e-Update
January 31, 2000
Weekly News Briefs
e-Update is distributed weekly to keep the faculty and staff of the University of Miami School of Medicine up to date on news at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center.
VETERANS AFFAIRS MEDICAL CENTER CITED AS MODEL OF PATIENT SAFETY
An article in the December 13 edition of US
News & World Report praised the country's Veterans Affairs hospitals,
one of which is the Miami Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VA), on their attention
to patient safety. The School of Medicine has an affiliation with the Miami
VA and UM physicians make up the majority of its medical staff. VA hospitals,
said the article, are among the best medical centers nationwide in developing
a patient safety system along the guidelines recommended in a recent Institute
of Medicine report on preventable medical errors. To read the full article,
visit the US News & World Report web site at www.usnews.com.
MANAGED CARE CHANGES NAME, APPOINTS NEW DIRECTOR
The Managed Care Department of UMCare/University of Miami Health Services recently named Richard Smith as its new director. Smith returns to UM from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. In addition, the Managed Care Department's name has changed to the Department of Market Development & Health Care Contracting. It will continue to represent the faculty group practice, the Anne Bates Leach Eye Hospital, and the University of Miami Hospital and Clinics/Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center in their managed care and market development activities.
FORMER UMSM RESIDENT PROMOTES DERMATOLOGY AND AGING BOOK
Amy Newburger, M.D., returned to her training roots last Wednesday, January 19, at the University of Miami School of Medicine for a speaking engagement with the Department of Dermatology. Dr. Newburger, who completed her residency at UM/Jackson in 1978, recently published a book titled Looking Good at Any Age, for which she is currently on a nationwide book tour. She also will appear on "NBC Nightly News" on its February 1 broadcast. Dr. Newburger runs a private practice in Scarsdale, New York.
MIAMI PROJECT TO CURE PARALYSIS COMES ONE STEP CLOSER WITH NERVE GROWTH FACTORS
Dalton Dietrich, Ph.D., scientific director of the School of Medicine's Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, was quoted in a recent Associated Press article on CNN.com regarding spinal cord repair and advances made with the use of nerve growth factors. Researchers at the Miami Project also have been studying these proteins, which stimulate nerves to grow and may repair nerve connections in the spinal cord. To read the article in full, visit the AP web site at www.ap.org. For more information about the Miami Project, visit http://www.miamiproject.edu.
WTVJ/NBC CHANNEL 6 STORY AIRS UMSM DOCTOR'S TREATMENT FOR INCONTINENCE
Angelo Gousse, M.D., assistant professor in the Department of Urology, is the first South Florida physician to receive approval from the Food and Drug Administration to perform a new surgical procedure to correct incontinence (loss of bladder control). WTVJ/NBC 6 will air a news story on Dr. Gousse and the treatment on Monday, January 31, on both the 5 p.m. and 11 p.m. broadcasts. The surgical procedure, called neuromodulation, uses mild electric pulses to stimulate the nerve in the lower back that controls urination. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 305-243-6630.
FEBRUARY IS HEART MONTH, UMSM PLANS MANY ACTIVITIES
The Cardiovascular Center at the School of Medicine, along with CBS WFOR Channel 4, Winn Dixie, and Benacol, will sponsor a health fair for heart month on February 1 - 3 to be held in front of the Sylvester courtyard. In conjunction with the activities on campus, Channel 4 will air a variety of stories on its 5 p.m. broadcasts on February 1 - 3, featuring UMSM doctors Maureen Lowery, M.D., assistant professor in the Division of Cardiology; Darwin Eton, M.D., chief of the Division of Vascular Surgery; and Eduardo de Marchena, M.D., professor in the Department of Medicine.
QUESTIONS ABOUT MEDICARE BILLING?
CONTACT THE OFFICE OF COMPLIANCE
Address questions regarding Medicare billing and compliance to Third Party Reimbursement/Office of Compliance at 305-243-HELP or 1-877-415-HELP. For more information about the help line or training programs offered by the compliance office, contact Gemma Romillo at 305-243-5842.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR!
INTERNATIONAL COCHLEAR IMPLANT CONFERENCE SPONSORED BY OTOLARYNGOLOGY
The Department of Otolaryngology is sponsoring the VI International Cochlear Implant Conference on February 1 - 6 at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel. This is the largest conference ever on the device, which provides hearing to deaf children and adults. Over 100 invited speakers will present to more than 1,000 participants. Thomas Balkany, M.D., director of the Ear Institute, and Annelle Hodges, M.D., chief of the Division of Audiology-Speech Pathology, will direct the conference. To register, visit the conference web site at http://www.ci2000.org.
UMSM SYMPOSIUM PRESENTS LATEST IN BIOTECHNOLOGY
The Miami 2000 Nature Biotechnology Winter Symposium, "DNA, RNA and Cancer," will be held on February 5 - 9 at the Radisson Deauville Resort, Miami Beach. Scientists from UM/Sylvester and around the globe will present the latest advances in biotechnology at this conference, which is sponsored and organized by the University of Miami Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Foundation, Inc., and the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, and by Nature Biotechnology, Nature Publishing Company. Registration waivers are available for faculty and staff of Sylvester, the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, and the VA Hospital. Other UM faculty and staff receive a discounted registration fee. For more information, call 305-243-3597, or visit the web site: http://www.med.miami.edu/MNBWS/.
ALS CLINICAL AND RESEARCH CENTER PRESENTS PRODUCT EDUCATION FAIR
The Amyotropic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Clinical and Research Center of the School of Medicine will hold its Second Annual Product Education Day on Saturday, February 5, from noon to 3 p.m., at the Smathers Wellness Center on the Coral Gables campus. Companies specializing in equipment for disabled patients will be on hand to give information and demonstrations. Products highlighted will include wheelchairs, convertible vans, communication devices, and more. For information, call Ginna Gonzalez at 305-243-7400 or visit the ALS Center?s web site at http://www.miami-als.org.
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