April 2008

A Message from Brad Prechtl, President, Crozer-Keystone Health Network …

First, I’d like to thank everyone who attended and presented at our March 20 networking event. It was a great success, attended by 80 physicians and practice managers who had the opportunity to renew, or meet and forge, professional relationships. Our next event will take place in June, as part of our effort to bring together the 300 physicians and practice manages in our network. 

With this issue, I am pleased to introduce “Quality Corner,” a regular feature focusing on current and future initiatives of the CKHN QI department under advisement by the CKHN Quality Management/Improvement Committee. In the past, many of the quality indicators we have tracked have focused on primary care physicians, and there are plans to broaden our focus in the future. We also plan to build quality indicators into our physician employment contracts to be consistent with the expectations of our payers. Already, payers such as Medicare are working toward linking physician reimbursement to quality indicators.

As always, I am available to discuss any issues of concern to you and your staff — or any news you wish to share with your CKHN colleagues.

Sincerely,

Brad Prechtl, CPA, MBA        

In this issue ...

•  Ritu Khurana, M.D., a fellowship-trained  rheumatologist, joins CKHN

•   Lubna Zuberi, M.D., has re-joined HAN Endocrinology Associates

•   CKHS lab and radiology reports interface with Electronic Medical Records (EMR); 16 more practices scheduled for implementation

•   Reminder: CKHS Does Not Participate in “Private Fee for Service” (PFFS) Plans

•   Quality Management/Improvement: The Road Less Traveled Becomes a Super Highway

Ritu Khurana, M.D., a fellowship-trained rheumatologist, joins CKHN ... Dr. Khurana earned her medical degree in India. She completed a residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in rheumatology at Louisiana State University Health Science Center, were she served as chief fellow in the Center of Excellence in Arthritis and Rheumatology. Board certified in internal medicine, rheumatology and ISCD densitometry, Dr. Khurana's research interests include malignancy and atherosclerosis in rheumatic diseases. She is in practice with HAN Rheumatology, located at Crozer-Chester Medical Center. Contact ritu.khurana@crozer.org or 610-619-3778.

Lubna Zuberi, M.D., has re-joined HAN Endocrinology Associates ... After serving for six years as Assistant Professor and Consultant Consultant Endocrinologist at Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan, Dr. Zuberi is in practice at Crozer-Chester Medical Center. She specializes in endocrinology and diabetes in a broad spectrum of patients, including those with osteoporosis, hypo- and hyperthyroidism, and pregnancies complicated by diabetes. Dr. Zuberi is a graduate of Aga Khan University School of Medicine. She completed a residency at Pennsylvania Hospital and a fellowship at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. She is board certified in endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism. Contact: lubna.zuberi@crozer.org or 610-872-8200.

CKHS lab and radiology reports interface with Electronic Medical Records (EMR); 16 more practices scheduled for implementation …  The Centricity® EMR system now interfaces with the Crozer-Keystone Health System (CKHS) lab and radiology report systems, providing CKHN physicians with secure electronic reports for their review. Reports are automatically placed in the “physician work queue,” eliminating the delay and inefficiency of faxed reports. The Centricity® EMR system has been implemented in 11 CKHN practices, with 94 physicians using the system. The following practices are scheduled to be implemented over the next 12 months:

•   Michael Stewart, M.D.

•   Family Care Associates @ Marcus Hook (John Munshower, D.O.)

•   Family Physicians @ Media (Jan Gavis. D.O., Michael Prime, D.O.)

•   Center for Family Health @ Middletown (including Denise Mulvaney, M.D., Lynnanne Kasarda, M.D., Donee’ Thomas-Patterson, M.D., Jessica Baker, D.O., and L. Luke Cellini, M.D.)

•   Jeffrey Darnall, M.D.

•   John Fanning, D.O. and John Traverso, D.O.

•   Folcroft Family Practice (Holly Green, M.D. and Elizabeth Ziegler, M.D.)

•   Milmont Park Family Practice (Robert Hermann, M.D. and Cynthia Sacharok, M.D.)

•   Internal Medicine Associates (Alan Zweben, M.D., Barry Rinker, M.D., Matthew Cohen, M.D., Nancy Horvitz-Rist, M.D., and Pei Anne Kong, M.D.)

•   Vera Howland, M.D., Dorothy Jenkins, M.D., and David Trinkley, M.D. (Crozer and Swarthmore Offices)

•   Dennis Kropp, D.O.

•   Lisa Kenis, D.O.

•   Sports Medicine (Steven Collina, M.D. and David Webner, M.D.)

•   John Colombo, M.D. and Associates (including Namir Kosa, M.D., Patricia Szabo, M.D., and Maria Calderon, M.D.)

•   Crozer Pediatrics and Developmental Pediatrics (Robert Auerbach, M.D., Maria Farias, M.D., Gerald Kolski, M.D., Beth Moughan, M.D., Donna Scott, M.D., and Shyamali Godbole, M.D.)

•   Smedley Wellness Center (Rima Himelstein, M.D.)

Plans are to have all CKHN practices using the EMR within two years. Centricity® EMR enables physicians and staff to document patient visits and securely exchange medical information with other providers.

CKHS Does Not Participate in “Private Fee for Service” (PFFS) Plans … Many payers have extended the deadline for open enrollment. By now, your practice should have received detailed information from CKHS about the new PFFS plans, which are marketed by private insurers as an alternative to Medicare for patients 65 and older. These plans reimburse physicians at an average of 80 percent of Medicare fee schedules; moreover, carriers can change their fee schedules at any time. Please remember that CKHS does not participate in PFFS plans, and remind staff to ask patients about their coverage before scheduling appointments.

CKHN Quality Corner

Quality Management/Improvement…

The Road Less Traveled Becomes a Super Highway

We are pleased to have the opportunity to communicate with physicians regarding initiatives undertaken through the Quality Improvement and Management Department (QI).  Since 1997, when the CKHN QI department was formed, the quest to improve patient care and outcomes by partnering with physicians and their staff has been a driving force to the overall success of the Network. Without exceptional quality, the Network cannot set itself apart from other physician practice groups and networks from which patients can choose. 

Our overall goal has always been to ensure that the level of quality provided to our patients is constantly improving. To demonstrate improvement, we must measure it.  Projects initiated through QI have been relevant to areas focused on by national and regional organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), American Diabetes Association (ADA), and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). 

QI initiatives have included:

•   Influenza immunization measurement and pediatric immunizations in our primary care practices

•   Measurement of various aspects of diabetes and asthma care

•   Cancer screenings, such as mammograms and colorectal screenings

•   Patient education initiatives, including domestic violence and smoking cessation. 

All initiatives have included a strong focus on customer satisfaction and patient feedback.

Work focused in the area of quality improvement has become more compulsory as time has gone on. Through the hard work and commitment of those involved in QI, CKHN has advanced ahead of the curve. Once only thought of as the “parallel universe” of incentive programs for third-party payers, quality improvement has now become the focus of payment for payers such as Medicare’s Physicians Quality Reimbursement Initiative (PQRI), in which current monetary incentives are available and future physician reimbursement will have financial risk linked to quality indicators.  Likewise, other national initiatives will continue to provide direction for care excellence as we focus on issues such as safety, community-acquired infections, and continued implementation of national guidelines -- all now with the support of electronic medical records (EMR).

We encourage your feedback and participation in QI activities. Should you have any questions or comments, please contact Gina Bodycot, R.N., director of Quality Management/Improvement, at 610-497-7419 or gina.bodycot@crozer.org or Mitchell Kaminski, M.D., chairman of the CKHN Quality Management/Improvement Committee, at 610-876-8814 or mitchell.kaminski@crozer.org.

Please update your e-mail address … For timeliest distribution of CKHN Network, we are using an e-newsletter. If you are receiving this newsletter by standard mail and would prefer to receive it electronically, or if your e-mail address changes, please contact: keli.johnson@crozer.org. Your e-mail address will be used solely for CKHN professional communications.