Sheridan Healthcare, Inc., a hospital-based, multispecialty physician services company and leading national anesthesia services provider, today announced the winners of its annual Sheridan Leadership Academy Awards. The Sheridan Diamond Award honors a Sheridan physician who demonstrates outstanding leadership and commitment to Sheridan Healthcare's goals and values. The Sheridan Innovation Award, new this year, is presented to a Sheridan doctor who consistently contributes to the development of Sheridan Healthcare's organizational, managerial and clinical processes and procedures.

This year's Diamond Award was given to Mahesh Thummala, M.D., Sheridan regional director of neonatology for North Texas. Dr. Thummala has been in practice for over 20 years and has served as the regional director of neonatology for North Texas since 2001. He currently manages a group of twelve neonatologists and twelve neonatal nurse practitioners in the Dallas Fort Worth area, and is the chairman of pediatrics at two hospitals. In addition to his demanding clinical work, Dr. Thummala is involved in many charitable activities, including supporting schools for impoverished children and long-term care facilities for the elderly in his native India. Dr. Thummala was honored with the Diamond Award for his energetic and effective leadership style and his achievements in growing the neonatology and hearing programs at his hospitals.

This year's finalists for the Diamond Award include William Weisberg, D.O., medical director at the Surgery Center of Coral Springs; Amir Hedayati, M.D., Sheridan regional chief of the Orlando market, and chief of radiology at Central Florida Regional Medical Center; Caswell Rumball, M.D., medical director at JFK Medical Center in Atlantis, Fla.; and Dennis Stevens, CRNA, chief CRNA at Palms West Hospital.

The first annual Sheridan Innovation Award was granted to Joseph Loskove, M.D., Sheridan regional medical director, and chief of anesthesia for the Memorial Healthcare System in South Florida. Dr. Loskove joined Sheridan as a staff anesthesiologist at Memorial Regional Hospital in 2002, and ascended through leadership positions until taking his current role in 2012. He was honored with the Innovation Award for leading a comprehensive remodel of perioperative services within the Memorial Healthcare System, which resulted in vastly improved services for patients, surgeons and hospital administration. He consistently demonstrates outstanding operational performance and efficiency. Additionally this year, Dr. Loskove piloted a new approach to identifying, managing and communicating the status of patients with difficult airways--a novel method that was recognized by the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation in a recent publication.

"We are proud to recognize Dr. Thummala and Dr. Loskove for their outstanding achievements for their hospitals and the Sheridan organization," said Robert Coward, president of Sheridan Healthcare. "These physicians are pioneering the ways our doctors and hospitals deliver care; they are, ultimately, building Sheridan into a national model of efficient, effective hospital care."

The doctors received their awards at the 2013 Sheridan Leadership Academy Conference in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

About Sheridan Healthcare, Inc.

Sheridan Healthcare, Inc. (http://www.sheridanhealthcare.com/) is a national hospital-based, multispecialty physician services company that provides anesthesiology, radiology, emergency medicine, neonatology and other pediatric subspecialties. Established in 1953, Sheridan, its subsidiaries and affiliates currently operate in 25 states and employ more than 2,500 providers. Sheridan's anesthesiology division, with more than 1,800 anesthesia providers in 175 programs and performing more than 900,000 anesthetics annually, is the leading anesthesia services provider in the country. In addition to physician and allied health services, Sheridan also provides support, training and management in non-clinical areas. Sheridan is recognized by the National Committee for Quality Assurance as a certified physician organization.

Media Contact:
Greenough Communications
Rachel Vaccari, 617-275-6521
rvaccari@greenoughcom.com