December 2012/January 2013

Dear Colleagues:

With the close of 2012, I want to take a moment and reflect on the past year, and look forward to 2013.  As we enter 2013 there are a lot of unknowns, but what we do know is things keep changing for the health care industry.  We must keep adjusting; and I want to outline a few ways we continue to “push on” here at NYHQ.

As I write this letter, the federal government has, at least temporarily, resolved a portion of the political and financial stalemate surrounding the “fiscal cliff,” including the “doc fix” issue. But the threat of additional cuts remains for non-profit hospitals, including NYHQ. Current discussions of sequestration and the U.S. debt ceiling are against the backdrop of long-term reductions in Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement and implementation of the Affordable Care Act. The continued pressure hospitals will face to “trim” and “reform” care delivery is challenging to say the least.

Despite potholes in the road–and a hurricane–we maintained positive momentum in 2012. In a market where the number of in-patients are shrinking, NYHQ recorded our highest market share ever.

Here are a few goals we will continue to focus on in 2013.

• Expansion of NYHQ physician practices and voluntary medical staff throughout the borough
  • In 2012, we added 41 new employed physicians and 131 voluntary physicians to our medical staff. New community-based primary and specialty care practices opened in Maspeth and Whitestone Village.
• Enhanced coordination of care through complete electronic documentation for in-patient and outpatient facilities
  • To date, 4 outpatient sites are part of our electronic medical records system.  By the end of 2013 all outpatient sites will be online.
• Continued improvement in safety, quality and satisfaction for patients, family, employees and medical staff

• Emphasis on increasing connections within the community we serve
  • For example, in December more than a dozen of our medical staff took part in a press event and lunch with the Flushing Chinese Business Association. Events like these help our clinical leaders meet influential thought leaders in the community. We will to continue to build these relationships.
• Achieving a successful Joint Commission Survey anticipated during the first quarter of 2013

I want to wish our community, medical staff and employees a happy and healthy New Year.  Look for more information on our goals and plans for 2013 in the State of the Hospital update (dates and times to be announced later in January).

Sincerely,

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

P.S.: We welcome William H. Rodgers, Ph.D., M.D., as the new chairman, Department of Pathology. Dr. Rodgers previously served as the Chairman, Department of Pathology at North Shore-LIJ, Lenox Hill Hospital. Look for additional information in the coming weeks.

 

Send us your email!

Beginning with this issue, we are converting most printing and mailing of the President's Message to electronic distribution. Please make sure we have your e-mail address! Send your full name and email to Kerry McHale, kem9044@nyp.org.

 

PEOPLE

People News

Medical and Professional Staff Appointments:

Geddis Abel-Bey, M.D., was promoted to director, Obstetrics.

Saumil Parikh, M.D. and John Cienki, M.D., M.S.P.H. join the Department of Emergency Medicine as attending physicians. Dr. Parikh achieved his medical degree from the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond, and completed his residency training in Emergency Medicine at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.  Dr. Cienki comes to NYHQ from Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Fla.  Dr. Cienki received his medical degree from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, Pa.  He is board certified in Emergency Medicine and Medical Toxicology, and completed fellowship training in Academic Emergency Medicine at the American College of Emergency Physicians in Dallas, Texas.

Alison E. Suarez, M.D. was appointed associate residency director, and Steven S. Wright, M.D. and Christopher Calandrella, D.O. were appointed assistant residency directors in the Emergency Medicine Residency Program. 

 

Professional and Personal Achievements, including Sharing Expertise to Medical Audiences and in the Community:

Sanjey Gupta, M.D., assistant chairman, Emergency Medicine, was elected to the Board of Directors of the New York Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians. Dr. Gupta was also appointed Chairman of the Research Council for the Wilderness Medicine Society.

Maureen Buglino, R.N., vice president, Ambulatory Care & Emergency Medicine, contributed to a Greater New York Healthcare Association (GNYHA) work group that examined ways to address challenges New York hospital-sponsored and hospital-affiliated teaching clinics face to improve delivery of primary care.  A toolkit developed out of the work group findings, Redesigning the Teaching Clinic: A Toolkit for Improving Care Coordination and Resident Learning, is available at gnyha.org.

In December, Jody Eglinton, president, Women’s Auxiliary, received the Healthcare Chaplaincy’s annual “Wholeness of Life” award for demonstrating respect and commitment to others and for exemplifying body, mind and spirit, the values that bring “wholeness of life” to NYHQ’s patients and employees.

The Department of Emergency Medicine welcomes visiting physicians and recognizes medical staff traveling to share their expertise.

• Panagiotis Zotos, M.D., is the sixth fellow of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) – New York Hospital Queens Hellenic American Emergency Medicine Exchange (HAEME) program coordinated by Michael S. Radeos, M.D., M.P.H., research director, Emergency Medicine. Dr. Zotos is an intensivist at the General Hospital of Agrinio, Greece.

• Seung Hoon Jeun, M.D., senior resident at Yonsei Sverance Hospital in Seoul, South Korea, was at NYHQ for a one-month rotation. The visit was coordinated by Edward Choi, M.D., attending physician, and American College of Emergency Physicians International Ambassador to South Korea.

• Edward Choi, M.D., attending physician, spoke about acute pain management in the Emergency Department at the Pan-Pacific Emergency Medicine Conference in Seoul, South Korea.

• Michael S. Radeos, M.D., M.P.H., research director, Emergency Medicine, was an invited teacher at the 2nd PanHellenic Conference on Emergency Medicine in Athens, Greece.

 

Sidney Sternberger, D.M.D., senior resident, Post Graduate Prosthodontics program, received first place at the American College of Prosthodontics 2012 Annual Session for his research, “The Effect of Tissue Entrapment on Screw Loosening at the Implant Abutment Interface - an In-Vitro Study.”  Frank Tuminelli, D.M.D., F.A.C.P., director, Prosthodontics, and program director, Graduate Prosthodontics and Kenneth Kurtz, D.D.S,  F.A.C.P., director, Maxillofacial Prosthetics served as advisors.

Pierre F. Saldinger, M.D., F.A.C.S., chairman, Department of Surgery and surgeon-in-chief, was part of a panel presentation at the American College of Surgeons (ACS) forum, Improving Surgical Quality - A Data Driven Approach.  The forum was in partnership with NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

 

The Department of Emergency Medicine presented the following research at the American College of Emergency Physicians’ Research Forum held in Denver, Co.

• Renal Colic in Pediatric Emergency Medicine
  Anita Datta, M.D. R.D.M.S., director, Emergency Medicine Ultrasound; Omar Corujo, M.D.; William Apterbach, M.D.; Gregg Rusczyk, M.D. director, Pediatric Emergency Medicine; Sanjey Gupta, M.D., assistant chairman, Emergency Medicine; Marie-Laure Romney, M.D., associate director, Emergency Medicine Ultrasound and Michael S. Radeos, M.D., M.P.H., research director, Emergency Medicine

• Resident Education in Ultrasound - Assessment of Identification of Basic Cardiac Anatomy and Pathology after a Multimedia Tutorial
  Anjali Bharati, D.O.; Anita Datta, M.D., R.D.M.S., director, Emergency Medicine Ultrasound; Sanjey Gupta, M.D.,
  assistant chairman, Emergency Medicine and James G. Ryan, M.D., residency director, Emergency Medicine

• Barriers to Breast Cancer Screening as Preventive Health Measure among Female Patients Presenting to the Emergency Department
  Nighi Garg, M.D. and Sanjey Gupta, M.D., assistant chairman, Emergency Medicine

• Resident Education in Ultrasound - Improving Identification of Abdominal Anatomy and Pathology after a Multimedia Tutorial
  Anita Datta, M.D., R.D.M.S., director, Emergency Medicine Ultrasound; Anjali Bharati, D.O. and James G. Ryan, M.D., residency director, Emergency Medicine

 

NYHQ was well-represented at the Chinese American Medical Society’s 49th Annual Scientific Meeting held in combination with the Federation of Chinese American and Chinese Canadian Medical Societies’ (FCMS) 16th Conference on Health Care of the Chinese in North America in November. Paul C. Lee, M.D., chief, Thoracic Surgery; Cynthia Pan, M.D., chief, Geriatrics and Palliative Care and director, Geriatrics Fellowship Program and Loli Huang, M.D., Endocrinology, presented at the meeting.   

Robert Harooni, M.D., associate director, Gastroenterology and director, Quality Care, was elected a Fellow in the American College of Physicians. He will be inducted in April at a ceremony in San Francisco.

PROGRAMS

NYHQ Employee Hurricane Relief Fund

In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, a number of our employees have suffered catastrophic loss to both personal property and belongings. NYHQ’s Employee Hurricane Relief Fund will assist these employees with financial needs, food, housing, transportation and crisis counseling. The fund began with contributions from the Board of Trustees, the NYHQ Administration and the Women’s Auxiliary as well as proceeds from the bake sale held by the Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation. You can lend your support by: Donating online at www.nyhq.org/Make_A_Donation Filling out a form for a pledge or payroll deduction.  Forms are available at the following link: http://www.nyhq.org/employee-relief-fund        Note in memo, “Employee Hurricane        Relief” Forms can be mailed to NYHQ Development Department         56-45 Main Street, Flushing, N.Y.,         11355 Forms may also be dropped off at Human Resources, in the Administration wing, to your department head or on each floor at the nurses’ station All gifts are tax deductible and no matter the size of your gift, your commitment to the NYHQ family will help all of us move forward and emerge stronger than ever before.

 

Mitchell Chorost, M.D., F.A.C.S. , director, Surgical Oncology and associate director of the Cancer Center and James E.
Satterfield, M.D., surgery, presented information to the community on what you need to know about skin and colon  cancers as part of the Queens Library HealthLink Program.

 

Children Delighted at Annual Department of Pediatrics Holiday Party

Nearly 200 children filled the NYHQ cafeteria on December 17 for the Department of Pediatrics holiday party in collaboration with George Heinrich, M.D., chairman, Board of Trustees, and the Division of Public Affairs and Marketing.  Children enjoyed gifts, provided by Kohl’s, photos with Santa, a visit from Mr. Met and fun activities!

 

Green Roof Installation Underway

 

Approximately half an acre of modular green roof is being installed in three places on top of the hospital.  NYHQ is receiving the green roof through a grant awarded to Manhattan College from the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).  Researchers from Manhattan College will study our green roof and others in the area to help learn how these rooftops may reduce storm water runoff.  The plants that make up the new roof will be visible from some patient rooms in the North and West buildings, as well as the Mother/Baby Unit. 

The Department of Emergency Medicine nursing staff held a fundraising event for the Virginia Metacarpa/Felicia Grant Memorial Scholarship Fund. The event raised more than $9,000 in honor of two extraordinary nursing professionals who spent most of their careers at New York Hospital Queens.  The fund honoring Virginia Metacarpa and Felicia Grant awards a scholarship each year during Nursing Week to a nursing student who is affiliated with New York Hospital Queens.

 

PROGRESS

Congratulation to NYHQ’s Super Doctors 2012

Congratulations to all members of the NYHQ Medical Staff who were named as “Super Doctors 2012” by Key Professional Media.  The Super Doctors list is available online and as an advertising supplement to The New York Times Magazine.  For Key Professional Media’s listings and methodology, visit: http://www.superdoctors.com/about/selection_process.html.

 

More than $9200 Raised for American Cancer Society

The NYHQ Breast Center Team collected more than $9200 to support the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk. Special recognition goes out to the team including, Teresa Kresback, podiatry, Jackie Xouris, R.N., director, HealthOutreach, and Nutrition Services members.

 

Tenth Annual FreeMAT Toy Drive Collects Hundreds of Gifts for Children of U.S. Military

 

In December, the Freedom Medical Aid Team (FreeMAT) of NYHQ collected more than 500 toys to distribute to children of deployed military personnel from Fort Totten in Queens and other local reserve bases in the region. This is the tenth consecutive year that FreeMAT has organized the toy drive.  Peter Kwaith, founder of FreeMAT & assistant supervisor, Paramedic/EMTs, at NYHQ leads the effort.

 

2012 Major Gifts Campaign Raises More than $1.5 Million

Shea Z. Lerner, director, Development, reports for the second consecutive year, NYHQ’s major gift fundraising campaign exceeded its goal. The 2012 campaign has raised more than $1.5 million to support care delivery at NYHQ.





On December 14, the Flushing Chinese Business Association (FCBA) held a press conference with NYHQ medical staff.  Liu Tee Shu, FBCA chairwoman, and Peter Tu, FBCA executive director, joined Camela Morrissey, vice president & chief marketing officer and NYHQ medical staff from across the organization to provide insight into the services available at NYHQ for the Chinese community.  

 

NYHQ Publishes Four New Consumer Mini-Magazines

Four new mini-magazines are available online at nyhq.org/MiniMag The publications provide facts and tips for preventing and managing conditions, including:

• Gastrointestinal and digestive health, including stories on new treatment options for GERD and easier ways to get ready for a colonoscopy
• Cancer diagnosis and care options, including stories on genetic risks and screening guidelines
• Dental and oral medicine, including stories on improving your smile with prosthodontics and preventing oral cancer
• Women’s health and gynecology, including stories on dealing with pelvic pain and robotic surgery 

Each of the magazines is published in English, Korean and Chinese, includes information on our medical experts, and has phone numbers to help make an appointment.