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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, A pioneering physician, Dr. Ruben Amarasingham has |
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made extraordinary contributions to health care through his work as |
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head of the Parkland Center for Clinical Innovation in Dallas; and |
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WHEREAS, Dr. Amarasingham joined Parkland Hospital in 2002 as |
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an attending physician in the Community Oriented Primary Care |
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System, where he served as medical director and associate chief of |
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medicine for Medicine Services; in 2008, he founded and directed |
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the hospital's Center for Clinical Innovation, which led to the |
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launch of the Parkland Center for Clinical Innovation, a nonprofit |
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research and development corporation that he oversees as president |
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and chief executive officer; and |
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WHEREAS, At PCCI, clinicians work to predict patients' risks |
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in developing health problems; PIECES, a groundbreaking software |
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system coinvented by Dr. Amarasingham, enables the center's staff |
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to analyze electronic health records and use predictive models to |
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anticipate adverse effects; the software assists physicians, |
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nurses, and administrators in making complex decisions by flagging |
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patients susceptible to conditions such as diabetes, pneumonia, |
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heart attack, and sepsis; and |
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WHEREAS, With financial support from the Commonwealth Fund, |
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the National Institutes of Health, and the Gordon and Betty Moore |
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Foundation, among other sources, PCCI is developing one of the |
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nation's first information exchanges for physicians, case |
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managers, and social service organizations; this electronic |
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platform enables health care providers to better understand how |
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their patients' social conditions may affect their health, which is |
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particularly vital for underserved patients who often move back and |
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forth between hospitals, clinics, and community health |
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organizations; and |
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WHEREAS, Dr. Amarasingham's efforts to re-engineer patient |
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flow in the Parkland Emergency Department, the 14th busiest in the |
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U.S., have led to significant reductions in time-to-admission |
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orders; furthermore, by using his risk prediction model, Dr. |
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Amarasingham cut 30-day readmissions for Medicare patients with |
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heart failure by 31 percent; the subject of a comprehensive review |
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by the Journal of the American Medical Association, Dr. |
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Amarasingham's model was found to be one of the most successful of |
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more than 7,000 systems in identifying patients at high risk for |
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readmission; and |
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WHEREAS, A graduate of The University of Texas Southwestern |
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Medical Center, Dr. Amarasingham completed a postdoctoral |
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fellowship and a master's degree in business administration at |
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Johns Hopkins University; the recipient of numerous awards, he was |
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designated a Health Care Hero of Dallas by the Dallas Business |
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Journal, and UT Southwestern named him a Bryan Williams Scholar for |
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Academic Excellence; in 2012, Dr. Amarasingham was one of 10 health |
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care professionals chosen from a pool of 850 candidates to receive |
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the inaugural Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Young Leader Award; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, Dr. Ruben Amarasingham has advanced the use of |
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health information technology as a vital tool for improving the |
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quality and efficiency of medical care, and he is indeed deserving |
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of recognition for his impressive record of service; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas |
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Legislature hereby honor Dr. Ruben Amarasingham for his |
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professional achievements and extend to him sincere best wishes for |
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continued success; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for Dr. Amarasingham as an expression of high regard by the |
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Texas House of Representatives. |