A Busy Facility Makes News
As these reports attest, there's a lot going on at Saint Barnabas Medical Center.
11 A'S IN A ROW
Saint Barnabas Medical Center recently received an “A” rating for safety and quality from the Leapfrog Group. It was the 11th survey in which SBMC received the highest rating, making it the only hospital in Essex County and one of just 63 in the nation to do so.
The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit organization committed to improving the quality and safety of American health care. It was founded in 2000 by large employers and other purchasers of health care. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, the group’s other main initiative, assigns letter grades to hospitals based on their record of patient safety, helping consumers protect themselves and their families from errors, injuries, accidents and infections.
Its flagship survey, the Leapfrog Hospital Survey, collects and reports hospital performance, which helps purchasers to find the highest-value care and gives consumers pertinent information to make informed decisions. This is widely acknowledged as one of the most prestigious distinctions a hospital can receive in the U.S., and in 2016, Saint Barnabas Medical Center was named a Top Hospital for the third consecutive year, showcasing the Medical Center’s commitment to patient safety and quality.
A WORLDWIDE LEADER IN HEPATITIS HEALTH CARE
Su Wang, M.D., medical director of the Center for Asian Health, was recently appointed an executive board member for the World Hepatitis Alliance. As a board member, Dr. Wang will be leading the American region in advocating for those living with hepatitis and in the global goal to eliminate viral hepatitis by 2030, as adopted by the World Health Organization in 2016.
HUNDREDS SUPPORT STRIDES FOR H.O.P.E.
Recently more than 800 people came out for the Fifth Annual Strides for H.O.P.E. 5K Run and 2K Family Walk, which raised more than $100,000 to benefit the Pediatric Epilepsy Program at Saint Barnabas Medical Center. The event was started by Marc and Faith Greenstein, whose son Ethan was diagnosed with epilepsy at 6 1/2 months. He's now a delightful 9-year-old, and his parents credit the knowledge, professionalism and compassion of Saint Barnabas Medical Center's epilepsy team with making it possible for Ethan to attend school and summer camp, enjoy beach vacations and reach life's milestones.
Every dollar raised at the event will go toward a more comfortable, kid-friendly environment for children with epilepsy, many of whom require hospitalization for weeks to control their seizures. To learn more or make a donation, please visit barnabashealth.org/strides.
RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW
What’s happening at Saint Barnabas Medical Center? Quite a lot, as can be seen in the hospital’s latest 90-second video commercial. It highlights triplets Cooper, Colby and Chase, born prematurely at just 1 pound each, now thriving 8-year-olds. It introduces Gary, a trumpet player who, thanks to the Living Kidney Donor Program, is off dialysis and back on stage. And it showcases the underconstruction Cooperman Family Pavilion, which will further the Medical Center’s ability to provide cutting-edge cancer, cardiac, neonatal, burn medicine and kidney transplant care. You can view the new video commercial, titled “Right Here, Right Now,” at rwjbh.org/ saintbarnabas.
You can view the new video commercial, titled “Right Here, Right Now,” at rwjbh.org/ saintbarnabas.
Thanks to the Living Kidney Donor program, Gary – featured in the new video – is now off dialysis and back to playing the trumpet.
ACCREDITATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS
Earning a new or renewed credential from national leadership organizations is a habit for Saint Barnabas Medical Center, but it’s still a source of pride each time it happens. Here are four recent instances:
- The Imaging Center at the Saint Barnabas Ambulatory Care Center recently received accreditation from the American College of Radiology in stereotactic breast biopsy, breast ultrasound and ultrasound-guided biopsy. As the gold standard in medical imaging, these accreditations demonstrate the hospital’s commitment to providing the safest and best care possible to patients and their families, payers and referring physicians.
- The Epilepsy Center of the Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery at Saint Barnabas has been reaccredited as a Level 4 Epilepsy Center, a distinction it has held since 2009. The designation demonstrates that the center provides the highest level of medical care, surgical evaluation and treatment for patients with complex epilepsy.
- The Asthma Education Center at SBMC is the second program in the nation to receive certification from the American Association for Respiratory Care and the Asthma Self-Management Education Program.
- The Cancer Center at Saint Barnabas received recertification by the Quality Oncology Practice Initiative Certification Program (QOPI), an affiliate of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. QOPI certification reflects a commitment to providing quality care to oncology patients and their families.
ACCREDITATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS
Earning a new or renewed credential from national leadership organizations is a habit for Saint Barnabas Medical Center, but it’s still a source of pride each time it happens. Here are four recent instances: The Imaging Center at the Saint Barnabas Ambulatory Care Center recently received accreditation from the American College of Radiology in stereotactic breast biopsy, breast ultrasound and ultrasound-guided biopsy. As the gold standard in medical imaging, these accreditations demonstrate the hospital’s commitment to providing the safest and best care possible to patients and their families, payers and referring physicians. The Epilepsy Center of the Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery at Saint Barnabas has been reaccredited as a Level 4 Epilepsy Center, a distinction it has held since 2009. The designation demonstrates that the center provides the highest level of medical care, surgical evaluation and treatment for patients with complex epilepsy. The Asthma Education Center at SBMC is the second program in the nation to receive certification from the American Association for Respiratory Care and the Asthma Self-Management Education Program. The Cancer Center at Saint Barnabas received recertification by the Quality Oncology Practice Initiative Certification Program (QOPI), an affiliate of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. QOPI certification reflects a commitment to providing quality care to oncology patients and their families.
A NEW SURGEON-IN-CHIEF
Stuart R. Geffner, M.D., MS-HCM, FACS, was recently named surgeonin- chief and chairman of the Department of Surgery at Saint Barnabas Medical Center.
“Dr. Geffner was selected after a comprehensive national search,” says Stephen P. Zieniewicz, the Medical Center’s president. “He has a proven track record of accomplishment. His vision for the future of perioperative services and our surgical residency program is very exciting and will continue to elevate our program both regionally and nationally.”
Dr. Geffner has performed more than two thousand renal transplants and more than one thousand living-donor surgeries as director of Transplant Surgery for the Division of Renal and Pancreas Transplant at Saint Barnabas. He has helped to build the program into one of the largest renal and pancreas transplant centers in the United States. He also maintains an active clinical practice in transplant surgery, general surgery and advanced laparoscopic surgery.
Stuart R. Geffner, M.D.
The new surgeon-in-chief received his undergraduate degree in bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania and his medical degree from the New Jersey Medical School. He completed his general surgery residency at Saint Barnabas Medical Center, then a two-year fellowship in abdominal organ transplant surgery at the University of Wisconsin. In 2015, Dr. Geffner received a master of science degree in healthcare management from the Harvard University School of Public Health. A published author, he has made many presentations at national and international surgical conferences.
In partnership with Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, Dr. Geffner pioneered “Live from Kidney Transplant,” a series of live, interactive video telecasts of renal transplant surgery that have been watched by more than 15,000 high school students.
For more information on Saint Barnabas Medical Center, please call 973.322.5000 or visit rwjbh.org/sbmc.
