Organizational News

PAMF to Serve as Official Health Provider of 2012 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships

January 20, 2012

Palo Alto, CA – January, 20, 2012 – The Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF) has been named Official Health Provider of the 2012 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships at HP Pavilion in San Jose, January 22 – 29. Throughout the week-long event, Dr. Richard Gayle, a PAMF orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine physician, will serve as the medical director for this sporting event coordinating the medical staff, comprised of almost 20 PAMF sports medicine, orthopedics and other PAMF medical staff volunteering their time and medical expertise.

The U.S. Figure Skating Championships, held annually since 1914, is the nation’s most prestigious figure skating event.  Over the course of one week, the Championships will crown 12 national champions in ladies’, men’s, pairs and ice dancing on the senior, junior and novice levels. Over 250 ice skaters from around the country will participate in the event.

Richard Gayle, M.D.

Dr. Gayle’s previous competitive sports team medical support includes the San Jose Sharks’ 1998-99 season, where he served as an assistant team physician and has had prior experience with figure skating competition medical coverage. Dr. Gayle also serves as an assistant team physician for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League (NFL) during training camp and has previously served as team physician for the U.S. National Rugby team.

“The U.S. Figure Skating Championships is a very large sporting event with more than 200 athletes practicing and competing over an eight-day period,” said Dr. Gayle. “My PAMF colleagues and I are excited to assist in providing exceptional medical coverage to a premiere national sporting event such as this.”

About the Palo Alto Medical Foundation

The Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF) for Health Care, Research and Education is a not-for-profit health care organization that is a pioneer in the multispecialty group practice of medicine. Founded in 1930, PAMF is part of the Sutter Health Network of Care, one of the nation’s leading not-for-profit networks of community-based health care providers. PAMF’s 1,000 affiliated physicians and 4,900 employees serve nearly 730,000 patients at its medical centers and clinics in Alameda, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties. For more information, follow PAMF on Twitter, join us on Facebook or visit pamf.org

About U.S. Figure Skating

U.S. Figure  Skating is the national governing body for the sport of figure skating in the United States as recognized by the United States Olympic Committee and the International Skating Union. U.S. Figure Skating is comprised of more than 680 member clubs, collegiate clubs, and school-affiliated clubs and more than 1,000 registered Basic Skills skating schools representing approximately 180,000 members. U.S. Figure Skating is charged with the development of the sport on all levels within the United States  including athletes, officials, sanctioning of events and exhibitions, and establishing the rules and guidelines by which the sport is governed.

About HP Pavilion at San Jose 

HP Pavilion at San Jose hosts nearly 100 sporting events annually including more than 40 San Jose Sharks regular season home games and SAP Open men’s professional tennis.. The building hosts approximately 170 events every year — including Olympic athletes, Grammy award-winners and a variety of family and children’s favorites that account for more than 200 event days. Pollstar, the leading concert industry trade magazine, nominated HP Pavilion at San Jose as “Arena of the Year” for 2005 and 2007. In 2007, Pollstar also recognized HP Pavilion at San Jose based on non-sports attendance as fourth in North America, top 10 in the world.

During the 2012 U.S. Prudential Figure Skating Championships in San Jose, media and the public can join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #SJ2012.

Contacts:
Cynthia Greaves
Public Affairs
Palo Alto Medical Foundation
650-444-3019
greavec@pamf.org

Jim Sparaco
Public Relations
Sharks Sports & Entertainment
408-999-5792
jsparaco@sharkssports.net

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Last I-Beam is Placed at Sunnyvale Center

January 12, 2012

The ceremonial placement of the last I-beam at the new Sunnyvale medical center

On Thursday, December 15, 2011, the Palo Alto Medical Foundation marked an important milestone with the “topping out” of the Sunnyvale Center, currently under construction on Old San Francisco Road in Sunnyvale, California.  A tradition in the construction industry, this event celebrates the completion of steel-frame construction of the new medical center. The ceremonial placement of the very last I-beam was also an opportunity to thank and honor the construction crew for their hours of hard labor.

To date, the DPR Inc. construction team and subcontractors have:

  • Put in 100,000 man hours 
  • Hauled out 100,000 cubic yards of dirt
  • Poured in 10,000 cubic yards of concrete
  • Smoothed out 200,000 square feet of finished concrete
  • Lifted and attached 750 tons of steel beams

In this “topping out” tradition, which came to the United States with European craftsmen, a fir tree and flag are attached to the last I-beam, which is then fastened into place. Workmen and event attendees had the chance to sign the I-beam before it was hoisted into place.

The event was attended by construction crew and DPR management, the project’s architecture team Hawley Peterson and Snyder, Palo Alto Medical Foundation executives, staff and doctors who will care for patients in the new medical center, and donors whose contributions are helping to fund the project.

The community can also watch the building take shape on live webcam and view a time lapse of the project online at the PAMF website.  

Construction of the new Sunnyvale medical center is on time and slated for completion by Fall 2013.

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PAMF Launches Unique, On-Site Employee Wellness Program at Marvell

January 11, 2012

The Palo Alto Medical Foundation, which is part of the Sutter Health  network of care, and Marvell Technology Group, an international semi-conductor company, have launched a unique on-site wellness program at Marvell’s  Santa Clara, California location to help make it easier for employees at the company to take care of their health at work.   

“At Marvell, it’s a priority to help our employees achieve the best possible work/life balance,” says Alycia Osborne, senior benefits analyst at Marvell. “We know that healthy employees are happier and more productive at work.”

PAMF’s employer services team has been providing regular monthly lunchtime lectures to Marvell’s staff and has participated in the company’s health fairs as a vendor for the past three years. Developing a more structured wellness program – tailored to employees’ unique health needs – was the next, and most recent, step. To further develop this wellness program, PAMF collaborated with Sutter Health, which has established on-site wellness programs at employer sites throughout the Bay Area and Northern California.

Dr. Ronesh Sinha, medical director for PAMF’s Employer Services Program

“When we surveyed Marvell’s staff about their health history and habits, we found out that more than half the employees did not have a primary care doctor,” says Ronesh Sinha, M.D., medical director for PAMF’s Employer Services Program. “Many of the employees also have East or South Asian ethnicity, with a higher risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease. This was an excellent opportunity to help employees see the value of an ongoing relationship with a primary care doctor and provide them with the benefit of our expertise in caring for an ethnically and culturally diverse group of patients.”

12-Week Wellness Evaluation Pilot Program

In September 2011, PAMF and Sutter Health collaborated to launch a 12-week Wellness Evaluation Pilot Program for Marvell. The program comprised three key components, all held on Marvell’s campus, making it easy for employees to participate at work:

  • Biometric screening: Nurses from an outside company visited Marvell and screened participating employees’ weight, body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol.
  • PAMF’s online personal Health Risk Assessment (HRA): Employees recorded their biometric screening results, completed the HRA and printed a copy to take to their wellness evaluation for review.
  • 40-minute appointment with a PAMF primary care doctor: Doctors reviewed each employee’s personal HRA, discussed the employee’s health goals, formulated a wellness plan and provided resources for long-term follow-up care.

“The one-on-one, in-depth consultation with one of our primary care physicians was a very special feature of the program,” says Dr. Sinha. “This provided an excellent opportunity and generous amount of time for employees to discuss their health concerns and questions and realize the value of establishing a relationship with a good primary care doctor.” Eleven doctors from PAMF were available for the individual consultations.

Approximately 200 employees participated in the pilot program, and in a post-pilot survey more than 85 percent said they would like to participate in a similar program if it was offered again. “The whole program was good and I got some new ideas on how to improve my health,” says one satisfied employee.

PAMF and Sutter Health’s work with Marvell is just one example of the way these organizations  support the health and wellness of local employers throughout the Bay Area. Learn more about PAMF’s Employer Services Program.

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PAMF Vascular Surgeon Returns from Volunteer Service at U.S. Military Hospital

December 5, 2011

Tej M. Singh, M.D., chief of Vascular Surgery for the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, recently returned from two weeks at the U.S. Army’s Landstuhl Regional Medical Center (LRMC) in Germany, where he performed life- and limb-saving surgeries for U.S. soldiers wounded while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan in November 2011. America’s largest hospital outside its borders, LRMC is a state-of-the-art Level I Trauma Center that provides medical care for coalition forces from 48 countries.

In this video, Dr. Singh talks about his experiences and how it has affected his perspective on his medical practice at home.


Dr. Singh was the first surgeon from Northern California to volunteer his time and expertise in vascular care and surgery. Dr. Singh was selected by the Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) to be the lead volunteer vascular surgeon, providing emergency vascular and endovascular care for wounded military personnel. He performed rounds and surgeries for traumatic injuries from explosives, requiring reconstruction surgery or amputation. Dr. Singh also did “best practices” trainings for the medical staff.

“This was a very special opportunity for me,” said Dr. Singh. “Caring for our soldiers was so special. To see first hand how our largest international military hospital functions and cares for our soldiers was so impressive. The dedication, gratitude and teamwork concept is second to none. I think they taught me more about myself as a doctor than I taught at LRMC. The whole experience from immediate injury to transport to definitive care and return back to the United States is streamlined and provides the best care for our military. We should be very proud of our dedicated military doctors and staff.”

This is the fifth year that the Society for Vascular Surgery® (SVS) has orchestrated continuous two-week rotations of volunteer vascular surgeons at the LRMC.

The Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine and civilian medical staff at LRMC has treated more than 64,000 wounded soldiers since 2001. Most patients remain at LRMC for three to five days before being transported to other military medical facilities. The survival rate at LRMC is 99.5 percent.

The Army has only 24 active duty vascular surgeons. These medical officers are stationed at combat hospitals and stateside US military facilities. LRMC does not have permanently assigned military vascular or cardiothoracic surgeons although there is often a need for these specialties. The unique military / civilian medical collaboration is a “win-win” for the surgeons and their patients.

About the Society for Vascular Surgery®

The Society for Vascular Surgery® (SVS) is a not-for-profit professional medical society, composed primarily of vascular surgeons, that seeks to advance excellence and innovation in vascular health through education, advocacy, research, and public awareness. SVS is the United States advocate for 3,550 specialty-trained vascular surgeons and other medical professionals who are dedicated to the prevention and cure of vascular disease.

About the Palo Alto Medical Foundation and Sutter Health

The Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF) for Health Care, Research and Education is a not-for-profit health care organization that is a pioneer in the multispecialty group practice of medicine. Founded in 1930, PAMF is part of the Peninsula Coastal Region of Sutter Health, one of the nation’s leading not-for-profit networks of community-based health care providers. PAMF’s 1,000 affiliated physicians and 4,900 employees serve nearly 730,000 patients at its medical centers and clinics in Alameda, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties. For more information, follow PAMF on Twitter, join us on Facebook or visit pamf.org

Media Contact:
Cynthia Greaves
Palo Alto Medical Foundation
greavec@pamf.org
650-934-8614

Sue Crosson-Knutson
Society for Vascular Surgery
scknutson@vascularsociety.org
312-334-2311

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Palo Alto Medical Foundation, Sutter Health Contribute $50,000 to Local Food Banks

November 14, 2011

PAMF Employee Nancy Hidaka delivers food donated by PAMF staff for local children and families in need.

To help local families in need of food this holiday season, the Palo Alto Medical Foundation and Sutter Health have made a $50,000 donation to Second Harvest food banks in the South Bay Area: $33,500 to Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties, and $16,500 to Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Cruz County.

The funds are a portion of a quarter-million-dollar donation by the Sutter Health network to 29 food banks throughout Northern California, which will help provide more than a million healthy meals to families in need.   

According to food banks representatives, monetary donations help maximize the amount of food available for the hungry – in many instances, a $1 donation can translate to over $5 worth of distributed food.

“Many of our patients and neighbors are still struggling to afford healthy, regular meals,” says Pat Fry, president and CEO of Sutter Health. “We recognize that health care extends beyond the walls of our care centers. Wellness begins in our communities with a healthy meal on the kitchen table. We hope that by supporting our local food banks we can provide some comfort this holiday season.”

On average, every dollar donated translates to 4.5 meals provided by regional food banks. This year’s donation – made on behalf of our network’s 48,000 employees, physicians, staff and volunteers – will help provide more than 1 million meals.

The Sutter Health network of care has donated $762,500 over the past three years to food banks in local communities.

View a complete list of food banks which received donations from Sutter Health. 

In addition to the fall donation, employees at PAMF recently organized a Second Annual Summer Food Drive, to ensure that several local children wouldn’t go hungry over the summer. This year’s food drive ran from June 1 to 30, and employees, doctors and patients contributed a total of 1,530 pounds of food (worth almost $2,300) to help feed local low-income kids and their families.

Would you like to help? Volunteer, donate online or drop off food donations at your local East Bay or South Bay food bank:

 

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PAMF Physicians to Speak at 2011 ASCO HIT/EHR Symposium

November 3, 2011

ASCO Symposium Helps Practices Leverage Health IT, Understand EHR Policy Changes

Palo Alto, CA – To help community oncology practices and large institutions navigate recent health care policy changes and leverage health information technology (HIT) to improve the quality of care, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) will hold the 2011 HIT/EHR Symposium in Atlanta on Nov. 4-5, 2011.

“This symposium has sessions for those beginning their electronic health record (EHR) transition or for those more familiar with the technology,” said Peter Paul Yu, M.D., chair of the 2011 ASCO HIT/EHR Symposium Program Committee and director of cancer care at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF). “The topics covered represent a natural progression from previous ASCO symposiums and center on the broad concept of information management. This symposium has content for those preparing for EHR implementation, as well as for those more advanced early adopters of HIT.”

The Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF) is recognized as one of the earliest innovators of health information technology in the country, and the ASCO Symposium will include three PAMF physicians as symposium speakers – Doctors Albert Chan, Paul Tang and Peter Yu.

The Palo Alto Medical Foundation implemented Epic’s electronic health record (EHR) system in 1999 and co-developed and launched one of the nation’s earliest personal health records, PAMFOnline (now known as My Health Online) with Epic Systems Corporation in 2001. Currently, 70 percent of PAMF’s adult patients use My Health Online to manage their health records online, view test results, message their doctor’s office, request prescription renewals and appointments, and more. For added patient convenience, My Health Online is also available on mobile devices via the MyChart app on both Android and Apple devices.

PAMF physicians speaking at the 2011 ASCO HIT/EHR Symposium are:

Paul Tang, M.D.

 Welcome Session: Meaningful Use – Present and Future
Paul Tang, M.D., Vice President, Chief Innovation and Technology Officer, Palo Alto Medical Foundation

Albert Chan, M.D.

 Symposium Session: Improving the Usability of EHR
Albert Chan, M.D., Chief Medical Information Officer, Medical Director of My Health Online, Palo Alto Medical Foundation

Peter Paul Yu, M.D.

 Symposium Session: Rapid Learning Health Systems
Peter Paul Yu, M.D., Director of Cancer Research, Palo Alto Medical Foundation

View the full 2011 ASCO HIT/EHR Symposium Program Agenda.

About the Palo Alto Medical Foundation

The Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF) for Health Care, Research and Education is a not-for-profit health care organization that is a pioneer in the multispecialty group practice of medicine. Founded in 1930, PAMF is part of the Peninsula Coastal Region of Sutter Health, one of the nation’s leading not-for-profit networks of community-based health care providers. PAMF’s 1,000 affiliated physicians and 4,900 employees serve nearly 730,000 patients at its medical centers and clinics in Alameda, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties. For more information on PAMF, visit pamf.org,
follow PAMF on Twitter, and join us on Facebook.

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PAMF Adds New Medical Specialties in Dublin

November 2, 2011

Primary Care Expands to Meet Growing Need in East Bay

As more people in the San Francisco Bay Area have made Dublin their home, demand for medical care has steadily increased in the area. To accommodate this increased need, the Palo Alto Medical Foundation’s Dublin Center, located at 4050 Dublin Boulevard, is growing and expanding its services.

“Our patient base has grown from 6,000 in 2007 to 27,000 patients today,” said Katie Borgstrom, vice president of operations for Palo Alto Medical Foundation’s (PAMF) Alameda Region. “The current expansion of our Dublin Center will both fill existing need and help us grow to accommodate future demand.”

New medical services available at the Dublin Center:

Several of the current departments are expanding and moving to the third floor of the Dublin Center, including:

“We are excited to offer several new specialty services for children, including pediatric dermatology, endocrinology, ophthalmology and orthopedic care,” Borgstrom said.

Comprehensive health care services at the Dublin Center encompass primary care (pediatrics, family medicine, internal medicine) and a variety of specialties including dermatology, OB/Gyn, nutrition, physical medicine and laboratory and radiology services.

The PAMF Dublin Center features the latest advances in health care, including electronic health records, fully digital imaging services, same-day and next-day appointments with your primary care physician, and PAMF’s unique team-based model of patient care.

PAMF’s more than 1,000 affiliated physicians and 4,900 employees serve nearly 730,000 patients at its medical centers and clinics in Alameda, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties.

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PAMF one of Five Sutter-Affiliated Physician Organizations Named Top Performer Statewide

September 23, 2011

Palo Alto Medical Foundation Honored by Integrated Healthcare Association

Five physician organizations within the Sutter Medical Network were honored this week by the Integrated Healthcare Association (IHA), a prominent industry leadership group that promotes and recognizes quality improvement and affordability in health care statewide.

The five Sutter affiliates receiving quality awards through IHA’s Pay for Performance (P4P) recognition program are:

San Francisco Bay Area

  • Top Performer – Palo Alto Medical Foundation – Palo Alto Foundation Medical Group, serving Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Mateo and Alameda counties
  • Most Improved and Top Performer – Palo Alto Medical Foundation – Mills-Peninsula Division/Mills-Peninsula Medical Group, serving San MateoCounty. Mills-Peninsula Division/Mills-Peninsula Medical Group is one of only three medical groups ranking as both Most Improved and a Top Performer statewide.

Sacramento/Solano Region

  • Most Improved and Top Performer – Solano Regional Medical Group (now part of Sutter Medical Group), serving Solano County’s Fairfield, Rio Vista,Vacaville andVallejo communities, affiliated with the Sutter Medical Foundation. Now called Sutter Medical Group, Solano is one of only three medical groups ranking as both Most Improved and a Top Performer statewide.
  • Top Performer – Sutter Medical Group, serving Sacramento, El Dorado, Placer and Nevada counties, affiliated with the Sutter Medical Foundation
  • Top Performer – Sutter West Medical Group (now part of Sutter Medical Group), serving Yolo and Solano counties, affiliated with the Sutter Medical Foundation

“It is an honor to once again be recognized by IHA as one of the top performing medical groups in California,  said Laurel Trujillo, M.D., PAMF Medical Director of Quality.  “PAMF has been recognized every year since the P4P program’s inception in 2003.  In 2010, we expanded our patient reminder and outreach processes to make sure that every PAMF patient gets the optimal preventive and chronic disease care that is PAMF’s trademark.”

 “As the health care industry undergoes tremendous change, the organizations within the Sutter Medical Network dedicate themselves to meeting the health care needs of each patient – delivering care when, where and how patients want to receive it,” said Jeff Burnich, M.D., senior vice president and executive officer for the Sutter Medical Network. “IHA’s P4P awards reaffirm our commitment to consistently raising the bar on clinical quality, service and affordability.”

HOW IT WORKS

Each year, IHA determines the top physician groups that have demonstrated best overall performance for each pay for performance measure including preventive care and chronic care management, patient satisfaction, and use of information technology to support safer, more effective care. Top performing physician organizations in 2010 were identified by an overall composite score, based on their P4P domain scores, and compared against a comprehensive threshold calculated from the top 25 percent scores statewide for each P4P quality measure. 

Most Improved winners are determined by calculating the relative improvement for each physician group on the overall performance composite score for this year compared to the overall performance composite score for last year. In order to be eligible, a group must have improved performance in both clinical quality, IT-enabled systemness, coordinated diabetes care, and patient experience domains. The physician group in each of the eight P4P regions that has the highest improvement score for overall performance is recognized as the most improved group in that region.

According to IHA, approximately 35,000 physicians in over 200 physician organizations across the state participate inCalifornia’s P4P program.

MEASURING QUALITY

 About the Palo Alto Medical Foundation and Sutter Health

 The Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF) for Health Care, Research and Education is a not-for-profit health care organization that is a pioneer in the multispecialty group practice of medicine. Founded in 1930, PAMF is part of the Peninsula Coastal Region of Sutter Health, one of the nation’s leading not-for-profit networks of community-based health care providers. Sutter Health’s Peninsula Coastal Region also includes Mills-Peninsula Health Services. PAMF’s 1,000 affiliated physicians and 4,900 employees serve nearly 730,000 patients at its medical centers and clinics in Alameda, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties. For more information, follow PAMF on Twitter, join us on Facebook or visit pamf.org

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PAMF Joins Leading Health Care Groups in Pledge to Empower Patients with Secure Access to their Health Information

September 14, 2011

Paul Tang, M.D., vice president and chief innovation officer, Palo Alto Medical Foundation

The Palo Alto Medical Foundation is recognized as one of the earliest innovators of health information technology in the country.

On Monday, the Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF) joined leading consumer and health care provider groups in Washington, D.C., in a pledge of commitment to help consumers understand the potential benefits of health information technology (health IT), and to empower consumers by making it easier for them to get secure access to their health information and engage more fully in their health.

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) and the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) hosted the first-ever Consumer Health IT Summit in Washington, D.C. on September 12, 2011. At the Summit, consumers, providers, and the public and private sectors came together to discuss how best to empower consumers to be partners in their health and care through health IT.

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Sutter Maternity & Surgery Center Recognized by Joint Commission as Top Performing Hospital in Surgical Care in 2010

September 14, 2011

The Sutter Maternity & Surgery Center, part of the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, has been recognized by The Joint Commission as one of the Top Performers on Key Quality Measures. This new recognition program was formally announced on September 14, 2011, when The Joint Commission published its “Improving America’s Hospitals” annual report.

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