Columbia, MD – The American Medical Directors Association (AMDA) recently announced that Timothy Malloy, M.D., associate professor in the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s Department of Family Medicine and medical director of Hillcrest Health and Rehab in Bellevue, Neb., has been named the organization’s first "Medical Director of the Year." An interdisciplinary panel chose Dr. Malloy over nearly 60 nominees for his exemplary work as a physician leader, educator, patient advocate, and clinician.
AMDA Executive Director Lorraine Tarnove said, "Dr. Malloy epitomizes the committed and capable medical director who plays an active role in ensuring quality care, staff and resident satisfaction, educated and knowledgeable interdisciplinary teams, and informed families. We are honored to have him as our first annual Medical Director of the Year."
On hearing of this honor, Dr. Malloy said, "This is the ultimate validation of what I do. This award makes me think about how far we’ve come in terms of improving long-term care quality. The progress has been amazing, and I’m honored to have been a part of it. And I’m humbled to be recognized by my peers for my work in this setting."
Cindy Klein, Hillcrest’s administrator, nominated Dr. Malloy to receive this award. "We knew he was worthy of this honor. He is widely loved and respected by practitioners, staff, residents, and family members alike," she said. "He brings a true commitment to geriatrics and to teaching nurses and others. This type of dedication to teaching is rare in my experience."
Not only does Dr. Malloy attend monthly Quality Improvement Committee meetings, he has led a Pain Management Committee and developed a pain assessment and treatment protocol that resulted in significant improvement of the facility’s pain QIs. He also initiated a family consultation team involving the facility social workers, community psychologists, nurses, and administration to target family psychological needs in the nursing facility setting; and he introduced a successful protocol that reduced facility-wide urinary tract infections by more than 30 percent.
Klein said Dr. Malloy is especially passionate about education and frequently leads inservice and training programs for staff and other clinicians. Additionally, he is a frequent speaker at facility family nights and at meetings of community organizations and he has appeared on a local radio show to discuss senior issues.
Dr. Malloy hopes that the award will help his colleagues and him to correct "the misconception people have about long-term care. Our residents generally are very content, and our staff and practitioners are tremendously dedicated and compassionate. People need to know this," he said.
The interdisciplinary panel judged nominees for the award on their contributions and accomplishments in education, clinical leadership, and community involvement. Judges included Dana A. Saffel, Pharm.D., D.Ph., President/CEO, PharmaCare Strategies, Inc., Mary K. Ousley, independent consultant, Sara V. Sinclair, CEO, Sunshine Terrace Foundation, William Kubat, Vice President Care Management, The Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society, Alva "Buzz" Baker, M.D., President, American Medical Directors Association) and Frederick N. Rowland M.D., Ph.D., Board of Directors, American Medical Directors Certification Program.
Dr. Malloy was honored March 31 in front of 1,800 attendees during the General Session at AMDA’s 2007 Annual Symposium in Hollywood, Florida.
UNMC is the only public health science center in the state. Its educational programs are responsible for training more health professionals practicing in Nebraska than any other institution. Through its commitment to education, research, patient care and outreach, UNMC has established itself as one of the country’s leading centers in cancer, transplantation biology, bioterrorism preparedness, neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases, genetics, biomedical technology and ophthalmology. UNMC’s research funding from external sources is now nearly $80 million annually and has resulted in the creation of more than 2,400 highly skilled jobs in the state. UNMC’s physician practice group, UNMC Physicians, includes more than 460 physicians in 50 specialties and subspecialties. They practice primarily in The Nebraska Medical Center, UNMC’s teaching hospital. For more information, go to UNMC’s Web site at www.unmc.edu.
The American Medical Directors Association is the national professional association committed to continuous improvement of the quality of patient care by providing education, advocacy, information, and professional development for medical directors and other physicians who practice across the long-term care continuum.
For more information on the AMDA, contact:
Marcie O’Reilly
moreilly@amda.com
410-740-9743
moreilly@amda.com
410-740-9743