Administrator • Southern Nevada
Rod Davis
St. Rose Dominican Hospitals
After nearly 18 years as president of the St. Rose Dominican hospitals, Rod Davis takes a certain pride in the growth and development of the three thriving campuses. In an industry, which he acknowledges can often be impersonal, Davis says he finds comfort in the mission and values that have served his family of hospitals well.
“The criticisms of healthcare generally are that we are too technology driven,” he says. “That we’re so focused on the medical care but lose sight of the actual person. We at St. Rose are relentless in our quest for quality care. We not only treat the clinical but know it’s just as important to consider the psychological and spiritual needs of the patient as well.”
Over the years, the growth and expansion of the St. Rose hospitals has made it possible to offer this level of care to more patients.
“With the development of the Sienna campus, the opening of the San Martin campus and program enhancements made to the Rose de Lima campus, we’re able to offer more care to more people,” he elaborates. “It also means hiring more staff and more physicians.”
The hospitals have been recognized with numerous awards including: Most Preferred Hospital in Clark County, state awards for professional excellence; and named one of Medicare’s Top Hospitals in Nevada. The Sienna campus was acknowledged by Health Grades’ as the #1 Hospital in Nevada for overall cardiac care and AARP’s Top 125 Hospitals in the country.
“These wonderful recognitions are really the result of 3,500 dedicated, committed employees; 1,400 highly professional, well-trained physicians; and about 500 volunteers who are committed to efforts to improve the quality of life in our facilities,” notes Davis. “We are rather unique as a not-for-profit hospital system and we place tremendous value on life and how a person is treated.”
Davis, who has a master’s degree in business administration, worked in various capacities at three other hospital systems prior to joining the St. Rose family, has applied his years of experience towards making a difference.
“I’ve been very fortunate to have worked in other hospital systems and gleaned some very valuable experience before ‘coming home to roost’ at St. Rose,” he says. “One thing I learned very early on is that there are some of the most dedicated and bright people who gravitate towards healthcare and they are the kind of people with whom I want to be associated. Consequently, I’ve always strived to hire the very best people and bring the right mindset and create a positive, creative environment where everyone can be their best.”
When informed that he was selected as the 2009 Administrator Healthcare Hero he expressed pleased surprise. “It’s certainly not something I would ever expect,” he said modestly. “If I were to be honest I’d have to give the credit to those who work so tirelessly here. They’re the ones who should be recognized.”
When asked how he views his role at St. Rose Dominican Hospitals, Davis said, “I believe my primary responsibility is to serve our employees and physicians in providing the best resources available, and creating the safest environment for patient care.”
Care Provider • Southern Nevada
Ronald Kline, M.D.
Comprehensive Cancer Centers of Nevada
It takes a very special kind of person to work with seriously ill children. Dr. Ronald Kline is just such a person. One of only two pediatric oncologists in Southern Nevada, Dr. Kline says he loves the intellectual challenge and particularly enjoys working with children.
“I love kids,” he says, “and I always wanted to be a pediatrician. When I chose to go into Pediatric Hematology and Oncology my thoughts were, ‘if you’re going to be a doctor, be one in every sense of the word’.”
Together with his partners, Dr. Kline treats more than 7,000 patients a year at the Comprehensive Cancer Centers of Nevada. These are children suffering from brain tumors, leukemia, bone cancers, and blood disorders.
As well known for his jocular bedside manner as he is for his medical prowess, Dr. Kline is popular with his patients and does his best to put them at ease.
“There’s a time for being serious and a time when it’s okay, even good to joke around,” he says. “I like to make my patients feel like normal kids. So yeah, we joke around and laugh. I think they enjoy it as much as I do.”
His concern for his patients isn’t contained within a nine-to-five schedule. Dr. Kline has helped raise money for organizations such as Candlelighters and the Childhood Cancer Foundation. Special events such as Klip It For Kidz and Locks of Love have raised thousands of dollars and raised awareness level.
Throwing himself wholeheartedly into each project, Dr. Kline recalls the delighted laughs he drew when he allowed his head to be shaved in support of Locks of Love.
“Oh they thought it was great,” he recalls with a grin. “Now granted, I don’t have nearly enough hair to make a wig but I’m happy to say that my example encouraged others to donate and the kids loved it.”
He also believes in treating the whole child, not just their disease. To this end, Dr. Kline instituted a special Tae Kwon Do class held in his offices. The waiting area at Comprehensive Cancer Centers of Nevada becomes a martial arts studio once a week when the young patients take part in lessons every Friday night. This class is free not only to patients, but to their siblings as well.
“I know what a positive impact Tae Kwon Do has had on my son and daughter,” he explains, “and I thought my patients might have similar experiences. Everyone seems to enjoy the classes and I enjoy watching them rise through the ranks as they improve.”
Dr. Kline frequently takes time out of his schedule to observe the classes and see first hand how they are affecting his patients. He says he doesn’t want the children to think of the offices as just a place to receive treatment. In fact, the entire staff reflects his positive stance.
In addition, Dr. Kline was asked by his colleagues to edit a textbook on pediatric bone marrow transplants. More than 50 physicians from some of the nation’s top children’s hospitals and research centers have contributed their knowledge to the book entitled: Pediatric Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation.
Educator • Southern Nevada
Carolyn Yucha, PhD, RN, FAAN
UNLV School of Nursing
It was just five years ago that Dr. Carolyn Yucha arrived from the University of Florida, to assume her role as Dean of the School of Nursing at University of Nevada, Las Vegas, which had recently been created from the School of Health Sciences. She viewed the school as a blank canvas.
“I thought it was an excellent opportunity with great potential,” she recalls. “Over the last five years we’ve done some really wonderful things, including doubling all of our programs, nearly tripling the enrollment, and launching a PhD program.
“When I arrived we had 22 faculty members, today we have 36 as well as five professional staff members who assist with everything,” she continues. “It takes a while to get the right people in the right positions. I now have an associate dean for academic affairs and an associate dean for research, promoting our research efforts. So, I think it’s going very well!”
Essentially she was building from scratch, because when the School of Nursing broke off from what’s now known as the School of Allied Health Sciences, they left all the departments that were part of that school. Diving headlong into the daunting task, Yucha proved they had definitely made the right choice. In fact, Dr. Yucha was so successful that she was soon approached to double her responsibilities.
“Three years ago when the new provost arrived he toured nursing, met the faculty and administrators and was duly impressed,” Yucha explains. “Then he surprised me by saying, ‘We’d really like you to consider being the dean of Allied Health Sciences as well.’ Well, you don’t say ‘no thank-you’ to a new boss!
“All in all I think things have gone fairly well,” she continues. “What makes it doable, is the fact that I have a lot of great support. I have strong, effective associate deans and very proactive department chairs. Right now I could not be happier because I believe we have exactly the right people for these critical positions.” She looks thoughtful for a moment and then adds with a good-natured laugh, “I guess I should be careful expressing my contentment, I might get another school!”
While her primary role is in administration, Dr. Yucha has taught research methods and grant writing online at the doctoral level and transitions to practice at the undergraduate level. As the dean, Dr. Yucha is responsible for the UNLV nursing program, which has grown substantially in the last five years. Under her guidance, the School of Nursing offers educational programs for the basic BSN degree, MSN degrees with Nurse Practitioner and Education tracks, and a PhD in Nursing.
Educator • Southern Nevada
Carolyn Yucha, PhD, RN, FAAN
UNLV School of Nursing
It was just five years ago that Dr. Carolyn Yucha arrived from the University of Florida, to assume her role as Dean of the School of Nursing at University of Nevada, Las Vegas, which had recently been created from the School of Health Sciences. She viewed the school as a blank canvas.
“I thought it was an excellent opportunity with great potential,” she recalls. “Over the last five years we’ve done some really wonderful things, including doubling all of our programs, nearly tripling the enrollment, and launching a PhD program.
“When I arrived we had 22 faculty members, today we have 36 as well as five professional staff members who assist with everything,” she continues. “It takes a while to get the right people in the right positions. I now have an associate dean for academic affairs and an associate dean for research, promoting our research efforts. So, I think it’s going very well!”
Essentially she was building from scratch, because when the School of Nursing broke off from what’s now known as the School of Allied Health Sciences, they left all the departments that were part of that school. Diving headlong into the daunting task, Yucha proved they had definitely made the right choice. In fact, Dr. Yucha was so successful that she was soon approached to double her responsibilities.
“Three years ago when the new provost arrived he toured nursing, met the faculty and administrators and was duly impressed,” Yucha explains. “Then he surprised me by saying, ‘We’d really like you to consider being the dean of Allied Health Sciences as well.’ Well, you don’t say ‘no thank-you’ to a new boss!
“All in all I think things have gone fairly well,” she continues. “What makes it doable, is the fact that I have a lot of great support. I have strong, effective associate deans and very proactive department chairs. Right now I could not be happier because I believe we have exactly the right people for these critical positions.” She looks thoughtful for a moment and then adds with a good-natured laugh, “I guess I should be careful expressing my contentment, I might get another school!”
While her primary role is in administration, Dr. Yucha has taught research methods and grant writing online at the doctoral level and transitions to practice at the undergraduate level. As the dean, Dr. Yucha is responsible for the UNLV nursing program, which has grown substantially in the last five years. Under her guidance, the School of Nursing offers educational programs for the basic BSN degree, MSN degrees with Nurse Practitioner and Education tracks, and a PhD in Nursing.
Humanitarian • Southern Nevada
Benjamin Rodriguez, M.D.
It’s been noted that the work of a skilled plastic surgeon can be likened to that of a great artist. If that’s true, then Dr. Benjamin Rodriguez would rank among the masters. And while he has a thriving Southern Nevada practice, some of his real “masterpieces” have been crafted thousands of miles away in places like Vietnam, Bolivia, Galapagos, Croatia, Honduras, Russia, India and Mexico.
Partnering with distinguished organizations such as Operation SMILE, Medical Aid for Children of Latin America, Smile Train and Interplast, Dr. Rodriguez has been traveling to sleepy little villages and battle-torn cities since before opening his Las Vegas practice.
“I truly cannot adequately express in words the impact these trips have had on my life,” he says with raw sincerity. “This is my 20th year of traveling around the world with these organizations. I routinely make between four and five trips a year, each trip is between two and three weeks.”
A nurse once totaled up the number of days he’s spent on these humanitarian expeditions and was surprised to find it added up to more than four years. Colleagues frequently question his sanity, or at the very least his business sense. Why leave a perfectly good practice several times a year, to travel to remote locations where even the surgical accommodations are questionable? Rodriguez just laughs and shrugs his shoulders. “What can I say, it’s addictive. When you get to participate in a life-altering procedure, and then see the life changed,” he pauses as if revisiting a recent patient in some far-away locale. “That is such a soul-burning experience. It really is addictive!”
While there have been hundreds of trips and countless lives impacted, Dr. Rodriquez seems to carry a mental picture of virtually every one. “I still have vivid recollections of my very first trip back in 1989 when I was a surgery resident,” he shares. “The mission was to Cotija de La Paz, Michoacan, Mexico about three hours south of Guadalajara by car. On the drive down we stopped in a small town and there was a teenager that in all aspects appeared normal, being paraded around and I didn’t get it. Later, I saw another young man of about the same age, who had a clubfoot. He was disheveled, never made eye contact, and just looked the part of an outcast. It was then that I was told that the first boy we’d seen had already had surgery for his clubfoot. The contrast between the two, essentially ‘before and after’, just struck me so profoundly, I was hooked. I realized then, just how much a deformity affected their young lives in such a negative way and on the other hand how, once having it corrected actually was like a rebirth into a life with hope. I’ve been hooked ever since.”
Of course there’s no monetary compensation, despite the corporate sponsorships, trips typically carry significant expense, but Dr. Rodriguez says the real rewards are intangible. “I derive my financial income through my practice here in Las Vegas,” he says with a wry grin, “and my psychological income from my trips.”
Entrepreneur • Southern Nevada
K. Warren Volker, M.D., PhD, M.S.
Premier Physician’s Insurance Co.
The big news in Nevada healthcare in the year 2000 was the mass exodus of physicians. Skilled, successful healthcare providers could no longer standup under the weight of the exorbitant cost of malpractice insurance. With no relief in sight, the state lost excellent doctors to states with better regulation and physician friendly climates.
One of the many professionals facing this dilemma was Dr. K. Warren Volker, whose own OB/GYN practice fell into a “high-risk” category with skyrocketing insurance rates.
As managing partner of Women’s Specialty Care, LP, the chairman of OB/GYN at Summerlin Medical Center and Director of the Minimally-Invasive Surgery Program at Southern Hills Medical Center, Dr. Volker didn’t relish the idea of pulling up stakes like so many of his colleagues.
“I think Nevada got hit first with this crisis,” he says. “Like so many other physicians I seriously considered relocating, but neither I nor my family cared for that option.”
Rather than give up, Dr. Volker utilized his business savvy and formed a physician-owned risk retention group, in order to provide high quality and affordable medical malpractice insurance to Nevada physicians.
“Nevada seemed to be one of those states that fell into kind of a catch-22, we’re large enough to attract insurance companies but not the size of California, so it was easy for them to come in and leave when they wanted or to pick and choose who they’d insure. I just believed there had to be a better way to do this,” explains Dr. Volker. “So I started doing my homework and realized what made the most sense was a physician-owned company.”
Traveling the country, Dr. Volker met with experts from both sides of the issue and delved into research materials. Gradually his vision for a new company began to take shape. Premier Physicians is based on a unique model encompassing evidence based medicine, binding arbitration and active risk management strategies, to provide a stable, long term solution for medical malpractice liability insurance.
“Premier Physicians was created so that physicians could own and control their own insurance company,” he explains. “Our goal is to ‘make a difference’ and bring consistency, continuity, and stability to the market. If there is one thing that physicians need from their professional medical liability provider, it’s stability.”
The results speak volumes. Now entering it’s fourth year, Premier Physicians underwrites more than 200 top physicians in five states. It was recently ranked seventh of Nevada’s dozens of medical malpractice insurance companies based on direct premiums and was offered an almost unprecedented, three-year renewal by its reinsurance carrier, Lloyd’s of London.
Premier Physicians Insurance Company continues to overcome the adverse environment for physicians with affordable medical malpractice rates, a physician owned model and active risk management. The impressive 99 percent retention rate and vote of confidence from Lloyd’s of London indicate a very healthy future.
Innovator • Southern Nevada
Jim Rogers
Nevada System of Higher Education
Nevada is unique in that its university system is the only higher education system in the country governed by one central authority. As a part of that authority for the last five years, Chancellor Jim Rogers has been very vocal about his beliefs, goals, and concerns. And one of his biggest concerns remains the education of healthcare professionals.
Rogers was and continues to be a major force behind the formation and development of the Health Sciences System (HSS) of the Nevada System of Higher Education. His innovative and pioneering vision for the creation of the HSS is based on the conviction that the best way to address many of the healthcare challenges facing Nevada’s citizens is through strengthening individual health science programs and promoting collaboration, and integration.
During his tenure as chancellor, Rogers’s strategy has been to attack the problems of education on several fronts. Enlisting support from the State Legislature, university presidents, students, and the general public, he’s put forth numerous ideas and proposals. Rogers also understands that timing can be as important as the message itself.
“You cannot go to a legislative session that starts January 5th and start educating the legislators at that point,” he explains. “They are overwhelmed by information from myriad directions. The way we handled it was that for the entire year prior to the legislative session we met one-on-one with each legislator. We presented our agenda. Then, we began issuing weekly memos..”
With his legal background and methodical business mind, Rogers has approached each obstacle with calm determination and rational arguments. His initiative for the HSS, designed to increase productivity of health sciences programs across the state by pushing them to share space and resources, was backed by lawmakers in 2007. The state committed $88.7 million toward building and renovating facilities with the stipulation that higher education officials deliver $38.7 million in non-state money to match Nevada’s contribution.
“I’m very pleased to report that the Nevada Health Sciences System is a reality,” says Rogers. “It exists thanks to many people working together. I have always maintained that these institutions working separately have little hope of rising above mediocrity but that together, ours can become a system of higher education competitive with the best.”
This historic decision has led to the expansion of Nevada’s educational facilities to ultimately educate more nurses, medical doctors and other specialty health care providers, as well as more medical fellowships. Chancellor Rogers also pushed to support expanding partnerships among physicians, hospitals and researchers in the hopes of raising the quality of medical care throughout Nevada.
Rogers who is a graduate of Las Vegas High School has degrees in accounting and law from the University of Arizona, a Master of Laws from the University of Southern California, and a Masters of Laws in International Law from the University of Arizona. He also holds several honorary doctorates from universities across the nation and is a member of the State Bar Associations of Nevada, Arizona and California.
As he closes the door on his service to the Nevada System of Higher Education, Rogers has relocated to Montana where he says he’s seeking “a quiet life in God’s country”.
Non-Profit • Southern Nevada
Ann McGee
Miracle Flights for Kids
A woman with big ideas, tremendous drive, and a huge heart, Ann McGee has spent her life seeking ways to help make the lives of seriously ill children and their families just a little easier.
Twenty years ago she recognized the need for the coordination of aviation services that could provide no cost transportation for blood, donor organs, and to quickly deliver sick children to medical facilities around the country. Inspired that the separate entities existed within our community she sketched out plans for a grass roots program called Miracle Flights for Kids.
“The whole idea was conceived in my little apartment, sitting on the floor,” she says with a laugh. “Remember this was long before computers or even cell phones, so everything was fairly simple. I knew there had to be a way to coordinate services so that we could provide families with free flights to hospitals and treatment centers they could otherwise not reach because of financial hardship.”
Today, more than 60 thousand flights and 30 million miles later, Miracle Flights for Kids is the nation’s leading nonprofit medical flight organization. Children from 39 different countries have been helped and the program continues to grow through individual donations, corporate sponsorships, and grants.
“We live for happy endings,” says McGee. “The people we help are the miracles, their stories keep us going. Given the growing costs of health care today and how often illnesses can lead to monetary troubles, the need and demand for the Miracle Flights for Kids program has never been greater. When you think about it everyone knows of someone whose family is struggling with a serious health problem. No child in America should be denied proper medical treatment because of money.”
After more than two decades McGee, the founder and president of one of the largest and most successful philanthropic organizations in the country, says she’s learned a few things over the years. “Probably the most important insight I’ve gained is just how significant a second opinion is. Over the past 22 years, I’ve borne witness time and again of a child who was suffering and even made worse from misdiagnosis that, through the miracle of flight, was able to see that one specialist who could help get them better. We want families in Las Vegas and beyond to know the Miracle Flights for Kids program is here for them.”
When she first set the wheels (or wings) in motion in 1985, McGee was recruiting as many pilots of light planes as possible. Today, the majority of flights are made on commercial aircraft though private planes are still used when schedules or locations demand. And although a few aspects of how Miracle Flights for Kids operates have changed over the years, the mission, vision and values have not: To improve access to health care by providing free air transportation to hospitals across America; to promote awareness of our services through targeted outreach programs; to enlist the help of community-minded people through strategic calls to action.
Nor has the woman whose vision, persistence, and dedication turned a dream into reality creating miracles for countless children and their families.
Technology/Research • Southern Nevada
Colleen Morris, M.D.
University of Nevada, School of Medicine Genetics Program
Dr. Colleen Morris met her first Williams Syndrome patient in the early 1980’s and immediately set out to learn all she could about this relatively unknown condition.
Williams syndrome is a rare congenital disorder characterized by a mix of physical and developmental characteristics. While the severity of symptoms varies among patients, common physical characteristics include an excessively impulsive and outgoing personality, intellectual developmental delays and learning disabilities, mental retardation or attention deficit disorder.
Discovering there was very little information available, she initiated research that has uncovered critical facts and continues today. In her first study Dr. Morris described the natural history of Williams Syndrome.
“This was prompted by the mother of one of my patients,” she explains. “She asked me what happens when her child grows up, or if he would grow up. I discovered there was no information regarding adults with Williams, so we began a study to identify adults with this condition and how they were doing. I got so interested that we began working on what causes Williams Syndrome.”
Dr. Morris and her team are responsible for the initial discovery of the elastin deletion in Williams Syndrome and continue to work to define the possible other causes as well as determining the roles of the approximately two dozen genes in the syndrome critical area on chromosome 7.
“It’s very interesting,” explains Dr. Morris, “actually it’s due to a very tiny deletion, or missing piece, on one copy of chromosome 7 that occurs by accident. The reason it occurs at all is because the way chromosome 7 is structured, which means that everyone in the world has the same chance to have a child with Williams Syndrome because of an error that can occur on this particular chromosome.”
“Having identified this, what we’ve been working on since then is to try to identify what the different genes in the deletion are doing,” she continues. “There are now 25 genes in that region of chromosome 7 but not all of them are causing symptoms. We’ve identified which one is causing the heart problems, and the one that affects cognition, and we’re gradually discovering which gene contributes to what part of the clinical picture. We hope that the next step will be that we’ll be able to come up with better methods of therapy.”
Dr. Morris continues this ongoing research on genotype/phenotype correlation of Williams Syndrome with collaborators at the University of Utah and the University of Louisville. Current projects underway in Williams syndrome include the evaluation of individuals with Williams syndrome with atypical phenotypes, evaluation of individuals negative for elastin deletions who have phenotypes overlapping Williams syndrome, physical mapping of the commonly deleted region of chromosome 7 in, and characterization of families with the autosomal dominant disorder, supravalvar aortic stenosis.
Dr. Morris established the clinical genetics program in Nevada in 1988. She holds joint appointment with the pediatrics and pathology departments at the University of Nevada School of Medicine and directs genetic clinics throughout Nevada. Considered a leading authority on Williams syndrome, Dr. Morris has published extensively on the subject and co-authored Williams-Beuren Syndrome: Research, Evaluation, and Treatment.
Lifetime Achievement • Southern Nevada
Ann Lynch
Sunrise Hospital
Ann Lynch is among the state’s most respected professionals in healthcare, or any other industry for that matter. Lynch has become an institution in Carson City, where she has lobbied for years on behalf of the healthcare industry. Lynch is also a consummate volunteer. A Las Vegas resident since 1959, she has generously donated her time and talents to numerous organizations and causes making a difference in countless lives.
Lynch volunteered in hospitals as a teenager and worked as a volunteer at Sunrise in the late ’60s, before being offered a position with the hospital in 1972.
“Like most little girls in my day, I was very interested in becoming a nurse at one time. Then I thought I’d be a teacher. Of course I didn’t become either, but my interest was always there,” says Lynch. “Since I had the time, it seemed to me that volunteering at a hospital would be a good thing. I hoped I could be of some help to people.”
After six years of working in various capacities as a volunteer she was offered the position of Director of Volunteers. “I just became immersed in it,” she says. “I really enjoyed everything about my work at the hospital; the people and being part of something that was helping others.”
In 1993 Lynch, together with Dr. John Parker Kurlinski and a small, dedicated group of people began the Sunrise Children’s Foundation whose mission statement is, “Helping children to fulfill their potential of safe, healthy and educated lives”.
“I’m so proud to have been a part of this,” says Lynch. “This became a springboard for so many incredible programs designed to support the health and education of our children. We asked Dee Ladd to be our first executive and she’s still there. It’s truly grown into an amazing program.”
Today, Sunrise Children’s Foundation has more than a dozen programs that are produced in-house or in partnership with other organizations. Each year, the group reaches 200,000 children, half of whom are low-income, minority or limited in English proficiency.
When her son came along and started school, Lynch poured her time and energy into the Parent Teachers Association (PTA). “That brought together a real concern I have for children and healthcare,” she says. “It became the driving force in what’s been important to me all my life.”
Lynch started with the PTA group in her son’s school, but her energy and gift for organizing did not go unnoticed. She served as the state president and then national president. At the state level she was instrumental in passing legislation designed to protect our children.
“I still get hassled about some of those laws even today,” she says with a laugh. “One of the most unpopular was the Helmet Law. Most young men hate that law, but I guarantee you it’s saved many lives! Then there was the Immunization Law, which insures that children have to be immunized before they can attend school. Those were two big bills we got through while I was state president.”
Ann Lynch, who began her volunteer career at Sunrise Hospital delivering newspapers and mail, today serves as the hospital’s Vice President of Government Affairs. There is also an elementary school named after her commemorating all she’s done for this community.
St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center
A Leader In Quality Healthcare
Based in Reno, Saint Mary’s is a fully integrated healthcare system that provides the highest-quality care and service to Nevada residents, a tradition that goes back more than 100 years. Saint Mary’s is a member of Catholic Healthcare West (CHW), the eighth largest hospital system in the nation and the largest non-for-profit hospital provider in the West.
Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center ranks first in the region for quality care, according to HealthInsight, a non-profit community organization in Nevada and Utah under contract to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to monitor and foster patient care quality improvement in Nevada’s hospitals. The ranking is based on 25 different federally mandated quality measures including responses and procedure for heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia and surgical infection prevention.
In the state of Nevada, Saint Mary’s is ranked second only to St. Rose Dominican Hospital – de Lima campus, also a member of CHW. The HealthInsight ranking is computed using voluntarily-reported, public data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
While providing quality patient care, Saint Mary’s is also working to continue to meet the needs of a growing community. The William N. Pennington Emergency Department opened in January 2009 and features 47 private rooms and a paperless patient tracking system designed to expedite a patient’s stay. Saint Mary’s Center for Cancer, Northern Nevada’s newest accredited center for cancer, is also the only facility in Nevada that features the CyberKnife, a revolutionary radiation delivery system that is able to treat tumors that before were considered untreatable.
In addition, Saint Mary’s offers a network of urgent care centers and primary care physician practices throughout the Reno/Sparks region.
Saint Mary’s mission of caring, and core values of Dignity, Collaboration, Justice, Stewardship and Excellence are also exemplified in the organization’s community based programs to benefit those who need care. Saint Mary’s outreach clinics, mobile health programs, prevention and wellness programs and community partnerships are helping to make healthcare available to more people than ever before.
St. Rose Dominican Hospitals
Three hospitals. One shared vision of quality care.
The legacy of St. Rose Dominican Hospitals in Southern Nevada dates back over six decades, when seven Adrian Dominican Sisters traveled from Michigan to Henderson to operate a fledgling government hospital. Since those humble beginnings in 1947, St. Rose has become a trusted and beloved institution in Southern Nevada – having delivered generations of babies and provided care and support to any and all who have needed it, regardless of ability to pay. Now with three hospitals across the valley, St. Rose holds true to the commitment that those original Sisters made in 1947 – that through hard work, faith and dedication, a hospital can be a source of compassionate care for an entire community.
As Southern Nevada’s only not-for-profit, religiously-sponsored hospital system, St. Rose focuses on healing not only the body, but the mind and spirit as well. The hospital’s not-for-profit status means that any operating margins are re-invested into expanding care at their facilities or to the community as a whole.
That original hospital, now the Rose de Lima Campus, has been expanded and renovated to provide the latest technology such as a Level II Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and Nevada’s first – and only – Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Medicine Center to receive UHMS certification. Rose de Lima has also been recognized by HealthInsight as the best in the state for quality measures.
St. Rose’s second acute-care facility in Henderson – the Siena Campus – provides much needed services such as an open heart surgery center, Level III Trauma Center, Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and a 24-hour pediatric emergency room. Siena was named one of the 125 best hospitals in America by Consumers’ Checkbook, a nonprofit watchdog group for its dedication to excellence, both in clinical care and patient and physician satisfaction.
In late 2006, St. Rose opened the San Martín Campus in southwest Las Vegas. San Martín offers a full array of services with a Level II Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), Joint Replacement Center and new Wound Healing Center. The campus has already been recognized by Avatar as being in the top two percent in the nation for patient satisfaction.
Comprehensive Cancer Centers of Nevada
The State’s Premier Resource for Cancer Patients
Comprehensive Cancer Centers of Nevada (CCCN) began in May 2000 as a collaboration between the Southwest Cancer Clinic and Nevada Radiation Oncology Centers, which have helped Las Vegas residents fight cancer since 1974.
The oncology practice provides medical services such as chemotherapy, pediatric oncology, radiation oncology, medical oncology, nursing services by oncology certified nurses, hematology, diagnostic imaging, pharmacy, hydration, physicist, therapeutic phlebotomy, nuclear medicine and cancer prevention and screening.
CCCN initiates and conducts phase I, II and III clinical trials, which are key to advancing cancer care in the U.S. and around the globe. The trials provide patients with access to new treatment options overseen by local experts. In 2009, CCCN received the Clinical Trials Participation Award from the American Society of Clinical Oncology. It is one of only two medical practices in the state to have earned the award.
Many of CCCN’s 26 physicians have practiced for more than 10 years in Las Vegas and, like Dr. Ron Kline, have donated time and expertise to a variety of community organizations and causes.
“Our physicians are very passionate about their patients and the organizations they support,” says Executive Director James Kilber. “Dr. Kline’s devotion to his pediatric patients and their families, as well as the foundations and outreach groups that assist those families, knows no boundaries. His shaved head is one example of the effort he puts forth to ensure those fighting cancer have the best means to defeat the disease.”
CCCN’s eight medical offices also provide supportive services including financial counseling, nutritional counseling and community support groups.
CCCN is the only medical group in Nevada affiliated with the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) as part of the Translational Oncology Research International (TORI) network. The medical group is also affiliated with the US Oncology physician network, the Community Clinical Oncology Program (CCOP) established by the National Cancer Institute, and received in 2009, a three-year accreditation by the American College of Radiology.
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield In Nevada
Consumer Driven Health Plans
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield is Nevada’s second largest health benefits provider, and the only one licensed to sell insurance in every county. Among the oldest Nevada health insurers (established in 1969), Anthem’s Nevada operations are headquartered in Las Vegas and staffed with a friendly and knowledgeable local team – from a state president, to sales staff, to medical personnel. Located in two offices – one in Las Vegas and one in Reno – the company employs approximately 250 Nevadans.
Anthem offers a full spectrum of benefits, including medical, dental, vision, life and disability, pharmacy, behavioral health and an Employee Assistance Program. Not only do Anthem’s total benefit offerings meet the needs of a diverse workforce, they also eliminate the need for multiple carriers.
Anthem offers a broad variety of products for individuals, and small and large employers, that are innovative, simple to administer and affordable. For example, their Lumenos Consumer-Driven Health Plans put consumers in control of their health care dollars and offer incentives to spend wisely and demand better health care quality and value.
EmployeeElect, a portfolio of 14 health plans, puts control and flexibility in the hands of small group employers. Employers can choose to offer one, a mix-and-match, or all 14 plans to their employees. The Tonik health plans, which were designed to expand health care access to 19 to 29 year-olds – one of the fastest growing uninsured populations – are easy to use, all online and very affordable.
Anthem offers one of the largest provider networks in Nevada. Because Anthem is a member of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, members also have access to the BlueCard provider network – nationwide and around the world – when they are away from home.
Anthem’s community efforts for 2008 were highlighted by a $19,000 contribution from its own 150 employees that will support over 40 community-based non-profit organizations throughout Nevada. Through its annual Associate Giving Campaign, Anthem associates can direct their giving to any 501(c)(3) organization. The funds pledged by Anthem associates will receive a 50 percent match from the parent company’s foundation, increasing the total to nearly $30,000. Each year, Anthem also partners with Nevada Business Magazine to host the Healthcare Heroes Awards.
Renown Regional Medical Center
Home of the da Vinci Surgical System
Renown Regional Medical Center, located in Reno, offers the da Vinci Surgical System for mitral valve repair. The da Vinci is the world’s most advanced physician-guided robotic surgery, allowing physicians to perform complex procedures through small incisions.
This innovative surgery relies on the expertise of board-certified surgeon Athan Roumanas, MD, FACS, director of cardiac surgery at Renown.
Benefits for patients include:
• improved heart function
• longer life expectancy
• significantly reduced blood loss with less need for transfusions
• small incisions, resulting in less scarring and faster recovery times
• no need to take blood thinners for life
In May 2008, Richard Stovall was one of the first patients to undergo a mitral valve repair with the da Vinci Surgical System. Four weeks later, Stovall walked four miles to his follow-up appointment— simply to see whether he could do it. Stovall says his physician, Dr. Roumanas, was astounded.
“He couldn’t believe that I walked that far,” Stovall says. “I felt great.”
Stovall, 65, elected to have the da Vinci procedure based on the benefits— namely a shorter recovery time, less pain and less time in the hospital than if he had open-heart surgery. Stovall had a hard time believing that there wasn’t going to be any pain. After the surgery, “there was absolutely no pain,” he says in amazement.
He spent only four days recovering at Renown before being cleared to go home. He was able to get back to his daily routine right away. Less than two weeks after surgery, he was walking one to two miles for exercise.
“There was no downtime,” Stovall says. “I recommend this for anyone.”
