November 2005

Medical Staff Bulletin

Message from the Chief of Staff

The 2001 Institute of Medicine seminal publication, Crossing the Quality Chasm, established goals for the 21st Century Health Care System. Health care should be:

• Safe — avoiding injuries to patients from the care intended to help them
• Effective — based on scientific knowledge, avoiding underuse and overuse
• Patient-centered — providing care respectful of and responsive to individual patient preferences, needs and values
• Timely — reducing waits and harmful delays
• Efficient — avoiding waste of equipment, supplies, ideas and energy
• Equitable — quality care regardless of gender, ethnicity or socioeconomic status.

Yale-New Haven Hospital has devoted considerable resources to providing safe, effective, efficient and equitable care and we are justifiably proud of our accomplishments. Where we need more effort is in making care more patient-centered and timely.

Our Press Ganey patient satisfaction survey - sent to every patient cared for in the inpatient setting, clinics or emergency departments - defines what patients value most in their care experience. They ask that we be responsive to their emotional needs, concerns and complaints. They expect us to include them in decisions about treatment, be sensitive to their inconvenience in waiting for testing and communicate fully about their care and discharge plans. In summary, they want patient-centered, timely care.

Yale-New Haven Hospital commits to improving patient service in all of these areas in the next year and I shall write regularly about our progress. I shall also try hard to enlist your help in this effort.

State approves Yale-New Haven Hospital's cancer center application

On September 7, the State of Connecticut Office of Health Care Access (OHCA) announced its formal approval of Yale-New Haven Hospital's certificate of need application to build a new $430 million clinical cancer center, the largest such project in the state's history. However, the project continues to encounter delays at the local level.

In its approval, OHCA stated that the "hospital's proposal to build the North Pavilion, consolidate its oncological services and provide state-of-the art services for cancer patients will allow for enhanced quality of care to all patients and a multi-disciplinary approach to care for cancer patients. Patients will have access to the most up-to-date treatment modalities and diagnostic and treatment equipment."

The North Pavilion/Cancer Center will include 112 inpatient beds, infusion suites, 12 new operating rooms, a comprehensive women's center for breast and gynecologic cancer treatment, radiation therapy and state-of-the art imaging. It is estimated that the project will have more than a $1 billion impact on the regional economy between now and 2011 and will generate approximately $5.5 million in annual PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) to New Haven.

Medical staff donates $50,000 to hurricane relief

At its September meeting, the Hospital Medical Board members voted to provide financial support to relief efforts for victims of Hurricane Katrina. The Medical Board will be distributing $20,000 each to the American Red Cross and Habitat for Humanity with revenue from dues paid by medical staff members each year. An additional $5,000 has been provided to support the efforts of members of the medical staff who provided volunteer service to victims in Biloxi, Mississippi at the end of September through an organization called "Make a Difference, Inc."

Performance management update

Below are Yale-New Haven Hospital's June performance numbers for the measures we report to Medicare and JCAHO each month. You are now well aware that our goal is to exceed the national 90th percentile for every measure, and we continue to make progress toward that goal.

In October, Yale-New Haven Hospital began fiscal year 2006. For the coming year, we will continue to report our performance on the 10 publicly-reported measures listed at left, and we will begin reporting our performance on surgical infection prophylaxis (SIP), ICU care and stroke care. The hospital's performance in SIP measures might begin to be publicly reported in 2007.

Many thanks to all those whose hard work has benefited our patients, as evidenced by the improvement in our measures. If you have questions, please call Dr. Tom Balcezak at (203) 688-1343.

June 2005 Performance

CME requirement documentation changes

For several years, Yale-New Haven Hospital has required that CME credits be affirmed by members of the medical staff at the time of re-appointment. Now the state of Connecticut is requiring all physicians to obtain 50 hours of documented CME every two years. We will now request actual documentation of your CME credits at re-appointment. For more information, call Physician Services at (203) 688-2615.

Dr. D'Onofrio named director of emergency department

Gail D'Onofrio, MD, associate professor of surgery, has been appointed chief of the Yale-New Haven Hospital Adult Emergency Department. Dr. D'Onofrio, who came to Yale-New Haven Hospital in 1996, received her undergraduate degree from Duke, and her master's degree and MD from Boston University. She trained at Boston City Hospital. Before attending medical school, Dr. D'Onofrio worked as a surgical nurse at Mass. General and Boston University Medical Center; served as a consultant in research and development of computerized monitoring systems, and owned L&L Critical Care Consultants. Dr. D'Onofrio is nationally known for her expertise in alcohol abuse screening and intervention.

Dr. Singletary appointed chief of dentistry

Brian K. Singletary, DMD, MS, has been named chief of Dentistry at Yale-New Haven Hospital. A clinical assistant professor in the department of surgery since 1997, Dr. Singletary received his BS from the University of Pittsburgh, and his DMD and MS from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. He has maintained a private practice in family and cosmetic dentistry in Marlborough, CT since 1996. Dr. Singletary has extensive clinical dentistry experience in the treatment of medically compromised patients, operation room experience with mentally and physically challenged patents, conscious sedation, soft tissue biopsy, third molar extraction, restorative and prosthetic dentistry on children and adults, preventive dentistry, patient education and student instruction at dental schools and hospital clinics.

Rosemarie Fisher wins ACGME's "Courage to Lead Award"

Rosemarie Fisher, MD, has been selected as one of two physicians in the nation to receive the first Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Courage to Lead Award. This award honors the leadership and commitment of designated institutional officials (DIOs) who create an excellent environment for educational programs, facilitate residents' ethical, professional and personal development, and ensure safe and appropriate care of patients.

Dr. Fisher received 49 letters of support in which her colleagues praised her contributions to residents' training and open door policy. Dr. Fisher received her undergraduate degree from the University of Toledo and her MD from Tufts, served her residency at Montefiore Hospital and completed fellowships at the Royal Free Hospital in London and at Yale. She has spent 31 years on the Yale faculty, 12 years as program director of Internal Medicine, six years as director of Graduate Medical Education and DIO, and three years as associate dean/director GME.

Refer items for the next issue of Medical Staff Bulletin via phone, fax, e-mail or mail to:
Peter N. Herbert, MD
1063 Clinic Building
P: (203) 688-2604, F: (203) 688-7152
herbertpn@ynhh.org
or
Katie Murphy
Marketing & Communications
GB 443
P: (203) 688-2492, F: (203) 688-2491
Katie.Murphy@ynhh.org

Back issues of the Medical Staff Bulletin:

• September 2005
• August 2005
• June 2005
• March 2005
• January 2005
• December 2004
• November 2004
• October 2004
• September 2004
• July 2004
• June 2004
• May 2004
• April 2004
• March 2004
• February 2004
• January 2004
• January/February 2003
• October/November 2002
• August/September 2002
• April/May 2002
• February/March 2002
• January 2002
• November 2001
• July/August 2001

Return to medical professionals page

Last revised: November 3, 2005 (mv)

Home page URL: http://www.ynhh.org

All information is intended for your general knowledge and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions. You should seek prompt medical care for any specific health issues and consult your physician before starting a new fitness regimen.