CHRONICLE

A PUBLICATION FOR EMPLOYEES, PHYSICIANS, TRUSTEES AND VOLUNTEERS OF RICHMOND UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER

January 2018

Richmond Quality, LLC, the Accountable Care Organization (ACO) of Richmond University Medical Center, recently announced

that according to The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services 2016 report, it was among statewide leaders for Medicare

savings and ranked highest in quality scores. An accountable care organization is a program that focuses on reducing the cost of

patient care, as well as improving the quality of care, for the Medicare population.

The cost of patients attributed to an ACO is determined by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The quality of

care is determined by annual audits of actual patient records. Those successful in reducing costs while improving quality are

allowed to participate in the "shared savings" that CMS experiences.

In response to this CMS initiative, the Richmond Quality, LLC ACO was created in 2015

with the cooperation of 21 primary care physicians. The year 2016 marks the end of its

second full year of existence. Out of 32 ACOs in the State of New York, five

organizations achieved sufficient savings to qualify for a bonus payment. Another seven

organizations achieved savings, but did not qualify for a bonus payment. In 2016,

Richmond Quality achieved $7,389,470 in benchmark savings (minus expenditures)

and qualified for a shared savings payment of $3,373,744, both ranked 2nd in New

York State, behind Balance ACO, of Manhattan. Richmond Quality's Quality score of 95.9% ranked first among bonus recipients.

In 2015, Richmond Quality was one of only six New York hospitals to receive shared savings payments. That year the ACO's

savings exceeded $3.7 million, with the ACO distributing $1.8 million in shared savings, less operational expenses.

"With the current changing healthcare market, the success of our ACO speaks to the physicians and leadership who continue to be

engaged in delivering high quality, value based care while remaining current on emerging trends," said Dr. Daniel J. Messina,

FACHE, President and CEO. "I must also praise the leadership of the ACO, specifically Richard Salhany, MBA, FACHE, Senior

Vice President and ACO Executive Director, Dr. Pietro Carpenito, Executive Vice President and ACO Medical Director and Sandra

Conrad, RN MSN, Director, ACO Operations, for their dedication to this program and commitment to patient care quality."

For more information on Richmond Quality, LLC, please visit: rumcsi.org/richmondqualityaco

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Coming later in 2018, our latest Immediate/Walk-In Care and Primary Care Center will

be opening at the intersection of Clove Road and Victory Boulevard. Modeled on our

Eltingville and West Brighton centers, this location will offer all the convenience of an

urgent care provider with the familiarity of a primary care physician. In addition to the

walk-in center, the facility is also expected to be the home of several specialist

physicians.

The location is a former Walgreen’s Pharmacy with ample parking and easily

accessible by multiple bus lines. Stay tuned for more details!

Richmond Quality ACO Leads in Quality & Shared Savings Results

Have you heard the word? We're expanding!

President’s Update

Dear Friends,

I hope this message finds you well after

enjoying a happy and healthy holiday

season.

December was certainly an exciting month at

the medical center as we reflected on our

myriad of accomplishments throughout 2017

and celebrated events like our holiday tree

lighting ceremony, Employee Service Awards

and Medical Staff Holiday reception.

Both of those events, one honoring dozens of

employees, the other honoring Dr. Krishne Urs, recognized the life-long

commitment that so many of you have made to our medical center and

the health of the Staten Island community.

I would also like to take the opportunity to thank all of you who were here

at the hospital on the holidays. Unlike most other businesses, our

medical center does not really “take a holiday.”

When doing rounds at the hospital during the holidays, I try to make it a

point to visit as many people as possible. It takes a major effort to keep

our hospital open to the community; whether you are in patient care, food

services, security or any other area that is open 24/7/365, your efforts are

acknowledged and appreciated.

I am honored to have you as colleagues.

We have a lot of exciting developments to look forward to in 2018. We will

open our Comprehensive Cancer Center on South Avenue and open our

latest Immediate/Walk-In Primary and Specialty Care Center at the

intersection of Clove Road and Victory Boulevard. We will see further

progress on the construction of our new Emergency Department with the

development of our cogeneration plant, followed by additional parking and

our FEMA storm resiliency projects including campus-wide drainage and

doors and windows. That will then be followed by construction of the

actual new Emergency Department.

To our exceptional staff and families, please accept my best wishes for a

happy and healthy new year as well and I look forward to continued

success with all of you in 2018.

Remember, the power of one – you make a difference!

Message from the President & CEO

Daniel J. Messina, Ph.D., FACHE, LNHA

Dear Dr. Messina,

I was a patient at RUMC from October 27 to November 2,

2017. I want to share with you my opinion of the professional

support staff who tended to me during my stay. All of the

staff I encountered behaved professionally, courteously, and

attentively. They were pleasant, and patient, and this made

my stay so much better than I could have anticipated. In

particular, I’d like to mention certain individuals who really

made a difference in my well-being:

Emergency Department

Lauren – the triage nurse, whose gently manner allayed my

fears

Melanie – the ED nurse who checked on me during my

day-long stay in the ED, and placed an IV port so well that it

never pinched or bothered me (never experienced by me

previously!) and still functioned perfectly seven days later.

Fourth Floor Telemetry

Registered Nurses Edwin, Julie, Jenn, Tammy, Jill, Jian, and

Joe

Nurses’ Aides Costa, Jackie, Denise, Tiffany, and Kiesha

Nuclear/Stress Test Staff

Cardiac PA Suda, assistants Steve, Claudia, and Dilan

Cardiac Catheterization Nurses Alma and Karen

There are so many others, from food service to

housekeeping, whose names I don’t know or recall, but all

contributed to the nest possible experience one could

expect while in a hospital. It was remarkable to me, and I’m

happy to remark on it in this letter! I pray you appreciate the

overall impression every one of them made on just one

patient, individually and as a team.

You should be proud of each one.

Sincerely,

Christine

Patient Satisfaction

A Note of Thanks

Medical Center News

Trauma Team Focuses on Quality at National Conference in Chicago As the first dually-accredited Level I Adult

Trauma Center and Level II Pediatric Trauma

Center in the City of New York, Richmond

University is a regional leader in the treatment of

serious trauma.

Recently the Trauma Team at Richmond

University Medical Center attended the American

College of Surgeons’ annual Trauma Quality

Improvement Program (TQIP) Conference held in

Chicago, Illinois. The conference was attended

by over 1,800 participants from across the nation

to review the national benchmarking reports and

discuss upcoming changes to the American

College of Surgeons Quality Process measures.

TQIP affords the team the opportunity to not only

compare our data to that of other institutions

nationwide but to network and share information

on best practices with other professionals in the

field.

In addition to networking, the annual conference

offers a wide range of education that allows

members of the team to implement a higher

quality of evidence-based care in the institution to

improve patient outcomes.

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Richmond University Medical Center is among 89 hospitals involved in a national improvement collaborative for children seen in the

emergency department or hospitalized with asthma. Asthma affects nearly 10% of American children and is a leading cause of

pediatric emergency visits and hospitalizations. The program is led by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

“We are participating in this project because we continuously seek ways to elevate the medical care we provide to the children of

Staten Island,” noted Dr. Melissa Grageda, Director of

Pediatric Quality Improvement. “In addition to becoming a

Pediatric Asthma Center of Excellence, as well as working

locally with community partners from the Staten Island Asthma

Coalition, we are excited to work alongside and learn from

pediatric quality improvement leaders nationwide. We are

excited about this project because it gives us the opportunity

to provide children in Staten Island and in our surrounding communities the same high-quality and evidence-based care available at

large, academic children’s hospitals.”

The project will provide tools that will help support health care providers in Staten Island in selecting and providing appropriate

mediations, selecting appropriate tests, and effectively counseling families. This project will also offer Continuing Medical Education

and American Board of Pediatrics Maintenance of Certification credits to physicians who meet the qualifying criteria.

Pediatrics Department Leads as Innovator in Childhood Asthma

Foundation News

Although the holiday season has now passed, it is never too soon to share memories of a special period at our medical center. Among them was the holiday tree lighting ceremonies that we held on Friday, December 8th in the lobby. Members of the medical center were able to purchase commemorative ornaments which were placed on the tree, to honor a loved one or caregiver who has made a difference in their lives. Proceeds of the ornament sale benefitted the medical center’s ongoing VITAL capital campaign. Highlights of the ceremony included a benediction by our own Senior Vice President, Richard Salhany, an ordained Roman Cathol ic Deacon, and the performance of Christmas Carols by Gabriella Tricorico of the OB/GYN Department. The ceremony added an additional touch to the beautiful decorations and lights that adorned our campus.

Holiday Tree Lighting Brightens Spirits Across the Medical Center

Quality & Patient Care

Behavioral Medicine

Substance abuse has touched so many families in our community. That’s why Richmond University Medical Center is proud to

partner with Tackling Youth Substance Abuse (TYSA), a coalition of people and organizations who have come together with a

mission to decrease youth and young adult substance abuse on Staten

Island.

It is a dynamic partnership of both private and non-profit organizations; city

and state government agencies; philanthropists; parents, teachers and

teens, many of who have been working to combat alcohol and drug misuse

for years. Our President & CEO, Dr. Daniel J. Messina (far r.) welcomed

TYSA coalition members to a legislative breakfast held today on our

campus. We were pleased to also welcome, Richmond County District

Attorney Michael E. McMahon (seated r.).

The TYSA coalition focuses all of its members into using their resources to

achieve the same goals. Staten Island doctors, pharmacists, law

enforcement officials, drug treatment providers, hospitals, educators and

youth organizations work together through TYSA to help one another, and the whole community, to combat youth substance misuse.

Learn more about the valuable work performed by TYSA at: sipcw.org/tysa/

Keeping with the tradition of establishing “New Year’s Resolutions,” Derek Feeley, President and CEO of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) recently offered the keynote address focusing on 6 Patient Safety New Year’s Resolutions at IHI’s annual National Forum on Quality Improvement in Health Care, held in Orlando, Florida. Mr. Feeley, who previously served as the former head of Scotland’s national health care system, offered some patient safety items to tackle in 2018, which may be applicable here at Richmond University Medical Center for patient treatment and other areas:

1) Learn from what goes right, as well as what goes wrong.

2) Move from reactive and responsive to proactive and generative.

3) Invest in safety systems for learning, rather than just individual safety projects.

4) Shift away from fear, blame and liability toward humility, trust and transparency.

5) Stop feeling as though you have to keep individuals you serve safe and, instead, begin to co-produce safety with patients and their families.

6) Understand that safety is more than just the avoidance of physical harm, but also the pursuit of dignity and equity.

The last item was of special concern as Mr. Feeley believes that if providers fail to treat patients with dignity and empathy, then they’re doing just as much harm to those they serve, even if it isn’t physical. As 2018 begins, everyone at Richmond University Medical Center should take the time to take stock of what we’re doing and set goals and plan for attainable progress!

Key Patient Safety New Year's Resolutions for 2018

Medical Center Holds Legislative Breakfast on Addiction Issues

Human Resources News

Welcome December 2017 New Hires

Nicholas R. Szymanski,

VP/CIO, IT

Ebenezar M. Pannikadavil, Clinical Lab Technologist

Angela M. Keith,

Respiratory Therapist

Kaydean A. Baugh, Nursing Assistant

Pheona F. Williams,

Nursing Assistant

Bibi S. Harjhoon, Nursing Assistant

Felicia Reynolds, Nursing Assistant

Georgia M. Ferrara,

RN Practitioner

Laurianne Cammarata, EMT

Eric P. Schein,

Sr. PA

Olasumbo O. Awoniyi, ECRIP Research Fellow

Kayla M. Hayes,

Building Service Worker

Anthony Russo, Supervisor, Facilities

Maria S. Santiago-Cossean,

Building Service Worker

Selena R. Nieto Ballestero, Sr. VP, Nursing

Jahmia K. Richards,

Nursing Assistant

Pansy P. Richards, Nursing Assistant

Mbambay Kallon, Nursing Assistant

William M. Hansen, Registered Nurse

Svetlana Sitner,

RN 12 Hrs

Nina T. Dash, Unit Clerks

Kevin C. Lee,

Registered Nurse

Oksana Lesho, RN 12 Hrs

Richmond University Medical Center recently hosted our

2017 Service Awards and Holiday Party at LiGreci’s

Staaten. It was a full house as we recognized over 250 of

our colleagues for tenures of service ranging from 10

years, to the 50 years of service by Lorraine Galasso!.

Congrats to all of this year’s honorees!

Annual Employee Service Awards Honors Our Finest

50 Years Lorraine Galasso

45 Years

Laurie Bates Maryann Donnelly

Virginia Kopetz

40 Years Irene Duffy

George Glover James Larkin

Renee Mathieu

35 Years Marylou Barcia Evelyn Curet Wendy Daniel

John Dicls Judith Donovan Patricia Farag Jean Gordon

Theresa Levine Anthony Micale Lizann Mooney

Pankaj Patel Anthony Schianodicola

30 Years

Eileen Barry Roberta Curry

Eileen Fiore Mark Fraser

Susan Grossman Mary Howley

Miguel Huertas Kurt Johnson Cheryl Kilgore Sarina Libonati Lauen Lucas

Deborah Rodriguez Linda Ruggieri

Patricia Santoro Allyson Seaquist-Chiappi

Ann Silverio Marieta Viscione Lucille Viverito Walter Weeks

Employee Service Awards

25 Years

Denise Amaniera Kim Antonacci

Anthony Barone Yolanda Benito Anthony Billups

Elizabeth Bleistein Kunjannamma Boswell

Susan Brigante Carme Cajigas

Marion Connelly Joanne Couture Donna D’Angelo

Michael Deebs James Donnelly

Juan Easley Debra Fibikar Rosanne Ford

Deborah Fowler Shawn Gallagher Kenneth Gerber Dawn Griswold Janine Guidetti

Janice Hou Troy Jackson

Coleen Jantz Eamon Keenan

Lisa Keenan Kwang Kim

Marie Kimball Marianne Kirwan Kathleen Kline

Sandra Litkenhaus Andrew Lombardi

Debra LoPinto Rolando Magalong Victor Maldonado

Gloria Marshall Regina Massimillo

Daniel Mondelo Theresa Murphy

Christiana Oshidero Julieann Pittari

Cheryl Pitts MaryEllen Porter Marc Treboschi Gloria Vazquez

Theresa Ventrelli Kevin Waring

Sharon Yelverton

20 Years

Michele Auriemma-Scammaca Annabelle Beer Pinkie Boyde Grace Bryson

Kristin Calderaro Juana Cozzo

Editha DeGuzman Kathleen DiMauro Diane Fiammetta

Yvette Garcia Denise Giachetta-Ryan

Lisa Graffeo

Marie Hamid Howard Hoglund Beverly Hoilette Diana Hunton

Ponnamma Jacob Rita Magnuski

Lisa Meringolo Sabrina Murray Charity Nwagwu

Delia Pascua Michelle Rumney

Esperanza Santiago Annette Watkins-Wilson

15 Years

George Abraham Aderonke Adediran

Albert Adeoso Felicia Ahlborn

Patrick Ajayi Diana Anitra

Christine Badillo Christopher Balzano

Cheryl Benjamin Antonia Bessas Jennifer Boylan Marva Brooks

Robert Cannon Nicole Cassiliano

Chris Crowe

Phyllis Deebs-Minunni Claudia Debrosse

Charles Dispinziere Susan Driscoll

Essam Eskander Luis Feliciano

Steven Ferguson Nalini Galpotthawela

Kesha Gillam Richard Handog Charlotte Kaplan

Lynn Keiser Helen Kim

Susanna Levatino Robbin Locke

Stephanie Luna Ricardo Maldonado

Shila Mathai Theresa McShane Sudha Omprakash

Emelia Owusu-Sekyere Anthony Parone Jessica Peretz Rebecca Railey Alfonso Ramos Serge Rikhter

Bianca Rodriguez Michael Rodriguez

Aurora Rrustja Michele Rubin

Shirley Santhosh

Rosemarie Scalcione Ann Scerbo

Liza Schatzman Debra Sicurella

Liza Simanovskaya Audrey Smith

Frank Sokolovic Leslie Sormillon-Potenciano

Francis Tansey Margarita Tarkhanova

Kate Valenti Barbara Venafro Margaret Venditti Roseann Vitale

Marie Winsborrow Thuraya Zammit

10 Years Dennis Abalos

Yemisi Ademeso Elvie Amolo

Stephanie Basile Steven Basile Donna Boster Laurie Bungay

Anthony Bu’Shell Garard Cadorette

Theresa Cairo Luis Campoverde

Eileen Carroll Stephen Clavel Boswell Daniel

Jill Dawson Kerima Delgado

Louis DiBella Dawn Dintelmann

Laureen Ditoro Gladys Donnelly Valentina Elperin Devin Enderes Gina Ferrara Michael Fiore

Khalida Firdous Tori Flaherty Alva Glasgow Ann Gonzalez Kristina Gotyer

Bruce Harty Natasha Holder

Joel Idowu Paul Ingenito Nidal Isber

Justine Jackson Jesse Jobin

Deborah Jones Suma Joseph Yaron Kalev

Loretta Keddy Sheeba Keenalil Diana Kotlewski Diane Kramer

Gail Kunath-Tiburzi Heesoon Lee

Dominique Lewis Owen Lewis

Stephen Licata Michael Matthews

Ana Mendez Jason Mendiola Roseann Mulieri

Kalai Murthy Blessing Nweke

Gina Parisi Kristine Penza

Lochana Perera Mark Rabino

Bonnie Rivera Gloria Roldan Kristin Salhany Melva Sanchez

Ricardo Santiago Abdoulaye Sembene

Yuriy Shishikin Theodore Sotirakis

Janine Teitler Lijo Thomas

Jummai Tukur Nataliya Vedeneeva

Christine Vega Tracy Walters

Gary Zimmerman

January 2018

While the Chronicle is issued once a month, you can find out about

the latest happenings at Richmond University Medical Center, in

real-time via our Social Media pages. Richmond University maintains

an active presence on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Twitter.

Links to each of our social media pages are available on the

Richmond University Medical Center webpage, which is located at:

rumcsi.org.

The Public Relations and Marketing Team welcomes your photos and

news tips from around our community. Please send any newsworthy

materials to William J. Smith at wsmith@rumcsi.org or Lorraine

Scanni at: lscanni@rumcsi.org. Thank you!

Are you following

us on social media?

Here's to the winners! On December 1st,

Richmond University once again received a

Staten Island Chamber of Commerce Building

Award for Excellence in Exterior, Excellence in

Interior and Excellence in Interior Decorating for

our Primary/Immediate Care/Walk-In facility

located at 4360 Hylan Boulevard in Eltingville. The

award was presented during a luncheon at the

Hilton Garden Inn emceed by Eric Eremita of

HGTV’s popular program “Love It or List It.”

The site has a long history in the Eltingville area

starting out as a Martin’s Paint Store and most

recently, hosting a popular CVS Pharmacy

location. The building was entirely renovated

down to the beams and walls being transformed

into a state of the art medical pavilion.

Congratulations to the team behind the win,

pictured, from left: Karen Sanicola, Sr. Physician

Practice Manager, Senior Vice President Richard

Salhany, MBA, FACHE and Paula Caputo, MPA,

AVP, Ambulatory Care Services.

Additional congratulations to the architect behind

the design for the facility, Mark D. Lipton.

Our Primary/Immediate Care/Walk-In Center at 4360 Hylan Boulevard (corner of Richmond Avenue), is a hybrid model of care

combining the convenience of being a “walk-in” like urgent care facilities, and also offering the familiarity of primary care doctors.

The building also houses the practice of Dr. Inna Tubman, specializing in OB/GYN services.

This is the 2nd consecutive year that the medical center has received such honors. In 2016, the new, state-of-the-art Walk-In/Primary

Care facility at 1058 Forest Avenue was recognized in 4 categories: Excellence in Exterior, Interior, Interior Decorating and Outdoor

Space. The project renovated a crumbling 1960s-era building into a modern medical facility.

Eltingville Site Recognized for Excellence in Design