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ONONDAGA PHYSICAL THERAPY OPENS OFFICE IN DeWITT
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FEBRUARY 2016
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EDITOR-IN-CHIEFAdam Rombel
ASSOCIATE EDITORMaria J. Carbonaro
STAFF WRITERSEric Reinhardt
Norman [email protected]
CONTRIBUTING WRITERSAlexandra RojasGeorgie Silvarole
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Health-Care BRIEFS
SYRACUSE — St. Joseph’s Health announced that its car-diac and pulmonary rehabilita-tion programs were recently recertified by the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACVPR) through August 2018.
Programs that are certified by AACVPR participate in its national registry.
“Being part of the national registry allows us to compare our outcomes with other car-diac-pulmonary rehabilitation programs across the country,” Stephen Swierczek, director of respiratory care and cardiac-pulmonary rehabilitation at St. Joseph’s Health, said in a news release. “Our outcomes have been shown to be favorable as compared to those in the registry, and every year, we set goals to surpass our outcomes
as part of our commitment to provide a higher level of care.”
St. Joseph’s Health is a non-profit regional health-care sys-tem based in Syracuse, serving
patients throughout Central New York and northern Pennsylvania.
It is affiliated with Franciscan Companies and St. Joseph’s Physicians and is part of the Trinity Health system.
AACVPR, based in Chicago, describes itself as a multi-disciplinary professional as-sociation comprised of health professionals who work in the field of cardiac and pulmo-nary rehabilitation. Members include cardiovascular and pulmonary physicians, nurses, exercise physiologists, physical therapists, behav-ioral scientists, respiratory therapists, dieticians, and nutritionists.
St. Joseph’s cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation programs are recertified
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2 HEALTHCARE PROVIDER I FEBRUARY 2016
Business JournalNews Network
Herkimer County HealthNet names Curnow as new executive director
HERKIMER — Herkimer County HealthNet announced it has ap-pointed Dr. Thomas C. Curnow as executive director.
He has more than 30 years of administrative experience in operations management, regulatory compliance, and program development in the nonprofit sector, and more than two decades of experience as a faculty member in higher educa-tion in various areas of health.
Curnow replaces the previ-ous executive director, Adam Hutchinson, who left for a job at Herkimer BOCES. Phyllis Spinner served as interim executive direc-tor of Herkimer County HealthNet through the end of 2015, accord-ing to a news release from the organization.
Curnow has a doctorate in education from Syracuse University. His past jobs include serving as chief operations officer for Cerebral Palsy of Westchester County as well as in leadership positions with other nonprofit organizations.
Herkimer County HealthNet, which started in 1990, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation under New York State law, according to its website. It operates as a New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) Rural Health Network. NYSDOH and charitable foundations provide it with grant funding.
Curnow
LIVERPOOL — Hospice of Central New York has named Digant Nanavati, M.D., of Family Care Medical Group in Syracuse, as the 2015 ANITA Award recipient.
The award, which rec-ognizes a physician for excellence in the care of patients with life-threaten-ing illness, was presented at Hospice’s Community Awards Breakfast on Feb. 5 at Hospice of Central New York in Liverpool.
Nanavati specializes in fam-
ily medicine. Rita Wood of Syracuse nominated him. In a letter to the ANITA committee, Wood said, “Dr. Nanavati gives his end-of-life patients access to him 24 hours a day. He makes their final journey as comfortable as he can for them, making sure all their needs are met.”
Nanavati
Nanavati wins Anita Award
The Business Journal News Network Call (800) 836-3539 today to subscribe
BY ERIC [email protected]
DeWITT — Onondaga Physical Therapy has recently opened a new location to provide its outpatient physical-therapy services on Syracuse’s east side.
The new clinic, its fifth, opened its doors on Feb. 1 in DeWitt. It is located alongside Metro Fitness East at 6800 E. Genesee St., in the former Track & Racquet Club/Fitness Forum, but oper-ates on a separate five-year lease.
Onondaga Physical Therapy says it offers “one-on-one care for injuries, ill-nesses, and conditions through modern physical therapy techniques.”
The new DeWitt office has one physi-cal therapist and one office coordina-tor, and more hiring could follow with growth in the practice.
“Obviously, as we grow our patient base, we’ll certainly increase [the em-ployee count] from there as we need to,” says Lauris Rigdon, the firm’s CEO and sole owner, and one of its physical thera-pists. He spoke to HealthCare Provider / CNYBJ on Feb. 5.
Julie Dmochowski leads the clinic, which operates in a 2,000-square-foot space. Dmochowski previously worked at the clinic’s Onondaga Hill location, says Rigdon. The company also hired a new employee to provide service on
Onondaga Hill. O n o n d a g a
Physical Therapy employs about 15 full-time workers across all its of-fices.
In DeWitt, it op-erates on a lease separate from Metro Fitness East, but the clinic’s patients can use the onsite fitness center and indoor running track.
“We have full access to the entire facility as part of our lease as well,” says Rigdon.
Onondaga Physical Therapy provides traditional orthopedic physical therapy, but will also offer gait and balance train-ing, rehabilitation post-concussion, as well as running and sport-specific train-ing.
Search for spaceOnondaga Physical Therapy had been
working to find real estate so it could open a location on the east side of Syracuse.
A connection through a local group helped move the process along, as Rigdon recalled it.
Both Rigdon and Randy Sabourin, owner of Metro Fitness, are members of the Entrepreneurial Society of Central New York.
Rigdon also knew Sabourin when he rented space at Crouse Hospital’s physi-cal-therapy clinic.
Sabourin had suggested Rigdon con-sider opening a DeWitt office at 6800 E. Genesee St.
“It really became a priority for us to make that happen there,” says Rigdon.
As part of the lease, Edgewater Group handled the renovation work in prepar-ing the space for operations.
“They installed the bathroom and then re-did all of the flooring and painted the walls … the big thing was probably the bathroom, the carpeting, and the paint,” says Rigdon.
Onondaga Physical Therapy used company cash to invest about $20,000 to cover startup costs in opening the DeWitt location, he adds.
The company also had to purchase four treatment tables, an ultrasound ma-chine, and other therapy-specific equip-ment.
Onondaga Physical Therapy’s other four offices are Baldwinsville, Cicero, Salina, and Onondaga Hill.
Rigdon first launched the company in 2003 on Onondaga Hill.
All clinics are “uniquely located” in fitness centers, according to a company news release.
Rigdon declined to disclose the company’s revenue totals, but says that Onondaga Physical Therapy ex-pects to grow revenue by 35 percent this year.
The company logged about 16,000 patient visits to its offices in 2015.
FEBRUARY 2016 I HEALTHCARE PROVIDER 3
Onondaga Physical Therapy opens fifth location in DeWitt
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David Amberg, VP for research at Upstate Medical University, is the principal investigator on a $575,000 grant that Upstate is using to launch the SUNY Institute for Precision Cancer Research, Education and Care (IPCREC). The school will use IPCREC to estab-lish precision medicine, which the school describes as “the latest innovation in personalized health care.”
Upstate Medical launches precision medicine in cancer care BY ERIC [email protected]
SYRACUSE — The State University of New York (SUNY) has awarded Upstate Medical University a grant that the school will use to establish “precision medicine.”
Upstate Medical will use the grant of $575,000 to launch the SUNY Institute for Precision Cancer Research, Education and Care (IPCREC), a new initiative of the medical school and its partners.
Precision medicine involves compiling data on patients and their conditions from various sources and then using that information to “tailor treatment specific to that exact patient,” Upstate Medical said in a news release posted Jan. 25 on its website.
The medical school describes precision medicine as “the latest in-novation in personalized health care” and considers it the “foundation” of the IPCREC.
David Amberg, VP for research at Upstate Medical University and principal investigator on the IPCREC grant, explained it using an ex-
SEE CANCER CARE, PAGE 14
BY ALEXANDRA ROJASContributing [email protected]
FULTON — Price Chopper recently an-nounced that it would test a live, telemed-icine service at its Fulton grocery store, in addition to three other stores across New York state and one in Vermont.
Price Chopper partnered with Computerized Screening Inc. (CSI), a provider of in-store health stations, and Doctor on Demand, a video telemedicine provider, to give its customers access to one-on-one video sessions with board-certified physicians.
The Doctor on Demand physicians can prescribe medications and treat pa-tients with non-emergency medical is-sues like flu and cold symptoms, sinus infections, and rash issues, according to a news release from Price Chopper.
The five locations with free-standing health stations were chosen from among 20 Price Chopper stores. Price Chopper chose Fulton because the store is busy and the pharmacy team is known to be engaging with the customers, says Kathy Bryant, VP of pharmacy for the Golub Corporation, the Schenectady–based parent company of Price Chopper.
The goal of the telemedicine service is “to provide health and wellness for our customers,” she says.
The in-store health stations will be equipped with machines for self-testing
blood pressure, heart rate, and weight, among other health indicators. The equipment is leased from Doctor on Demand, says Bryant.
A pharmacist is available for additional assistance, but does not engage in the session. Patients can also request that the documentation from their visit go to their primary physician.
After each video visit, patients will be provided a written summary of their visit in order to facilitate a follow-up and addi-tional care from their primary physician, the release stated.
The service is available 24/7, and a 15-minute consultation will cost $40 or less. Doctor on Demand has also part-nered with many insurance providers, so
customers’ insurance plans may cover some or all of their visit costs. Doctor on Demand is offering the first visit to the health station at no charge until April 14.
Telemedicine is one of the fastest growing areas of health care, Price Chopper says. By 2018, the number of patients using telemedicine globally will increase to 7 million, up from fewer than 350,000 in 2013. A recent study found that nearly 75 percent of all doc-tor, urgent care, and emergency room visits are either unnecessary or could be handled safely and effectively over the phone or video. That’s according to the study by IHS, Inc., the American Medical Association, and the Wellness Council of America.
FEBRUARY 2016 I HEALTHCARE PROVIDER 5
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Price Chopper recently announced that it would test a live, telemedicine service at its Fulton grocery store, in addition to three other stores across New York state and one in Vermont.
Price Chopper to test new telemedicineservice at Fulton store
6 HEALTHCARE PROVIDER I FEBRUARY 2016
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Christa Serafin, president and CEO of Sitrin Health Care Center.
FEBRUARY 2016 I HEALTHCARE PROVIDER 7
Sitrin Health Care CEO discusses NeuroCare, other projects in 2016BY ERIC [email protected]
NEW HARTFORD — Sitrin Health Care Center in New Hartford is preparing to open Sitrin NeuroCare, a 32-bed long-term care program for patients with Huntington’s disease and ALS.
Sitrin first announced the project about a year ago, describing it as the “only one of its kind” in upstate New York in a Feb. 26, 2015 news release.
The expansion will create 40 jobs, Sitrin said. It expects the unit to open in April.
The New York State Department of Health (DOH) approved $2 million in funding to help Sitrin pay for the launch and program-development operating costs for the new program.
The state Health Department will visit
Sitrin on March 3 to conduct its opening survey, says Christa Serafin, president & CEO of Sitrin Health Care Center.
“We’re hoping that once they come and do their survey … if there’s any outstand-ing issues that we can resolve all those within a month,” says Serafin.
Sitrin Health Care Center provides post-acute, long-term care services, which include medical rehabilitation, skilled nursing and respite care, a mil-itary-rehabilitation program, residential care for individuals with developmental disabilities, dental services, child care, medically-affiliated adult day health care, assisted living, and housing.
Launched in 1951, Sitrin currently em-ploys nearly 600 people.
The campus includes about 20 build-ings that sit on 220 acres, with other off-site locations as well.
Sitrin generates about $28 million in revenue annually, according to Serafin.
RenovationSitrin Health Care Center is “nearing
the completion” of its renovation project
for the NeuroCare unit. Sitrin is renovating a former skilled-
nursing unit on the second floor of its health-care center, where it will locate the new inpatient long-term care unit.
“We gutted an existing unit … and totally renovated it,” she says.
Syracuse–based Hayner Hoyt Construction Co. was the contractor on the project, and Schopfer Architects, LLP of Syracuse was project architect, she says.
“We already have 24 individuals on the waiting list from all across the state, so we are gaining interest through different social-media outlets,” says Serafin.
The organization has a dedicated web-site for the program that it launched a couple months ago, she adds.
Sitrin wasn’t permitted to use DOH grant funding for the renovation and equipment costs, which total more than $1.5 million.
To help offset equipment costs, the New York State Office of Community
SEE SITRIN, PAGE 14 4
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8 HEALTHCARE PROVIDER I FEBRUARY 2016
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NOTES
1. Medicare.gov Overall Five-Star Ratings combines three sources of data: health inspections, staffing, and quality measures. The more stars, the better.
ABOUT THE LIST
Information was provided by representatives of listed organizations, their websites, Medicare.gov, and the New York State Department of Health. While The Business Journal strives to print accurate information, it is not possible to independently verify all data submitted. We reserve the right to edit entries or delete categories for space considerations.
Central New York consists of Broome, Cayuga, Chemung, Chenango, Cortland, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, Oswego, St. Lawrence, Seneca, Tioga, and Tompkins counties.
NEED A COPY OF A LIST?Electronic versions of all our lists, with additional fields of information and survey contacts, are available for purchase at our website, cnybj.com/ListsResearch.aspx
WANT TO BE ON THE LIST?If your company would like to be considered for next year’s list, or another list, please email [email protected]
THE LISTResearch by Vance [email protected] (315) 579-3911Twitter: @cnybjresearch
SKILLED-NURSING FACILITIESRanked by No. of Certified Beds
Rank
NameAddressPhone/Website
CertifiedBeds
FTEmployees Occupancy Rate
Medicare 5-StarQuality Rating1 Key Administrative Officers
YearEstab.
1.Loretto Health and Rehabilitation Center700 E. Brighton Ave.Syracuse, NY 13205(315) 413-3400/lorettocny.org
583 687 90% 2 Paul Scarpinato, AdministratorCheryl Coolican, Director of Admissions
1926
2.Van Duyn Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing5075 W. Seneca TurnpikeSyracuse, NY 13215(315) 449-6000/vanduyncenter.com
513 NA 88% 1 Mark Smith, Administrator 1976
3.James Square Health & Rehabilitation Centre918 James St.Syracuse, NY 13203(315) 474-1561 /jamessquare.com
440 400 92% 1 Helen Norine, Administrator 1970
4.Bridgewater Center for Rehabilitation & Nursing159-163 Front St.Binghamton, NY 13905(607) 722-7225/bwrehab.com
356 NA 86% 1 Kurt D. Apthorpe, Administrator 2005
5.The Masonic Care Community of New York2150 Bleecker St.Utica, NY 13501(315) 798-4800/mccny.com
320 900 98% 3 Robert Raffle, Executive DirectorJill Wynne, Controller
1893
6.Elcor Nursing and Rehabilitation Center48 Colonial DriveHorseheads, NY 14845(607) 739-0304/elcorhealthservices.com
305 NA 96% 2 Richard W. Poes, CEO 1965
7.The Commons on St. Anthony3 St. Anthony St.Auburn, NY 13021(315) 253-0351/mercyrehab.net
300 NA 83% 1 John Ognibene, Administrator 1972
.Willow Point Nursing Home3700 Old Vestal RoadVestal, NY 13850(607) 763-4400/gobroomecounty.com/wpnf
300 425 95% 1 Kevin Carey, Administrator 1969
9.The Centers at St. Camillus813 Fay RoadSyracuse, NY 13219(315) 488-2951/st-camillus.org
284 650 93% 1 Aileen Balitz, CEOMichael Zingaro, VP Finance
1969
10.LutheranCare108-110 Utica RoadClinton, NY 13323(315) 853-5515/lutherancare.org
280 413 93% 1 Andrew Peterson, President/CEO 1919
11.Samaritan Keep Nursing Home, Inc.133 Pratt St.Watertown, NY 13601(315) 785-4400/samaritanhealth.com
272 350 94% 1 Thomas H. Carman, VP, Long-Term CarePaul A. Kraeger, CFO
Richard A. Brooks, VP, Long Term Care & SupportServices Administrator
1972
12.NYS Veterans Home at Oxford4211 State Highway 220Oxford, NY 13830(607) 843-3100/nysvets.org/homes/oxford
242 NA 93% 5 James Wyzykowski, Administrator 1897
13.Presbyterian Homes & Services4290 Middle Settlement RoadNew Hartford, NY 13413(315) 797-7500/presbyterianhome.com
236 285 94% 2 Michael Sweeney, CEORussell A. Clark, CFO
Christopher Durr, Administrator
1967
14.Heritage Health Care Center1657 Sunset Ave.Utica, NY 13502(315) 797-7392/hhcc.net
220 NA 71% 1 Charles Lewis, Executive Director 1867
15.St. Luke's Home1650 Champlin Ave.Utica, NY 13503(315) 624-8600/faxtonstlukes.com
202 318 97% 2 Lisa Volk, Executive Director 1996
10 HEALTHCARE PROVIDER I FEBRUARY 2016
American Heart Association designates Cornell as a “fit-friendly” worksite
The association honors em-ployers who support the health of their employees through in-novative approaches to healthy lifestyle changes.
Gold-level recipients offer em-ployees physical-activity support, increase healthy eating options at work, and promote a wellness culture in the workplace, the re-lease stated.
Beth McKinney, director of Cornell Wellness, attributed Cornell’s selection by the AHA to the wellness options it pro-vides to staff and faculty. These include offering employees free
physical-activity consultations, walking maps and online work-out programs; healthy eating op-tions at on-campus eateries and vending machines; promoting a wellness culture by promoting fitness, nutrition, and wellbeing; and implementing at least nine AHA criteria in the areas of physi-cal activity, nutrition, and culture.
“Our 2015 activity contest, ‘Go-Go-Go 1-5-0,’ played a major part in this application,” said McKinney. “I think our creative approach to blending ‘worksite’ and ‘wellness’ is resulting in hap-pier, healthier employees.”
BY JOURNAL [email protected]
ITHACA — Cornell University was recently se-lected as a gold-level recipi-ent of the American Heart Association’s (AHA) Fit-Friendly Worksites recogni-tion program, according to a Cornell Chronicle news release.
PHOTO CREDIT: CORNELL CHRONICLE
BY JOURNAL [email protected]
SYRACUSE — The American College of Radiology (ACR) has designated Crouse Hospital as a lung-cancer screening center.
The Crouse medical imaging team
received the designation because of its “demonstrated expertise and commitment to quality patient care by meeting or ex-ceeding a set of technical specifications and completing onsite evaluations by a review team from ACR,” according to a Crouse Hospital news release.
“This designation affirms our commit-ment to providing the most advanced diagnostic and therapeutic services avail-able in the region,” Brad Hellwig, director of medical imaging at Crouse, said in the release.
In early 2015, Crouse launched its lung-cancer screening program to provide low-dose lung CT screening for current and former smokers at high risk for develop-ing the disease. The goal of this screening is to find lung cancer early, when it is most treatable.
Lung cancer is the second leading type of cancer and makes up 13 percent of all new cancer cases in the United States, ac-cording to the American Cancer Society. About 400,000 patients in the U.S. have lung cancer.
The goal of the ACR is to help fa-cilities manage the lung-cancer patient more efficiently. Accreditation by the ACR helps assure patients that the high-est level of image quality and safety is being provided, according to the re-lease. The process documents that the facility meets requirements for equip-ment, medical personnel, and quality assurance. Since 1987, the ACR has ac-credited more than 38,000 facilities in 10 imaging modalities. n
FEBRUARY 2016 I HEALTHCARE PROVIDER 11
Pictured is the Crouse Hospital medical imaging team. The American College of Radiology (ACR) has designated Crouse as a lung-cancer screening center.
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Crouse Hospital is designated as a lung-cancer screening center
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Last year’s Paige’s Butterfly Run raised $240,000 for Upstate Golisano Children’s HospitalBY JOURNAL [email protected]
SYRACUSE — Last June, thousands of runners filled the streets of downtown Syracuse to compete in the 19th edition of Paige’s Butterfly Run. It’s a fun-draising race that Chris Arnold and Ellen Yeomans created to honor their daughter who lost her fight to childhood cancer.
The run has become a full-fledged family event, raising
more than $2 million to date to support cancer research and cancer care at Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital, according to a recent Upstate Medical University news release.
The 2015 installment of the Butterfly Run and associated events attracted 5,000 attend-ees and raised $240,000. The run raises a large portion of the money to be donated, but other events contribute as well, the release stated. These in-
clude the Nice N Easy Corner Store Run that raised $10,000, a donation of $2,454 from the Chargers Rowing Club, $4,200 raised by the Fleet Feet Power of Running for Good program, and the Paige’s Pajama Days initiative at area schools and businesses.
Arnold, Yeomans, and their committee presented the $240,000 check to the Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital staff on Dec. 30 during a cel-
ebration that included pedi-atric patients, their families, the Foundation for Upstate Medical University, and care-givers from Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital and Upstate Cancer Center.
“Paige’s Butterfly Run is much bigger than just a Saturday morning in June; it has become a network of events that drive awareness
SEE BUTTERFLY RUN, PAGE 15 4
12 HEALTHCARE PROVIDER I FEBRUARY 2016
CROUSE HOSPITAL
Crouse Hospital has named BETTY O’CONNOR chief nursing officer. With Crouse since 1979, she most recently served as VP of nurs-ing operations. O’Connor is a graduate of Crouse Irving Memorial Hospital School of Nursing and received her bach-elor’s degree in nursing from SUNY Utica Rome. She earned the health-care leadership certifi-cate from the Madden School of Business at Le Moyne College, where she is also pursuing her master’s degree in nursing.
EARQ
EarQ recently announced ad-ditions to its leadership team. ANDREW HEBERT will now serve as EarQ’s senior VP, CLIFFORD CAREY will step into the role of VP of communications, NATALIE PHILLIPS will be EarQ’s first di-rector of audiology, and SARAH BURTCH will advance into the role of national sales director. Formerly the VP, Hebert has dedicated the past nine years to leading the company in its development and execution of innovative programs and services. Carey’s new position comes after three years of suc-cessfully transitioning EarQ’s cre-ative department from a traditional print agency to a full-scale digi-tal services center as director of communications. Board-certified in audiology and a fellow of the American Academy of Audiology, Phillips is a well-respected voice in the industry. While continu-ing to practice at Advanced Otolaryngology and Audiology in Fort Collins, Colo., she will offer a professional voice for patients and advise EarQ’s educational con-tent development. Burtch brings more than 10 years experience in sales, marketing, and brand man-agement to the EarQ team. She previously served as the VP of
sales and operations at Beowulf Natural Feeds, Inc., the national in-side sales manager of DFA Farm Supplies, and the district sales manager for Kellogg Company.
LORETTO
MICHAEL R. LARCHE has joined Loretto as VP, chief infor mation officer. He will lead the IT de-partment for Loretto’s pro-grams and services at 21 locations in Onondaga and Cayuga counties. Larche was senior director of infor-mation technology for Rochester Regional Health System for the past nine years. He previously held IT leadership positions with the University of Rochester, Skillsoft, Citicorp, and General Dynamics. Larche received bachelor’s de-grees in computer science and mathematics from Potsdam State University and an MBA from the University of New Haven.
MENORAH PARK
MICHAEL E. S V E N D S E N is the new nursing home administrator at Menorah Park of Central New York. Previously, he was administrator of the Bethany Gardens Skilled Living Center in Rome, N.Y. He has almost 30 years experience in senior care administration. Svendsen earned an MBA after completing an ex-ecutive program in in health care administration at the University of Dallas. BEVERLY KLEIN, RN, was recently named director of Menorah Park of CNY’s Home Care agency that provides at-home medical and companion care. She came to Menorah Park as a home care case manager in 2013. Prior to joining Menorah Park, Klein was supervisor of clinical services
and case manager at a number of local home-care agencies, and also worked as an operating room, emergency room, and physician’s office registered nurse.
OSWEGO HOSPITAL
ADAORA UDEKWU, M.D., has joined Oswego Hospital’s active medical staff and the hos-pitalist team. She recently completed her family medicine residency at the University of Arkansas Medical Sciences in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Udekwu earned her medical degree from Sint Eustatius School of Medicine, located in Antilles. She began her health-care career as a regis-tered nurse. Before earning her medical degree, she obtained her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Salisbury University in Maryland and worked as a nurse while she completed her medical training.
PRIMECARE MEDICAL
PRACTICE
Family nurse practitioner CASSANDRA HUNSBERGER has joined the staff of Primecare Medical Practice in Central Square. She has steadily advanced her nursing edu-cation, first by earning an as-sociate degree in nursing from Broome Communi ty College and then by obtaining a bachelor’s degree in nursing from SUNY Upstate Medical University. This past May, Hunsberger earned her degree as a family nurse practitioner, also from Upstate Medical University. While studying for her latest degree, she also worked as a registered nurse at St. Joseph’s Hospital.
ROME MEMORIAL HOSPITAL
Pediatrician OLUBUKOLA T. ADEYEYE, M.D., is a new mem-ber of Rome Memorial Hospital’s medical staff. She is a board-certified pe-diatrician at Rome Medical Group, the h o s p i t a l - a f -filiated prac-tice. A native of Nigeria, Adeyeye earned bachelor’s degree of medicine and of surgery from Obafemi Awolowo University College of Health Sciences, Ile-Ife, Nigeria before coming to the United States in 2009. She earned her master’s degree of public health from Mailman School of Public Health, at Columbia University, New York City with a focus on population, child and adolescent health. Adeyeye completed her residency in pediatrics at the Woodhull Medical and Mental Health Center in Brooklyn.
SCHUYLER HOSPITAL AND THE CAYUGA HEALTH SYSTEM
Schuyler Hospital and the Cayuga Health System have named JAMES B. WATSON as president of Schuyler Hospital and VP of the Cayuga Health System. He is the current president and chief operating officer of the Arnot Health-Ira Davenport Memorial Hospital in Bath. In addition to 30 years experience in health-care man-agement, Watson holds an MBA in health services from Union College. He has served on the Hospital Association of New York State board of direc-tors and was president of the Rochester Regional Healthcare Association from 2012-2015. Watson replaces Andy Manzer, who will become executive VP and network chief operating of-ficer at Bassett Health Care in Cooperstown. n
HEALTH-CARE CAREER
NEWS
O’Connor
Larche
Svendsen
Udekwu
Hunsberger
Adeyeye
SEE ARCHIBALD, PAGE 14 4
FEBRUARY 2016 I HEALTHCARE PROVIDER 13
“A year from now, you will wish you had started today.” ~ Karen Lamb
S everal of my columns in 2015 focused on a continued emphasis on revolutionary federal and state
health-care reform initiatives. In these columns, you have read about the ob-jectives related to continued reforms of the state Medicaid and federal Medicare programs. This column takes a for ward-thinking, strategic-positioning approach for each and every organiza-tion that provides
health care and/or social-welfare ser-vices.
Remember that the health-care re-form initiatives are both revolutionary and, in many cases, unproven. Reform of this nature, in which the state and federal governments are plowing new ground, creates both opportunities and challenges for all health-care providers. Through my participation over the past 18 months in these reform initiatives, I have developed the following list of the Seven Cs of our health-care system. These seven attributes will most likely be more difficult to navigate, than the “Seven Seas” several centuries ago. Each and every provider and stakeholder in health care and human services, on a prospective basis, must adopt an attitude consistent with the following required objectives:n Cooperation among providersn Collaboration with othersn Competition for service referralsn Compensation allocation among
providersn Care coordination with a more in-
tensive scrutiny on identifying the most appropriate and cost-effective site of caren Convergence of provider activities
resulting in shared services, mergers,
and affiliationsn Contracting transition from fee for
service to value-based performance met-rics and outcomes
It is difficult to identify any other industry in our global economy that operates with the attributes listed above. I challenge you to identify any other sector that could operate successfully in an environment that requires complete and total commitment to individual cost-effective outcomes. I have not found one industry that could remotely describe it-self as being able to collaborate and com-pete at the same time that compensation and revenue allocations were being di-rectly impacted by the structural-reform initiatives.
These current reform initiatives fol-low roughly 40 years of both failed and successful events at controlling the rate of increase in health-care costs. You should remember that the United States spends close to 18 percent of GDP on health-care services. This spending has consistently been at more than twice the rate of any other industrialized nation. Interestingly, our increased spending habits have not resulted in better health outcomes for our citizens in comparison to those nations that spend half of what we do in the U.S. The reasons for this unexplained disparity in spending are complex. While there is no one simple answer or approach, our efforts over the past four decades are certainly ap-propriate since we must be able to “bend the cost increase curve.” Constraining costs at the same time that 10,000 “baby boomers” each day turn age for the next 17 years will be a monumental challenge.
Before I provide the typical questions that should be addressed by providers, keep in mind the impact of the five 5 As:n Agingn Alzheimer’sn AIDSn Alcohol and substance abusen AccidentsBecause of these factors and techno-
logical changes, we find ourselves on the doorstep of fundamentally changing
the American society’s general expecta-tion that our citizens will “be kept alive” regardless of cost.
So, we have tried many models of health-care reform. You might say that the entire health-care industry and its providers are “experienced veterans” of constant reform and change initiatives. The following list of questions can be both strategic and operational in your organization’s services. Each of them should be considered in a board and management brainstorming discussion, preferably in the next few months.
Strategic/operational questions to be addressed
1) What is the best strategic posi-tion for our organization to participate in the DSRIP Medicaid / PPS initiative and the value-based payment reforms being implemented by New York State Department of Health?
2) What is the likelihood or probabil-ity of success to our organization if we remain autonomous and “go it alone”?
3) If autonomy is not an option, how many and which regional provider net-works (RPNs) should we participate in?
4) What can our organization effectively do to achieve the goal of hospital-facility diversion that is the fun-damental objective of DSRIP/PPS for eligible Medicaid individuals?
5) What is the definition of “avoid-able hospital facility utilization,” and have we established clear policies and proce-dures for all staff to follow?
6) Do we have the necessary technol-ogy sophistication to be able to make “real time” triage decisions?
7) What is the appropriate structure for our organization to consider in its participation with RPNs?
8) Is participation in an independent provider association (IPA) the appropri-ate strategy? If not, why not?
9) How many emergency-room visits and hospital-admission diversions did we accomplish today, this week, or this
Questions Related to Reform
GERALD J. ARCHIBALD
Nonprofit Management
VIEWPOINT:
14 HEALTHCARE PROVIDER I FEBRUARY 2016
Renewal awarded Sitrin a grant $350,000.
Sitrin also launched a development campaign to raise the additional funding, which has generated more than $600,000 so far, according to Serafin.
DSRIP programSitrin Health Care Center is also work-
ing on a project that’s part of an overall effort to reform the Medicaid-delivery system in a five-county region over the next five years, according to Serafin.
Sitrin is helping to implement the INTERACT project (short for interven-tions to reduce acute-care transfers). The project aims to implement evidence-based interventions to reduce avoidable hospi-talizations of nursing-home residents.
“That’s a quality improvement program that focuses on addressing changes in a resident’s condition so that they will not have to be hospitalized,” says Serafin.
Bassett Medical Center in Cooperstown is the lead organization for the five-coun-ty, performing-provider system (PPS) formed under the Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) pro-gram.
The New York State Department of Health announced the DSRIP PPS awards May 21, 2015, according to a June 30 news release from Bassett Medical Center.
Bassett Medical Center is working with more than 90 collaborating organizations across Delaware, Herkimer, Madison, Otsego, and Schoharie counties to help reform the region’s Medicaid delivery
system over the next five years.The organizations involved have to
reach certain goals outlined for the more than 62,000 Medicaid recipients living in the five-county area and assigned to the DSRIP PPS.
New York wants the nearly $72 million in funding to give providers incentive to cre-ate “high performing,” sustainable health-care delivery systems that can “effectively” meet the needs of Medicaid beneficiaries and low-income, uninsured individuals in their communities “by improving care, improving health and reducing costs.”
Ultimately, the goal is to improve clinical outcomes and reduce avoidable hospital admissions and emergency-de-partment visits by 25 percent over five years, according to Bassett. n
SITRIN: It launched a development campaign to raise additional funding Continued from page 7
ample related to cancer.In precision medicine, a researcher or
medical professional can sequence the tumor genome, observe the chromo-somal rearrangements and mutations in a tumor and eventually determine what combinations of therapy “would be most effective for that patient,” he says.
Amberg spoke with HealthCare Provider on Feb. 1.
He calls it “personalized” medical care based on precision, or “big data.”
“…Which is having everything from an individual’s genome sequence to se-quence of their tumors, detailed analysis of everything in their electronic health records and compiling all that data to understand the individual in a more so-phisticated way,” says Amberg.
SUNY awarded the $575,000 grant from its performance and investment fund, Upstate Medical said.
Upstate’s IPCREC program was one of 32 that SUNY selected for funding from 211 submissions.
Partnering campuses include SUNY Oswego, Onondaga Community College, and SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry.
Upstate Medical projects the program will launch in 2016.
The medical school hasn’t made a final determination yet, but IPCREC could be part of the Institute for Human Performance, says Amberg.
Upstate Medical will also integrate IPCREC with a molecular-diagnostics facility that is under development in the CNY Biotech Accelerator, he adds.
IPCREC will bring together vast amounts of data, technology to compile the data, experts to interpret it, and clinicians to implement “improved and better informed” treatments for patients,
Upstate Medical said. Ultimately, IPCREC will fuse the pa-
tient’s personal data to the cancer treat-ments in clinic.
Examples of data that the organization will mine include a patient’s genome sequence, the genome sequence of his/her tumor, detailed electronic health re-cords, and big data biomarker informa-tion obtained through proteomics and metabolomics.
The proposal will integrate Upstate’s IPCREC with SUNY Oswego’s com-putational precision biomedicine lab, “aligning” resources to serve students, patients, and the community.
The award represents “only part” of the overall grant, which includes funding requests for staffing, technology, equip-ment, facilities and other program needs, according to the Upstate Medical news release. n
CANCER CARE: Upstate Medical projects the program will launch in 2016 Continued from page 4
month? How did we do it, and are we receiving fair and reasonable compensa-tion for the savings generated by utiliz-ing lower-cost sites of care?
10) The fundamental question that every organization must be prepared to assess and answer is, how many emergency-room visits and admissions did we generate from our service popu-
lation in 2013, 2014, and 2015, and what is a reasonable expectation for a percentage reduction in 2016, 2017, and 2018?
There are no easy answers to the question of how we, as a state and na-tion, can effectively bend the cost curve on health care. Forty years of reform initiatives have not produced the desired
result. It may take another 40 years and the demise of the baby boom genera-tion before we achieve any meaningful results. n
Gerald J. Archibald, CPA, is a partner in charge of the management advisory servic-es at The Bonadio Group. Contact him at [email protected]
ARCHIBALD: 40 years of reform initiatives have not produced the desired result Continued from page 13
I n the ever-changing industrial landscape that is health care, organizations across the board are
looking for ways to differentiate them-selves from other providers. One of the strongest ways to do that doesn’t involve billboards or TV commercials. In fact, it starts in a place much simpler and is something that you look at every day: your brand.
By basic defini-tion, a brand is “a single idea or con-
cept that you own inside the mind of your audiences.” The brand, of course, includes items such as your logo and tagline, but it’s much bigger than that. The primary focus of your brand messaging must be on your target audiences, and the community around you must recognize that you stand for something. A brand is really a total experience that a customer has with your health-care organization, and it’s about delivering on a promise consistently.
Positive differentiation is crucial to
succeeding in any industry today, and that’s especially so in health care. Effective branding will establish and reinforce an organization’s specific benefits that it of-fers to the marketplace. In health care, this process is about the entire experience and relationship that patients have with you and your team. When you communicate what makes you special, you are setting expectations — a direct or implied promise — that patients will get the benefit of your unique value each time they visit or call.
What is the one thing you want your audiences to remember about you, if they only remember one thing? With so much clutter in the marketplace, you’ll have to give up trying to be everything to every-body, and instead focus on becoming very special to somebody. That thinking is part of your positioning strategy and leading the organization to present itself as differ-ent, better, and more desirable from any other health-care provider.
Your positioning is the unique com-petitive advantage that influences your desired audience in a positive and genuine way. It must be four things:
1. True: If you say you’re experienced, you’d better be experienced.
2. Differentiating: Don’t say the same
thing everyone else says, or you’ll just get lost in the noise.
3. Memorable: You are competing with 3,000 messages a day; say something that sticks out.
4. Compelling: Give your target audi-ences a reason to interact with you — whether that’s dealing with private pay or Medicaid, for example.
Positioning is the logical argument for customers to choose you over a com-petitor, while your brand is the larger emotional response and image you are working to establish.
When it comes to marketing your health-care organization, you need to integrate all your communications across each of your traditional, digital, and public-relations ef-forts. In the case of doctors/practice groups, they often think in terms of technical hard-ware or clinical quality. But, the community values service and value-added items such as access and ease of scheduling.
Effective branding communicates to the desires, attitudes, and sensibilities of the community. The wants and needs of the patients are mainly rooted in results: improved appearance, a healthy body, and guidance in good health. Always remem-ber that the benefits your patients are receiving are key.
Take a look around, and ask how strong your brand is? n
Gail Cowley is executive VP at Cowley Associates, a full-service marketing and advertising agency based in Syracuse. She has more than 35 years of experience in health-care marketing and creative strategy for organizations of all sizes. Contact her at [email protected]
FEBRUARY 2016 I HEALTHCARE PROVIDER 15
and fundraising for pediatric cancer care and research at Upstate,” Toni Gary, di-rector of community relations at Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital and the Upstate Foundation, said in the release. “The contributions from Paige’s Run sup-port initiatives that provide comfort for our patients and families when they are here receiving care, but also provide hope, in the form of important research, for the future.”
Contributions from Paige’s Butterfly Run and related activities are used for many Upstate initiatives. These efforts support pediatric cancer care, cancer research, and families who are faced with the many chal-lenges presented by a diagnosis of child-hood cancer, according to the release.
Some of the initiatives to benefit from this latest $240,000 gift include:
• The Paige’s Cancer Research Fund at Upstate
• Paige’s Family Assistance Fund. This fund helps families at the Dr. William J. Waters Center for Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders who are having financial difficulties as a result of their child’s ill-ness. The fund is also used for general as-sistance, including burial costs and a grief counseling program; sand therapy equip-ment and materials; equipment for hemo-philia patients; Upstate’s Survival Wellness Clinic, which includes assistance to unin-sured patients and for education of local and outlying physicians and other medical providers; neuropsychological testing for children with cancer; backpack comfort kits (which include items such as toilet-ries, gift cards for food and gas) for newly diagnosed patients and their families; and
patient parking assistance.• Paige Yeomans Arnold Memorial
Endowment Fund. A portion of this permanent endowment, established with the Foundation for Upstate, will be used in the future to fund research and provide financial assistance to families having dif-ficulties due to their child’s illness.
• Paige’s Family Fun Fund. This fund provides the child-life specialists at the Dr. William J. Waters Center for Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders with support to cover family needs, such as meals, and birthday and holiday celebrations.
The 20th Annual Paige’s Butterfly Run is set for Saturday, June 4, 2016, starting near the Federal Building on Franklin Street in downtown Syracuse. The run is held during the city’s annual Taste of Syracuse festival. n
BUTTERFLY RUN: Contributions are used for many Upstate initiatives Continued from page 11
Effectively Communicating Your Health-Care Advantage
VIEWPOINT:
GAIL COWLEYViewpoint
SAVE THE
DATE!EVENT DATE:Thursday,
October 20, 2016TIME:
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LOCATION:The Lodge at Welch Allyn
Presented By:
excellence IN HEALTH CARE AWARDS
For event information, visit bizeventz.com or email [email protected]
The 5th annual Excellence in Health Care Awards recognizes our region’s top health-care industry leaders, innovators, and companies. This awards-recognition event will honor those individuals and/or organizations that have a signi� cant impact on the quality of health care and services in Central New York. Honorees will be spotlighted in the HealthCare Provider and the Business Journal!
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