AGH Fares Well In Report

BERLIN -- Atlantic General Hospital was recently ranked 46th out of 46 hospitals in the state of Maryland on the MHACs scale. This is one time that being at the bottom is positive and, for patients in Worcester County and the surrounding area, it’s a good thing indeed.

MHAC stands for Maryland Hospital Acquired Conditions and this particular ranking, announced this month by the Healthcare Service Cost Review Commission (HSCRC), is given to the hospital in the state with the lowest percentage of healthcare costs associated with medical conditions that develop after a patient is admitted for care.

Each hospital in Maryland is assigned an estimated percentage of their annual revenue that is expected to come from caring for potentially preventable conditions (PPCs) – urinary tract infections or collapsed lungs, for instance. This figure is based upon the number of patients a given hospital sees each year and the complexity of the illnesses and injuries they treat.

“The MHAC scaling levels the playing field and lets each hospital know where it stands in the effectiveness of its quality initiatives compared to others in the state, apples to apples,” said Bob Yocubik, director of quality at Atlantic General Hospital.

The HSCRC, the state agency that governs the unique rate-setting structure that all Maryland hospitals follow, began calculating the MHAC scale for fiscal year 2009. It gave the healthcare organizations a year, and then, began linking hospital rates in fiscal year 2011 to performance during the previous fiscal year.

Atlantic General’s operating revenue associated with treating PPCs was actually 3.87 percent lower than expected by the HSCRC. Being ranked forty-sixth will result in $438,422 in additional revenue for the hospital during the following fiscal year.

Top Producer Named

WILLARDS -- Atlantic/Smith, Cropper & Deeley announced Account Executive Nicole Brushmiller as top producer for the month of September.

Brushmiller has seven years of experience in commercial and transportation insurance and has earned the designation of Certified Insurance Counselor.

Agency Earns Authorization

OCEAN CITY -- The Hartford announced this week that it is making its AARP® branded home and auto insurance program available through Insurance Management Group, Inc. in Ocean City.

 The Hartford AARP program is being offered through select, authorized independent agents. These products were previously only available from The Hartford by phone, the internet and by mail.

Insurance Management Group, Inc. was chosen after satisfying a number of eligibility requirements, which included demonstrating a commitment to community service; meeting a high-level of business and ethical standards; and completing a training program designed to address the needs of the 50+ population.

Five Star Awards Received

OCEAN CITY -- ResortQuest Real Estate announce that four of its agents are recipients of Five Star Professional and Delaware Today’s Five Star awards.

The award goes to real estate agents rated highest in overall satisfaction by clients, peers and industry experts. Fewer than 7 percent of the 4,000 Delaware area residents holding real estate licenses were selected for the honor.

This year’s winners include Tammy Hadder, from the firm’s Marketplace at Sea Colony office; Bob Jennings, from the firm’s Bethany Beach office; and Anna Meiklejohn and Colleen Windrow, each from the firm’s Marketplace at Sea Colony location. All four have won the award in previous years.

“We are very much honored to have four of our agents selected for this award,” said Brigit Taylor, Managing Broker of ResortQuest. “They consistently strive for excellence in customer service and making the listing and selling process as stress free as possible for our customer and clients.”