Have you wondered what our GHP Board of Directors does for us? Some of us may not really know. I practiced at Group Health for many years and while I had a vague awareness of the board, it wasn’t until I began attending the meetings that I started to understand their role. The five years I’ve spent closely working with them has taught me this: They are an extremely dedicated and skilled group who take their work very seriously and serve us very well.

The nine board members are all practicing physicians who are committed to making GHP the best place to practice and the best place to get care. As elected members, they hold themselves accountable to GHP shareholders and to all 1,200 clinicians who provide care for nearly 400,000 patients and arrange and oversee care for another 200,000.

“I serve on the Board because I really care about providing excellent care for my patients,” said Dr. Bob Riggs, board member for six years. “I think it’s important that people who view patient care like I do, have a voice on the board.”

Board members spend a great deal of time learning about topics ranging from finance to marketing to strategy so they can effectively govern our multi-million dollar organization.They tackle complex questions like “How can we reduce external delivery system costs?” and “What is the best way to attract and retain the best clinicians to our medical group?”

“We’re working very hard to create a sustainable business model, in close alignment with Group Health Cooperative,” said Dr. Paul Flugstad, new board chair. “We want to build our delivery system so it’s the best in the state for patients and for physicians.”

Much of the work of the board is done by the nine subcommittees. (See sidebar) Each committee—chaired by a board member and made up of other practicing physicians—acts as a think tank, working out the details of a proposed plan. For example, last year, the Retirement committee logged countless hours ironing out the details of the new Cash Balance Plan.

Last Friday, the board attended a seminar with presentations by GHC Marketing, to learn how we are marketing our group practice and what we need to do in the future. Many of our physicians are involved in this work, and strategies discussed included the role our medical group can play, ranging from improved communications skills (how we talk about Group Health and about each other to patients), to updating online bio photos. (Be sure to attend tomorrow’s videoconference at noon for an in-depth discussion of “Exceptional Customer Service” for physicians.)

It was a successful day of working with GHC colleagues Lin McMaster, Director of Operations, Advertising & Marketing Communications; Sharon Thomson, Executive Director, Advertising & Marketing Communications; Jay Gusick, Executive Director, Communications & Community Relations, and should pay off with a successful approach to our market.

I feel privileged to work with the GHP Board. As I said, they take their responsibility as representatives of their colleagues and their patients very seriously and perform it with integrity and wisdom.

- Michael

So many people—mainly children—are suffering the aftermath of the devastating earthquake in Haiti last month. Aid has been funneling in as volunteers, donations and supplies make their way to the ravaged area. What is it like to be on the ground, as a physician, helping as best as possible in such conditions? Reports from two physicians—one a new doc at Northgate and the other a retired Group Health physician—tell the story.

Two patients, Stanley, who had lost three of the fingers on his right hand and Kevin, a thoughtful boy with a below the knee amputation blowing bubbles.

“We cared for refugees who came to the Dominican Republic from Haiti, most with orthopedic

problems—crush injuries, need for amputations, wound infections—but some tropical diseases such as malaria, too,” said Mary Wierusz, MD, a family physician at Northgate Medical Center, recently returned from 12 days in the Dominican Republic. “As a volunteer with Children of the Nations, I was one of five physicians on a medical team of three surgeons, and another family physician.”

Patient, Jordiani with Dr. Wierusz

Working 12-hour shifts in a small hospital, these

doctors performed skin grafts and amputation revisions, as well as focusing on pain and infection control. They brought donated supplies and medications with them, and more necessary equipment arrived while they were there.

“Many of the patients had limbs amputated already, but with infections and fevers, pain control was a foremost concern,” Dr. Wierusz said. Although the clinic was set up to care for children, they had arrived with at least one family member, and so the team treated the adults’ various ailments as well.

“It’s a different way of practicing medicine. You can’t rely as much on labs and studies—just good physical diagnostic and history skills,” said Dr. Wierusz, adding that the cultural differences create challenges too. “We physicians are used to being scheduled out, but in these settings, patients just show up and you see as many as you can.”

Patients waiting in line at the clinic in Cap-Hatien

In the northern Haitian city of Cap-Haitien, family doctor Jack Putnam, MD, traveled with pediatrician Jean Gortner, MD and clinical psychologist Larry Zuberbier, PhD—all retired from GHP—as part of a team of fourteen, sponsored by Northwest Physicians Network.

“We saw a patient population who had not received much, if any, medical care in the past,” reported Dr. Putnam. “We treated burns, trauma from falls and falling debris, ‘heartache’ (stress and grief from loss of family), malaria, pneumonia, scabies, parasites, STDs, and a variety of symptoms, often of a chronic nature. Diagnoses were difficult because of the lack of diagnostic equipment but especially so because of language barriers. Nonetheless, we saw nearly 900 patients.”

Help and hope is needed long term

Dr. Mary Wierusz in the Dominican Republic with a Hatian patient who needed a skin graft.

Haiti’s ongoing needs stretch beyond mending fractures and treating infections. Disease is usually more advanced because of poverty and limited resources. Public health needs, safe drinking water, psychological services and physical rehabilitation are areas that must be rebuilt or introduced.

“My colleague and I developed with a long term plan to identify ways patients can be discharged, relocated, and rehabilitated,” said Dr. Wierusz, who has a Diploma in Tropical Medicine. The need for physical therapists and other rehab clinician volunteers will only increase in the foreseeable future. If you are interested in volunteering, contact Michelle Anderson, project manager of Group Health Global Health, at (206) 448-6554.

Both Dr. Wierusz and Dr. Putnam indicated that while difficult, their experience as a volunteer physician was rewarding. Dr. Wierusz felt especially grateful to everyone at the clinic who were very supportive and covered her shifts while she was gone.

GHP’s thirteenth Annual Meeting on Feb. 9, 2010 was the biggest yet with more than 550 guests.

Board member Barbara Detering, MD, opened the meeting, and spoke of the remarkable year Group Health experienced in 2009. “The past year has been one of tremendous exposure and accolades for our group,” she said before presenting a video montage of the media attention Group Health received in 2009. “For a while, wherever you turned, there was Group Health.”

New GHP Board Chair, Paul Flugstad, MD then announced the election results. Bob Karl and Bob Riggs retained their positions. There were 4 candidates for position #7. Since no candidate received a majority as required in the bylaws, the top two candidates—Jill Allen and Steve Hockeiser—will face each other in a new election.

After announcing the election results, Dr. Flugstad spoke about the strength of our enterprise, our leaders and our future. “Never underestimate what an organization can accomplish when it knows where it is going, has a sustainable business model, unleashes human potential and remains aligned,” he said.

From left: Outgoing Board Chair Mike Wanderer, MD; new Board Chair Paul Flugstad, MD; Bob Karl, MD

Dr. Flugstad then honored outgoing Board Chair Mike Wanderer, MD—who has served on the GHP Board since 1997—presenting a tribute complete with photos dating back from Dr. Wanderer’s days as a heavily bearded resident in the Group Health Family Medicine Residency Program. Dr. Wanderer thanked the group and repeated the theme of partnership “Together we can do so much more than we could do alone,” he said.

Next up was GHP President Michael Soman. Dr. Soman spoke of his son Nick’s recent illness and his family’s experience in the clinical setting as Nick recovered. “As physicians, we don’t always see how a care plan is carried out. Physicians chart the course but it’s the team of nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and other clinicians who pave the way for rehabilitation,” said Dr. Soman. “It’s that kind of partnership that ensures patients get the best care, and this is the theme of the 2010 Annual Meeting.”

Reflecting on the past year, Dr. Soman counted the drastic changes we’ve seen—a new president, intense debates surrounding health care reform, a difficult recession and rising unemployment. Group Health successfully tackled our challenges by building on strategies, not by layoffs.

“All our successes depend on everyone at Group Health—in short, partnerships,” said Dr. Soman. He went on to state there are three areas in which we will continue to focus—sustainable growth,

Dr. Michael Soman presenting Dr. Michael Maxin with the Ward Miles Award

influence on our community partners, and partnerships with our patients to create even more trust. We can only do this if we work together.

Dr. Soman then announced the nominees and winners for each GHP Award:

Jerome F. Beekman Award for Outstanding Leadership:
Claire Trescott, MD, Primary Care Medical Director

Ward C. Miles Award for Clinical Excellence:

Michael Maxin, MD, Radiology

Jesse Mantel Award for Service Quality:
Camtu Thai, MD, Family Medicine

Steven Turnipseed Award for Outstanding Non-Physician Clinician:
Jon Lowe, PA-C, Family Medicine; and Brad Steinfeld, PhD, Psychology

Bruce Smith, MD, Medical Chief, Continuing Care; Jan Von Lehe, Associate Director, Nursing Home Services; and Carol Wilson, Director, Continuing Care, wait on stage to accept their Team Excellence Award.

Don Miller Excellence Award:
David Grossman, MD, Medical Director for Preventive Care

Team Excellence Award:
Nursing Home Services

President’s Award for Outstanding Customer Service:
Agnieszka Swanson

The Howard & Stephanie Kirz Tomorrow’s Medical Leader Award:

Wellesley Chapman, MD, Chief, Burien Medical Center

Lifetime Achievement Awards:

Richard Olivier, MD, Consultative Internal Medicine; and Sim Rubenstein, MD, Cardiology

Michael,

Dr. J.C. Leveque, one of our neurosurgeons, went the extra mile for me twice recently.

In the first instance, he took the time to talk to a friend of mine who was scheduled for spine surgery with another surgeon. The amount of time he spent on the phone was tremendous in helping my friend understand his problem, the treatment, and preparing for the surgery and recovery.

The second instance was when he came in on a day he wasn’t scheduled to work to perform surgery on a patient of mine so she could have both surgeries she needed on the same day rather than coming back another day for her second surgery.

I think he is an example of why it is great to work here.

~Eric Froines, MD