Issue 2, 2012 St. Elizabeth Health Center • St. Elizabeth Boardman Health Center HMpartners.org

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Howland Physical Medicine andRehabilitation recently received LaboratoryAccreditation status from the AmericanAssociation of Neuromuscular &Electrodiagnostic Medicine (AANEM). The AANEM established laboratoryaccreditation criteria for electrodiagnostic(EDX) laboratories to ensure patientsreceive quality medical care in a safeenvironment. Laboratory accreditationprovides patients, referral sources, andpayers with a credible measure todifferentiate the laboratory’s quality of care. The accreditation standards evaluate thediagnostic services and clinical operationsessential to providing quality patient care,which include:

● Clinical staff qualifications and continuing education

● Physical facilities

● EDX equipment

● Protocols for performing EDX studies

● Patient reports

● Policies for ensuring the health and safety of every patient

Exemplary Status is the highest level ofaccreditation an EDX laboratory canachieve under the AANEM AccreditationProgram. To be awarded Accreditation withExemplary Status, physicians performingstudies in the laboratory must:

● Have completed a neurology or physical medicine and rehabilitation residency program;

Accreditation Awardedto Physical MedicinePractice

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Humility of Mary Health Partners(HMHP) unveiled plans to invest morethan $203 million in new construction andequipment improvements over the nexttwo years. Master facility plans for St. ElizabethHealth Center in Youngstown (SEHC),St. Elizabeth Boardman Health Center inBoardman (SEBHC) and St. Joseph HealthCenter in Warren (SJHC) were announcedMonday, May 21, in a news conference atSEBHC. The largest project on the list, at morethan $100 million in capital costs, is theconstruction of a seven-floor, 122-bedpatient tower at SEBHC. Constructioncontracts for the 165,000-square-footaddition will be awarded this summer andconstruction will begin this fall. Phase 1 of construction includes in theaddition of four operating rooms, whichwill give the hospital a total of 10 surgical

suites. When the first phase of constructionis completed in the spring of 2014, HMHPwill move the maternity services currentlyoffered at SEHC to SEBHC. Also movingwill be Akron Children’s Hospital’sNeonatal Intensive Care Unit atSt. Elizabeth. Obstetric and gynecology clinics atSEHC will remain in Youngstown andmaternity services at SJHC will not be af-fected by the move. “The original hospital was built tosupport an additional patient tower,”explained Genie Aubel, president ofSEBHC. “But when we opened in 2007,we had no idea this day would come sosoon.” A demand for additional rooms at theBoardman hospital is one of the reasons forexpansion. Floors four through seven in the

HMHP Announces Expansion Plans

Looking at a model of what St. E’s Boardman will look like once the constructionof a second patient tower is complete are, from left, Daryl Cameron, chair,HMHP Board of Directors; Sharon Hrina, vice president, Akron Children’sHospital Mahoning Valley Enterprises; Bob Shroder, president and CEO, HMHP;Genie Aubel, president, St. E’s Boardman; John Finizio, president, St. Joe’s; andDon Koenig, executive vice president of operations, HMHP.

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Clinicians at St. Joseph Health Center (SJHC) are using the new Proteus XR digitalradiography system from GE Healthcare to see their patients in new ways. This DigitalRadiographic x-ray system helps physicians clearly see the internal structure of their patientsto view injuries and abnormalities and confidently prescribe the best treatment. The system will be used primarily to assist the Emergency Department with through-put and patient flow. With the use of wireless digital detectors and automated features thatare geared to improving the patient experience. “The Proteus XR takes X-ray imaging to a new level of diagnostic power,” says JohnFinizio, president, SJHC. “With this technology we continue our tradition of putting thelatest tools to work to benefit patients and families in our community.”

Digital Radiography Offers Flexibilityfor Fast Diagnosis

services. We will focus on outpatientservices, primary care, wellness, geriatricsand care management to support thedevelopment of a healthy community.” The master facility plan at SJHCincludes immediate improvements to thehospital’s diagnostic radiology services andradiation treatment options for cancerpatients. Plans are proceeding to expandthe hospital’s free-standing emergency anddiagnostic center at Andover in AshtabulaCounty later this year. Future constructionat SJHC will also include additional patientrooms. "It is our goal to have all privatepatient rooms at all HMHP hospitalswithin the next 10 years,” said DonaldKoenig, executive vice president ofoperations for HMHP. Cameron pointed out that in 2011,HMHP provided charity care in more than99,000 cases at a cost of $26.7 million, a12 percent increase over the system’s 2010charity care cost. “And this year, we’ve already seenincreases in what it costs to provide care tothose who either don’t have insurance atall, or whose insurance does not cover thecare they need,” said Cameron. “Bykeeping a close eye on expenses, and withthe help of the HMHP Foundation and itsnetwork of local philanthropists, we havemade sure that funding is available tocontinue outreach programs and servicesthat are crucial to the community’s health.”

Dr. Starr Named“Mentor of the Year”

new patient tower will be established as amix of medical surgical and monitoredunits. They will open in a phased approach,beginning at the end of 2014 andcontinuing through early 2017, whenSEBHC will have a total of 250 beds. Once maternity services are relocatedto SEBHC, renovations at SEHC willbegin in earnest to convert all patientrooms at that hospital to private rooms. “We are taking a very close look at the

services we provide to make sure we havethe most appropriate services in thelocations where they can serve the greatestnumber of people,” said Robert Shroder,president and CEO of HMHP. “This isbalanced with making sure that people whodo not live in high-populations areas andwho may have limited transportationopportunities are still able to get where theyneed to be to receive the care they need.” “The steps we’re announcing todaywill strengthen St. Elizabeth’s position asthe central hub of Humility of MaryHealth Partners,” said Daryl S. Cameron,chair of HMHP’s board of directors. Hepointed out that the system recentlyopened the Joanie Abdu ComprehensiveBreast Care Center at SEHC. SEHC willalso remain as the system’s Level I TraumaCenter and will be the regional referralcenter for heart and brain surgeries andother high-risk procedures. “Over the next 10 years,” Shroder said,“HMHP will develop centers of excellencein cardiovascular, primary care, oncology,neurosciences, orthopedics and women’s

HMHP Announces Expansion Plans Continued from page 1

Philip A. “Duke” Starr III, DO wasawarded the George L. Eckert, Jr., D.O.,Mentor of the Year Award earlier this yearat the Ohio Osteopathic Symposium inColumbus, OH. Dr. Starr is currently director of theFamily Practice Residency, chief of theFamily Practice Department, and COREassistant dean at St. Joseph Health Center.The Mentor of the Year Award recognizesmentoring physicians for their dedicationto osteopathic medical students andresidents. Dr. Starr began mentoring the nextgeneration of osteopathic physicians whenhe was chief resident at YoungstownOsteopathic Hospital in 1998-2000 andthen OU-HCOM preceptor starting in2001. His nominators wrote that Dr. Starr“…creates a feeling of family for thistrainees, initiating several annualgatherings, hosting Thanksgiving dinner,encouraging participation at the OOADistrict Academy meetings…” and that“His residents appreciate his compassion,calm demeanor, individualized support,and accessibility, but also his clinical skills,including OMM. His bedside manner withpatients is one to emulate.” Established last year, the award isnamed in memory of George L. Eckert, Jr.,DO, a family physician from Columbuswho counseled hundreds of medicalstudents, residents, and new DOs through-out his 57 years in practice. At the time ofhis death, he served on the OsteopathicHeritage Foundations Board of Trustees.

Philip Starr III, DO

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Board ApprovalsSt. Elizabeth Health CenterRequest for Active ProvisionalStaff StatusGhazaleh Bigdeli, MD, Department ofInternal Medicine, Section of Critical Careand Pulmonary Medicine Resignations

Frank Gargas, CNS, Department ofSurgery

Tamara Goda, CNP, Department ofSurgery, Section of Cardiothoracic Surgery

Debra Hromyak, CNP, Department ofInternal Medicine, Section of GeneralInternal Medicine

Tammi Johnson-Bowers, PA-C,Department of Emergency

Sherri Shopinsky, CRNA,Department of Anesthesiology

St. Elizabeth BoardmanHealth CenterRequest for Active ProvisionalStaff Status

Ghazaleh Bigdeli, MD, Department ofInternal Medicine, Section of Critical Careand Pulmonary Medicine

Resignations

Lawrence Bub, MD,Department of Hospital Based Specialists,Section of Radiology

Steven DeMaiolo, DO, Department ofPrimary Care, Section of General InternalMedicine

Kristyn Essad, DO, Department ofPrimary Care, Section of Family Medicine

Norman Pennington, MD, Department ofHospital Based Specialists, Sectionof Radiology

Paul Rosman, DO, Department ofMedical Specialists, Sectionof Endocrinoloy

Tammi Johnson-Bowers, PA-C,Department of Hospital Specialists,Section of Emergency Medicine

Sherri Shopinsky, CRNA, Department ofHospital Based Specialists, Sectionof Anesthesiology Surgery

Officers Anthony Cutrona, MD, President of the Medical Staff

Janardan Tallam, MD, Vice President of the Medical Staff

James Kravec, MD, Secretary/Treasurer of the Medical Staff

Steven Sheakoski, MD, Immediate Past President

Department Chairpersons Bert Collier, MD, Department of Radiology

Antoine El-Hayek, MD, Department of Obstetrics/Gynecology

Stephen Evan, MD, Department of Surgery

Amy Hutchinson, MD, Department of Anesthesiology

Carmen Julius, MD, Department of Pathology

James Kravec, MD, Department of Internal Medicine

Robert Moosally, DO, Department of Emergency Medicine

Sandy Naples, DO, Department of Family Medicine

Eugene Potesta, MD, Department of E.E.N.T.

Elena Rossi, MD, Department of Pediatrics

John Sorboro, MD, Department of Psychiatry/Behavioral Health

Craig Wagley, DDS, Department of Dentistry

New Officers and Department Chairs forSt. Elizabeth Health Center

Dr. Wilkins Honoredfor Work in GeriatricMedicine

Please extend congratulations toCharles Wilkins, MD, recently recognizedfor his work in geriatric medicine by TheGreater East Ohio Chapter of theAlzheimer’s Association at their eighthannual Forget-Me-Not Gala. Dr. Charles Wilkins, director of theGeriatric Assessment Unit at St. ElizabethHealth Center and a board-certifiedphysician of internal and geriatricmedicine, was recognized as the 2012

honoree for his work in the practice ofgeriatric medicine with a special dedicationin the treatment of those who haveAlzheimer’s disease. The award is given to a person orgroup that has used the services of theassociation and advanced its mission. Dr. Wilkins graduated from theUniversity of Cincinnati Medical Schooland completed his residency atSt. Elizabeth’s. He advanced his studies ingeriatrics at the University of Glasgow,Scotland, known as the birthplace ofgeriatrics. He established the firstAlzheimer’s Day Care Center in theYoungstown area; he is a member of theAmerican Geriatrics Society, the BritishGeriatrics Society and a Fellow of the RoyalCollege of Physicians of Glasgow.

Charles Wilkins, MD

The Assumption Village Collaborates withSt. Elizabeth’s Acute Rehabilitation Unit

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The Assumption Village is looking toexpand its rehabilitation unit to better suitthe needs of our aging population. Mostimportantly, The Assumption Village is notlooking to just grow its census, but to truly

become a sub-acute rehabilitation unit. Terry Puet, MD, who shares theRehabilitation Institute of Chicago’sconcept for sub-acute therapy, says, “Asub-acute rehabilitation unit should havethe following: a rehabilitation physician;rehabilitation nurses; physical, occupationaland speech therapies; a team process tocoordinate care, and a relationship with aCARF-accredited acute rehab unit.” The collaboration between TheAssumption Village and the acuterehabilitation unit at St. Elizabeth HealthCenter establishes all of those criteria.

There are times when a patient is not yetready for acute rehabilitation, but wouldbenefit from a period at a sub-acute unitfor strengthening and conditioning, theneither return to an acute rehabilitationsetting or return to the community. This type of relationship will decreaseunnecessary hospital re-admissions,provide the most appropriate setting forpatients for healing, and enable patientsto return to the community moreindependently.

Terry Puet, MD

Area Dedicated to Dr. Edmund Massullo

In June, St. Elizabeth Health Center(SEHC) marked the 50th anniversary ofthe Mahoning Valley’s first open-heartsurgery with the dedication of theDr. Edmund Massullo CVIC Family Wait-ing Area.

Dr. Massullo and his partner,Dr. Angelo Riberi, performed the firstopen-heart surgery in the region atSEHC in June 1962. They also performedthe first double bypass surgery in all ofnortheast Ohio at St. Elizabeth. A life-long resident of the MahoningValley, Dr. Massullo established the cardiacsurgical and intensive care departments atSt. Elizabeth and served as chief of surgeryfor 10 years. His daughter, Anne Massullo Sabella,and other members of his family were inattendance as well as Dr. Massullo’s firstopen-heart surgery patient, Cora E. “Betty”Rushton, her mother and other members ofher family. Rushton was just 2 years old whenDr. Massullo repaired a large hole in herheart on June 11, 1962. The Dr. Edmund Massullo CVICFamily Waiting Area is located outside thecardio-vascular intensive care unit.

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Interventional Radiologists TreatLiver Cancer with SIRT

Accreditation Awardedto Physical MedicinePractice

St. Elizabeth Health Center is pleasedto announce a new outpatient procedurefor the treatment of liver cancer. Theprocedure, Selective Internal RadiationTherapy (SIRT) is a targeted treatmentusing SIR-Spheres to treat unresectablemetastatic colorectal cancer that has spreadto the liver. The SIRT procedure takesapproximately 90 minutes to completeand is performed by an interventionalradiologist and a team of medicalprofessionals trained to assist with this typeof procedure. The interventional radiologistinserts a catheter into the groin through thefemoral artery and to the liver. Once thecatheter is appropriately positioned, theradiologist precisely administers millions ofmicro-particles containing the radioactiveisotope yttruim-90 to hepatic arteries,where they are carried through the arteriesto lodge in the tumor complex. Deliveringthe radioactive material directly to thetumor allows a larger dose of radiation tothe affected area of the liver. The yttrium-90 microspheres are calledSIR-Spheres® microspheres. SIR-Spheresmicrospheres were FDA approved forthe treatment of unresectable metastaticliver tumors. More than 20,000 dosesof SIR-Spheres microspheres havebeen administered worldwide. Recentpeer-reviewed data suggest SIRT canimprove patient outcomes related to

response rate, time-to-tumor progressionand overall survival when compared toother conventional treatment options Your patient may be eligible forSIR-Spheres microspheres if he/she has:

● Unresectable liver metastases ● Bilirubin of <2.0 ● Less than 60% tumor involvement ● ECOG performance score <2

Before SIRT can be offered as atreatment option, there are a number offactors that have to be evaluated. Mostinsurance companies cover this type ofprocedure, however, this will be determinedduring the evaluation phase and prior toscheduling the procedure. For more information, or if you have apatient you believe may be a candidate forSIR-Spheres microspheres, please call330-480- 3170.

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● Have completed a minimum of three months of training in EDX medicine as part of a residency or fellowship program; and

● Be certified by the American Board of Electrodiagnostic Medicine (ABEM), or by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) in clinical neurophysiology, or by the ABPN/American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in neuromuscular disease.

“Providing quality care for my patientsis my top priority and achieving theAANEM lab accreditation demonstratesmy commitment to continue providing thehighest quality care available to mypatients,” said Dr. Stephanie Kopey,medical director for the Howland PhysicalMedicine and Rehabilitation Center. “I amproud to be the pioneer in this area locallyand to be able to make this level of caremore accessible to Mahoning Valleypatients.”

New Lab Draw SiteOpens in Warren

HMHP Laboratory Services hasopened a new draw site at 2219 E. MarketStreet, Warren. Hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30p.m. Monday through Friday, and phone is330-306-5795; fax is 330-306-5762.The new lab draw site has convenientparking and quick service. For moreinformation, call Karen Andrus in HMHPlaboratory services at 330-480-3718.

Doctors Day

Motion Sensing Technology in Pain Management Chronic pain affects an estimated 116million American adults. For some, chronicpain is so severe that it interferes withworking, eating, participating in physicalactivity, and enjoying life. That’s why the St. Joseph PainManagement Center in Howland is pleasedto announce it is the first pain managementcenter in Ohio to offer the AdaptiveStim™with RestoreSensor™ neurostimulationsystem, the first and only chronic paintreatment to provide effective pain reliefand convenience by automatically adaptingstimulation levels to the needs of peoplewith chronic back and/or leg pain. Traditional neurostimulation systemsconsist of an implantable medical devicesimilar to a pacemaker to interrupt painsignals from reaching the brain. A changein body position can result in an increase ordecrease in the intensity of stimulation as apatient’s spinal cord moves closer or further

away from the stimulation site. As a result,patients may need to make frequentmanual adjustments to their stimulationlevels as they move, using a handheldpatient programmer.

No need for manualprogramming AdaptiveStim with RestoreSensorreduces the need for manual programmingchanges by automatically adaptingstimulation levels to the needs of thepatient by recognizing and rememberingthe correlation between a change in bodyposition and the level of stimulationneeded. It also records and stores thefrequency of posture changes, providingobjective feedback to clinicians to helpunderstand how a patient’s individualstimulation requirements are changingover time.

“Chronic pain is a disablingcondition,” said Dr. Tracy L. Neuendorf,St. Joseph Pain management center medicaldirector. “And this new technology willhelp our patients enjoy the activities ofdaily living without worrying aboutadjusting stimulation levels – this newsystem does it all for them.” The St. Joseph Pain ManagementCenter offers proven methods of treatmentfor people with chronic pain. The painmanagement team includes physicians andother health care professionals speciallytrained in the alleviation of pain that hasbeen unresponsive to usual treatmentmethods. The St. Joseph Pain ManagementCenter is located at 1934 Niles-CortlandRd., Howland. For more information,call 330-841-4032.

Physician Office Staff Reception CarePATHOptimization Sessions We are nearing our one yearanniversary for implementing CarePATHat HMHP. Now that you’ve had anopportunity to work with the system, we’reoffering physician optimization hours tohelp you be more efficient and proficientwith CarePATH, saving you time in caringfor your patients.

Physician CarePATH team members willbe available on the following days/locations– stop in for as long as you’d like tooptimize your CarePATH experience.

Tuesday 7/10 – 8am-6pmMedical Staff Lounge, St. ElizabethHealth Center

Wednesday, 7/11 – 8am-6pmMedical Staff Lounge, St. ElizabethBoardman Health Center

Thursday, 7/12 – 8am-6pmMedical Staff Lounge, St. JosephHealth Center

In appreciation for your time andeffort in implementing CarePATH, acontinental breakfast, light lunch andafternoon refreshments will be provided.