OCTOBER  2011

Dear Colleagues:

On a daily basis, I receive letters from patients and their families that commend the professional and compassionate care provided by our hospital team. We recently received a letter from Cary Passik, M.D., chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Danbury Hospital in Connecticut, who said, “I want to take a moment to write you with my gratitude for an extraordinary patient experience.”

Dr. Passik could have taken his mother anywhere, but he felt confident that his mother’s heart was in expert hands at our hospital. Such an endorsement from another cardiothoracic expert speaks volumes about our team.

Here is the story of his mother, Adele Passik, through her words and his:

    Adele Passik, 81, of Jackson Heights, often enjoys eggplant for dinner. That was not the case one evening this past July. After her evening meal at home she began to get indigestion, nausea, cold sweats and chest pain. She thought it might be food poisoning. She never thought it could be a heart attack.
    The following day she spoke with her son, the head of Cardiothoracic Surgery at a Connecticut hospital, who had coincidently called her for an impromptu brunch date. Mrs. Passik told her son she wasn't feeling well and explained her symptoms. Playing it safe, they went to the emergency room at New York Hospital Queens, where she had been for care in the past. 
    "She was whisked through triage in the ER where her EKG showed new changes compared to an EKG she had in January, and it was clear that she had had a heart attack some time between January and the present," said her son, Cary S. Passik, M.D. "Cardiac enzymes had come back positive thereafter so we knew for sure that this was a recent event."
  After being stabilized in the emergency room, she was transferred to the Coronary Care Unit. Due to recurrent chest pain the next morning, she was immediately taken to the Cardiac Catheterization Lab for a better look at her arteries. An angiogram performed by Chong Park, M.D, director, Interventional Cardiology, and director, division of Cardiology, showed that she had three blocked arteries. She would need heart surgery.
    "As a cardiac surgeon trained in the city [Manhattan] and at the Mayo Clinic and having practiced at Yale for nearly 20 years, I certainly know quite a few colleagues that I could turn to," said Dr. Passik. "I turned to Drs. Park, Gustafson and Sayeed at New York Hospital Queens, and they all said without any hesitation whatsoever, 'Get it done here—we have a great team.' I met cardiothoracic surgeons Drs. Lang and Mack and their surgical PAs, and I was reassured that I was making the correct decision to have her surgery done at NYHQ."
  Five weeks after her eggplant dinner on that July night, Mrs. Passik came in for a routine follow-up appointment with Samuel Lang, M.D., her surgeon, and chairman, Cardiothoracic Surgery. She had nothing but good things to say about her experience.
    "Each and every person—from the ICUs, the floors, all of the nurses—were like angels to me," said Mrs. Passik, a mother of two children and grandmother of five.
    As a retired administrator from Elmhurst Hospital, Mrs. Passik is no stranger to the health care industry and life in a hospital. "The doctors were so good to us, we felt like a part of the family. In medicine today, it's very hard to get that feeling."
  Today, Mrs. Passik is thankful for her recovery and her decision to have surgery at New York Hospital Queens. She is glad she can continue her hobbies, such as playing mah jongg and having wine and cheese parties with her friends. She relishes her independence—and telling the story of her hospital experience. “It has a happy ending, after all,” she said.

Great outcomes happen at New York Hospital Queens every day. Mrs. Passik and Dr. Passik encouraged us to use this story as a way to tell others about the high level of care, right here. Please share your stories with us and feel free to pass this story along to others. You can find this story on our Web site at www.nyhq.org/stories_from_the_heart.

Sincerely,

Stephen S. Mills, F.A.C.H.E.

PEOPLE & PROGRAMS

People News

We are pleased to announce the following appointments to our medical and professional staff:

Sorana Segal-Maurer, M.D., has been appointed as director, Infectious Disease Division, Department of Medicine.She has been a member of the infectious disease attending medical staff since 1993. Dr. Segal-Maurer achieved her medical degree from Mount Sinai School of Medicine. She completed an internship and residency in Internal Medicine at Jacobi Hospital Center and an Infectious Diseases fellowship at Montefiore Medical Center, both affiliates of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

Dr. Segal-Maurer is an active researcher, serving as principal or co-investigator in numerous clinical trials. She has been published in medical journals regarding infection control, multidrug-resistant bacteria, tuberculosis, and HIV. She has authored textbook chapters on tuberculosis in closed populations and nutritional support of HIV-infected patients. She serves on the editorial board of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology and as a peer reviewer for major journals, including Clinical Infectious Diseases, Archives of Internal Medicine, Annals of Internal Medicine, and The Medical Letter. Dr. Segal-Maurer is an associate professor of Clinical Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University and is the program director for NYHQ’s Infectious Diseases fellowship and the clinical

Welcome to Nicole Porti, M.D., attending pediatrician, Department of Emergency Medicine. She achieved her M.D. degree from SUNY Downstate College of Medicine, and completed residency training in pediatrics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Jacobi Medical Center, Bronx, NY, and fellowship training in pediatric emergency medicine at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY.

Welcome back to Eric Yun, M.D.,attending physician, Department of Emergency Medicine, who returns to us after completing a fellowship in undersea and hyperbaric medicine at the University of California San Diego and serving as an attending physician in the Emergency Department at San Jose Medical Center. Dr. Yun completed his residency training in emergency medicine at NYHQ.

It is an honor for us when our hospital team members are recognized by other organizations and when they attain professional achievements:

Penelope Chun Lema, M.D., R.D.M.S., director of Ultrasound, Emergency Department, was elected to the Board of Directors of the New York Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians. She was also appointed as an Alternate Councillor to the American College of Emergency Physicians.

Congratulations to Burton Wasserman, D.D.S., chairman, Dental and Oral Medicine, on his reappointment as a Consultant for the Commission on Dental Accreditation for 2011 and 2012.

Jeffrey Rosen, M.D., chairman, Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, has been appointed the 2012 Arthritis Foundation “Arthritis Walk” chairman. The walk will be held on Sunday, May 20, 2012, in Battery Park, Manhattan, to benefit arthritis research.

Congratulations to three nurses who achieved special certifications as part of the onsite Nurse Executive Master’s program. Ruth Hopkins, B.S.N., R.N., N.E.-B.C., nurse manager, Endoscopy, and Scott Kaye, B.S.N., R.N., C.E.N., C.P.E.N., C.C.R.N., N.E.-B.C., Rapid Response Team clinician, achieved nurse executive certification; and Tom Concert, B.S.N., R.N.-B.C., manager, Nursing Informatics, achieved his certification in Nursing Informatics.

Darlene Merceica, administrative director, Emergency Medicine, has been named the Emergency Department Administrator Representative for the Regional Emergency Medical Advisory Committee (REMAC) of New York City.

Our physicians and clinical staff frequently present their work at medical conferences and in peer-reviewed publications:

The Department of Emergency Medicine presented three research abstracts at the New York Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians’ Scientific Assembly.

Anita Datta, M.D., R.D.M.S., director of EM Ultrasound Education, received the award for outstanding oral research presentation on “Bedside Carotid Ultrasonography to Risk Stratify Patients with Chest Pain in the Emergency Department,” which was co-authored by Anjali Bharati, D.O., R.D.M.S., attending physician; former ultrasound fellows Michelle Pearl-Davis, D.O., R.D.M.S. and Kenneth Perry, M.D.; and Sanjey Gupta, M.D., attending physician; Nidhi Garg, M.D., resident; and Dr. Chun Lema.

Also presented was an “Assessment of Emergency Medicine Residents’ Competency in the Use of Bedside Emergency Ultrasound,” which was authored by Dr. Datta; Devjani Das, M.D., EM ultrasound fellow; James Ryan, M.D., residency director; Poonam Desai, D.O., resident; and Dr. Chun Lema.

Dr. Garg, Alison Suarez, M.D., assistant residency director; Michael S. Radeos, M.D., M.P.H., research director; and Jeffrey P. Green, M.D., former attending physician, presented “Derangements of mean arterial blood pressure, pulse oximetry and hematocrit as predictors of 28-day mortality in adult Emergency Department patients with suspected infection.” Dr. Chun Lema also led a workshop in ultrasound-guided venous access at the conference.

Stephen Rimar, M.D., senior vice president and chief medical officer, will serve on a panel to discuss Accountable Health Organizations for the 2011 Healthcare Conference hosted by the Guyanese-American Business and Professional Council on November 10.

Magdalena Cadet, M.D., director, Rheumatology, was selected by the Visiting Nurse Service of New York, to make a special presentation on Pain Management and Falls Risk in Osteoporotic Patients. Dr. Cadet discussed osteoporosis diagnosis, fracture risk, and fall prevention.

Kris Zaporteza, M.D., Emergency Medicine resident, was invited by the National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine to speak to high school honors students at Manhattan College on the topic of residency training and a career in medicine.

Janice Burns, R.N., Infection Control, Natasha Cruz, R.N., Mother-Baby, and Mary Grace Tesalona-Orozco, R.N., Mother-Baby, presented “Tuberculosis in Pregnancy,” at NYHQ Mother-Baby Nursing Grand Rounds.

Kenneth Ong, M.D., M.P.H., chief medical informatics officer, recently participated in three conferences. He led a discussion on I.T. career development for the New York Chapter of the Black Data Processing Associates and the New York State Students Informatics Conference of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society. For the Institute of Health Technology Transformation, he served as a panelist on the topic of “National Scorecard: Reimbursements & Incentives" and as moderator for the "Aligning Health IT and Quality" panel.

Joanna Kopacz, M.D., attending physician, Infectious Disease Division, Department of Medicine, presented her study, “Non-hospitalized patients with Klebsiella pneumoniae harboring carbapenamases, the new challenging bug,” at the 51st Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.

Tarek Mousa, M.D., cardiology fellow, presented “Left Anterior Fascicular Block Voids Exercise ECG” at the annual meeting of the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology. He presented a retrospective study of 1,403 patients who underwent both a maximal treadmill exercise stress ECG test and SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging in search of inducible myocardial ischemia.

Program News

2nd Annual Wound Care Symposium
The 2nd Annual NYHQ Wound Care Symposium was held for medical professionals on September 9. The symposium covered care methods, the impact of pay-for-performance’s impact on cost, quality outcomes and the collaboration between our hospital and the Silvercrest Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation.

6th Annual Vascular Surgery Symposium
The risk of vascular disease increases as people age. It is critical that primary care physicians are aware of the latest information regarding screening, imaging and surgical options for their patients. To help educate physicians, the Department of Surgery will host a symposium, “Vascular Disease in Primary Care,” on Tuesday, October 18, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., in the Lang Auditorium. For more information or to register, contact the Continuing Medical Education office at ext. 1419.

Orthopaedics & Rehabilitation Symposium
Pediatric sports-related injuries are on the rise. To help prepare health care providers who care for young patients with these injuries, the Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation will host the symposium, “Comprehensive Care of the Pediatric and Adolescent Athlete,” on Friday, October 28, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., in the Lang Auditorium. For more information or to register, contact the Continuing Medical Education office at ext 1419.

Support NYHQ and Donate to the HANYS PAC
The 2011 Annual HANYS-PAC campaign is underway. HANYS (Healthcare Association of New York State) is an industry advocacy organization that represents hospitals on issues related to health care policy at the state and federal government levels. The organization makes sure that our elected officials understand the challenges we face so they can advocate for effective approaches for the health care of New Yorkers. To make a voluntary donation to the New York Hospital Queens campaign for the 2011 HANYS-PAC, or for more information, please contact Debra Pagano Cohen at (718) 670-1586.

The Save-A-Life Campaign
Our Women’s Auxiliary and Community Advisory Council (CAC) have kicked off the Save-A-Life campaign to raise money to purchase cardiac equipment for our hospital ambulances. Each top-of-the-line cardiac monitor/defibrillator is approximately $30,000. The new cardiac machines are designed to bring the Emergency Room physician—virtually—to the patient. Vital signs, heart rhythms (ECG) and other important information are wirelessly sent to the receiving hospital. The physician can view the information from a computer monitor at the hospital and give direct guidance to the paramedics and EMTs before the patient reaches the hospital. To make a donation, contact Jody Eglinton, president, Women’s Auxiliary, at (718) 670-1249.

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PROGRESS 

OUR VISIBILITY IN THE COMMUNITY

Ethical challenges arise in all aspects of healthcare and service, from the bedside to the boardroom. Hospital leaders and boards set the ethical compass of the organization by making decisions about priorities, policies and resource allocation as they determine the best ways to meet the needs of their communities, while respecting their staff and communities they serve. Our hospital sponsored and hosted “Ethical Challenges in Healthcare Leadership and the Office of the Medicaid Inspector General,” a meeting for the members of the Healthcare Leaders of New York, a chapter of the American College of Healthcare Executives in September. Mathew Babcock, assistant Medicaid inspector general, was a featured speaker. Adam Weinstein, F.A.C.H.E., NYHQ vice president, Regulatory Affairs and Corporate Compliance, and Mary Delaney, director, NYHQ Internal Financial Controls, served as moderators.

9/11 Memorial Services at NYHQ
Employees, medical staff, friends and family gathered together to reflect upon the memory of 9/11 and the lives of those lost 10 years ago at a memorial program on September 8. Speakers included Stephen S. Mills, president and chief executive officer, Rabbi David Keehn, director of Pastoral Care, Mark Kindshuh, M.D., vice chairman, Emergency Department and representatives from the NYPD. Members of the audience were able to share their memories from that fateful day.

Members of the NYHQ EMS staff participate in the 9/11 memorial ceremony.

On Sunday, September 11, at 8:30 a.m., a memorial ceremony was held featuring an honor guard at the NYHQ Emergency Services Memorial site on Booth Memorial Avenue. To mark the times the planes struck the Towers and when they collapsed, passages were read with moments of silent prayer.

We would like to express our heartfelt thanks again to all those who were involved in the rescue and recovery on September 11, 2001, and to those now rebuilding of the World Trade Center site.

NYHQ Hosts the Flushing Rotary Club
The hospital hosted a luncheon for the Flushing Rotary Club on September 29. Stephen S. Mills, president and chief executive officer, updated the group about health care reform on a federal and state levels. He encouraged business owners to express their opinions to their elected officials about protecting healthcare in their communities. Information about the Save-A-Life Campaign was presented by Diane Sixsmith, M.D., chairman, Emergency Medicine, George Benedetto, director, Patient Simulation Lab; and Jody Eglinton, president, Women’s Auxiliary. 

UPCOMING EVENTS

Women’s Auxiliary Luncheon
The NYHQ Women’s Auxiliary luncheon to honor NYHQ’s pastoral care chaplains, Rabbi David Keehn, Reverend Eun Joo Kim and Sister Rosarine Quinn, is scheduled for Wednesday, October 12, at the Inn at New Hyde Park. The cost is $75 per person. Checks should be made out to NYHQ - Women's Auxiliary and mailed to Jody Eglinton, president, Women's Auxiliary, NYHQ, 56-45 Main Street, Flushing, NY 111355. If you need more information, please call Jody Eglinton at 718-670-1249.

Making Strides Walk for Breast Cancer Awareness
The walk to benefit Breast Cancer Awareness will be held on Sunday, October 16, at 9 a.m., Flushing Meadows Corona Park. For more information or to register to be a part of the NYHQ team, contact Barbara Mondrow, patient navigator, Breast Center, at ext. 1006.

Pediatric Golf Outing
On Sunday, October 23, our hospital’s annual Pediatric Miniature Golf Classic will be held at Spring Rock Golf Center from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. All proceeds will support the Child Life Program and the Pediatric Emergency Department. For more information, please contact Julie Varghese, director, at juv9007@nyp.org or (718) 670-1564.

Free Orthopaedics & Rehabilitation Fair
In recognition of Physical Therapy month in October, the Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation invites staff members and the community to a free “Orthopaedics & Rehabilitation Fair” in the main lobby at NYHQ on Wednesday, October 26 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Attendees will learn about all of the services provided by the department and the latest technology and treatment options for vestibular dysfunction, a condition that can cause dizziness and balance disorders. The fair will include free balance testing, exercise demonstrations, educational materials and giveaways.