Winter 2016

Heritage Valley Health System Partners inPA Brain & Spine Institute

The PA Brain & Spine Institute opened an office within Heritage Valley Beaver in January 2016. Michael Horowitz, MD, FAANS, and Richard Spiro, MD, FACS, FAANS, are the board certified and fellowship trained neurosurgeons that lead the PA Brain & Spine Institute, which also has offices in Butler and Seneca, PA.

“This partnership in neurosurgery brings expert surgical care to patients with complex neurosurgical needs in Heritage Valley’s service area,” said Norm Mitry, Heritage Valley Health System President & CEO. “Our continued focus is to provide the highest quality healthcare services, such as neurosurgery, to our patients in a community setting.”

Dr. Horowitz and Dr. Spiro provide care for a variety of health issues including spinal anomalies and degenerative disease, central and peripheral nervous system concerns, and cerebrovascular disorders including stroke, cranial nerve disorders and hydrocephalus.

“We see and treat patients with brain, spine and nerve conditions, both surgically and non-surgically,” said Dr. Horowitz. “Typically, patients are referred to us by their primary care, internal medicine or even emergency physicians for further treatment of brain, spine and neurovascular abnormalities. Our goal is to help patients with, at times, complex diagnoses regain function and quality of life.”

Services provided include: • Aneurysms • Brain Tumors • Carotid disease • Endovascular surgery • Facial pain syndromes • Hemifacial spasm • Hydrocephalus/normal pressure hydrocephalus • Microvascular decompression • Minimally invasive procedures for vascular issues

Dr. Michael Horowitz and Dr. Richard Spiro have been providing advanced neurosurgery care at Butler Health System since 2013. Both doctors have practiced at UPMC and AHN and have previously been named to Pittsburgh Magazine’s Best Doctors list.

The PA Brain & Spine Institute’s Beaver location is within Heritage Valley Beaver, 1000 Dutch Ridge Road, Beaver, PA. Two additional locations include Butler Health System, 127 Oneida Valley Road, Suite 203, Butler, PA and Seneca Commons, 2 Park Way, Seneca, PA. PA Brain & Spine Institute can be contacted at 1-855-365-7274 or online at pabrainspine.com. BHS and HVHS accept most health insurance plans, including Highmark and UPMC Health Plan.

Talking with CEO Norm MitryIn late 2015, Heritage Valley Health System and Butler Health System entered into a strategic relationship to provide select physician subspecialty services. The joint venture, BHS/HVHS Multispecialty Group, Inc., launched its first subspecialty practice, the “PA Brain & Spine Institute, a Partnership of Butler Health System and Heritage Valley Health System.”

This year marks a significant milestone, Heritage Valley’s 20th anniversary as a unified Health System. On Nov. 1, 1996, The Medical Center, Beaver and Sewickley Valley Hospital merged to become Heritage Valley Health System, an integrated delivery network

focuses on providing comprehensive health care in the community.

The health care industry, both nationally and regionally, is different from 20 years ago. While we continually reference that health care is an ever-changing and ever-challenging industry, what has not changed is the commitment of the Health System and its Board of Directors to providing access to high quality health care in the community.

Most recently Heritage Valley Beaver and Heritage Valley Sewickley earned the Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval as Primary Stroke Centers, an indication that patients don’t need to lose precious time traveling far for the best stroke care. Also, the Heritage Valley Heart & Vascular Center recently received a three year term of Accreditation in Nuclear Cardiology by the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission. Both are examples of Heritage Valley’s commitment to excellence.

Ensuring the community has access means that Heritage Valley brings new services to the community, provides health care in a convenient setting and accepts the insurance plans that our consumers possess. In this issue you’ll read about neurosurgical and stroke services offered at Heritage Valley Beaver, the opening of a renovated Heritage Valley Ellwood City medical neighborhood and a recent agreement with UPMC Health Plan to provide care for UPMC for YOU patients.

Time has passed but Heritage Valley’s commitment to it’s mission remains steadfast as board of directors, physicians and employees still aim “to improve the health and well-being of all people in the communities we serve.”

• Minimally invasive treatment of spinal disorders • Neurological surgery • Oncology • Spinal fusion • Spinal reconstruction • Spinal surgery • Spinal tumors • Stroke

Norman F. MitryPresident & CEOHeritage Valley Health System

underwent rigorous onsite reviews in October 2015. Joint Commission experts evaluated compliance with stroke-related standards and requirements, including program management, the delivery of clinical care and performance improvement.

As a result of the reviews, Heritage Valley Beaver and Heritage Valley Sewickley also received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award. The award recognizes each hospital’s commitment and success in ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate, timely treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence.

Additionally, Heritage Valley Beaver received the Target: StrokeSM Honor Roll designation as part of its achievement. To qualify for the Target: Stroke Honor Roll, a hospital must meet quality measures developed to reduce the time between the patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with the clot-buster tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA, the only drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat ischemic stroke.

“The Beaver and Sewickley hospitals of Heritage Valley Health System are pleased to receive Advanced Certification for Primary Stroke Centers from The Joint Commission and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association,” said Linda Homyk, vice president and chief nursing officer, patient care services at Heritage Valley Health System. “The certifications provide us with the opportunity to highlight the exceptional stroke care we provide to our patients in our community as we continue to strive to advance our care even further.”

Heritage Valley Hospitals Receive Certificationfor Stroke Care

Heritage Valley ConvenientCare is pleased to announce that UPMC for You, the medical assistance program of UPMC Health Plan, is now accepted at all six ConvenientCare walk-in clinic locations. UPMC Health Plan has contracted with Heritage Valley Medical Group ConvenientCare walk-in clinics to provide insurance coverage and access for their UPMC for You patient base.

Heritage Valley Medical Group ConvenientCare is open 7 days a week with extended hours providing treatment for minor illness and injuries by a staff of Certified Registered Nurse Practitioners. ConvenientCare walk-in clinics are located in the Chippewa, Edgeworth, Ellwood City and West Allegheny medical neighborhoods as well as the Monaca and East Liverpool, Ohio Wal-Mart stores.

To locate a Heritage Valley Medical Group ConvenientCare near you, visit www.heritagevalley.org/convenientcare.

Heritage Valley Medical Group ConvenientCare Welcomes UPMC for You Patients

Heritage Valley Beaver and Heritage Valley Sewickley earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Heart-Check mark for Advanced Certification for Primary Stroke Centers. The Gold Seal of Approval® and the Heart-Check mark represent symbols of quality from their respective organizations.

Heritage Valley Beaver and Heritage Valley Sewickley

For several years, Heritage Valley has participated in “telestroke,” a state-of-the-art program that uses advanced video equipment to connect expert stroke neurologists with Heritage Valley’s emergency department and critical care physicians and nurses, along with patients and their families. At Heritage Valley Beaver, the telestroke program is linked to neurologists at UPMC. At Heritage Valley Sewickley, the program is linked to neurologists at Allegheny Health Network/Allegheny General Hospital.

“With a stroke, time lost is brain loss,” said Ronald Leckey, MD, Director of Emergency Medicine and Stroke Care. “This certification and award demonstrates our commitment to ensuring patients receive care based on nationally-recognized clinical guidelines. At Heritage Valley we’ll continue to identify innovative ways to improve stroke care and patient outcomes for those in our service area.”

Stroke is the number five cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the United States, according to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. On average, someone suffers a stroke every 40 seconds; someone dies of a stroke every four minutes; and 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year.

The Heritage Valley Medical Group Heart & Vascular Center in Leetsdale and Beaver was granted a three-year term of Accreditation in Nuclear Cardiology by the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC). The IAC grants accreditation to facilities that are found to be providing quality patient care, in compliance with national standards.

Heritage Valley Heart & Vascular Centers in Leetsdale and Beaver provide a range non-invasive testing including nuclear cardiology studies, stress testing and heart strength assessment. Nuclear cardiology studies assist doctors in the diagnosis of coronary artery disease and predict the prognosis of people with heart failure.

“Nuclear cardiology procedures can lead to early detection of life threatening heart disorders and other diseases,” said Dr. George Antalis, medical director, nuclear cardiology, Heritage Valley Heart & Vascular Center. “Through the IAC accreditation process, our equipment, processes, and team of technicians and physicians were assessed and given the organization’s ‘seal of approval.’”

In order to attain Accreditation, the Heritage Valley Medical Group Heart & Vascular Centers underwent a comprehensive application process which included detailed case study review. The thorough review of operational and technical components was conducted by a panel of experts.

Heritage Valley Medical Group Heart & Vascular Centers are located in Leetsdale, Beaver, Cranberry Township, Moon Township and Calcutta, Ohio. To make an appointment at any Heart & Vascular location, call 724.773.4502. For more information about Heritage Valley Health System go to www.heritagevalley.org.

Heritage Valley Receives Accreditation inNuclear Cardiology

Muhammad Arif, MD – Pain MedicineHeritage Valley Health System welcomes Muhammad Arif, MD, to the Heritage Valley Beaver Medical Staff. Dr. Arif provides comprehensive treatment for chronic pain at a new office on the 2nd floor of Heritage Valley Beaver. Dr. Arif is board certified in Pain Management and Physical Medicine andRehabilitation and is a member of the American

Association of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AAPMR) and the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Management (ASRA). To schedule an appointment, call the Heritage Valley Beaver office at 724-304-4950.

Sheri Morris, MD – General SurgeryHeritage Valley Medical Group Surgical Associates welcomes Sheri Morris, MD to their surgical practice. Dr. Morris is a part of the practice expansion into Sewickley, and will be operating at Heritage Valley Sewickley. She is board certified by The American Board of Surgery and is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. Dr. Morris has over 15 years of

experience as a general surgeon, and is committed to patient centered care. She practices the full breadth of general surgery with special interests in laparoscopy and endocrine surgeries. Dr. Morris is accepting new patients and physician referrals. Her office is located in the Heritage Valley Edgeworth medical neighborhood, Esmark Building, 100 Hazel Lane in Sewickley. To make an appointment, call 724-728-8300.

Welcome PhysiciansMelissa Rau, MD – Family Practice

Heritage Valley Medical Group welcomes Melissa Rau, MD, to the Heritage Valley Family Practice - Robinson practice and West Allegheny Healthcare practice in Imperial. Dr. Rau joins Denise Wegrzynowicz, DO and Melissa Kashlan, MD in the Robinson practice and Todd McCaslin, MD at West Allegheny Healthcare. She is board certified by the American Board of Family

Medicine and a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians, the Pennsylvania Academy of Family Physicians and the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals. Dr. Rau is accepting new patients. To schedule an appointment, call 412.749.6920 (Robinson) or 724.773.3001 (West Allegheny).

Richard Schollaert, MD – Internal MedicineHeritage Valley Medical Group’s Internal Medicine Associates practice welcomes back Richard Schollaert, MD . Dr. Schollaert rejoins Richard G. Cassoff, MD and George B. Cheponis, MD in Ambridge, offering traditional, patient-centered medical care to adults. He welcomes back all of his former patients and isaccepting new patients as well. Dr. Schollaert

is board certified in Internal Medicine and Geriatrics. Heritage Valley Medical Group Internal Medicine Associates Ambridge office is located at 1155 Merchant Street. The practice also has an office in Edgeworth where Stephanie L. Perry, MD and Hans J. Fuchs, MD see patients. To schedule an appointment, call 412.749.6821.

The ConvenientCare, Diagnostic Imaging and Lab Draw Services have a new home in Ellwood City. The new Heritage Valley Ellwood City is located in the Franklin Plaza Shopping Center, 271 State Route 288, Ellwood City, PA. The phone number is724-773-4681. Hours for each service are below:

Heritage Valley Ellwood City Relocates

ConvenientCareMon. thru Sat., 8 am to 8 pmSun., 8 am to 4 pm

Laboratory Draw SiteMon. thru Fri., 7 am to 3 pm

Diagnostic ImagingMon. thru Sat., until 8 pmSun., 8 am to 4 pm

After Hours X-Ray and LabMon. thru Sat., until 8 pmSun., 8 am - 4 pm

Casual Pairings• A Wine & Culinary Event •

7:00 pm - 10:00 pmHyatt Regency Pittsburgh International Airport

Saturday, April 16, 2016

ANNOUNCEMENTS

1.877.771.HVHS (4847)www.heritagevalley.orgDownload our App

The 36th Annual Heritage Valley Beaver Auxiliary Holiday Ball was held Nov. 14, 2015 at the Club at Shadow Lakes. The Holiday Ball was attended by more than 200 individuals and the event raised $50,000 that will be applied toward the Family Waiting Room Renovation project at Heritage Valley Beaver. At the event Dr. Thomas McCreary, a long established physician in Beaver County, was honored with the Heritage Valley Beaver Auxiliary Caregiver Award. The Caregiver Award honors a physician for their dedication to quality health care an support

Pictured left to right, Dr. Maurice Prendergast, president, Heritage Valley Beaver Medical Staff, Dr. Thomas McCreary, Dr. John Baska and Shirley Flick, president, Heritage Valley Beaver Auxiliary.

of Heritage Valley Beaver, the Auxiliary and the community. Additionally at the Holiday Ball, longstanding member and current president of the Heritage Valley Beaver Auxiliary, Shirley Flick, was honored for her decades of volunteerism and leadership with the dedication and renaming of the Heritage Valley Beaver Gift Shop and Coffee Shop to The Shirley Flick Gift Shop and Coffee Shop.

Heritage Valley Beaver Auxiliary Ball

The 15th Annual Unique Boutique, sponsored by the Heritage Valley Sewickley Foundation, was held Nov. 14, 2015, at the Edgeworth Club in Sewickley. This year’s Unique Boutique welcomed more than 500 attendees who enjoyed a unique shopping experience that featured custom jewelry, delicious foods, boutique clothing and charming gifts from talented artisans in the region. The event raised nearly $23,000 for the Heritage Valley Sewickley High Risk Pregnancy Program which provides maternal/child health nurses

Vendors like The Olive Tap promoted their products to more than 500 shoppers at the 2015 Unique Boutique.

give support and education to women identified with certain risk-factors during their pregnancy. The goals of the Pregnancy Health Services Program are to work collaboratively with physicians to prevent preterm delivery and prevent low birth weight infants as well as reduce the incidence of smoking during pregnancy.

Heritage Valley Sewickley Unique Boutique Raises Funds for Pregnancy Program

Calendar of EventsA Toast to Your HealthWine & Culinary EventSaturday, April 16Hyatt Regency PittsburghInternational AirportAP

R16Shane ConlanGolf ClassicMonday, May 16Sewickley HeightsCountry ClubM

AY16Tito FranconaGolf OutingMonday, August 15Olde Stonewall Golf Club& ConnoquenessingCountry Club

AUG15

Stay Connected to Us!For information on Heritage Valley Health System’s services and locations as well as physicians affiliated with our Health System, go to www.heritagevalley.org. This information is also available on our App.

You can download the HVHS app for your

iPhone or Android smart phone by going to iTunes or Google Play.

Sign Up for Health Link!Heritage Valley’s Health Link, powered by FollowMyHealth, is a secure online patient portal. Health Link enables patients to

conveniently and securely review their health information online, view lab results, radiology reports and read summaries from physician office and ConvenientCare visits; view discharge summaries from hospital admissions; and more. For more information on creating a Health Link account, go to www.heritagevalley.org/healthlink.