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MAY / JUNE 2023KEEPING PHYSICIANS ABREAST OF THE LATEST NEWS AND INFORMATION AT DIGNITY HEALTH – GLENDALE MEMORIAL HOSPITAL AND HEALTH CENTERMedical DialogueJULY / AUGUST 2023Centers of Excellence Accreditation in Robotic and Colorectal Surgery – First and Only in Glendale!We are pleased to share that Glendale Memorial Hospital ocially received accreditation as a Center of Excellence in Robotic Surgery and Colorectal Surgery in June! This makes us the only Center of Excellence in Robotic Surgery in Glendale, and the only Center of Excellence in Colorectal Surgery in LA County! To receive these accreditations, Glendale Memorial Hospital underwent a rigorous onsite inspection from the Surgical Review Committee, committed to continuous improvement, and met nationally recognized standards to produce superior clinical outcomes and high patient satisfaction. Our Robotic Surgery accreditation rearms to patients that our surgeons achieve excellent outcomes using the da Vinci Xi robot to perform minimally invasive procedures with only a few tiny incisions, resulting in less pain and faster recoveries. This accreditation includes the following service lines: Colorectal, Urology, General Surgery, GynOnc, UroGyn, Bariatrics and Orthopedics.Those seeking colorectal care can rest assured that we have comprehensive experience in treating both common and complex colorectal diseases, and if needed, oer minimally invasive robotic surgery. We are excited about these accreditations, which rearm to our community our commitment to superior medical care and to sustaining a culture of excellence!The Surgical Review Committee Team (from l-r): Bradley Grote, COO; Kora Guoyavatin, CFO; Barbin Shubin-Galaif, Director, Colorectal Surgery; Cindy Vanderho, SRC Inspector; AnaMaria Garza, MD; Petar Vukasin, MD; Kamyar Ebrahimi, MD; Robert Downing, Nursing Manager; Jill Welton, President/CEO; Laura Reyes-Everett, VP, Strategy & Business Development; and William Wang, MD, CMO.
Marathon Runner Thanks His Lifesaving TeamWhen marathon runner Glen Phillips suered a heart attack while running in Elysian Park, bystanders rushed to his aid, called 9-1-1 and performed CPR until paramedics arrived. Glen was rushed to the STEMI Receiving Center at Glendale Memorial Hospital where our medical team sprung into action to save his life. Led by Dr. Onkarjit Marwah, Cardiologist, and Dr. Emeen Kiureghian, Emergency Medicine, the medical team performed an angioplasty and put in stents to unblock Glen’s clogged arteries. He was then placed in a hypothermia-induced coma in the ICU. Within just two days, Glen walked out of the hospital unassisted, and is already running again. Grateful, Glen returned to the hospital to give medals to those who saved his life. The heartwarming ceremony was covered by multiple media outlets, including most of the Los Angeles TV stations, plus newspapers like the Los Angeles Daily News, and featured Jill Welton, Hospital President and CEO, Dr. Onkarjit Marwah, Cardiologist, and Dr. Emeen Kiureghian, Emergency Medicine. Glen Phillips (center) with the medical team and Dr. Marwah (far right) who performed an angioplasty shortly after he collapsed on a local running trail.The L.A. City Fire EMS crew with Dr. Sameer Bajaj, ICU Medical Director; Jill Welton, Hospital President and CEO; Dr. Onkarjit Marwah, Cardiologist; Glen Phillips, marathon runner; and Dr. Emeen Kiureghian, Emergency Medicine (center, l-r).Glen Phillips embraces Dr. Marwah at the ceremony where he gifted medals to everyone involved in saving his life. Your Wellbeing Is ImportantAccording to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), “burnout is a long-term stress reaction marked by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a lack of sense of personal accomplishment.” Due to the demanding nature of our work, physicians and other health care workers have an increased risk for experiencing burnout.During these extraordinary times, self-care is an important aspect of strong well-being. The following is a list of tips from CommonSpirit Health that can help you reinvent your self-care routine by focusing on at least one item a day.Take Breaks Caring for yourself enables you to care for others. Meet your physical needs and bolster your resilience. When you need a vacation, take one.Care for Your Spirit Recall what has sustained you in the past. Strengthen your connection with loved ones, with your community, and with your faith. Feed your soul with gratitude.Care for Your Body Maintain a healthy diet and get adequate sleep. Continue or create new routines for exercise.Take Breaks from News or Social Media Everyone processes information dierently – recognize your own signs of overload.Practice Breathing and Relaxation Techniques Bring as much attention as possible to your breath, and try for ve counts in, and ve counts out. Try smiling slightly as you inhale, and relaxing your smile as you exhale.Talk with Others Share your feelings and experiences with family, friends, chaplains and fellow colleagues. Use the Buddy System to have someone who understands and can listen compassionately to you.Crisis Hotline If you’re experiencing a crisis, help is available by calling the National Suicide Hotline: 9-8-8. This 24/7 service is available to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. 2 Glendale Memorial Medical Dialogue
Glendale Memorial Medical Dialogue 3Top 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 Glendale Memorial 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 April and May 2023. Congratulations on a job well done!Sameer Bajaj, MDDennis Chang, DO Garen Derhartunian, MDAnna Galfaian, MDElizabeth Grigoryan, MDVahe Gyulnazaryan, MDMichael Habashy, MDSamvel Hmayakyan, MDVigen Khojayan, MDMoses Lee, DOWilson Liu, MDArazin Minasian, MD Baminihannadige Peiris, MDHelen Rostamloo, MDEmily Ryan, MDErik Sitker, MDTeresa Swida, DOArman Uzunyan, MDSara Wong, DOKenneth Wys, MDAntonio Zamorano, DOWelcome New Physicians to the Glendale Memorial Hospital FamilyEmergency MedicineNatalya Grigorian, MDInterventional RadiologyChadi Chahin, MDTeleradiologyGuillermo Palacios-Lopez, MDPhysicians in the NewsWe’d like to thank and recognize the following physicians who were recently featured in local media stories.Raed Bargout, MD, Chief of Cardiovascular Disease, was featured on ABC Channel 7 News in an interview where he discussed new approaches to monitoring blood pressure and oxygen levels, including a new app that can measure your blood pressure with a video sele. He was also featured in the online publication, SHEnds in a story about foods that women over 40 should stop eating for a healthier heart.Vigen Khojayan, MD, Chief of the Medical Sta, was featured in Becker’s Hospital Review and the Glendale News-Press in articles announcing his appointment as the new Chief of the Medical Sta of Glendale Memorial Hospital.William Wang, MD, Chief Medical Ocer, was featured on CrescentaValleyWeekly.com where he shared tips on how to stay healthy in the new year. Wally Wazni, MD, Stroke Medical Director, was featured on KCAL Channel 9 News in an interview where he discussed headaches and migraines, as well as available treatment options.
4 Glendale Memorial Medical DialogueCALL FOR ARTICLES: We encourage members of the Glendale Memorial Hospital sta to submit information or articles for publication. We welcome your input! Email: tracie.cheesemangipson@commonspirit.org EDITORIAL TEAM William Wang, MD, CMO Medical Editorial AdvisorDeborah Connors-Moore Director, Medical Sta ServicesTracie GipsonEditor, Medical DialogueUnderstanding Our Journey as a High Reliability OrganizationNicholas Testa, MDChief Physician Executive Southern California Division We are all working together to become a High Reliability Organization, one which prioritizes patient safety in our ever changing environment, but many may still ask ‘what does High Reliability really mean?’ A High Reliability Organization or HRO has fewer than its share of error events by prioritizing safety and adopting a culture where we consistently do the right thing for our patients and sta. We empower our people to ask questions, we organize our leadership around safety activities, and we all commit to studying and improving our process to look for opportunities to be safer. Other organizations, such as the airline industry, that have become HROs, have done it through having every member of the team adopt safety as their number one priority. It is not enough for us to say we are going to be safe. Safety is everyone’s responsibility, and we all must align around it to truly advance our culture.To date, the progress we have made is nothing short of inspiring. Across many of our hospitals we have named our HRO initiative, Safety by Choice, Not by Chance, but your hospital may have chosen a unique name to represent the unique culture of where you work. While names may vary, the outcomes are all the same. Across all 18 of our Southern California Division hospitals we are seeing a new focus around safety. On a daily basis, we exemplify an increased mindfulness on patient safety, a closer collaboration across disciplines, and an atmosphere of trust that heightens our day-to-day sensitivity to operations. To continue on our journey to high reliability, we are aiming to have every physician participate in High Reliability methods and skills training. For some this will be the rst time they are seeing this material and for others this will be a refresh of training they did years ago, but for all of us, it will be yet another important step forward towards creating a consistent culture of safety. Simultaneously, we will be rolling out leader tools that will augment how we huddle, how we round, and how we share stories that prioritize safety.I am grateful for your partnership and enthusiasm. I believe our collective commitment will lead to our long-term success, as we strive to make our division’s hospitals the safest in the nation by consciously practicing High Reliability practices and encouraging our teams to do the same. Thank you for doing your part on our journey to becoming highly reliable.IntegrityExcellenceCompassionInclusionCollaboration