News

02/11/2019 Bookmark and Share Share Post
Research

Magnets May be the Key to Treating Severe Depression

A clinical trial at UT Southwestern may change the way physicians treat depression with a treatment that has similar impacts to the often stigmatized electroconvulsive therapy. ECT has often caused temporary memory loss in its treatment of depression, but a new form of brain simulation may avoid the risks and have similar impacts. The new treatment, called Magnet Seizure Therapy, uses magnetic fields to reduce depression without cognitive side effects, meaning it could become a primary treatment for the severely depressed. UT Southwestern is partnering with the University of Toronto Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in a five-year clinical… Full Story

02/11/2019 Bookmark and Share Share Post
Education

TCOM’s New Dean is a Familiar Face

Dr. Frank Filipetto will be the next Dean of the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine at UNT Health Science Center. Filipetto has worked at UNTHSC since 2011 and has been in the role for 18 months on an interim basis. The new Dean would like to bring a new angle to the medical knowledge for TCOM students. In addition to focusing on science and clinical care, he wants students to graduate with a better understanding of the economics of healthcare, leadership, and entrepreneurship. He also wants to teach physicians to care for their own wellness and avoid burnout. “It’s not just… Full Story

02/8/2019 Bookmark and Share Share Post
Design

Join Us for D CEO’s Architecture and Design Healthcare Breakfast Panel

In an exponentially changing world, designing facilities that meet all the needs of the modern healthcare industry is a tough challenge. Communication technology is replacing and changing the provider-patient relationship, innovative treatments are reducing the time patients need to spend in a hospital, and generational shifts create new needs. In order to learn more about how the design industry is dealing with changing healthcare needs, D CEO will host its third Healthcare Breakfast Panel this March. As the hospital arms race continues in the DFW suburbs, other systems are scaling down and looking to be more mobile and accessible. Virtual… Full Story

02/8/2019 Bookmark and Share Share Post
Hospitals

Tenet Extends Cerner Contract

Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare has extended its agreement with information systems giant Cerner Corp. in a long-term agreement. The details of the contract were not released, but the two companies hope to continue to make healthcare information systems more efficient. Tenet’s hospital medical staff will have access to Cerner’s cloud-based infrastructure as well as CommonWell Health Alliance, a nationwide data sharing network. “At Tenet, we are focused on innovation of our systems infrastructure to enable our caregivers to better serve patients in the most effective and efficient manner,”Paola Arbour, Chief Information Officer of Tenet Healthcare, said via release. “With our expanded… Full Story

Steve Harris 02/8/2019 Bookmark and Share Share Post
Insurance/Benefits

Expert Opinion: Simplifying Health Plans and Controlling Costs

The year was 2003, and a Fortune 500 company in Austin was looking to be the first employer with over 10,000 covered employees to launch a consumer driven health plan (CDHP). The savings the company realized from the federally mandated high deductibles would be redistributed in the form of Health Savings Account (HSA) dollars, so employees and their dependents could be better stewards of their own money. Coming out of an HMO era with low copays, the promise was that healthcare consumers needed “skin in the game” to impact the rising cost of healthcare.  As famed economist Milton Friedman’s once… Full Story

02/7/2019 Bookmark and Share Share Post
Hospitals

Medical City Fort Worth Will Have a New CFO

Medical City Fort Worth will have a new Chief Financial Officer starting on February 11. Andrew Lane will move into the role after serving as vice president of finance at Medical City Plano and Medical City Frisco since July 2017. Lane, a certified public accountant, was previously responsible for accounting, patient access, health information management, case management, and the division’s centralized scheduling departments. Prior to Plano, Lane was a controller and internal auditor at other Hospital Corporation of America (who owns Medical City) facilities. “We are pleased to welcome Andrew to Fort Worth,” said Jyric Sims, CEO, via release. “Andrew’s… Full Story

02/7/2019 Bookmark and Share Share Post
Hospitals

Southwestern Health Resources Network is No. 1 in the U.S.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services gave the local Southwestern Health Resources Accountable Care Network a quality score of 100 percent after saving $30 million in 2017. The savings made it the top organization in CMS’ Next Generation Accountable Care Organization model. All 44 ACOs participating in CMS’ most high-risk model saved around $208 million in gross savings according to data from CMS. SHR is a joint effort from Texas Health Resources and UT Southwestern Medical Center whose network includes 30 hospitals and 4,000 physicians. The accountable care network manages nearly 69,000 Medicare beneficiaries in the region, and as CMS… Full Story

02/7/2019 Bookmark and Share Share Post
Awards

Who Made the List of DFW Great 100 Nurses?

Since 1991, DFW Great 100 Nurses has been highlighting the best of the profession in North Texas. With a goal of exemplifying excellence and raising perceptions about nursing, the organization “raises the awareness of the contributions of nurses to patient care, research, leadership, education and community service of more than 50,000 nurses practicing in the DFW area,” according to the website. This year, health systems across the region were honored. See how many nurses made the list for each system below. Baylor Scott & White-14 Baylor University-1 Cook Children’s-2 JPS-3 Medical City-7 Methodist-3 Parkland-15 Texas Health Resources-39 Texas Oncology Sammons… Full Story

02/6/2019 Bookmark and Share Share Post
Hospitals

The Best Places to Have a Baby in North Texas

DFWChild and CollinChild readers have named several North Texas area hospitals to as the best places to have a baby. Around 9,000 participated in the survey In Dallas County, Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas was named the best, in Tarrant County, Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth took home the title, and Denton Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Denton was named the best place to have a child. THR hospitals delivered 24,000 babies in 2018. “To be named Best Place in Dallas County to have a baby reaffirms the wide scope of services we offer to consumers along with the exceptional care we provide,” said… Full Story

02/6/2019 Bookmark and Share Share Post
Hospitals

Texas Health and the Arlington Fire Department are Cutting Readmissions in Half

Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital and Arlington Fire Department have helped reduce emergency department or inpatient readmissions by 50-75 percent through a home visit program. Patients with complex medical issues are identified by clinical staff who may need a nurse, a social workers, or other medical care to help them manage their chronic illness. Providers make home visits to Arlington patients who enroll in the program and are at risk of mismanaging their condition after leaving the hospital. They have 24/7 access to paramedics and are given a direct line for non-emergencies. The program has impacted frequent 911 callers and keep… Full Story