Clinical Connections | Winter 2022 by Independence Health System

Winter 2022 Clinical Updates Page 2 to 4

Friends and Colleagues,

Did any one of you honestly think that in February 2022 we would still be navigating a global pandemic? Appointments & Recognition Page 6 & 7 New on Staff Page 6 Provider Personalities Page 7

I certainly did not. Nevertheless, here we are. We have turned the page on another year, the season of resolutions and new beginnings is upon us. As 2022 begins, I have been thinking about the need to acknowledge that we are not going back, and instead think about how we move forward. How we realize that there are things to be gained from this crazy life we’ve been living. There is a phrase, I have found that the exact origins are in debate, but I find it impactful nonetheless... “It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.” Think about that for a moment. It gives us power and encouragement to move forward. It harnesses the imagery and positivity of light.

Engagement Page 8 & 9 House Calls Page 10

Across cultures, religions, age groups and periods of history, the description of those recounting a near death experience is remarkably similar. Some describe floating, or seeing people gone before them. But nearly universally, there is a commonality of “seeing the light” and a description that the light gave a sense of overwhelming calm. No one knows, what the physiologic origin of “the light” may be. Or if we, as human beings, understand light as a positive symbol and gravitate to images of it. Light symbolizes many things to many people. In religions that celebrate Christmas, the light of a star signals the news of a savior. Diwali celebrates the triumph over darkness for Hindus. For the Jewish community, the great symbol of Hanukkah, light, reminds us that even in the most challenging of times, hope never recedes. With light comes possibility, opportunity, and the promise of a better tomorrow. Many cultures and religions have festivals of light, with a common theme of victory over darkness. In 2022, I am going to try my best to focus on positivity, to light that candle, to show light to someone else. Remember all the times since March of 2020, that you have already done this. Make a conscious effort to do it now on a regular basis. We have kept patients safe. We have provided them with the best care we could give every day we have come to work. We have developed practices and protocols to adapt to our surroundings, and in some cases have already acknowledged they are better for patient care than the “old way.” I have seen the strength of teams and personal relationships ensure that colleagues have made it through, even when coverage and staffing seemed impossible. Maybe if we take some time and look around, we can find a candle to light. We can continue to help each other, and dispel the darkness.

Heather Walker, MD President, Excela Medical Staff

Clinical Updates COVID-19 Vaccine Information

Excela offers both Pfizer (Comirnaty) and Moderna (Spikevax) COVID-19 Vaccines. You may mix vaccines manufacturers if necessary. Pfizer (Comirnaty): • Initial two-dose series of vaccination is available for • anyone five years of age or older, two doses at least • three weeks apart. • Third dose is available to immunocompromised • individuals five years of age or older at least 28 days • after second dose. Please contact your physician with • any questions. • A booster dose is recommended for anyone 12 years of • age or older, at least five months after completion of your • initial series (second dose).

Excela’s New Surgical Institute Keys on Cancer Care

Excela Health continues to raise the bar for quality patient care, with the creation of the Excela Health Surgical Institute, based at Excela Latrobe Hospital, with a focus on cancer care. “This announcement represents yet another major commitment by the System to continue its evolution from a capable, community-based confederation of hospitals to a true System of care,” said John Sphon, Excela Health Chief Executive Officer, “one that can provide tertiary and quaternary care in virtually all specialties of medicine and whose quality and outcomes are on par or exceed those of the finest like programs in the nation.”

Moderna (Spikevax): • Initial two-dose series of vaccination is available for • anyone 18 years of age or older, two doses at least four • weeks apart. • Third dose is available to Immunocompromised • individuals 18 years of age or older. Please contact your • physician with any questions. • A booster dose is recommended for anyone 18 years of • age or older, at least five months after completion of your • initial series (second dose). Learn More

Excela Health previously established the Heart, Lung and Vascular Institute, with Westmoreland Hospital serving as the hub of cardiovascular surgical care. The entire Surgical Institute project represents a $10 million investment by the health system in both technology and facility upgrades. To support the build-out of the program, the Latrobe Area Hospital Charitable Foundation (LAHCF) has committed $2 million in support. Learn More

Clinical Updates 3D Printing Assists Shoulder Replacement

At the Excela Health Orthopedics Institute, shoulder arthroplasty, or shoulder replacement, is customized for each patient to achieve the best possible result. An anatomic shoulder replacement requires removing the damaged, arthritic bone, and adding implants to reconstruct the shoulder. A reverse shoulder replacement uses a similar approach but different implants and is a better solution for patients with certain injuries, particularly those with an arthritic shoulder joint and extensive rotator cuff damage.

Excela Health Looks to Expand Services in Region

Officials at Excela Health confirmed they are pursuing preliminary plans for the development of a 30,000-square-foot outpatient/ambulatory care medical complex in Connellsville, Fayette County, PA. The site under consideration is located at Martin’s Plaza Shopping Center and could include such services as primary care, obstetrics and gynecology, orthopedics, medical specialties including gastroenterology, cardiology and neurology as well as general and bariatric surgery offerings.

"Patient specific instrumentation and 3D modeling for total shoulder replacement has made challenging situations with implant placement much more straight forward and reproducible. After surgery, patients have subsequently been able to rehab faster and ultimately achieve higher function. I’m happy to have this available for patients at Excela." Dr. Daniel Leigey. Learn More

Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) Therapy at Excela Health

Platelets are the components of your blood that are best known for their role in blood clotting. Platelets also contain hundreds of proteins called growth factors, which are important in the healing of many different musculoskeletal injuries. Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) is prepared by separating the platelets and plasma from the rest of the blood, which results in a high concentration of the platelets within the plasma. PRP can be used to treat a wide variety of tendon and/or ligament injuries including tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow, Achilles tendinopathy, plantar fasciitis, and rotator cuff injury.

“We believe these programs and services could provide a strong foundation from which we can provide the residents of Connellsville and beyond sophisticated, high quality, outpatient and ambulatory care in a convenient and attractive setting,” said John Sphon, Excela Health Chief Executive Officer. “They would be complementary to what is currently available in the area, while also providing patients with ready access to the full capabilities of the Excela Health System should their condition or medical need require a higher level of care.” Learn More

Learn More

Clinical Updates Introducing: Making Rounds with Excela Health

Making Rounds with Excela Health is a series of WebEx meetings designed to introduce our specialists and their procedures to the Excela Health medical staff. Given the limitations on in-person meetings during the pandemic “Making Rounds with Excela Health” will be a great way for providers and staff to meet specialty providers “face to face” and be educated on the latest technologic and programmatic advances at Excela Health. Each session will begin at 7 a.m. on the first and third Fridays of each month and follow a similar agenda: • Introduction • Review of relevant current topic or procedure including how to access service other operational issues • Q&A

Excela Health First in Pennsylvania To Deploy Implantable Device For Heart Failure Treatment

Excela Health continues to advance cardiovascular care in the region as the first health system in Pennsylvania to offer a new procedure that improves the symptoms of patients with systolic heart failure. Electrophysiologists and Vascular Surgeons in The Heart Center at Excela Health Westmoreland Hospital announced their first successful implantation of Barostim™Baroreflex Activation Therapy this week. The implantable is the world’s first FDA-approved heart failure device to use neuromodulation – the power of the brain and nervous system. This advanced, award-winning therapy was designed to treat heart failure patients who have had little to no success with other proven treatment options.

We ask that providers and staff log into these sessions promptly and remember to turn off your microphone. You may use the WebEx chat feature during the presentation to ask questions or hold until the Q&A session when you may turn on your microphone. For the month of February Making Rounds with Excela Health will feature: • February 4 Atrial Fibrillation and Watchman presented by Bassel Sayegh, MD and Amanda Urosek • February 18 Breast Cancer presented by Charis Venditti, MD and Sheila Farina For the month of March Making Rounds with Excela Health will feature: • March 4 Bariatric Surgery presented by BenFauzi El-Attrache, DO • March 18 Aortic Stenosis and TAVR presented by Nevin Baker, DO, FACC, FSCAI and Joni Powell Please plan on joining us for this educational series. If there are any topics you’d like to know more about. Let us know by sending an email to daddis@excelahealth.org and we will endeavor to get them scheduled.

“Heart failure is a chronic, progressive condition in which the heart muscle is unable to pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs for blood and oxygen,” explained Excela Health cardiologist James Adisey, MD, medical director of Excela’s Heart, Lung and Vascular Institute. “Basically, the heart can’t keep up with its workload.” Learn More

On the Mic Breath Of Fresh Air For Longtime Smoker

Judy Bowman always enjoyed that cigarette with her cup of coffee, even after her mother died of stage IV lung cancer in 2010. That’s why she repeatedly requested a low-dose CT scan to check her lungs for telltale signs of disease. “The scans showed nothing, so I continued to smoke.”

Total Shoulder/Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty

Excela Health Mall Walkers recently hosted Dr. Daniel Leigey, Co-Director of the Excela Health Center for Sports Medicine. Dr. Leigey educated the Mall Walkers on total shoulder/reverse total shoulder arthroplasty.

When Bowman returned for another low-dose CT scan earlier this year, the findings were now troubling, and she soon found herself in the office of Excela Health thoracic surgeon Michael Szwerc, MD, director of Excela Health’s Center for Lung and Thoracic Disease. “He told me I had a 2-centimeter mass in one of my lobes. By the time of my robotic surgery, in late April, the tumor had grown. It was stage 1, but it was an aggressive cancer. Dr. Szwerc told me that, by coming in when I did for the low-dose CT scan, I pretty much saved my life.” Learn More

Quit the Habit- For Good

Getting Pharmaceutical Help Dr. Abigail Casey discusses pharmaceutical options that may help in to make it a successful quitting process.

Nicotine Replacement Therapy Dr. Jesse Milliken discusses the Excela Health Smoking Cessation Program and nicotine replacement therapy that may help in the process.

Appointments and Recognition Excela Health Accolades For Patient Safety Continue

Excela Health continues to be recognized for exceptional patient care, with Excela Westmoreland Hospital and Excela Frick Hospital each receiving an “A” in The Leapfrog Group’s Fall 2021 Hospital Safety Grades. The A designation marks the third consecutive grading period for Westmoreland Hospital. Excela Latrobe Hospital maintained its “B” for this evaluation period. Excela Frick Hospital was previously not rated, but there was sufficient data for the grading period for Frick to be included in the evaluation.

Excela Health Maternity Care Earns U.S. News & World Report Designation

Excela Health is once again recognized for its exemplary maternity services, this time recognized as High Performing in Maternity Care (Uncomplicated Pregnancy) by U.S. News & World Report. This is the first time U.S. News has published a list of Best Hospitals for Maternity. “It is such an honor to be considered one of the best hospitals for maternity by U.S. News,” said Excela Health obstetrician Randi Turkewitz, MD, FACOG, who chairs the Department of Obstetrics for the health system. “We strive each and every day to provide the best care possible to all of our patients. Instituting multiple safety measures and following best practice guidelines have allowed us to provide this expert care to our patients in the maternity center...” Learn More

“Patient safety and quality care go hand in hand and both require vigilance across multiple disciplines 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” noted John Sphon, Excela Health Chief Executive Officer. “To do so requires a strong healthcare team dedicated to infection reduction and preventable harm. This is an expectation of everyone in our organization and we continually focus on it for the greater good and well-being of our co-workers, our patients and their families,” Sphon added. Learn More

New on Staff Chaitya Parikh, DO Blairsville Family Medicine 724-459-5203 Learn More

Appointments and Recognition Excela Health Remains Among The Elite Workplaces Regionally and Nationally For Health And Wellness For the 10th consecutive year, Excela Health has been recognized among the Healthiest Employers in Western Pennsylvania, and for the sixth year in a row named a Healthiest 100 Workplace in America, in an awards program presented by Healthiest Employer®.

“Never has employee well-being been more critical than during this time of public health crisis,” noted Laurie English, Excela Health Chief Human Resources Officer. “As a health system, our employees are on the front lines of the pandemic, and facing physical, emotional and spiritual challenges as they provide care. Being able to offer the resources to help our teams manage stress, find work-life balance and cope with personal and family medical concerns is mission critical to improving the health and well-being of every life we touch.” Learn More

Cardiothoracic Program Ranked Among Nation’s Elite in Heart Surgery

Excela Health continues to raise the bar for quality patient care, with the latest recognition coming from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS), which ranks the health system’s heart surgery program among the top 2 percent nationwide.

“This designation means we rank among the best in the nation in providing some of the most needed heart surgeries,” said John Sphon, Excela Health Chief Executive Officer. “This latest honor is a reflection of the caliber of physician specialists on staff at Excela Health, and for our patients, it means they get the best in quality care close to home.” Learn More

Provider Personalities Heart Surgeon at Excela Health Uses Passion for Music to Help Healing

Excela Health Physician’s Sister Recipient of Andrew D. Bagby Family Medicine Scholarship

Kelsie Sirak, 22, sister of Dr. Courtney Floyd, Family Medicine, received the scholarship.

Dr. Michael Culig shares his passion of music with patients by playing the violin in the ICU.

Engagement Recent/Upcoming Birthdays October

Hyoung Kim, MD, FACP Stuart Glasser, MD Arnold Roger Wigle, MD Terry Evans, MD Sudha Nayar, MD Vicki Lynn Beal, CRNP Walter Rizzoni, MD Christine Florendo, MD James Adisey, MD, FACC Ted Matthews, MD, FACS Mark Allen Milchak, MD, FACC, FASE Rinku Dutt, MD Kalyani Vats, MD Sanjeev Jethmalani, MD James Masterson, DO John Duda, MD Pamela Rosato-Lange, CRNP Susan Lombardozzi-Lane, MD John Paul Horne, MD Subhashish Pal, MD, FACC Joseph Dorazio III, CRNA Lisa Marie Vittone, CRNA Jason Willis, PAC Thaer Almalouf, MD Joseph Thomas Macioce, DO Efren Leonida Jr., MD Richard Alan Conn, MD Suzanne Elise Putnam, MD Brian David Holt, CRNA Elizabeth Detschelt, MD, FACS Lance Michael Brunton, MD Evonne Michelle Morell, DO Karena Lawrence, MD Arvind Vasudevan, MD Julie Hutchinson, CRNA Jon Michael Sweany, MD Jill Kielbiowski, MD Jennifer Ellena, CRNA Thomas Hooven, MD Kristen Marie Hanley, MD Clare Boast, PAC John Robert Peoples, MD Jillian Lager, CRNA Genc Hajra, MD Lori Ann Droschak, CRNA Rajni Madaan, MD Julie DeVore, DO Amy Elizabeth Schleifer, PAC Shikha Gupta, MD

Jessica Devine, CRNA Rehab Shabana, MD, FACOG Kimberly Jean Lowman, PAC Tiffany Romantino, MD Jeffrey Grasmeder, CRNP Abram Weimer, DO Danielle Pavlik, CRNA Katie Dolan McHolme, MD Christian Moore, MD, DMD Sarah Copanzzi, CRNA Monica Malinowski, MD Carly Russo, PAC Chad Toth, CRNP Samara Rubin, MD Andrew Schoenling, MD Gretchen Crovak, PAC Brittany Dwyer, CRNP Sarah Stewart, CRNA Amanda Pierce, CRNA Hannah Aucoin, DO Maria DeCario, PAC

November Sanjeev Bahri, MD Michele Bailey, CRNA Robin Bell, CRNA Colleen Benjamin, DO Brian Berry Jr., CRNA Geoffrey Bisignani, MD Gregory Bisignani, MD Barry Bupp, MD Shirley Byers, CRNP Samuel Cooke, PAC Jared Cowan, PAC Mark DeBrunner, MD Erin Dieter, CRNP Michelle Dolney, CRNP Paris Ekeke, MD Kelly Emerson, CRNP Rachel Esposito, DO Andrew Fisher, PAC Meghana Gaekwad, MD Marie George Williams, DO Jeena George, MD Bindu Gutti, MD Scott Harter, MD Deborah Hill, CRNA Todd Hrbek, MD Louis Izzo IV, DPM Kimberly Jacob, CRNP

Tami Judy, CRNP Rahul Kad, MD Kelly Keegan, CRNP Patricia Kuster, CRNA Alexandra LiVecchi, CRNP Richard Lucas Jr., MD David Lucas, MD Corinne Lynch, MD Richard Lynn, MD Stephen Markantone, DPM Thomas Maroon, MD Savas Mavridis, MD Alaina McClarren, DO Justin McCray, MD Donald McGraw, MD Aldo Mendez Ruiz, MD Cole Miller, DO David Mills, MD Diane Muka, MA Diane Navarre, CRNP Yogesh Neupane, MD Elissa Ortolani, MD Thaddeus Pajak, DO Jessica Peretin, MD Neha Puri, MD Asma Qayyum, MD Mark Ray, DPM Bridget Rectenwald, PAC Ragoor Reddy, MD Dawn Repak, CRNP Jill Ross, PAC Beth Ann Schmidle, CRNP Scott Schulte, PAC Kathleen Schwabenbauer, MD Morgan Shields, CRNP Richard Simpson, MD Megan Spivak, CRNA Rachel Stevenson, PAC Lawrence Sutton, PHD James Talamo, MD Ashwin Thiagarajasubramanian, MD Roslin Thongsri, MD Michael Utz, MD Samuel Valletta, MD John Waas, DO Zachary Walton, DO Robert Yakulis, MD

Engagement Recent/Upcoming Birthdays Cont. December

Jack Abarbanel, DO Ryan Abegglen, MD Gautam Agrawal, MD Staci Alexander, CRNA Katerina Ancevski Hunter, MD Arthur Androkites, MD Katherine Anetakis, MD William Antonucci, CRNA Alfonso Arevalo, MD Gaurav Arora, MD Gowri Arulanantham, MD Kim Avolio, DO Allison Bakowicz, PAC Karen Banks, DO Ashton Beckman, PAC Michele Belak, MD Nicole Bosley, MD Howard Bursch, DO Susan Bursch, DO Eric Campbell, MD Timothy Carpenter, MD Cherrie Cindric, DPM Margaret Clark, MD Mary Clark, MD Christopher Clarkson, MD Alyssa Codrick, PAC Daniel Contrafatto, MD Taylor Crupie, PAC Courtney Dugan, MD Saurabh Dwivedi, MD Diane Fair, CRNA Navkiranjit Gill, DO Megan Grandalski, DO Thomas Gretz, DDS David Guidry, CRNA Syed Haider, MD Michele Jacobson, DO William Jenkins, MD Gregory Lauro, MD Mark Lawery, MD Karen Luther, DPM Thor Mathos, DO Jose Mejia, MD Janine Meneghini, CRNP Ashleigh Miller, PAC Stephen Miller, CRNA John Morcos, MD Jessica O'Connor, DO

Michael Plundo, DO Robert Reed, MD Richard Reilly, DPM Linda Russo, MD Joelle Sabatine, CRNA Rachel Scaffardi, PAC Rupam Sharan, MD Bernadette Sherman, CRNP Rachel Shipley, MD Stephanie Szwerc, PAC Hany Tadres, MD Ashis Thampan, MD Kusum Tom, MD Anthony Van Norman, MD Erin Vangura, PAC Andrew Victory, MD Valarie Vukelic, DO Andrea Willeitner, MD Eric Wissinger, MD Jennifer Yanits, CRNP Maliha Zahid, MD

House Calls

The Best Protection Against COVID-19

Share Your Story

Have something that you would like to share for future editions? Email information to insight@excelahealth.org