Politico Pulse
By JASON MILLMAN
04/13/12
...HAPPY TRAILS to Chris Stenrud, HHS deputy assistant secretary for public affairs. Today’s his last day at HHS, and he’s heading back to Kaiser Permanente to manage its public advocacy and public affairs efforts. He’ll be splitting his time between D.C. and California, but he’ll be based in the District for now...
Showing posts with label Kaiser Permanente executives and administrators. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kaiser Permanente executives and administrators. Show all posts
Friday, April 13, 2012
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Paul Bernstein, Kaiser Executive Medical Director for San Diego, talks about his writing career
Dr. Paul Bernstein has written a new book, Flashblind, about doctors who failed moral tests. Bernstein is judgmental, but he has engaged in eerily similar activities.
Renowned Surgeon Finds Time To Write Thrillers
08 Apr 2012
Posted by Mike Sirota
I’ve known Dr. Paul Bernstein ever since he and his wife, Judy, joined a read & critique group that I facilitated back in the ’90s. Both have since been published, their initial books receiving much critical acclaim. While some people think that surgeons often sit high atop their Medical Mount Olympus, Paul is one of the nicest, down-to-earth guys you would ever want to meet. He recently took time from his insane schedule to answer some questions and discuss Flashblind, his latest medical thriller.
Talk about your medical background.
PB: I’m a graduate of the University of California (UCSD) medical school and completed my residency in Head and Neck Surgery at University Hospital in San Diego. I’m board certified in Head and Neck Surgery and a fellow in both the American College of Surgeons and the American Academy of Facial Plastic Surgery.
I am the Area Medical Director for Kaiser Permanente San Diego and past Regional Chief of Head and Neck Surgery for Southern California. My medical awards include the Physicians’ Exceptional Contribution Award (Partner of the Year) in 2005 and the Schilling Award for Compassionate Care in 2007.
I’m an assistant clinical professor with UCSD’s Department of Head and Neck Surgery and started the Mohs Surgery Program in San Diego. I’ve been the Chairman of the Head and Neck Division of the American Cancer Society for over fifteen years and was awarded the ACS Community Service Award twice.
When and why did you decide to start writing novels?
PB: I started writing novels in the 1990s. As a history major at UCLA before medical school, I enjoyed writing and telling an interesting story. Your read & critique groups were inspiring and your teaching invaluable in helping me take my skills from an average story teller to an engaging author...
Renowned Surgeon Finds Time To Write Thrillers
08 Apr 2012
Posted by Mike Sirota
I’ve known Dr. Paul Bernstein ever since he and his wife, Judy, joined a read & critique group that I facilitated back in the ’90s. Both have since been published, their initial books receiving much critical acclaim. While some people think that surgeons often sit high atop their Medical Mount Olympus, Paul is one of the nicest, down-to-earth guys you would ever want to meet. He recently took time from his insane schedule to answer some questions and discuss Flashblind, his latest medical thriller.
Talk about your medical background.
PB: I’m a graduate of the University of California (UCSD) medical school and completed my residency in Head and Neck Surgery at University Hospital in San Diego. I’m board certified in Head and Neck Surgery and a fellow in both the American College of Surgeons and the American Academy of Facial Plastic Surgery.
I am the Area Medical Director for Kaiser Permanente San Diego and past Regional Chief of Head and Neck Surgery for Southern California. My medical awards include the Physicians’ Exceptional Contribution Award (Partner of the Year) in 2005 and the Schilling Award for Compassionate Care in 2007.
I’m an assistant clinical professor with UCSD’s Department of Head and Neck Surgery and started the Mohs Surgery Program in San Diego. I’ve been the Chairman of the Head and Neck Division of the American Cancer Society for over fifteen years and was awarded the ACS Community Service Award twice.
When and why did you decide to start writing novels?
PB: I started writing novels in the 1990s. As a history major at UCLA before medical school, I enjoyed writing and telling an interesting story. Your read & critique groups were inspiring and your teaching invaluable in helping me take my skills from an average story teller to an engaging author...
Monday, February 27, 2012
Kaiser belatedly announces new Executive Medical Director/CEO for SCPMG
Edward Ellison, SCPMG CEO/Executive Medical Director
Apparently Kaiser Permanente has been keeping a secret from the public since January 1, 2012 when its Southern California Permanente Medical Group CEO, Jeffrey Weisz M.D., left for Oregon.
Kaiser kept mum about who would replace Dr. Weisz.
UCLA was apparently the first to release the name of Edward Ellison, referring to him as the "Medical Director Elect" on January 25, 2012, when Dr. Ellison spoke at the "The Health Forum" at UCLA. If Dr. Ellison was the "Medical Director Elect" on January 25, 2012, then why does Kaiser indicate in the article below that he assumed his job on January 1, 2012? If you look closely, you will notice that Kaiser was a bit cagey about the announcement. It says Dr. Ellison "assumed the role" of medical director. Does that mean he was really an acting director on probation? It certainly appears that there is some question as to when he became official.
Today I found that Kaiser had slipped an announcement (below) unobtrusively into its website, without any press release. It shows a date of 2/22/2012. I searched the Internet diligently on 2/24/2012, but I could not find any announcement until 2/27/2012 when I got a Google alert. I expect that the announcement will eventually start to appear in Google search results, but at this time anyone who does an Internet search will probably conclude that Jeffrey Weisz is still Medical Director.
From Kaiser Permanente website:
Executive medical director/chairman of the board
Edward Ellison, MD
Southern California Permanente Medical Group
Edward Ellison, MD, assumed the role of executive medical director and chairman of the board for the Southern California Permanente Medical Group on Jan.1, 2012. The Southern California Permanente Medical Group is one of the largest self-governing medical groups in the country, consisting of more than 6,000 physicians caring for nearly 3.3 million Kaiser Permanente members in 190 medical offices and 13 hospitals across Southern California.
Prior to this role, Dr. Ellison was the area medical director for Orange County, leading more than 600 physicians in caring for 430,000 members in two hospitals and 19 medical offices. His tenure in Orange County was marked by high performance, expansive growth and a strong culture of innovation and collaboration. Under his leadership, Orange County won multiple awards for patient safety, community service and excellence in patient care.
Dr. Ellison joined SCPMG in 1984. He has served the group in multiple roles, including president of the professional staff, chief of staff, physician director of the Performance Improvement Committee, physician director Primary Care Services, and assistant area medical director. Dr. Ellison has been a member of SCPMG’s board of directors since 2002 and is a past member of the Orange County Medical Association’s Board of Directors and the California Medical Association House of Delegates. He is a past recipient of Orange County's Family Medicine Physician of the Year.
After completing his undergraduate degree at Duke University, Dr. Ellison received his medical degree from the University of Virginia. He completed his residency training in family medicine at Halifax Hospital Medical Center, University of South Florida, where he served as chief resident. He is board certified in family medicine and is a diplomat of the American Academy of Family Physicians. He has attended the Advanced Leadership Program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Harvard’s Advanced Management Program.--2/22/2012
Friday, February 24, 2012
Dr. Jeffrey Weisz' sudden and mysterious departure from Southern California Permanente Medical Group
UPDATE FEB. 27, 2012:
On February 27, 2012 Kaiser Permanente's announcement of its new CEO/Executive Medical Director for Southern California, Edward Ellison, finally popped up on the Internet. The announcement is low key, and is NOT among Kaiser's press releases.
Jeffrey A. Weisz, MD
Executive Medical Director and Chariman of the Board 2004-2012
Southern California Permanente Medical Group
It would appear that Executive Medical Director Dr. Jeffrey Weisz' departure from SCPMG in January 2012 was precipitous and unplanned, since he's been gone for almost two months and no replacement has been announced. I couldn't get anyone to answer the phone at SCPMG headquarters in Pasadena to explain what's going on. Dr. Weisz went to Northwest Permanente Medical Group. Kaiser executives seem to spend only a short time in each position, perhaps to escape responsibility for problems.
Dr. Jeffrey Weisz Has Big Plans for Kaiser Permanente
By: Diane Lund-Muzikant
The Lund Report
February 22, 2012
Dr. Jeffrey Weisz is a man on a mission. As the newly appointed president and executive medical director for the Northwest Permanente Medical Group, he’s setting his sights high.
“I believe Kaiser is the answer to healthcare in America, and I’m going to prove it,” he said in a candid interview with The Lund Report. “We’re going to save more lives, and out perform everyone with better service and access, and have the best price and the best quality. Insurance companies that have the best rates win the market. But, I want the best rate and the best quality.”
Competitors such as Providence want Kaiser’s 500,000 members, he said. “But they’re not getting them. We have a better chance they’ll lose them to us because I’m very laser focused on what needs to be done. I want to take over the market and make Kaiser as big as I can, and would like to add 20-25,000 new members every year.”
Weisz intends to partner with private employers interested in lowering their healthcare costs and having a healthier work force.
“We can run a report that no one else can, and tell employers how many of their employees smoke, how many are overweight, how many of people with diabetes have their blood sugar out of control,” he said. “No one else can do this. Everyone’s looking for an answer on how to lower healthcare costs that are escalating every year. If you prevent illness and have higher quality, you’re going to lower your costs and save lives. That’s what I believe in and what I’ll help bring to the northwest region.”
Weisz has other changes in mind as well since joining Kaiser on January 1...
Kaiser Permanente Physicians Choose Medical Director
By: The Lund Report
August 2, 2011
The board of directors of Northwest Permanente, the physicians group that provides medical care to Kaiser Permanente members, has named Dr. Jeffrey A. Weisz as president and executive medical director.
He comes to the Northwest from Kaiser Permanente’s Southern California Region, where he was chairman of the board and executive medical director of the Southern California Permanente Medical Group (SCPMG). With more than 6,000 physicians, SCPMG provides care to 3.3 million members.
During his seven years leading the group, Kaiser Permanente Southern California earned numerous national clinical and service quality awards for breast cancer and colon cancer screening, hypertension control, fracture reduction in women and more.
"I am excited about the opportunity to lead Northwest Permanente’s outstanding group of physicians during this challenging time for health care in this country," said Weisz. "We’re not going to change healthcare in America until we change the health of America. As a health organization committed to prevention, no one is better equipped to tackle this challenge than Kaiser Permanente."
In his role as leader of the Northwest Permanente medical group, Weisz will oversee 1,100 physicians and focus the organization’s efforts on quality and performance. He will also partner with Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and Health Plan to provide members with high-quality care that is affordable, personal, and accessible. He’ll also be closely involved in the opening of the new Kaiser Permanente Westside Medical Center in Hillsboro, set to open in 2013, as well as the implementation of healthcare reform policies.
Weisz began his career with Kaiser Permanente Southern California in 1978 as a staff hematologist/oncologist at Panorama City Medical Center. He also served as an area medical director of Woodland Hills Medical Center prior to his tenure as SCPMG’s board chairman and executive medical director.
Weisz is board certified in oncology and internal medicine. He received his medical degree from Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit and completed his residency at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit and a fellowship in clinical hematology/oncology at LA County-USC Medical Center.
On February 27, 2012 Kaiser Permanente's announcement of its new CEO/Executive Medical Director for Southern California, Edward Ellison, finally popped up on the Internet. The announcement is low key, and is NOT among Kaiser's press releases.
Jeffrey A. Weisz, MD
Executive Medical Director and Chariman of the Board 2004-2012
Southern California Permanente Medical Group
It would appear that Executive Medical Director Dr. Jeffrey Weisz' departure from SCPMG in January 2012 was precipitous and unplanned, since he's been gone for almost two months and no replacement has been announced. I couldn't get anyone to answer the phone at SCPMG headquarters in Pasadena to explain what's going on. Dr. Weisz went to Northwest Permanente Medical Group. Kaiser executives seem to spend only a short time in each position, perhaps to escape responsibility for problems.
Dr. Jeffrey Weisz Has Big Plans for Kaiser Permanente
By: Diane Lund-Muzikant
The Lund Report
February 22, 2012
Dr. Jeffrey Weisz is a man on a mission. As the newly appointed president and executive medical director for the Northwest Permanente Medical Group, he’s setting his sights high.
“I believe Kaiser is the answer to healthcare in America, and I’m going to prove it,” he said in a candid interview with The Lund Report. “We’re going to save more lives, and out perform everyone with better service and access, and have the best price and the best quality. Insurance companies that have the best rates win the market. But, I want the best rate and the best quality.”
Competitors such as Providence want Kaiser’s 500,000 members, he said. “But they’re not getting them. We have a better chance they’ll lose them to us because I’m very laser focused on what needs to be done. I want to take over the market and make Kaiser as big as I can, and would like to add 20-25,000 new members every year.”
Weisz intends to partner with private employers interested in lowering their healthcare costs and having a healthier work force.
“We can run a report that no one else can, and tell employers how many of their employees smoke, how many are overweight, how many of people with diabetes have their blood sugar out of control,” he said. “No one else can do this. Everyone’s looking for an answer on how to lower healthcare costs that are escalating every year. If you prevent illness and have higher quality, you’re going to lower your costs and save lives. That’s what I believe in and what I’ll help bring to the northwest region.”
Weisz has other changes in mind as well since joining Kaiser on January 1...
Kaiser Permanente Physicians Choose Medical Director
By: The Lund Report
August 2, 2011
The board of directors of Northwest Permanente, the physicians group that provides medical care to Kaiser Permanente members, has named Dr. Jeffrey A. Weisz as president and executive medical director.
He comes to the Northwest from Kaiser Permanente’s Southern California Region, where he was chairman of the board and executive medical director of the Southern California Permanente Medical Group (SCPMG). With more than 6,000 physicians, SCPMG provides care to 3.3 million members.
During his seven years leading the group, Kaiser Permanente Southern California earned numerous national clinical and service quality awards for breast cancer and colon cancer screening, hypertension control, fracture reduction in women and more.
"I am excited about the opportunity to lead Northwest Permanente’s outstanding group of physicians during this challenging time for health care in this country," said Weisz. "We’re not going to change healthcare in America until we change the health of America. As a health organization committed to prevention, no one is better equipped to tackle this challenge than Kaiser Permanente."
In his role as leader of the Northwest Permanente medical group, Weisz will oversee 1,100 physicians and focus the organization’s efforts on quality and performance. He will also partner with Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and Health Plan to provide members with high-quality care that is affordable, personal, and accessible. He’ll also be closely involved in the opening of the new Kaiser Permanente Westside Medical Center in Hillsboro, set to open in 2013, as well as the implementation of healthcare reform policies.
Weisz began his career with Kaiser Permanente Southern California in 1978 as a staff hematologist/oncologist at Panorama City Medical Center. He also served as an area medical director of Woodland Hills Medical Center prior to his tenure as SCPMG’s board chairman and executive medical director.
Weisz is board certified in oncology and internal medicine. He received his medical degree from Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit and completed his residency at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit and a fellowship in clinical hematology/oncology at LA County-USC Medical Center.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Questions raised about Epic software – Kaiser official quits in flap on cost overruns
Questions raised about Epic software – Kaiser official quits in flap on cost overruns
November 13, 2006
By Jeff Richgels
EmpowerMed
Electronic medical records software from Verona-based Epic Systems Corp. is at the center of a controversy that has led to the resignation of a key executive at the nation’s largest nonprofit health organization.
J. Clifford Dodd, a senior vice president and chief information officer for Kaiser Permanente, resigned Tuesday, four days after another Kaiser employee sent a highly critical e-mail to most of the company’s 140,000 workers about his concerns over the $3 billion, high-profile technology project known as HealthConnect, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.
In the e-mail, project supervisor Justen Deal said Kaiser’s switch to electronic medical records for its 8.6 million members was proving far more expensive and unreliable than anticipated.
In an interview with the Times, Deal said that cost overruns were common and that data showed the new Epic-based software system breaking down so frequently that doctors and patients were often left for long periods without access to medical records.
He told the Times that “the company is wasting hundreds of millions on the project and should consider scrapping it for a better one that can handle the scale of a company like Kaiser.”
Kaiser CEO George Halvorson defended the Epic system in an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle. He told the paper that power outages have caused recent reliability problems unrelated to the system, which is expected to be completed by 2009.
A Kaiser spokesman told the Times that despite minor problems, the HealthConnect rollout was exceeding expectations.
Epic spokeswoman Terri Leigh Rhody said today that the company, which recently moved to its new headquarters in Verona, declined comment and directed inquiries to Kaiser. Calls to Kaiser were not returned by deadline today.
Deal told Computerworld magazine that he has had access to “internal projections that show that we could lose $7 billion over the next two years. Losses of even a fraction of that amount could be destabilizing to the organization.”
Deal told Computerworld that he sent letters to Kaiser management expressing his concerns, but in internal memos, management said it had investigated Deal’s concerns and found them baseless.
Deal has not backed down.
“It’s chilling for anyone in the organization to see how far off-track this project has gone,” he told Computerworld.
Kathy Lancaster, Kaiser’s chief financial officer, confirmed to the Times that her office compiled the report last March but said it was only a “worst-case scenario” and that she expected cost-cutting efforts, as well as savings from the parts of the electronic medical records system now in place, to help.
Deal was put on administrative leave Monday pending an investigation and Kaiser said it is reviewing whether he violated company e-mail policies.
“What I’m doing is working to ensure the waste and abuse stops,” Deal told the Chronicle. “That’s not something you get fired for.”
Halvorson described the memo as alarmist and inaccurate, the Chronicle said.
“He has bits and pieces of information and has managed to construct a theory … but what he doesn’t have is any of the subsequent data about what we’re doing to manage those costs,” Halvorson told the Chronicle.
Kaiser has already started cutting costs, through measures such as hiring freezes, Halvorson told the Chronicle.
Kaiser faces the same cost pressures as other health care providers, and must find ways to reduce expenses rather than continuing to increase premiums for consumers, Halvorson told the Chronicle.
A Kaiser spokesman said Dodd’s resignation was not related to the e-mail but did not provide a reason for his departure, the Times reported. Bruce Turksta, vice president and program director of HealthConnect, has been named interim CIO, Computerworld reported.
Epic signed the 10-year, multimillion-dollar deal to provide its health care record management software to Kaiser in 2003.
At that time, Epic founder and CEO Judith Faulkner told The Capital Times that “I think that the Kaiser implementation would be challenging for any company, but I don’t think there’s any company better suited in the world to do it than Epic. It’s a matter of scaling it up and just hunkering down and doing the installations. There’s not much customization involved.”
Epic’s software handles everything from patient medical records and clinical information to scheduling, registration and billing. It also offers patients online access to their records and health care providers.
Kaiser began pursuing the vision of an automated medical record system in the 1960s, long before it was technologically possible, and had worked in the area for many years before contacting Epic in the summer of 2002, the Wall Street Journal reported in 2003. The paper said then that Kaiser expected to save $1 billion by going with Epic over its internal development path.
Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser, the nation’s largest nonprofit health organization, is at the forefront of the electronic medical records effort, which Mike Leavitt, secretary of the U.S. Health and Human Services Department, recently said was “the most important thing happening in health care.”
Yet getting rid of pen-and-paper records is proving harder in practice than in theory. Only 20 percent of physicians today use electronic medical records, and many organizations are finding glitches.
Others worry that digital medical records pose risks to patients’ privacy, pointing to cases like that of the Veterans Administration, which lost personal data including medical information on millions of veterans last spring.
Link: http://www.madison.com/tct/news/index.php?ntid=106932&ntpid=2
Published: November 10, 2006
November 13, 2006
By Jeff Richgels
EmpowerMed
Electronic medical records software from Verona-based Epic Systems Corp. is at the center of a controversy that has led to the resignation of a key executive at the nation’s largest nonprofit health organization.
J. Clifford Dodd, a senior vice president and chief information officer for Kaiser Permanente, resigned Tuesday, four days after another Kaiser employee sent a highly critical e-mail to most of the company’s 140,000 workers about his concerns over the $3 billion, high-profile technology project known as HealthConnect, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.
In the e-mail, project supervisor Justen Deal said Kaiser’s switch to electronic medical records for its 8.6 million members was proving far more expensive and unreliable than anticipated.
In an interview with the Times, Deal said that cost overruns were common and that data showed the new Epic-based software system breaking down so frequently that doctors and patients were often left for long periods without access to medical records.
He told the Times that “the company is wasting hundreds of millions on the project and should consider scrapping it for a better one that can handle the scale of a company like Kaiser.”
Kaiser CEO George Halvorson defended the Epic system in an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle. He told the paper that power outages have caused recent reliability problems unrelated to the system, which is expected to be completed by 2009.
A Kaiser spokesman told the Times that despite minor problems, the HealthConnect rollout was exceeding expectations.
Epic spokeswoman Terri Leigh Rhody said today that the company, which recently moved to its new headquarters in Verona, declined comment and directed inquiries to Kaiser. Calls to Kaiser were not returned by deadline today.
Deal told Computerworld magazine that he has had access to “internal projections that show that we could lose $7 billion over the next two years. Losses of even a fraction of that amount could be destabilizing to the organization.”
Deal told Computerworld that he sent letters to Kaiser management expressing his concerns, but in internal memos, management said it had investigated Deal’s concerns and found them baseless.
Deal has not backed down.
“It’s chilling for anyone in the organization to see how far off-track this project has gone,” he told Computerworld.
Kathy Lancaster, Kaiser’s chief financial officer, confirmed to the Times that her office compiled the report last March but said it was only a “worst-case scenario” and that she expected cost-cutting efforts, as well as savings from the parts of the electronic medical records system now in place, to help.
Deal was put on administrative leave Monday pending an investigation and Kaiser said it is reviewing whether he violated company e-mail policies.
“What I’m doing is working to ensure the waste and abuse stops,” Deal told the Chronicle. “That’s not something you get fired for.”
Halvorson described the memo as alarmist and inaccurate, the Chronicle said.
“He has bits and pieces of information and has managed to construct a theory … but what he doesn’t have is any of the subsequent data about what we’re doing to manage those costs,” Halvorson told the Chronicle.
Kaiser has already started cutting costs, through measures such as hiring freezes, Halvorson told the Chronicle.
Kaiser faces the same cost pressures as other health care providers, and must find ways to reduce expenses rather than continuing to increase premiums for consumers, Halvorson told the Chronicle.
A Kaiser spokesman said Dodd’s resignation was not related to the e-mail but did not provide a reason for his departure, the Times reported. Bruce Turksta, vice president and program director of HealthConnect, has been named interim CIO, Computerworld reported.
Epic signed the 10-year, multimillion-dollar deal to provide its health care record management software to Kaiser in 2003.
At that time, Epic founder and CEO Judith Faulkner told The Capital Times that “I think that the Kaiser implementation would be challenging for any company, but I don’t think there’s any company better suited in the world to do it than Epic. It’s a matter of scaling it up and just hunkering down and doing the installations. There’s not much customization involved.”
Epic’s software handles everything from patient medical records and clinical information to scheduling, registration and billing. It also offers patients online access to their records and health care providers.
Kaiser began pursuing the vision of an automated medical record system in the 1960s, long before it was technologically possible, and had worked in the area for many years before contacting Epic in the summer of 2002, the Wall Street Journal reported in 2003. The paper said then that Kaiser expected to save $1 billion by going with Epic over its internal development path.
Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser, the nation’s largest nonprofit health organization, is at the forefront of the electronic medical records effort, which Mike Leavitt, secretary of the U.S. Health and Human Services Department, recently said was “the most important thing happening in health care.”
Yet getting rid of pen-and-paper records is proving harder in practice than in theory. Only 20 percent of physicians today use electronic medical records, and many organizations are finding glitches.
Others worry that digital medical records pose risks to patients’ privacy, pointing to cases like that of the Veterans Administration, which lost personal data including medical information on millions of veterans last spring.
Link: http://www.madison.com/tct/news/index.php?ntid=106932&ntpid=2
Published: November 10, 2006
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