Healthcare Facilities Adjust Therapy and Physician Extender Staff Compensation as Job Market Offers

The compensation needed to recruit therapists and physician extenders in the current job market is leaving healthcare facilities with the subsequent issue of salary adjustments to retain their existing providers, according to the most recent market trends published by The Delta Companies in The Healthcare Recruiting Standard. 

"Staff compensation levels are being adjusted because younger providers know they can demand high salaries in the current economic climate," says Scott Best, search consultant with Delta Healthcare Placement. 

In addition, healthcare administrators are no longer contending with compensation benchmarks previously set on a local level. 

"Healthcare facilities understand that they must look beyond regional salary surveys and offer compensation that keeps them competitive on a national level, while retaining their more tenured staff at the same time," adds Best.

The Healthcare Recruiting Standard is a free, quarterly resource that provides a summary of current data and market trends in the recruitment of allied, rehabilitation and mid-level healthcare providers. 

For more information on The Healthcare Recruiting Standard and how to request your free copy, visit http://www.TDCpeople.com/standard.

The Delta Companies offer permanent and temporary staffing solutions nationwide for physicians and allied healthcare professionals through four companies: Delta Physician Placement, Delta Healthcare Placement, Delta Locum Tenens and Delta Flex Travelers.

Congratulations to the new Chair of the Department of Anesthesiology at John Peter Smith Hospital

By Dr. Gilbert Drozdow, M.D.

I am pleased to introduce Dr. James Johnson as the new Chair of the Department of Anesthesiology at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth, Texas. Dr. Johnson completed his anesthesiology residency in 2002 at the San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas. He served active duty in the United States Air Force from 1999 to 2006 and held several positions including but not limited to Interim Vice-Chairman of the Department of Anesthesiology and Director of Resident Education at Wilford Hall Medical Center/Brooke Army Medical Center at Lackland AFB (San Antonio), Texas. In addition, Dr. Johnson deployed in medical support on several missions during his active duty including Operation Enduring Freedom in Kandahar, Afghanistan, Operation Iraqi Freedom in Baghdad and Balad, Iraq, and the Hurricane Katrina Evacuation in New Orleans, Louisiana. Dr. Johnson holds multiple honors from his active military service including Air Force Commendation and Achievement Medals, Air Force Meritorious Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary and Service Medals, and National Defense Service Medal.

After serving in the military he entered private practice in 2006 at Good Shepard Medical Center in Longview, Texas followed by Plaza Anesthesia Group, PLLC in San Antonio, Texas. Since 2008, Dr. Johnson was a civilian military contractor at Wilford Hall Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas and served as the Anesthesiology Residency Director over the last year.

John Peter Smith Hospital currently provides over 17,500 anesthetics per year in a department with approximately 15 MDs and 35 CRNAs as part of a regional county health system. On behalf of the Company I am sure you all will join me in welcoming Dr. Johnson to the practice and congratulating him in his new leadership position.

Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center

By Dr. Gilbert Drozdow, M.D.

I am pleased to announce that Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center in Fredericksburg, Virginia officially opened on June 6th after successfully obtaining official regulatory and government approval. There was a ribbon cutting ceremony at the hospital well attended by prominent members of the local and state community in addition to HCA executives, hospital medical, nursing staff, and employees.

This state of the art, newly constructed HCA hospital has over 125 private beds and sits on a 75 acre campus in one of the fastest growing counties in Virginia. Sheridan's affiliated companies ("Sheridan") are providing anesthesiology, emergency medical, and radiological services at the hospital under the leadership of Dr. Daniel Radack, Chief of the Department of Radiology. Sheridan is also providing new born hearing services and will participate in the development and eventual operation of a neonatal intensive care unit.

I would like to personally welcome the following new members of the anesthesia care team as well as the emergency medicine and radiology programs to our group:
Department of Anesthesiology
Dr. Steven Godfrey
Dr. Philip Strapp
Dr. Eric Miano
Dr. Jay Hacking
Andrew Madden, CRNA
Carmela Robinson, CRNA

Department of Emergency Medicine
Dr. Dale Simmonds- Vice Chief
Dr. Antonette Brown
Dr. Thomas Cleary
Dr. Domenica Marcantonio
Dr. Diane Semizian

Henri Perrotte, FNP-Mid Level Supervisor
William Carr, PA-C
Denise Johnson, FNP
Tania Shinohara, FNP
Jennifer Thompson, FNP

Department of Radiology
Dr. Dishant Shah
Dr. Warren Cohen

On behalf of the Company, in addition to our clinical leadership, I want to thank all the administrative and operational Sheridan employees who worked so successfully in support of this project almost two years in the making.

3rd Annual Anesthesia and Pain Management Symposium

By Dr. Gilbert Drozdow, M.D.

I would like to acknowledge and recognize Dr. Soloman Imiak, Chief of the Department of Anesthesiology at Mercy Hospital in Miami for his leadership in organizing the 3rd Annual Anesthesia and Pain Management Symposium hosted by Sheridan Healthcare Inc., Mercy Hospital and the University of Miami School of Nursing and Health Sciences. As described in the feature below, more than 200 allied health students from Florida International University, Barry University, and the University of Miami Schools of Nursing and Health Studies attended. All three of these universities currently have affiliation agreements with Sheridan Healthcorp Inc. for clinical on-site training, with scores of Sheridan CRNAs and anesthesiologists directly providing formal clinical education.

Dr. Imiak also had the leadership support of Dr. Steve Sheinman, Dade County Regional Anesthesiology Medical Director and Medical Director at North Miami Beach Surgery Center in North Miami Beach, Florida. In addition to Dr. Imiak and Dr. Sheinman, several Sheridan anesthesiologists, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists, and corporate office executives and directors gave lectures on an array of topics in this didactic program.

They are:

Dr. Betty Mortenson, Attending Anesthesiologist Mercy Hospital

Dr. Robin Shaffer, Attending Anesthesiologist Mercy Hospital

Dr. Marta Foster, Attending Anesthesiologist Mercy Hospital

Dr. David Bresnick, Attending Anesthesiologist Mercy Hospital, Medical Director of Acute Pain Management

Dennis Stevens, CRNA, Palm Beach County Regional Allied Health Director

Jay Martus Esq, General Counsel, Executive Vice President

Linda Grohman, Director of Education Outreach and Recruitment Liaison

Also a special note of appreciation to our Mercy Hospital Anesthesia Coordinator, Daisy Batista, for her direct support and help with the entire program.

Dr. Sharon Townsend- Appointed Examiner

By Dr. Gilbert Drozdow, M.D.

On behalf of the company, I would like to congratulate Dr. Sharon Townsend, Physician Coordinator for Risk Management and Quality in our anesthesiology division, for her appointment by Dr. Patrick Gallagher, Director of the Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), to the 2010 board of Examiners for the Malcom Baldrige National Quality Award. The Award, created by public law in 1987, is the highest level of national recognition for performance excellence that a U.S. organization can receive.

As an Examiner, Dr. Townsend is responsible for reviewing and evaluation applications submitted for the Award. The board is composed of approximately 500 leading experts selected from industry, professional and trade organizations, education and health care organizations, and nonprofits (including government).

Those selected meet the highest standards of qualification and peer recognition. All members of the board must take part in a preparation course based on the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence and the scoring and evaluation for the Baldrige Award.

The Baldrige Award may be given annually in each of six categories: Manufacturing, Service, Small Business, Education, Health Care, and Nonprofit. Awards have been presented to over 80 organizations nationwide.

Dr. Townsend joined Sheridan Healthcorp Inc. in 1996. She has served as Vice Chair as well as Chair of the Department of Anesthesiology at University Hospital and Medical Center in Tamarac, Fl. In addition, Dr. Townsend is the physician Coordinator for Risk Management and Quality, working extensively with our Anesthesiology Core Team reviewing quality and occurrence data seeking trends and opportunities for quality improvement.

Dr. Townsend completed her anesthesiology residency in 1979 at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Fl. The following year, she completed a fellowship in pediatric anesthesiology at the National Children's Hospital in Washington, D.C. Subsequent to her training she was appointed Clinical Associate Professor of Anesthesiology at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital, serving as Chief of the Pediatric Anesthesiology Cardiovascular Team and as well as Director of Ambulatory Surgery. During her tenure she initiated the University of Miami's anesthesiology service at Cedars Medical Center in Miami, Fl and served as the University's on site Chief of the Department. Dr. Townsend completed her Masters in Business Administration in 1990 at the University of Miami.

All of us in the company familiar with the prestigious Baldrige Award appreciate the enormous effort in time and talent Dr. Townsend invested to achieve this remarkable position on the Board of Examiners. It is entirely consistent with her professional commitment to quality patient care over many years of dedicated service to our practice.

Hospitals Shed 3,300 Jobs in May, Overall Healthcare Posts 8,000 Jobs

"Hospitals shed 3,300 jobs in May, even as the larger healthcare sector created 8,000 jobs, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics preliminary data released this morning.

May's setback marks the first month of job losses for hospitals since April 2009, when the sector shed 1,000 jobs, BLS data show.

Overall, the economy created 431,000 new jobs, largely with the temporary hiring of 411,000 census workers. The national jobless rate edged down slightly to 9.7% in May—the same rate as the first three months of 2010—as the private sector reported 41,000 new jobs, and 495,000 new jobs so far this year, preliminary BLS figures show.

Job growth in healthcare continues to be powered by ambulatory services, which accounted for 8,700 payroll additions in May, 8,200 payroll additions in April, and 55,100 new jobs so far in 2010. Nursing and residential care facilities reported 2,600 payroll additions, and physicians' offices reported 2,500 payroll additions.

The healthcare sector has been one of the few areas of job growth during the recession and sputtering recovery, creating 85,000 new jobs so far in 2010, including13,500 jobs at hospitals. Healthcare created 228,700 jobs in 2009, and 618,700 jobs since the recession began in December 2007. For the past year, healthcare employment has grown by an average of 20,000 jobs a month, BLS figures show.

Overall, 15 million people were unemployed in the United States in May, and 6.8 million of them were long-term unemployed who'd been without a job for at least 27 weeks, BLS reports.

BLS information from April and May is considered preliminary and may be revised."

~ Source: HealthLeadersMedia.com

In this tough economy, Sheridan Healthcare, a physician staffing company, can find the perfect job for you!

Anesthesiology Services Begin at Spotsylvania Regional

By Dr. Gilbert Drozdow, M.D.

I am pleased to announce that Sheridan Anesthesia Services of Virginia, Inc. has begun anesthesiology services effective May 24, 2010 at Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center in Fredericksburg, Virginia. The Department of Anesthesiology will utilize a team of 6 physicians and 2 CRNAs to provide anesthesia coverage in approximately 4 operating rooms, GI endoscopy and the labor and delivery suite.

This state of the art, newly constructed HCA hospital has over 125 private beds and sits on a 75 acre campus in one of the fastest growing counties in Virginia. Sheridan's affiliated companies ("Sheridan") are also providing emergency medical and radiology services at the hospital under the leadership of Dr. Travis Jasper, Chief of the Department of Emergency Medicine; and, Dr. Daniel Radack, Chief of the Department of Radiology. Sheridan is also providing new born hearing services and will participate in the development and eventual operation of a neonatal intensive care unit.

I am pleased to announce Dr. Sam Afash as the Chief of the Department of Anesthesiology. Dr. Afash completed his residency in anesthesiology as well as a fellowship in obstetrical anesthesiology at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, PA. He entered private practice in 2003 at St. Francis Hospital in Wilmington, DE where he served as the subsection head of obstetrical anesthesiology services.

I would also like to welcome the following new members of the anesthesia care team to our group:
Dr. Steven Godfrey
Dr. Philip Strapp
Dr. Eric Miano
Dr. Jay Hacking
Dr. Bobby Shelton II
CRNA Andrew Madden
CRNA Carmela Robinson

Dr. Carey Weiss was the lead member of Sheridan's anesthesiology clinical start up team providing extensive clinical and managerial leadership to facilitate this complex start up of anesthesiology, surgical and obstetrical services.

On behalf of the Company, I want to thank all the administrative and operational Sheridan employees who worked day and night in support of this project. The official opening of the hospital in June will represent the culmination of one and a half years of work and investment by numerous people. Your efforts are both recognized and commended.

Latest Healthcare News

"Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

No Toys With Unhealthy Children's Meals: California County Officials

Officials in Santa Clara County, Calif., voted Tuesday to forbid fast-food restaurants from offering promotional toys with children's meals if those meals don't meet nutritional standards set by the federal Institute of Medicine.
Latest MedicineNet News

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The new law would level "the playing field by taking away the incentive to choose fatty, sugary foods over healthier options," Ken Yeager, president of the board of supervisors in Santa Clara County, told The New York Times.

"What we're trying to do is de-link the connection between unhealthy food and toys," he explained.

The law, the first of its kind in the United States, was passed by the board in a 3-2 vote and will take effect this summer after a final vote in May, The Times reported.


China Lifts Ban on HIV-Positive Visitors

A two-decade ban on visitors who are HIV-positive or have other sexually transmitted diseases has been lifted by China. The country also removed a longstanding ban on visitors with leprosy.

The changes, which took effect April 24, come just as travelers begin arriving for Shanghai's world exposition, The New York Times reported.

Bans on travel to China remain in place for people with infectious tuberculosis, serious mental disorders and "infectious diseases which could possibly greatly harm the public health."

Early this year, the U.S. government rescinded a 22-year-old ban on visitors who are infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. In announcing the policy change, President Obama said he was eliminating a restriction that was "rooted in fear rather than fact," The Times reported.
a general counsel Glenn Engelmann said in a statement that resolving the case was "in the best interest" of the company." ~ Source: www.Medicinenet.com

For more healthcare news, contact Sheridan Healthcare, your source for CRNA jobs.

Chronic Disease and the Internet

"WASHINGTON – A new report finds that adults living with chronic diseases are less likely to have access to the Internet, but are also more likely to use social media as a tool for coping with their condition.

The report, which was conducted by the Pew Internet & American Life Project and the California HealthCare Foundation, found that only 62 percent of adults living with chronic disease go online, compared with 81 percent of adults who report no chronic diseases.

Lack of Internet access, not lack of interest in the topic, is the primary reason for the gap, according to the report. In fact, when demographic factors are controlled, Internet users living with chronic disease are slightly more likely than other Internet users to access health information online and user-generated content such as doctor and hospital reviews and blogs, online forums or discussions.

"We can now add chronic disease to the list of attributes which have an independent, negative effect on someone's likelihood to have Internet access, along with age, education, and income level," says Kristen Purcell, an associate director of the Pew Internet Project and a co-author of the report.

According to the report, more than any other group, people living with chronic disease remain strongly connected to offline sources of medical assistance and advice such as health professionals, friends, family and books. However, once they have Internet access, people living with chronic disease report significant benefits from the health resources found online.

"The deck is stacked against people living with chronic disease. They are disproportionately offline. They often have complicated health issues, not easily solved by the addition of even the best, most reliable, medical advice," says Susannah Fox, an associate director of the Pew Internet Project and a co-author of the report. "But those who are online have a trump card. They have each other. Those who have access use the Internet like a secret weapon, unearthing and sharing nuggets of information found online."

Looking at the population as a whole, 51 percent of American adults living with chronic disease have looked online for any of the health topics included in the survey, such as information about a specific disease, a certain medical procedure, or health insurance. By comparison, 66 percent of adults who report no chronic conditions use the Internet to gather health information.

The report found that information about prescription or over-the-counter drugs is the topic that draws the most significant interest among Internet users living with chronic disease, compared with other Internet users.

The report, is based on a national telephone survey which included 2,253 adults, 36 percent of whom are living with chronic disease (heart conditions, lung conditions, high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer)." ~ HealthCareITNews.com

For more information on healthcare, CRNA jobs, and physician jobs, contact Sheridan Healthcare today!

Bi-directional mobile software launched for hospitals

"SANTA CRUZ, CA – A bi-directional mobile software solution created for hospital systems is being touted as "a giant leap forward for healthcare IT."

Validus Medical Systems, Inc., a Santa Cruz, Calif.-based health IT company, launched the Validus inTouch software system developed by a team of physicians, software engineers, cloud computing experts, and network security specialists with the goal of improving the quality, safety and efficiency of healthcare.

Validus officials said the new system will help eliminate the incidence of costly test duplication, medical errors, and prescription oversights that lead to medical misadventures.

The inTouch software suite is designed to be used from any browser using a smart phone, tablet PC, desktop, or laptop. Validus officials listed off some of the core features of this network-based suite of tools that include: comprehensive computerized physician order entry, real-time patient information, speech recognition, customizable order sets, complete end-to-end medication reconciliation, discharge document creation, integration with electronic medical records, and support for existing paper workflow.

"We talked with a lot of doctors and hospital CIOs, and heard a lot of horror stories and frustration with current IT solutions," said Validus founder and CEO David Kashtan. Basically, if physicians are savvy to Google, downloading or ordering a book on Amazon, said Kashtan, they can learn how to use inTouch.

San Ramon Regional Medical Center and Los Alamitos Medical Center, both members of the Tenet Healthcare system, were early adopters of the solution suite.

“Validus is solving problems that other companies don't seem to be able to solve, and doing it in a cost effective way,” said San Ramon Regional Medical Center CEO Gary Sloan.

“The typical approach is to force doctors to adapt to the hardware and software provided by the hospital," said Los Alamitos Medical Center CEO Michele Finney. "The Validus approach has been to adapt to the devices the physicians already use in their medical practices and personal lives."

Validus officials said the software suite meets HIPAA privacy standards and best practices for data security. The end result is that doctors can access a patient's medical history, order lab tests and results or medications, and communicate in real-time with other team members without putting patient information at risk, officials said." ~ HealthcareITnews.com

For more hosptial news, including information on CRNA jobs, contact Sheridan Healthcare today!

One in Three Hospitals utilizing Social Media

ATLANTA – According to a new study, as many as 90 percent of hospitals and health systems use social media, but just one in three has a formal social media plan in place – something researchers say is key to using such media successfully.



The survey, which was conducted by Atlanta-based Greystone.Net, a provider of Web-related services for hospitals and healthcare organizations, finds that nine in ten hospital or health system of those surveyed are currently involved in social media to some degree.

Yet, in a blog posted yesterday by Jennifer Riggle, associate vice president at public relations and marketing services firm CT/tanaka, she wrote that "Greystone.Net's percentage of engaged hospitals seems overly optimistic... I hazard to guess that many hospitals are simply setting up Twitter accounts, posting videos on YouTube and creating Facebook pages without thinking how they can use these tools to support their service lines and improve communication with the community they serve."

Ed Bennett, a Web strategist at the University of Maryland Medical System, keeps a running tally of hospitals that are using social networking on his blog called "Found in Cache." According to this blog, only 540 providers, or 10 percent of the nation's 5,010 community hospitals, are currently using social media.

"I am not trying to disparage Greystone’s research," said Bennett. "But you have to look at the context of who it is reporting it."

He suggests that the research panel was tilted toward hospitals that would be more likely to be engaged in social media anyway given their size and resources.

Whatever the number, Greystone.Net's research shows that budgeting for social media, including hiring social media employees, is still relatively rare among hospitals and health systems – although many respondents commented that this is likely to change in the near future." ~ HealthITNews.com

To learn how Sheridan Healthcare, a leading resource for CRNA jobs, is utilizing social media, check out our pages on LinkedIn and Facebook.

Who benefits and who pays for the health reform?

As someone whose industry might be significantly altered by national health care reform, Peter Straley welcomes the effort — if it brings about the positive changes Massachusetts has already implemented.

Specifically, Straley, president and CEO of Health New England, praised the Commonwealth for pioneering a couple of concepts now being debated on the national level: barring insurers from turning away people with pre-existing conditions, and the individual mandate to buy coverage.

“The idea that, if you’re really sick, you might be denied insurance, or might have to pay a whole lot more for it if the presumption is that you’re going to use a lot of services, in Massachusetts, we got rid of that years ago,” he said in a lengthy, videotaped discussion of health reform posted at www.healthnewengland.com.

As for the individual mandate, “we say it’s the responsibility of every adult citizen to have comprehensive insurance,” Straley continued. “That’s a controversial issue because, in the United States, people don’t like to be told what to do, but let’s face it — we already do this with auto insurance.

“If you couple that with the idea that pre-existing conditions will not disqualify you, then you bring more people into the insurance pool, which should lower costs somewhat. These are things being discussed on the national level which we do in Massachusetts and have proven pretty effective.”

At the same time, he said the “prickly” issue of rising health costs hasn’t been fully addressed in the Commonwealth, although state officials are considering a restructuring of how providers are reimbursed. ~ Source: J. Bednar, HealthCareNews.com