A Week In Business

Bankers School Graduation

SALISBURY -- Edward M. Thomas, president and CEO of The Bank of Delmarva, announced the recent graduation of Tim S. Boston from Maryland Bankers School, held for three years on an annual basis by the Maryland Bankers Association at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Upcoming bank executives are educated by some of the best teachers in the country in regards to financial processes and advocacy for the banking industry.


Boston joined the bank in July 2007 as branch manager and assistant vice president for the East Salisbury branch.

Hospital Earns Care Award

SALISBURY -- More than 250 healthcare experts from across the nation recently convened in Nashville, Tenn. to share proven strategies and best practices to prevent harm, and reduce readmissions and costs while providing the best patient experience.

The clinical, financial and administrative experts’ organizations are part of the Premier healthcare alliance’s QUEST®: High Performing Hospitals collaborative, in which 250 hospitals saved an estimated 25,235 lives and $2.85 billion in costs in 30 months.

“Better patient care saves lives and keeps our community healthy. And given the requirements of health reform, committing to make changes now is essential,” said Susan Elerding, RN, BSN, Performance Improvement Specialist at Peninsula Regional Medical Center (PRMC), a member of QUEST. Elerding and Jo-Ann Lewis, RN, BSN, CIC, Infection Preventionist at PRMC, spoke about harm avoidance and safety during the meeting.

At the national meeting, PRMC received an honorable mention award for reducing mortality and cost of care while increasing adherence to clinical evidence. PRMC was just one of three Maryland hospitals to be so honored by Premier and the only healthcare facility on the Delmarva Peninsula to receive the designation.

PRMC improved the delivery of recommended evidence-based care measures by 12.67% as a participant in the voluntary QUEST collaborative. Evidence-based care measures include interventions such as administering aspirin upon arrival and discharge and smoking cessation for heart attack patients. In doing so, Peninsula Regional reduced its case mix and inflation adjusted cost by an average of $860.00 per patient, while reducing mortality in its organization by 5%.

“These hospitals and health systems are in the best possible position to achieve the goals of linking payments to quality outcomes, as well as providing lessons learned that will help hospitals around the country improve their performance,” said Premier Senior Vice President of Public Affairs Blair Childs, who gave an update on health reform during the meeting.

New Agent Announced

BERLIN -- Prudential Carruthers recently welcomed Cindy Poremski to its team.

Poremski has been working full time in real estate since 1996 when she was awarded “Rookie of the Year” in her first year. She has earned her Graduate of Real Estate Institute, Accredited Buyer Representative, and Certified Residential Specialist designations.

“Cindy is the kind of experienced, ethical, local professional we seek to complement our first class Ocean City/Berlin team,” said Prudential Carruthers team leader Jay Wise.

Top Producer Named

OCEAN CITY -- Mary Abell, a sales associate with Long and Foster Real Estate, Inc.’s Ocean City office, has been named top producer in sales volume for July.

Abell has been affiliated with Long and Foster for 24 years. “She is a consistent Top Producer and a great asset to our office,” said officer manager Dottie Wells.

Certifications Earned
BERLIN -- Apple Drugs recently announced two employees have achieved professional certifications.

Jamie Malone is now a Certified Pharmacy Technician and is recognized under The Pharmacy Technician Certification Program, which is accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies. The goal of the program is to enable pharmacy technicians to work more effectively with pharmacists to offer greater patient care and service.

Apple Human Resources Manager Anna R. Era is now certified as a Professional in Human Resources (PHR). She is recognized under the HR Certification Institute. As a certified HR professional, she has demonstrated that she knows the most current principles and core practices of HR management, has become more marketable when competing for top HR positions and has raised her professional confidence among staff and peers.