Memorial Healthcare System’s Graduate Medical Education (GME) program presented its newest group of residents at a white coat ceremony in Pembroke Pines.

The offering of the lab coat signifies entry to the next phase of medical training and recipients also recited the Hippocratic oath, a traditional statement of a doctor’s obligations and conduct.

47 physicians joined the program and will train in seven different specialties (internal medicine, pediatrics, physical medicine and rehabilitation, podiatry, general surgery, neurology, and psychiatry).

•    Three specialties (general surgery, psychiatry, and neurology) specifically address areas where the State of Florida has identified a shortage of physicians
•    Memorial’s first class of surgical residents is comprised entirely of women, a rarity in a specialty traditionally populated by men

"There were more than 5,000 applicants for the 47 spots in this year’s class, so the quality of our residents is outstanding,” said Saima Chaudhry, MD, vice president for academic affairs and chief academic officer at Memorial Healthcare System. “There is great demand for our training and history shows many of our doctors will remain in South Florida after their residencies, meaning there will be additional specialists to care for a growing and aging population.”

Florida Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nuñez, the highest-ranking Latina in the state’s political history, was one of the speakers at the ceremony, which was held on the campus of Memorial Hospital West. Chaudhry, Dr. Stanley Marks, Memorial Healthcare System’s senior vice president and chief medical officer, and Dr. David Battinelli also addressed the new physicians.

Since its transition to an academic medical center in 2016, Memorial’s programs have grown to train more than 80 residents, a number that is expected to increase to nearly 300 within three years. An anesthesia program is planned for next year, with OB/GYN likely to follow, pending certification by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.

In a U.S. News & World Report ranking of specialties at children’s hospitals throughout the U.S., orthopaedics at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital was ranked 33rd in the nation, based on patient outcomes, clinical resources, and utilization of best practices.

The Hollywood-based hospital was the highest rated in Florida and moved up two spots from the 2018 orthopaedic rankings.

U.S. News introduced the ‘Best Children’s Hospitals’ rankings in 2007 to help families of children with rare or life-threatening illnesses find the best medical care available.

The ratings, according to the publication, are a comprehensive source of quality-related information on U.S. pediatric hospitals. In addition to orthopaedics, data and survey information was collected for nine other specialties: cancer, cardiology and heart surgery, diabetes and endocrinology, gastroenterology and gastrointestinal surgery, neonatology, nephrology, neurology and neurosurgery, pulmonology and lung surgery, and urology. Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital increased their scores in nearly all these areas.

“We continue to be regarded as a top healthcare provider because we deliver care based on state-of-the art best practices, guided by what is right for children,” said Dr. Michael Jofe, the chief of orthopaedics at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital. “We are proud of the efforts of our clinical teams.”

The rankings were posted online and will be published in U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Hospitals 2020” guidebook, available in stores in September.

“The Best Children's Hospitals rankings were designed to help provide families seeking the best medical care for their sick child with access to the most comprehensive data available,” said Ben
Harder, Managing Editor and Chief of Health Analysis at U.S. News. “The rankings, coupled with guidance from pediatricians, help families make better-informed decisions about where to find high-quality, compassionate care for their children when they need it most.”

Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital -- the largest pediatric facility serving Broward, Palm Beach, and northern Miami-Dade counties - has 226 licensed beds, seven operating rooms, and an entire floor dedicated to pediatric oncology, all in a caring, compassionate setting designed specifically for children.  The orthopaedic surgery program also includes a comprehensive sports medicine program and rehabilitation services.

South Broward county’s only level one pediatric trauma center, the Memorial Healthcare System facility combines advanced technology, the expertise of some of South Florida’s most diverse, board-certified specialists, and a patient and family-centered focus to heal the body, mind, and spirit of those it touches.

Whether a consumer has insurance or is self-paying for medical services, the most asked question is, “What will my out-of-pocket cost be?”

Now, thanks to the evolution of Memorial Healthcare System’s healthcare price website, the answer is just a few keystrokes away.

Memorial’s online transparency tool is fully interactive and allows those researching specific procedures to enter individual insurance information and receive a quote in seconds that factors in deductibles, copays, and other policy details. There is also an option to research cost for those who don’t have or don’t want to use insurance. Additionally, the Healthcare Made Clear pages include:
•    what is and isn’t included in the estimate
•    financing options
•    locations where the procedure is performed
•    what the procedure entails from a medical perspective
•    why Memorial may be the right choice

Additionally, there are separate sections that provide comprehensive data about patient satisfaction, quality/safety, and how many times the procedure has been performed by Memorial doctors.

“The healthcare industry has taken a quantum leap forward, as we believe it should, in being transparent with consumers regarding pricing, safety, and quality information,” Blair Childs, senior vice president of public affairs at Premier, a healthcare improvement company that has more than 4,000 hospitals and 165,000 provider organizations as clients. “The next step that must be taken is to ensure that data is easily accessible and understandable, something Memorial Healthcare System has done with their online tools.

From what I’ve seen, they are leading the way in providing audiences an incredibly simple, yet comprehensive, web-based experience. More than just data, they are presenting all the information a potential patient needs to make informed care and financial decisions.”

“We believe we have the most advanced online tool available to consumers looking for answers that empower the decision-making process,” said Matthew Muhart, Memorial Healthcare System’s executive vice president and chief administrative officer. “We were early advocates of pricing and quality/safety transparency and are dedicated to providing information that is easy to access, use, and customizable to individual situations.”

Memorial (www.mhs.net) began its “Right to Know” campaign in 2014 and has been steadily building on original efforts as part of its mission to provide the highest quality patient and family-centered care.

From the start, the South Florida-based healthcare system has posted independently verified quality/safety data, self-pay rates, and extensive information about common procedures, hospitals, and service lines. “Others have met industry requirements by posting static documents, requiring prospective patients to call during business hours, or submit forms. Our focus has always been to be a resource, not an impediment, to the informed consumer. It’s one of the ways we move health forward,” said Muhart.

Muhart cites a recent report (“Humanizing Brand Experience”) by Monigle as evidence Memorial’s systemwide approach is working. The Denver-based healthcare consulting firm ranked the healthcare system’s brand #1 in the U.S., ahead of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore, based on consumer surveys. 

As a testament to Memorial's price transparency efforts, the signing of an executive order by President Trump on Monday to require hospitals to publish prices that reflect the actual costs of services reflects our ongoing commitment to providing patients and their families with as much information about their healthcare costs upfront.