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WellMed Medical Group, the largest physician-owned practice management company in South Texas, has been named winner of the inaugural Richard L. Doyle Award for Innovation and Leadership in Healthcare, sponsored by Milliman Care Guidelines.
The San Antonio-based healthcare company that specializes in senior healthcare received the award in a presentation at the Milliman Care Guidelines Client Forum, held this year April 19-22 in Miami. Terrence Nugent, M.D., Vice President of Medical Affairs and Utilization Management for WellMed, accepted the award in ceremonies on Monday, April 20.
WellMed won the Doyle Award for using evidence-based guidelines from the Inpatient and Surgical Care product to reduce hospitalization time for patients having total knee replacement surgery, one of the fastest-growing procedures among patients 45 years or older. Specifically, WellMed worked with an orthopedic surgeon, David Fox M.D., and Northeast Baptist Hospital to create a rehabilitation center – dubbed “Joint Camp” – on the recovery floor.
Success of the WellMed program prompted the Baptist Health System, the largest hospital system in San Antonio – with about 1,200 total knee replacement patients in 2007 – to adopt the “Joint Camp” model for its five hospitals in 2008.
“We are proud to be selected winners of the first Doyle Award,” Dr. Nugent said. “The Care Guidelines have proven to be powerful tools for us in improving patient care and outcomes. The entire WellMed Medical Group relies heavily on the Care Guidelines to deliver the best, most effective care possible to our patients.”
Scott Harris, Milliman Care Guidelines Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing, added, “This is another proof point that the Care Guidelines, in the hands of dedicated medical professionals such as WellMed, can directly impact healthcare quality and efficiency. The evidence-based clinical tools included in the Care Guidelines, when used with professional clinical judgment, can improve patient outcomes.”
About The Richard L. Doyle Award For Innovation and Leadership in Healthcare
Named for Richard L. (Dick) Doyle, M.D., founder of the Milliman Care Guidelines, the award was developed to recognize Milliman Care Guidelines clients who are healthcare leaders and innovators -- those using the Care Guidelines to advance the delivery of optimal healthcare.
Dr. Doyle was a hospital chief-of staff when he began creating clinical guidelines in the 1980s to help improve healthcare efficiency and quality at Mercy Hospital in San Diego. He later joined Milliman and, in 1990, published the first set of what was to become the Milliman Care Guidelines.
Judges for this award were independent healthcare quality experts, not currently associated with Milliman Care Guidelines. They were Richard L. Doyle, M.D., retired founder of Milliman Care Guidelines; Liza Greenberg, RN, MPH, president of Health Project Consulting; Leah Binder, MA, MGA, chief executive officer of Leapfrog Group; Donna Merrick, director of standards development for URAC, and Michael Millenson, president of Health Quality Advisors.
Applicants were judged on how well their projects supported the Milliman Care Guidelines corporate mission -- “To advance the delivery of optimal healthcare,” as well as the level of innovation, impacts on other departments or geographic areas, quantifiable progress, and support from hospital or health plan leadership. Judges looked for improvements in healthcare quality or patient safety; patient or member satisfaction; staff efficiency, productivity or satisfaction; provider or payor satisfaction or communication; external agency satisfaction, and healthcare costs.
About Milliman Care Guidelines
Milliman Care Guidelines, LLC (careguidelines.com), A Milliman Company, is located in Seattle, and independently develops and produces evidence-based clinical guidelines and software used by more than 1,000 clients, including hospitals, providers and health plans. Covering the continuum of care, the seven-product Care Guidelines series -- Ambulatory Care, Inpatient and Surgical Care, General Recovery Guidelines, Recovery Facility Care, Home Care, Chronic Care Guidelines and Behavioral Health Guidelines -- is updated annually by an experienced team of clinicians and are used to support the care of more than one in three Americans.
About Milliman
Milliman Care Guidelines is a wholly owned subsidiary of Milliman, Inc., which is among the world’s largest independent actuarial and consulting firms. Founded in Seattle in 1947 as Milliman & Robertson, the company now has 49 offices in key locations worldwide. Milliman employs more than 2,000 people, with a professional staff of more than 1,000 qualified consultants and actuaries, including specialists ranging from clinicians to economists. The firm has consulting practices in healthcare, employee benefits, property and casualty insurance, life insurance and financial services. Milliman serves the full spectrum of business, financial, government, union, education and non-profit organizations.
About WellMed
WellMed Medical Management (wellmedmedicalgroup.com) is a diversified healthcare company and insurance provider serving more than 80,000 patients and insured members, mostly Medicare-eligible seniors in Texas, Florida, Arkansas and New Mexico. WellMed is an industry leader in medical risk management, highly effective disease management and chronic care programs, healthcare delivery services, and more.
WellMed is South Texas’ largest physician-owned practice management company, specializing in senior health care since 1990. With more than 30 medical clinics in Texas and Florida, the vision of the healthcare company and insurance provider is to change the face of healthcare delivery for seniors.
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