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Happy Doctor’s DayNorthridge Hospital Medical Center’s Administration is celebrating our physicians to show our appreciation for the meaningful work you do. Not only do you improve your patients’ health and change their lives, but you also stay true to your commitment to excellence no matter the current challenges we face in health care. The awards, recognitions and honors bestowed upon our hospital are made possible because of your steadfast commitment and dedication to be the very best at what you do.We are grateful for each and every one of you, and invite you to join us as we celebrate your dedication, compassion, and support. Please watch for details of our Doctor’s Day events, which will be sent out separately as well as posted in the physician lounges.On behalf of the Hospital’s Administration, we wish you a joyful Doctor’s Day and week!KEEPING PHYSICIANS ABREAST OF THE LATEST NEWS AND INFORMATION AT DIGNITY HEALTH – NORTHRIDGE HOSPITAL MEDICAL CENTERMARCH APRIL Medical DialogueYour Well-being Is ImportantJeremy Grosser,MD Medical Sta PresidentAccording 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 BreaksCaring 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 SpiritRecall 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 BodyMaintain a healthy diet and get adequate sleep. Continue or create new routines for exercise.Take Breaks from News or Social MediaEveryone processes information dierently – recognize your own signs of overload.continued on page 2Medical Dialogue.
2 Northridge Hospital Medical Dialogue.Wellbeing continued from page 1Practice Breathing and Relaxation TechniquesBring 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 OthersShare 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 HotlineIf you’re experiencing a crisis, help is available by calling the National Suicide Hotline: --. This / service is available to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress.Quality, Safety, and Experience – At the Heart of Everything We DoNicholas Testa, MD Chief Physician Executive Southern California DivisionAcross the Southern California Division, our High Reliability journey has not only improved our patient safety, the steps we take have a signicant impact on our quality and experience. The combined eorts of every member of our team continue to improve our delivery of care. Each year, CommonSpirit Health establishes a Clinical Scorecard with various areas for improvement. Last scal year, thanks to your dedication towards excellence, Northridge Hospital received two FY Entity Awards in the Southern California Division:Northridge Hospital FY22 Entity Awards •Highest Performing and Most Improved Large Facility for Readmissions•Most Improved Large Facility for HAI CompositeIn addition, the Southern California Division was the highest performing Division in many of CommonSpirit Health key quality and patient safety measures, including: • fewer surgical complications, which is a signicant step towards our goal of zero harm.•A focus on the care of our septic patients, saving more lives, representing more people who returned to their families. • fewer unnecessary blood product transfusions, reducing the risk to the people entrusted to our care. Through successful collaboration and enhanced communication between physicians, nurses and all members of our Southern California care teams, we improved the care we provide for nearly patients. With our patients and their families as our focus, we will continue to achieve amazing results. Thank you for your continued commitment to making our Southern California Division care sites the safest facilities in the country.Clinical Scorecard AwardsScan the QR code to watch a special message from our executive team, outlining the Southern California Division successes in quality performance–all achieved thanks to your hard work and commitment.
Northridge Hospital Medical Dialogue 3.First Trans Carotid TAVR Procedure PerformedJahandar Saleh, MD Director, Advanced Cardiac Care ProgramsOn February , , Northridge Hospital successfully performed our rst trans carotid TC approach TAVR. It was our rst alternative approach to the femoral approach TAVR. We have thus far performed more than catheter-based aortic valve procedures, including valve implantation TAVI and balloon annular valvuloplasty BAV. TC is one of the most innovative and fast becoming one of the most commonly used pathways for patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis who have concomitant vascular disease or poor anatomy and cannot undergo transfemoral TF TAVR. This method provides a direct route for aortic valve implantation and oers a shorter distance from the entry site to the aortic root. Our rst TC procedure involved surgical exposure of the common carotid artery performed eloquently by Azmi Atiya, MD, and Ra Kotoyan MD. This was followed by an arterial needle puncture and the introduction of an arterial sheath and minor variation from the TF approach to deliver the valve. Thereafter, surgeons closed the surgical site with sutures. The TC approach has proven to be a promising alternative with comparable results and low complications since the rst case of TC TAVR was performed in on an -year-old male with symptomatic degenerative aortic stenosis. The successful procedure was performed overseas by Thomas Modine, MD, and his colleagues. Since then, this procedure has been increasingly performed across the United States in Centers of Excellence. The success of our rst TC was a true collaboration. I want to congratulate our team of physicians and our members of the cath lab and the OR sta. I also want to recognize our two cardio-thoracic surgeons, Drs. Atiya and Kotoyan; Sassan Razadeh, MD, Anesthesiologist; Vimal Lala, DO, Interventional Cardiologist who assisted me in this procedure; and Carlyn Fostakovsky, NP, who was instrumental in making this happen.Across our hospital, every day, there is phenomenal work being done. I would be remiss, however, if I don’t pause and recognize the capability of our sta and this institution to provide the most advanced and superb care in the region.Jahandar Saleh, MD, (third from the left) and the cath lab team celebrate Northridge Hospital’s first trans carotid TAVR. Welcome New Physicians to the Northridge Hospital FamilyAnesthesiologySassan Razadeh, MDCritical Care MedicineAshraf Elsayegh, MDGeneral SurgeryMahmoud Ahmed, MDStephen Dada, MDOB/GYNMark Fan, MDPhysical Medicine/RehabilitationNicole Kelleher, MDRadiology (Diagnostic) – RemoteLinda Armstrong, DOPhillip Tirman, MD
4 Northridge Hospital Medical Dialogue.Victory for Victims 5K/10K Kids Fun Run & 1-Mile Friendly Dog WalkFor the past years, thousands of participants have supported NHMC’s Annual Center for Assault Treatment Services C·A·T·S Walk/Run, raising money to support this important program. C.A.T.S. is the only // days a year immediate response program in the San Fernando and Santa Clarita Valleys providing forensic medical evidentiary examinations and interviews at no cost to victims of sexual assault, human tracking and domestic violence.We hope that you will join us in this movement, and help put a stop to victims of domestic and sexual violence. There are many ways to get involved - become a sponsor and/or a participant today and help create justice, hope, healing and VICTORY.21st Annual Victory for Victims Walk/Run Saturday, April 15, 2023Hansen Dam, Lake View Terrace, CAOne hundred percent of funds raised from this year’s event will go directly toward supporting C·A·T·S and our Medical Safe Haven program, which supports our human tracking initiative.For more information and to create a TEAM, please contact our oce at , ext. or at jenny.zeltser@commonspirit.org.RACE WEBSITEAdditional race information can be found at supportnorthridge.org/VV or by scanning the QR code to the right.Join Us at the 33rd Annual Golf ClassicSpring is near and the Northridge Hospital Foundation is excited to see everyone again for a beautiful day at our annual Golf Classic.Funds raised from this year’s event will be used to upgrade our Infant Security System. To provide peace of mind, infants will wear a small transmitter that constantly communicates with the system. If an infant is brought too close to a monitored exit, an alarm will sound and sta will be immediately notied via their wireless devices. Through your participation in this event, you have the opportunity to make a tangible impact on the wellbeing of our youngest patients.We have many opportunities for you to get involved. For more information, please call , ext. , scan the QR code to the right, or visit supportnorthridge.org/events/golf-classic-.ANNUAL GOLF CLASSICMonday, May 8, 2023North Ranch Country ClubWestlake Village, CABrian Hammel President, Northridge Hospital Foundation
Northridge Hospital Medical Dialogue 5.Southern California Wins Coveted Phillies Award – Division of the YearIn February, CommonSpirit held its annual Philanthropy Education Summit, where top performing individuals, groups, and divisions were honored. Division performance is determined by the combined foundations’ ability to increase their overall funds raised, while also successfully managing expenses so that the cost to raise a dollar is nominal. I am so proud to share that the Southern California Division was named Division of the Year, thanks to the generosity of more than donors. Our Division received this year’s recognition because we are able to put the generous donations into action. We invest in our hospitals and in our communities. We can all agree that health care is becoming more challenging. Ensuring our physicians and sta are supported with tools and resources to sustain our critical work and meet the needs of our patients is essential to our combined success. Our successful fundraising is also a result of the excellent care and experience our entire team provides to our patients that motivates them to give. Thank you to our physician donors, and congratulations to everyone on the philanthropy team for this outstanding achievement!Julie J. Sprengel President & CEO Southern California DivisionJulie Sprengel, President & CEO, SoCal, with Jenny Zeltser, Program Manager, Northridge Hospital Foundation; Marsha Salazar, Program Manager, Northridge Hospital Foundation; and Brian Hammel, Northridge Foundation President (l-r).Congressman Tours HospitalTony Cárdenas, U.S. Congressman for California’s th District, recently toured Northridge Hospital with our Executive Team. The Congressman sits on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, where he is ghting hard for working families. He has worked to lower prescription drug prices, combat climate change, and ensure access to aordable, quality health care.An advocate for justice, Congressman Cárdenas has supported many causes, including our Center for Assault Treatment Services C·A·T·S program, which he supported for years prior to serving as our Congressman. Interested in opportunities to assist the hospital with funding, the Congressman’s tour showcased our comprehensive and technologically advanced services and our eorts to serve our community. Betsy Hart NHMC COO; Evan Porto, NHMC Sr. Director Strategic Planning; Jennifer Breeher, RN; Sandra Marquez, RN; Rep. Tony Cárdenas; Paul Watkins, NHMC CEO; & Brian Hammel, Northridge Foundation President (l-r)
6 Northridge Hospital Medical Dialogue.Top 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 – are included. Below are the top achievers for December and January . Congratulations on a job well done!Sarah Albert, DO, Internal Medicine Marta Almli, MD, Internal Medicine Mark Amico, MD, Internal MedicineM. Kevin Ariani, MD, Cardiovascular DiseaseRaluca Arimie, MD, Cardiovascular Disease Sandeep Chadha, MD, Family MedicinePrathima Charugundla, DO, Family Medicine Christian Chiavetta, DO, Internal MedicineEric Choi, MD, Internal Medicine Michael Damavandi, DO, Internal Medicine Ali Daneshvari, MD, Internal MedicineZouheir Elias, MD, Cardiovascular DiseaseSamuel Feizi, MD, Internal MedicineJennifer Hyer, DO, Internal Medicine Fatima Imtiaz, DO, Internal Medicine Sam Kalioundji, MD, Cardiovascular DiseaseJoseph Karam, MD, Critical Care MedicineLeo Kassabian, MD, Cardiovascular Disease Yoko Miyasaki, MD, Infectious Disease Anthony Murphy, MD, Internal MedicineAmrita Nensey, MD, Internal MedicineOsezemeghonghon Obilor, MD, Internal MedicineMahdi Paridari, MD, Family Medicine Gulianne Servano, MD, Internal MedicineTigalat Shalita, DO, Family Medicine Shadi Sharif, DO, Internal Medicine Pedram Shirzad, DO, Family Medicine Balbir Singh, MD, NephrologyJerey Wang, DO, Family Medicine Amber Williams, DO, Family MedicineCongratulations December 2022 Culture of Safety TeamEvery day, we hear about instances of safety “catches” that greatly benet our patients and teams. In striving to sustain our High Reliability Organization HRO initiative and our Culture of Safety, we recognize those team members who ensure NHMC is a safe place to work, or be a patient or visitor.For December , the Transitional Care Team was recognized for success in reducing the -day admission rate signicantly. Their nomination from a hospital leader reads: “A great eort in 2022 was our success in reducing readmissions within seven days which was led by Jeremy Grosser, MD, and the Transitional Care Team. In addition to managing our program to successfully transition our patients back into the community, they regularly reviewed patients who did return within seven days, looking for opportunities for better quality discharges, and shared the learning with Medical and Hospital Sta as appropriate. Congratulations to the team for this excellent work.”
Northridge Hospital Medical Dialogue 7.Feeding Our Community Access to healthy foods remains an issue plaguing many communities, particularly in the Los Angeles area. To help tackle this ever-growing obstacle, Northridge Hospital has partnered with the American Heart Association AHA since July of . Through their collaboration, NHMC became the rst hospital in the San Fernando Valley to host monthly events to provide free produce in a drive-thru format for community members who are food insecure or who may be experiencing food insecurity.“We know how challenging access to healthy foods can be for many members of our communities,” says Paul Watkins, NHMC President. “By partnering with the AHA to provide free produce to vulnerable populations, we’re fortunate enough to be living out our mission in improving the health and well-being of underserved and disenfranchised individuals. Also, it’s an activity for our sta to get out here and volunteer in a way they normally don’t have the opportunity to do.”While the produce provided varies each month, it always brings a grateful smile to the recipients. This past January, people received cherry tomatoes, Brussels sprouts, grapes, cilantro, broccoli, mangoes, potatoes, jicama, and watermelons.Tell Your Patients How to Access Free Healthy FoodsIf you have any patients who would benet from this service, please tell them we distribute produce on the fourth Thursday of each month from - p.m. They may walk up to the area adjacent to the west parking structure near the entrance to Human Resources, or drive through by lining up on Cantara Street. Get InvolvedIf you’d like to help serve our community, please consider volunteering one hour once a month for this wonderful event. Several residents and physicians have volunteered and can tell you how rewarding it is, including Mark Amico, MD, Associate Director for the Dignity Foundation Medical Group; Pamela Davis, MD, Medical Director for the Dignity Foundation Medical Group; and Mark Dumais, MD, NHMC Chief Medical Ocer. If you’d like to help pack, sort or distribute produce for our community, please join us! Simply scan this QR code and sign up for the upcoming produce distribution.
8 Northridge Hospital Medical Dialogue.18300 Roscoe Boulevard, Northridge, CA 91325CALL FOR ARTICLES: We encourage members of the Northridge Hospital Medical Sta to submit information or articles for publication in the Medical Dialogue. Please contact Tracie Gipson, Editor, at 818.522.4574 or Tracie.Gipson@CommonSpirit.org.MEDICAL STAFF OFFICERSJeremy Grosser, MDMedical Sta PresidentUthaiah Kokkalera, MDPresident-ElectLeo Kassabian, MDSecretaryAdel Jabour, MDTreasurerEDITORIAL TEAMMark Dumais, MD, MBA, FACPChief Medical OcerNina HirschDirector, Medical Sta ServicesTracie GipsonMedical Dialogue EditorDesiree GarciaMarket Development RepresentativePriscilla BourbonnaisMarket Development RepresentativeIn MemoriamWe are saddened to share the passing of three of our outstanding physicians: Green Hsueh, MD, OB/GYN, who was a member of the Medical Sta from - . Read her obituary and leave a memory at memorialsource.com/memorial/greenhsuehRak Latif, OB/GYN, MD, who was a member of the Medical Sta since .Duck Lim, MD, Internal Medicine, who was a member of the Medical Sta since .All of these physicians will be missed. Physicians in the NewsWe’d like to thank and recognize the following physicians who were recently featured in local media stories.Diana Lev, MD, Family Medicine, was featured on Fox Channel 11 News to discuss the dangers of taking Ozempic, a drugprescribed to control Type II Diabetes, for weight loss instead. She was also featured on Yahoo.com discussing inuenza signs during u season. Suhail Salem, MD, Gastroenterology, was featured on Fox Channel 11 News in a story about the rise in colon cancer cases, which is now the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the U.S. Abhishek Sinha, MD, Interventional Cardiology, was featured in the publication Eat This, Not That! in a story about the signs and symptoms of heart disease and heart valve disease. He was also featured in the publication following American Idol alum C.J. Harris’s fatal heart attack.Sidney Stoll, DO, Hematology/Oncology, was featured on Yahoo.com where he discussed the dierent types of bladder cancer and signs that one should look for.Liang Wang, MD, Neurology, was featured on CBS Channel 2 News, NBC Channel 4 News and KCAL Channel 9 News in a story about actor Bruce Willis’ recent diagnosis with Frontotemporal Dementia.