HOSPITAL/CLINIC UPDATE: A Good Year at Marin General Hospital

Joel Sklar, MD

Note: Each issue of Marin Medicine includes a self-reported update from one local hospital or clinic, on a rotating basis.

For Marin General Hospital (MGH), 2012 was a year of accomplishments on virtually every front, from making sizable planning strides toward a new, state-of-the-art, seismically sound hospital, to implementing new health programs and augmenting our network of clinics. We also completed a much-needed upgrade of our Emergency Department and received extraordinary community support, as well as recognition from numerous specialty medical organizations. All told, 2012 affirmed MGH as a critical, important part of the Marin community.

A few important milestones from the past year are reviewed below.

Awards and Certifications

We received recertification from the Joint Commission for our stroke program and also won a Gold Plus “Get With The Guidelines” quality achievement award from the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association for the second year in a row.

The American College of Surgeons reverified our trauma program, recognizing that our trauma center has all the capabilities listed in Resources for Optimal Care of the Injured Patient, and confirming our dedication to providing optimal care for these patients. In addition, Marin County approved a new 10-year trauma contract with MGH, which houses the county’s only designated trauma center. The partnership with Marin County Emergency Medical Services means MGH will continue to provide trauma care for the entire county and to maintain a team of board-certified emergency physicians, experienced emergency nurses and other specially trained staff who are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The American College of Radiology accredited our Breast Imaging Center based on our adherence to high practice standards in image quality, personnel qualifications, facility and equipment, and quality control and assurance procedures. To maintain their designation, facilities must undergo an onsite review every three years. Meanwhile, our Marin Cancer Institute became one of only 106 cancer centers nationwide (out of about 3,000) to receive an Outstanding Achievement Award from the American College of Surgeons. The award recognizes that we achieved a perfect score in all eight areas of measurement during our 2011 accreditation.

A consumer organization rated MGH as one of the safest hospitals in California. The organization’s scoring focused on six categories: infections, readmissions, communication, CT scanning, complications and mortality. MGH received the top score possible on measures of infections and the hospital’s use of scanning. In another high score, the Leapfrog Group gave MGH an “A” for hospital safety. This independent national nonprofit calculated our grade based on 26 measures, using publicly available data on patient injuries, medical and medication errors, and infections.

Our physicians received awards as well. More than 200 doctors practicing at MGH were named to the prestigious [415] Top Doctors 2012 by Marin magazine. The list was compiled through peer-to-peer polling of more than 4,000 doctors in San Francisco and Marin counties, with the results clearly demonstrating respect and appreciation for the excellent physicians at MGH.

New Facilities and Upgrades

Just 18 months after a $2.89 million donation jump-started the expansion and upgrade project for our Emergency Department, the completed project is delivering family-friendly waiting areas, shorter wait times, and faster, more efficient assessment and treatment of the approximately 200 patients who visit the ED on an average day.

Nearby, a generous gift enabled the opening of the Braden Diabetes Center under the leadership of Dr. Linda Gaudiani. This leading-edge outpatient education and training program is intended to bridge a major gap in the care of patients with diabetes. The Center provides educational resources and collaborates with primary care physicians to significantly reduce complications and readmissions. The focus is on teaching self-management skills to patients and their families, including dietary and nutritional therapy and patient-friendly self-monitoring technologies.

MGH also acquired the well-respected Ross Valley Pharmacy Diabetes Self-Management Program and is expanding upon their offerings. This intensive course, certified by the American Diabetes Association, is designed to teach diabetic patients how to incorporate appropriate exercise, nutrition and calorie management into their daily living.

Next door to MGH, the Marin Healthcare District’s Sirona Vascular Center opened a second location. Specialized vascular care provided by Dr. Laura Pak and her team will meet a growing need in the county’s aging population. A full range of noninvasive testing of arterial and venous disease is offered. Areas of particular interest include open and interventional therapies for aortic aneurysm repair, minimally invasive procedures for deep venous thrombosis peripheral arterial disease, varicose vein treatments, limb salvage treatment for extremity trauma and gangrene, dialysis access surgery, and carotid surgery. The Center also offers the Venefit procedure for superficial venous reflux disease.

Sutter Arbitration

Following months of deliberation, the arbitrator in the long-running dispute between MGH and Sutter Health awarded the hospital $21.5 million. The arbitrator subsequently declared MGH the “prevailing party” and recently awarded the hospital an additional $11 million for attorneys’ fees and pre-judgment interest. We believe the arbitrator’s decision is the final chapter of this lengthy dispute.

A community hospital is only as good as the physicians and staff who practice there. We thank you for helping make 2012 a banner year.

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Dr. Sklar, a Larkspur cardiologist, is chief medical officer for Marin General Hospital.

Email: sklarj@maringeneral.org