Please join us in welcoming Robert Leverence, M.D., FACP, to UT Health San Antonio as UT Health Physicians’ Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Leverence brings with him more than 20 years of clinical, administrative and leadership experience in academic medicine. In this newly expanded position, Dr. Leverence will provide leadership and expertise for the practice’s ambulatory clinical operations to include integration and alignment, clinical effectiveness, medical staff supervision and physician leadership development. Leading a unified clinical infrastructure, he will ensure coordinated delivery of care in support of a patient centered model of care at all UT Health locations. Dr. Leverence will also maintain an active clinical practice offering primary care services. 

Dr. Leverence comes to us from Gainesville, Florida, where he was the chief medical officer for the University of Florida College of Medicine. Prior to becoming the chief medical officer, he was the vice chair for clinical operations in the Department of Medicine at the University of Florida. As vice chair, Dr. Leverence supervised all clinical operations for the Department of Medicine, including inpatient primary and consult services, seven off-site clinics, the cath lab, and endoscopy. He helped found the divisions of Hospital Medicine and Palliative Care, as well as the Allergy Clinic, Integrative Medicine Program, and the Global Health Program and Fellowship. Under his tenure, the department maintained an average daily census (ADC) of over 360 inpatients and expanded their MICU from 24 to 48 beds. They implemented a hospital-wide standardized health literacy screen and published on it. Dr. Leverence was the physician driver for an institution-wide cell-based HIPAA secure texting communication system that replaced their traditional paging system. He helped grow the department’s faculty by over 200 members and increased clinic visits from 88,000 to nearly 200,000 annually.  

Dr. Leverence received a B.S. degree in biochemistry with honors and distinction from The University of Iowa and earned his medical degree from The University of Iowa College of Medicine. He completed his internship and residency in internal medicine and pediatrics at The University of Rochester. Dr. Leverence completed the Primary Care Faculty Development Fellowship Program at Michigan State University Office of Medical Education Research and Development in 2001. He is joined in San Antonio by his wife, Kathy, an RN with experience in oncology and palliative care.

We would also like to express our sincere gratitude to Carlayne Jackson, M.D., who helped guide the practice through many changes during her nine years as the chief medical officer. She helped transition our fragmented clinical enterprise to the Medical Arts & Research Center; contributed to the adoption of EPIC as our electronic medical record, and aided in initiating many quality and operational improvements that have placed the practice on a patient-centered journey. Dr. Jackson was key to the definition of the medical director position and the creation of the Executive Health Program and Women’s Health Program. She played a major role in identifying critical patient experience metrics and in designing processes to improve our performance.

Dr. Jackson will continue to see patients in the South Texas ALS clinic (considered one of the top ALS centers in the country), as well as conducting research on neuromuscular diseases in a specialized multidisciplinary setting. Her research clinic has been recognized as a MDA ALS Research Center of Excellence.

Please, join us in welcoming Dr. Leverence as he assumes his new role and in thanking Dr. Jackson for her contributions to the practice.

Hand hygiene is one of the most important ways to prevent the spread of infections. We know it’s true. The challenge is to make consistent hand hygiene a part of everything we do in health care, and in our daily lives. Most infections are preventable through good hand hygiene–cleaning hands at the right times and in the right way. 

Here is how UT Health San Antonio is ensuring optimal hand hygiene:

The first step in hand hygiene promotion was to make it easier by improving product access and providing very high quality hand hygiene products in our practices (with dispensers that function consistently). In January 2018, we initiated our hand hygiene dispenser project, providing new improved dispensers and hand hygiene products. Dedicated installers assisted us in our clinics at UT Health Physicians with the placement of over 500 new hand sanitizer dispensers and close to 800 antiseptic soap dispensers. 

• Sinks now have new antiseptic foam soap (CHG–chlorhexidine gluconate 2 percent solution)
• Hand sanitizer dispensers provide Purell foam (ABHR–alcohol based hand rub)

The next step is to educate and hold each other accountable for good hand hygiene. The "Clean Hands Count" national campaign aims to:

• Improve health care provider adherence to CDC hand hygiene recommendations
• Address the myths and misperceptions about hand hygiene
• Empower patients to play a role in their care by asking or reminding health care providers to clean their hands.

Learn the science behind hand hygiene

1. An alcohol-based hand sanitizer is the preferred method for cleaning your hands when they are not visibly dirty because it:
1. Is more effective at killing potentially deadly germs on hands than soap
2. Requires less time
3. Is more accessible than handwashing sinks
4. Produces lower bacterial counts on hands
5. Improves skin condition with less irritation and dryness than soap and water
   
2. Washing with soap and water: 15 versus 20 seconds 
1. Wash your hands for at least 15 seconds, not specifically 15 seconds.
2. The time it takes is less important than making sure you clean all areas of your hands.
3. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are the preferred way to clean your hands in health care facilities when hands are not soiled.
   
   
3. Glove use is not a substitute for cleaning your hands
1. Always clean your hands after removing gloves. Dirty gloves can soil hands.
2. It is important to change your gloves and clean your hands if:
1. Gloves are damaged
2. Moving from contaminated body site to clean body site
3. Gloves look dirty or have blood/body fluids on them after completing a task
   
   

Our patients deserve "clean care."  Consistent good hand hygiene is essential to safe patient care. Be a hand hygiene champion every day!

POS (Point of Sale) Collections Training is available, now through April 30.

The purpose of POS Collections Training is to sharpen our knowledge and understanding of patient financial responsibility. It will also teach the best methods for collecting co-payments and balances while ensuring a positive patient experience.

 All schedulers, front desk receptionists, benefit coordinators, practice managers and supervisors are required to attend these ½ day training sessions.

Log into your Knowledge Center to enroll in a session that fits your schedule. Find the POS Collections Training link beneath "Administrative." See screen capture below for guidance.

For questions, contact Theresa Lomperski, 210-450-9019.

Session dates and times are as follows

Monday, April 23 – 8 a.m. to noon

Monday, April 23 – 1 to 5 p.m.

Monday, April 30 – 8 a.m. to noon

Monday, April 30 – 1 to 5 p.m.

We will be holding our annual Fiesta contest at 9 a.m., April 24, in the lobby of the Medical Arts & Research Center. This year's theme is, “Show Us Your Float.”

This is a great team building opportunity for everyone at UT Health Physicians. Gather your team and get creative! UT Health San Antonio colors, mission and vision have been incorporated in past fiesta contests, but it is not mandatory. Have fun, use good taste and make your clinic proud!

All entries must be dropped off by 9 a.m. near the café on the first floor of the Medical Arts & Research Center. Judging will begin promptly at 10 a.m.  All entries must be picked up by 2 p.m.

An email will be sent out announcing the winners.

First, second and third place will win:

1^st Place: Lunch for the practice

2^nd Place: Breakfast for the practice

3^rd place:  Dessert tray for the practice

For more information, contact Myra Joseph, 210-450-9099.