Grand Rounds April on Orlando Medical News

Grand Rounds April

Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children offers Breakthrough Scoliosis Test

Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children today announced it is offering a new, non-invasive genetic test that can predict the progression of mild cases of scoliosis.

"This test is a breakthrough in determining the severity of scoliosis," said Charles Price, MD, director of orthopedic education and assistant director of the orthopedic residency program for Arnold Palmer Hospital.

The ScoliScore will help doctors reduce unnecessary treatment for non-progressive curves and encourage early treatment of curves that are at high risk of progressing.

"With this test, we can identify some scoliosis patients who need treatment at a much earlier stage and begin that treatment as early as possible," said Raymond Knapp, MD, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon at Arnold Palmer Hospital who specializes in treating spinal deformities including scoliosis.

Dr. Price, along with Dr. Knapp, served as investigators of the initial multi-year study that helped prove the test's reliability. To be considered for eligibility to take the new test, patients must have a previous diagnosis of scoliosis and reflect the demographics of the original study group. With ongoing research in other demographics, the ScoliScore is expected to be available to all populations by the end of the year.

Orlando Pain Relief Center Welcomes Dr. Teddrick Dunson

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Teddrick Dunson to the Orlando community. Dr. Dunson brings with him extensive experience in the area of pain management. Dr. Dunson is currently accepting new patients at the Orlando Pain Relief Center located in the Maitland area.

Prior to joining the Orlando Pain Relief Center, Dr. Dunson was the attending Anesthesiologist at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Newark.

Dr. Teddrick Dunson M.D. completed his medical degree at Wright State University School of Medicine in Dayton, Ohio. He then went on to do his internship at Howard University Hospital in Washington, DC. He completed an anesthesiology residency at UMDNJ – Newark. Dr. Dunson is board certified by the American Board of Anesthesiology. Dr. Dunson completed his fellowship in Pain Medicine at the University of California Davis.

Claire Cyprien MD, Arrives at Dr. P. Phillips Hospital

Claire Cyprien, MD is pleased to announce she is now offering pain management services at Dr. P. Phillips Hospital. A board certified anesthesiologist, Dr. Cyprien completed her medical training at Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine, and her anesthesiology residency at the University of Florida Medical Center in Gainesville. Fluent in French and Creole languages, Dr. Cyprien believes that relieving pain is integral to complete healing.

Frist Humanitarian Award Recipients at CFRH Announced

Keira Scheerer, Joe Novak and Dr. Russel Shaw were recently awarded Central Florida Regional Hospital's 2008 Frist Humanitarian Award as Employee, Volunteer and Physician of the Year. This honor is the highest honor an employee or volunteer can receive.

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

"We are committed to delivering the highest quality patient care, in a caring and compassionate manner at Central Florida," said Wendy Brandon, CEO. "We are extremely proud to recognize Keira, Joe and Dr. Shaw's efforts on behalf of our patients and our community. Their exemplary work and compassion sets a high standard for healthcare professionals. We're proud to have them as part of our Central Florida Regional Hospital family. Our patients benefit greatly from the kind of commitment to humanitarian concerns they demonstrate each day."

Brooks Establishes Community Resource Center Website

As more health information is compiled on medical sites on the Internet, people are becoming increasingly aware and attentive to their medical conditions and seeking out information online.

In an effort to provide expert information and useful resources, Brooks established the Brooks Community Resource Center (www.brookscommunityresourcecenter.org). The Resource Center is a computer-based learning environment that provides many opportunities for the community, employees, patients, discharged patients and family members of discharged patients.

The Brooks Community Resource Center will have detailed information regarding rehabilitation conditions, including Brooks' main areas of concentration in stroke, brain and spinal cord injury, hip fracture, orthopedic and pediatric rehabilitation.

Information obtainable on the Resource Center site includes:

Links to community services
A robust and easily searchable online resource library that will serve as an extensive repository of rehabilitation services organized by topic area
Education for family members to learn more about the injury and rehabilitation of a family member who has been discharged from the hospital
Up-to-date education and research information related to the full continuum of rehabilitation care for the community and patients
A searchable online peer reviewed journal database

The Community Resource Center contains easily searchable information about diagnosis specific information, prevention information, local resources, national resources, recreation information, transportation, funding, schooling, travel, links to support for caregivers and patients and much more. Brooks launched the site in November 2008.

Fertility CARE Welcomes McNichol to Staff

Fertility CARE of Winter Park is pleased to welcome Milton McNichol, M.D. FACOG to our team. Dr. McNichol is Board Certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive Endocrinology and brings over 15 years of extensive training and experience to his practice of reproductive endocrinology and infertility. Prior to joining Fertility CARE Dr. McNichol founded and was Medical Director of the Center for Reproduction in Houston Texas .

Parrish Medical Center earns consumer award

Parrish Medical Center has been recognized as one of America's most customer-friendly hospitals by the American Alliance of Healthcare Providers (AAHCP) for the winter quarter of 2008.

PMC earned AAHCP's "Hospital of Choice" Award, which is based on an extensive application process and by a secret review of a facility's public communication and staff interaction with customers.

Medical Marketing Inc. Celebrates 25 Years of Serving the Healthcare Community

Medical Marketing, Inc. (MMI), a national healthcare marketing and public relations consulting firm based in Orlando, celebrates 25 years of service this month.

A pioneer in her field, Andrea Eliscu co-founded MMI in 1984 to help physicians prepare and plan for the rapidly changing healthcare marketplace. The firm has served a broad range of healthcare clients from group practices and hospital systems to healthcare attorneys and employers with healthcare related projects. Recognizing the new challenges and opportunities in the marketplace, MMI's services have evolved over the years to encompass not only branding and targeted marketing strategies, but also helping physicians harness the power of social media and social networking to build their practices and strengthen patient relationships.

Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children Appoints Leaders for Pediatric Neuroscience Program

Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children announced recently the appointment of the physician leadership team for its Pediatric Neuroscience program.

Jogi Pattisapu, MD, was named medical director for the Pediatric Neuroscience program. Dr. Pattisapu has served for 17 years as a pediatric neurosurgeon.

He received his medical degree from the University of Texas and completed his residency in neurosurgery at the University of Mississippi School of Medicine and his fellowship in pediatric neurosurgery at the University of Utah School of Medicine. Pattisapu is board certified in pediatric neurosurgery.

The hospital also appointed Ronald Davis, MD, Christopher Gegg, MD, and Greg Olivarria, MD, as associate medical directors.

Dr. Davis will serve as the associate medical director of Epileptology. He received his medical degree and completed his residency in pediatrics at the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University. He completed his fellowship in pediatric neurology at Children's Hospital Boston and is board certified in pediatrics and neurology.

Dr. Gegg will serve as the associate medical director of Neurosurgery. He received his medical degree from Louisiana State University School of Medicine and completed his residency in neurosurgery at the University of Texas Health Science Center. He went on to complete his fellowship in pediatric neurosurgery at Children's Medical Center/University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and is board certified in neurosurgery.

Dr. Olavarria will serve as the associate medical director of Neuroscience Research. He received his medical degree from UCLA School of Medicine and completed his residency in neurosurgery at Emory University Hospitals. Following his residency, he attended Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago to complete his fellowship in pediatric neurosurgery and is board certified in neurosurgery.

Conference of Physician Assistants is "Excellent"

Excellent. Superb. Inspiring. Those were just some of the adjectives used to describe the spring conference of the Association of Family Practice Physician Assistants, held from March 12 – 14 in Orlando, Florida.

Instructors were physician assistants in different specialties from across the United States. As always, the AFPPA attendees were ready and eager to learn.

All education courses were approved for AAPA Category 1 Continuing Medical Education credits. The courses are also available for credit to nurse practitioner members.

The Association of Family Practice Physician Assistants fosters the educational and professional interests of PAs by promoting academic and clinical excellence. AFPPA is committed to developing a strong field of family practice PAs by providing ample opportunities to receive continuing medical education credits, challenging PA students to connect with experienced PAs in a mentorship program, and immediately disseminating pertinent information to members via publications and its Web site. Contact AFPPA for more information at 770.640.7605.

Florida Hospital Ormond Memorial and Florida Hospital Flagler Select MHS for Inventory Services

Florida Hospital Ormond Memorial and Florida Hospital Flagler, both part of the Adventist Health System, have signed a three-year contract with Management Health Solutions, Inc. (MHS) for inventory services. MHS will perform physical inventory services at the two hospitals, and put into operation a more efficient inventory valuation, which will lead to a competent inventory process.