Grand Rounds September on Arkansas Medical News Inc.

Grand Rounds September

Mann Found Guilty of 2009 Bombing Attack

Dr. Randeep Mann and his wife, Sangeeta Mann, were convicted by a federal jury August 9, on charges related to the 2009 bombing that severely injured Dr. Trent Pierce the chairman of the Arkansas State Medical Board.

Mann, a Russellville physician in dispute with the board over the loss of his permit to prescribe medicine, was also found guilty of obstructing the investigation, possession of nearly 100 grenades found near his Pope County home and possessing an unregistered machine gun.

Sangreeta was found guilty of obstructing the investigation but was innocent of charges she lied to a grand jury.

The five week trial required three days jury deliberations before a verdict was reached. Jane Duke, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, described the prosecution as a “ong and harrowing road.”

Defense attorney Blake Hendrix said he anticipates appealing the conviction to the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis for a legal determination on the sufficiency of the evidence.

Duke said the Manns are expected to be sentenced within a few months.

Risk Management Events Scheduled

LAMMICO will continue its “live lecture” Risk Management series throughout Arkansas, as the medical professional liability company continues to expand its reach into the Natural State. This will be the second consecutive year LAMMICO will offer Risk Management credit for a live event in Arkansas according to Thomas H. Grimstad, M.D., LAMMICO’s President / Chief Executive Officer.

“Electronic Medical Records: Professional Liability Benefits & Risks”

Because EMR will be mandated for all physicians and health care providers by 2014, this live lecture will present recommendations on how to benefit from new technology while reducing risks. The lecture will be led by Ron Kennedy, LAMMICO Vice President of Risk Management. Pre-registration is not required.

• Jonesboro: 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, September 8, St. Bernard’s Stroud Hall

• Little Rock: 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Thursday, September 9, Embassy Suites Hotel

“Litigation Stress Management” Seminar

This interactive program covers the impact malpractice litigation has on health care providers. The seminar will cover how stress caused by litigation has on a physician’s health, his/her family relations as well as the ability to providing patient care. This lecture will be led by Frederick J. White, III, M.D., a native of Arkansas & LAMMICO’s Senior Vice President of Risk Management; and Elmore F. Rigamer, MD, a member of LAMMICO’s Risk Management Committee.

• Little Rock: 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. Thursday, September 23, Embassy Suites Hotel

Attendees are eligible for both CME and AAFP credit. Pre – registration is required for the “Litigation Stress Management” seminar. To register, please call the LAMMICO Risk Management Department at 800/452.2120.

“OSHA, HIPAA, Medical Office Operations” Seminars (Non-CME)

This seminar will describe the latest in OSHA and HIPAA compliance, as well as medical office operations in a package tailored to the needs of physician offices.

LAMMICO policyholders will receive one (1) RM Premium discount credit for attending, while office staff will be eligible to earn 0.25 RM credit. For non-LAMMICO policyholders, the cost to attend this seminar is $50. It will be led by Mr. Kennedy and Geri F. Cook, Senior Risk Management Specialist at LAMMICO.

• Fort Smith: 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Tuesday, September 7, Holiday Inn

LAMMICO will announce future Risk Management activity in Arkansas next year.

2010 Kickoff to Men’s Health Set for Sept. 18

Arkansas Urology will observe Prostate Cancer Awareness Month with the sixth annual Kickoff to Men’s Health on Saturday, Sept. 18. The event will afford men the opportunity to receive a potentially lifesaving preventive screening at Arkansas Urology’s Little Rock campus, located at 1300 Centerview Drive.

Men who have never had a prostate screening can register to receive a free screening at the event. To schedule a prostate screening appointment, men can call 501-219-8900 or e-mail their name and phone number to prostatescreening@arkansasurology.com and be contacted by an Arkansas Urology associate to schedule it. Men who qualify include:

• Men 50 and older

• Men 40 and older with a family history of prostate cancer

• Men 40 and older of African-American descent.

Screening results will be mailed to participants.

At last year’s event, 189 men were screened for prostate cancer. Of those, 13 were found to have positive prostate-specific antigen (PSA) tests and/or digital rectal examinations (DREs), and 69 others tested positive for BPH (enlarged prostate that causes painful and annoying symptoms). Many of these men scheduled follow-up appointments with their family physicians.

The results speak for themselves and only strengthen Arkansas Urology’s resolve to host these screening because many of the men from last year’s screening are now on their way to recovery according to Dr. Keith Mooney, an Arkansas Urology physician.

The Kickoff to Men’s Health is presented by Arkansas Urology and St. Vincent. For more information about this year’s screening event, visit ArkansasUrology.com.

Conway Regional Sports Medicine Team Teaching Athletes Smarter Techniques

CONWAY- As the “Dog Days” of summer march on, student athletes are returning to school and to the practice and playing fields. The athletic trainers and therapists in Conway Regional Therapy Centers are also returning to schools in Faulkner County to continue to expand a sports medicine program that is aimed at preventing career threatening injuries.

Conway Regional’s Sports Medicine team has developed and implemented an ACL injury prevention program in 2006 that has prevented numerous injuries to area athletes. The program is designed to teach athletes a proper warm-up routine, how to stretch after activities, and the fundamentals of jumping, landing, cutting and decelerating.

The first group to complete the program was the 2006 Conway High School girls’ basketball team. This team won the state championship with no lost time due to injury, but specifically no ACL or knee injuries. The 2009 Conway High School championship boys basketball team also implemented the program. Again, the athletes remained healthy during the season. Conway Regional has also expanded its program to volleyball teams in Greenbrier and soccer teams in Conway.

The next project for Mo Skelton, physical therapist, is to develop a program to reduce thrower’s shoulder injuries.

For more information email Mo Skelton mskelton@conwayregional.org.

Tritt Named Executive Director of the Center for Clinical and Translational Research

Jodiane Tritt, an attorney with administrative experience leading health programs in Arkansas, has been named the first executive director for the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Center for Clinical and Translational Research.

Tritt served the past four years as director of community support for the Arkansas Department of Health.

Tritt earned her law degree in 2006 from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She received a bachelor’s degree in biology from Hendrix College in 2000.

Lower Radiation CT Now at Cooper Clinic

To improve patient care, Cooper Clinic is cutting back - on CT radiation. The physician-owned medical group comprised of 100 providers has installed the GE LightSpeedR VCT XTe CT scanner. New software in the computed tomography equipment provides substantially lower levels of radiation compared to conventional CT scans. The radiation dosage is generally reduced\ by up to 40%, but heart scan radiation dosage may be reduced by as much as 80%.

While the dosage is reduced for patient safety, the new XTe software is still able to deliver the highest quality images in the industry.

When using lower radiation dose in CT scans, the resulting image may not be as clear as higher dose scans according to Dr. Leo F. Drolshagen, radiologist. The new GE technology installed at Cooper Clinic uses special enhancement software to reconstruct data acquired while using a lower dose of radiation, to produce the same image quality as if done with the typical higher dose.

The Cooper Clinic CT Department is located at the Main Clinic on Rogers Avenue and is staffed by three registered CT Technologists.

Cancer Researcher Daohong Zhou, M.D., Joins UAMS College of Pharmacy

Daohong Zhou, M.D., has joined the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) as a professor in the Division of Radiation Health of the UAMS College of Pharmacy’s Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Zhou previously served as a professor of pathology and an adjunct professor of radiation oncology at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC).

He is a graduate of Yunyang Medical College in Hubei, China, and completed his internship at the college’s Affiliated Hospital and postdoctoral training at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

New Physician Announced at St. Vincent

Oumitana Kajkenova began treating patients at the Longevity Center at St. Vincent in June. Kajkenova completed her research Postdoctoral Fellowship and a Special Fellowship in Advanced Geriatrics at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). She is currently pursuing a Masters Degree in Public Health.

Sparks Health System Announces New Partnership

Sparks Health System announces a new partnership with the physicians of the Arkansas Heart Center. Effective in July, Drs. Gary Fine, Jose Alemparte, Ron Kantola and Dario Espino will transition their Fort Smith practice exclusively to Sparks.

For local patients of the Arkansas Heart Center, this means all scheduled procedures, emergency care or hospitalizations will be performed at Sparks. For patients of the Cardiology Center at Sparks, this collaboration ensures your current full-service cardiology care will continue on a 24/7 basis.

The physicians of the Cardiology Center at Sparks and the Arkansas Heart Center share a commitment to comprehensive care, combining expertise and compassion with the latest technology to provide patients with superior service.