Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) has announced Pua Cooper as recipient of the Chapter Leader of the Year Award for 2020.

Pua Cooper is the assistant vice president, chief clinical informatics officer for Boca Raton Regional Hospital, where she oversees the operations of the Quality Department, Clinical Informatics, and Infection Prevention department for this 400-bed academic medical center.
 
As a seasoned nurse leader with over 30 years of leadership and clinical experience, she uses her strong understanding of clinical practice to leverage technology integration to improve organizational performance. She holds a Master’s of Science in Nursing with a specialty in Nursing Informatics and as of this year is a Certified Healthcare Information Technology Executive through the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives.


Rx Now, offered at Baptist Health South Florida Urgent Care facilities in Miami-Dade and Broward counties and Baptist Health Emergency Care in West Kendall, provides patients with immediate, on-site access to the medications most commonly prescribed to treat their illnesses, oftentimes alleviating the need to travel to a pharmacy.

Baptist Health has partnered with InstyMeds to offer the convenient service, which dispenses many familiar prescription medications through a vending machine right after a patient receives a diagnosis, treatment plan and prescription.
 
Once the patient visit has concluded, a facility staff member accompanies the patient to the Rx Now vending machine, usually located in the waiting room. The patient enters a personalized code provided by the care team, and the medication is conveniently dispensed for a small cost.
 


Ben Spence, chief financial and business services officer for Lee Health, was recently honored as FGCU’s 2020 Alumnus of Distinction at the school’s annual alumni awards ceremony. This recognition is the highest alumni honor awarded by FGCU.

Spence, who graduated from FGCU in 2010 with a M.S. in Health Science, started at Lee Health as a reimbursement clerk in 1995. Prior to joining the health system, Spence earned a bachelor’s degree from The Ohio State University in 1992 and spent time working in real estate.
 
As Lee Health’s CFO, Spence has developed long and short-term financial plans to provide the resources needed to achieve the health system’s strategic initiatives, vision and mission. His oversight has led to significant financial accomplishments that afford the opportunity to treat every patient regardless of their ability to pay.
 
In addition to his role at Lee Health, Spence is an active member of the Healthcare Financial Management Association and a member at-large of the Horizon Council. He also supports many community organizations including the American Heart Association, United Way, Ronald McDonald House Charities and SalusCare. 


Lee Health announced that it is now offering clinic-based specialty pharmacy services. Specialty pharmacies provide additional support and education for patients suffering from chronic conditions, and the opening of the Lee Health Specialty Pharmacy advances Lee Health’s goal of being active partners with patients to help them along their health care journey. The Lee Health Specialty Pharmacy was developed in collaboration with Trellis Rx, a leading technology-enabled specialty pharmacy services provider.

Thousands of patients in Southwest Florida require specialty medication therapies to manage cancer, HIV, rheumatoid arthritis and other chronic conditions. These community members often require education, clinical support and ongoing management to adhere to their therapy regimens and manage side effects. Monthly out-of-pocket costs for these therapies can also reach thousands of dollars, making it challenging for patients to access and stay compliant with these vital treatments.
 
The Lee Health Specialty Pharmacy will address these challenges by integrating specialized pharmacists and patient liaisons directly into the specialty care practices to support patients. This local, clinic-based approach will ensure patients receive the coordinated, personalized care required to improve adherence. Lee Health’s physicians and their staff will also receive additional integrated support to relieve the administrative and clinical workflow burden caused by these complex therapies.
 
Patients will receive in-person medication education and ongoing counseling from pharmacists with advanced clinical training. Pharmacy liaisons will manage financial assistance applications, insurance authorizations, medication refills and more to reduce the burden specialty medications often create for patients and providers.


VITAS® Healthcare is among 146 South Florida influencers, companies and organizations featured in the inaugural publication of “Innovate® Miami,” a full-color, interactive coffee-table book that represents “the best of Miami’s innovative and entrepreneurial ecosystem.”

A profile of VITAS – including its legacy as an innovator of the hospice movement and its embrace of industry-changing healthcare technology – is splashed across a double-page spread (136-137) in the online version of Innovate® Miami. The book’s companion app hosts augmented reality videos that can be viewed by aiming them at AR-designated pages in the book.
 
“Our excitement at being invited to participate in this new venture is exceeded only by the value of appearing alongside so many other cutting-edge influencers, innovators, companies and organizations throughout South Florida,” says Drew Landmeier, chief marketing officer for VITAS. “Our inclusion in Innovate® Miami’s launch publication simply deepens our commitment to the South Florida community, our employees and our healthcare partners.”
 
The publication showcases influencers ranging from “titans of industry to on-the-rise startups,” including thought leaders, entire communities, nonprofit groups and innovators across travel and hospitality, education, financial technology, sports and wellness, green technology and sustainability, startups, professional and technology consulting, networking and media and more.
 
Five other Miami-based companies join VITAS in a section dedicated to healthcare innovation.
 
Sven Boermeester, Founder/CEO of International Group Publisher and one of Innovate® Miami’s founders, says the publication is “for the open-minded folk who want to know more about the exciting changes that have recently transpired in the Miami ecosystem, and who play or want to play an active role in its growth and development.”
 
Global Village Ventures LLC, the book’s publisher, creates similar innovation-themed publications in other cities and countries around the world. The Miami version will be available on Amazon.com and through GlobalVillage.world in early 2020.