Two radiation oncologists join St. John’s Clinic

Helen Kim, M.D., and Nathan Kim, M.D. (no relation), joined St. John’s Clinic-Radiation Oncology in July.
Dr. Helen Kim had been in private practice for 16 years in Harrison, Ark. before joining St. John’s. Her interests include permanent prostate seed and gynecological implants, three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy and intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). Dr. Helen Kim also performs CyberKnife treatments and image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) at St. John’s.
Dr. Nathan (Dong Wook) Kim was appointed chief resident and also held a faculty position at Vanderbilt University prior to joining St. John’s.
Dr. Nathan Kim’s interests include a combined modality approach to cancer therapy, image guidance in radiotherapy, and the use of radiosurgery for treatment of intracranial and extracranial malignancies.
“We have served the region well in the past with the strong radiation oncologists associated with our program,” says Arnie Shreffler, administrative director of St. John’s Outpatient Oncology. “We are pleased to continue our excellence with these two new radiation oncologists who are part of St. John’s Clinic.”

Hospital achieves patient satisfaction goals

St. John’s Hospital’s inpatient departments started fiscal year 2006 with a goal of reaching the 90th percentile in patient satisfaction, as measured by Press Ganey, the leading independent vendor of health care satisfaction measurement and improvement services.
The departments began the year at the 79th percentile and through hard work and dedication rose to the 92nd percentile during the fourth quarter (April 1-June 30).
Press Ganey surveys measure patient satisfaction by comparing facilities of similar size throughout the country. St. John’s Hospital is in the large facility group and is compared to 100 other hospitals. The survey recipients are randomly selected by Press Ganey and offer a true sense of the perceptions of patients during their hospital stays.
The secret to the success is awareness by all co-workers.
“We’ve really tried to focus on not only the physical needs of our patients, but also the emotional needs,” says Lynn Langenberg, director of patient satisfaction and service for St. John’s Hospital.
According to the latest surveys, those needs are met by increased communication and visits by nursing directors and administration with patients and their family members, as well as improved patient care interactions with nursing staff.

Johnson named COO of Hot Springs, Ark. hospital

Timothy J. Johnsen, former president of St. John's Hospital - Lebanon, is the new chief operating officer at St. Joseph's Mercy Health Center, Hot Springs, Ark. Johnsen, who had been at the Lebanon hospital since June 2003, began his new duties in Hot Springs Sept 1.
“This was a very difficult decision for me and my family because of our strong, positive feelings for St. John's, hospital co-workers and the Lebanon community in general,” Johnsen says. "I am very proud of the work that has been done here with our earlier expansion and the plans for even more services well under way.”

St. John's Hospital President Rob Brodhead announces retirement, Jon Swope to return

Rob Brodhead, St. John's Hospital president and St. John's Health System regional vice president, has announced his plans to retire Dec. 31.
Brodhead joined the health system in December 1997 as president of St. John's Hospital in Springfield and assumed responsibility as regional vice president over five hospitals located in Aurora, Cassville, Lebanon, Mountain View and Berryville, Ark. He briefly served as interim health system president/CEO in 1999.
His career has included more than 35 years of experience in health care management. Before joining St. John's, he served as president and chief executive officer of Cardinal Health System and Ball Memorial Hospital in Muncie, Ind.
“It has been a pleasure to get up each morning knowing that I work for a superb health system. St. John's is a community treasure and it is well-positioned to meet the coming challenges,” Brodhead says.
Jon Swope, president and chief executive officer of Mercy Health System of Kansas and a former St. John’s executive, has been named as Brodhead's successor. He will have overall responsibility for St. John's Hospitals division. St. John's hospitals are located in Springfield, Aurora, Cassville, Lebanon, Mountain View and Berryville, Ark.
“My wife Missy and I are pleased to have an opportunity to return to Springfield and be closer to family. I'm also grateful for the opportunity to again work with the leadership team and physicians at St. John's,” Swope says.

Noble named president of St. John’s Hospital-Berryville

Kristy Noble was named president of St. John’s Hospital-Berryville Aug. 14.
Noble served as senior vice president of the Berryville hospital since 1995, after being promoted from vice president for community relations/development.
She succeeds David Dennis, who Aug. 28 became executive director of St. John's Home Care Services.
“David’s wealth of leadership and management experience will help us as we continue to grow our home care services in southwest Missouri and northwest Arkansas,” says Rob Brodhead, St. John's regional vice president.
Prior to coming to Berryville, Noble was director of community relations and marketing at St. Joseph's Regional Health Center in Hot Springs, Ark. St. Joseph's is a part of St. John's Health System's parent company, Sisters of Mercy Health System.
“Kristy is a strong leader who has done great things as interim president for St. John's Hospital-Berryville,” Brodhead says. “We are happy to have her step forward as full-time president and are confident she will guide the hospital as it continues to grow to meet the needs of the community.”

St. John’s Clinic donates $78,000 to Family Violence Center

St. John's Clinic physicians and co-workers recently made a donation of more than $78,000 to the Family Violence Center in Springfield.
The gift was made through the St. John's Clinic Force for Good, an ongoing initiative to provide community benefits. The Force for Good is a fund within St. John's Foundation for Community Health.
“We believe we have an opportunity and, in fact, an obligation to care for the needy in our community,” says Donn Sorensen, St. John's Clinic senior vice president and chief operating officer. “We support organizations like the Family Violence Center because they help people when they need it most.”

St. John's offers breakthrough PVD procedure

St. John's cardiovascular specialists now have a new weapon to fight plaque in arteries.
The new procedure, called excimer laser atherectomy, is used to open the leg arteries of patients with peripheral vascular disease. PVD is a slow, yet progressive circulation disorder that can occur in the legs, feet or arms. It can lead to amputation if not treated.
The new CLiRpath laser system uses ultraviolet light energy to clear out obstructions and restore blood flow to the foot.
Until recently, the only treatment options for peripheral vascular disease were bypass surgery, balloon angioplasty, and in severe cases, amputation.
“The most common cause of PVD is the build up of plaque inside the artery wall (atherosclerosis),” says St. John's cardiologist John Hawkins, M.D. “Plaque reduces the amount of flow to the limbs and decreases the oxygen and nutrients available to the tissue. Organs that are supplied blood by these diseased vessels such as the brain, heart, and legs may not receive adequate blood flow for ordinary function.”

St. John’s offers women’s health services in Berryville, Ark.

St. John’s Clinic-Berryville-Women’s Health opened in July with Shirolyn Moffett, M.D. Dr. Moffett, who is fluent in Spanish, received her medical degree from the University of Arkansas and served a residency in family medicine at Area Health Education Center in Fort Smith, Ark. She came to Berryville from her private practice in Harrison, Ark.
Kelly Humphries, M.D., joined St. John’s Clinic-Green Forest, where she offers both family medicine and women’s health services.
“We’re pleased to offer women’s health services in addition to our excellent staff of family medicine and other specialty physicians in Berryville,” says Kristy Noble, president of St. John’s Hospital-Berryville.