Pace Alliance Inc., a Lawrence-based company that specializes in negotiating discount pricing from drug companies on behalf of independent pharmacies, recently has begun to serve pharmacies in the state of Arkansas after a six-year absence. Arkansas Pharmacists Services Co. is one of 16 shareholder organizations of Pace Alliance.

Pace Alliance has been in business since 1985 and represents more than 2,000 independent pharmacies nationwide with annual pharmaceutical purchases exceeding $1 billion. Pace Alliance serves pharmacies in 20 states nationwide. Curtis Woods is president and chief executive officer of Pace Alliance.

¢ Lawrence Memorial Hospital has announced the promotion of two managers to executive positions.

Dana Hale has assumed the role of vice president for nursing services, after serving in the position on an interim basis for the past year. Hale is responsible for guiding nursing care at LMH, striving to maximize clinical quality and patient satisfaction. She has been with LMH since 1996 in a variety of nursing management roles.

A nurse for 34 years, Hale earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing and master’s degree in nursing administration at Kansas University. She is licensed as an Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner and is a member of the American Organization of Nurse Executives, Kansas Organization of Nurse Leaders, and Sigma Theta Tau Honor Society of Nursing. She serves on the Washburn University Nursing Advisory Committee.

Jeffrey Novorr has been promoted to vice president for corporate compliance and privacy officer. He provides guidance and interpretation to hospital officials on matters related to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the compliance plan, ensuring adherence to all rules and regulations of federal, state and local authorities. He also oversees the operations of the LMH Wound Healing Center, Food & Nutrition Services and the Lawrence Hospitalists Service, as well as directing strategic planning and service excellence activities of the hospital.

Novorr has worked for LMH for four years and has 10 years of experience in health care administration. He completed a master’s degree in health care administration from Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, and received a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Missouri at Kansas City.

¢ Automotive Technology Specialists Inc. and its owners, Duane and Cheryl Cox, were featured in the November issue of “Parts & People,” a publication distributed to suppliers and consumers of auto parts in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Iowa.

The article, “Lawrence transmission shop credits seminar with helping turn business around,” outlined the business’ advances since the Coxes attended a Management Success workshop in Kansas City, Mo., six years ago. Today the business has seven employees and handles custom and regular services on transmissions in foreign and domestic cars and trucks.

The business, known as ATSI, is located at 1225 E. 23rd St., Suite B.

¢ Lawrence Memorial Hospital recently hired Jane Maskus as chief information officer, responsible for leading the development and implementation of the hospital’s strategic information systems plans, including managerial, financial and clinical systems.

Prior to joining LMH, Maskus served four years as a health care information technology consultant at Cerner Corp., in Kansas City, Mo. She served nine years with Saint Luke’s Health System, Kansas City, Mo., as the system’s corporate director of information systems, managing application and data center operations across seven hospitals. Additionally, she has served in physician practice offices and has accumulated more than 16 years of health care information technology experience. She is a member of the Health Information Management Systems Society and College of Healthcare Information Management Executives.

Maskus received a bachelor’s degree in communication from Arizona State University, and a master’s degree in allied health science from the University of Oklahoma.

Honors and awards

Dr. Mary Vernon, Lawrence, received the Bariatrician of the Year Award last month from the American Society of Bariatric Physicians. She also has been elected president of the society, a national organization of physicians and allied health providers who provide comprehensive medical weight-loss programs in the treatment of people who are overweight, suffering from obesity and their associated conditions.

Vernon has served for the past year as the society’s president-elect, and as a trustee prior to that. She also serves on the organization’s Program and Public Relations Committee, and chairs the society’s committee to develop continuing medical education programs online.

Vernon has been a society member since 1997, and practices both family and bariatric medicine. She is a board-certified Diplomate of the American Board of Bariatric Medicine.

She received her undergraduate and medical degrees from Kansas University. She is a clinical assistant professor of medicine in the Department of Family Practice at the KU School of Medicine.

¢ Dr. James Otten, Lawrence, has been selected for inclusion in the 2005-2006 listing of America’s Top Dentists by the Consumers Research Council of America. The council is a Washington, D.C.-based research organization that provides consumers with information guides for professional services throughout the country.

Otten has had a dental practice in Lawrence at 930 Iowa for 21 years. He has specialty interests in cosmetic and implant dentistry as well as temporal mandibular joint disorder therapy and complex bite problems. He also maintains a lead faculty position at the LD Pankey Institute for Advanced Dental Education in Key Biscayne, Fla., and lectures nationally on a variety of topics.

¢ Emprise Bank is the November recipient of the LEAP Shining Star Award, presented by Lawrence Education Achievement Partners.

The bank supports New York School, its partner school, by:

¢ Providing awards for the good behavior program.

¢ Taking two students to Old Chicago each month to honor their contributions to New York.

¢ Having a bank employee, Cindy Yulich, serve as a member of the Lawrence school board.

¢ Helping offset expenses for band and orchestra students.

¢ Purchasing educators’ tickets to the annual Taste of Lawrence event.

¢ Displaying student artwork.

Coming events

The Lawrence Workforce Center and the Kansas Department of Labor are sponsoring “Industrial Safety and Health,” an employer workshop, from 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Dec. 15 at the Lawrence Workforce Center, 2540 Iowa, Suite R.

The seminar will address issues affecting workers compensation claims and basic safety and health topics. There is no fee, but space is limited. To make reservations or for more information, call Rodney Carr at 840-9675 or e-mail him at rcarr@kansascommerce.com.

¢ The K-10 Assn. will meet at 8 a.m. Dec. 16 at 25090 W. 110th Terrace in Olathe.

Steve Karbank, of Karbank & Co., and Matt Masalionis, of Rees Masalionis & Turley Architects, will discuss the new Farmer’s Insurance building in Olathe. Bev Elving and Karen Lazowski will talk about the Applebee’s International project in Lenexa. Rich Caplan, K-10 Assn. executive director, and Dean Palos, Johnson County planning director, will discuss K-10 Corridor matters and give a report on the Transportation Summit.