Profiles: Healthcare Executives at Work

Rob Lord was fully immersed in a successful law practice in Stuart when he got his first taste of health law. Nearly two decades later, what began as simply one aspect of his practice has become his professional focus as vice president of legal services and chief legal officer for Martin Memorial Health Systems.

“There is nobody anywhere who is an expert in all aspects of health law, because it is so varied and because it changes so quickly,” Lord said. “My job is largely to say, ‘Wait a second, there is an issue and we need to look at this,’ then determine what resources would best be utilized to address the issue.”

In the late 1980s, Lord was called on to oversee peer review proceedings involving physicians on staff at Martin Memorial. Eventually he began going to medical staff meetings and working more and more with the Stuart-based hospital. So Lord immersed himself in the subject, becoming board-certified in health law in 1996. Two years later, he was hired as chief legal officer of Martin Memorial.

Today, Lord – who recently became a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives – oversees Martin Memorial’s corporate compliance, risk management, internal audit and planning departments. Those areas are requiring more focus for healthcare providers across the country, as issues arise regarding corporate compliance, malpractice lawsuits and insurance dilemmas.

“Physicians and hospitals traditionally were held in incredibly high esteem by society,” Lord said. “The expertise of providers wasn’t questioned and people weren’t quick to sue. That has changed. We should be viewed by society as people doing their best to heal the sick. That’s not always the case today, which is unfortunate.”

Lord also sees the insurance issue playing a critical role in the continued sustainability of healthcare providers in South Florida. That includes the costs of both malpractice and property insurances, which have skyrocketed in recent years.

Throw in the challenges of finding legal relationships to align the interests of hospitals and physicians, increased scrutiny on not-for-profit providers and myriad other hurdles, and Lord sees plenty of challenges ahead for the healthcare industry.

“You have to have strong leadership,” he said. “You have to know at the CEO level, the board level, that you have people who are committed to complying with the law. They have to be committed to doing the right thing.”

Dina Torrillo, Revenue Integrity Supervisor, has over 10 years of finance experience in the healthcare industry. She received her Bachelor of Business Administration with a major in Finance form the University of Miami. Dina has been at Cedars Medical Center since April of 2000 where she has worked in various capacities. She began her career at Cedars as a managed care. Prior to Cedars she worked as a financial consultant out of West Palm Beach.

Dina is consistently excelling at her position. When the Director of the Revenue Integrity Department resigned, Dina immediately assumed responsibilities and has far surpassed all expectations. She has dramatically improved communication with other department Directors concerning any Charge master issues. Dina also chairs key hospital committees such as Chart Audit and Facility Billing. Dina Torrillo is a model employee who exemplifies leadership skills daily. She continuously demonstrates her knowledge of operations, good character, diligence, and follow through. Dina is definitely a team player and Cedars is extremely fortunate to have her and appreciative of her hard work and dedication.

Kathleen M. Palmer, B. A., joined HospiceCare of Southeast Florida in 2001 and has been the Chief Financial Officer for the past five years. Kathy came to HospiceCare with over 25 years of experience in healthcare financial management. She was a member of the team which achieved certification of one of the first five Hospice programs in New York, and has been involved with Hospice since 1984 as a volunteer, board member, consultant, and finance officer in New York, North Carolina and now Florida. Prior to working with Hospice programs, Kathy worked in long term care, medical practice and sub acute care.

Having experienced Hospice care for her family, and their choice to die peacefully at home with such dedicated caregivers, has made her commitment to serving HospiceCare so important. The concept of having the choice to die at home, with quality patient care, was a rare concept only thirty years ago. Hospice, as a relatively new health care provider, is now recognized nationally, and Kathy has appreciated having the opportunity to play a part in the financial development of this segment of the healthcare system. “I have received many personal rewards from working for Hospice. It is so gratifying to see the incredible support received from the staff, volunteers and the community.”

Kathy also holds additional certifications in Hospice Administration (NHPCO) and Quality Process Improvement (MVQIC). She is a member of several national professional organizations including the Healthcare Financial Management Association, The National Hospice and Home Care Financial Managers Association, and Florida Hospices and Palliative Care.

Dr. Martin I. Kalish represents hospitals, physicians, physician groups, and businesses engaged in the health care industry, with an emphasis on state and federal regulatory analysis. He advises and participates in hospital-physician credentialing, bylaws-related issues, peer review, and corrective action proceedings, and he represents clients in administrative and judicial proceedings.

Dr. Kalish also represents clients before the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, state licensing boards and medical disciplinary boards. He also assists clients with structuring and restructuring transactions to comply with state and federal health care regulations, and he assists in the defense of clients in health care fraud investigations.

Before joining the firm, he trained in internal medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and in rheumatology at the Massachusetts General Hospital. He was a clinical associate at the National Institutes of Health where he conducted research in biochemical and endocrinologic manifestations of aging.

He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine and a Diplomate in the Subspecialty of Rheumatology. He has held faculty appointments at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Since 1999, he has been a Voluntary Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Miami School of Medicine.

Dr. Kalish graduated from the University of Miami School of Law, cum laude, in 1986. He graduated from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in 1970 and from Brandeis University, magna cum laude, in 1966.