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JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – Ballad Health Specialty Pharmacy recently earned accreditations from the Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC) and the Utilization Review Accreditation Commission (URAC). What is Ballad Health Specialty Pharmacy? Ballad Health Specialty Pharmacy, with locations in Bristol, Johnson City and Kingsport, offers personalized care and regular follow-ups from specialty pharmacists. They provide: Coordination with insurance and financial assistance programs Direct access to trained pharmacists and specialty care teams Free delivery of medications directly to patients or their physicians’ offices Integrated care and communication with patients’ physicians and care teams Patient support throughout enrollment in a medication management program, enhancing medication instructions, side-effect monitoring and overall health improvement Refill reminder calls What does this accreditation mean? ACHC accreditation is independent third-party validation, through a comprehensive survey process, that a healthcare organization’s policies, processes and care delivery meet recognized standards for quality and safety. The accreditation came with oncology distinction, meaning Ballad Health Specialty Pharmacy has been recognized for…

Article summary Read the full article KINGSPORT, Tenn. – Ballad Health and East Tennessee State University (ETSU) will bring together addiction experts, frontline advocates and community leaders for a daylong event focused on the opioid crisis and innovative solutions to support those impacted by substance use disorders. The “Recovery Symposium: Changing Minds, Changing Lives” will take place Thursday, June 11, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at MeadowView Conference Resort & Convention Center. “We’re proud to partner with East Tennessee State University to convene a respected group of experts at the forefront of addressing substance use disorders,” said Tammy Albright, senior vice president and chief executive officer of Ballad Health’s Behavioral Health Services. “This symposium represents another important step in our continued commitment to helping individuals and families across our region who have been impacted by the opioid crisis.” The event is free to attend and has been planned and implemented in accordance with the…

BRISTOL, Tenn. – A Wilderness Medicine CME Course for Trauma/First Responders is set for Friday, June 5, at Bristol Regional Medical Center in the Monarch Auditorium. The course provides EMS providers and healthcare professionals with the knowledge and practical skills to manage medical and traumatic emergencies in wilderness and austere environments. Participants will adapt assessment, treatment and evacuation strategies when resources are limited, transport is delayed and environmental hazards are present. The curriculum emphasizes decision-making, improvisation, prolonged field care and patient safety in remote settings. Participants are eligible for 8 hours of EMS continuing education. Ballad Health is accredited by the ACCME to provide CME for physicians and designates this activity for a maximum of 8 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit. For more information or to register, click here or click on the flyer below. For questions, mail cecilia.machac@balladhealth.org.

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. — Ballad Health has announced several leadership transitions in Kingsport and Southwest Virginia designed to strengthen clinical collaboration, reinforce operational continuity and continue advancing quality and patient care across the system. The leadership selections include Kristen Looney, FNP-C, as chief nursing officer for Holston Valley Medical Center and Indian Path Community Hospital, and Nikki Vanburen, RN, as chief nursing officer for Lonesome Pine Hospital, Lee County Community Hospital, Dickenson Community Hospital and Norton Community Hospital. Additionally, Dr. Jesse Sulzer has been selected to serve as chief medical officer for Holston Valley Medical Center and Indian Path Community Hospital. He will also continue serving as chief medical officer of Johnston Memorial Hospital while a national search is conducted to fill that role. Dr. Jamie Bartley has also been selected to serve as chief medical officer for Russell County Hospital and Smyth County Community Hospital while continuing in his current role as chief medical…

KINGSPORT, Tenn. – Ballad Health team members can once again take advantage of a special discount for all Crazy 8s events, taking place Saturday, July 18. Ballad Health team members and their family members are eligible for a 50% discount for the following events: To get the discount, use the code BALLADC8 when registering online. Click here to access registration and for more details on the events. Deadline to use the discount code is July 17; the discount code is not applicable for race-day registration. The Ballad Health Crazy 8s, organized by We Run Events, is an award-winning road race known internationally for its fast fields and festive nighttime atmosphere. It is known as “the world’s fastest 8K.” This year, it will serve as the USATF National Men’s and Women’s 8K Road Championship. Ballad Health and the Ballad Health Niswonger Children’s Network are proud title sponsors and longtime partners of the event.

KINGSPORT, Tenn. – Ballad Health team members can attend the Kingsport Axmen baseball game on Friday, June 5, for $1 (plus tax) as part of the team’s Healthcare Appreciation Night, which honors all healthcare workers in the region. Team members can get the special ticket rate by showing their Ballad Health ID badge at the gate. Throughout the evening, the team will also recognize healthcare workers over the PA system. The Appalachian League game against the Burlington Sock Puppets starts at 7 p.m. The Axmen recently partnered with Ballad Health to rename their home field Ballad Health Field at Hunter Wright Stadium. For more information, visit the Kingsport Axmen website or email mtester@axmenbaseball.com.

Did you know the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) requires all medical, nursing and food service personnel to have access to the approved therapeutic diet manual under CMS Condition of Participation 482.28(b)(3)? You can find the Ballad Health adult diet manual on the Ballad Health intranet under “Quick Links.” With a recent subscription update, access now requires a one-time completion of a short electronic form. After completion and submission of the form, you will receive an email once access has been granted. Below are the steps required to gain access. NOTE: The Ballad Health pediatric diet manual is also available under “Quick Links” and can be accessed without completing a form.

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – Ballad Health is offering free low-dose CT scans to individuals who meet criteria and have not had a lung cancer screening previously, helping expand access to potentially life-saving lung cancer screenings in the Appalachian Highlands where lung cancer is more common than others. Available for a limited time, these screenings are offered to individuals who qualify for their first scan. Appointments must be scheduled between May 6 and June 30. The screening is quick, painless and noninvasive. The scan itself only takes a few minutes, does not require needles, sedation or recovery time and patients can return to their normal activities right away. With screening available at many Ballad Health locations across the region, eligible patients can complete this potentially life-saving test close to home with minimal disruption to their day. These screenings are offered to individuals who qualify for their first scan. Appointments must be scheduled between May 6 and…

As we recognize Healthcare Week and Nurses Week across Ballad Health, we’re rolling out a new feature on our Ballad Teams team member app — our “Celebrate” experience. If you go into the app on your mobile device, you’ll notice a promotional banner for our Healthcare Week features. If you tap on that, you’ll launch the Healthcare Week experience, which includes the ability to thank a fellow team member through our ACTS of Service feature, in honor of Healthcare Week or Nurses’ Week. You’ll also find special appreciation messages from Alan Levine, Ballad Health Chairman and CEO, and Lisa Smithgall, Ballad Health’s chief nursing executive. About the Ballad Teams app Ballad Teams is a free, team member-only mobile app that offers important system news and easy access to other useful resources, including your pay statements, PTO balance, team member discounts, IT support, benefits and a link to log into Smart Square scheduling. If you don’t have…

For team members who have the latest iPhone models, here’s a quick reminder on how to download the Ballad Teams team member app to your phone. We’ve put together a 40-second instructional video (see bottom of this article); the process is quick and easy! And for all team members – more than 9,000 of us are using Ballad Teams, our mobile team member app. Have you downloaded it yet? What is Ballad Teams? The Ballad Teams mobile app offers team members important system news and easy access to an array of other useful resources like your pay statements, PTO balance, team member discounts, IT support, benefits, and a link to log into Smart Square scheduling. We continue to add new features. For any team members who downloaded Ballad Teams previously but have since lost the app – perhaps from updates to your phone, or you may have a new phone altogether – or if you’ve never had…

Article summary Read the full article Coty Brummette, FNP-C, joins BHMA Community Physicians – Pulmonology NORTON, Va. – Coty Brummette, FNP-C, has joined Ballad Health Medical Associates Community Physicians – Pulmonology, where he specializes in the treatment of lung and airway disorders. Brummette provides a broad range of services, including care for asthma, chronic obstructive lung disease and other lung disorders in addition to offering lung cancer screening, lung condition diagnosis and management and pulmonary function testing. “I provide every patient the same level of care I would want for my own family,” he says. Brummette earned degrees from Radford University in Radford, Virginia, and King University in Bristol, Tennessee. He is board-certified by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. Brummette is located at Ballad Health Medical Associates Community Physicians – Pulmonology, 98 15th Street NW, Suite 207A, Norton, Virginia. For more information, please call 276-439-1490 or visit balladhealth.org.  Kristin Harmon, MD, joins BHMA Family…

You can now receive emergency team member updates through the Ballad Teams app. Ballad Health uses Everbridge to send out emergency communications and alert team members to situations such as dangerous weather or active shooter scenarios. While you may already receive alerts through text or email depending on your Everbridge settings, you can now catch systemwide and location-specific alerts quickly and easily via Ballad Teams push notifications and view the full details of those alerts in the app’s notification center. To access the notification center, tap the bell icon on the home screen after logging into the app. You do not need the Ballad Teams app to receive Everbridge emergency alerts. You can change your Everbridge settings here, including which location alerts you’re subscribed to. You can download the Ballad Teams app by scanning the QR code below, or by clicking this link if you’re on your mobile device. Updating your Ballad Teams app To…

Did you know there are more than 1,400 known species of human pathogens, including viruses, bacteria, fungi and protozoa? Each month, our Ballad Health infection prevention team is highlighting one of those pathogens, or something important in how we deal with those pathogens, that you might encounter in your work. See what you know, or can learn, about these “bugs” through our “Bug of the Month” series, and about how we can prevent spread! This month, we’re spotlighting requirements regarding animal visitation in Ballad Health hospitals. There are specific guidelines to help prevent spread of illness. If you have questions or want more information, please reach out to your infection preventionist. Click here to see the flier below in PDF format.

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – Ballad Health Medical Associates has selected Loree Ching as its new chief financial officer. She will oversee financial planning and ensure resources are aligned to support high‑quality patient care across the organization’s multistate network. Ching brings 26 years of healthcare finance experience, including senior leadership roles within large physician groups and integrated health systems. Most recently, she served as vice president of finance for Acclaim Physician Group in Fort Worth, Texas, where she led financial operations for a $200 million, 500‑provider network. During her tenure, she implemented a more collaborative, operations‑driven budgeting model and strengthened financial and productivity reporting to provide clinical leaders clearer insight into practice performance. Her background also includes senior finance leadership positions across health systems in Oklahoma, Texas and Kentucky, where she supported physician enterprises, hospital operations and value‑based care initiatives. “Loree has extensive experience leading finance teams for large physician groups and health systems,” said Dr. Mark Patterson, president of Ballad Health Medical…

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. — Patients facing complex abdominal cancers now have new hope close to home as Ballad Health expands access to advanced, life-extending treatments at Johnson City Medical Center. In February, surgical oncology teams performed the first hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) procedure, followed by the first hepatic artery infusion (HAI) in March. These therapies expand treatment options for patients with complex abdominal cancers.  Both procedures were led by Dr. Jennifer Whittington of ETSU Health. The HAI procedure, specifically, is performed by the teams of Dr. Whittington and Dr. Trevy Ramos, as well as a specialized operating room staff trained to perform these complex procedures. “Some patients with extensive disease might have only weeks or months to live. With these advanced procedures, we’re often able to extend our patients’ lives by years.” – Dr. Jennifer Whittington “Some patients with extensive disease might have only weeks or months to live,” Dr. Whittington said. “With these advanced procedures, we’re often able to extend our patients’ lives by years.”  …