Baptist Health International, a part of Baptist Health South Florida, has named Rogelio E. Ribas, M.D., corporate vice president.

Dr. Ribas joined Baptist Health International in 2011 as director of international healthcare partnerships and insurance development and was promoted to assistant vice president in 2013. Prior to being named corporate vice president, Dr. Ribas served as interim leader of Baptist Health International
 
Dr. Ribas has nearly 30 years of healthcare administration experience, including direct oversight of healthcare operations, HMO experience in utilization review and administration with United Healthcare and the development of strong physician networks. Additionally, he has worked with private domestic and international companies to develop and implement growth strategies and has brought several organizations to Joint Commission Accreditation status. Dr. Ribas has been a board member of national and state nonprofit associations in the ancillary field.
 
Dr. Ribas received both his bachelor’s and medical degrees from the Escuela Autónoma de Ciencias Médicas in San Jose, Costa Rica.


VITAS® Healthcare, the nation’s leading provider of end-of-life care, redesigned its mobile app offering at-a-glance hospice eligibility information, streamlined secure patient referrals, and a user experience tailored to specific healthcare roles.

Available for Android and iOS devices, the redesigned VITAS mobile app offers:
• Brand-new look and intuitive, modern user interface
• Easy, one-touch features to share in-app resources and hospice information
• VITAS location/service area look-up by GPS, ZIP code or state maps
• Advanced prognostication information and calculators
 
The app takes the guesswork out of hospice eligibility decisions with color-coded, disease-specific guidelines for common diagnoses and easy-to-use assessment tools. An interactive Palliative Performance Scale (PPS) measures patient’s functional status and a body-mass index (BMI) calculator determines overall health.
 
Clinicians can refer patients quickly via face sheet photo capture or a simple mobile form submission. Originally added in April of 2018, the industry-first, HIPAA-compliant referral photo-upload feature is improved and even easier to use. Referring clinicians receive immediate confirmation of successful submission, prompt VITAS response, and access to support 24/7/365.
 
“Time is an important factor for seriously ill patients and the physicians who refer them for hospice care,” says Joseph Shega, MD, senior vice president and chief medical officer at VITAS. “Our updated app makes it even easier for clinicians to know when a patient may be eligible for hospice and ensures a seamless transition to compassionate end-of-life care.”
 
Personalization of app features and experiences based on common healthcare roles enables users to streamline and customize content preferences. For example, the app includes a schedule of upcoming VITAS-sponsored webinars on hospice and palliative care that are eligible for continuing education credits for many disciplines. Users can register for webinars with just one tap and receive in-app reminders and calendar updates about their upcoming sessions.
 
Download the free app at VITASapp.com, Google Play or the App Store.

 



The Cleveland Clinic Family Health Center, Stuart has officially opened its doors to patients. The new 87,000 square-foot facility at 3801 S. Kanner Highway in Stuart offers comprehensive outpatient services under one roof.

“The Family Health Center provides convenient access to world-class care for residents of Martin and St. Lucie counties,” said Wael Barsoum, M.D., CEO and President of Cleveland Clinic Florida. “It offers a comprehensive approach to outpatient care that Cleveland Clinic has successfully utilized in South Florida and Ohio. We believe it will be an exceptional addition to the services we offer on the Treasure Coast.”
 
Located at the corner of S. Kanner Highway and Indian Street in Stuart, the state-of-the-art Family Health Center features physician offices, a full-service imaging center and a lab draw station. An urgent care is scheduled to open by January 2020.
 
“The patient experience was paramount in the design of the Family Health Center,” said Robert L. Lord Jr., President of Cleveland Clinic Martin Health. “It was developed to provide numerous services all in one location, reflecting our ‘patients first’ philosophy for the communities we serve.”
 
Medical specialties represented at the Family Health Center include: family medicine, internal medicine, pulmonology, urology, general surgeons, vascular surgeons, concierge medicine, and bariatric surgery and weight management. There are approximately 90 exam rooms.
 
Advanced imaging technology includes 3-D mammography, 64-slice CT scanners, a nuclear medicine camera and PET/CT. Other diagnostic testing services include bone density testing, cardiac Holter monitoring, cardiac stress testing, echocardiograms, electrocardiograms, fluoroscopy, ultrasounds, vascular ultrasounds and X-ray.
 


Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center announces the appointment of Yvonne Hoang as its new Controller.

Hoang brings over 10 years of financial expertise to her new role at Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center. Prior to her appointment, she worked at sister facility, West Boca Medical Center, where she assisted in managing the daily operations of the accounting department including ensuring disbursements are timely and in compliance with corporate policies and guidelines, and assist the leadership team, directors and outside parties with financial inquires.
 
Prior to working at West Boca Medical Center, Hoang worked as an accounting supervisor at Kane Financial Services.
 
Hoang holds a bachelor of arts degree in accounting from California State-Fullerton in Fullerton, California.


Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital and Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida have entered into an agreement to expand care for kids across Florida’s west coast. The new agreement officially takes effect immediately, and will give providers at both locations access to medical privileges to admit and treat patients. Golisano Children’s Hospital will also be able to take part in pediatric research studies and protocols through Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital.

This innovative relationship provides a process for collaboration between the two hospitals, with a focus on increasing access to specialized pediatric care. Through this agreement, Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital and Golisano Children’s Hospital will work together to deliver the highest quality care, leverage resources and create better value for families.
 
“Joining forces between Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital and Golisano Children’s Hospital will allow each institution to do more of what they were intended to do — provide the highest quality care to the children in our regions,” said Armando Llechu, chief administrative officer of Golisano Children’s Services at Lee Health. “In addition to enhancing consultative services between the two hospitals, this agreement opens up many possibilities for future collaboration, programs and activities that will enhance the excellent care we are already providing to our patients. Simply put, we are better together.”