Vegetable Pizza Wins ProMed's Third Employee Cooking Contest

On Friday, September 10, ProMed hosted our third employee cooking contest! This time, we challenged employees to create their favorite appetizer to share with the office. When the votes were counted, Patty Adams' Vegetable Pizza emerged victorious! Patty's recipe will be published in the next issue of Embrace magazine, which will be out in October. If you haven't signed up for a subscription to Embrace yet (it's free to ProMed customers) please visit http://www.embracethemagazine.com/.

CDC: Nine Out of 10 Seniors Take at Least One Prescription Drug

A new data brief from the CDC reports that the use of prescription drugs continues to rise and that nine out of 10 seniors are taking at least one prescription medication. The CDC also noted that prescription drug use increases with age and that women are more likely than men to take prescription drugs.

Total spending on prescription drugs reached $234.1 billion in 2008, which is more than double what was spent in 1999.

Among adults age 60 and older, the most commonly used prescription drugs were:

• Cholesterol-lowering drugs: 44.9%
• Beta blockers (for high blood pressure and heart disease): 26.4%
• Diuretics (also for high blood pressure and heart disease): 19.9%

To view additional study findings, click here.

Medicare Beneficiaries to Receive Free Flu Shots

This fall, seniors will see another benefit of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, more commonly known as the healthcare reform law. Medicare beneficiaries are slated to be able to receive the flu shot without any co-pays or deductibles.

A new, higher-dose vaccine will be available for people over 65. This vaccine contains about four times the amount of the active ingredient in the normal vaccine. However, it still remains to be seen whether the higher-dose shot will be more effective for senior citizens.

To learn more, click here.

ASCP: Nurses Should be Doctors' Agents for Pain Meds

The American Society of Consultant Pharmacists, or ASCP, strongly supports allowing nursing home nurses to act as agents on behalf of physicians for the purpose of prescribing pain meds. The group has asked the DEA to consider incorporating this change into the Controlled Substances Act.

According to ASCP's president, Shelly Spiro, "Recognizing nurses as agents of the prescriber and chart orders as valid prescriptions will eliminate the regulatory bureaucracy creating delays for patients in need of pain relief."

Currently, the DEA defines "agent" as someone employed by the prescribing physician. Because most physicians who prescribe pain meds to nursing home residents aren't actually employed by the nursing home, nurses at these facilities technically can't act as their agents.

To learn more, click here.

Congratulations, Mark Robustelli!

Team ProMed congratulates Mark Robustelli on being named the September 2010 Employee Spotlight Award winner! Mark is a Senior Developer in the Department of Innovation and Technology (DoIT) and has been with the company for just over two years.

“Mark is a dedicated member of the ProMed DoIT team,” said Bob Sieger, CIO. “He has surfaced as an exceptional leader and team ‘go-to’ man. Mark is detail-oriented with a keen eye clearly focused on the goal. Through Mark’s tireless efforts and skill, the P21 data Import went much smoother than we could have hoped. He is a true asset and a standout ProMed team member.”

“Mark has show fantastic leadership skills and has driven the ProMed DoIT staff to new levels,” added Information Technology Manager Carly Carlton. “He is a pleasure to work with and is always there to lend support. Mark has proven to be a dedicated member of Team ProMed and I am proud to have him in my department. Congratulations!”

When we asked Mark what made ProMed a great place to work, he offered effusive praise. “There are many things that go into making ProMed a great place to work,” he said. “First and foremost are the people. One of the things that first drew me to ProMed was that it was a family business. I didn’t want to go to some big corporate gig and just punch in and punch out. While we are growing, ProMed has gone to great lengths to try and maintain the family atmosphere. I think that has attracted employees that are like-minded and keeps things enjoyable. Another part is the professional aspect. With the pace of business, there is never a shortage of IT projects and things to work on. I get to interact with the other parts of the business and the people in those departments. I think in my time here, I have had interactions with almost every department. In addition to the great people in IT, I have worked with people in Special Sales, Customer Service, Sales, Marketing, Accounting, Warehouse, MedB, Human Resources and Management. Each project has had its own technical challenges, which I enjoy, and the people in those departments made them as easy as possible to work through.”

Mark also thanked the coworkers who nominated him for the Employee Spotlight Award and the Barnes family for the many things they do for their employees.

As the Employee Spotlight Award winner, Mark will be able to proudly display the Torch of Excellence trophy at his desk for the month of September. He was also given a $100 cash award.

SHEA: No Flu Vaccination, No Job!

According to the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA), if you want to work in a healthcare facility, you should be ready to roll up your sleeve. The agency has released a position paper asserting that flu vaccination should be a condition of employment.

A study conducted during the 2009 flu and H1N1 season found that 39% of healthcare workers had no intention of getting vaccinated. SHEA is arguing that not only does the vaccine help prevent caregivers from spreading flu to residents, it also reduces the likelihood that the caregiver will get sick and miss work, potentially impacting care. This vaccine mandate would ideally extend to everyone who works in a healthcare setting, not just those who have direct contact with residents. The only exception would be those people for whom the vaccine is medically contraindicated.

The paper was published in Infection Control and Healthcare Epidemiology. To read it, click here.

Ted Walsh Promoted to Regional Sales Manager

Team ProMed congratulates Ted Walsh on his promotion to Regional Sales Manager. In his new role, Ted’s primary objective will be managing the sales team to success. He’ll be responsible for identifying and qualifying leads, tracking the movements of all of the prospects that each of his people have and hunting the biggest customers in Ohio. He’ll also use the skills he developed as a ProMed territory manager to determine which assets need to be used in order to achieve success.

“Ted Walsh is the future of Team ProMed,” said Matt Barnes. “He can manage. He can hunt. I haven’t found anything he’s not good at. Ted Walsh is a renaissance man. We’re proud to have him as part of the ProMed family.”

“Ted has exhibited strength and professionalism in a way that is rare at such a young age,” said Al Wiggs. “He has the unique ability to develop a relationship with a customer while never losing sight of the very specific steps needed to satisfy both the customer and ProMed. Ted’s well-liked, he is well-organized and above all else he is strong. He deals with pressure well and he always has a good idea. I personally can’t think of a better guy to lead the Northeast team that we have as it grows and develops.”

Immediately following his promotion, Ted enjoyed a shopping trip with Matt to the ever-popular Syd Jerome.

Here’s what Ted’s colleagues had to say about him:

Dan Brooks: “I think that the foundation of Ted’s exceptional solution selling is ability to listen to his customers and prospects. Ted has an excellent ability to ask questions that hit home with his customers and get them talking about their pains and needs. Through listening to his customers, Ted formulates calculated and customized solutions that his customers value and his competitors cannot compete with. Ted utilizes his strategic question asking and listening skills to drive business when working on a solution for a single home, developing a strategy to convert a chain of homes or providing insight to his reps. All of these attributes culminate in Ted’s uncanny ability to identify prospects, develop a selling relationship built around being a trusted advisor and delivering comprehensive solutions in a quick, efficient sales cycle.”

Kurt Gerling: “Ted is easily one of the nicest and most genuine people I have ever met and he will be a fantastic Regional Manager. A main reason is because of the way he treats the people who work with him. Ted has a very unique ability to make people feel extremely comfortable and confident in their abilities. The TMs that work with Ted will be a very lucky group that will have an opportunity to succeed unlike any other. Congrats to a very deserving Theodore Walsh.”

Rocky Howard: “Ted has been a pleasure to work with since joining ProMed. Ted has done a wonderful job growing new business in Ohio and maintaining/growing that which was gifted to him. He is always willing and anxious to assist others and will serve Team ProMed well with his new management responsibilities. Best wishes to Ted with his new responsibilities at ProMed and in his upcoming marriage. He is a good man and we’re all very proud of him!”

Mike Kellenberger: “I am very excited to be part of the same team as Ted Walsh! I have had the pleasure of working with Ted Walsh from day one and watching him hit the ground running with excitement and energy. Ted is just completed his first year with ProMed, and his passion and drive have opened up a new exciting challenge. Ted has taken ownership of Ohio and the territory managers in his state! Congratulations, Ted, you are one of the greats. You will be a great manager, and I am proud to be on your team!”

Keith Kennedy: “Ted Walsh has and will continue to amaze me. His ability to build relationships from the top down is extremely impressive. He is a chameleon in respect to catering his personality to the audience represented. It has been a true pleasure working side by side with Ted over the past year. I have learned so much from him and could only hope he has taken a few pearls of wisdom from me. There is no doubt in my mind Ted will continue to dominate, leaving a trail of McKesson, Medline and Gulf South blood behind.”

Diana Nowicki: “While working with Ted, I was always grateful for his organized and thorough input. You don’t always receive this from the strong personalities in the sales field, but he has been able to maintain his relationship-building skills as well as his strength in knowledge. He has been key in restructuring his own territory priorities and the region as a whole. In regards to the inside sales department, he has been a godsend through his great communication and filling in the gap between inside and outside sales departments. He has shone as a leader in his region for spreading these skills through his region as his peers have followed in his example.

“One of the first times I met him in person, he was quick to share his experience and expertise in selling to different targets as well as answering my many questions about distribution sales. I have looked up to him as a key resource in our organization as well as a key asset to our industry as he has already made a significant mark in his region.

“This promotion only solidifies that people have noticed Ted’s hard work and diligence as he has swooped across Ohio and made a name for himself. I am so proud to see him in a leadership role, as his guidance will make ProMed’s presence in the region even stronger.”