DCH News
Ernest Buck, M.D., wins Award of Merit
August 11, 2010
Dr. Buck
"It's a very humbling experience," Dr. Buck said. "It's the type of award that is the pinnacle of a career. Previous recipients are wonderful and inspiring pediatricians who are the backbone of pediatrics in the state of Texas. I wasn't even considering myself as a candidate. It took me totally by surprise."
Dr. Buck was nominated by Skip Brown, M.D., immediate past president of the TPS, and supported by Driscoll Children's Hospital's William Dirksen, M.D., and Mary Dale Peterson, M.D., M.H.A.
The award will be presented to Dr. Buck at the TPS annual meeting awards luncheon on Saturday, November 6, 2010 at the Westin La Cantera Resort in San Antonio.
Allen graduates from Spanish Bilingual Assistant class
July 14, 2010
William Allen, M.D. was one of 15 bilingual staff at Driscoll Children's Hospital to graduate from a 60-hour Spanish Bilingual Assistant (SBA) class on July 14. The class included a comprehensive language screening process and was conducted over six weeks. The SBA program is supported by the National Medical Interpreter Project, which is dedicated to supporting language access for non-English-speaking families. This was the third SBA class offered at Driscoll; the last one was offered in McAllen last year.
Johnson, Cortes receive awards
June 18, 2010
During the 2010 Residency Graduation Program held at the Omni Marina Hotel on June 18, Cris Johnson, M.D. was the recipient of the "Best Subspecialty Teacher Award" and Richard Cortes, M.D. received the "Best General Pediatrician Teacher Award" from the graduating Driscoll pediatric residents. Both physicians received a plaque in appreciation of their efforts.
Ramakrishna appointed to Regional Advisory Committee
June 18, 2010
Mulukutla Ramakrishna, M.D. of South Padre Island Pediatric Center has been appointed as a physician member from Corpus Christi to the board of CHIP and Medicaid for Region 11, stretching from Victoria to the Rio Grande Valley (the state is divided into 11 regions). The Regional Advisory Committee (RAC) is an advocacy forum for matters related to CHIP and Medicaid to improve access to care, quality of care and managed care issues. The RAC also responds to questions, suggestions and recommendations from various community partners and the public. RACs are also provided information regarding updates and upcoming changes at the federal and state level. In turn, each RAC sends recommendations from the regional level to the Texas Dept. of Health & Human Services Commission for enhancement and improvement of care. If any physicians or hospital staff have any issues regarding improvement or enhancement of care in this area or issues relating to managed care, contact him at 361-854-4626.
Dr. Ramakrishna is a former chief of staff at Driscoll Children's Hospital and a former chief of pediatrics. He is a former board member of Head Start for Nueces County and the Child Advocacy Center. Presently he serves on the Driscoll Medical Executive Committee and chairs the Driscoll Children's Health Plan Credentials Committee. He is board certified in Pediatric Emergency Medicine and currently serves on the boards of Coastal Bend Emergency Services and 501Primary Care Pediatrics.
In addition, Dr. Ramakrishna was recognized June 18 during the 2010 Residency Graduation Program held at the Omni Marina Hotel for his contributions to resident education with the "Best Teaching Attending Award." He received a plaque in appreciation of his efforts.
Dr. Ramakrishna is a former chief of staff at Driscoll Children's Hospital and a former chief of pediatrics. He is a former board member of Head Start for Nueces County and the Child Advocacy Center. Presently he serves on the Driscoll Medical Executive Committee and chairs the Driscoll Children's Health Plan Credentials Committee. He is board certified in Pediatric Emergency Medicine and currently serves on the boards of Coastal Bend Emergency Services and 501Primary Care Pediatrics.
In addition, Dr. Ramakrishna was recognized June 18 during the 2010 Residency Graduation Program held at the Omni Marina Hotel for his contributions to resident education with the "Best Teaching Attending Award." He received a plaque in appreciation of his efforts.
Driscoll Children's Hospital receives the Texas Award for Performance Excellence
June 17, 2010
Donna Quinn (third from left), vice president of Operations and Quality for Driscoll Children's Hospital, holds the Texas Award for Performance Excellence with Steve Woerner (fourth from left), Driscoll president and chief executive officer. Second from right is Bill Denney, president of the Quality Texas Foundation, and the others are members of the foundation.
Texas Award for Performance Excellence (TAPE) by the Quality Texas Foundation, making it the only children's hospital in Texas to receive this recognition. The award elevates the hospital to the Progress Level, the third of five levels of achievement.
"Last year Driscoll was recognized at the Commitment Level, which is Level 2," said Dr. Deborah Flores, assistant vice president for Quality and Risk Management for Driscoll Children's Hospital. "This newest recognition indicates that we demonstrated with data in our application that we are making quantifiable progress in the seven categories the award addresses."
The seven categories are Leadership, Strategic Planning, Customer and Market Focus, Information and Knowledge Management, Workforce Focus, Process Management and Results. The Texas Award for Performance Excellence recognizes organizations in many areas, including manufacturing, education, healthcare, service providers and non-profits.
The award was presented to Driscoll at the TAPE Conference at the Hilton Hotel in Rockwall on June 6-7th.