Stony Brook and Southampton Hospital Move Forward With Agreement to Develop Regional Healthcare System

Following a unanimous vote by the State University of New York Board of Trustees on Jan. 13, Stony Brook Medicine and Southampton Hospital are moving forward with a proposed affiliation agreement.

The agreement, which will require the approval of various New York State regulatory and legislative authorities, not only formalizes a longstanding agreement between the two hospitals, but also marks the first step in creating a regional healthcare system on Long Island -- something Stony Brook has been preparing for during the last several years.

"This affiliation will help create a healthcare delivery system that will better service the needs of Long Islanders, with access to primary and specialty services on the South Fork through an integrated system that provides a full continuum of care," said L. Reuven Pasternak, MD, CEO, Stony Brook University Hospital, and Vice President for Health Systems, Stony Brook Medicine. "The affiliation will also enhance the quality of healthcare on Long Island; it will integrate healthcare operations, which will foster innovations and improvements in clinical care, education, medical research and community involvement in Suffolk County."

The 125-bed Southampton facility will join Stony Brook's system and provide care under Stony Brook University Hospital's New York State operating license. Stony Brook and Southampton leadership will comply with all collective bargaining agreements with the public unions at Stony Brook University Hospital and the private sector unions at Southampton Hospital. A subsidiary of Southampton Hospital Association will continue to employ the workforce of Southampton Hospital, who will remain under their current labor agreements.

The partnership is a win-win proposition for both hospitals. There is now tremendous potential to build new facilities, create new healthcare job opportunities and expand clinical services on the South Fork. At the same time, it gives Stony Brook room to grow, helps to build a strong Suffolk County-based healthcare system and advances educational and clinical missions.

In the wake of healthcare reform, also key is how healthcare resources are used. A broad, strong network allows the two hospitals to share processes, best practices, operations, new initiatives and risk. The end result should be higher quality, better coordinated care delivered efficiently, cost effectively, appropriately and close to home.

For a list of frequently asked questions about the Stony Brook/Southampton affiliation, visit the Announcements section of the hospital intranet.

Quality and Safety

Congratulations to the Heart Institute's VAD Program Team!

Stony Brook University Heart Institute's Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) program has earned two-year reaccreditation from The Joint Commission after an intensive two-day review that concluded with the surveyor stating that Stony Brook's VAD program is "one of the best destination therapy programs ever seen."

"Accreditation lets patients in need of a VAD know that they are in capable hands when they come to Stony Brook Heart Institute," said Allison J. McLarty, MD, Surgical Co-Director of the VAD program. "The Joint Commission singled out Stony Brook for its care and commitment to patients with advanced cardiac heart failure and for maintaining the highest standards of care."

Hal Skopicki, MD, PhD, Director of the Heart Failure and Cardiomyopathy Center and Medical Director of the VAD Program, said the success of the VAD program is the result of a joint effort by a large network of cardiologists on Long Island, combined with Stony Brook's multidisciplinary treatment team, including gastroenterologists, pulmonologists, nephrologists, infectious disease specialists, psychiatrists and hematology/oncologists. "Together, we marshal our efforts to create excellent outcomes for our patients," he said.

Stony Brook was the first hospital on Long Island to implant a HeartMate II VAD device in 2010 and is the only accredited VAD program on Long Island. To date, 42 patients have received VADs, which are surgically implanted, electrically (battery) powered pumps that helps a failing heart's left ventricle pump adequate amounts of blood to the body.

New Program Evaluates Stony Brook's Graduate Medical Education Program

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) visited Stony Brook Medicine from Jan. 13 to 15 for Stony Brook's first Clinical Learning Environment Review (CLER).

A new accreditation program of the ACGME, the CLER program assesses Stony Brook's graduate medical education learning environment with an emphasis on Stony Brook's ability to ensure the quality and safety of the environment for learning and patient-centered care, as well as the alignment between Stony Brook's GME programs and hospital priorities. The site visit is designed to evaluate trainee, faculty and care provider experience and education around six areas of focus -- patient safety, quality improvement/healthcare disparities, transitions in care, duty hours and fatigue management, supervision and professionalism -- and to suggest potential areas for improvement.

During the visit, a team of three physicians held meetings with the hospital's senior leadership, including graduate medical education leaders, nursing leaders, patient safety and quality officers, residents and fellows, program directors and faculty. They also conducted four sessions of rounds throughout the patient care areas of the hospital to speak with physicians, nurses and other clinicians.

The next CLER visit will take place in approximately 18 to 24 months and will measure Stony Brook's progress related to the recommendations made during this month's visit.

2015 National Patient Safety Goals

The Joint Commission has announced the goals for 2015, covering the areas of:  

• Identifying patients correctly 
• Improving staff communications
• Using medications safely
• Using alarms safely
• Preventing infection
• Identifying patient safety risks
• Preventing mistakes in surgery

Stony Brook's efforts related to improving clinical alarm safety continue. Hospital leaders have determined which alarms are most important based on input from medical staff and clinical departments, and are currently working to have policies and procedures in place, with staff education completed by January 2016.

Visit The Joint Commission website for a complete list of goals.

Joint Commission Survey Readiness Tip: For your health and the health of others, Stony Brook Medicine is a smoke-free campus. This means that smoking is not allowed anywhere on the Stony Brook Medicine campus -- inside or out. Learn more about Stony Brook's smoke-free commitment.

Burn Center Receives January iCare Award

Members of the Burn Center staff, from left, Amy Yaibuathes, RN; Gina Boccio, Certified Nursing Assistant; Mabel Wei, RN; Lou Sandra Baxter, Certified Nursing Assistant; Jamie Borsman, Certified Nursing Assistant; and Lauren Dowd, RN

The January iCare Award was presented to the Suffolk County Volunteer Firefighters Burn Center for its significant improvement in the patient experience as it relates to nurse and physician communication.

The Burn Center improved its scores in patient satisfaction for those areas from 61.5 one year ago to 90.4 on a 100-point scale -- an improvement of 46.9 percent.

The unit attributes its success to a new environment and physical location on the eighth floor of the hospital that has helped to foster teamwork and cooperation. But their success is due to far more than just a change of venue; it is the result of a culture of collaboration and alignment across disciplines.

"When the nurse has a patient assignment, it is not only that one nurse caring for the patient that day, but also our aide, our clerk and our housekeeper. Each and every employee becomes intricately involved with our patients' plans of care and keeps them informed," said Desiree Fedrich, RN, Nurse Manager for the Burn Center and the Surgical Progressive Care Unit. "We are also very fortunate to have one dedicated medical director, Dr. Steven Sandoval, who avails himself to both the unit staff and his patients at all hours of the day and night."

The monthly iCare Award recognizes clinical and nonclinical units for outstanding achievements related to quality, safety and the patient experience.

Service

Celebrate National Wear Red^� Day and Take Care of Your Heart Health

Pull out the red sweater. Put on a red tie. Or if you're bold enough, come dressed head to toe in red! Show your support for the American Heart Association's "Go Red for Women" movement by joining Stony Brook University Heart Institute in a group photo on Friday, Feb. 6, at noon in the Health Sciences Galleria, Level 3. (And look for the photo on Stony Brook Medicine's Facebook page and in Lifelines.)

And be sure to take care of your own heart health. During Heart Month, come to one of our free cholesterol and blood pressure screenings. Our Heart Institute nurses will also be on hand to answer your heart-health questions. Bring a friend, co-worker or family member! Call (631) 444-4000 to register for one of the following screening events:

Friday, Feb. 6, 7 to 9:30 am

Lobby Conference Room 1

Wednesday, Feb. 11, 3:30 to 5:30 pm

Lobby Conference Room 2

Thursday, Feb. 26, 11 am to 1:30 pm

Lobby Conference Room 2

Vote for Safety

Help Stony Brook University win a $200,000 Stanley Security "Together for Safer Schools" grant to boost campus safety.

Vote for Stony Brook every day through Feb. 13 in three ways:

WEB: Go to the Stanley Security website 

TEXT: Send "stonybu" to 334455

TWITTER: Use both #stanleysecurity and #stonybu

Winners will be announced March 3. Remember: Vote Daily, Three Ways!

Stay Safe and Enroll in SB Alert

Be up to date on major emergencies in our area, such as weather emergencies, loss of power or police actions that can impact your health and safety. Register now by signing on to "SOLAR" and select "SB Alert Registration" at the top of the page. Choose whether you want to receive alerts to your cell phone, email address or land line. It's that simple.

Concerned that your cell phone will be inundated with messages? Rest assured that this is not the case. In the last three years, there have been a total of about 36 emergency texts -- about one per month -- including events like severe icing on Nicholls Road and important storm updates.

People

Mary Truhlar, DDS

Dr. Mary Truhlar Named Dean, Stony Brook University School of Dental Medicine

After a thorough national search, Mary Truhlar, DDS, was appointed as the new Dean of Stony Brook University School of Dental Medicine. A faculty member of the School for the past 25 years, Dr. Truhlar most recently served as Interim Dean of the School of Dental Medicine.

Following graduation from Stony Brook University School of Dental Medicine, Dr. Truhlar completed her general practice residency and chief residency at Long Island Jewish Medical Center, before receiving a Master of Science in dentistry from Marquette University and a fellowship certificate in geriatric dentistry from the Milwaukee Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Dr. Truhlar also completed a fellowship in the American Dental Education Association Leadership Institute.

Dr. Truhlar's long-term service to the School of Dental Medicine has included establishing a clinical practice at Stony Brook early in her career that continues today; developing educational programs for students and residents, including courses in geriatric dentistry and treating the medically compromised; serving as Director of the Division of Geriatric Dentistry; then in 2005, being named Chair of the Department of General Dentistry, the School's largest department.

Dr. Truhlar plans to create Centers of Excellence that will incorporate dental research and clinical care models. Examples will be the creation of a Community-Based Center of Excellence, which will include use of the mobile dental clinic to reach underserved communities and school children, and a Regional Imaging Center of Excellence to foster a postdoctoral training program and dental imaging research.

Hospital Welcomes Three Nurse Managers

Catherine O'Brien, BSN, MBA, RN, has been appointed as Nurse Manager for 13 North Neurology and Cerebrovascular Center. O'Brien has more than 20 years of experience in nursing, most recently serving for seven years as the Nurse Manager of a 43-bed medical surgical unit at St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center. In addition, she has experience as the Performance Improvement Coordinator and NDNQI Coordinator at St. Catherine's.

On 16 South, Bryan Fowler, BSN, RN, was appointed as Nurse Manager. Fowler began his nursing career at Stony Brook in 2003 and has been a clinician on 16 South since 2005. During his nine-year leadership tenure, he assisted the team throughout many periods of transition and has served as interim Nurse Manager in early 2013. Fowler is currently enrolled in the Master of Science Program, with a concentration in Nursing Leadership, at Stony Brook University School of Nursing.

Wanda Davila, BSN, RNC-OB, C-EFM, a member of Stony Brook's OB/Gyn Department since 1999, was appointed as Nurse Manager for Antepartum and Mother/Baby. Davila previously served in a variety of positions, including staff nurse, OB educator and her current position as nurse clinician for the Mother/Baby unit. Prior to her tenure at Stony Brook, Davila completed an OR internship program at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia and worked in the Labor and Delivery Department at North Central Bronx Hospital. She is currently enrolled in the Stony Brook School of Nursing's Master of Science program in Nursing Leadership.

Stony Brook Medicine Takes Top Neurologist Honors in
Best of LI Competition

Raphael Davis, MD

For the 10th year, readers of the Long Island Press cast their votes for the Bethpage Best of LI competition. Raphael Davis, MD, was named Long Island's Best Neurologist. Dr. Davis is Professor and Chair, Department of Neurological Surgery, Stony Brook Medicine, and Co-Director, Stony Brook University Neurosciences Institute

Stony Brook University also fared well in the competition, receiving four first-place titles. The University won in the Best College or University on Long Island category; Stony Brook University President Samuel L. Stanley Jr., MD, was named Best College President on Long Island; Stony Brook Athletics won in the Best College Sports Program category; and the Stony Brook Film Festival won in the Best Film Festival category.

There were 50,717 businesses nominated for the Best of Long Island this year and more than one million votes cast. Winners were announced on Jan. 22 in the official Winners Announcement issue distributed at every Bethpage Credit Union branch location and online.

Faculty Profile: Harold A. Fernandez, MD

Harold A. Fernandez, MD

Harold A. Fernandez, MD, joined Stony Brook Medicine in 2012 with the goal of transforming a robust cardiothoracic surgical program into a regional medical center of excellence, incorporating the newest and most innovative cardiac surgical techniques. A Professor of Surgery at Stony Brook University School of Medicine and Co-Director of Stony Brook University Heart Institute, Dr. Fernandez also serves as Deputy Director of the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery.

Dr. Fernandez's life story is uniquely inspiring. He came to the United States at age 13 as an undocumented immigrant from Colombia and within 10 years received his Bachelor of Science degree in molecular biology from Princeton University. He earned his medical degree from Harvard Medical School, followed by a residency in general surgery and a fellowship in cardiothoracic surgery at NYU Medical Center. He joined St. Francis Hospital in Roslyn, NY, in 2001, working closely with Dr. James Taylor for the next 11 years before they both joined Stony Brook in 2012. Read more.

Island Federal Credit Union Begins Its Transition to Stony Brook

This past fall, Island Federal Credit Union entered into a campus-wide corporate sponsorship agreement that involves advertising, philanthropic and retail banking components across the Stony Brook University community. Through this agreement, Island Federal Credit Union will become Stony Brook University's retail banking partner.

As the agreement is implemented in the coming months, Island Federal Credit Union will eventually operate two full-service branches with ATMs located throughout campus. Stony Brook and Island Federal Credit Union are actively working together to ensure that banking services to the Stony Brook community will continue smoothly during this transition period.

What does this mean for employees with banking accounts at Teachers Federal Credit Union (TFCU)? During the transition for a period of time, the two Island Federal Credit Union branches on the Stony Brook University campus will be "shared branches," so TFCU members may conduct regular banking for other credit union accounts, including those at TFCU. Eventually, the two branches will serve Island Federal Credit Union members exclusively.

For specific questions about your TFCU account, contact TFCU directly. To learn more about the transition to Island Federal Credit Union, view a list of frequently asked questions.

Ien Li

Two HS Students With Ties to Stony Brook Medicine Among 40 Intel Finalists

High school students Ien Li and Scott Massa, who conducted summer research projects at Stony Brook University, were named among 40 finalists in the 2015 Intel Science Talent Search.

Li, from Jericho High School, was mentored by Christine DeLorenzo, PhD, Department of Psychiatry and Biomedical Engineering, and Director, Center for Understanding Biology using Imaging Technology (CUBIT). Massa, who attends Commack High School, is a Stony Brook University Hospital volunteer and was mentored by David Talmage, PhD, Professor, Department of Pharmacological Sciences, and Lorna Role, PhD, Professor and Chair, Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, and Co-Director, Stony Brook University Neurosciences Institute.

Scott Massa

Two other students who were named Intel finalists, Charles Gulian, Ossining High School, and Saranesh Prembabu, Dougherty Valley High School, were mentored by Stony Brook University faculty Dr. Michal Simon and Dr. Matthew Dawber, respectively.

Finalists in the 2015 Intel Science Talent Search were selected from a group of 300 semifinalists after Intel received more than 1,800 original entries, the highest number since 1998. They will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., from March 5 to 11, where they will undergo final judging, display their work to the public and meet with notable scientists.

Growth

Vita Ross (second from right) and her family

New Surgical Tool Provides Hope for Patients With Bleeding in the Brain

One afternoon last June, 56-year-old Vita Ross was walking her dog and kept dropping the dog's leash. A short time later, Ross' family noticed that the side of her face began to droop and she was having trouble holding her coffee mug. They rushed her to Stony Brook University Hospital, where neurointerventional radiologist David Fiorella, MD, PhD, who is also a Co-Director of Stony Brook University Neurosciences Institute's Comprehensive Cerebrovascular and Stroke Center, diagnosed Ross with a hemorrhagic stroke. Using a new, minimally invasive approach featuring the Apollo^TM System, Dr. Fiorella and neurosurgeon Frederick Gutman, MD, quickly and successfully removed the blood from Ross' brain.

David Fiorella, MD, PhD

The team at the Cerebrovascular and Stroke Center is part of a pioneering group of neurosurgeons across the country successfully removing hemorrhages from the brain with the Apollo System in a matter of minutes. Timing is critical because as the blood accumulates and compresses the surrounding brain tissue, it can develop quickly into a life-threatening situation.

Ross made improvements every day after her procedure and was able to go home after a short stay in an acute rehabilitation unit. She has since returned to all of her normal activities, and life for her now is no different than before her hemorrhage.

Other patients of Dr. Fiorella's and fellow Stony Brook neurosurgeons Raphael Davis, MD, Frederick Gutman, MD, and David Chesler, MD, PhD, have also shown rapid, continuous improvement after having their brain hemorrhages removed with the Apollo System.

Sustainability

New Features to Stony Brook's Patient Portal

Stony Brook's patient portal, MyStonyBrookMedicine, is a secure, online resource that allows patients to easily view their health information and connect with their doctors.

A patient medications list was recently added to the portal, making it easier to renew prescriptions. Other features coming later this year include a Spanish version of MyStonyBrookMedicine, an online option to pay bills for hospital and ambulatory service visits, the ability to view results from radiology and imaging tests, and a mobile version of the portal. These ongoing improvements provide patients with all the resources needed to use the portal at their convenience.

The portal is available to everyone who is a patient at Stony Brook Medicine -- as an inpatient at the hospital or as an outpatient at many of Stony Brook's community-based healthcare settings. To sign up for the portal, patients simply provide an email address while at the doctor's office or before being discharged from the hospital. A link to the portal will then be emailed for the patient to set up his or her account.

Financial Results Report

Through November 2014, discharges at Stony Brook University Hospital were 16,089, which was 608 discharges above budget. Average length of stay was .01 of a day lower than the prior year at 5.25.

Case mix index was 2.5 percent higher than the prior year at 1.76. Significant increases in case mix index occurred in the medical DRGs for neonates. Total Emergency Department visits increased by 2,398 from the prior year to 43,099. Inpatient surgeries increased by 215 to 3,943 and outpatient decreased by 68 to 5,648. Endoscopy volume was 735 above plan at 6,319.

P/L (profit/loss) was $2.2 million versus budget of $2.5 million. Revenue was $11 million above plan due to $4 million of DSRIP (Delivery System Reform Incentive Plan) revenue as well as both inpatient and outpatient volume being above plan.