BAPTIST HEALTH LEXINGTON MEDICAL GROUP ANNOUNCES NEW PROVIDERS
Claire Fish, DO, has joined Baptist Health Medical Group Women’s Care at 1700 Nicholasville Road, Suite 704, in Lexington. Dr. Fish earned a doctorate in osteopathic medicine from the University of Pikeville and completed a residency in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Tennessee, where she served as chief resident. She is a member of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Lyndsey Roesch, DO, has joined Baptist Health Medical Group Hospital Medicine at 1740 Nicholasville Road in Lexington. Dr. Roesch earned a doctorate of osteopathic medicine degree from West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine in Lewisburg. She completed an internal medicine internship at the University of Kentucky and is board certified in internal medicine.
Taylor Stai, DO, has joined Baptist Health Medical Group Primary Care at 2108 Nicholasville Road in Lexington. Dr. Stai earned a doctorate in osteopathic medicine from the University of Pikeville-Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine. He completed an internal medicine residency at St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis, Indianapolis.
Greg Gerard named president of Baptist Health Richmond
RICHMOND Greg Gerard, MHA, has been named president of Baptist Health Richmond. Greg has served as interim president since January when Todd Jones accepted a new position with BayCare Health System in Clearwater, Florida.
Gerard joined Baptist Health in 2015 as Vice President of Ambulatory Services. In that position, he successfully led the restart of the cardiac intervention program; helped launch a weight-loss surgery program in conjunction with Baptist Health Lexington; established and expanded behavioral health and substance abuse services in partnership with Baptist Health Corbin; and oversaw a $20 million facility expansion and renovation project.
“Greg Gerard’s breadth of experience and strong connection with our Baptist Health Richmond staff and our community makes him an excellent fit for this position,” said Jeff Fultz, chairman of the hospital’s board of directors. “We are excited about the opportunities ahead for Baptist Health Richmond that his leadership will bring.”
Gerard earned a master’s degree in Healthcare Administration from Western Kentucky University and a bachelor’s degree in Public Administration from Auburn University. He is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives. He also served as an officer in the United States Navy.
Dr. Hawa Edriss Joins KentuckyOne Health Pulmonary Associates in Lexington
LEXINGTON Hawa Edriss, MD, has joined KentuckyOne Health Pulmonary Associates, located at 1401 Harrodsburg Road, Suite A-300 in Lexington. Edriss joins Eli Colon, MD; Samer Ksebi, MD; and Nag Bollavaram, MD.
Edriss received her Doctor of Medicine from Al Margeb University Faculty of Medicine and a Master of Science in Clinical Research from Rush University Medical Center. She completed her residency and fellowship training at Texas Tech University Health Science Center. Dr. Edriss specializes in pulmonary and critical care and is certified in both internal medicine and pulmonary disease medicine by the American Board of Internal Medicine.
Lexington Clinic Welcomes New Providers
LEXINGTON Lexington Clinic welcomes two new physicians, Dana Barnett, DO, and Amy Higgins, MD, to the central Kentucky multi-specialty medical group.
Barnett, who is board-eligible in pediatrics, joins the pediatrics department and sees patients at Lexington Clinic Beaumont. She completed a residency in pediatrics at the University of Kentucky after receiving her medical degree from the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Higgins joins the internal medicine/pediatrics department and sees patients at Lexington Clinic Richmond. She completed a residency in internal medicine/pediatrics at the University of Louisville after receiving her medical degree from the Medical College of Georgia. Dr. Higgins is board-eligible in internal medicine/pediatrics.
SEND YOUR NEWS ITEMS TO MD-UPDATE > news@md-update.com
Jody Prather, MD, Named Baptist Health’s Chief Strategy Officer
LOUISVILLE An Elizabethtown physician who previously served as Baptist Health’s first chief medical officer is returning as chief strategy officer.
Jody Prather, MD, is currently chief strategy officer and vice president, population health, for Hardin Memorial Health (HMH) in Elizabethtown, KY. In addition, he is chief medical officer for the HMH Medical Group with more than 225 employed providers. HMH, which Baptist Health has managed for 20 years, is expected to join the Baptist Health family in December.
“Having a physician as chief strategy officer recognizes our commitment to offering the very best patient care while growing in a purposeful way,” said CEO Gerard Colman. “Jody’s experience will greatly aid Baptist Health in pursuing our vision and growing as a system, building on our strengths and identifying our opportunities to better serve our communities.”
“I am excited to join the Baptist Health leadership team because we have a shared vision of transforming healthcare across our communities to make a real difference in the lives of our patients, both now and in the future,” said Dr. Prather.
As chief strategy officer, the 43-year-old will be responsible for collaborating with other executive team members to create strategic initiatives that establish Baptist Health’s direction in business development, growth, partnerships, and innovation.
Prather graduated from Centre College and the University of Louisville School of Medicine, and then completed a family medicine residency at the Trover Clinic and Regional Medical Center in Madisonville, now Baptist Health Madisonville.
After that residency, Prather went into private practice in Elizabethtown. He joined HMH for two and a-half years as vice president and chief medical officer before moving to those same roles with Baptist Health in 2012. During that time, he was part of the Baptist Health team involved with the acquisitions of Trover Clinic and Regional Medical Center and the Pattie A. Clay Regional Medical Center (now Baptist Health Richmond).
In mid-2013, Dr. Prather returned to HMH as vice president, population health, and chief medical officer for its medical group. Chief strategy officer responsibilities were added in October 2017.
At HMH, Dr. Prather’s key accomplishments included overseeing several initiatives that resulted in an average annual revenue increase of nine percent; expanding healthcare services in Hardin County, as well as the neighboring counties of LaRue, Meade, and Nelson to more than 50 locations; and growing the medical group to more than 220 providers.
Dr. Prather’s community involvement includes serving on the Hardin County/Elizabethtown Industrial Foundation Board of Directors and as the secretary/treasurer of the Central Kentucky Community Foundation. He was named to the Louisville Business First “40 Under 40” list in 2012. The following year, he was among those featured in the publication’s Partners in Healthcare as a “Person to Watch” for business leadership in healthcare.
Wisconsin Healthcare Executive Named Baptist Health’s Chief Operating Officer
LOUISVILLE Patrick Falvey, PhD, DSc, has been named chief operating officer (COO) at Baptist Health. Since 1992, Falvey has served in numerous operational executive roles for Aurora Health Care, as well as the recently formed Advocate Aurora Health.
His roles included:
Executive vice president/chief transformation officer with responsibilities for Aurora Ventures overseeing Care Management/Clinical Quality
Clinical Engineering
Enterprise Project Management; Informatics/Operational Analytics
Operations Improvement
Radiology Integration
System Pharmacy, inpatient and retail
Supply Chain/Logistics
In his transformation role, he led efforts in operational portfolio optimization, cost management and revenue growth, and government program implementation.
Dr. Falvey received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, his master’s degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, and doctorate degrees from both the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the University of Alabama-Birmingham. His graduate degrees are in industrial/organizational psychology, urban studies/organizational sociology, and health administration.
SEND YOUR NEWS ITEMS TO MD-UPDATE > news@md-update.com
Markey Earns Renewal Of Prestigious 5-Year National Cancer Institute Designation
LEXINGTON In August 2018 the UK Markey Cancer Center received renewal of the National Cancer Institute’s designation for the next five years. The UK Markey Cancer Center remains one of only 70 NCI-designated centers in the country and the only one in Kentucky.
Markey’s renewal as an NCI-designated cancer center includes a five-year grant projected at $10.8 million to support research, recruitment of faculty, education, and clinical trials. The previous five-year grant from NCI helped Markey recruit new researchers and clinicians; pilot new research projects targeted at Kentucky issues; and launch precision medicine initiatives poised to change the standard of cancer care in the state, said a press release from UK.
“Earning NCI designation five years ago was both a recognition of our efforts up to that point, and a catalyst to do even more research, outreach, and clinical care for Kentucky and beyond,” said Markey Cancer Center Director Mark Evers, MD. “With Kentucky still home to the highest cancer incidence and mortality rates in the nation, having access to the research-driven, high-acuity care an NCI-designated center offers is vital to our citizens. With this renewal, we will continue to push forward new efforts in cancer prevention, research, and treatment options with the ultimate goal of conquering cancer in the Commonwealth.”
Total research funding to Markey has increased 48% in the past five years, while NCI research funding during that same time has increased 24 percent. More than $2 million of that NCI funding comes from grants that are only available to NCI-designated cancer centers.
Since earning its initial NCI designation, Markey’s growth and impact on the Commonwealth has been significant. Outpatient visits per year have increased more than 35% since 2012 and more than 55% since 2009 when the journey toward earning NCI designation began in earnest.
In the past five years, the Markey Cancer Center Affiliate Network has expanded from 8 members to 20 members with an estimated 59% of all new cancer cases in Kentucky directly or indirectly cared for by Markey via this network, according to the UK release.
In 2016, Markey launched its own Molecular Tumor Board, a precision medicine initiative that uses genetic analysis to help oncologists choose cancer therapies tailored to each patient’s individual needs.
In 2015, the center launched the Markey Cancer Center Research Network, a collaboration among six regional hospital systems to run clinical trials on-site and closer to home for many patients. Meanwhile, the Precision Medicine Clinic, a new space dedicated to providing cancer patients with increased access to phase I and phase II clinical trials, officially opened in early 2018.
“Being designated as a National Cancer Institute cancer center is important to all of us in that it is a result of much work, dedication, and excellence in cancer care,” said Mark Newman, MD, UK executive vice president for health affairs. “However, this designation has even greater significance to patients across Kentucky and beyond who benefit from the extraordinary care provided by world-class physicians and patient care providers, as well as the research and preventive care opportunities.”
Markey’s clinical and research work is backed by the university, the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and philanthropy through the Markey Cancer Foundation. In the past five years, $215 million in institutional, state, and philanthropic funds has supported the recruitment of cancer researchers and clinician scientists, as well as the construction and renovation of clinical and state-of-the-art research space specifically for the oncology research and clinical programs at UK.
National Cancer Institute designation grants are awarded for five-year periods. Markey will have the opportunity to renew its status and simultaneously apply for Comprehensive Cancer Center designation, the highest level of NCI designation, in 2022.
VINCENT PRUSICK, MD, JOINS LEXINGTON SHRINERS MEDICAL CENTER
LEXINGTON Vincent Prusick, MD, a pediatric orthopaedic surgeon, has joined Shriners Hospitals for Children Medical Center—Lexington. He is also an assistant professor of pediatric orthopaedic surgery and pediatrics at the University of Kentucky (UK). He received an undergraduate degree from University of Michigan and earned a medical degree from Michigan State University College of Human Medicine. Prusick completed his residency in orthopaedic and general surgery at UK and a fellowship in pediatric orthopaedics and spine surgery at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.
Prusick previously served as a resident at the Lexington Shriners Medical Center. His areas of special interest include spinal deformity, hip dysplasia, and trauma. He is a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America.