Newsmakers in Health Care

David Taylor, vice president of regional services for CoxHealth, was elected to a three-year term as at-large director on the board of the Medical Group Management Association. MGMA's membership of more than 22,000 comprises medical group practice administrators and leaders.

Dr. Darren Mahaffey, a Springfield dentist, received the Outstanding New Dental Leader Award on Nov. 6 at the Missouri Dental Association House of Delegates. Mahaffey was honored for his service and leadership roles, including in MDA Legislative Day Activities. Mahaffey also was one of 11 association members chosen to serve as an action team leader for the 2009 Washington Leadership Conference, and he will continue to serve in that role in 2010. His service also includes membership on the Missouri Oral Health Task Force through the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services and participation in the Donated Dental Services program.

Dr. Kevin Wallace, a Springfield prosthodontist, received the Distinguished Service Award Nov. 6 at the 2009 Missouri Dental Association House of Delegates in honor of his service and dedication to the dental profession for more than 19 years. Wallace is the only MDA member to have received all three of MDA's awards, having been named Outstanding New Dental Leader in 1999 and Dentist of the Year in 2003. He is president of the Missouri Dental Board and chairman of its Policy Review Committee.

Evangel University graduate Sarah (Cotton) Rutledge and faculty adviser Geoffrey W. Sutton had a coauthored article published in the Journal of Psychological Inquiry, Volume 14. The article, "Crime Presentation and Eyewitness' Gender Influences on Recall Accuracy and Confidence," explored the reliability of eyewitnesses to crime. Rutledge also received an award from the journal for excellence in undergraduate research.

Dr. James Bonucchi, an endocrinologist with CoxHealth Center for Internal Medicine, is the second Missouri physician to earn endocrine certification in neck ultrasounds. The certification is for endocrinologists who perform consultations and diagnostic evaluations for thyroid and parathyroid disorder.

A book review by Evangel graduate Kathryn Ward and faculty adviser Sutton was published in the summer edition of the Journal of Psychology and Christianity. The review focused on "Aging Well" by George Vaillant, a book that explores the process of growing older.

Dr. Boyd Crockett, a physiatrist with CoxHealth Southwest Spine and Sports, was certified in sports medicine by the American Board of Physical Medicine, having demonstrated proficiency in the practice of sports medicine, including physical fitness and the diagnosis and treatment of injuries sustained in sports activities.

Skaggs Regional Medical Center in Branson received the 2010 Pulmonary Care Excellence Award and Five-Star ratings in multiple diagnoses and procedures from HealthGrades.

The pulmonary care award was based on Skaggs being ranked among the top 10 percent of U.S. hospitals for pulmonary care. Five Star ratings include coronary bypass surgery, treatment of heart attack and heart failure, and treatment of sepsis and respiratory failure.

Dr. Michael Koban, a chiropractor at Harshman Chiropractic Clinic, completed training and proficiency requirements at Northwestern Health Sciences in Minneapolis to perform Department of Transportation drug tests and examinations for businesses.

Dr. Pam Warbinton joined the Ozarks Community Hospital Specialty Clinic. She earned her Doctor of Optometry from Indiana University's School of Optometry.

PJC Insurance appointed Franchel Krueger as new business health coordinator. She specializes in individual contracts and customer assistance for PJC's corporate health department.

Mercy Health Plans' Mercy Medicare Advantage ranked among the Top 100 Medicare Health Plans on U.S. News & World Report's America's Best Health Plans 2009-10 listing. Mercy Medicare Advantage ranks No. 93 among 700 U.S. plans and No. 2 in Missouri. Listed plans are evaluated on 44 measures in three broad areas: member satisfaction, prevention and treatment of illness.

Mercy's plan is also the only one in Missouri to receive a Five Star Excellent Rating for 2010 by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. That rating is based on Medicare member feedback during the 2009 Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Survey.

Paula Maize, a family nurse practitioner with CoxHealth's Family Medical Care Center, was named Advanced Practice Nurse of the Year by Advanced Practice Nurses of the Ozarks. Maize, who also serves on the faculty for CoxHealth's family medicine residency program, was honored for her leadership in advanced practice nursing, excellent patient care and efforts to mentor nurse practitioner students.

Dr. Curtis Schreiber joined the medical staff of Citizens Memorial Healthcare in Bolivar. A neurologist, Schreiber attended medical school at Mayo Medical School in Rochester, Minn., and completed his internship and residency at Mayo Graduate School of Medicine. He has more than 18 years of experience as a neurologist and also is certified in headache management and medicine.

St. John's Occupational Medicine was awarded a three-year quality certification from the National Association of Occupational Health Professionals. St. John's Occupational Medicine earned a score of 97.6 out of 100 in standards compliance. The program was evaluated in six categories: administration, operational framework, staffing processes, quality assurance, product line development, and sales and marketing.

CoxHealth received the Get With the Guidelines Stroke Silver Plus Performance Achievement Award from the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association. The award recognizes CoxHealth's commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of stroke care, ensuring that stroke patients receive care according to nationally accepted standards and recommendations, including aggressive use of medications such as antithrombotics.