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KEEPING PHYSICIANS ABREAST OF THE LATEST NEWS AND INFORMATION AT DIGNITY HEALTH – NORTHRIDGE HOSPITAL MEDICAL CENTERSEPTEMBEROCTOBER Medical DialogueNurse-Patient-Physician Rounds: It Takes 3Jeremy Grosser, MD Medical Staff PresidentDear Colleagues,Patients value caregivers who communicate with them, and with one another. When patients, nurses, and physicians partner in the plan of care, the risk of error and potential for misunderstanding decreases.Nurse-Patient-Physician Rounds are a patient-and family-centered care model that bring together the patient/family, nurse, and physician to work collaboratively as a team to plan and deliver care. These rounds help ensure safe, eective care, and maintain open communication between the health care team, patient and family at the bedside.Nurse-Patient-Physician Rounds are so important,” explains Mark Dumais, MD, NHMC CMO. “When our patients tell us that this process occurred during their stay, they also say they had a great overall experience. The impact is very impressive.”Why are Nurse-Patient-Physician Rounds important?•Patient safety and quality – Increased communication among patients/families, nurses, and physicians helps to prevent medical errors and potential misunderstanding. continued on page 2U.S. News & World Report Names Northridge Hospital Among Best Hospitals Thanks in part to our physicians dedication to excellence, Dignity Health - Northridge Hospital Medical Center has been recognized in the recent U.S. News & World Report Hospital rankings in - for eight distinctions:•Best Regional Hospital Ranking: in California •High Performing Procedures & Conditions: Congestive Heart Failure, Heart Attack, Hip Replacement, Hip Fracture, Kidney Failure, Knee Replacement, Pneumonia, and StrokeFor its rankings, U.S. News evaluated more than hospitals across specialties and procedures and conditions; only of evaluated hospitals earned a Best Hospitals ranking. The list assists patients and their doctors in choosing the right hospital for their care.
2 Northridge Hospital Medical DialogueIt Takes 3 continued from page 1Physician Enterprise Virtual Leadership Summit: Recordings AvailableThe CommonSpirit Physician Enterprise team is sharing recordings of the most recent Virtual Leadership Summit. The Summit covered the changes in market dynamics, how delivery of care continues to shift outside our hospital walls and how these changes aect our organization. The event provided a national lens for the health care industry, which was followed by a panel of clinician leaders discussing this shift as they feel the impact of this transition of care in our divisions. In addition, the overall winners of our Physician Enterprise Vision Awards, which celebrate the extraordinary work and clinical excellence taking place throughout our organization, were announced. See all the recordings by scanning the QR code with your mobile phone camera or clicking on it. Please note that the program begins at seconds. •Clinical caregiver experience – Improved nurse and physician appreciation and team building. •Time management and accountability – Decrease in nursing calls to physicians and less confusion in the plan of care.What is the workflow? . Physician arrives on unit – Noties unit clerk or charge nurse who supports facilitation of Nurse-Patient-Physician Rounds.. Logistics – If the primary care nurse is unavailable, the charge nurse or alternative nurse will round with the physician. . Nurse updates the physician of status, changes, and concerns from the last hours prior to entering the room whenever possible.. At the bedside, use PATIENT communication model below. While making rounds, connect with the patient and family by using a certied interpreter, if needed, and taking cultural dierences into consideration, such as eye contact, styles of speech, use of silence, nonverbal communication, and cultural beliefs that may impact health and illness management. . Post round – Physician and nurse meet and debrief or discuss any additional concerns or complete follow up items.Utilize PATIENT Model During RoundsThank you for your commitment to consistently practice Nurse-Patient-Physician Rounds, which enable us to provide safe, high-quality and compassionate care.PPlanPlan of care discussed – involving patient and family in shared decision makingAAssessmentPhysical assessmentTTestsTests and results discussedIIssuesIssues and concerns identified. Ask open-ended questions and listenEExplanationExplanation of medications/diagnosis – Purpose and potential side effects of medicationsNNeedsNeeds upon discharge. Do you have the help you need at home? Plan for dischargeTThank youThank the patient and family
Northridge Hospital Medical Dialogue 3Physician Recognition via Patient PraiseCongratulations to physicians who recently received Class Actor nominations, or recognition in complimentary letters to our hospital administration.Alejandro Arenas, MD, Anesthesiology, Azmi Atiya, MD, General Surgery, and Shawki Saad, MD, General Surgery – “They worked as a team, did an outstanding job, got through this very challenging case, and saved a trauma patient’s life.”Walid Arnaout, MD, General Surgery and Brigitte Gomperts, MD, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology – “I want to thank them for saving my life and giving me hope.”Jaime Hernandez, MD, Orthopedics – “I want to send him my deepest appreciation for my excellent care and for going beyond my expectations.”Arshad Khan MD, Anesthesiologist – “He did my epidural and he was so good and gentle. This is my th baby. I delivered in another hospital and that anesthesiologist didn’t compare. Dr. Khan explained everything to me and did a wonderful job.”Steve Kwak, MD, Orthopedics – “I would give him stars. He is so warm and caring and explains everything in detail.”Diana Lev, MD, Family Medicine, Mark Fan, MD, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Kevin Westbrook, MD, Resident – “They turned a frightening experience into an amazing one! I can’t thank them enough.”Amrita Nensey, MD, Internal Medicine, and ER Physicians – “I work at another hospital and know what it takes to create a team like this who cares deeply about their work, supports each other, and provides the most excellent care, consideration and respect. True humanity was always present.”Anil Wadhwani, MD, Interventional Radiology – “He performs biopsies with such precision, has an excellent bedside manner, and is one of the best doctors we have ever encountered.”Welcome New Physicians to the Northridge Hospital FamilyGeneral SurgeryNorair Adjamian, DOMaternal Fetal MedicineRoy Mansano, MDEsther Schmuel, MDNeurologyMani Nezhad, MDNeurology (Remote Intraoperative Monitoring)Ankit Nayyar, MDEvgeny Tsimerinov, MDNeurological SurgeryTravis Ladner, MDVincent Nguyen, MDOrthopedic SurgeryDaniel Acevedo, MDPediatricsHoracio Lopez, MD
4 Northridge Hospital Medical DialogueSteppin’ Out Saturday, October 14, 2023Brian Hammel President, Northridge Hospital FoundationPlease join us for our Steppin’ Out, “Celebration of Hope” Annual Gala on Saturday October , where we will honor Mark Amico, MD, with the Grace Leland “Physician Appreciation” Award.Mark Amico, MD, MPH, FACP, serves as the Medical Director for the Dignity Health Hospital Medicine Program at Northridge Hospital Medical Center, and is an Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine at the David Geen School of Medicine at UCLA. As a dynamic member of the Family Medicine Residency Faculty for over years, Dr. Amico enjoys teaching and mentoring residents. The Family Medicine Residents have recognized his passion and commitment in guiding them by honoring him with the Excellence in Teaching award three separate times. Dr. Amico chairs the hospital Utilization Management Committee and is active on several hospital medical sta committees. He is valued for his dedicated research interests in access to medical care, patient safety, and resident physician involvement in the provision of medical care.This year’s Steppin’ Out proceeds will benet the Trauma & Emergency Departments with the purchase of cardiac monitors. These devices tell the clinician how the patient’s heart and blood circulation are functioning. If there is an irregular heartbeat or change in vital signs, the monitors beep, alerting the clinician to check on the patient. This continuous monitoring benets patients by helping to protect and preserve their health.We hope you will join us to honor Dr. Amico and to support Northridge Hospital’s Trauma & Emergency Departments.Steppin’ Out “Celebration of Hope” GalaSaturday, October 14, 2023Four Seasons Hotel – Westlake Village, CA5:30 Silent Auction and Reception7:00 DinnerEntertainment: Brickhouse DanceDancing: Splash!Black Tie OptionalTo register, scan the QR code with your mobile phone camera or click on it: “Everything that is done in this world is done by hope.” ~ Martin Luther King
Northridge Hospital Medical Dialogue 5Physicians in the NewsWe’d like to thank and recognize the following physicians who were recently featured in local media stories.Kevin Ariani, MD, Medical Director of Cardiovascular Services, and Jahandar Saleh, MD, Director of Advanced Cardiac Care Programs, Structural Heart and Mechanical Circulatory Support, were featured on KTLA Channel 5 News and ABC Channel 7 News in a story about -year old Bronny James, son of NBA superstar LeBron James, who recently suered a cardiac event during practice at USC. Rishma Chand, MD, Pediatrics, was featured in the Valley News Group publication in a story about the importance of pool safety and the risks of drowning.Diana Lev, MD, Family Medicine, was featured on the nationally syndicated show, Inside Edition, NBC Channel 4 News, CBS Channel 2 News and KCAL Channel 9 News, in stories about the summer heat wave aecting many areas around the world, including LA County, and how to stay safe.Reyn Higa, MD, Dignity Health Medical Foundation, Director of Urgent Care, was featured on KTLA Channel 5 News in a story about the ways people can protect themselves and their children from heat stroke during the summer heatwave.Afshin Safa, MD, Medical Director of Radiation Oncology, was featured in the Valley News Group publication where he discussed the importance of taking safety measures to prevent the dangerous eects of UV rays on our bodies as melanoma is now the most common cancer in the U.S. Liang Wang, MD, Neurology, was featured on KNX 1070 Newsradio where he discussed a study about the dangers of smoking in teenagers and explained how an area in the brain’s frontal lobe is signicantly compromised in teenagers who smoked consistently over time.Northridge Hospital’s Cardiology Team was featured on World News Tonight, Good Morning America and ABC Channel 7 News in stories about factors that help determine the speed of recovery from a life-changing cardiac event, such as the one that -year old Bronny James LeBron James’ son had.How to Respond to Media RequestsOur Public Relations team helps to ensure all media and social media mentions reflect our hospital’s mission, vision, and values. If you are contacted by the media to speak on behalf of Northridge Hospital Medical Center, please be sure to first contact Christina Zicklin, External Communications Director, at (310) 922-8522 to discuss the request. All media requests involving Dignity Health SoCal hospitals must first be approved by Christina Zicklin and Administration. Thank you.
6 Northridge Hospital Medical DialogueTop CDI Query Response Achievers High physician response rates help accurately reect patient severity of illness and intensity of service. We thank the following physicians for their diligence and commitment to Northridge Hospital. Criteria for Top Clinical Documentation Improvement (CDI) Query Response Achievers: Only physicians with three or more queries and an answer rate of 90–100% are included. Below are the top achievers for June and July 2023. Congratulations on a job well done!Lord Addo-Yirenkyi, MD, Family MedicineRahul Ahuja, DO, Family MedicineMarta Almli, MD, Internal Medicine Mark Amico, MD, Internal MedicineM. Kevin Ariani, MD, Cardiovascular DiseaseRaluca Arimie, MD, Cardiology Ruchika Bhasin, MD, Nephrology Sandeep Chadha, MD, Family MedicineChristian Chiavetta, DO, Internal MedicineEric Choi, MD, Internal Medicine Michael Damavandi, DO, Internal Medicine Mohsen Ebneshahidi, MD, Internal MedicineZouheir Elias, MD, Cardiovascular DiseaseRichard Gordon, MD, Gastroenterology Deepa Gupta, MD, Internal MedicinePaniz Heidari, DO, Obstetrics and GynecologyJennifer Hyer, DO, Internal Medicine Fatima Imtiaz, DO, Internal Medicine Sam Kalioundji, MD, Cardiovascular DiseaseBryan Lopez, MD, Internal MedicineGabrielle Nicole Marques, DO, Family Medicine Resident James Michail, MD, Family Medicine Yoko Miyasaki, MD, Infectious Disease Anthony Murphy, MD, Internal MedicineAmrita Nensey, MD, Internal MedicineCyrus Nensey, MD, Internal MedicineOsezemeghonghon Obilor, MD, Internal MedicineMahdi Paridari, MD, Family Medicine Lesley Prince, MD, Internal MedicineJahandar Saleh, MD, Cardiovascular DiseaseTigalat Shalita, DO, Family Medicine Shadi Sharif, DO, Internal Medicine Pedram Shirzad, DO, Family Medicine Balbir Singh, MD, NephrologyAmber Williams, DO, Family MedicineEmilia Wobga-Pasiah, MD, Family MedicineIntegrityExcellenceCompassionInclusionCollaboration
Northridge Hospital Medical Dialogue 7Year-In-Review FY23As we make our way through the rst quarter of FY, we would like to share a message from Northridge Hospital President Paul Watkins who shares the highlights and accomplishments that our physicians have helped Northridge Hospital achieve this past year.Simply click here or scan the QR code with your mobile phone camera and enjoy. Same-Day Mammography Appointments for Your PatientsIn honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, the Carole Pump Women’s Center would like to remind physicians that we oer -D mammography, which plays a vital role in the early detection of cancer. With -D mammography, a view of the breast tissue is seen in small slices leading to better detection, a lower radiation exposure and reduced call backs or repeat mammograms. Plus, we can provide your patients with same-day appointments.If the need arises, Northridge Hospital’s award-winning Thomas & Dorothy Leavey Cancer Center provides the most comprehensive, technologically advanced treatments in the Valley, and the Harold & Carole Pump Department of Radiation Oncology oers state-of-the-art high dose radiation treatments that avoid damaging healthy tissue and successfully treat all stages of cancer. We also provide the newest approaches in chemotherapy to minimize side-eects, and our Navigator Programs provide compassionate support, education and one-on-one assistance to ensure your patients have every available resource at their ngertips.Rest assured, if needed, your patients can receive expert care guided by our physicians with specialized Fellowships in Surgical Oncology:• Rahim Aimaq, MD• Nimmi Kapoor, MD• Nikita Shah, MDRemember: Early detection is the key to prevention. If you have patients who need to schedule their mammogram, please have them call the Women’s Center at -.
8 Northridge Hospital Medical DialogueCALL FOR ARTICLES: We encourage members of the Northridge Hospital Medical Staff to submit information or articles for publication in the Medical Dialogue. Please contact Tracie Gipson, Editor, at (818) 522-4574 or Tracie.Cheesemangipson@CommonSpirit.org.MEDICAL STAFF OFFICERSJeremy Grosser, MDMedical Staff PresidentUthaiah Kokkalera, MDPresident-ElectLeo Kassabian, MDSecretaryMichael Damavandi, DOTreasurerEDITORIAL TEAMMark Dumais, MD, MBA, FACPChief Medical OfficerNina HirschDirector, Medical Staff ServicesChristina ZicklinEditorial DirectorTracie GipsonMedical Dialogue EditorDesiree GarciaMarket Development RepresentativePriscilla BourbonnaisMarket Development Representative18300 Roscoe Boulevard, Northridge, CA 91325Top 50 Cardiovascular Hospitals in the NationFortune and Premier’s PINC AI, a healthcare improvement and technology company, named Dignity Health – Northridge Hospital one of the top cardiovascular hospitals in the nation.Premier analyzed statistics from short-term, acute, nonfederal hospitals across the nation that treat a broad range of cardiovascular patients, according to a March company news release. Hospitals were segmented into community hospitals, and teaching hospitals with and without cardiovascular residency programs. They were evaluated on measures of clinical outcomes, eciency and patient experience.Those in the top operated at a lower cost and had better outcomes, signicantly higher inpatient survival rates, fewer patients with complications, lower readmission rates and spent up to less in total costs per patient case. If all hospitals operated at the level of the top , there would be fewer deaths due to heart disease, fewer patients with complications and more than billion saved each year, according to the analysis. Congratulations to all of our physicians who helped make this honor possible.Jahandar Saleh, MD, and Ed Lopez, Director, Cardiovascular Services, accept the Top 50 Cardiovascular Hospitals in the Nation award on behalf of Northridge Hospital.