HonorHealth Newsletter to the Medical Staff

September 2021

Medical Staff COVID-19 Vaccination

As most of you are aware, earlier this summer HonorHealth announced that all employees would be required to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 by no later than November 1, 2021. The Medical Staff Network Executive Committee endorsed this decision, and consistent with HonorHealth policy, is requiring all members of the HonorHealth Medical Staff and Allied Health Staff to receive the COVID-19 vaccination.

Reasonable accommodations will be considered in accordance with federal and state laws. As a reminder, members of the Medical and Allied Health Staff who are not fully vaccinated by November 1, in compliance with HonorHealth policy and the threshold eligibility criteria outlined in our Credentials Policy, and who are not granted an exemption, will be subject to an automatic relinquishment of their appointment and clinical privileges.

We are appreciative of those who have already submitted their proof of vaccination. There are still some who need to submit documentation.

This is a reminder to submit a copy of your completed vaccination card to the following email address:

honorhealthcvo@honorhealth.com

Documentation must be submitted by November 1, 2021. If you wish to confirm that your documentation has been received, you may inquire at TMS@honorhealth.com.

Submission of a copy of your vaccination card is necessary even if you received your vaccination through HonorHealth, with the relatively uncommon exception of those who are employed by HonorHealth and received injection at Employee Health. If you were vaccinated at the temporary HonorHealth facility near Deer Valley, which likely applies to most of you, then please submit a copy of your vaccination card.

If you wish to be considered for a religious or medical exemption from the vaccine requirement, please access Honor Hub or contact your local Medical Staff Office to obtain the appropriate form. Please submit the completed form to CovidExemptions@Honorhealth.com. Requests for exemptions are due no later than October 1, 2021.

Thank you for taking the step of vaccination to help protect our patients, our community, and each other.

Sincerely,

The HonorHealth Vice Chiefs of Staff, Chiefs of Staff, and Immediate Past Chiefs of Staff.

Pulmonary Rehabilitation begins at John C. Lincoln

Pharmaceutical & Therapeutics Committee update: liposomal bupivacaine (Exparel®)

Meet Gehan Botrus, MD, PhD, HonorHealth Research Institute (Oncology Research) drug development scholar

ADDITIONAL NEWS

Medical Staff Chief's update

John C. Lincoln Medical Center now offers Pulmonary Rehabilitation services. The multidisciplinary team, which includes a nurse, respiratory therapist, and exercise physiologist, provide education and exercise plans tailored to the needs of patients who have lung-related diseases.

Benefits of Pulmonary Rehabilitation
Through education, self-care techniques and exercise, Pulmonary Rehabilitation gives patients the ability to function better in their daily lives. Other benefits include:

Improved breathing effort and less breathing problems
Decreased symptoms
Increased ability to exercise
Better management of anxiety and depression

Who is eligible?

Pulmonary Rehabilitation is designed for patients with:

Bronchiectasis
Chronic bronchitis
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
Emphysema
Interstitial lung disease
Post-COVID-19
Lung cancer and lung cancer surgery
Pulmonary hypertension
Sarcoidosis

For more information, call 602-870-6368. For specific program questions or patient eligibility, email Anselmo Garcia, MD, at agarc3@honorhealth.com.

Meet Dr. Masoud Sultani, Pain Management physician

Gehan Botrus trained in medical oncology at National Cancer Institute, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt, and she obtained a PhD in molecular target therapy from Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium. She worked as senior clinical research scientist at MD Anderson, Houston, TX, completed her residency in internal medicine at Texas Tech University, and performed her fellowship focusing on GI research and health disparity while at Mayo Clinic in Phoenix AZ.

She is passionate about gastroenterology (GI), especially colorectal cancer at young age of onset and exploration of the pathogenesis in minority populations. She enjoys standup comedy, traveling and experiencing new cultures and cuisines.

Dr. Botrus will begin seeing patients in September at the HonorHealth Research Institute. For questions, scheduling, or to refer a patient, call 480-323-1364 or email clinicaltrials@honorhealth.com.

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Advancements in treating thoracic aneurysms

Earlier this month, Dr. Venkatesh G. Ramaiah, MD, Chief of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery at HonorHealth, was the first in the United States to implant an FDA approved, low profile, next generation thoracic stent-graft device designed to expand the treatment of thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) in patients with smaller access vessels. “One of the key features and benefits of this new device is being able to choose from a range of sizes and tapers allowing me to tailor my device selection to meet the individual needs of each patient and adapt to complex anatomy and morphology. In addition, the unique delivery system, the low profile and the options of Bare Stent and Non-Bare Stent are clear differentiators,” states Dr. Ramaiah.

This is a landmark advancement for HonorHealth’s Cardiovascular Center of Excellence and in the endovascular treatment of thoracic aneurysms.

About Dr. Venkatesh G. Ramaiah

Dr. Ramaiah is an internationally renowned vascular and endovascular specialist. He is the principal investigator of numerous research studies and is widely published. He is also director and faculty at numerous scientific sessions, medical advisory boards, and national conferences. He has exemplified a life-long commitment to education, training, innovation, and research.

Dr. Ramaiah’s vascular fellowship was completed at Arizona Heart Institute and Hospital with Dr. Edward “Ted” Diethrich. He served as medical director and director of Vascular Surgery and research during his twenty years at the Arizona Heart Institute and has an infectious passion for Vascular Medicine.

Situation:

Current utilization of liposomal bupivacaine (Exparel®) costs the HonorHealth Network approximately $700,000 annually. New compelling evidence suggests that liposomal bupivacaine does not confer an analgesic benefit, reduction in opiate use, decrease in length of stay, or other patient-centered clinical outcomes when compared to non-liposomal anesthetics.

Background:

The HonorHealth Network Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee has unanimously approved to maintain non-formulary status of liposomal bupivacaine, however, will allow for exception criteria for the following indications:

Total knee arthroplasty in conjunction with multimodal pain management pathway
Outpatient breast reconstruction secondary to malignancy
Anorectal procedures

Assessment:

The Pharmacy & Therapeutics Committee recently evaluated additional exception requests in the following procedures:

Spinal procedures
Minimally invasive cardiothoracic procedures
Abdominoplasty

Recommendations:

In the interest of HonorHealth’s commitment to stewardship, as well as our commitment to our physician partners, our final recommendations are as follows:

Maintain non-formulary status of liposomal bupivacaine (Exparel®)

Exception list of approved indications:

Total knee arthroplasty in conjunction with multimodal pain management pathway
Outpatient breast reconstruction secondary to malignancy
Anorectal procedures

Non-formulary requests for liposomal bupivacaine (Exparel®) will not be honored by campus CMOs or P&T Committee Chairs.

Implementation of the above recommendations will begin October 1^st, 2021.

Limiting the use of liposomal bupivacaine (Exparel®) within HonorHealth Network allows us to improve resource utilization without compromising our commitment to patients. Thank you for your support.

HonorHealth Medical Group is excited to welcome to the network a new Pain Management specialist, Masoud Sultani, MD.

Dr. Sultani obtained his medical degree from the University of Arizona which is also where he completed his residency and fellowship. He is board certified by the American Board of Anesthesiology in Pain Management and Anesthesiology. As a patient himself, Dr. Sultani understands the difficulties of living with chronic pain. His personal experience with a back injury motivated him to pursue a career in treating pain. “My goal is to restore functionality in my patients so they can get back to living the life that they enjoy. I understand that no two patients are the same, and I tailor treatment plans specifically to each patient’s needs.”

Dr. Sultani’s areas of focus include neck pain, back pain, hip pain, knee pain, and shoulder pain. His expertise is in using minimally invasive procedures using various techniques – including medication injections, radiofrequency ablations, and small implantable devices to alleviate pain. Dr. Sultani also specializes in medication management for those patients who are candidates for such therapy.

For appointments, questions or to refer a patient, call 602-786-0030. Dr Sultani is seeing patients at HonorHealth Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation – John C. Lincoln, located at 9250 N 3rd St. Suite 2015, Phoenix, AZ 85020.

If there is a physician new to your practice that you would like to introduce to the HonorHealth community, please contact Kevin Wyne, HonorHealth physician marketing specialist, at kwyne@honorhealth.com

HRI: Tune in Sunday, Oct. 3, 2021! Celebrating Life & Science

Celebrating

Life & Science is a special one-hour broadcast event that will highlight inspiring stories of Arizonans working together and using science to make life better for people everywhere. Celebrating Life & Science will introduce viewers to some of Arizona’s leading healthcare and innovation leaders including Arizona Bioscience Leader of the Year honoree, Mark A. Slater, PhD, of the HonorHealth Research Institute.

When to watch:

Sunday, October 3, 2021

4:00 PM – 5:00 PM ABC15 (KNXV-TV Phoenix)

9:00 PM – 10:00 PM CW61 (KASW-TV Phoenix)

Friday, October 8, 2021

12:00 AM – 1:00 AM ABC15 (KNXV-TV Phoenix) Friday after Nightline

The broadcast will be available On Demand Beginning October 3, 2021 at 4 p.m. MST

To learn more visit azbio.org/celebrating-life-science-2021

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Updates from Academic Affairs

Expansion of library services, social determinants of health, DEI, survey of PPE and more! +READ MORE