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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…

NOTE: This message was emailed to Ballad Health team members from Dr. Lisa Smithgall, Ballad Health’s senior vice president and chief nursing executive, on Monday, May 4. Happy Nurses and Healthcare Week! Each year, Nurses Week gives us an opportunity to pause and reflect, but more importantly, to celebrate you. Across Ballad Health, our nurses show up every day with skill, compassion, resilience, and an unwavering commitment to excellence. You are caregivers, advocates, leaders, mentors, and innovators. You are the heart of our organization and the future of our profession. This year, I am especially proud of the way our nurses are shaping not only patient outcomes, but our culture. Through our B Excellent program, we continue to build an environment grounded in respect, accountability, teamwork, and pride in our work. B Excellent isn’t just a program or an initiative… it’s how you show up for each other, how you support patients and families during life’s…

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – Ballad Health was awarded Network of Excellence accreditation in robotic surgery by Surgical Review Corporation (SRC), honoring systemwide excellence in patient safety, surgical outcomes and clinical consistency. The national recognition coincides with a $15 million investment to expand robotic-assisted surgery across the region, bringing the program to additional rural hospitals. Ballad Health also recognized multiple surgeons who have achieved SRC Master Surgeon accreditation, underscoring a sustained commitment to the highest standards of surgical quality across the Appalachian Highlands. Surgical Review Corporation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to patient safety, named three Ballad Health hospitals as Centers of Excellence in robotic surgery – Franklin Woods Community Hospital, Bristol Regional Medical Center and Holston Valley Medical Center. With these recognitions, Ballad Health earned SRC’s Network of Excellence accreditation, which honors multi-hospital systems that demonstrate consistent, systemwide standards of excellence across their robotic-assisted surgery programs. As part of the Centers of Excellence designation, SRC also…

Lee County Community Hospital story is part of the documentary WYTHEVILLE, Va. – Join the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association (VHHA) on Monday, May 11, for a special screening of “Healing and Hope: Hospitals’ Legacy of Service in Virginia,” a powerful documentary honoring the dedication, resilience and impact of hospital and healthcare workers across the Commonwealth. Held in celebration of National Hospital Week and VHHA’s 100th anniversary, the documentary highlights more than a century of hospital care, innovation and service to Virginia communities. The film features stories of compassionate patient care, community investment and public health impact, including a story focused on Lee County Community Hospital, recognizing the perseverance and commitment of the local team and the vital role the hospital plays in its community. This special event offers an opportunity to pause and celebrate the extraordinary work of healthcare professionals, while reflecting on the long-standing legacy hospitals have built across Virginia – even in…

Due to unforeseen circumstances, Ballad Health’s Clinical Informatics Conference, scheduled for Thursday, April 30, has been postponed. Organizers from the Clinical Informatics and Epic education teams are working to secure a new date and will share updated details as soon as they are finalized. The event, entitled “Clinical Informatics: Bridging Care and Technology,” was planned at Johnson City Medical Center and offered CME and CEU credits. Clinical informatics is the essential bridge between clinicians and Epic, our electronic health record. Informatics provides the foundation for patient care by turning data into meaningful insights that guide clinical decisions. For more information, email wynn.clement@balladhealth.org.

Article summary Read the full article JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. — Ballad Health Research Institute has earned full accreditation from the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs (AAHRPP), the premier international mark of excellence for organizations that conduct clinical trials. Earning accreditation from AAHRPP reflects an organization’s commitment to the highest standards of ethics, participant safety and research quality. It signifies that Ballad Health Research Institute voluntarily met rigorous requirements that exceed basic federal and international regulations. The process includes an extensive review of policies and procedures, a detailed evaluation of research operations and a site visit from experts in human research protections. “Research ensures that our patients are given access to the most advanced treatments and technologies available in modern medicine,” said Ballad Health Chairman and CEO Alan Levine. “It strengthens the care we provide today while positioning our region to drive medical innovation and share that knowledge with the world.” Ballad…

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.”  …

The Appalachian Highlands Care Network, a collaboration between Ballad Health and regional partners, recognized as one of Modern Healthcare’s 2026 Innovators Awards honorees Article summary Read the full article JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – National publication Modern Healthcare recognized Ballad Health’s Appalachian Highlands Care Network with its annual Innovators Award, which “recognizes leaders and organizations driving innovation that improves care, achieves measurable results and contributes to clinical and financial goals.” Launched in 2021 as a population health initiative by Ballad Health, the Appalachian Highlands Care Network works to connect uninsured patients with a wide array of healthcare, social services and support at reduced or no cost. The network relies on partner organizations across the Ballad Health service area in Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia to meet patients’ needs regardless of their ability to pay. “The work of Appalachian Highlands Care Network is a powerful example of what happens when people and organizations come together to meet…