Health News

Internal Medicine Associates of Auburn earns top rating

Internal Medicine Associates of Auburn, located at 77 Nelson St., has placed in the top tier for excellence out of primary care groups in the Upstate New York market in 2022.

Through participation with the UnitedHealthcare MA-PCPI and MCAIP (Medicare Advantage Primary Care Physician Incentive) performance programs, the practice is focused on patient and provider collaboration, patient engagement, preventive medicine, early disease management and chronic disease management.

The practice achieved a near perfect performance score of 4.64 out of a possible five-star rating in 2022, based on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services five-star qual ity rating system.

“We are honored to earn this outstanding recognition for the 2022 performance year,” practice officials stated in a press release. “The achievement is a direct result of a determined and systematic approach toward managing our patient population. The process is an ‘all in’ team commitment at the practice level, as well as thoughtful collaboration with our patients. Additionally, we value shared communication within our medical community as we all strive to improve the health of our mutual patients.”

Serving the Auburn community since 1975, Internal Medicine Associates of Auburn includes four medical doctors board certified in internal medicine, five nurse practitioners certified in adult or family medicine and thirty-six support staff.

The practice serves over 12,000 patients from Auburn and the surrounding areas.

Lifetime Benefit Solutions recognized as ‘Best in Class’

For the third year in a row, Life time Benefit Solutions (LBS) has been inducted into the Circle of Excellence by WEX, the global commerce platform. a full suite of ancillary benefits and specialty programs to help round out employer’s traditional benefits. Each is built with scalability and flexibility in mind, providing added security to help both businesses and employees grow.

“The achievements and accomplishments of our Circle of Excellence members inspire us all to reach higher and do more,” says Robert Deshaies, chief operating officer of the Americas, WEX. “These organizations repeatedly rise to challenges and serve as catalysts for innovation. We are honored and humbled to celebrate their successes.”

To learn more about LBS, visit www.LifetimeBenefitSolutions.com.

New chief people officer hired at Loretto

Nancy Williams has been hired management from Walden University, a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from Syracuse University’s College of Nursing, and a Bachelor of Science degree from SUNY Brockport.

Nancy is an Auburn native and resides in Tully with her husband and family.

Neurosurgeon returns to Crouse Medical Practice

Board-certified and fellow vascular neurosurgery at the State University of New York at Buffalo.

After completing his fellowship training, Eller joined the faculty at Thomas Jefferson University department of neurosurgery, where he has served for several years as a clinical assistant professor and cerebrovascular and endovascular neurosurgeon at the AtlantiCare Neurosciences Institute, a member of the Jefferson Neurosciences Network. In this capacity, Eller has helped develop several neurosurgical service lines at AtlantiCare, including a comprehensive stroke center, multidisciplinary neuro-oncological and skull base surgery as well as providing general neurosurgical trauma care in support of the institution’s trauma center. Eller also earned a master’s in business administration from Widener University in Pennsylvania.

Trish Mooney

Syracuse-based LBS, with offices in Rochester and Buffalo, is an industry leader in designing, developing, and deploying reimbursement accounts, COBRA, retirement accounts and other employee wellness-related plans that promote employee health while safeguarding a company’s financial health.

“This honor places LBS among the top echelon of third-party administrators,” says LBS President Trish Mooney. “We are so proud of our team!”

Lifetime Benefit Solutions offers as the new chief people officer at Loretto. Williams was previously the director of patient experi ence and logistics for Crouse Hospital, and is a long-term Loretto board member. In her new role at Loretto, she will be responsible for the newly restructured human resources, shared services and talent management teams. ship-trained cerebrovascular and endovascular neurosurgeon Jorge Eller, who previously served as a member of the team at Crouse Medical Practice Neurosurgery, has recently returned to the practice.

“Dr. Eller is highly regarded, and we’re proud to offer his experience, education and advanced training to our patients once again,” said President and CEO Seth Kronenberg, MD.

St. Camillus recognized as 5-star rated facility

Nancy Williams

“Nancy brings a wealth of indepth experience to this position, including several advanced leadership positions at Crouse spearheading experience programs, managing diverse teams, leading strategic planning initiatives and driving significant process improvement projects to improve system throughput and quality care,” said Kimberly Townsend, president and CEO at Loretto.

Williams has an extensive clinical background and managed several large clinical teams during her tenure, including expertise in complaint and formal grievance management. She joined Crouse Hospital in 2000 as an registered nurse on the intensive care unit and graduated from management of the cardiac care center into her broader roles in patient experience and people leadership.

In addition to serving as a trustee for the Loretto Management Corporation board for more than five years, she is active in many community and human service organizations, including the Schwartz Center for Compassionate Healthcare, the Association for Patient Experience, the Beryl Institute, the American Nurses Association, and Administrators of Volunteer Services (AVS). She also served as a board member for Sarah’s Guest House for six years and remains an active supporter of the organization, and served as a member on several St. John Fisher College dissertation committees.

Williams holds a Doctor of Education degree in executive leadership from St. John Fisher College, a Master of Science in nursing, leadership and

Eller returns to Crouse from Eisenhower Neuroscience Institute in California. He is board-certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery since 2008 and is a member of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. “I’m pleased to have returned to Central New York to practice at Crouse, which has been deeply committed for many years to the delivery of advanced neurosurgical techniques in the area’s most state-of the-art facility,” said Eller.

He specializes in the treatment of brain, spinal and peripheral nerve pathologies in general, such as brain and spinal tumors; pituitary tumors; cervical or lumbar disc herniations; cervical or lumbar spinal stenosis; and carpal tunnel or ulnar nerve entrapment. In addition, he uses advanced microsurgical and minimally invasive endovascular treatment of cerebrovascular pathologies, such as intracranial aneurysms; arteriovenous malformations and fistulas; carotid stenosis or dissections; intracranial vascular stenosis and strokes, as well as chronic subdural hematomas, facial pain and trigeminal neuralgia.

After earning his medical degree from the Federal University of Espirito Santo Medical School in his native Brazil, Eller completed an internship in general surgery and residency in neurological surgery at SUNY Upstate Medical University. After his residency, he completed a fellowship in stereotactic and functional neurosurgery at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, Oregon, where he subsequently served as an assistant professor of neurological surgery and chief of neurosurgery at the Portland VA Medical Center. In 2010, he joined the neurosurgical faculty at Saint Louis University, where he completed a fellowship in cerebrovascular and skull base surgery, followed by a fellowship in endo-

St. Camillus has recently been recognized as a 5-star rated facility by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, (CMS)

CMS developed the 5-star quality rating system to provide consumers, families and caregivers with an easy way to search for nursing homes and to help them decide which facilities to consider. The tool helps individuals compare nursing homes more easily and is an important resource in navigating the quality ratings for each facility.

According to the CMS website, CMS.gov, its nursing home care compare feature highlights a quality rating system that gives each nursing home a rating of between 1 and 5 stars. Nursing homes with 5 stars are considered to have much above average quality and nursing homes with 1 star are considered to have quality much below average. There is one overall 5-star rating for each nursing home, and separate ratings for health inspections, staffing and quality measures.

“Achieving this 5-star rating by CMS is an incredible accomplishment. We couldn’t have done it without our dedicated, compassionate staff who consistently go above and beyond the call of duty to enrich the lives of our residents and the tireless support of the entire St. Camillus community,” said Michael Schafer, president of St. Camillus. “It is truly a testament to the quality of services and standard of care we are committed to providing to our residents each and every day.”

“The 5-star rating system is increasingly used by consumers, regulators, insurers and provider networks to make informed decisions about engaging with the facility. We are thrilled to share this 5-star rating with our community and celebrate our staff’s commitment to excellence in quality of care” said Kathy Barber, vice president of quality management.

New St. Joe’s doctor to see patients in Cicero

St. Joseph’s Health recently welcomed physician Andrew Call to St. Joseph’s Physicians Primary Care in Cicero.

According to St. Joseph’s, Call is a welcome addition to the team of family medicine physicians and staff. Having practiced for many years in the Rochester area, he brings a passion for applying his medical knowledge and skills in the diagnosis and prevention of illness.

“I’m really enjoying working in Cicero. The entire team sincerely cares about our patients, and each other. We have a stellar group of colleagues working together to support our patient’s health goals,” said Call. “I have felt very supported during my transition to work and life in Syracuse and am happy to be a part of this community.”

Upstate Opens Nappi Wellness Institute

Building will be the centerpiece of Upstate Medical University’s outpatient care

Upstate Medical University officially opened the Nappi Wellness Institute in a ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday, June 2.

The five-story, 209,615-squarefoot building will be the centerpiece of Upstate’s outpatient care, bringing key ambulatory services under one roof. The innovative floor plan features 240 exam and consult rooms with workstations located to facilitate and foster provider interactions.

The building’s unique design features the integration of preventive medicine with an emphasis on wellness. The facility has been built to WELL Building Standards with design features to address air, comfort, fitness, light, mind, nourishment, water, movement, sound and community. Once certified, the Nappi Wellness Institute will be the first WELL certified building in Central New York.

The building is named for Sam and Carol Nappi, whose $8 million gift to the Upstate Foundation is the largest monetary gift in the foundation history.

“The Nappi Wellness Institute is a transformative health care facility that we are proud to have as part of our campus,” said Upstate Medical University President Mantosh Dewan, MD. “Wellness is indeed its middle name for healing and wellness is reflected throughout the facility, in its design, in its mechanics, in its operations, in the way our health care professionals work and in the way our patients will be cared for.

“We are grateful to so many who have made this moment a reality,”

Dewan continued. “To Sam and Carol Nappi for their support, to the hundreds of workers who have spent more than three years—most of that time during the pandemic—building this structure, to our great team here at Upstate for ensuring that this facility is the source of the very best care in our region.”

Physician Robert Corona, CEO of Upstate University Hospital, joined Dewan in echoing the facility’s focus on wellness. “The inspiring nature of the Nappi Wellness Institute is the focus on wellness in every aspect of its design and operation—and that benefits our patients and supports our providers,” he said.

The Nappi Wellness Institute houses an array of services, practices and programs, including adult and pediatric primary care, geriatrics, radiology, laboratory services, behavioral health, family medicine, pediatrics, the Center for International Health, Inclusive Health Services and the Joslin Center for Diabetes (adults and pediatrics), which has relocated from its East Genesee Street location three miles away. The building also features several supportive ancillary services and Connect Care to ensure seamless post-acute follow-up for patients.

Primary care, behavioral health, specialties, palliative care and social supports will be integrated to reduce fragmentation and promote patient-centered multidisciplinary care in a single location. Primary care and behavioral health providers will share in the care of patients, development of care plans and education of patients and families.

A key feature of the building will be the expansion of Upstate’s Center of Excellence for Alzheimer’s Disease, which has its clinical site within geriatrics. Several clinical services will collaborate to enhance the care to these patients including a cognitive neurologist, additional space for neuropsychological testing, physical therapy and convenient space for families to drop off and pick up patients.

“The greater Syracuse area has the highest concentration of older adults in New York state, so we are excited to amplify the services we can offer to this expanding population,” said SUNY Distinguished Service Professor and Geriatric Medicine Chair Sharon Brangman, MD. “We anticipate that we will see patients with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease in greater numbers. This facility will ensure that we have the space to care for patients, consult with families and provide us immediate access to other specialists.”

Wellness isn’t just the purview of practitioners; the building itself is defined by wellness.

“The goal in pursuing WELL certification for the Nappi Wellness Institute is to create a world class health care facility that promotes the health of all those it serves and those who work there,” said Marylin Galimi, Upstate’s chief operating officer.

The building is located on the corner of Sarah Loguen and East Adams streets, across the street from the Upstate Cancer Center.

In addition to the gift from the Nappis, funding for the $158 million project came from a $70.6 million grant as part of the State Department of Health’s Capital Restructuring Financing Program and Essential Health Care Provider Support Program. An additional $70.6 million in matching bonds was issued by New York state.

Upstate broke ground on the project in early 2020.

Call earned his medical degree from Mount Sinai School of Medicine (now Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai) and his undergraduate degree in biology from SUNY Alfred. Following a family medicine internship, Call completed his residency at the University of Rochester/ Highland Hospital family medicine residency in Rochester, where he served as chief resident. He is boardcertified by the American Board of Family Medicine.

Hospitalist joins St. Joseph’s Health

St. Joseph’s Physicians announced physician Renee Groetz recently joined its hospitalist team.

As a hospitalist, Groetz cares for patients from the time they enter the hospital, to the time they’re discharged. She handles diagnosis, treatment, and coordination of care of needed specialists. This model of care improves the efficacy of care and patient outcomes leading to greater patient satisfaction, according to a hospital press release.

Renee Groetz

“I am excited to join the hospitalist team at St. Joseph’s Health Hospital and give back to the community I grew up in,” said Groetz. “I completed my residency at St. Joseph’s and decided to accept a position after graduation because of the supportive staff and colleagues I work with every day.”

Groetz holds a medical degree from Saint James School of Medicine, Park Ridge, Illinois. She earned an undergraduate degree in biomedical sciences graduating magna cum laude from the University at Buffalo. She completed her family medicine residency at St. Joseph’s Health Hospital where she served as chief resident.