. As a result of completing the program, Dr. Hancock has received ad-ditional knowledge in correlating the findings from major breast imaging mo-

dalities with clinical information in order to insure all women receives the appropriate treatment. He is also trained to interpret breast test results of women representing all levels of complexity and communicate results and patient treatment options to other physicians, health care teams and patients.

Dr. Hancock received his medical de-gree from University of Mississippi School of Medicine. After completing a residency at UMMC and fellowship at University of Alabama Hospital in Birmingham. He is board-certified in anatomic and clinical pathology and hematology.

Dwayne Blaylock Named Chief Executive Officer At River Oaks

River Oaks Hospital recently an-nounced that Dwayne Blaylock has ac-cepted the role of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for River Oaks Hospital in Flowood, Mississippi. Blaylock moves from his position as the CEO at Gilmore Memorial Re-gional Medical Center in Amory, MS where he has been since 2008. Blaylock is returning to River Oaks Hospi-tal where he served as Chief Operations Officer from 2002 through 2004.

Blaylock received his Bachelor of Business Administration from the Univer-sity of Mississippi and a Master of Health Administration degree from Saint Louis University. He has over 16 years of leader-ship experience in the healthcare industry working with hospitals and physician prac-tices.

Hospice Compassus Opens Office In Columbia

Hospice Compassus has received ap-proval from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for a new office loca-tion in Columbia. The expansion will cre-

ate additional access to comprehensive and compassionate care for the residents of Columbia and surrounding areas, and it will impact economic development in the community through the creation of jobs.

The new office will serve patients in Walthall, Marion, Lamar, and Forest counties as well as the Hattiesburg area, and will be staffed and supported by an interdisciplinary team of local Medical Directors, nurses, nurse assistants, home health aides, chaplains, bereavement co-ordinators, social workers, and community volunteers specializing in hospice and pal-liative care.

Hospice Compassus is in the process of hiring local candidates for key positions for the Columbia office, including a Medi-cal Director, a Director of Clinical Services, a PRN Nurse Practitioner and a Team Co-ordinator.

In 2012, Hospice Compassus became the first hospice provider in the U.S. to publicly reveal patient quality data, setting the standard by which all U.S. hospice pro-viders are measured. The data shows sig-nificant achievements toward establishing and continuing to raise industry bench-marks after a year of reporting quality data at more than 50 community-based programs nationwide.

MAG Mutual Pays Record Dividends to Policyholders

MAG Mutual Insurance Company, the Southeast’s foremost medical profes-sional liability insurer, distributed $15 mil-lion in dividends to its policyholders this year. In addition, its board of directors ap-proved a potential further $40 million to be earmarked for its Owners’ Circle® loy-alty program, which provides distributions to qualifying insured physicians when they cease practicing medicine.

Since its founding, MAG Mutual has returned more than $120 million in divi-dend payouts to its policyholders. In the last five years, the organization has paid more dividends than any other medical professional liability carrier in the South-east.

This year, MAG Mutual has also de-clared approximately $40 million to the Owners’ Circle program. When combined with the 2012 allocation, the cumulative declarations to the Owners’ Circle now top $102 million. Since its foundation, the program has seen great success with 147 policyholders having been recipients of distributions. All MAG Mutual policyhold-ers are eligible for this program.

The $15 million dividend is one of the largest in MAG Mutual’s history and con-tinues the organization’s storied reputa-tion for rewarding policyholders.

GrandRounds

Dwayne Blaylock

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Dr. Jeff Clark Attends Pelvic Surgical Training

Dr. Jeff Clark recently participated in a pelvic surgery seminar sponsored by the International Academy of Pelvic Surgery in Cincinnati, Ohio. The seminar was primarily tar-geted for surgeons who are responsible for com-plex voiding problems as well as complex problems with pelvic organ prolapse. Following the seminar, Dr. Clark was inducted into the International Academy of Pelvic Surgery.

Dr. Clark is a Urologist at Brookhaven Urology, in Brookhaven, MS, where he has been in practice since 1996. He has had an interest in female voiding problems, primarily stress urinary incontinence, for his entire career. Dr. Clark specializes in the surgical treatment of urinary inconti-nence and has been performing inconti-nence procedures for more than twenty years.

Some of Dr. Clark’s many professional accomplishments include: Diplomat of the American Board of Urology, Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, Member of Cambridge Who’s Who for the Medical Profession, named as one of America’s Top Surgeons by the Consumer Research Council of America, obtained 5-Star Rating from HealthGrades in Pros-

tate Cancer Surgery, Past President of the South Central Medical Society, and Past Chief of Staff of King’s Daughters Medical Center. Dr. Clark received his Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Birming-ham Southern College in 1985 and his Doctor of Medicine Degree for the Uni-versity of Alabama School of Medicine in 1991. He completed two years of general surgery and his residency in Urology at the University of Mississippi School of Medi-cine in 1996. He and his wife, Shannon, have two sons, Peyton and Daniel.

Neuroscience Center Offering Study

Singing River Health System Neuro-science Center is conducting a Posther-petic neuralgia study for those who have recently suffered from shingles and are still feeling pain.

Postherpetic neuralgia is nerve pain that continues after an outbreak of shin-gles has healed. If your shingles are gone, but the pain remains, you may be eligible for a clinical trial at the Neuroscience Cen-ter.

To qualify for this study, participants must be at least 18 years old and diag-nosed with postherpetic neuralgia, de-fined as pain in the area affected by shin-gles at least six months after the shingles rash has resolved.

Qualified participants will receive all

study-related evaluations, physical exams, routine lab work, and investigational study drug at no cost.

If you or someone you know may be interested in this clinical study, please con-tact our office at 228-818-3447 or [email protected].

UMMC Pediatrician Hannah Gay Named To Time Magazine’s Time 100

TIME named HIV specialist Dr. Han-nah Gay, UMMC associate professor of pediatrics, to the 2013 TIME 100, the mag-azine’s annual list of the 100 most influen-tial people in the world.

In caring for a newborn infected with HIV in 2010, Gay followed an atypical treat-ment regimen and functionally cured the baby. She and her colleagues, Dr. Debo-rah Persaud, Johns Hopkins Children’s Center virologist, and University of Mas-sachusetts Medical School immunologist Dr. Katherine Luzuriaga, who were also named to the TIME 100 list, presented the child’s case report in March at a scien-tific meeting in Atlanta. The report is the world’s first to describe an HIV functional cure in an infant.

Gay said she is honored and wants the recognition to highlight the efforts of physicians and scientists worldwide work-ing in HIV prevention, care and research.

The list, now in its 10th year, recog-

nizes the activism, innovation and achieve-ment of the world’s most influential indi-viduals.

Biloxi Regional Medical Center Earns Quality Respiratory Care Recognition

Biloxi Regional Medical Center has earned Quality Respiratory Care Recog-nition (QRCR) under a national program aimed at helping patients and families make informed decisions about the qual-ity of the respiratory care services available in hospitals.

About 700 hospitals or approximately 15% of hospitals in the United States have applied for and received this award. Biloxi Regional Medical Center has received this award for seven years in a row.

Respiratory therapists are specially trained health care professionals who work under physician’s orders to provide a wide range of breathing treatments and other services to people with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cystic fibrosis, lung cancer, other lung or lung-related conditions. They also care for premature infants and are key mem-bers of lifesaving response teams charged with handling medical emergencies.

GrandRounds

Dr. Jeff Clark

Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi, A Mutual Insurance Company, is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.® Registered Marks of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, an Association of Independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans.

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Hattiesburg Clinic Spine Center Welcomes McCrary

Hattiesburg Clinic Spine Center wel-comes Elizabeth B. McCrary, CNP, as a nurse practitioner.

McCrary obtained a Bachelor of Sci-ence in Nursing from The University of Southern Mississippi. She earned a Mas-ter of Science in Nursing from University of Alabama at Birmingham. McCrary is a member of the American Nurses’ Asso-ciation, the Mississippi Nurses’ Associa-tion, and American Association of Nurse Practitioners.

As part of the Spine Center team, McCrary will evaluate new patients with neurosurgeons Jean-Louis Benae, MD; Richard E. Clatterbuck, MD, PhD; David J. Yeh, MD; and Jack Kruse, MD, DMD. She will work in conjunction with Brandi Raw-ls, CNP; and Amy Thomas, CNP, in the Hattiesburg Clinic Spine Center, which specializes in the treatment of neck pain, middle and lower back pain, and radiat-ing arm/leg pain and weakness.

Hattiesburg Clinic Holds 50th Anniversary Ceremony and Celebrates Groundbreaking

Hattiesburg Clinic hosted a com-memoration ceremony on May 8 to cel-ebrate 50 years of service to the commu-nity. The next day a groundbreaking was held for a new facility for Dermatology-South.

The 50th Anniversary ceremony rec-ognized the 10 founding physicians and their families. Speakers reflected on the clinic’s history and discussed future plans. The event also included the unveiling of artwork that was designed in honor of Hattiesburg Clinic’s 50th anniversary

Hattiesburg Clinic was established on May 1, 1963 when 10 physicians partnered with a mission to focus on excellence and service to the patient. Today, Hattiesburg Clinic is the state’s largest privately owned multispecialty outpatient facility. While the Clinic has grown to over 300 physi-cians and providers, caring for patients in more than 18 counties in South Missis-sippi, its mission has remained the same.

Dermatology-South, a service of Hat-tiesburg Clinic, will locate its new facility #3 Thompson Park Drive, just off Highway 11.

Upon completion, the Dermatology-South facility will be home to Hattiesburg Clinic dermatologists William L. Waller, III, MD, and Beth Rose, MD, along with Physician Assistant, Lavinia Drambarean. Dermatology-South will offer dermatol-ogy services, as well as cosmetic services such as Botox, Sclerothereapy, liposuc-tion, laser hair removal, microdermabra-sion, chemical peels, facial treatments and a new skin tightening and fat reduc-tion service, Exilis.


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Mississippi Medical News June 2013

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