MEDICAL NEWS

LMHS among nation's top healthcare networks

Lee Memorial Health System ranks among the "Top 100 Integrated Healthcare Networks" in the country. Verispan's report - regarded as the nation's premier rating system - evaluates healthcare networks on performance and degree of integration.

Hospitals making the "Top 100" list possess critical success factors and have the ability to operate as a unified organization in eight categories. The categories are integration, integrated technology, contractual capabilities, outpatient utilization, financial stability, services and access, hospital utilization and physicians.

For a complete list of the "Top 100" IHNs go to www.verispan.com

Minnesota Twins Celebrity Golf Classic on the horizon

Minnesota Twins current players and star alumni will again lend their names to this year's 10th Annual Minnesota Twins Celebrity Golf Classic on Feb. 21. The Tournament takes place at the Verandah Golf & Country Club.

Registration and lunch begin at 11:30 a.m. and will be followed by a 1 p.m. shotgun start. Post-play will be followed by a 5:30 p.m. cocktail reception and a 6:30 p.m. dinner, featuring a live auction and an awards presentation.

The golf tournament is a scramble format and participants are allowed to enter the tournament either individually or as a team.

Honorary co-Chair and fan-favorite Bert Blyleven will again lead the Tournament activities and hopes to raise the bar even higher for Lee Cancer Care funding.

"Cancer is the #2 killer in America and we all need to come together as a community to help raise funds for those who are suffering. The Minnesota Twins call Southwest Florida their "second home" and are deeply committed to giving back to the local community," said Blyleven.

Last year, the event raised over $105,000 and has a goal this year of $115,000.

To reserve your spot, or to inquire about sponsorship opportunities, call the Lee Memorial Health System Foundation office at 985-3550.

Florida Heart Associates receives national recognition

The Medical Group Management Association Performance and Practices of Successful Medical Groups: 2007 Report Based on 2006 Data identified Florida Heart Associates as a "better performer" because of superior operational performance compared with similar medical group practices nationwide.

Receiving recognition for its third consecutive year, the group practice achieved Superior Performance Certificates in the categories of Patient Satisfaction, Accounts Receivable and Collections, Productivity, Capacity, and Staffing, as well as Profitability and Cost Management.

In group practice since 1996, several of the Florida Heart Associates board-certified physicians have practiced in Lee County since the mid-1970s. Florida Heart physicians are the only cardiologists who treat patients at HealthPark, Cape Coral Hospital and Southwest Florida Regional Medical Center as a group.