FirstHealth appoints vice president of quality
Cindy McNeill-McDonald |
Cindy McNeill-McDonald has been named vice president of quality for FirstHealth of the Carolinas. The position is a new one that involves the coordination of all of FirstHealth’s corporate-wide quality and quality-related programs.
McNeill-McDonald previously served as chief operating officer and chief nursing officer for FirstHealth Richmond Memorial Hospital in Rockingham. As vice president for quality, she reports to George D. Bussey, M.D., FirstHealth’s chief medical officer. The administrative director of Clinical Performance and the staff coordinator for FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital report to her.
“As quality becomes a more focused priority for FirstHealth of the Carolinas, our Board of Directors agreed that a position that is dedicated full time to advancing our quality performance measures was required and appropriate,” Dr. Bussey said. “Cindy, who began her career in health care as a registered nurse, brings more than 20 years of progressive health care management experience to the role of vice president of quality. I appreciate her willingness to accept the challenge of coordinating our quality efforts as we strive to meet our 2020 Vision, ‘Working Together, First in Quality, First in Health.’”
A native of Scotland County, McNeill-McDonald earned a bachelor of science in nursing and a master of science in nursing administration with a minor in business administration from East Carolina University. She has since completed the Center for Creative Leadership’s Leadership Development Program.
She is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives and the North Carolina Quality Association, and she is certified as a health care executive and in professional health care quality.
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 For going the extra mile
Marianne Kernan, left, vice president of the Moore County affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), presents a 2006 Exemplary Psychiatrist Award to Mary Mandell, M.D., a psychiatrist with Outpatient Behavioral Services at FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital and Senior Life Solutions at FirstHealth Montgomery Memorial Hospital. The award recognized Dr. Mandell as a psychiatrist noted for going the extra mile in her community, for demonstrating exemplary commitment and expertise in her area, and for supporting NAMI activities. Dr. Mandell was one of only 14 psychiatrists from throughout the United States, and the first North Carolinian in more than 10 years, to be selected for the honor.
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Second neonatologist joins MRH staff
It is entirely a coincidence that Wlodzimierz Michal Wisniewski, M.D., turned to neonatology. It happened after medical school. He wanted to do pediatrics, but his first job offer was in neonatology. It proved to be a good match.
“I loved it from the start,” Dr. Wisniewski says.
On July 1, Dr. Wisniewski joined Nicholas Lynn, M.D., in the Neonatology department at FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital. The two provide care for sick and premature infants in the hospital’s Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU.)
“I am thrilled to welcome Dr. Wisniewski to our neonatology practice here at Moore Regional Hospital,” says Dr. Lynn, the NICU’s medical director. “He brings extensive clinical experience to our neonatal intensive care unit, and his interest in medical education will be of great use in expanding our services for the region.”
Dr. Wisniewski was born in Poland and received his medical degree from the Karol Marcinkowski University School of Medical Sciences in Poznan in 1991. He did post-graduate training in pediatrics, gynecology, internal medicine and surgery at the Kalisz Main Hospital in Poland, and then taught dermatology and pediatrics at the Undergraduate College of Nurses and worked part time in an emergency room, also in Kalisz. He received his training in pediatrics and neonatology in the Kalisz Children Hospital.
After immigrating to the United States in 1995, Dr. Wisniewski did a residency in pediatrics and a fellowship in neonatology at the University of Illinois in Chicago. He was later an attending neonatologist with Midwest Neoped Associates in Oak Brook, Ill., working in level II and III NICUs and combining clinical work with education to medical students, residents and fellows during their rotations in nursery and NICU.
He is board certified in pediatrics and neonatology.
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Bussey named FHC’s chief medical officer
George D. Bussey, M.D. |
George D. Bussey, M.D., has been named chief medical officer for FirstHealth of the Carolinas. He previously served as the organization’s vice president for Medical Affairs.
In his new position, Dr. Bussey replaces Michael Lachina, M.D., who left FirstHealth in May to accept a similar role with St. Francis Hospital in Memphis, Tenn.
“Dr. Bussey brings a varied background and a wealth of experience to the role of FirstHealth's chief medical officer,” says Charles T. Frock, CEO of FirstHealth of the Carolinas. “He is not only a physician with an extensive background in psychiatry, but a trained lawyer as well. As our vice president for Medical Affairs, he has observed how FirstHealth works from the ground up. Having been a practicing clinician on the Moore Regional Hospital medical staff, he can identify with our physicians. His previous leadership role with a managed care organization brings a unique perspective to his new position, and his degree in health administration adds a management dimension to our executive team.”
Dr. Bussey joined FirstHealth in 2001 as medical director for FirstHealth Behavioral Services. In 2002, he became senior medical director with responsibility for corporate-wide Risk Management and Medical Affairs activities at Montgomery Memorial Hospital and Richmond Memorial Hospital while continuing his previous responsibilities and serving as corporate medical director for FirstCarolinaCare. He was named vice president for Medical Affairs in January 2005.
Prior to joining FirstHealth, Dr. Bussey served as medical director for Queens Health Management, a health care management company, and vice president for The Queen’s Health Care Plan, a preferred provider organization, in Honolulu, Hawaii. While in Hawaii, he earned a J.D. degree from the University of Hawaii. He also holds a master’s degree in health care administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
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New procedure reducing stroke risk now available at MRH
Stroke risk reduction surgery, or carotid endarterectomy, has been a proven effective treatment for carotid plaque for many years. Now, the FDA has approved a new catheter-based procedure—carotid angioplasty and stenting—that offers additional treatment options for this disease. The procedure is now available at FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital, and has been successfully performed by Robert Albrecht, M.D., and Clinton Atkinson, M.D., vascular specialists at the Vascular Center of Pinehurst Surgical.
Carotid angioplasty and stenting is a minimally invasive procedure that expands the area of narrowing in the carotid artery, improving blood flow to the brain and decreasing the long-term risk of stroke from plaque. The procedure involves widening the narrow area with a balloon. After the balloon is inflated, a stent (a tiny metallic scaffold) is placed in the artery to help keep the area open. Throughout the procedure, a filter-device, or net, is used to help trap any particles of debris that may break loose and travel toward the brain. The procedure is often performed in less than one hour, and patients generally go home the following morning. Because the procedure is catheterbased, there is no surgical skin incision.
While carotid stenting has not replaced time-tested stroke risk reduction surgery, it is considered a great option for patients deemed high-risk for standard carotid surgery. Patients suitable for carotid stenting have medical conditions that would place them at high risk for standard surgery. They include patients with serious co-existing medical illnesses, with prior neck surgery or carotid surgery, or with a history of prior neck radiation, as well as those where the area of disease is too high in the neck to perform the surgery safely.
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 Volunteer recognition
The administration and staff of FirstHealth Montgomery Memorial Hospital recently recognized Star resident Natalie Allen (shown holding a commemorative plaque) for her 5,000 hours of volunteer service to the hospital. In addition to being one of the hospital’s charter volunteers and providing a variety of volunteer services, Allen has served as president of the volunteer organization and helped organize the annual Christmas Love Light program.
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