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Health-Care BRIEFS

BinghAMton — the family & Children’s Society announced the following people were elected to its board of directors at the nonprof-it’s annual meeting held May 14:

• Thomas G. Bosman, vice president, Payco, Inc.;

• Jeffrey M. Jacobs, attorney, Coughlin & Gerhart, LLP; and,

• Jason M. Monahan, director of clinical opera-tions, Lourdes Hospital.

they will serve three-year terms.The Family & Children’s Society, which is a

human-services provider offering counseling and home care services, said its elected officers

are: David K. Tanenhaus, president; John G. Spencer, vice president; Linda A. Persons, treasur-er; and Richard G. DoBell, secretary.

the Society has offices in Binghamton, Owego, and Johnson City.

Family & Children’s Society elects board of directors

SYrACUSE — St. Joseph’s hospital health Center an-nounced that it offered jobs to 75 of the 83 May 2015 gradu-ates of its College of nursing and every offer was accepted.

the St. Joseph’s College of nursing held a graduation cer-emony and awards brunch for its new graduates on Sunday, May 17, at the SRC Arena at onondaga Community College. the associate degree in applied science, with a major in nursing, was conferred on 83 graduates, according to a St. Joseph’s news release.

the organization indicated that the number of job offers it made to these grads was “unprecedented.”

Patricia E. Drea, chief oper-ating officer of Visiting Angels, was the graduation speaker. Joshua Purcell, May 2015 College of Nursing graduate, addressed his class. Ann Marie Walker-Czyz, senior VP for op-

erations, COO/CNO, spoke to the graduates on behalf of the hospital administration.

the St. Joseph’s College of nursing is accredited by its professional nursing ac-creditor, the Accreditation Commission for Education in nursing (ACEn) and the

Middle States Commission on higher Education.

St. Joseph’s hospital health Center is a nonprofit regional health-care system based in Syracuse, providing services to patients throughout Central new York and northern Pennsylvania.

St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center hires 75 of 83 graduates from its nursing school

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Members of the St. Joseph’s College of Nursing 2015 graduating class. St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center offered jobs to 75 of the 83 graduates, and every offer was accepted.

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CAREER SNAPSHOT:Physician Assistants

Licensed Physician Assistants by CNY County NumberBroome 88Cayuga 25Chemung 36Chenango 13Cortland 17Herkimer 10Jefferson 80Lewis 9Madison 41Oneida 86Onondaga 388Oswego 32Seneca 7St. Lawrence 59Tioga 21Tompkins 42CNY TOTAL 954NYS Total 11,065

Source: NYSED Office of the Professions, as of Jan. 1, 2015

BY AdAm [email protected]

What do they do?A physician assistant (PA) is a licensed health-care professional

who provides medical care under the supervision of a physician, according to the New York State Education Department (NYSED), Office of the Professions. PAs conduct complete physicals, provide treatment, counsel patients and may, in some cases, prescribe medi-cation, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

What credentials do they have?Licensed New York physician assistants have graduated from a

two-to-four year state-approved PA program; these programs often require two years of college-level course work before admission, but some programs allow entry directly from high school. PAs also have passed a comprehensive licensing examination, according to the NYSED Office of the Professions.

How much do they get paid?The annual mean wage (as of May 2014) for physician assistants

in Central New York’s metro areas is as follows: Syracuse ($98,920), Utica–Rome ($105,710), and Binghamton ($98,500), according to the U.S. BLS. For New York state, the annual mean wage is $100,290.

Profession Title 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Physician Assistant 742 856 923 970 1040

Source: NYSED Office of the Professions, as of Jan. 1, 2015

Licenses issued in New York state in the last 5 calendar years

Children’s Home of Jefferson County is named “Business of the Year” by the Mental Health AssociationBY JOUrNAL [email protected]

WATERTOWN — The Mental Health Association in Jefferson County, Inc. (MHAJC) recently named the Children’s Home of Jefferson County (CHJC) the 2014 “Business of the Year” for

“outstanding case management service to the mental health community.”

On behalf of CHJC’s Care Management Program, Suzanne Raso, mental-health services co-ordinator, accepted the award at MHAJC’s annual celebration held at the Watertown Elks

Lodge on May 1, according to a news release.

The CHJC says its Care Management program is dedi-cated to working with the com-munity to “ensure all health-care

needs are met and individuals have the opportunity to live a healthy, fulfilling life.” n


William Brunken, an Upstate Medical

University professor, has received a grant

of $2.2 million for his research on vision from The National

Institutes of Health (NIH).

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NIH awards Upstate Medical’s Brunken $2.2 million for vision researchBY ERIC [email protected]

SYRACUSE — The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded an Upstate Medical University professor a grant of $2.2 million for his research on vision.

William Brunken will use the funding on a five-year study investigating the role of extracel-lular matrix (ECM) in retinal development and disease.

The NIH’s National Eye Institute supports the award.

Upstate Medical announced the grant award in a news release issued May 15.

Brunken is vice chair for research for the department of ophthalmology; director of the department’s Center for Vision Research; and professor of ophthalmology, neuroscience and physiology.

More than 1,400 authors have cited Brunken for his research into vision disorders, Upstate Medical said.

“This five-year award provides great stability for our team’s studies in the role of the extracel-lular matrix in retinal development and critically in vascular biology of the retina,” Brunken said in the news release. “Vascular diseases of the retina are the leading cause of blindness in adults in the developed world. The mechanisms of vascular development, unlike other develop-mental process, remain active in the adult and can result in serious pathologies. The long-term goal will be to develop matrix-based therapeutic strategies to treat vascular disease of eye.”

The extracellular matrix is composed of pro-teins surrounding cells that provide “structural

and biochemical support to the surrounding cells,” according to the Upstate Medical re-lease.

The molecules studied in the Brunken labo-ratory lead to a “variety” of brain and ocular defects leading to autism and mental retarda-tion in the most severe cases and, in the eye, these disruptions could lead to impaired vision or blindness.

Specifically, the funded studies will expand upon Brunken’s previous studies focusing on laminin and laminin-related proteins of the ECM.

These proteins are an “important set of guid-ance cues” that direct many developmental pro-cesses and have led to insights into congenital diseases of the brain, eye, and kidney.

Those studies questioned how the deletion of various laminins can result in disruptions in retinal-vascular development and have “fur-thered the understanding” of how several retinal diseases could develop, such as retinopathy of prematurity in children and diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration in adults, according to the Upstate Medical news release.

“Our team will follow up on our fundamental hypothesis that laminins are critical for estab-lishing the three-dimensional structure of the retina,” said Brunken. “Specifically, we will take a closer look at the mechanism of laminins and how they provide environmental cues that are essential to the process through which new blood vessels form from pre-existing vessels and to the formation of nervous tissue.”

Brunken said that findings from the study will advance existing fundamental understand-ing of retinal development. n

KEY Facts

6Grant amount:

$2.2 million for a five-year study

6Why vascular

disease?“Vascular diseases of the

retina are the leading cause of blindness in

adults in the developed world,” according to

Brunken.

6What is the goal

of the funded study?

the findings from the study will advance existing fundamental

understanding of retinal development.


BY ERIC [email protected]

SYRACUSE — Four Syracuse organiza-tions are working on a research project focusing on frailty issues in Central New York.

The groups are using a federal grant to fund their effort.

The nonprofit Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) has awarded F.O.C.U.S. Greater Syracuse a grant of nearly $15,000.

F.O.C.U.S. Greater Syracuse will work with HealtheConnections, the Southwest Community Center, and Upstate Medical University to develop a Central New York Citizen’s Aging Research & Action Network (CNY-CAN).

The nonprofit F.O.C.U.S. Greater

Syracuse is a “citizen-driven” organiza-tion that works to impact change in Central New York. F.O.C.U.S. is short for forging our community’s united strength, according to its website.

HealtheConnections (pronounced Healthy Connections) is a nonprofit that supports “the meaningful use of health information exchange and tech-nology adoption, and the use of com-munity health data and best practices, to enable Central New York stakeholders to transform and improve patient care, improve the health of populations and lower health-care costs,” according to its website.

The four organizations will use the funding to “build a partnership of indi-viduals and groups who share a desire to advance patient-centered outcomes

research focused on frailty across the life course,” according to a news release.

They announced the grant and the research initiative on May 12 at Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital in Syracuse.

“What we’re going to do is engage peo-ple with conversations. We’re going to go out into various aspects of Onondaga County and have conversations with older adults to find out what their concerns are and how we can keep them in their own home,” Dr. Sharon Brangman, professor of medicine and division chief of geriatric medicine at Upstate Medical University, said in her remarks at the event.

The groups learned they had won the grant about a month earlier, Brangman told CNYBJ in an interview following the presentation.

“We looked at it in the beginning of the year and began identifying groups that might be helpful in community en-gagement because this is a grant that really works at getting average citizens … involved from the beginning,” says Brangman.

PCORI’s Pipeline to Proposal Awards program provided the grant funding. Pipeline to Proposal Awards enable indi-viduals and groups that are not typically involved in clinical research to develop community-led funding proposals focused on “patient-centered comparative effec-tive research (CER),” according to the release.

CNY-CAN’s vision is to create a co-alition of citizens, patients, formal and informal caregivers, clinicians, research-ers, and health systems to “guide” aging-related research; participate in research and project teams; “be champions” for patient-centered research; help translate research into practice; and help sustain CNY-CAN as a community resource, the release stated.

Under the Tier I award, CNY-CAN’s initial stakeholders will become educated on patient-centered outcomes research and best practices; learn about research in which CNY-CAN could be engaged; and create a strategic plan defining CNY-CAN’s vision, mission, priorities, structure, governance, and operational policies.

It’s an opportunity for citizens to have an “impact” on public policy, Charlotte (Chuckie) Holstein, executive director of F.O.C.U.S Greater Syracuse, said in her remarks at the May 12 announcement.

Top: Charlotte (Chuckie) Holstein, executive director of F.O.C.U.S. Greater Syracuse, on May 12 offered remarks during the grant and research announcement at Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital in Syracuse. Bottom: Dr. Sharon Brangman, professor of medicine and division chief of geriatric medicine at Upstate Medical University, spoke at the same event.

See FRAILTY, page 21 4

CNY groups studying aging, frailty with federal grant

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BY JOURNAL [email protected]

ROME — The Rome Hospital Foundation’s fashion show raised more than $28,000 to support women’s health ini-tiatives at Rome Memorial Hospital.

Funding will “support and enhance” program and equip-ment needs for lymphedema therapy, maternity, prenatal care services, the Woman’s Imaging Center and the Breast Center at Rome Memorial Hospital, the organization said in a May 20 news release.

The Foundation held the fashion show on May 1 at the Beeches Inn & Conference Center at 7900 Turin Road in Rome.

The event included 14 re-tailers from Rome and the surrounding communities showcasing their spring and summer fashions on the run-way. A total of 33 women, men, and children modeled more than 70 different fashions on the runway of the two-set fash-ion show.

“The work of Rome Hospital Foundation in sup-porting the mission of Rome Memorial Hospital is incredibly important,” Gregory Mattacola, president of Rome Hospital Foundation, said in the news re-lease. “Not only do our events,

such as the Fashion Show, raise much needed funds, but they help to reinforce the impor-tance of supporting our hospi-tal, so quality healthcare will be available for our community residents for years to come.”

Besides the fashion show, the organization also presented the Smart Woman Award to Luella Dunn, who has contrib-uted more than 13,170 volun-

teer hours to Rome Memorial Hospital.

“Luella’s commitment to vol-unteering at Rome Memorial Hospital is unmatched by any-one. I am confident that the

members of our community will share our excitement in recognizing Luella for her ef-forts,” Gretchen Sprock, 2nd vice president of Rome Hospital Foundation, said in the news release.

The Smart Woman Award was developed to recognize women who “give of them-selves to help improve [the] community,” according to the news release.

Rome Hospital Foundation will host three additional events in 2015. They include the an-nual golf classic on June 22; the Brew Ha Ha craft-beer tasting on Sept. 19; and the annual gala on Nov. 14.

The nonprofit Rome Hospital Foundation says it provides philanthropic support to Rome Memorial Hospital. The Foundation accepts gifts on behalf of Rome Memorial Hospital and works to fund both present and future equip-ment and program needs. n


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Centers at St. Camillus completes renovation project

The recently completed renovation project at the Centers at St. Camillus

in the town of Geddes included the rehabilitation-therapy gym 2

PHOTO CREDIT: DEBORAH CHRISTIANSEN, DIRECTOR OF CREATIVE SERVICES, THE CENTERS AT ST. CAMILLUS

That’s according to a news release the organization distributed on April 29 to announce the project completion.

Crews finished their work in early April, says Christine Kearney, vice president of rehabilitative services & organizational development.

She spoke with HealthCare Provider on June 1.

As the industry moves toward more community-based services, the im-provements helped the Centers at St. Camillus “make things better” for the residents who live here, says Kearney.

“The therapy space, which was the third phase of the project, is actually for people on our subacute-rehab[ilitation] unit, so that unit is designed for people to come for short-term rehab and then go home,” she adds.

The opening of a social adult day program at the Centers prompted the project, which ended up costing more than $170,000.

An adult day program targets “people [who] are living in the community and just need some … supervision assis-tance during the day,” says Kearney.

Project detailsThe most recent renovation — the

project’s last of three phrases — cre-ated two new spaces dedicated to short-term rehabilitation therapy.

The rehabilitation-therapy gyms 1 and 2 are located in the Katherine Brown subacute-rehabilitation unit of The Centers at St. Camillus.

Both rehabilitation gyms provide short-term patients care that includes

BY ERIC [email protected]

GEDDES — The Centers at St. Camillus has com-pleted a multi-phased, capital-renovation proj-ect that it contends will “significantly enhance the quality of life for resi-dents and patients, and support its professional staff of caregivers to fulfill its mission to care for life through a broad range of services.”


both physical and occupational therapies that prepare them for their return home.

The project’s first phase started in the fall of 2013 with the relocation and expan-sion of the gathering room, a community room the organization uses to provide activities and hold social functions for St. Camillus’ residents and patients.

The second phase of the project relo-cated the beauty salon to provide “better proximity and easier access” for resi-dents, patients, and adult day health pro-gram participants.

CBD Construction, LLC of Syracuse handled the construction work on the first phase, which involved the reloca-tion of the resident-gathering space, says Kearney. The Syracuse–based firm also conducted the work on the second phase.

The Centers’ maintenance department served as the general contractor on the project’s final phase to keep “the cost down,” she says.

Subcontractors on the project’s third phase included O’Connell Electric Company Inc. of DeWitt; Fahsel Interiors of Cicero; Hoefler Communications Inc. of DeWitt; Effect Group Inc. of Syracuse, which handled the flooring installation; and the DeWitt office of Bedford, Mass.–based F.W. Webb Company, which com-pleted the plumbing work, according to Kearney.

Design etcetera of Cicero did the de-sign work on the entire project, she adds.

FinancingThe Central New York Community

Foundation provided more than $23,000 for the first phase that involved work on the gathering space, according to a January 2014 news release from the organization.

The Allyn Foundation, the Syracuse Automobile Dealers Association Charity Preview, and St. Camillus’ board mem-bers, trustees, donors, and friends pro-

vided funding to relocate the beauty salon in the project’s second phase, according to the April 2015 news release.

The Centers also raised funding for the project’s final phase during events held last fall.

The Red, White & Brew, held Sept. 28 at Coleman’s Authentic Irish Pub, raised more than $2,800; the Celebration of Giving Gala, held Oct. 10 at the Bellevue Country Club in Syracuse generated more than $20,000; and Respect: CNY

Celebrates Women in Music held Nov. 13 at the Palace Theatre in Syracuse raised more than $8,100, the organiza-tion said.

“It’s all paid for,” says Kearney, refer-ring to the more than $170,000 price tag on the project.

Founded in 1969, the Centers at St. Camillus is located at 813 Fay Road in Geddes. It offers inpatient and outpa-tient services including subacute and brain injury rehabilitation programs; continuing care (nursing home); outpa-tient rehabilitation, home health care; medical transport; and a variety of other support services. n

Licensed cosmetologist Tina Bagliere of Cicero styles a woman’s hair in the recently relocated and renovated beauty salon at The Centers at St. Camillus.

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Bryant & Stratton starts occupational-therapy assistant program

BY eric [email protected]

SYRACUSE — The Syracuse campus of Bryant & Stratton College has launched an oc-cupational-therapy assistant (OTA) program.

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John Patro, director of the occupational-therapy assistant (OTA) program at Bryant & Stratton College’s campus at 953 James St. in Syracuse, stands in its OTA laboratory. Patro says the lab trains students to provide occupational-therapy services, including activities of daily living.


The program, which has 18 students enrolled, started May 6, says John Patro, OTA program director at the Syracuse campus. The 18 students represent the maximum enrollment that the school had set, he adds.

Patro spoke with CNYBJ on May 14. He began working with Bryant & Stratton College last July.

The students are working toward earn-ing their degrees in December 2016.

The next cohort for the OTA program will start in September. The school won’t accept another cohort until after its ac-creditation for the program is finished in August 2016.

“All 18 students follow the same course sequence. There’s no deviation from that,” Patro says in defining the term “cohort.”

Students will work to earn an associate of applied sci-ence degree as an occupation-al-therapy assistant.

The OTA program contin-ues for five academic terms, or the equivalent of 20 months, says Patro. Bryant & Stratton operates on trimesters, he added. A single term contin-ues for 15 weeks.

The program’s fifth and final term involves full-time fieldwork, providing students the hands-on skills and educa-tion that will help them secure licensure and immediately join the workforce.

“It’s two eight-week intern-ships, and that’s a requirement of our creditor,” says Patro.

Identifying the needBryant & Stratton had conducted re-

search to identify professional needs in the areas where it operates campuses.

The research, Patro says, indicated the Syracuse area has a need for occupa-tional-therapy assistants.

The school couldn’t find any colleges or universities along the New York State Thruway corridor between Albany and Buffalo that had an OTA program, he adds.

“We are the only program that ex-ists in that stretch of the Thruway, so clearly Central New York is missing out on an area that’s highly needed,” Patro

contends.In a Jan. 27 news release, first an-

nouncing the program, the school cited figures from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics that indicate demand for certified OTAs is expected to jump 41 percent nationally by 2022.

Bryant & Stratton College’s OTA program offers a “functional” degree that graduates can use in traditional and non-traditional settings. The degree also serves needs across a wide continuum of care, including autism, geriatric, vet-eran care, hospice and palliative care, the school says.

Accreditation processThe Accreditation Council for

Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) grant-ed OTA program candidacy status in December 2014.

“At that point, we became eligible to recruit for the program,” says Patro.

Bryant & Stratton in August will sub-mit a “self study” in which it explains how it will meet all the standards for such a program. Approval for candidacy status only required details on meeting a certain number of standards.

Once ACOTE reviews the study, it will make an on-site visit in April 2016 for a “thorough” review of the program and facilities.

The school expects final accreditation approval for the OTA program in August

2016, says Patro. Once Bryant & Stratton obtains ac-

creditation for the program, its gradu-ates will be eligible to take the national certification examination to become an occupational-therapy assistant, which the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) admin-isters.

“In order for a student to sit for their certification exam, which they do need to obtain licensure in each state, the student must have graduated from an ac-credited program,” notes Patro.

After successfully completing the exam, the individual will be a certified occupational therapy assistant (gaining the COTA professional designation), he adds.

In addition, most states require licensure in order to practice; however, state li-censes are usually based on the results of the NBCOT certification examination, according to Bryant & Stratton.

About PatroPatro began his career

as a staff clinician working in geriatric care. He earned his clinical doctorate from Chatham University, and went on to become assis-tant professor and academ-ic fieldwork coordinator at Temple University.

Patro is also serving as the central-district representative for the New York State Occupational Therapy Association board. Patro says he is ex-cited to bring his expertise to the college as it begins its program in Syracuse, an area that had been lacking a formal OTA program. n

The school couldn’t find any colleges or universities along the New York State Thruway corridor between Albany and Buffalo that had an OTA program


MV Health System’s Perra discusses plans for new hospital

BY NORMAN [email protected]

I t may have been April 1, but the announcement was no April Fool’s joke.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature presented their 2015-16 budget which included $300 million “… to create an integrated healthcare delivery system in Oneida County.”

Scott Perra, president and CEO of Mohawk Valley Health System, and his staff are busy planning for a new, free-standing hospital in the Utica area. He expects the process to take four to six years to complete. The proposed 900,000-square-foot complex will be built on 20-30 acres sited within 10 miles of Utica.

NORMAN POLTENSON/BUSINESS JOURNAL NEWS NETWORK

HEALTH CARECEO TALK


“As soon as we created [MVHS] in March 2014, the board and staff began exploring the concept of a new, free-standing hospital,” Scott H. Perra, presi-dent and CEO of MVHS, says in an interview with HealthCare Provider. “Gov. [Andrew] Cuomo supported the initiative after we shared the concept with him. The idea is to replace the in-patient care at the St. Luke’s Campus of Faxton St. Luke’s Healthcare (FSLH) and at St. Elizabeth Medical Center (SEMC). The state grant is an incentive for us to downsize our in-patient facilities to 420 beds from the current 571 beds, which is in line with the state’s need to control costs by moving more in-patient services to out-patient care. The new hospital would also allow us to replace three old and inefficient hospitals with a modern complex.”

Perra projects a planning process that will last 18-24 months.

“We have a lot of work to do before we begin building, and we need to answer some basic questions first. Where will we locate the new hospital, what kind of structure will we build, what services will we offer at this facility, and what are the projected staffing needs? … MVHS is working with Steve DiMeo and the staff of Mohawk Valley EDGE to identify the best site. We are evaluating a number of options to build a 900,000-square-foot complex, probably on a 20-30 acre plot. The MVHS board of directors expects to make a decision by the end of this summer. The search is based primarily on population concentration, which limits the sites to areas around Utica.

“At the same time, we need to work on a transition plan for our current build-ings,” continues Perra, “and work with the state to complete a certificate-of-need application. One idea under consider-ation is to move back-office operations onto one of the sites and repurpose the St. Elizabeth’s site for development. Then there is the question of obtaining another $150 [million] to $200 million to complete the projected cost. MVHS has modest debt, so we should be able to borrow perhaps $100 million and raise the rest through grants and charitable donations. Once all of that is done, we still need to construct the new hospital. The entire project will take four to five years to complete. For the Mohawk Valley, this is a regional game-changer; we need to get it right.”

Perra is planning on hiring staff sup-port within the next several months to concentrate on the new hospital, allowing

him time to also focus on other strategic initiatives.

History of consolidationThe creation of MVHS in March 2014

reflects a long history of consolidation. Faxton originally evolved from the union of Children’s Hospital and Rehabilitation Center and Faxton Hospital. The for-mer was founded in 1830, the latter in 1875. The two merged in 1989. St. Luke’s-Memorial Hospital Center traces its roots to the St. Luke’s Home established in 1869 and the Utica Homeopathic Hospital (later named Utica Memorial Hospital) which opened in 1895. The two hospitals merged in 1949. St. Luke’s and Faxton formed the Mohawk Valley Network in 1997 and completed their consolidation in 2000. St. Elizabeth’s was es-tablished in 1866. Discussions to affiliate FSLH and SEMC began in December 2011, and the creation of MVHS was an-nounced on March 6, 2014.

Today, MVHS is a major business that boasts 571 hospi-tal beds and 202 long-term-care beds. The company employs 4,739 employees (4,124 FTEs) distributed over more than 50 locations in Herkimer, Oneida, and Madison counties. The medical staff includes 680 licensed providers with a total annual MVHS payroll of about $250 million. MVHS recorded 24,321 admissions in 2014 plus another 36,407 urgent-care visits. The emergen-cy department had 77,926 visits with 15,740 admitted to the hospitals. Last year, MVHS generated $505 million in revenue and projects $523 million this year. MVHS facilities include more than 2 million square feet of space.

While MVHS is the largest health-care provider in the region, it still faces a num-ber of competitors. “We not only compete with local area providers but also provid-ers from Syracuse and Albany. Then, too, we compete with our own area physicians who set up free-standing, ambulatory-surgical centers. The new hospital should help us to compete by growing our ser-vices, expanding our existing programs, and attracting new providers and staff.

“Perhaps the best way to compete is by encouraging our staff to continue their education. We assist those with associate degrees to continue their education in

order to acquire a four-year degree and to go on to earn a master’s and doctorial de-gree. MVHS also provides an education department dedicated to advancing staff knowledge. The department includes 25 people. I think one strong indicator of our emphasis on education is a very low turnover rate at the hospitals, because the employees feel they can grow and ad-vance professionally. We also just joined a

program sponsored by SUNY Upstate [Medical University] that places medical students in rural areas for a number of months. This gives us the op-portunity to attract new physi-cians who are familiar with MVHS and the positive rea-sons for practicing in a rural or small-city setting.”

Perra also points to the MVHS senior leadership as a reason for the health-care provider’s success in compet-ing. In addition to Perra as CEO, MVHS has four senior vice presidents: Lou Aiello, CFO; Albert D’Accurzio, chief medical officer (SEMC)/chief quality officer; Patricia Roach, chief nursing offi-cer; and Robert Scholefield, operations. The list of vice presidents includes: Greg M. Howard, human resources; Debra Altdoerffer, communi-

cations and development; John Lynch, CIO; Roger McReynolds, performance excellence; Thomas Soja, legal coun-sel and compliance; and Michael F. Trevisani, chief medical officer (FSLH) and Physician Group.

Funding The $300 million grant for the new

hospital is not the only funding that has Perra’s attention. “In this marketplace, MVHS was designated as a PPS (pre-ferred provider system),” asserts Perra. “We subsequently merged our PPS with three others from the Central New York Collaborative, which covers a six-county area. The Collaborative is part of a new program announced by Gov. Cuomo in 2014 that allows New York a Medicaid waiver to reinvest $8 billion … [to effect] comprehensive reform of the system. The means for accomplishing this is a reimbursement program called DSRIP (Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment). DSRIP is intended to promote

By Comparison6420:

Number of beds in the planned

facility

6571:

Number of beds MVHS

has now

See MVHS, page 21 4


P rior to partnering with one or more physicians, doctors should consider drafting a share-

holder agreement that outlines the terms of the relationship, as well as the goals of the corporation. Shareholder agreements anticipate problems and disputes by de-tailing what will transpire in the event

of death, retirement, suspension, dis-agreements, unlaw-ful competition (and solicitation), or with-drawal from a profes-sional corporation.

These agreements are imperative for a medical professional corporation to be able to transfer, sell, and value shares. They act as the blue-

print for navigating and managing the internal affairs of the corporation, as well as defining the relationships among the physicians. While shareholder agree-ments will vary based on a corporation’s circumstances, there are several com-ponents that every medical professional corporation should be sure to include.

Mandatory terminationIt is surprising how many physicians

are unaware that professional corpora-tions must buy back a deceased or dis-qualified physician owner’s shares within a specific time period. In the absence of a shareholder agreement, the company shareholders often find themselves ne-gotiating price and drafting repurchase agreements with the deceased physi-cian’s estate. This could have been avoid-ed with a carefully crafted shareholder agreement.

Additional types of terminations Shareholder agreements also address

other types of terminations, including ter-mination with cause, without cause, and by resignation. A good shareholder agree-ment articulates how a physician will leave a practice and, upon leaving, designates the price for the repurchase of the physi-

cian’s shares. Many health-care attorneys recommend adding language that gives a board of directors discretion to obtain a third-party valuation. Additionally, if a physician breaches the contract (exam-ple: violates a non-compete provision), his or her shares may be subject to a repur-chase at a discounted price.

Non-competition and non-solici-tation provisions

Shareholder agreements for physician-owned practices also provide non-com-petition and non-solicitation clauses, the enforceability of which varies based on state law. Non-competition provisions — or restrictive covenants — determine the minimum distance a departing phy-sician’s new practice can be from the original practice for a specific time pe-riod. Frequently, these provisions will be applicable for one to two years after the physician’s termination from the own-ership group. Similarly, non-solicitation provisions restrict the terminated physi-cian from poaching employees or other physicians from the practice.

Escrow agreementsShareholder agreements should con-

tain an escrow provision for the issued shares. An all-too-frequent issue occurs when it comes time to implement a buy-back in a dispute with a physician owner. The doctor owner may refuse to return his or her stock certificate to the compa-ny or stall the transaction. With an escrow provision in the shareholder agreement, however, an officer of the company can keep the issued stock certificates in a safe (or some other protected place) and, per the terms of the escrow provisions of the shareholder agreement, can have them cancelled to complete the buyback.

Restrictions on transfers Since medical professional corpora-

tions must be owned by licensed phy-sicians (with certain minor exceptions under some state laws), shareholder agreements should contain provisions restricting the transfer of shares to non-physicians. They should also mandate

that a transfer to another doctor can only occur with the consent of a majority or supermajority of the other physician owners. New owners also must meet qualification requirements set forth in the shareholder agreement.

ConclusionEnsuring a shareholder agreement

contains the aforementioned language and provisions will not only safeguard the medical practice from business in-terruptions, but will also save a medical professional corporation from potentially costly, protracted litigation. It is recom-mended that physicians seek health-care counsel’s advice in drafting shareholder agreements for their business. n

Dorothy Vinsky is senior counsel and a member of the corporate and securities department at Michelman & Robinson, a national law firm with offices in Los Angeles, Orange County, San Francisco, Sacramento, and New York City. Contact her at [email protected]

What Should Be in Your Physician Shareholder Agreement?

Dorothy vinsky Viewpoint

Ensuring a share-holder agreement contains the afore-mentioned language and provisions will not only safeguard the medical practice from business inter-ruptions, but will also save a medical professional corpo-ration from potential-ly costly, protracted litigation.

“

“


Y oung doctors have lost interest in going solo.

A recent survey of doctors-in-training in their final year of residency showed that just 2 percent want a go-it-alone practice.

Instead, their goal is to seek balance between their pri-vate and profession-al lives by working for someone else, such as a hospital, clinic, or large group practice. That’s ac-cording to a survey by Merritt Hawkins, a physician staffing firm and subsidiary of AMN Healthcare, which say it is the largest health-care staffing company in the U.S.

A mixture of technological advances, health-insurance payment models, corporate-business models, and other factors have brought drastic changes to the medical pro-fession, that have been build-ing for decades.

People of my vintage went into medicine for what seemed to be all the right reasons. We expected to work long hours, to be at the call of someone in distress, to sacrifice youth to gain knowledge and experi-ence, and to sacrifice time with family to alleviate the suffering of others.

That selfless philosophy makes it all the more puz-zling why [my] generation of doctors allowed health care to evolve into an industry more

concerned about profits and quarterly earnings than pa-tient care.

I think the trend prob-ably began in the early 1960s when physicians declined the opportunity to take an active

role in the manage-ment of hospitals and health care. Instead, they hired administrators to do that work and did not pay close attention to the results. That was just the begin-ning of the shift, though. Over time, the groundwork

was laid for the practice of medicine to be controlled by the reimbursement polices of insurance companies and corporate business practices. Physicians lost control of the health-care system and be-came managers of therapeu-tic teams.

Today, there is a decreas-ing emphasis on self-sacrifice and individualism, and an in-crease in group practice or or-ganizational medicine where hours are predictable. You can’t necessarily blame young doctors for the decisions they are making. It’s just been the natural progression of things.

Until the profit motive is purged from medicine, any talk and action to improve the health-care system will be of little or no benefit. There are barriers to those needed changes happening, though, including:

• Health care as an indus-try comprises 18 percent of GDP. No one will tamper with it for fear of uncomfortable or egregious economic fall-out. It could have been done during the formation of the Affordable Care Act, but it was not.

• There are far too many stakeholders in the current system to consider shutting it down or even to make large changes. Many industries support health-care organiza-tions with day-to-day services

and supplies. Other industries create, provide, and manage the increasingly complex technology used in health care. Entire educational sys-tems, from medical schools to community colleges that train lower-level technical and nursing staff, are engaged in supporting the system. The insurance industry that man-

A New Generation of Doctors Forgoes a Solo Practice

VIEWPOINT:

J. JOSEPH MARR

Baldwinsville, NY 866-567-5422

RMSresults.com

Holding Healthcare to a Higher Standard We understand in this ever-changing healthcare environment that your focus is to provide quality patient care while optimizing operations. RMS Healthcare can act as an extension of your organization in providing operational support, consulting and research services to guide you in your transformation journey. We specialize in:

● Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) Recognition ● Pay for Performance (P4P) Program Optimization ● Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) ● Patient Satisfaction Surveys (CAHPS®) ● HIPAA Compliance Training ● Practice Assessment ● Practice Management

Changes in medicine make working for someone else more appealing, says retired physician

SEE MARR, PAGE 21

http://www.rmsresults.com


BY JOURNAL [email protected]

SKANEATELES FALLS — Welch Allyn, Inc., on May 13 announced it had inked an exclusive three-year agreement to pro-vide onsite diabetic-retinopathy screening services for the largest primary care orga-nization in eastern Tennessee.

Financial terms were not disclosed.The organization, Summit Medical

Group, has 220 physicians who receive almost 1 million patient visits annually at 54 practice locations.

Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness among working-age adults, Welch Allyn said in a news release. With early detection, the sight-threatening

disease can be treated and the risk of severe vision loss cut by more than 90 per-cent. But nearly half of all diabetic patients do not get the recom-mended annual retinal exam because they lack access to special-ist care or didn’t com-ply with their doctor’s referral, the company added.

Using its RetinaVue Network, combin-ing retinal imaging with a network of board-certified physicians, Welch Allyn said it enables retinal screening for diabet-ic retinopathy as part of a routine primary or convenient-care visit. Improving access and making the screening more conve-

nient can lead to earlier detection and treatment of the disease to help prevent severe vision loss.

“The agreement with Summit Medical Group is a great opportunity for both organizations to work together to provide sight-saving solutions in primary care set-tings where there is the largest potential for impact on improving population health, while also lowering the cost of care,” Scott Gucciardi, senior vice president, of

new health-care deliv-ery solutions at Welch Allyn.

RetinaVue retinal screening for diabetic retinopathy can also help both provider practices and payer

systems to comply with quality-of-care metrics established for diabetic patients under various state and federal health-care programs and with insurance-plan accredi-tation, the company added.

Welch Allyn is headquartered in Skaneateles Falls and employs nearly 2,600 people in 26 different countries. n

Welch Allyn signs diabetic-retinopathy screening deal

Better state policies to encourage more medical-school grads to stay are vital

A ccess to quality health care is a necessary component for a thriving community, and we are

fortunate to have great health-care facili-ties and providers in Central New York.

That being said, our health-care system is under stress because we continue to face shortages of health-care professionals in New York state — es-pecially in rural areas. These shortages are particularly acute for primary-care doctors and nurses, but ex-tend to specialty prac-

tices and other health-care providers.The need for more doctors was con-

firmed by a recent report by the Healthcare Association of New York State, or HANYS, which found that New York needs 942 ad-ditional physicians. Of those, 615 are need-

ed in Upstate. The report goes on to say that four factors are primarily contributing to the shortage of primary-care physicians in the state: (1) the current primary-care physician workforce is aging and retiring; (2) fewer medical residents are choosing to go into primary care; (3) high medical-school debt is forcing residents toward specialties that typically pay more than primary care; and (4) many doctors do not want to practice in rural, underserved areas of the state.

In order to help alleviate this problem, a number of proposals have been put forward including, among other things, increasing funding for the Doctors Across New York program and the use of more telemedicine services. Over the past year, I have crafted legislation that also will help address our doctor shortage. My legisla-tion — which was drafted with the assis-tance of Dr. Ron Uva, a leader in obstetrics and gynecology, who formerly practiced in Oswego — would provide funding to establish 50 additional residencies at hospi-tals in New York state. The legislation then requires those who fill and complete these residency positions to commit to practicing in an underserved area of this state for a minimum of five years.

The effect of this legislation, if enacted, is threefold. One, it will increase the num-ber of residency positions. All physicians must complete three or more years of residency training after receiving their medical degree. Unfortunately, for a num-ber of reasons, the number of residency positions in New York state and across the country is much lower than the number of students receiving their medical degrees. Accordingly, a large number of medical-school graduates are unable to get the necessary training to become licensed, practicing doctors. My legislation, in a small way, attempts to address this issue.

Second, the physicians completing these residencies will be required to prac-tice in an underserved area of New York state for a minimum of five years. This, like the state’s Doctors Across New York program, is meant to get physicians into rural, underserved areas. Quite simply, in exchange for the state paying for these residency positions, those doctors who benefit from the residency positions will need to provide their services to areas most in need in New York state and not simply leave the state. Unfortunately, many graduates of medical schools in this state are currently doing just that.

Third, we hope that by requiring these doctors to complete half a decade of

Will BARClAY

ViEWPOiNT:New York Needs More Doctors

See BARcLAY, page 21 4


auburn orthopaedic associates

RONALD S. DETHOMAS, M.D. has joined Auburn Orthopaedic Specialists (AOS) located at 77 Nelson St., suite 120, Auburn. He is board-certified in orthopaedic surgery and is an active member in the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. DeThomas completed his under-graduate studies at Columbia University and received his medical doctorate from Albany Medical College. As a general orthopedic surgeon, he specializes in joint replacement, fracture repair surgery, arthroscopy, and carpal-tunnel procedures.

bassett healthcare network

Bassett Medical Center has appoint-ed DR. NICHOLAS HELLENTHAL as chief of the Department of Surgery. He has been serving as act-ing chief since April 2013 when the posi-tion was vacated by Dr. Steven Heneghan who took on the role of chief clinical officer at Bassett. Most recently, Hellenthal led a surgi-cal residency program research initia-tive that culminated in the submission of a series of research papers, each with a surgical resident as a participat-ing author. Currently, three of these have been accepted for publication. Hellenthal came to Bassett in 2010 after completing minimally invasive urology surgery fellowship training at Roswell Park Cancer Center in Buffalo. He re-ceived his undergraduate degree at Santa Clara University and his medi-cal degree at Georgetown University School of Medicine. Hellenthal com-pleted a residency in urology at the University of California/Davis Medical Center, and was chief resident between 2008-2009.

st. joseph’s hospital health center

The following individuals are now af-filiated with St. Joseph’s: In the specialty of surgery, KRISTIN N. ADAIR, D.D.S.; in the specialty of emergency medicine, PATRICK R. ADCOCK, M.D., and SCOTT T. ALLAN, M.D.

St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center has appointed KRISTEN CUMOLETTI to the position of director for critical care and telemetry services. She brings with her 14 years of success-ful senior level clini-cal experience. Most recently, Cumoletti was the STEMI co-ordinator at SUNY Research Foundation in Rensselaer, where she facilitated a re-gional collaborative quality improvement project and promot-ed the delivery of evidence-based care for STEMI patients with an emphasis on increasing access to care. She earned a master’s degree in nursing from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Ariz., holds a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Russell Sage College in Troy, N.Y., and received her nursing degree from Maria College in Albany in 2000.

upstate medical university

SHARON BRANGMAN, M.D., professor of medicine and chief of geriatrics at Upstate Medical University, has received the Distinguished Service Professorship from SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher. The Distinguished Service Professorship is granted to individu-als who have demon-strated extraordinary service at SUNY and in their community, as well as through re-gional and state out-reach. Appointment constitutes a promo-tion to the state university’s highest aca-demic rank, and it is conferred solely by the State University Board of Trustees. Brangman has spent more than 25 years

on the Upstate faculty. In addition to professor of medicine and chief of geriat-rics, Brangman heads Upstate’s Geriatric Medicine Fellowship Program and di-rects the Central New York Alzheimer’s Disease Assistance Center. She earned her undergraduate degree at Syracuse University, medical degree at Upstate Medical University in 1981, and com-pleted her residency and fellowship at Montefiore Hospital and Medical Center in 1984 and 1988, respectively. Brangman was appointed to the faculty at Upstate in 1989.

vna homecare

JUNE CASTLE, VNA Homecare chief fi-nancial officer, has been appointed to the Home Care Association of New York State board of directors. She brings 15 years of progres-sive leadership expe-rience to the HCA board of directors. Castle contributes her expertise to is-sues relating not only to the preservation of home care and the patients served, but also to cultivating relationships and alli-ances to promote positive social change. As a lead and key member of VNA Homecare’s administrative executive team, Castle’s leadership and financial expertise have enabled the system to re-main flexible in adjusting to the changing needs of the region’s health-care delivery system. Castle graduated from Empire State College with a bachelor’s degree in business, management, and economics; holds a certification for Home Care and Hospice Executives; and is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives. n

HealtH-Care Career

NEWS

DeThomas

Hellenthal

Cumoletti

Brangman

Castle

Send your Health Care People-on-the-Move

news via email to: [email protected]


T he state’s Nonprofit Revitalization Act (NPRA) took effect July 1, 2014. Nonprofit organizations through-

out New York have invested a significant amount of board, management, legal,

and financial effort in complying with requirements of this extensive reform legislation. Two of the primary focus areas for both re-form and increased board governance regard conflicts of interest and related-party transactions.

The requirements in each of these areas have been well documented in my

previous columns. However, one of the common results of focus on these two areas has been an increasing number of questions regarding competitive bids for various types of professional and vendor-supply contracts.

Prior to the NPRA, the following ques-tions were frequently discussed during the decision-making process related to competitive bids.

“They are all the same, aren’t they?”“Six of one, half dozen of the other. It

makes no difference to me.”“Let’s take the lowest price quote. I

can’t identify any differences between and among the firms.”

“We have to take the lowest price to fulfill our fiduciary responsibility.”

“There is no way to differentiate one firm from the other.”

“We have to change vendors. It has been more than five years that we have used the current firm.”

“They all have similar qualifications, right?”

Both before and after the NPRA, the answer to each of the questions or com-ments above would be a resounding “no.” In many cases, there is truth in the adage, “you get what you pay for.” This can be particularly true in the selection of service providers for your organization.

In New York state, the Office of the State Comptroller has issued a “Vendor Responsibility Questionnaire,” which the state has used for a number of years as a component of qualifying a ven-dor for a state grant or contract award (http://www.osc.state.ny.us/vendrep/forms_vendor.htm.). In addition to the recommendations below regarding the adoption of a “lowest responsible bidder policy,” I strongly recommend that a policy of this type require the completion of this questionnaire for the vendors you are seriously considering.

In the nonprofit sector, too often, and at times with disastrous consequences, the lowest price quote, without consideration of qualifications, dictates the decision process. With certain minor exceptions, there are no regulatory requirements in the area of professional-service contracts that “require” the frequency of change in service provider or that the lowest price be awarded the contract.

First and foremost, adopting and im-plementing a “lowest responsible bidder” policy requires that your organization consider what is:n Practical for implementationn Scalable to the size of the entityn Feasible, andn Cost-effective for management and

staffIf we can agree that lowest respon-

sible/qualified bidder is a preferable course of action from a policy perspec-tive, the remainder of this column will provide guidance regarding the imple-mentation of such a policy.

Organizational culture will influence your policy and decision-making in the area of contracted professional services. We can all agree that buying a television set or an automobile by the same manu-facturer can be focused primarily on choosing the lowest price. However, for contracted professional and/or adminis-trative support services, there are many factors to consider, in addition to price.

Criteria to be considered in your as-sessment of service providers should include:n Integrity, trustworthiness

n Financial stabilityn Skilln Judgmentn Ability to performn Promptnessn Experiencen References from previous clients/

customersAlthough I can be viewed as having a

biased opinion in this area as a profes-sional service provider of audit, tax, and consulting services, my goal is to remain objective in the recommendations that follow.

Certain basic assumptions need to be agreed upon before addressing the issue of frequency of bidding professional and administrative support-service contracts.

1) If the current relationship is not broken, don’t fix it.

2) If the service being provided is of high quality, timely, and provided at a rea-sonable cost, the need for and frequency of change is significantly reduced.

3) There can be a substantial internal cost associated with coordinating a re-quest for proposal process (RFP).

4) References from current and for-mer clients of the service provider should be obtained and considered as a key com-ponent in the decision process.

5) In the nonprofit sector, the volume and complexity of regulations require that professional service providers have relevant experience. Ignorance of a law or regulation is no excuse for non-com-pliance.

6) Changing service providers can be costly and disruptive if the transition is not managed effectively. The change should be viewed as similar to turnover in a key employee position.

With these basic assumptions, modi-fied to fit your organizational culture, your lowest responsible bidder policy should include documentation of the expected frequency of an RFP process for each professional service contract. The type of services to be scheduled can include, but are not limited to, the following:n Independent audit and tax services

Addressing key questions about the Nonprofit Revitalization Act

GeRAld J. ARchibAld

nonprofit management

See ARCHIBALD, page 22 4


RADIOLOGICAL DIAGNOSTIC-IMAGING FACILITIESRanked by No. of Radiological-Imaging Employees

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NOTESt. Joseph’s Imaging Associates (#2) did not respond with updated informa-tion this year.

ABOUT THE LISTInformation was provided by representatives of listed organizations and their websites. Other groups may have been eligible but did not respond to our requests for information. Organizations had to complete the survey by the deadline to be included on the list. While The Business Journal strives to print accurate information, it is not possible to independently verify all data submitted. We reserve the right to edit entries or delete categories for space considerations.

WHAT cONSTITUTES THE cNY REgION?Central New York includes Broome, Cayuga, Chemung, Chenango, Cortland, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, Oswego, Seneca, St. Lawrence, Tioga, and Tompkins counties. NEEd A cOpY Of A LIST?Electronic versions of all our lists, with additional fields of information and survey contacts, are available for purchase at our website, cnybj.com/ListsResearch.aspx WANT TO BE ON THE LIST?If your company would like to be considered for next year’s list, or another list, please email [email protected]

THE LISTResearch by Vance [email protected] (315) 579-3911Twitter: @cnybjresearch


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TARGETING:

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EMPLOYMENT & CAREER FINDER

Potential Health-Care Candidates

HealthCare Provider is a publication written for and mailed directly to health-care providers in the region.

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“Wherever our medical or health-care research goes, for the frail elderly, we’ll also have an impact on public policy, so we were very delighted with that,” Holstein said.

If the groups are successful in the grant’s first year, then it will become a three-year contract, said Holstein.

F.O.C.U.S Greater Syracuse will serve

as the lead agency during the first two years, and Upstate Medical University will serve in the same role during the third year, Holstein said.

Washington, D.C.–based PCORI is an independent, nonprofit organization that Congress in 2010 authorized to fund CER “that will provide patients, their caregiv-

ers, and clinicians with the evidence needed to make better-informed health and health-care decisions,” according to the news release.

Congress authorized the establish-ment of PCORI in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, accord-ing to the PCORI website. n

FRAILTY: F.O.C.U.S. Greater Syracuse will serve as the lead agency during the first two years Continued from page 6

ages payments is an enormous employer that is itself responsible for driving up the cost of care. Finally, the individuals employed in all of the above are depen-dent upon the continued functioning of this “out-of-control creation” for their livelihoods.

Not all is pessimistic in the world of medicine, though. Technological advanc-es have helped both patients and doctors by providing the tools and knowledge to

diagnose disease more accurately and treat it more efficiently.

So, while some of the human touch in the doctor/patient relationship is gone, the importance of better patient out-comes shouldn’t be dismissed.

Although I find a personal health-care visit to be a sterile interaction, I cannot deny it is more efficient and more effec-tive than the medicine we practiced. Our model has gone, and another has taken

its place. n

J. Joseph Marr, M.D. is a retired academic physician and pharmaceutical and biotech-nology executive who lives near Denver. Dr. Marr is the author of more than 200 academic publications, and has authored and edited six books, including “Fall From Grace: A Physician’s Retrospective on the Past Fifty Years of Medicine and the Impact of Social Change.”

MARR: Not all is pessimistic in the world of medicine, though Continued from page 15

community-level collaborations in order to focus on systems reform. The program comes with a specific goal of a 25 percent reduction in avoidable hospital use over five years. Providers in the program must work toward system transformation as well as clinical and population health improvement. All DSRIP funds are based on performance linked to achievement milestones. The state is still creating the benchmarks, so this program is very much a work-in-process.” The $8 billion is allocated in three ways: $500 million for the interim-access assurance fund (compensates providers for the disrup-tion caused by adapting to the new system), $6.42 billion for DSRIP, and $1.08 billion for

other medical redesign purposes, such as Health Home development.

Perra, who received the Greater Utica Chamber’s “2014 Business Person of the Year” award for outstanding service to the com-munity, joined St. Luke’s-Memorial Hospital Center in 1985, becoming the executive vice president/COO in 1989. He was appointed president/CEO of the consolidated hospitals in 2009. Perra received his bachelor’s degree in health-services management from the State University of New York College of Technology in Utica and his master’s in management sci-ence from SUNY Binghamton. He has been ap-pointed to a number of regional boards and has been active in several health-care associations.

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MVHS: All DSRIP funds are based on performance linked to achievement milestones Continued from page 13

service in a medically under-served area, they will build a practice in these areas and therefore be more inclined to stay. It is not enough to simply get doctors to prac-tice in underserved areas for a limited duration. We want them to stay, build a practice in these areas, and become a part of the community.

I understand that this

legislation alone will not solve our doctor shortage and that it does not address the shortages for other health-care providers such as nurses. However, it is a good and relatively inexpen-sive way to start tackling the problem and perhaps can provide the model for a larger, more encompassing program. n

William (Will) A. Barclay is the Republican representative of the 120th New York Assembly District, which encompasses most of Oswego County, including the cities of Oswego and Fulton, as well as the town of Lysander in Onondaga County and town of Ellisburg in Jefferson County. Contact him at [email protected]..

BARCLAY: Legislation can help address shortage problem Continued from page 16

http://www.genevaonthelake.com


ARCHIBALD: Organized culture will influence your policy and decision-making Continued from page 18

n Legaln Insurancen Bankingn Investment managementn Transportationn Telecommunicationsn Actuarial and valuation servicesn Contracted support services (exam-

ple: payroll, maintenance, utilities, food service)

In most cases, it’s important that a board committee has designated re-sponsibility for the evaluation of each service provider on a periodic basis. Management, generally, will take the pri-mary responsibility for conducting the

RFP process with appropriate input and oversight from the board committee.

In the absence of regulatory require-ments, the decision regarding frequency of the RFP process should consider the factors described above. As a general guideline, I believe that a five-year cycle, assuming satisfaction with the current service provider, is reasonable for most of the service contracts described above. However, frequency of the evaluation and assessment process does not anticipate or require that the service relationship be transitioned to a new provider. In fact, the evaluation and assessment may not require an RFP every five years, if you

are satisfied with the current service provider on quality and cost.

In my chosen field of accounting and auditing, I have often said that if a service provider is providing satisfactory service at a reasonable price, changing firms can generate more negative implications than positive results. The important element in this area is documenting and implement-ing a policy that is effective for your orga-nization and its decision-making culture.

Gerald J. Archibald, CPA, is a partner in charge of the management advisory ser-vices at The Bonadio Group. Contact him at [email protected]

Hiscock & Barclay combines with Buffalo law firm to form one of the largest health-care practices in Upstate

BY ADAM [email protected]

T he Syracuse–based law firm of Hiscock & Barclay, LLP announced

June 1 that it is combining with Buffalo–based Damon Morey LLP to establish a 275-attorney, “super-regional” law firm with expanded client services.

The new firm, to be called Barclay Damon effective June 1, has offices with between 30 and 105 attorneys each in Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, and Albany. Barclay Damon also has growing offices in New York City, New Jersey, Boston, Toronto, New York’s Southern Tier, and Washington, D.C., ac-cording to a news release the firm issued. Including support staff, the firm will employ more than 500.

Barclay Damon will be the largest law firm in upstate New York. The new firm also creates one of the largest health-care practices in upstate New York, doubling the combined firm’s group and supporting its repre-sentation of hospitals, physician groups, skilled nursing and as-sisted-living facilities, and other

health-care clients, the release stated.

“This marriage establishes an organization unique in the Northeast that brings together some of the most prominent lawyers in their fields,” said John P. Langan, managing part-ner of Hiscock & Barclay.

Langan agreed to continue as managing partner of Barclay Damon.

Peter S. Marlette, managing partner of Damon Morey, will be managing director of the combined firm’s Buffalo office, together with current Hiscock & Barclay Buffalo managing director James P. Domagalski. The new firm has 105 attorneys in Buffalo. It has not yet decided which Buffalo office building it will use.

Hiscock & Barclay, which was founded in 1855 in Syracuse, said it has grown from 50 at-torneys in 1995 to 210 attor-neys before the announcement. Hiscock & Barclay has 80 at-torneys in Syracuse and 40-plus attorneys in Albany.

Damon Morey was founded in 1917 in Buffalo, and the firm currently has offices in Buffalo, Clarence, and Rochester. n

sentation of hospitals, physician groups, skilled nursing and as-sisted-living facilities, and other


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