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July 2010 : Vol. 4, No. 3
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CMO NOTES
Matthew Miller, MD
Update on the Merger with New Milford Hospital
Our pending merger has involved extensive discussions about how our two Medical Staffs will be integrated. To discuss and plan for this, we have created an "integration council" with key physician leaders at New Milford. Our representatives include myself, Neil Culligan, Pat Tietjen, Pat Broderick, Pierre Saldinger, Ed Beck and Dave Kramer. We meet monthly to discuss a variety of issues including transfer challenges, ED coverage, Bylaws revisions at both hospitals, access to clinical information and images, access to specialty care, and fundamental principles of integration.
Although New Milford Hospital will maintain its name and a Medical Executive Committee, there will be one credentialing process, one credentialing committee, and one peer review process for both hospitals. Basically, the standards and expectations of performance will be uniform.
We certainly haven't solved all the problems yet but most of their medical staff are excited about this opportunity. They largely feel that the merger will benefit all their patients, both medical staffs, both hospitals and the community at large. I hope you agree.
Ongoing Professional Practice Evaluation (OPPE)
As most of you know by now, the Joint Commission's new standards for professional practice evaluation requires that physician (and associate staff) performance be reviewed at least biannually as a condition for maintaining hospital privileges. We have worked closely with your department chairs to craft a policy with performance metrics within your control and appropriate to your specialty. We are using a product called CRIMSON to collect and track these metrics. Crimson has the unique capability of integrating data from disparate sources and providing customized, risk and case mix adjusted, timely and easy to access reports.
While meeting standards for accreditation with JCAHO, our larger intention is to support physicians in your efforts to raise your and our level of performance. The goal is to ensure that providers regularly receive useful information about individual quality and patient care practices with an eye towards identifying opportunities for improvement.
The first version of your OPPE profile will be mailed to you this summer, along with instructions, caveats, and a password to view data on the web. There will be some irregularities, I suspect, in this first version, and lots of questions. We'll be here to address them all.
Matt
Message from the CEO
John Murphy, MD
I am very excited to speak to you, officially, as your new CEO. I assumed the title on July 1st and look forward to working with all of you in this new decade of opportunity and challenge. There will be many things for us to take on together, including the merger with New Milford Hospital, and the many challenges that await us a result of healthcare reform. We won't be passive about any of this. We need to adapt to the new realities which reform will thrust upon us- increase the quality of care while we decreasing its cost and improving access. As you know it will be incumbent upon us to do this collaboratively. I am reminded of Martin Luther King's quote: "But somehow, and in some way, we have got to do this. We must all learn to live together as brothers or we will all perish together as fools."
With respect to the merger, one of my first official acts was to sign a binding affiliation agreement with New Milford Hospital which will become effective October 1st. assuming we receive the necessary state approval. That means we have a lot of planning to do as we integrate our clinical services. Your help and guidance are essential. I strongly believe that this merger is an important step in our journey to become a major regional medical center.
Although both hospitals will retain their original names, the combined system will be called Western Connecticut Healthcare. I will update you with more details as the date of the affiliation draws closer.
It has been my pleasure to work with so many of you as a colleague for over twenty years. I look forward to your counsel and assistance in the years ahead.
John Murphy, MD
Report from the President of the Medical Staff
Neil Culligan, MD
Our bylaws revision project is finally done! We had great attendance at our three open forums and discussed some fine suggestions. We incorporated many of these into the final draft, which went out to the Medical Staff by e-mail on 6/21. We had a terrific turnout at our special Medical Staff meeting on July 20th. The entire revision was passed almost unanimously and the Board of Directors ratified it on July 22nd.
We appreciate all the input we received and all the work so many contributed to the process. We think the revisions are not only state of the art from a regulatory standpoint, but will assist us as a Medical Staff as we move forward. Thanks again.
The bylaws contain 3 documents: the bylaws, the credentialing policy, and the medical staff organization manual. We will now have the most current and effective medical staff "playbook" to help us continue to achieve the best quality of care for our patients. I would like to thank the bylaws subcommittee – Bill Begg, Brian Pollack, Ron Tietjen, Matt Miller, and myself – for their time in reviewing multiple drafts of these documents. The committee and Rob Wenick met with our attorney Paul Verardi as well. The Medical Executive Committee dedicated several meetings to the project and I thank them for their hard work. Geri Malgady and Charlotte Douglas, our medical staff coordinators, were tireless in their efforts to organize the whole project. Finally, Matt Miller has been involved in every step of this process, and his wisdom and experience are an invaluable asset to our medical staff.
I also want to officially welcome John Murphy as the new CEO of Danbury Health Systems. Most of us have known and admired John for years, and I can't think of a better person to lead the health system at a very challenging time. With the New Milford affiliation, building of a new ED and tower, advanced research, and healthcare reform all on the horizon, it will be an interesting time for us all.
Neil
Security Upgrades Throughout DHS Underway
A Security Implementation Plan for DHS was recently unanimously approved by the Board of Directors. The plan covers specific actions and changes that will be implemented beginning this fiscal year (which runs through September 30), to enhance safety and security on the hospital campus and at off-site locations. The plan was developed by a team representing clinical and non-clinical areas and the nurses' bargaining unit. It reflects the results of a comprehensive analysis of safety and security at DHS conducted by an expert consultant who worked with DHS staff to evaluate our facilities, processes and practices, and gathered feedback and insights from numerous employee focus groups and interviews.
The Security Implementation Plan focuses on six specific issues: limiting points of access to the hospital for non-employees; improving emergency communication and planning; preventing and reducing any incidents of workplace violence through specialized training and education; improving safety/security in parking lots and garages; increasing security staff presence; and ensuring DHS off-site locations are appropriately secured. Many of the plan's elements are already underway and on target for implementation by September 1, 2010; others will be ongoing through 2013. Safety and security practices will evolve as construction of our new tower and related projects proceed. All of the new construction projects and sites will integrate state-of-the-art security measures from their initial planning stages.
DHS staff will be kept informed of our progress and new security developments through email, Vital Signs Online, and home mailings. Please contact the Security Office at 203-739-7999 with any questions or concerns.
Dr. Saldinger Joins Editorial Board
Pierre Saldinger, MD, FACS, Carmen and Peter Buck Chair of Surgery, and Director, Surgical Residency Program, has accepted an invitation to join the editorial board of the Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery. The publication extended the invitation to gain Dr. Saldinger's expertise and participation in reviewing submitted manuscripts.
Dr. Shahabi Publishes New Book
Shohreh Shahabi, MD, FACOG, Chair, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Danbury Hospital and Chair, Reproductive Tumor Biology, Biomedical Research Laboratory, along with several colleagues, has published Fast Facts: Gynecologic Oncology (second edition).
Dr. Ferlini Publishes Journal Article
Cristiano Ferlini, MD, PhD, who has been leading the start up new research laboratory has published an article with colleagues in Cancer Research entitled: HuR Regulates ?-Tubulin Isotype Expression in Ovarian Cancer.
Hospital Achieves HealthGrades 2010/2011 Outstanding Patient Experience Award
This distinctive award places Danbury Hospital within the top 10% of hospitals nationwide for exemplary service to patients. Patient experience is a primary driver for health care consumers when choosing their health care providers.
Patrick Edward Killeen MS, PA-C, President Elect American Academy of Physician Assistants
Patrick Killeen, PA-C (DH Pediatrics) will become President of the American Academy of Physician Assistants. The AAPA is the national physician assistant organization representing the entire profession. He has held an active role within AAPA for more than 22 years as member of the board, House of Delegates, Medical Congress and strategic relations work group. He also has served as a peer reviewer and liaison coordinator for AAPA. Patrick is also the hospital coordinator and instructor for Pediatric Advanced Life Support for the American Heart Association.
Danbury Hospital's Praxair Cancer Center Receives Commission on Cancer Outstanding Achievement Award
The Commission on Cancer (CoC) of the American College of Surgeons, the national accreditation organization for cancer programs, has granted its 2009 Outstanding Achievement Award to the Praxair Cancer Center at Danbury Hospital. The award was given to a select group of 82 (6 percent) accredited cancer programs across the United States.
"Achieving this award demonstrates our commitment to the highest standards of practice for our cancer program, the comprehensive services we provide and the support for our patients and families as they deal with the complexities of cancer treatment," said Robert Kloss, M.D., Chairman of the Cancer Committee at The Praxair Cancer Center at Danbury Hospital.
First IRB-approved randomized surgery trial to be carried out by Danbury Hospital
The Department of Surgery and Department of Medical Education and Research announced landmark funding received for an Investigator Initiated Study with Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc. entitled "A prospective randomized trial comparing laparoscopic roux-en-y gastric bypass to micro-laparoscopic roux-en-y gastric bypass." This important study represents the first IRB-approved randomized surgery trial to be carried out by Danbury Hospital and the Department of Surgery. The study will compare outcomes of two common gastric bypass surgery methods in order to contribute a novel understanding of the procedure outcomes and how the methods compare to one another.
DH Makes US News & World Report's "America's Best Hospitals"
This is U.S. News and World Report's 20th year for listing its Best Hospitals, a tool for patients seeking information about hospitals that provide specialty care. Hospitals were ranked in 16 specialties. A total of 4,861 hospitals were studied.
Department of Medicine – Medical Education and Research Update
The new academic year began on July 1, 2010 with the arrival of the largest class of interns that Danbury Hospital has ever accepted. This is due to two recently approved training programs, a new surgical residency (see related article) and a new Primary Care track within the Internal Medicine Residency program. Twenty new interns and two Cardiology fellows joined the Department of Medicine's training programs.
The Primary Care track differs from the traditional Internal Medicine tract because it requires much more outpatient training experience. Dr. Dino Messina will direct this program in conjunction with Dr. Winston Shih, the Program Director for the Internal Medicine Residency training program. Much of the training will occur in the Seifert and Ford Community Health Center as well as in the offices of many of primary care physicians affiliated with Danbury and New Milford Hospitals. The rationale for developing a Primary Care tract is to attract young physicians who know they want to dedicate their careers to primary care and hopefully stay in the area to serve the greater Danbury and New Milford communities.
Danbury Hospital To Train Next Generation of Surgeons
Danbury Hospital has received approval to establish a new nationally accredited surgical residency program. "It's the first time in 41 years that the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education approved a new surgical residency program in Connecticut," said Pierre Saldinger, MD, FACS, Chairman of the Department of Surgery and Director of the Surgical Residency Program at Danbury Hospital.
The approval coincided with the closing of St. Vincent's Hospital in New York. When that hospital closed, six surgical residents whose training was interrupted found a home at Danbury Hospital. After the closure, Danbury Hospital filled its surgical residency training program early to accommodate those displaced at St. Vincent's. The six doctors will finish their residency training here.
Exciting Developments in Research Distinguish Danbury
Danbury Hospital's continued investment in biomedical research and medical education promises to distinguish Danbury Hospital in the medical community and facilitate our evolution to a regional medical facility. There are numerous, exciting facets of research being conducted at Danbury Hospital, all coordinated by the Hospital's Research Department – composed of four sections that work collaboratively, but have a distinct focus.
One of those sections is Danbury Hospital's Biomedical Research Program. Established earlier this year and housed in a 17,000 square foot laboratory near the hospital, this innovative research program will put the organization on the forefront of cancer research, and provide staff with the ability to explore the newest and most promising medical treatments. Groundbreaking studies are underway to find new treatments for gynecological cancers, based on genetic bio-marker research. Cristiano Ferlini, MD, PhD, Director of the Biomedical Research Lab, recently published an article on his findings in the prestigious Cancer Research journal. For a copy of the article, contact the hospital library.
Each month DOC-Line will announce new doctors and other key additions to the Hospital staff. By clicking on "Read More" you will be able to pull up an information sheet on each doctor. If you have questions please call Charlotte Douglas at (203) 739-7322, Charlotte.Douglas@danhosp.org.
Two New Medical Directors Named
John Borruso, MD has been named Medical Director of DOPS Surgical Services and Steven Gorelick, MD has been named Medical Director of DOPS Gastroenterology. In their new roles they will be responsible for achieving practice goals that support the organization's strategic and operational plans.