Causes: General Hospitals, Health

Mission: Baptist memorial hospital-desoto provides quality medical healthcare regardless of race, creed, sex, national origin, handicap, or age.

Programs: Baptist memorial hospital-desoto provides quality medical healthcare regardless of race, creed, sex, national origin, handicap, or age. Although reimbursement for services rendered is critical to the operation and stability of baptist memorial hospital-desoto, it is recognized that not all individuals possess the ability to purchase essential medical services, and further, that the mission of the baptist memorial hospital-desoto is to serve the community with respect to providing healthcare services and healthcare education. (see schedule o, pg 56 for continuation)these activities include wellness programs, community education programs, special programs for the elderly, handicapped, medically underserved, and a variety of broad community support activities. Therefore, in keeping with its commitment to serve all members of its community, baptist memorial hospital-desoto provides the following:--free care and/or subsidized care,--care provided to persons covered by governmental programs at below cost, and--health activities and programs to support the communityduring the year ending september 30, 2014, baptist memorial hospital-desoto, inc. Provided services for more than 15,321 inpatients and more than 98,608 outpatients. The largest program services provided the following for the period ending september 30, 2014:--acute care services had 68,589 patient days at a cost of $33,907,935. --the surgery department performed 8,344 procedures at a cost of $14,274,523. --the cath lab performed 11,195 procedures at a cost of $8,612,555. --the radiology department performed 159,470 procedures at a cost of $8,490,478. --the laboratory department performed 726,788 procedures at a cost of $9,332,464. Baptist memorial hospital-desoto, inc. Provides care to persons covered by governmental programs for which the hospital receives less than market value reimbursement. Recognizing its mission to the community, services are provided to medicare, medicaid and uninsured patients. To the extent reimbursement is below cost, baptist memorial hospital-desoto, inc. Recognizes these amounts as charity care in meeting its mission to the entire community. During the year ending september 30, 2014, the unreimbursed value of providing care to these patients was $560,091,996. Charity care is also provided through many reduced priced services and free programs offered throughout the year based upon activities and services that baptist memorial hospital-desoto, inc. Believes will serve a bona fide community health need. For 25 years, baptist memorial hospital-desoto, inc. , located in southaven mississippi, has given patients across northwest mississippi a place to find quality, specialized care. Its colleagues dedicate each day to raising the standard for clinical excellence, and their hard work has paid off in consistent national recognition for quality outcomes. The hospital has been ranked #1 in mississippi for cardiac services by healthgrades, the nation's leading independent ratings company. It has been an illustrious quarter-century for the hospital which continues to grow and enhance services to meet the ever-changing needs of north mississippi. 2013 marked baptist memorial hospital-desoto's 25th anniversary--a time to celebrate how much it had grown. In the early years, the hospital hosted about 10 patients a day in its emergency room. In comparison, it hosted about 200 patients a day and treated more than 63,000 adult patients in the emergency department-making it the busiest adult hospital in the metro-memphis and north mississippi areas. Since heart disease kills one in four mississippians each year, almost 40 percent of baptist memorial hosptial-desoto's business was associated with cardiac-related illness. Mississippians rank as highest in the country for cardiac risk factors including: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, low physical activity and tobacco use. As a principal health care provider in a state which has the highest obesity rate in the nation, limited availability of primary care physicians, a high rate of preventable hospitalizations due to congestive heart failure and a high rate of deaths from cardiovascular disease each year, baptist memorial hospital-desoto has an urgent responsibility and obligation to improve the quality of heart care in north mississippi. In response to the state-wide need to address heart disease, baptist memorial hospital-desoto, inc. Established its strong hearts initiative in 2010 and continues to develop the program each year. The goal is to educate residents across northwest mississippi on preventing heart disease and responding properly when symptoms are present. Through the strong hearts initiative, many annual programs have been established to help the communities of north mississippi. Baptist memorial hospital-desoto, inc. Established an internal wellness program called fit4you for its colleagues to encourage a full spectrum of heart healthy changes. The hospital felt that if it was to stand as a resource for healthy lifestyles, it must start with tangible efforts within its own walls. The program included not only educational nutrition stations for employees and visitors throughout the hospital but also an internal walking trail, heart healthy choices of food throughout the hospital in the cafeteria and vending machines, and an internal web site with monthly food tips and cooking recipes. As a result, the success of the effort spread to the community. Baptist memorial hospital-desoto, inc. Hosts a heart healthy community health fair every year in the spring. This year's event attracted more than 600 visitors who participated in physical activities including a free heart healthy 5k race and a 1 mile walk; free heart risk assessments including blood pressure, glucose, cholesterol and bmi checks; talks with 5 on-site cardiologists to answer a variety of heart-related questions; participated in heart healthy cooking demonstrations with a full scale produce market offered to the public at wholesale prices; and visits by more than 30 vendors that all focused on healthy lifestyle choices. The fresh produce market has been so successful that the hospital continues the markets periodically throughout the summer months. Education has continued to be a key factor in the fight against heart disease as baptist memorial hospital-desoto, inc. Offered free heart risk assessment screenings such as blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose, and body mass index checks four times throughout the year with education about knowing the proper numbers. In addition, cardiologists were featured in daily public service announcements about proper nutrition, tips, recipes and exercise suggestions to lower risk factors for heart disease. Experts worked through local chambers of commerce and civic organizations to educate businesses of the signs and symptoms of heart failure. The speaker's bureau consisted of physicians and clinical experts who spoke on behalf of the hospital on more than 10 occasions to large community groups. Outreach efforts were specific in targeting key groups. Baptist memorial hospital-desoto, inc. Established ongoing educational classes for the community as part of the initiative including cpr training on how to respond to a heart attack patient until help arrives. Free smoking cessation classes and diabetes management classes in the form of support groups were formed and for those heart attack survivors, a special monthly mended hearts group was held to help survivors with their journey and new lifestyle. Baptist memorial hospital-desoto, inc. Outreach efforts did not stop with the community-at-large, but extended to include physician education across northwest mississippi through its annual physician's conference. Each year, the physician-specific conference attracts about 60 physicians in attendance.