Hospital lauds Cardiac Warriors
DAVENPORT – More than a dozen graduates of AdventHealth Heart of Florida’s cardiac rehabilitation program and their loved ones were honored during the hospital’s first ever Cardiac Warriors luncheon.
Fourteen graduates and one current patient attended the event. Several graduates spoke about their experiences with the cardiac rehab team and how it’s helped them in their recovery and their lives.
In August 2024, an expanded cardiac rehab unit opened at AdventHealth Heart of Florida, doubling the number of patients that can be treated and reducing wait times for new patient enrollment. Before the expansion, the unit treated an average of 56 patients a month. The new space allows for double that number.
AdventHealth hosts job expo
TAMPA – Hundreds of job seekers attended the AdventHealth Career Expo on April 9 and 10 at Raymond James Stadium.
All AdventHealth hospitals, clinics and services in the West Florida Division were on site looking for a variety of positions, including registered nurses, imaging professionals, surgical services personnel and respiratory therapists.
The healthcare industry added 54,000 jobs in March according to the U.S. bureau of Labor Statistics. Health Care jobs are also projected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations with about 1.9 million openings each year, on average, due to employment growth and workers retiring.
BayCare highlights impact
CLEARWATER – BayCare Health System has released its 2024 Report to the Community, illustrating its impact on the health and well-being of the communities of West Central Florida.
BayCare dedicated $467 million in community benefit to care for uninsured or underinsured patients and to improve the health and well-being of residents in its primary service area of Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas and Polk counties.
BayCare in 2024 broke ground for the region’s first proton therapy center to enhance cancer treatment options and continued investing in facilities at multiple campuses. BayCare invested another $855 million in benefits, training, rewards and recognition for its workforce of nearly 33,000.
BayCare continued rapid expansion of its Graduate Medical Education programs, created six Clinical Institutes, participated in nearly 500 health research projects and made multiple workplace lists, such as the PEOPLE Companies that Care, Fortune Best Workplaces in Health Care and Fortune Best Workplaces for Women.
Read the report at baycare.org/annual-report.
Bill addresses senior hearing
Washington – Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL-12) and others re-filed the Medicare Audiology Access Improvement Act to expand seniors’ access to audiology and hearing services.
Under current Medicare rules, seniors are unable to access the full range of services that independent audiologists provide under their existing scope of practice. The legislation will allow independent audiologists to directly bill Medicare for services that are already covered under the law and within their existing scope of practice.
“Medicare reimbursement policies should be patient-centered and maximize patient choice whenever possible,” said Congressman Bilirakis. “Updating these policies to allow licensed audiologists to fully participate in Medicare will bring greater parity and provide seniors with improved access to hearing health and balance care.”
