medical - Ellis Medicine

Winter 2012
MEDICAL
INSIDER
a quarterly newsletter for physicians
affiliated with ellis medicine
A Note from
the Chief of Staff
Dear Colleagues:
2012 promises to be another exciting and
successful year at Ellis Medicine. We have
welcomed the newest member to our surgical team – the daVinci robot, we recently
introduced a couple of new programs to
improve the quality of cardiac care in our
community (see page 2), and we’re making great progress on our major projects
(see page 2).
John
Nolan, M.D.
Chief of Staff,
Ellis Medicine
Medical
Dental Staff
Additionally, the Ellis Medical Group moves into its second year 190 members strong and with a
lot of momentum for improving quality care and enhancing the physician experience (see page
3). Also, if that isn’t enough to keep us busy, Ellis is a key partner in one of the state’s first Health
Homes. All of this and it’s only February!
While we can expect the new year to bring significant challenges our way, Ellis Medicine is poised
to meet these financial, regulatory and competitive obstacles with perseverance and innovation
thanks, in large part, to the leadership of our medical staff.
This marks my last newsletter as Chief of Staff. My tenure ends in late March when Dr. Ernie Lee
will assume the Medical Staff’s top leadership post. I want to thank you for your support during my
time in this role, and I want to wish Dr. Lee the very best.
Sincerely,
John Nolan, M.D., F.A.C.C.
Care Central
Ellis Medicine is among the partners working with the Visiting Nurse Service of
Schenectady and Saratoga Counties (VNS) to implement a new “health home”
model of care. The VNS program, called Care Central, is among the first such
programs in New York State. It aims to keep the community healthy by providing a virtual “home”
where people receive personalized care through improved access to and coordination of the medical and support services they need. Visit www.carecentral.org for more information.
Robot-Assisted
Surgery
Ellis Medicine now offers robot-assisted surgery
that’s less invasive and more precise for quicker
recovery. The daVinci Surgical System gives
Ellis’ highly skilled surgeons another state-ofthe-art tool to provide optimal care. In addition
to the benefits to patients, this new technology
provides surgeons with 3D vision, more precision, improved access and ergonomic comfort.
“Bringing this advanced, minimally invasive
technology to Ellis is great for our community,”
says Ellis’ Chief of Surgery Iftikar Syed, M.D.
Dr. Nicholas Montalto, Jr., medical director of Robotic Surgery at Ellis, performed the
first robot-assisted surgery at Ellis Hospital in
December 2011. Ellis is utilizing robot-assisted
surgery for gynecologic surgeries, such as
hysterectomies, removal of fibroids and
endometriosis, and fallopian tubal reversal, and
for bariatric (weight loss) surgeries. In 2012,
Ellis will extend the use of robot-assisted
surgery to include urologic, general and
cardiac surgeries.
IN THIS ISSUE
Display Your Parking Sticker
Heart2Heart 2
All physicians and advanced practice providers are required to have a dark blue parking sticker
displayed on the back side of the rear view mirror so that Ellis security can verify that you have
parking privileges. Black stickers are for those who have privileges to park in private spaces
under the Medical Arts Building on Nott Street. If you need a sticker or have questions, please
contact Bill Henges at 243-1607.
Construction Corner
2
EMG Update
3
People & Events
4
MEDICAL INSIDER
Winter 2012 | 2
Hybrid Ablation
Marketing Update
Thanks to the leadership of Drs.
Herbert Reich and Robert Joy, Ellis is
the first in the region to offer a hybrid
ablation procedure to treat patients with chronic atrial fibrillation.
Combining both surgical and catheter-based techniques, the hybrid
procedure opens up a new opportunity for people who would not be
good candidates for catheter-based procedures alone, and provides
much better long term success rates and freedom from this common
form of irregular heartbeat. Learn more at www.ellismedicine.org.
Thousands of area residents
are getting to know 52-yearold Errol of Schenectady
through TV commercials and
newspaper ads featured in
Ellis’ new first quarter cardiac
marketing campaign. Errol, a
Home Depot employee, had
successful quintuple bypass
surgery at Ellis after receiving
what he calls “the best care
that I ever had.” He joins other
grateful heart patients and
Drs. Herb Reich, Robert Joy
and Michael Holmes in extended interviews about Ellis’
innovative cardiac program.
Watch these Heart2Heart Conversations at www.ellismedicine.org.
Heart Valve Clinic
This new program can provide valve disease patients with a one-stop
evaluation from both a cardiothoracic surgeon and cardiologist, all in a
single, same-day appointment, to determine the best course of treatment.
Ellis is working closely with Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston to
provide qualified candidates prompt access to a new minimally invasive
heart valve replacement procedure called transcatheter aortic-valve
implantation (TAVI). TAVI offers new hope for patients with severe aortic
stenosis who are not suitable for surgery or considered “untreatable.”
Mass General is one of only about 25 sites in the U.S. and Canada that has
been performing this new TAVI procedure since it began being offered
as part of a national trial. We are now accepting referrals to our new
Heart Valve Clinic. For more information, call 243.3610.
CONSTRUCTION CORNER
On the Road. Our cardiac ads are wrapped around CDTA buses on
key routes and are pictured on strategically placed billboards.
You Asked…We Responded
Q: A Place to Sit, Please? Doctors had
pointed out that they could better communicate
with patients if there was simply somewhere
for them to sit down and take the time to speak
with patients and their families.
Our Answer: New fold-out stools have been
ordered that will be hung on the back of patient
room doors.
Enhanced Urgent Care. The steel framework is well underway at the
Sitterly Road, Clifton Park site of the Ellis Enhanced Urgent Care facility,
which is scheduled to open at the end of summer.
Patti Hammond, VP,
Physician Services
Q: Hospitalists Who? We repeatedly hear that patients
are still having a tough time understanding who their hospitalist
providers are and/or that there is a team of providers caring for
them 24/7 during their hospital stay.
Our answer: New Hospitalist Medicine posters, that include
photos of the hospitalist providers, have been created and will
soon hang in each patient room. Additionally, all hospitalist
providers now have new business cards with their photos that
they hand to patients when they introduce themselves and the
hospitalist model of care.
The New Bellevue. Construction is moving forward to modernize and
expand Bellevue Woman’s Center. The foundation work has started
for the new facility. The new Bellevue is due August 2013.
Another great way to stay up-to-date on news
and happenings at Ellis Medicine is to follow us
on Twitter (twitter.com/ellismedicine) and
Facebook (facebook.com/ellismedicineny)
MEDICAL INSIDER
Winter 2012 | 3
dashboard, which is currently measuring inpatient data, and will soon be
expanded to include outpatient quality data.
The Ellis Medical Group (EMG), formed in 2011, is a physician-led multispecialty practice consisting of approximately 120 physicians and 70
Advanced Practice Providers (APP) who are employed by Ellis Medicine.
The EMG physicians and APPs work at all three campuses and provide a
range of services in a variety of specialties, including adult and pediatric
primary care, emergency medicine, hospitalist medicine, infectious disease, mental health, neonatology, neuroscience, rheumatology, radiation
oncology, dentistry, general surgery, cardiothoracic surgery and bariatric
surgery. The Ellis Medical Group is governed by a nine-member board
to which members are either elected or appointed.
2011-2012 EMG Governing Board
1
6
2
7
EMG Leadership*
3
8
People
Honors
Dr. Bruce Barach, a member of Ellis’ medical staff, is the
new President of the New York State Society of Plastic
Surgery.
4
5
9
1 Carolyn Jones-Assini, M.D., Chair
2 Terence Clarke, M.D.
3 Igor Kraev, M.D.
4 Dean Limeri, M.D.
5 Robert McKay, M.D.
6 Walter Niedzwiadek, M.D.
7 Sonali Patel, M.D.
10
Operations and Finance Committee, led by Chair Ivan
Shvachuk, M.D. and Vice-Chair Walter Niedzwiadek, M.D., is broken
into three sub-committees: Compensation led by Shvachuk; Finance
led by Niedzwiadek; and Operations led by Sonya Sidhu-Izzo, M.D.
The committee is reviewing fair standards for compensation for EMG
physicians and APPs, and is focused on the streamlining of billing and
collections, as well as the streamlining of practice operations throughout
the organization.
11
8 Ivan Shvachuk, M.D.
*Efforts are underway to recruit 9 Sonya Sidhu-Izzo, M.D.
an EMG Chief Medical Officer/ 10 Patti Hammond, EMG Chief Executive
Medical Director.
Officer
Dr. Ephraim Back has co-authored a study on “High
Rates of Perinatal Group B Streptococcus Clindamycin
and Erythromycin Resistance” that was published in the
American Society for Microbiology’s Feb. 2012 issue of
Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.
Dr. Robert McKay, of Ellis Surgical Associates, is presenting two abstracts (a poster presentation and an oral
presentation) at the national meeting of the Society of
Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) next
month. Dr. McKay’s selection as an oral presenter (out
of more than 1,100 entries) is an especially outstanding
achievement.
Dr. Robert Dachs (Emergency Medicine), Dr. Divya
Kulkarni (Family Medicine), and a colleague authored
a study on the Pulmonary Embolism Rule-Out Criteria
rule in a community hospital ED which appeared in The
American Journal of Emergency Medicine in November
2011. Dr. Dachs also co-authors a column in the American
Family Physician every other month. Dr. Dachs’ is Ellis’
assistant director of Emergency Medicine and a clinical
associate professor at the Ellis Family Medicine Residency
program and Albany Medical College.
Barach
Back
McKay
Dachs
11 Kellie Valenti, EMG Chief Operating Officer
EMG Committees
Resources Committee, led by Chair Robert McKay, M.D. and
Vice-Chair Sonali Patel, M.D., is focused on four key areas this year:
lcommunication
l
recruitment and retention
l
leadership development and education
l
culture and citizenship
The committee has helped to draft the EMG Compact for Behaviors
and Standards, is currently working on an EMG directory, and will write
a regular column in this newsletter. Additionally, the committee is developing a lecture series, and has taken over planning and execution of the
Ellis Leadership Development Institute.
Quality Committee, led by Chair Dean Limeri, M.D., is developing quality standards and finding ways to measure and regulate those
standards throughout EMG. To that end, they have developed a quality
Recruitment
Wanted: Emergency Medicine A-Players
We’re looking for talented, result-oriented, patient-centered
physicians (board certified/eligible in Emergency Medicine) to
join our dynamic ED team. Generous signing bonus and loan forgiveness program. Finder’s fee for successful referrals. Contact
Helen Rinaldi at 518.243.1740 or rinaldih@ellismedicine.org.
MEDICAL INSIDER
Winter 2012 | 4
Kudos Corner
Health Services with the Guyanese and West Indian community after
research by Dr. Ephraim Back and Dr. Avinash Bashwani of the Family
Health Center found approximately 30% of their adult Guyanese patients
had type 2 diabetes.
The following are some of
the many positive comments we’ve received from
recent patient satisfaction
surveys:
l
“Dr. Gerardi and the
rest of the doctors were
excellent!!!”
Diabetes Screening
Gerardi
Ingram
McGrinder
l
“My doctor [Dr.
McGrinder] was
superb in taking good
care of my health.”
Rockwell
Naidu
l
“Overall great
experience. The surgeon [Dr. Singh] was fantastic.”
Singh
Welcome
l
“Dr. Rockwell was wonderful and so was Dr. Naidu”
l
“Dr. Ingram was attentive and provided excellent care.”
Byron Carrasco, D.P.M., Surgery,
Division of Podiatry
l
“Dr. Tang was the best.”
Vicki Ellen Cohn, D.D.S., Dentistry
Tang
Questions about patient satisfaction
or HCAHPs?
McCormack
Contact Joyce McCormack, director of The
Patient Experience, at mccormackj@ellismedicine.org or 243.1721.
Events
Winter Gala A record number of guests (more than 360) attended The
Foundation for Ellis Medicine’s 2012 Winter Gala, which honored Ellis’
Chief of Surgery Dr. Iftikar Syed and his wife, Anne Marie. Dr. Syed’s
30 years of leadership and selfless commitment to patients and families
in our community was celebrated. The event raised more than $120,000
to benefit programs and services at Ellis. In all, the Gala has raised more
than $1 million since 2004.
Christopher Dibble, M.D.,
Cardiology
Dibble
Farren
Radana Dooley, M.D., Orthopedic Surgery,
Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
Seth Farren, D.D.S., Dentistry & Oral Surgery
Barry Loffredo, D.D.S., Department of Dentistry,
Teaching/Faculty
Mark Thompson, M.D., F.A.C.S., F.A.A.N.S.,
Neurosurgery, Ellis Neuroscience Center
Thompson
On the Calendar
Advances in Heart Care:
Thursday, March 8 | Hilton Garden Inn, Clifton Park | 5:00-7:00 PM
Panel discussion at 5:30 PM hosted by Lydia Kulbida, NEWS10
ABC Anchor
Join us for an informative panel discussion with leading physicians,
and learn about recent advances in cardiac care in our community:
Heart Valve Clinic:
Dr. Herbert Reich, Ellis Cardiothoracic Surgeons
Hybrid Ablation Procedure:
Dr. Robert Joy, Cardiology Assoc. of Schenectady
Hypothermic Therapy:
Dr. Brian McDonald, Schenectady Pulmonary Critical Care Assoc.
Top Row, left to right: Solomon Syed with Gwennan Booth,
sons Noah and Isaac, niece Christina Lawson, daughter Yasmine
and Bill Guerra. Bottom row, left to right: Dr. Syed’s brother-in-law
and sister-in-law, David and Kathy Lawson, Mrs. Anne Marie and
Dr. Iftikhar Syed.
Fighting Diabetes. Ellis Medicine clinicians recently provided
diabetes screening and education for more than 50 people who attended
the West Indian Winter Wellness Festival. Ellis is a member of the West
Indian Diabetes Action Coalition created by Schenectady County Public
Door-to-Balloon Time:
Dr. Robert Parkes, Cardiology Assoc. of Schenectady
Q&A session to follow | Catering by Mazzone Hospitality
Registration is required. Please call 518.640.6842 before
March 5. Or register online at: www.albanybusinessreview.com/
Ellisheart2heart
Contact Us. If you have Medical Insider news for future issues, please submit
to communications@ellismedicine.org. Space is limited, but we’ll make every
effort to accommodate all entries.