Pinecrest Rehabilitation Hospital

Pinecrest Rehabilitation Hospital and Outpatient Centers hit the bull’s-eye with Target 100. Target 100, a Tenet initiative, provides the tools and framework for staff to work toward the goal of 100% satisfaction of patients, physicians and staff. It is built on five pillars of excellence: service, quality, people, cost, and growth.


Suzanne Snyder, PT (left) and Jan Verde, PT

Suzanne Snyder, Case Mix Supervisor and Janis Verde, Rehab Director are the Initiative Champions who have been instrumental in hardwiring this platform for success. They volunteered for this role in June of 2003 because they saw the value and benefit it would have for the entire organization. Their enthusiasm, high energy and dedication for this program permeate throughout each department in the hospital. They oversee seven committees that represent a cross section of staff including nurses, administrative assistants to physical therapists and all other clinical support departments.

Each team has two leaders, a chairperson and co-chair. They meet two to four times a month to discuss and develop projects. They work on action plans to keep projects on track. The vision and values of Pinecrest are consistently reinforced and Suzanne and Jan keep the momentum going.

The seven committees with their goals and current activities are:

The Employer of Choice Team goal is to retain staff, keep employees informed and maintain open lines of communication. To promote employee recognition the committee recently presented managers and supervisors with “recipes for success.” These are simple ideas for managers to provide positive reinforcement and encourage higher levels of performance. They coordinate CEO forums where the CEO meets with staff to discuss any issues or topics of interest.

The Inpatient Satisfaction Team serves as a liaison between the patient and the facility and focuses on improving Patient Satisfaction Measurement Scores by paying attention to patients needs on a clinical as well as personal level. The team recently initiated hourly patient rounding by CNA’s and Leader Rounding, which focuses on our success with managing the patient’s pain.

The Outpatient Satisfaction Team creates initiatives that result in the outpatient experience becoming more efficient, enjoyable and rewarding for the patient. They are working on a friendly competition modeled after the Olympics for their patients.

The Inpatient Physician Satisfaction Team goal is to enhance relationships with our staff physicians. Staff choose a “Doctor of Distinction” each quarter and the physician is presented with a certificate. A poster is placed in the front lobby with their photo and an explanation of why they were chosen.

The Outpatient Physician Satisfaction team has three core activities: enhancing relationships with referral sources, recognizing physicians through Doctor of Distinction nominations and analyzing processes to maximize the efficiency of the referral process.

The Measurement Team develops and implements measurement tools to help departments receive specific feedback from their “customers”.

The Rewards and Recognition Team ensures employees are recognized in creative ways for their consistent hard work and efforts to exceed in their jobs as well as maintain overall facility morale throughout the year. They also organize fund raising events. Recently, Pinecrest staff raised two hundred and forty five dollars and donated a box of books for the community based charity The Haven with “dress down Friday.”

All new employees are initially introduced to Target 100 at orientation. Here they learn about the impact Target 100 has had on patient, physician and employee satisfaction. They also hear about the fun and interesting projects that have been organized. The drive to recruit new members continues on Hospital Benefits Day and throughout the year at Target 100 events.

The leadership and direction of Suzanne and Jan has increased the momentum of Target 100 with refreshed energy to generate and implement creative ideas with renewed vigor and vitality.

Jan Verde is Director of Rehab at Pinecrest Rehabilitation Hospital since 2002. She earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Physical Therapy from Florida International University. Suzanne Snyder is Case Mix Supervisor and joined Pinecrest Rehabilitation Hospital in 1999. She earned her Bachelors of Science degree in Physical Therapy from the University of Florida.



Sherry Lebed Davis, Founder of “The Lebed Method . . . Focus on Healing Through Movement and Dance” recently presented a three-day teacher certification training at Northwest Medical Center.

The Lebed Method is a one-of-a-kind therapeutic dance movement exercise program. Sherry, a former professional dancer and breast cancer survivor designed this program in coordination with physicians, Drs. Marc and Joel Lebed, in 1979. Although this program was originally designed for those that have had any type of breast cancer intervention, this therapeutic program is also ideal for anyone suffering from lymphedema, chronic fatigue, arthritis, and any chronic condition.

The Lebed Method . . . “Focus on Healing” helps people regain, maintain and improve ROM, may help prevent/reduce risk of lymphedema, helps prevent frozen shoulder, reduces/prevents neck and back pain, improves balance, and improves one’s quality of life . . .physically and emotionally.

Northwest Medical Center’s local community was fortunate to have had the opportunity to hear Sherry Lebed Davis speak and also to experience first-hand the therapeutic benefits of this amazing program. Sherry gave a motivating presentation, “Discover and Explore Your Inner Child”. Sherry explained, “Why should children have all the fun? Fun is good for your head, heart, spirit and blood pressure. Allow yourself to remember to smile, do special things for yourself and relax.” Sherry led the group in some gentle exercises and dance routines. The group blew bubbles, moved to up-beat music, and laughter filled the room. Sherry also gave a lively presentation at Northwest Medical Center’s Lymphedema Support Group meeting. The Florida Juzo Compression Garment Rep was also on hand to discuss and show the group the latest in compression garments.

Two therapists from Northwest Medical Center’s Rehabilitation Department were certified in The Lebed Method. Cathy Kleinman-Barnett, MOTR/L, CLT-LANA, LMT and Lisa Jo Doran, COTA/L will be facilitating The Lebed Method . . . Focus on Healing classes at Northwest Medical Center. This program is a wonderful way to “sneak” in exercise, even for people who say they dislike exercise. The classes are so much fun that you don’t even realize you are giving yourself the gift and benefits of therapeutic movement. . .you just think you are having fun! Cathy and Lisa may be reached at (954) 978-4180 for additional information.



When I was about 8-years old I picked up some sort of eye infection at school. My pediatrician prescribed a medication and my mom went to our local pharmacist to pick it up. When she pried my eye open and put the drops in, it was as if the dropper contained gasoline. My eye became bright red and felt like it was on fire.

So my mom phoned the pharmacist and told him, only to find out he read the prescription wrong and gave me ear drops instead of eye drops. Though the ear drops didn’t do any damage, this memory still sticks with me today.

Surprisingly, this is not an uncommon event. While statistics vary, it’s estimated that thousands of prescription errors are made each year, resulting in it being one of the leading causes of malpractice law suits.

In some cases pharmacists read handwriting incorrectly, and in others patients forget the doctor’s instructions or don’t understand them. While some of these errors are little more than minor annoyances, others are fatal.

Recognizing this problem, in 1998 Dr. Douglas Smith, an experienced emergency room physician, decided to do something about it. Along with friend Larry Labossier, Smith approached Victor Cook, founder of a technology company, and said there had to be a way to write prescriptions on the computer that was quick and easy and would cut down on errors. Cook agreed, put his computer team to work and in 1999 the three formed ScriptRx.

Based in West Palm Beach, ScriptRx offers electronic script writing and patient instructions to hospitals, large practices and care centers around the country.

“We had guys doing applications for cash registers so we took those same skills and applied them,” Cook says. So instead of hitting the hamburger button and the iced tea button, authorized doctors go to the terminal and hit buttons that say “take with food” or “change dressing daily.”

All a doctor needs to do is follow the prompts and patient instructions are laser printed in an easy to read format. Scripts are also easily printed on the required paper so that the patient can take them right to a pharmacy. The system requires only a few minutes of in-service and Cook says it pays for itself in the time it saves doctors.

“No more nurses questioning what they wrote and no more calls from pharmacist and patients and no more errors. This product lets doctors focus on the patient in front of them,” he says, adding that even if an error is caught it still wastes valuable time.

And since ScriptRx was spearheaded by an ER doctor who solicited input from many colleagues, it was designed with the doctor’s convenience in mind. There are no log-ins or passwords needed to access the system. Instead ScriptRx uses biometric scanning of the thumb, or any of the other nine digits.

The security measure also adds extra security to the script writing process. Cook says only one person tried to write a false script and he was easy to catch because they had his thumb print.

ScriptRx was first installed in the ER of Good Samaritan Hospital in West Palm Beach in 2000. Cook says feedback was immediate and positive. Now the system is used in more than 400 facilities in 32 states. About 90 percent are in large ERs and the rest are split among smaller care centers.

Cook, who is now the company’s president and CEO, says the ScriptRx units are most cost effective in large facilities that see high volumes of patients. Typically one unit is installed per each 15,000 patients visits each year. The largest facility ScriptRx serves has six units in the ER.

A facility that adopts the ScriptRx system pays an installation fee for a new computer unit that is under warranty and an annual maintenance fee. It also receives the software, upgrades and paper. When the paper is running low, one phone call to ScriptRx will get it replenished.

All ScriptRx units are networked so the company can monitor the systems and immediately find when one is down or having problems. It is also designed to integrate into a larger system used by a facility.

While this technology can potentially avoid thousands of medical errors each year, Cook remains modest about it, saying it’s all in a day’s work. “I think the trend nationally is for automation in health care. And we’re just a small part of it.”



Melinda Glasco, Media and Outreach Specialist at Martin Memorial Health Systems, was recently named the Communicator of the Year for a special event. The award was given for her public relations work on the 2004 Martin Memorial Foundation Chrysanthemum Ball, which raised over $1 million for the health system.

Melinda Glasco (left) accepts the Special Event Communicator of the Year award from Jan Timon, APR, president of the Treasure Coast chapter of FPRA.

Glasco has been with Martin Memorial since October 2001. She is immediate past president of the Treasure Coast Chapter of FPRA and is also a founding member of the Martin Memorial Foundation Lifesavers.



It began as a small healthcare facility in Hallandale, Florida in 1965, and later moved to its current location in a then non-descript area of Northeast Dade County, an area folks were beginning to call Aventura. That was 31 years ago. Today, Aventura Hospital and Medical Center (AHMC), situated on what is now officially the City of Aventura, Florida, is setting the standard for healthcare services, construction, design and real estate planning.

Under the leadership of Chief Executive Officer, Davide M. Carbone, who took over as CEO at a time when the hospital faced many challenges and suffered from a poor physical plant and reputation, AHMC has grown into a South Florida healthcare icon with a thriving, full service medical campus, servicing the medical needs of Northeast Miami-Dade and Southeast Broward counties.

Developing the facility to reflect the flourishing City of Aventura in the 1990’s was a challenge, said CEO Davide M. Carbone, who had a vision of purchasing land and expanding the facility. “In the early days, money was tight, and it was difficult to obtain funds for real estate purchase,” said Carbone, who literally knocked on doors of homeowners in the area, asked them to sell and negotiated a price. “I was determined to get the land we needed, and build a hospital that would support our growth and meet the needs of our community.”

During Carbone’s 13-year tenure at AHMC, the hospital invested over $200 Million in real estate, new facilities, equipment and medical services.

In October 2004, Aventura Hospital and Medical Center completed a $130Million expansion project. The project included the addition of a brand new 11-story, 300,000 sq. ft. North Patient Tower featuring all private rooms, and refurbishing and window replacement of the existing South Tower. The new North Patient Tower features:

  • 28-bed Emergency Department
  • 77 Intensive Care Unit beds, including a new 10-bed CVICU
  • 166 all private rooms (including 16 VIP rooms, and 2 VIP suites)
  • 10 new operating rooms
  • 20-bed outpatient surgery center

In addition to the North Tower project, development on the hospital campus over the last ten years includes:

  • $12M, 3-story, 33,000 sq. ft. Aventura Comprehensive Cancer Center
  • 4 Medical Office Buildings:
    • Biscayne Medical Arts Center – 65,000 sq. ft.
    • Aventura Medical Plaza – 55,000 sq. ft.
    • Aventura Physicians Building/Orthopedic Care Center – 44,000 sq. ft.
    • Aventura Medical Arts Building – 100,000 sq. ft. (Opening 2006)
  • 2 Parking Garages:
    • North Garage – 6 levels, 815 spaces
    • West Garage – 5 levels, 1050 spaces
  • North Miami Beach Surgery Center – a day surgery facility
  • Sleep Center, Pain Center and Wound Care Center within main campus
  • Aventura Cardiovascular Center featuring a new Open Heart Surgery Program

The latest addition to the AHMC development family is a five-story, 100,000-square feet, state-of-the-art facility that will be called the Aventura Medical Arts Building. It will be located between the current main hospital structure and the West parking garage. The new medical office building will be designed to blend in with the existing hospital buildings.

The Medical Arts Building will house a variety of physician specialties, including primary care, internal medicine, cardiology, cardiovascular, a walk-in diagnostic center, and an urgent care center.

Carbone’s leadership and determination throughout the tough years of re-development and re-zoning issues in Aventura Government paid off. Today, Davide M. Carbone’s vision on the facility expansion stands as a City of Aventura landmark, and has established the facility as a pioneer in South Florida’s healthcare industry.