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In this issue Celebrating Our Physicians CommonSpirit Health Welcomes Wright L. Lassiter III as New CEOUnderstanding Our Journey as a High Reliability Organization Aces, Races and Bases Physician Anniversaries Medical Staff Appreciation AwardsPhysician Resources Our Values in Action Nominees Physicians in the News Welcome New Physicians to the Glendale Memorial Hospital FamilyTop CDI Query Response Achievers In MemoriamKEEPING PHYSICIANS ABREAST OF THE LATEST NEWS AND INFORMATION AT DIGNITY HEALTH – GLENDALE MEMORIAL HOSPITAL AND HEALTH CENTERMedical DialogueSEPTEMBER OCTOBER Celebrating Our PhysiciansThank you to everyone who joined us for Glendale Memorial Hospital’s Medical Sta Party in September. It was a great success and all in attendance took the opportunity to mingle and build camaraderie with fellow physicians and hospital leadership.Teresa Swida, DO; Tina Gall; David Rogers, MD; Robert Gall, MD; and Onkar Marwah, MDRamesh Kesavalu, MD; Emmanuel Luna, MD; Lelanie Luna, MD; Sarkis Kaakijian, MD; and Marco Gomez-Garcia, MDBack Row: Kent Small, MD; Douglas Webber, MD; Randall Roberts, MD; Harry Balian, MD; Artoon Arakel, MD; Ramesh Kesavalu, MD; and Ricardo Roman, MDFront Row: Michael Habashy, MD; Marco Gomez-Garcia, MD; Vahan Cepkinian, MD; Saro Avakian, MD; David Rogers, MD; Elizabeth DeOliveira, MD; Kevin Galstyan, MD; and William Sloan, MDJim Zolnowski, Chief Nurse Executive; Kora Guoyavatin, Chief Financial Officer; William Wang, MD, Chief Medical Officer; Jill Welton, Hospital President; and Dan Murphy, Chief Philanthropy OfficerBruce Bagheri, MD, and Santo Polito, MD
2 Glendale Memorial Medical DialogueUnderstanding Our Journey as a High Reliability OrganizationNicholas Testa Chief Physician Executive Southern California DivisionWe 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 errors and 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 processes to become safer. Other organizations, such as the airline industry, have become HROs by 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. Our HRO initiative, Safety by Choice, Not by Chance, is being rolled out at all of our Southern California Division hospitals and while hospitals are at various stages of implementation, we are seeing a growing 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 behaviors and tools 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 are regularly sharing stories that prioritize safety and rolling out leader tools that augment our team safety huddles and rounds.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. CommonSpirit Health Welcomes Wright L. Lassiter III as New CEOWright L. Lassiter III ocially joined CommonSpirit Health as CEO on Aug. . He succeeded Lloyd Dean who retired. Wright brings years of experience working in large health systems, most recently as CEO at Henry Ford Health in Michigan. There he led Henry Ford through the COVID- pandemic, expanded services, grew revenue and earned recognition for the system’s focus on employee well-being and a commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and social justice.We welcome him to our health care ministry.
Glendale Memorial Medical Dialogue 3Aces, Races and BasesGlendale Memorial Health Foundation Presents Dice & Derby Casino Night and Virtual Home Run Derby.Experience the excitement of classic casino gambling and derby-style horse races and a home run derby! Learn to play a variety of games in a fun and friendly environment while raising money for a worthy cause. Saturday, November 12, 2022Glendale Memorial Medical Pavillion222 W. Eulalia Street Glendale, CA 5 – 6:30 p.m. Private VIP Reception6:30 p.m. General AdmissionDress to Impress – Come Sporting Your Favorite Team GearGeneral Admission Includes Admission to the Event, Casino Cash, Hosted Signature Drinks and Dinner Stations Tickets Required for this Event Scan QR Code to Purchase TicketsAll proceeds to benet GMHHC.
4 Glendale Memorial Medical DialoguePhysician Anniversaries Thank you to our physicians who have dedicated years of service to Glendale Memorial Hospital. Below is a list of physicians who have celebrated work anniversaries of years or more.50 YEARSJohn Hubanks, MD45 YEARS Ethelred Carter, MD40 YEARSDariush Arfaania, MDSooren Karayan, MDDon Lee, MDDaniel Levitan, MDLawrence O’Connor, MDPushpa Shahani, MDDavid Sherman, MDLim Taw, MDVirginia Veloso, MD35 YEARS Shahin Boghossians, MDMichael Burton, MDMardiros Mihranian, MDDavid Tonnemacher, MD30 YEARS Ighia Aintablian, MDHermoz Ayvazian, DPMVatche Bardakjian, MDCesar Caldera, MDTze-Yu Dang, MDKenneth Frankel, MDGlenn Hausdorfer, MDEli Hendel, MDSimon Keushkerian, MDEmmanuel Luna, MDLelanie Luna, MDIgnacio Valdes, MD25 YEARtS Gizel Abraham, MDJean-Pierre Antaki, MDJohn Arcia, MDSahag Arslanian, MDH. Ra Balian, MDEdgar Banez, MDJohn Cabrera, MDDavid Charchian, MDSusan Chobanian, MDDavid Chun, MDSheila Debnath, MDAbdollah Gilani, MDNabila Gindi, MDMarina Gold, MDRichard Havunjian, MDAndrew Hurwitz, MDSarkis Kaakijian, MDSilva Karchikian, MDJames Lee, MDRyan Lee, MDOnkarjit Marwah, MDJohn McKenzie, MDJivan Melikian, MDHarout Mesrobian, MDRa Minasian, MDRazmik Ohanjanian, MDPeter Parker, MDTsovinar Tekkelian, MDHovhanes Ter-Zakarian, MDKalust Ucar, MDPetar Vukasin, MDByron Williams, MDAdel Zaki, MD20 YEARSLuis Acosta, MDJoseph Addiego, DPMZulqar Ahmed, MDLena Al-Sarraf, DONarine Arutyounian, MDVardui Arutyunyan, MDBoris Bagdasarian, DOBruce Bagheri, MDFrederick Boghossian, MDDuc Bui, MDSam Daneshvari, MDSherif El-Harazi, MDHakop Gevorkyan, MDH. Samantha Han, MDLaila Hanna, MDSamvel Hmayakyan, MDMichael Karapetian, MDMarina Khachatrian, MDHrach Khudatyan, MDLeon Kujmanian, MDChristophe Lee, MDDaniel Lee, MDLance Lee, MDSam Nikou, MDOliver Ong, MDDavid Rogers, MDBen Shenassa, MDDavid Solarte, MDArutyun Topsakalyan, MDSergio Veiga, MDNirupa Vignarajan, MDRobert Wagmeister, MDDarrell Webb, DOBrigeli Westerband, MDCongratulations Honorary Medical Staff Members Appointed Since 2018Sundera Ariathurai, MDGholam Farboody, MDArtine Kokshanian, MDMichael Novak, MDSanto Polito, MDKyoo Sang Ro, MDBruce Schlecter, MDDavid Thompson, MDRajendra Tiwari, MDJerry Wada, MD
Glendale Memorial Medical Dialogue 5Medical Staff Appreciation AwardsOur Medical Sta Appreciation Awards honor physicians whose accomplishments exemplify outstanding leadership in collaboration with teams throughout Dignity Health – Glendale Memorial Hospital. These physician leaders exhibited integrity, set examples of excellence, adapted quickly to change, and maintained an optimistic, can-do attitude. Congratulations to the following physicians who were recognized at recent Medical Executive Committee MEC meetings for upholding our standards of excellence.Sarkis Kaakijian, MD, Pediatrics Division Chair left, receives a Medical Sta Appreciation award from David Rogers, MD, Chief of Sta, at the July MEC meeting.Kevin Galstyan, MD, Obstetrics and Gynecology Division Chair, receives a Medical Sta Appreciation award from David Rogers, MD, Chief of Sta, at the September MEC meeting.Jennifer Hill, MD, MEC Member at Large, receives a Medical Sta Appreciation award from David Rogers, MD, Chief of Sta, at the September MEC meeting.Wynnson Tom, MD, MEC Member at Large, received a Medical Sta Appreciation award at the September MEC meeting. We’d also like to congratulate the following physicians who were recognized by Dr. David Rogers, Chief of Sta, for their leadership of hospital-related programs at the July Quarterly General Sta meeting: Onkar Marwah, MD, Cath Lab/STEMI Program Medical Director Nayiri Doudikian-Sca, MD, Wound Care Center Ignacio Valdes, MD, NTSV ProgramPhysician ResourcesLoan Repayment for Educational DebtCalHealthCares administers loan repayment on educational debt for California physicians and dentists who provide care to Medi-Cal patients, which represent one-third of Californians and half of the state’s children. Eligible physicians can apply for up to in loan repayment in exchange for a ve-year service obligation. Eligible dentists can apply for a loan repayment up to in exchange for a ve-year service obligation or a Practice Support Grant up to in exchange for a ten-year service obligation. For details, visit www.phcdocs.org/Programs/CalHealthCares.
6 Glendale Memorial Medical DialogueOur Values in Action NomineesCommonSpirit Health’s Values in Action Award honors individuals and teams for outstanding contributions to our health care ministry. Congratulations to our physicians who received Values in Action nominations in . CollaborationCollaboration is dened as committing to the power of working together, and building and nurturing meaningful relationships.Nick Ghazarian, DO, Orthopedic Spine Surgeon, understands it takes a village to care for each patient and fosters a team approach that brings out the best in us. In the operating room, he treats every sta member with respect and courtesy. As a highly skilled surgeon, he teaches new sta, welcomes seasoned sta, and treats the entire team with equal regard. He is valued for increasing our surgical volume and for his diligence to ensure the surgical department is well prepared and successful in achieving optimal patient outcomes. David Rogers, MD, Chief of Sta, set a goal at the beginning of his Chief of Sta term to work collaboratively with the Medical Sta, Administration and Hospital Sta to achieve and maintain high quality and safe patient care. Throughout his term, he has continued to seek input from others in a collaborative manner to make wise and informed decisions to assist the Medical Sta to be the best it can be. Dr. Rogers has also skillfully guided the Medical Executive Committee to function as a cohesive and unied team to support the hospital and our community.Brigeli Westerband, MD, Emergency Department, has made collaboration her life’s work. In the Emergency Room, she interacts with every physician and unit in the hospital, in addition to forging relationships with the Glendale EMS, Fire and LAPD. From the moment patients come through the ER doors, Dr. Westerband works eciently to make sure they get the best care possible while collaborating with their families to ensure their’ best interests. To further improve the patient experience, she works with TEAM health and embraces the morning huddles where she presents positive reviews to our sta.CompassionCompassion is dened as care with listening, empathy and love, and to accompany and comfort those in need of healing. Hermoz Ayvazian, DPM, Podiatric Medicine, performs seless acts of care each day in the Wound Care Center. For example, he comes in early and is the last one to leave if a patient is in pain and needs immediate care. Compassionate care remains his priority–even if it means working well beyond his schedule. He also takes the time to reach out, beyond physical medical care, when he sees the emotional aspect of a non-healing wound interfering with the patient’s emotional well-being. He strives to do what is right for every patient.Excellence Excellence is dened as serving with our fullest passion, creativity, and stewardship, and exceeding expectations of others and ourselves. Rouzbeh Afsari, MD, Nephrology, constantly goes above and beyond for both inpatients and outpatients. He innately embodies excellence by focusing on the patient experience to ensure that both his patients and their families are informed about their illness and treatments available to them. Dr. Afsari will consistently and thoroughly discuss plans of care with patients and families to ensure complete and full comprehension at every step during their medical care. He is committed to always going the extra mile to maintain excellence. continued on next page
Glendale Memorial Medical Dialogue 7InclusionInclusion is dened as celebrating each person’s gifts and voice, and to respect the dignity of all.Douglas Thom, MD, Anesthesiologist, is passionate about respecting our patients’ dignity. We see this in a number of ways in the care he provides to all of our patients. For example, he not only ensures that all his patients receive medical information and informed consent in their preferred language, he also takes the time to support and teach all members of the health care team to do so as well. He always wants to do the right thing to ensure our patients’ voices are heard and understood, and he also encourages all of us to do the same. The hospital sta is deeply grateful for his commitment to this high quality care for our patients.Integrity Integrity is dened as inspiring trust through honesty, and demonstrating courage in the face of inequity.Robert C. Gall, MD, Pediatric, Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine, is driven by integrity. As a Community Board Member, his dedication and contributions to our hospital always keep us moving in the right direction. This past year, Dr. Gall took on a greater leadership role with our Bioethics Committee, providing a thoughtful and methodical approach to bioethical consults. Whether serving as a physician, board member, or Bioethics leader, his overarching goal is ensuring that the patient’s best interest is always front and center. He has also supported our new Healthcare Professions Internship Program by helping to create and shape the program as well as serving as a mentor to students.Physicians in the NewsWe’d like to thank and recognize the following physicians who were recently featured in local media stories.Gabrielle Morrow, MD, Emergency Department Medical Director, joined KCBS-TV News during the summer heat wave to explain the serious threat of heat strokes and how doctors and nurses use ice packs, IV bags of sodium, and a hyperthermia cart to treat people who are experiencing dangerous overheating.William Wang, MD, Chief Medical Ocer, was featured in the Glendale News-Press in a story highlighting the WATCHMAN device, Glendale Memorial’s latest oering, which reduces the risk of stroke in patients with atrial brillation AF.Dr. Wled Wazni, Director of Stroke, was featured on Fox Channel 11 News in a story about new ndings that suggest frequent napping may be a sign of high blood pressure and a risk of stroke.
8 Glendale Memorial Medical DialogueCALL FOR ARTICLES: We encourage members of the Glendale Memorial Hospital staff 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 Staff ServicesTracie GipsonEditor, Medical DialogueWelcome New Physicians to the Glendale Memorial Hospital FamilyEmergency MedicineSarah Cain, DOShant Pezeshkian, DOBenjamin Shannon-Alferes, DOPlastic SurgeryKameron Rezzadeh, MDRadiologyIbrahim Idakoji, MDAbrar Khan, DOVikran Sundaram, MDRak Zarifa, MDTop 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 – are included. Below are the top achievers for June and July . Congratulations on a job well done!Moshen Aljayeh, MDNarine Arutyounian, MDArthur Babakhanians, MDSameer Bajaj, MDHarneet Bath, MDDuc Bui, MDDennis Chang, DO Anna Galfaian, MDElizabeth Grigoryan, MDVahe Gyulnazaryan, MDMichael Habashy, MDKrikor Kalindjian, MDVigen Khojayan, MDOnkarjit Marwah, MDArazin Minasian, MDKhalida Pathan, MDBaminihannadige Peiris, MDNeiveen Peter, MDAntonio Zamorano, DOIn MemoriamDavid M. Charchian, MD, Family Medicine, was a member of Glendale Memorial Hospital’s Medical Sta from June , until his passing on July , . He will be greatly missed.