Executive Medical Director
Psychiatric
emergency services
Opened the NeuroPsychiatric Center’s (NPC) second floor
Crisis Stabilization Unit, provided 3-day length of stay,
greatly decreasing the number of voluntary admissions to Harris
County Psychiatric Center.
Medical
services
Physician turnover remained low, a credit to divisional medical
directors’ leadership. Response by medical directors
to havoc caused by Tropical Storm Allison allowed patient
care services to continue, despite major building/facility
damages.
Nursing
services
Placed a high priority on nursing services, partly due to
the local nursing shortage. Director of Nursing took on duties
related to FEMA workers, who continued working for months
after the storm, assisting with victims of emotional hardships/personal
trauma.
Pharmacy
services
Completed a full spectrum of consultation of pharmacy services
and implemented changes to staffing ratios, job descriptions,
and salaries for pharmacists and technicians. Began the process
of replacing the pharmacy software system. New generation
medication tracking was emphasized for cost accounting purposes.
Quality
management
Resumed community standards audits in Quality Management for
the mental health divisions. The audits related to Medicaid
and CARD/rehab services as did audits related to service coordination
services.
Residency
training services
Continued to train resident physicians for both adult and
child/adolescent services. Especially helpful were the rotations
for residents within Chilren's Forensic Services as well as
the NPC. Approximately 69% of physicians hired since resident
physician training began in ’92 have come through MHMRA
as part of their training.
Professional
staff services
Began credentialing by the Managed Care Division through an
outsourced vendor for credentials/letters of reference with
the medical staff making decisions through the medical staff
executive committee. This allowed the director of professional
staff services to oversee new generation medications line-item
and patient assistance prescription resources.
Social
work services
Implemented the collaboration with the University of Houston
to provide on-site classes for a master’s in Social Work
program. The program allows employees who work full-time to
pursue higher level education.
