November 6, 2012 – The Long Beach Veterans Affairs (VA) Healthcare System was named among the Joint Commission’s “Top Performers on Key Quality Measures,” a recognition given to 19 of the 152 VA hospitals accredited by the commission across the nation. The Long Beach VA was recognized specifically for its work in these measure sets: heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia and surgical care. The Joint Commission, the leading accreditor of health care organizations in the United States, measures the hospitals on two 95 percent performance thresholds based on 2011 accountability data. The 19 hospitals awarded met or exceeded 95 percent performance on every accountability measure and on a single composite score that includes all accountability measures of the commission. The 2011 Top Performers on Key Quality Measures list represents the top 18 percent of hospitals accredited by the Joint Commission that report core measure performance data. For more information on the Long Beach VA, visit www.longbeach.va.gov.

Pictured, top row, from left, are: Dr. David Webb, acting chief of Medical HCG (health care group); Saad Howard, health systems specialist; Jonathan Plasencia, chief of prosthetics; Douglas Saylor, chief of VA Police; Antoine Arbaji, chief of engineering; Michael Rupert, chief of finance; Robin Onishi, chief of GRMEC (geriatric, rehabilitation medicine and extended care); Mark Ofstein, interim chief of staff; John Tryboski, associate director of PCS/NE (primary care services/nursing education); Alice Martinez, strategic planner; Sherrie Schuldheis, assistant director of systems redesign; James Dvorak, chief of canteen service; Anthony DeFrancesco, associate director; John Petek, chief of social work service; John Allen, chief of data collection; Kathy Johnson, compliance officer; Melissa Ottem, chief of HIMS (healthcare information and management systems); and Mary Casey, GHATP (graduate healthcare administration training program).

Bottom row, from left, are: Larry Albers, chief of mental health HCG; Anthony Candela, chief of BRC (blind rehabilitation center); Jamshid Tehranzadeh, chief of radiology service; Eric Pieper, chief of safety and emergency management; Susy George, chief of PCS/Medical and SCI (spinal cord injury) HGG; Amy Canter, health systems specialist; Kathy Waletzko, program specialist; Sophia Chun, chief of SCI; Claria Carriman, chief PCS/Surgical HCG and BRC; Gina Rawson, womens health manager; Isabel Duff, director of VA Long Beach Healthcare System; Josie Villanueva, chief PCS Mental Health HCG; Mary Beth McCartan, chief of human resources; Mary Ann Child, associate nurse chief; Dr. Maria DaCost-Iyer, acting chief of pathology; Susan DeMasters, manager of EEO (equal employment opportunity); Michael Ascari, chief of pharmacy; Nancy Downey, chief of quality management; Nora Goto, Planetree coordinator; Colette Mays, acting chief of EMS (emergency medical services); and Raul Martinez, chief of material management. (Photograph by the Business Journal’s Thomas McConville)