For the third consecutive year, the Board of Directors of the Louisiana Medical Mutual Insurance Company approved a dividend for all LAMMICO policyholders in Louisiana and Arkansas. The announcement affects close to 6,000 policyholders, who will receive a 10 percent dividend of a policyholder’s written premium.

 

“We declare this third dividend with confidence while maintaining a surplus level that ensures the reliable payment of claims over any cycle,” said Thomas H. Grimstad, M.D., LAMMICO’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “Even in these uncertain economic times, LAMMICO will keep its focus on our policyholders by providing innovative products, strong defense and advocacy.”

 

The total dividend declared is approximately $5.1-million.

 

 The announcement follows two previous dividends equaling 20 percent respectively. All policyholders (including individual physicians and other health care professionals, groups & health care facilities) holding a LAMMICO policy as of December 9, 2009, will receive dividend checks during the first quarter of 2010.

 

James A. Tanner, M.D., MBA, FACOG has accepted the position of Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at St. Vincent Health System.

 

Dr. Tanner joins St. Vincent from private practice in Little Rock with the Arkansas Women’s Center where he was Founder & Managing Partner. He has served as Department Chair, Vice Chief of Staff, Chief of Staff, & with the Strategic Planning Committee at Baptist Health. 

 

Tanner completed his undergraduate education at Vanderbilt University, medical school at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, and his internship & residency in Obstetrics & Gynecology at UAMS. He has a master of business administration degree from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock as well as completed the Physician Leadership Program from the Voluntary Hospital Association and an Associate Fellowship in Integrative Medicine from the University of Arizona.

 

LITTLE ROCK – Hatim Smouni has been named president of the Envoys, a new volunteer advocacy group at the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS).

 

Smouni is a wealth management advisor for Merrill Lynch Global Wealth Management. Originally from Morocco, Smouni moved to Arkansas in 1994 and became a United States citizen in August 2006.

 

He holds a bachelor’s degree in international trade and computer information systems from the University of Central Arkansas and a master’s degree in financial planning from the College for Financial Planning and is a certified financial planner.

 

Smouni is a certified financial planner and also is certified as a special needs advisor for families with children with special needs.

 

Sherwood — Tim Osterholm is the CEO of St. Vincent Medical Center/North. Osterholm replaces Randy Cason who has accepted the position of CEO at Mount Carmel Regional Medical Center in Pittsburg, Kansas.

 

Osterholm began his career at St. Vincent Oct. 1, 2007 as service line administrator, with his primary focus related to outpatient and ambulatory services. In that time he has been responsible for laboratory, radiology, and the emergency department at St. Vincent Infirmary Medical Center. Most recently he has been site leader for St. Vincent Doctors Hospital. 

 

Osterholm is a graduate of the University of Nebraska-Omaha where he earned a Masters Degree in Public Administration.

 

Batesville — Gary L. Bebow, Administrator/CEO of White River Medical Center (WRMC) and Dr. Wayne Lai of Batesville Neurology have announced the addition of Dr. Ikram Khan, Neurologist, to the Medical Staff at WRMC and Batesville Neurology.

 

Dr. Khan received his medical degree from the Allama Iqbal Medical College, Lahore, Pakistan and completed Internal Medicine residency training at Southern Illinois University. He completed Neurology residency training at the Cleveland Clinic in Florida and a Fellowship in Neurophysiology/Epilepsy at the University Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio.

 

LITTLE ROCK – Jean McSweeney, Ph.D., R.N., internationally respected associate dean for research at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Nursing, has been named to serve on the prestigious National Institutes of Health (NIH) Council of Councils. She will be the first faculty member from UAMS to serve in this capacity.

 

McSweeney will serve a three-year term that began Nov. 1. She is a leading researcher in women’s symptoms of heart disease and is internationally recognized for her contributions to the field of nursing and medical science.

 

The NIH Council of Councils advises the NIH director on research efforts regarding major intertwining NIH priorities and on matters related to the policies and activities of the Division of Program Coordination, Planning and Strategic Initiatives. The Council also makes recommendations for supporting research that deals with important areas of emerging scientific opportunities and public health challenges, and gaps in knowledge that would benefit from additional research involving collaboration between two or more institutes or centers.

 

Batesville — Gary L. Bebow, Administrator/CEO of White River Medical Center has announced the addition of Dr. J. William McCord, Jr., Anesthesiologist, to the Medical Staff at White River Medical Center in Batesville. Anesthesiologists are physicians responsible for administering anesthesia to relieve pain and for managing vital life signs during surgery, including breathing, heart rhythm and blood pressure.

 

Dr. McCord received his medical degree from the Kansas City College of Osteopathic Medicine in Kansas City, MO. He completed residency training in anesthesiology at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN, and residency training in family practice at Genesys Regional Medical Center in Grand Blanc, MI. Also at Genesys Regional Medical Center, Dr. McCord served a one year rotating internship. He is a member of the American Osteopathic Association, where he has been active on several committees, and a fellow of the American Academy of Family Practice. Dr. McCord was named the Paul Grayson Smith Doctor of the Year by the Tennessee Osteopathic Medical Association in 2002 and received the A. Archie Feinstein Award from the American Association of Osteopathic Examiners in 2007.

 

Rhonda Horton of Arkansas Hospice Conway has been named program director for Arkansas Hospice Conway and Russellville. Horton was area manager of Arkansas Hospice Conway and has worked with the organization since 2007.

 

Kelli Hall of Arkansas Hospice Hot Springs has been named program director for the Hot Springs area, overseeing the Hot Springs office and inpatient hospice staff at Arkansas Hospice’s unit at St. Joseph’s Mercy Health Center. Hall has worked with the organization since 2004.

 

Anita Deal has been named program director for Arkansas Hospice Little Rock and Cabot. She has 16 years of nursing experience, 11 of those in the hospice field. Deal will be working with the Little Rock and Cabot offices as well as the inpatient hospice staff at Arkansas Hospice’s facility at St. Vincent Doctors Hospital.

 

Jennifer Scheible of Arkansas Hospice Russellville has accepted the position as education coordinator for the organization’s quality and education department. As one of the education coordinators, she will be providing frontline education and support to ensure quality care in Arkansas. Scheible has worked with the organization since 2005.

 

CONWAY — Jim Lambert of Conway, President and CEO of Conway Regional Health System, has been appointed to the Arkansas State Board of Health.

 

Mr. Lambert will serve a two-year term on the state board of health.

 

Mr. Lambert was named President and CEO of Conway Regional in May of 2008 after serving for the previous 10 years as Chief Operating Officer of the health system.

 

Mr. Lambert’s previous experience includes vice president positions at Covenant Health in Knoxville, TN and Community General Hospital of Thomasville, NC as well as Director of Materials Management at Rogue Valley Medical Center in Medford, OR and Administrative Assistant positions at Rogue Valley and Tuality Community Hospital in Hillsboro, OR.

 

CONWAY (December 16, 2009) - Conway Regional Medical Center has received two awards for clinical excellence from the VHA Oklahoma/Arkansas regional office, one of 17 regions for VHA Inc., the national health care network.

 

For the second consecutive year Conway Regional’s Emergency Department has been recognized for sustained high performance in emergency department length of stay. During the past year, Conway Regional’s average length of stay in the emergency department was about 135 minutes while the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention average for hospital emergency departments is 198 minutes.

 

The Conway Regional Surgery Department was recognized for improvements in the prevention of infection from the fourth quarter of 2007 through the third quarter of 2008. This award is given to hospitals that demonstrate clinical excellence based on performance data related to the prevention of surgical site infections. The department was either rated above the state or national average or in the top 10 percent of hospitals nationally in five separate categories affecting the infection rate of surgery patients.

 

This is not a snapshot over a few weeks. This award is reflective of the ongoing commitment of the physicians and surgical staff who have been so diligent in preventing infection in the operating rooms said Stephanie Strickland, RN, Director of Surgical Services.

 

Conway Regional is one of 31 hospitals in Oklahoma and Arkansas to be recognized for their clinical performance.