Below are the December Medical Staff Updates. As a reminder, all providers must complete the attestation at the bottom of this page by December 31.
Message from the President of the Medical/Dental Staff
November 10, 2017 was a historic day for Buffalo: the new Oishei Children’s Hospital opened. The move from Women & Children’s Hospital of Buffalo (WCHOB) to Oishei Children’s Hospital (OCH) was seamless, with all patients transported safely and rapidly. It was an enormous accomplishment for Kaleida Health and for the community. It was a bittersweet day for me as a pediatrician whose entire career was at WCHOB. The sadness of closing WCHOB, however, was more than offset by the joy of seeing OCH come to life. On behalf of the Medical/Dental Staff, I extend our best thanks and appreciation to Allegra Jaros, president of OCH, Steve Turkovich, MD, chief medical officer of OCH, and the entire Kaleida Health/Children’s team.
It is a mark of distinction for Buffalo to have a free-standing children’s hospital. But while OCH is free-standing, it is not stand-alone. OCH is part of our healthcare system. It needs and receives support from the entire Kaleida Health family. This support runs the gamut from mechanical to operational to moral. It “takes a village” to support OCH.
I want to particularly thank Jody Lomeo, president and CEO of Kaleida Health, and the Kaleida Health Board of Directors for being a key part of that “village.” Jody and the Board took on the OCH project with energy and dedication when Jody joined Kaleida Health as CEO. OCH almost did not come to be; it was Jody’s leadership that brought the project forward and gave us the beautiful Oishei Children’s Hospital the community deserves.
The MEC officers and members wish you all a happy and healthy holiday season!
Peter Winkelstein, MD, MS, MBA, FAAP
Medical/Dental Staff President
Kaleida Health
Request for Medical Executive Committee Nominations
These are exciting times within Kaleida Health. We, as members of the Kaleida Health Medical Staff, have borne witness to many changes over the past two years.
At the current time, Kaleida Health’s Medical Executive Committee (MEC) is requesting nominations (for the two-year commitment) to serve on the MEC. Candidates who serve on the MEC must be dedicated to maintaining the high quality of medical staff membership while working to develop policies and procedures that will enhance the quality of care for our patients.
Please reflect on what the medical staff membership means to you and who you wish to have as your elected representatives. Submit the names of prospective candidates (whether that is you or a colleague that has expressed an interest in running) to both me at gmatthews@kaleidahealth.org and ksnyder@kaleidahealth.org. We will accept submissions for prospective candidates until December 31, 2017. Please use the subject heading “Re: Prospective Candidate for MEC.”
In addition, it is time to elect the officer position of Medical/Dental Staff Secretary. Every two years, officer positions move up whereby the Secretary will become Treasurer, then President-Elect and finally, will be our Medical/Dental Staff President. Your nominations should be submitted to me at the email addresses listed above, using the subject heading “Re: Prospective Candidate for Medical/Dental Staff Secretary.”
The nomination committee will vet the names and develop a ballot consisting of interested individuals.
Help us identify those individuals who represent the best and the brightest among our medical staff, and together we will continue the further transformation of Kaleida Health as we seek to live our mission “to advance the health of our community.” Thank you.
George E. Matthews, MD, FACP, FACC
Chief of Service, Department of Internal Medicine
Kaleida Health
Provider-to-Provider Communication Survey Coming in December
In an effort to determine areas to improve provider-to-provider communication, a brief survey will be sent to the medical staff in December. Survey results and action steps will be shared during a follow up article in this newsletter in the coming months. Please check your email in December and kindly take part in the survey. We greatly appreciate it!
New Medical Staff Updates Newsletter Format Coming Next Month
Beginning in January 2018, providers will see a newly-designed Medical Staff Updates newsletter and website that will be much more dynamic, engaging, mobile-friendly and easy to navigate. It will include tools and resources that providers can use to improve their workflow and continue providing high-quality patient care. Stay tuned!
Physician Engagement Survey Coming Spring 2018
Given the increased level of activity this year, capped by the unprecedented move of Women & Children’s Hospital to the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, the annual engagement surveys will be conducted in spring 2018.
This will allow for a vendor transition from Press Ganey to HealthStream. In July 2017, Kaleida Health moved to HealthStream for providing patient experience results. Going forward, HealthStream will provide our physician and employee engagement surveys, summary findings and technical assistance on action planning.
Additional details will be shared in the coming months.
John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital Opens
After years of construction, planning and practice, the new John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital officially opened on Friday, November 10 as 125 inpatient moms, kids and infants from Women & Children’s Hospital of Buffalo were safely transported to the new facility located on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus in the heart of downtown Buffalo.
The historic and well-orchestrated move commenced at 7 a.m. on Friday, November 10 as care providers, specialized pediatric and neonatal transport teams, along with the hospital’s partners at American Medical Response (AMR), began transporting patients individually by ambulance, making the 1.2-mile trip to the new hospital in less than 12 hours.
It was a much-anticipated milestone for the hundreds of physicians, nurses, staff, volunteers and community agencies and partners involved in carrying out the complex logistical move, including critical timing and the delicate transport of the community’s most vulnerable patients from Women & Children’s Hospital of Buffalo to their new home. To show their support, KeyBank donated $300,000 to underwrite all non-labor costs associated with the move.
Senior Kaleida Health leadership members and move team leaders provided periodic updates throughout the day, keeping the community apprised of the move’s progression. After the last patient was tucked into their bed at Oishei Children’s Hospital at 5:42 p.m., the team provided a final update. “Our teams worked tirelessly for thousands of hours to ensure we safely moved our patients to their new home 1.2 miles away and today, we did it and we made history,” said Jody Lomeo, president and CEO of Kaleida Health.
The Command Center located at Women & Children’s Hospital of Buffalo opened at 5 a.m. on move day and ensured a streamlined communication process throughout the day, such as troubleshooting various technical and equipment issues and monitoring the progress of each patient who was transported. Satellite command centers located at other sites included Oishei Children’s Hospital, Buffalo General Medical Center and the Larkin Building, ensured a broader footprint and shared resources. A Mass Casualty Incident (MCI) Command Center was also fully operational at neighboring Erie County Medical Center (ECMC), which serves as the region’s only Level I Adult Trauma Center.
The new 400,000-square-foot hospital replaces the 125-year-old facility on Bryant Street and aims to consolidate and right-size care in a new setting. Constructed and designed with children and families in mind, the bright colors, 360-degree views of the city and distinct Buffalo-inspired theming on each floor enables families to navigate the new space with ease. Enhanced cultural collaborations and programming by local musicians and artists aims to harness the power of the arts to provide patients and their families with a physical, mental and emotional healing experience.
The $270 million project that resulted in the 12-floor, 185-bed, modern facility serves as one of only 43 standalone children’s hospitals in the U.S. and the only standalone children’s hospital in New York State. Oishei Children’s Hospital is the regional center for comprehensive and state-of-the-art pediatric trauma, surgical and medical care, including neonatal, perinatal and obstetrical services. It is an integral part of the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, an innovative and collaborative space in the heart of downtown Buffalo, that benefits from physical links to Buffalo General Medical Center, Gates Vascular Institute, Roswell Park Cancer Institute and the new Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo.
Oishei Children’s Hospital is the regional center for comprehensive and state-of-the-art pediatric trauma, surgical and medical care, including neonatal, perinatal and obstetrical services. Oishei Children’s Hospital is the only access point for pediatric critical care as the region’s only Level I Pediatric Trauma Center. It also serves as the only Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Western New York. The hospital enjoys a worldwide reputation for innovation and research and also provides highly specialized care and treatment through a broad array of outpatient services.
GVI Broadcasts Live Cases to Ten African Countries in Teaching Demonstration
The Gates Vascular Institute (GVI), in partnership with the Jacobs Institute (JI) and a medical device company, broadcasted two lives cases to 10 African countries, including Botswana, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe, reaching over 30 physicians in mid-October. The virtual proctorships broadcast, led by electrophysiologist Chee Kim, MD, FACC, was a step-by-step demonstration of the insertion of two pacemakers on two unique patients.
Historically, GVI physicians would travel to countries to provide training opportunities to local medical professionals. With recent advancements, teaching physicians are able to reach a wider audience creating a more impactful discussion based on the number of international physicians training and participating in the conversation.
“Modern technology is making it possible for medical professionals to collaborate, from all over the world, without ever having to leave their respective countries. This allows us to transform traditional healthcare into a modern healthcare platform providing new ways to improve patient care,” explained Dr. Kim when asked about the benefits of the broadcast.
Over the course of the two live cases, participants joined the broadcast via mobile device or computer accompanied with a chat room-like environment. Dr. Kim described the correct way to successfully implant a pacemaker while physicians in Africa responded with comments and questions. A medical professional at the GVI fielded the questions during the cases, allowing Dr. Kim to respond in real-time to participants.
Through this virtual proctorships broadcast, Dr. Kim and his team addressed potential real-life problems that may arise during the case while providing present solutions using their clinical knowledge and practice skills.
The GVI and JI broadcast to Africa was a first-of-its-kind. In total, the GVI and JI have led six other virtual proctorships broadcasts in the United States with plans to do more both nationally and internationally.
Clinical Research: New Study Information Portal Available
We are pleased to offer a new tool for anyone seeking information about research offered at the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.
The Study information Portal (SIP) is a resource for investigators, research coordinators, potential research participants, and anyone else interested in human research being conducted at Kaleida Health, ECMC, and UBMD practice plans. On SIP, you can search for any research study at the University at Buffalo that is currently open to recruitment or soon to be open to recruitment.
To search for a research study, use the keyword search field and the approved studies will appear. The protocol summary as well as specific contact information will also be available.
New Providers
Please welcome the following new appointments to Kaleida Health:
Name |
Clinical Service |
Category or Coll/Super |
Amitrano, Loretta, FNP |
Internal Medicine |
APP – Steven Buslovich, MD |
Argentieri, Jennifer A., MD |
Pediatrics/Emergency Medicine |
Associate |
Bell, James R., PA-C |
Orthopaedic Surgery |
APP – Paul Lapoint, MD |
Bhoir, Rohan S., MD |
Internal Medicine/Geriatrics |
Associate |
Bidales, Giorgos K., MD |
Family Medicine |
Associate |
DeMarco, Erin, ANP |
Internal Medicine |
APP – Walter Balon, MD |
Frustino, Jennifer L., DDS |
Dentistry |
Associate |
Fung, Eleanor C.,MD |
Surgery |
Associate |
Gupta, Sangeeta, MD |
Obstetrics & Gynecology |
Associate |
Kiefer, Daniel G., MD |
Obstetrics & Gynecology |
Associate |
Korff, Kathryn C., DDS |
Dentistry |
Associate |
Narvaez, John Renier F., MD |
Surgery |
House Physician |
Norman, Kelly E., PhD |
Psychiatry & Behavioral Medicine |
APP |
Rossitto, Rachael A., DDS |
Dentistry |
Associate |
Saini, Anjeet K., MD |
Internal Medicine/Geriatrics |
Associate |
Saunders, Aaron, MD |
Pediatrics |
Associate |
Schaus, Benjamin J., DO |
Internal Medicine/Gastroenterology |
Associate |
Speak, Lucas J., FNP |
Internal Medicine |
APP – Vijay Iyer, MD |
Sullivan, Maureen, DDS |
Dentistry |
Associate |
Sulzer, Jana, MD |
Radiology |
Associate |
Telt, Natalie, MD |
Pediatrics/Emergency Medicine |
Associate |
Tojong, Marie Kathrina, CRNA |
Anesthesia |
APP – George Toufexis, MD |
Tong, William Y., MD |
Radiation Oncology |
Associate |
Trojanovic, Giannina, PA |
Emergency Medicine |
APP – Andrew Covey, MD |
Medical Staff Attestation - December 2017
By submitting this attestation, I confirm that as a member of the medical staff I have read and understand the information included in this email from Kaleida Health in accordance with Kaleida Health policy MED.41 as approved by the Medical Executive Committee.
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