One of the leading healthcare services providers in the region, Leon Medical Centers, has invested in the future of the industry by making a $5 million donation to Miami Dade College’s (MDC) acclaimed school of nursing. The donation also coincided with the 50th anniversary of the school of nursing which opened its doors in 1962.
 
The school will also be renamed the Benjamin Leon School of Nursing at Miami Dade College. More importantly, the donation will fund a cohort of ten nursing students per year at the school for a period of 10 years to bolster Leon Medical Centers’ workforce and the industry’s.
 
The United States is facing a critical shortage of nurses, with no sign of abating. The problem is especially severe in South Florida. The Leon gift will go a long way in mitigating these hurdles in the region’s healthcare industry.
 
“I cannot think of many other institutions that have positively impacted as many lives in our community as Miami Dade College,” said Benjamin Leon III, President & CEO of Leon Medical Centers and MDC Trustee. “This is our way of thanking this fine institution and encouraging it to continue building a better community through education and opportunity.”
 
Leon Medical Centers selected MDC because of its shared commitment to medical excellence and to the community both organizations serve.
 
“This donation is one more step in our commitment to medical excellence and our commitment to our community. You can’t have medical excellence without having exceptionally prepared and professional nurses. They are the frontline of medical excellence,” said Benjamin Leon Jr., Chairman and Founder of Leon Medical Centers. “We are fortunate to have many MDC School of Nursing graduates serving the patients of Leon Medical Centers and with this donation look forward to having many more. “
 
“We are extremely grateful and pleased with the generosity of the Leon family. They have raised the bar of civic engagement and giving for all to follow,” said Dr. Eduardo J. Padrón, president of Miami Dade College. “Thanks to their gift, we will take our already nationally renowned School of Nursing to even greater heights and, more importantly, expand our impact in the community.” 


Total enrollment at the nation’s osteopathic medical colleges now tops 21,600, a 4.5 percent increase over last year’s total enrollment. Today, 20 percent of all U.S. medical students are attending osteopathic medical schools, a percentage that will continue to increase as new campuses are developed or complete all four years of enrollment, and as established and existing colleges complete previously approved increases in their class sizes. Three new colleges of osteopathic medicine will open their doors in 2013, and several others are in the planning stages.
 
With 2156 osteopathic medical students, LECOM has the largest enrollment of any medical school in the country with campuses in Erie, PA, Greensburg, PA. and Bradenton, Florida.
 
• This fall, 5,804 new students enrolled at one of the nation’s 26 colleges of osteopathic medicine, a 2.9 percent increase over last year’s incoming class. This includes 536 first-year students at LECOM.
 
• In spring 2012, 4,722 students graduated from osteopathic medical schools, 13.5 percent more than the previous year’s 4,159 graduating osteopathic medical students, and 54 percent more than the number of new osteopathic physicians who graduated a decade ago. LECOM awarded the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree to 399 new physicians.
 
• Enrollment is expected to continue rising in the coming years, with three colleges of osteopathic medicine opening their doors in fall 2013: Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine, Campbell University College of Osteopathic Medicine (North Carolina) and Marian University College of Osteopathic Medicine (Indiana). Each school plans to enroll entering classes of more than 100 students.
 
• Halfway through the application cycle for entry in fall 2013, osteopathic medical school applications are on track to hit record numbers for the tenth consecutive year. LECOM has seen a 16% increase in the number of medical college applicants this year.
 
Growth in the number of osteopathic medical school graduates will help mitigate looming physician shortages, especially in the critical primary care area. A variety of reports predict primary care physician deficits that will range from 20,000 to 46,000 by 2020-2025, and all physician shortages of 120,000 to 160,000. With large numbers of new osteopathic physicians continuing to pursue primary care careers, AACOM is hopeful that the osteopathic medical profession can help the nation avert a primary care crisis. LECOM continues to be a leader in preparing primary care physicians. Nearly three out of five LECOM graduates have gone into primary care fields of family medicine, internal medicine and pediatrics and the college consistently ranks in the top ten medical schools who graduate the most primary care physicians.


The U.S. Health Care System is one of the most competent and advanced health care systems in the world. The American health care system is based on health insurance that may well be private or government plans such as Medicare and Medicaid. However, when the insurance claim from payments for services rendered is presented, the different healthcare providers (hospitals, clinics, diagnostic centers, medical offices, etc.) must fill out a form that shows the diagnoses that justifies the medical necessity of the different procedures to be carried out and in the end to be paid by those providers. Just like medical procedures are coded, diagnoses must be coded using the ICD-9-CM codes for the first and CPT-4 for the second.
 
ICD-9-CM codes belong to the International Classification of Diseases, established by the World Health Organization (WHO) with an adaptation (Clinical Modifications) by the American health care system in accordance with the American Medical Association (AMA). This coding system was first used in the world, when they created the first version (ICD-1) in the early twentieth century, since then, periodic changes or revisions have been added that ultimately led to the ICD-9 which has been in place since the eighties, and will soon be replaced by ICD-10 in October of 2014.
 
Similarly CPT-4 codes to level I belong in the Health Care Common Procedural Coding System (HCPCS), which are used to encode different medical procedures either for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes. This system is purely American and has been revised periodically by the AMA, and it will remain the coding system once the procedures change from ICD-9 to ICD-10-CM, as it fully meets the U.S. Health Care System’s requirements for financial transactions. This means that in October of 2013 the health care system of the United States will undergo a substantial change in adopting a new coding system for diseases, much more accurately and efficiently, which has been in use by most developed countries of the world, since the beginning of the XXI century.
 
As expected this change requires advance preparation of professionals in the field of information and health insurance, and for such purposes Florida National University (FNU) has been one of the pioneer centers offering training courses in ICD-10-CM / PCS to its students for the Fall of 2010.
 
For more than 5 years, FNU has been offering a diploma in Medical Coding and Billing (as well as a quick training seminar on the same theme), which historically provided newly arrived immigrants the skills needed to enter the job market. The FNU Training Center has an excellent reputation of producing graduates who have passed the certification exam for Professional Coders (CPC) of the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC). Similarly, we are confident that our graduates in these disciplines will successfully pass the certification exams for ICD-10 that will be implemented as a requirement for all professionals in the field starting in October of next year.


Nancy Borkowski, DBA, FACHE, clinical associate professor and executive director of health management programs for FIU’s Chapman Graduate School of Business, received the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) Regent’s Senior Executive Award on October 18, 2012. The award was bestowed on Dr. Borkowski by Heather Rohan, President and CEO of Aventura Hospital and Medical Center and ACHE Regent for Eastern Florida.
 
The Regent’s Senior Executive Award recognizes ACHE fellows who have made significant contributions to the advancement of healthcare management excellence and the achievement of ACHE’s goals. Fellows are evaluated on leadership ability, innovative and creative management, executive capability in developing their own organization and promoting its growth and stature in the community, participation in local and state hospital and health association activities, participation in civic/community activities and projects, participation in ACHE activities and interest in assisting ACHE in achieving its objectives.


Miami Dade College’s Medical Campus is located in the heart of Miami’s medical district and offers a variety of associate degree programs as well as certificate programs in healthcare. Each year, more than 7,000 students are guided by a devoted team of faculty who are experts in their field. These programs prepare students of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities for high skill, emerging careers in a relatively short amount of time. Living up to its commitment to excellence, the academic staff integrates students’ classroom learning with unique opportunities to participate in clinical experiences at healthcare facilities, as well as community service initiatives designed for students’ enrichment and the development of the community.
 
Some of the two-year associate in science degree programs offered include Clinical Laboratory Sciences, Emergency Medical Services, Nuclear Medicine, and Health Information Management. Two of the short-term certificate programs include Massage Therapy and Medical Coder Biller Specialist, just to name a few.
 
The Clinical Laboratory Sciences program prepares students to work as part of the health care delivery team in a hospital, private clinical laboratory, or research laboratory. The students acquire extensive knowledge of chemistry, microbiology, serology, hematology, urinalysis, and blood bank practices.
The Emergency Medical Services program provides learning experiences that enable the student to acquire and assimilate the necessary technical competencies to function effectively as a supportive health care provider in the pre-hospital environment. Before entry into the Emergency Medical Services Degree program, students must complete the training as a First Responder, Emergency Medical Technician, and Paramedic.
 
The Nuclear Medicine program prepares students to administer radioactive materials into the human body that are detected by an imaging device known as a gamma camera. The students learn to prepare and administer the tracer radiopharmaceuticals to the patients and record the images using computerized detection systems. Nuclear Medicine Technologists are employed in hospitals, outpatient diagnostic imaging centers, and private physician offices.
 
Health Information Management professionals are in demand in a variety of health care settings. They are experts in health data collection and analysis. The Health Information Management program prepares students to interpret and process health information for research and data collection. Management of computerized health information is emphasized in the curriculum.
 
The Massage Therapy program teaches students therapeutic massage and the manipulation of the soft tissue structures of the body to promote health and wellness. Students also learn to apply manual techniques and adjunctive therapies. The program trains individuals for self-employment and employment in an array of public and private settings, including resorts, physician offices, hospitals, fitness centers, spas, and many more.
 
The Medical Coder-Biller program prepares students to translate diagnoses and procedures into numerical designations (codes). The program involves coding, classifying, and indexing diagnoses and procedures for the purpose of standardization, retrieval, and statistical analysis. The student will also be trained to prepare and file insurance claim forms for reimbursement.