News BEAUMONT For physicians and office managers Six Beaumont Health System physicians and former CEO recognized for outstanding service GLADIOLUS blooms at Beaumont The accomplishments of six Beaumont Health System physicians and a retired CEO were honored at a Sept. 30 reception. The Outstanding Doctors’ Awards were created six years ago by Beaumont’s retired chief medical officer Ananias Diokno, M.D. to recognize those who have made a big difference in the lives of patients and contributed to community well-being and to the success of Beaumont Health System. New leaders, programs help advance Beaumont Children’s Hospital Dr. Diokno, and David Wood, M.D., Beaumont’s current chief medical officer, presented awards to: September • October 2013 IN THIS ISSUE Electronic system rolled out for Human Investigation Committee submissions Chief of Epidemiology named Crain’s Health Care Hero Health, education, legal and religious groups collaborate in support of Detroit Survey highlights physician engagement progress, needs Employed physicians must complete mandatory education Kenneth Myers, Beaumont’s chief operating officer from 1969-1980 and president and CEO from 1981 to 1997. During his tenure, Myers was a major force in Beaumont’s growth from a financially challenged hospital in the 1960s to a financially sound multi-hospital system with renowned leaders, medical, educational and research programs. Myers was honored with a “Special CMO Citation” award. George Wilson, Ph.D., chief of Radiation Biology, scientific director of Beaumont’s BioBank and the director of the Erb Family Core Molecular Laboratory. With more than 180 scientific articles and chapters to his credit, Dr. Wilson has a longstanding research interest in the use of biomarkers to predict the response of tumors to radiotherapy. His extensive stem cell research is aimed at finding new strategies or targets for treatment of breast, head, neck and rectal cancer. Dr. Wilson was honored with a “Seeker of Truth” award. Peggy Nowak, M.D., an ear, nose and throat physician who serves as president of the medical staff at Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak. Dr. Nowak has a long list of humanitarian accomplishments. Several times each year, she travels to Nicaragua to help hearing-impaired children and to train local otolaryngologists. Dr. Nowak and her colleagues also helped to build a school for deaf children in Nicaragua, providing them with educational opportunities. Because of this work, combined with her commitment to other causes such as Gilda’s Club, the Girl Scouts, and helping with the health care needs of the uninsured, she was honored with the “Modern Hippocrates” award. continued on page 2 News BEAUMONT Physicians and former CEO recognized for outstanding service continued from page 1 Marc Sakwa, M.D., chief of cardiovascular surgery at Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak and physician leader of Beaumont’s Heart & Vascular Center of Excellence. Dr. Sakwa has embraced a minimally invasive approach to heart surgery, putting Beaumont’s cardiovascular service in the national spotlight. His efforts contributed to the creation of Beaumont’s Tyner Center, offering hybrid, high-tech, minimally invasive procedures for heart and vascular patients, and the Ernst Center, offering multidisciplinary specialty clinics for those with high risk heart and vascular conditions. Dr. Sakwa was honored with an award as “A Leader Who Delivers.” James Lynch, M.D., senior vice president and physician-in-chief at Beaumont Troy. Dr. Lynch’s vision for safety and quality is infectious, driving quality outcomes, financial results and physician engagement scores at Beaumont, Troy. He is focused on the best interests of patients while holding his team to high standards and encouraging creativity in problem solving. Dr. Lynch was honored with an award as “A Leader Who Delivers.” David Bloom, M.D., pediatric radiologist, Beaumont Children’s Hospital. Dr. Bloom is passionate about working with children and their families. He also serves as a mentor for students at the Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine who recently honored him as a national finalist nominee for the Arnold P. Gold Foundation Humanism in Medicine Award. Dr. Bloom is also the recipient of the OUWB Founders Award in recognition of his dedication to the school. Dr. Bloom was recognized with “The Modern John Morgan, Father of Medical Education” award. Alan Koffron, M.D., chair of Surgery, Beaumont Health System. Dr. Koffron is an accomplished surgeon with expertise in minimally invasive approaches to many surgical procedures, including live-donor liver transplants. He has presented his liver surgery techniques to audiences worldwide. His research has advanced the science of solid organ transplantation and has been featured in many peer-reviewed journals and in major surgical forums. Dr. Koffron was recognized for his excellence as a physician, teacher and researcher with a “Triple Threat” award. Electronic system rolled out for Human Investigation Committee submissions After much planning, developing and testing, the Human Investigation Committee is implementing the iMedRIS Electronic HIC System. Following implementation of iMedRIS, researchers will no longer be required to print and submit multiple copies of applications and forms. All transactions will be done electronically, including signoffs by the clinical research managers and department chairs, correspondence with the HIC, responses to required modifications and the submission of other study forms. Researchers will have ready access to the status of their submissions and actions which need to be addressed. Most importantly, iMedRIS will be accessible from any computer – inside or outside the Beaumont system. “We are confident that this system will streamline our HIC application process and the correspondences/responses that accompany applications,” says David Felten, M.D., Ph.D., vice president, research and medical director of the Research Institute. “We thank all researchers for your help and cooperation.” iMedRIS opened for entering studies, follow-up forms and reports in midAugust. Additionally, an abbreviated study application now must be completed for each open study before entering a progress report, amendment, protocol deviation or unanticipated event. 2 Starting in early October, all initial HIC application submissions, amendments, progress reports, unanticipated problems, protocol deviations and final reports must be submitted in iMedRIS. Paper forms/ documents no longer will be accepted. The first HIC meeting using iMedRIS will be held Friday, Nov. 1. All submissions to be reviewed at this meeting must be entered into iMedRIS – initial applications, amendments, progress reports, protocol deviations, unanticipated problems, final reports. For more information about the iMedRIS implementation, contact the Beaumont Human Investigation Committee at 248-551-0662. GLADIOLUS blooms at Beaumont $3.9 million grant will support urology research Beaumont has been named the recipient of a multimillion dollar urology research grant from the National Institutes of Aging. Ananias C. Diokno, Ananias C. Diokno, M.D. M.D., Beaumont’s retired chief medical officer, is the principal investigator for this multi-center project, called GLADIOLUS, for Group Learning to Accomplish Decreased Incidents of Lower Urinary Symptoms. The $3.9 million three-year grant started Sept. 1. Other GLADIOLUS clinical sites include the University of Michigan, the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the University of Pennsylvania. Beaumont, Royal Oak staff are providing administrative support for the research study, including Dr. Diokno; Ann Robinson, Research Administration, and Michael Maddens, M.D., Geriatric Medicine. The Beaumont Research Coordinating Center, under the direction of David Felten, M.D., Ph.D., and Gloria Kopper, will manage regulatory, site monitoring and data management services. GLADIOLUS will compare the clinical and cost-effectiveness of a groupadministered behavioral treatment program to no treatment in older women with urinary incontinence. “This study involves a novel intervention to treat urinary incontinence that has the potential for treating large groups of incontinent older women throughout the United States, including those with limited access to health care resources,” says Dr. Diokno. “Urinary incontinence is one of the three chronic health conditions that have the greatest effect on a woman’s health-related quality of life. More than one in three adult U.S. women suffers from UI.” Work on what was to become the GLADIOLUS project began in June 2007 as a natural progression of Dr. Diokno’s work with group behavioral modification and urinary incontinence. The NIA awarded Beaumont a 12-month planning grant (April 2008 to March 2009) for the development of a full project application. The project team included clinicians from Beaumont, Oakland University, University of Alabama at Birmingham, University of Michigan, University of Pennsylvania, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, University of California San Francisco and University of Kansas Medical Center. Based on the work of the project team, Beaumont submitted an NIA project application named Group and Individual Treatment for Urinary Incontinence, or GrAIT, in February 2009. NIA reviewer comments prompted revisions to the project. In November 2012, a new application was submitted for GLADIOLUS. Although there are several therapeutic options available for urinary incontinence, behavioral treatments are recommended by most evidence-based guidelines as an initial approach to treatment. Behavioral treatments are usually delivered in individualized visits in medical offices, but 3 Offering the intervention in community-based settings may help identify more cases of urinary incontinence, raise awareness in the community of the condition and treatment options available and improve adherence to treatment. a group session model of care delivery has not been applied and tested in a large-scale multicenter study. “Group-administered behavioral treatment programs have the potential to reach a larger population of older women with urinary incontinence,” says Dr. Diokno. “Offering the intervention in communitybased settings may help identify more cases of urinary incontinence, raise awareness in the community of the condition and treatment options available and improve adherence to treatment. For health care providers, treating urinary incontinence with a group-administered behavioral treatment program may increase office productivity by releasing more time to focus on patients who need other medical treatments.” News BEAUMONT New leaders, programs help advance Beaumont Children’s Hospital Several new services and leaders are helping Beaumont Children’s Hospital to continue its development as a leader in pediatric care. served in that role for 21 years. Dr. Gebara joined the Beaumont Children’s Hospital faculty in 1995, after completing fellow training at the Cleveland Clinic. He is recognized throughout the region as a superb clinician and educator. Earlier this year, Anne Fischer, M.D., Ph.D., was appointed chief of Pediatric Surgery for Beaumont Health System and surgeon in chief of Beaumont Children’s Hospital. She came to Beaumont after serving on the faculty at the Children’s Medical Center Dallas and UT Southwestern Department of Surgery since 2007. Her clinical interests include pediatric oncology, complex congenital anomalies, fetal intervention and minimally invasive surgery. She served as the surgical director for ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) and the EXIT (Ex Utero Intrapartum Treatment) Program at Children’s Medical Center, Dallas, and led the multidisciplinary fetal anomalies program. 24/7 physician-to-physician access hotline It’s now faster and easier than ever to connect with a Beaumont Children’s Hospital colleague – anytime, day or night. Beaumont Children’s Hospital is committed to providing community physician colleagues with around-the-clock access to our expertise and resources. To help you better serve your patients, we have created a professionally staffed 24/7 hotline designed to optimize physician-to-physician communication. Physicians are encouraged to call 855-480-KIDS (5437) anytime for any of the following: • admit or transfer a patient to Beaumont Children’s Hospital • speak with an attending physician in our Pediatric Emergency Center In addition, three medical leaders were appointed as section heads in the Department of Pediatrics, Beaumont Health System and Beaumont Children’s Hospital. • consult with an on-call Beaumont Children’s Hospital specialist L. Kate Gowans, M.D., was named section head, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology. She succeeds Charles Main, M.D., who retired after years of service to Beaumont and to pediatric cancer patients. Dr. Gowans joined Beaumont from the Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital Division of Pediatrics, Department of Hematology/Oncology, where she served as director of the Comprehensive Sickle Cell Program and director of the Fellowship Training Program. She also served on the faculty at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine. Dr. Gowans has special interests in cancer treatment trials, quality/safety and blood product utilization. We are equally committed to providing unrestricted access to families referred to our specialists. Referring patients to specialty services for outpatient evaluations can be as simple as having families call 855-480-KIDS (5437). Different, simple menu options are available for physicians and families. 24/7 pediatric EC physician coverage at Beaumont, Royal Oak Board-certified/board-eligible pediatric emergency medicine coverage is now available 24/7 at the Beaumont, Royal Oak Pediatric Emergency Center. Wan Tsai, M.D., was appointed section head, Pediatric Pulmonology. She joined Beaumont from the University of Michigan Mott’s Children’s Hospital, where she had extensive experience in clinical program development. She also earned a master’s in clinical research design and statistical analysis from the University of Michigan School of Public Health and Biostatistics. She currently holds several executive administrative roles in the Pediatric Assembly of the American Thoracic Society. “Clearly, this raises the level of pediatric emergency care to that which rivals or Brian Berman, M.D. exceeds what is available anywhere,” says Brian Berman, M.D., health system chair, Department of Pediatrics, Beaumont Health System, and pediatrician in chief, Beaumont Children’s Hospital. “The pediatric EC group is committed to excellence in patience care, family service and optimal physician-to-physician communication.” Souheil Gebara, M.D., was named section head, Pediatric Gastroenterology. He succeeds Robert Truding, M.D., who has 4 Chief of Epidemiology named Crain’s Health Care Hero This summer, Jeffrey Band, M.D., was named a Health Care Hero by Crain’s Detroit Business. He led a team of epidemiologists at Jeffrey Band, M.D. Beaumont that found the source of an infection that affected up to 16 patients at the Royal Oak hospital and promptly alerted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration. Their investigation led to a nationwide health alert and recall of one of the most commonly used items in a hospital: ultrasound gel. Near the end of December 2011, a clinical infection preventionist at Beaumont, Royal Oak, noticed an uptick in patients testing positive for Pseudomonas aeruginosa. “Because the infections were all in the respiratory tract, we focused our investigation on medications such as inhalers, as well as the differences in the ventilators the patients might have used, respiratory care techniques and nursing care,” says Paul Chittick, M.D., Epidemiology. “But we didn’t find anything that pointed to why these 16 patients tested positive for Pseudomonas.” Finding nothing on the unit that pointed to the source of the infection, the epidemiology team talked to the anesthesiology team and observed in the operating room. They found that the 16 patients had a transesophageal echocardiogram, a type of imaging performed during surgery. The team did additional research and found several reports of pneumonia outbreaks linked to contaminated probes. So, they tested the probes. Negative. But they were on the right track. The team then focused on the gel that helps insert the ultrasound probe down the throat during the exam. The gel being used was in multi-dose bottles and was not labeled whether it was sterile or not. “Once we discovered this, we had the gel immediately replaced with single-dose sterile gel while cultures of the gel were in process,” says Dr. Chittick. “We tested the gel and found Pseudomonas. Immediately we pulled the remaining gel from the entire Beaumont system.” With additional fingerprint molecular typing, the team was able to demonstrate that the bacteria in the bottles had the same DNA as the bacteria from the patients. They now had proof that the gel was the source of the outbreak. “We initially thought that we received the bottles uninfected and during the course of use, they became infected,” says Dr. Chittick. “But that wasn’t the case.” Additional testing on sealed bottles from the manufacturer also tested positive for the same strain of Pseudomonas. Now the situation called for involvement with local health departments, the CDC and the FDA. With involvement from the FDA, the investigation moved forward with additional testing confirming the Beaumont team’s findings: bottles of ultrasound gel were tainted during the manufacturing process. This led to a nation-wide health alert and recall to stop using the gel. The gel had been used in many other hospitals but no other institution noticed a connection between gel use and infection. The investigation that led to the recall was so involved, Dr. Chittick, Victoria Russo, Dr. Band and several other members of the divisions of Infectious Disease and Epidemiology, wrote an article on it in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, which is published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Two other Beaumont physicians received Honorable Mentions: Edward Walton, M.D., director of pediatric emergency medicine at Beaumont, Royal Oak, was honored for his efforts in support of the North Star Reach camp in Ann Arbor. Dr. Walton is on the board of the North Star camp, which is dedicated to providing life-changing experiences for children and families with serious health problems. He also is a U.S. Navy reservist who has deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan. Michael Lutz, M.D., Urology, was recognized for cofounding the Michigan Institute of Urology Men’s Health Foundation, which funds prostate cancer research and work involving men’s health issues. Dr. Lutz also helps stage the institute’s Men’s Health Event at Ford Field, where hundreds of men get an opportunity to evaluate their health with free screenings, as well as education and treatment. 5 News BEAUMONT Health, education, legal and religious groups collaborate in support of Detroit Project offers free medical, dental, legal services to Brightmoor residents In a show of regional cooperation, Beaumont Health System, two legal services agencies, a federally qualified health provider, a medical school and a law school are joining together to help residents of one of Detroit’s poorest and most medically underserved neighborhoods. The Brightmoor Health Outreach Collaborative launched in early September with a four-day health fair held at the City Covenant Church and Mission, in cooperation with the Brightmoor Alliance. Project partners will hold quarterly, fourday health fairs where free medical, dental and legal services will be offered to Brightmoor residents. The $268,000 project is supported by a three-year grant from the Jewish Fund and corporate donations from Comerica Charitable Foundation. The only collaboration of its kind in Michigan, partners in the project include: • Beaumont Health System, providing adult and pediatric medical care and screenings by Beaumont doctors and nurses • Covenant Community Care, a Detroitbased federally qualified health provider, offering dental services, including exams, fillings, cleanings and basic restorative work, as well as assistance with insurance enrollment • Legal Aid for Children and Families and the Legal Aid and Defender Association, offering assistance with legal issues related to housing, disability, insurance, personal protection and guardianship Beaumont nurse Heather Gutpell, administrative nurse manager, 9 Center, takes the blood pressure of Jacqulinn Langley from the Brightmoor neighborhood. Heather volunteers her time at the clinic established by Beaumont and Covenant. • Student volunteers from the Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine • Student volunteers from Cooley Law School. “Beaumont’s mission as a not-for-profit organization includes providing health care for people regardless of where they live or their financial circumstances,” says David Wood, M.D., executive vice president and chief medical officer, Beaumont Health System. “This project fits with our mission and also with our commitment to support revitalization of the city of Detroit.” Brightmoor is a four-square mile area in northwest Detroit that was created as a planned community of inexpensive housing for migrants in the early 1920s. Most of the residents worked in the automobile industry. Over decades, it has been transformed from a thriving working-class neighborhood to one of abandoned homes and businesses. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, 50 percent of its 12,836 residents have incomes below $25,000 annually and one-third live below $15,000. Participants screened at the events will be referred to local clinics for follow-up care, including the Covenant Community Care Clinics in Detroit and Royal Oak, the Newton Healthcare Clinic in Detroit and the Outpatient Clinic at Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak. For more information or to volunteer to help with the Brightmoor Health Outreach Collaborative, call Elizabeth Schnadt at 248-898-7004. 6 Survey highlights physician engagement progress, needs Beaumont conducted its first annual Physician Engagement Survey in 2012. The responses sent a clear message: Physicians want be better informed of the decisions, opportunities and challenges facing the health system. In response, Beaumont leadership rolled out a plan to improve communication between administration and the medical staff. previous survey. More than 73 percent of independent physicians identified as being “aligned” or “loyal,” compared to 71 percent in the previous survey. With these improvements, Beaumont employed physicians are now in the 69th percentile in the national survey population, while independent physicians climbed into the 80th percentile. The 12 months since the survey was conducted have been a period of rapid change, punctuated by a potential merger, which underscored the importance of effective communication with our medical staff. In this climate, Beaumont built on a culture of transparency to share information and solicit feedback. From partnering with physicians in the due diligence process to providing updates at department meetings and town halls, meaningful two-way communication remained the focus. A closer look at survey responses reveals the impact of improved communication efforts. In a question targeting the effectiveness of clinical leaders communicating difficult messages, survey responses indicated a 12 percent year-overyear improvement. Similarly, there was a 12 percent increase in physicians who felt they were kept informed of Beaumont’s strategic plan and direction. While the survey results showed significant improvement, Beaumont is still focused on ways to continue to strengthen communication efforts while addressing other opportunities identified by the survey, such as creating more leadership development opportunities and improving IT support. These efforts are both a response to the valuable feedback but also essential steps to position Beaumont for future success. The Physician Engagement Survey was repeated this past spring, and the 2012-2013 survey results are now available. The results indicate that the level of physician engagement has seen marked improvement in nearly all areas. Nearly 83 percent of employed physicians identified themselves as being “engaged” or “content,” compared to about 78 percent in the What is Beaumont doing to support employee health & wellness? Lucy Sternburgh, M.S., RCEP, manager, Employee Wellness, provides an overview of Beaumont’s employee health & wellness initiatives. Creating a fit-friendly workplace Beaumont has focused on making it easier and more convenient to move more and sit less at work – from marked walking routes on campus, to promoting the use of stairs instead of elevators, to discounted access to Fitbit activity monitors and onsite fitness centers. Beaumont is also providing sit-stand workstations to certain employees with highly sedentary jobs. Healthier nutrition options Each day, thousands of Beaumont employees, patients and visitors eat a meal or grab a snack at Beaumont. That’s why Beaumont cafeterias and vending machines have substantially expanded their healthy options through an initiative called myHealthier Choice. By increasing the number of healthy food options, making them more visibly recognizable, we aim to make the healthier choice, the easier choice. Work/life balance Managing emotional health can be a contributing factor to improving one’s physical health. One of the key resources Beaumont offers to support emotional wellness is a free and confidential Employee Assistance Program, available to all employees 7 and household members. The EAP helps resolve personal problems before they negatively affect health, relationships and work. A breath of fresh air A few years ago, Beaumont joined other leading companies by offering a smoke-free environment. In addition, the dress code was expanded to require that employees not smell of smoke while at work. Most recently, as of Jan. 1, 2013, Beaumont launched a nicotine-free hiring policy, which specifies that any new applicants will be screened for nicotine use as part of the hiring process. continued on page 8 News BEAUMONT Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak 3601 West 13 Mile Road Royal Oak, Michigan 48073-6769 Employed physicians must complete mandatory education All physicians who have an employment relationship with Beaumont, including residents and fellows, must complete Beaumont’s mandatory education by year-end. Beaumont’s board expects 100 percent compliance with mandatory education. 2013 mandatory education requirements One-time Modules (upon hire): OUWBSOM Faculty: • Emergency Operations Plan: Physicians • Hazard Communication: Physicians FERPA for Faculty and Staff • Standards of Conduct: Teacher Learner Relationship • Clinical Clerkships Annual Modules: • Patient Confidentiality: Physicians • Fire & Life Safety: Physicians • Corporate Compliance: Physicians • Infection Control for Physicians To access mandatory education from a Beaumont computer: Inside Beaumont online > Education > Mandatories/Student Center From a non-Beaumont computer: employee.beaumont.edu Please call Beaumont University, 248-27-36300, with any questions or concerns. Health & wellness continued from page 7 Rewarding action! Because wellness is a key value of our organization, healthy behaviors are rewarded. In the past, myOptimal Health participants received financial incentives for participating in certain programs. More recently, however, the goal of the myOptimal Health Rewards Program has expanded to reward participants for taking action and achieving measurable results, as opposed to simply participating. The most notable example is the Premium Credit program in which employees can earn a health plan premium credit of $480 each year. Our efforts recognized In October, Beaumont was named Metro Detroit’s Healthiest Employer by Crain’s Detroit Business.
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