Sarasota Memorial roundup: a national award; three signs of construction

David Gulliver - posted 2 p.m. Monday, March 8

For the fourth straight year, Sarasota Memorial Hospital has been named one of the nation’s top 50 hospitals by HealthGrades.

It was one of nine Florida hospitals to make the list, and the only one in southwest Florida. Only Ohio performed as well.
Facilities winning the “America’s Best 50 Hospitals” are those with mortality and complication rates in the top 5 percent of all hospitals for the most consecutive years. The rates are based on Medicare patients’ cases in 26 areas of treatment from 1999 through 2008, and are adjusted for the severity of the cases.

The recognition is a sort of mega-award from the widely-followed healthcare ratings firm. All 50 hospitals have won the firm’s annual Distinguished Hospital for Clinical Excellence award for at least six years.

In its analysis of the data, HealthGrades said the top 50 hospitals’ adjusted mortality rates were almost 30 percent lower than the national average. Complications were about 8 percent lower.

Sarasota Memorial had no comment on the award; under HealthGrades’ terms, hospitals can use the award in marketing efforts only if they pay a significant fee.

In other news at Sarasota Memorial:
-- Three major signs of the new tower construction are about to appear. This week, the old central energy plant is due to come down in a two-day demolition project. Tom Perigo, director of architecture/construction, said the project actually is a net $550,000 profit for the hospital, because it was able to find overseas buyers for the power generation equipment.

By the end of the month, Perigo said, workers plan to construct a new entrance to the Waldemere parking garage, which is the building next to the main hospital entrance. The new garage entrance will be on Waldemere street, meaning drivers will no longer have to turn in front of the main building.

And next month, the portion of Arlington Street running through the campus will close for the installation of a construction crane. It will sit between the ambulance drop-off area and the access road to the south parking garage.

-- The hospital is seeking a staging area for the tower construction, a place where delivery tractor-trailers will pick up stored supplies and bring them to the work site. Officials are considering whether to lease an existing site or build a new facility on the hospital’s Clark Road campus, which would cost an estimated $1 million.

Despite a prominent article in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune touting a Newtown location, that site was never a serious contender, officials said.

-- The newly renovated Medical Arts Building, on Arlington Street adjacent to the south garage, has proven an attractive location even as workers still finish interior details.

Orthopedic surgery practice Bright, Schofield and Hand moved in from a location further south on Tamiami Trail, signing a five-year lease. (Members are Drs. Adam Bright, Brian Schofield and John Hand.)

Also signing five-year deals are Sarasota Surgical Specialists (Drs. Patrick Fitzgerald, Russell Novak, John Nora and James Fogelman) and gastroenterologist Dr. Constantine Marousis.

Heart Care Consultants (Drs. Niranjan Seshadri and Naveen Acharya) leased space at Sarasota Memorial buildings in North Port and Heritage Harbour. They are expected to move into the new spaces in March and April.

-- There are four applicants for a community representative position on the hospital board’s audit committee:
Richard R. Confessore, an accountant and consultant with 40 years’ experience;
Richard A. Myers, a retired accountant, also with 40 years’ experience;
Elizabeth Peters, an assistant controller at L-3 Communications with 28 years accounting experience;
Jim Meister, the former CEO of Kings Super Markets in New Jersey.