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Posts Tagged ‘Northern Colorado Business Report’

Congratulations to Dr. Yanagi, a woman of distinction

Posted in Awards, Emergency response, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , on October 26, 2011 | 2 Comments »

One topic I always enjoy writing about is the public recognition that our staff members receive. Honors and awards are affirmations of their efforts, dedication and success.

So it’s with great pride that I point out a tremendous honor recently bestowed upon Dr. Ann Yanagi, an emergency room physician since 1988. She also practices in our Occupational Health Services and Wound Healing Clinic.

Dr. Yanagi received the 2011 Northern Colorado Women of Distinction Award in Medical Careers from the Northern Colorado Business Report. She was one of 11 women honored for their contributions to the northern Colorado region.

A photo of me (left) with Dr. Yanagi (second from left) holding a plaque presented by Kevin Unger (far right), Poudre Valley Hospital president and CEO, and a Women of Distinction pin presented by Lorna Reeves, a previous recipient of the award.

Among her many achievements over the years, Dr. Yanagi was a leader in the development of the regional Sexual Assault Nurses Examiner (SANE) program. Established in 1999, the program provides specially trained nurses that conduct forensic exams for people who have been sexually assaulted.

Dr. Yanagi is the current chair of the Poudre Valley Hospital Foundation and has been active on the board of the Health District of Northern Larimer County and in such community activities as the Fort Collins Symphony Orchestra. She is the founder of the Health and Wellness Orchestra that performs at the Medical Center of the Rockies and Poudre Valley Hospital for patients and their families, as well as community members and PVHS employees. Many of the orchestra members are like Dr. Yanagi—a healthcare specialist by vocation, a musician by avocation.

Lorna Reeves, one of the first class of Women of Distinction honorees when NCBR established the award in 2009, says the program is an important way to recognize women in the region and also encourage them to stretch beyond their limits. Lorna, senior vice president and branch manager for Cache Bank & Trust, Fort Collins, says the award helps women in our region learn about role models who are excellent examples of community spirit and professionalism.

I agree. The values of commitment to profession and community expressed through the Women of Distinction honor reflect Dr. Yanagi as an individual, physician and community leader.

I’ve known Dr. Yanagi for years, and she is a humble, gentle, gracious, compassionate lady with a true love of life and caring for others. She is one of our region’s leading role models for other women, as well as for men.

I want to thank Northern Colorado Business Report for establishing the annual Women of Distinction program and I offer a heartfelt congratulation to Dr. Yanagi.

Rulon

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Greeley Medical Clinic Here!

Posted in Greeley Medical Clinic, Healthcare reform, Patient safety, Patient satisfaction, Physician integration, Quality improvement, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , on July 13, 2010 | 11 Comments »

As of today The Greeley Medical Clinic became the largest component of the Poudre Valley Medical Group (PVMG), the fastest growing medical group in Northern Colorado.  We are so excited to have these quality physicians, providers, staff members and the entire team who have spent 77 years making GMC the premier multi-specialty group in Northern Colorado.  Given that there has been so much mis-information spread about what the actions and intent of GMC now that they are part of PVMG, we have been having local community meetings to tell people the facts about what is happening.  Following is a summary from The Northern Colorado Business Report that was published late last week in reference to one of those community meetings:

Northern Colorado Business Report daily wire service July 8, 2010

Greeley Medical Clinic to formally join PVHS

GREELEY – Greeley Medical Clinic, which has 60 physicians at eight locations in Greeley, Loveland and Windsor, will become part of Poudre Valley Medical Group on July 11. At that time, GMC’s doctors and staff will become employees of Fort Collins-based Poudre Valley Health System. PVMG is PVHS’s medical specialty group created earlier this year that also includes Heart Center of the Rockies. GMC officials, along with PVHS CEO Rulon Stacey, have held two breakfast presentations at Greeley Guest House to discuss the new relationship and try to refute any perception that GMC’s alignment with PVHS will drive patients out of Greeley and Weld County and into facilities in Larimer County. “We are absolutely committed to Weld County and Greeley and we know our patients are as absolutely committed as well,” said Troy Simon, GMC’s CEO, to an audience of about 20 local officials, media and health-care industry participants Thursday. “We are not leaving (Greeley) or pulling services out of here. We are looking to grow and for a partner to help us do that.” Simon said GMC and PVHS spent months talking about a shared vision for both organizations before deciding to align in April. Simon said the decision also was made in light of a stance by Phoenix-based Banner Health, which owns McKee Medical Center in Loveland and has a contract to operate North Colorado Medical Center in Greeley, that generally forbids physicians from practicing at Banner sites unless they are employed by that system. Daniel Zenk, GMC’s president, said the decision to align with PVHS was not made easily because GMC had wanted to remain a “medical Switzerland” and not join directly with either Banner or PVHS. But when GMC decided to build a 40,000-square-foot clinic attached to PVHS-owned Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland, Zenk said GMC’s long relationship with NCMC and Banner soured. “It was clearly an unanticipated response and changed where we went from that point forward,” he said. Simon said the alignment with PVHS will help GMC recruit physicians in hard-to-fill specialties. “It was very important to have a partner that was willing to recruit with us and help us be competitive,” he said.
Simon also noted that the contract with PVHS allows GMC physicians to send patients wherever they think is best for their care, including Banner facilities. “There’s nothing in our agreement that specifically says we have to send our patients to a Poudre Valley hospital,” he said. Zenk said GMC’s decision also was based on respecting patient choice of where they wanted to be treated, which would have been difficult under a Banner affiliation. “Wherever they need to go to get the care they need, that’s where the patient will go.” Stacey said the intent of the alignment of PVHS with GMC – and employment of its staff – is to better serve the needs of patients in the region. “We’re thrilled to be working with Greeley Medical Clinic to provide services in Greeley and Weld County,” he said. “We’ve never discussed moving patients from Greeley to Loveland or Fort Collins for any other reason than medical care.”
I would love to hear any rumors or concerns you are hearing out there.  Anything I can address?
Rulon

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