Resident Director Named
Zach Newton
OCEAN CITY – Merrill announced Zach Newton has been appointed resident director of Merrill’s Ocean City office.
Newton will lead the Ocean City office’s team of Merrill financial advisors to continue to deliver individualized wealth management strategies to local individuals, families and businesses.
“I believe Zach’s leadership skills make him the perfect candidate to lead our Ocean City local office,” said Jeff Adams, market executive and managing director. “Zach’s experience will help enhance our ability to offer the high-quality service that Ocean City’s investors have come to expect from Merrill.”
Newton, a resident of Berlin, Md., joined Merrill in 2016.
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Hospital Earns Recognition
BERLIN – Among the state-based regulations that affect all 45 Maryland hospitals is their performance under the Quality-Based Reimbursement program administered by the Maryland Health Services Cost Review Commission (HSCRC).
In this evaluation, hospitals that achieve higher quality ratings benefit in the form of higher reimbursement rates for medical services according to the Global Budget Revenue (GBR) model.
In the most recent evaluation period covering quality and patient experience data from 2017 and 2018, Atlantic General Hospital was one of just seven Maryland hospitals to receive positive revenue adjustments. In the case of AGH, the calculation resulted in nearly $200,000 of additional GBR rate adjustments.
Contributing to this outcome, AGH was ranked No. 1 in the entire state for patient experience and tied for No. 5 in patient safety measures.
“The HSCRC’s most recent report supports our belief that a commitment to delivering a safe and caring healthcare environment will result in an uncommonly excellent experience for our patients,” said Michael Franklin, president and CEO of Atlantic General Hospital. “We are committed to staying in the top tier of Maryland hospitals in achieving high quality ratings that demonstrate our values and our unwavering commitment to meeting every patient’s need.”
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Grant Announced
SALISBURY — The Lower Eastern Shore Heritage Area (LESHA) announced they received a $22,500 grant from the Maryland Agricultural Education and Rural Development Assistance Fund (MAERDAF).
“We are honored to receive an award of this size and excited to be able to hire a consultant to facilitate our strategic planning, analysis, branding and marketing,” said executive director Lisa Ludwig. The LESHA marketing committee, under the leadership of Ann McGinnis Hillyer, spearheaded the grant application to allow the organization to convene stakeholders, assess progress, identify opportunities, and set priorities in order to reflect and represent the breadth and depth of the Lower Shore’s heritage.
“After 10 years in operation, we want to obtain critical insight and input from stakeholders, influencers and citizens in order to define a branding platform aligned with our regional identity, environment and traditions,” Hillyer said.
The grant allowed LESHA to retain Choptank Communications, an Eastern Shore-based marketing firm with broad experience in tourism and economic development, to facilitate the process.