Promote and protect the art and science of the practice of medicine for physicians of Berks County
Volume 98, Number 4 July 1, 2007
Maintaining Sanity While Practicing Medicine p. 6 I All Your Eggs In One Basket? p. 10
Night of the Arts
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MessagePresident’s
UpdateAlliance
Berks County Medical Society, 1170 Berkshire Blvd., Ste. 100, Wyomissing, PA 19610Phone: (610) 375-6555 • Fax: (610) 375-6535 • E-Mail: [email protected]
The opinions expressed in these pages are those of the individual authors and notnecessarily those of the Berks County Medical Society.
The ad material is for the information and consideration of the reader. It does notnecessarily represent an endorsement or recommendation by the Berks CountyMedical Society.
Manuscripts offered for publication and other correspondence should be sent to1170 Berkshire Boulevard, Wyomissing, PA. The editorial board re serves the rightto reject and/or alter submitted material before publication. All manuscripts and letters should be typed double-spaced on standard 81⁄2" x 11" stationery.
The Berks County Medical Record (ISSN #0736-7333) is published six times a year inJanuary, March, July, July, September, and November by the Berks County MedicalSociety, 1170 Berkshire Blvd., Wyomissing, PA 19610. Subscription $50.00 per year.Periodicals postage paid at Reading, PA., and at additional mailing offices.POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to The Berks County Medical Record,1170 Berkshire Blvd., Wyomissing, PA 19610.
The Berks County Medical Record Editor
Charles F. Barbera, MD
Editorial Board
Margaret S. Atwell, MD Raymond C. Truex, Jr., MDCharles F. Barbera, MD Fredericka S.M. Heller, MDDaniel B. Kimball, Jr., MD Bruce R. WeidmanJohn C. Moser, MD Betsy Ostermiller
Berks County Medical Society Officers
President: Fredericka S.M. Heller, MDPresident-Elect: Benjamin Schlechter, MDChair, Executive Council: Raymond C. Truex, Jr., MDTreasurer: John C. Dethoff, MDSecretary: Brian R. Kane, MDImmediate Past President: Anne Ambarian, MDExecutive Director: Bruce R. Weidman
Volume 98, Number 4 July 1, 2007
Promote and protect the art and science of the practice of medicine for physicians of Berks County
All Your Eggs In One Basket?
Berks County Medical Society Executive Council Minutes
David J. Abraham, MD • Stephen P. Banco, MD • Yong I. Park, MD • Renee Lecuona, PA-C • Jeffrey L. Martinez, PA-C
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I’m sure that I am not alone whenI say the changes in the practice of medicine – mainly outsidepressures from the government, health insurers and the legalcommunity, to name a few of the biggies – have had atendency to overwhelm many of us. So how do we manage tokeep sanity in the midst of this chaos?
Perhaps we don’t, but the Night of the Arts, held recently at theBerkshire Country Club by the Berks County Medical Society,helped me to understand some of the ways we are coping. Iam reminded that we are an interesting and talented group ofpeople, not just in the art of medicine, but also in the arts.Represented among the many exhibitors and presenters weremusicians, artists, collectors and woodworkers, to name a fewof the interests displayed that night.
At the risk of omitting wonderful presentations by all theparticipants, I will mention a few. I myself was minding myown exhibition of Latin American Folk Art, which I havecollected for many years and have turned into a small business.As a result, I missed some of the wonderful musical presentationsby my colleagues. Neil Hoffman, Bob Thomas, Eve Kimball,John Shuman, Jeff Marshall, Al Roke, Barton Smith, GaryGinsberg, Marc Aynardi and Peg Atwell were some of theBerks County Medical Society members who gave wonderfulperformances for us that night.
I was surprised to find that there were many creators of fine artamongst the Berks County Medical Society members. DebPowell displayed beautiful quilts that she had made. PamEllenberger’s needlecraft ability was gorgeous. Ray Truex, BenSchlechter, Vince Pellegrini, Marshall Feaster, GordonPerlmutter and Tom Souders exhibited their wonderfulphotography.
Larry Citro and Bob Thomas exhibited their astrophotography.Deb Consoli surprised me with her detailed portraits of eachof her children. I have known her for years and never knewthat she was a talented artist. Elizabeth Kann displayed achildren’s book she wrote called “Pinkalicious.” This story isnow being performed in a theater in New York City. RaySmith, Mayer Mazuz and Raylene Devine also showed off
Maintaining Sanity While Practicing MedicineFredericka S. M. Heller, MD
their artistic talents. Raylene was actively painting in onecorner during much of the evening, so that we could actuallywatch her create paintings. She made it look easy. I’m sure it isnot. I have several of her paintings in my office. I bought aMexican chicken from her that night. Yes, I like chickens,especially Mexican chickens. Have you ever listened to themcrow in choruses at 3 a.m., and then again at 6 a.m.? I had apet rooster who lived in the house for many years who crowedexcitedly when I came home in the wee hours of the morningafter delivering a baby. But perhaps I shouldn’t tell you that, oryou will question my sanity.
Others were collectors like myself. Ivan Bubb brought some ofthe antique toys he has collected, which he also had exhibitedat the Reading Museum in the recent past. Kent Weaverbrought a sampling of his stamp collection, a pastime that Iloved as a child, as it was one of the first exposures I had toforeign countries and potential travel. As a matter of fact,somewhere in the attic I have all those stamps, and they are alot older than when I collected them. I wonder if there issomething valuable up there? Maybe I should resurrect an oldhobby. John Dethoff brought his telescopes that he builds.John Stelmach brought his woodworking tools and got towork making furniture next to my exhibit. Chip Minehartdemonstrated fly tying. John Martin brought his hunting dogs.John Moser showed off the boat he made, which I believeactually floats!
I know there are others in the medical profession who havedevoted an important portion of their lives to art and music. Iwas reminded of this last year when the Reading Eaglepublished an extensive article about some of our colleagues.Jack Lusch enjoys ballroom dancing. Stan Grabius enjoys artand brought Dan Namingha, an acclaimed American Indianartist in Santa Fe, here to the Reading Museum a few years ago.There are many others out there with multiple interests.
Larry Rotenberg wrote a column for the Reading Eagle for anumber of years called “Doctor’s Bag.” He spoke of FrancoToso’s discussion of medicine, which they had while running
Dr. Heller is agraduate of theUniversity ofPennsylvania MedicalSchool. She receivedher undergraduatedegree from VassarCollege. Dr. Heller isboard certified by theAmerican Board ofObstetrics andGynecology and Chiefof the Section ofObstetrics at TheReading Hospital andMedical Center. She isthe owner of Women'sLifecycles, 530Kenhorst Boulevard,Reading, where shepractices obstetrics andgynecology.
MessagePresident’s
continued on page 7
Maintaining Sanity While Practicing Medicine
continued from page 6
one Sunday morning in April of 1984. They don’t run anymore, but theystill do generally walk every Sunday morning, unless it is raining. Francopointed out to Larry that “all of the branches of medicine consist of twoparts. One part is the science of medicine, and the other part is the art ofmedicine.” Perhaps this is a different definition of art, but I think itapplies to physicians’ personal lives as well as their professions. Francowent on to say that “the science of medicine consists of the research datawhich is based strictly on factual information, and inferences made fromthe research” (evidence-based medicine today). “The art of medicine isthe actual clinical application of data found in science to individualpeople at particular times.” Last year Larry noted in a Reading Eaglearticle about doctors that “the brain in divided into two sides, the leftbrain-right brain phenomenon. The left side is more logical and linear;the right side, more artistic, intuitive, creative. Good medicine is both ofthose things.” Artists have the ability to combine the two. Larry thinksthat physicians also do this.
OK, so that is a stretch, but I think the Night of the Arts was ademonstration of the ability of physicians to integrate their lives withmany different aspects of art. I think in many ways we do this all day,every day, as we practice medicine. I believe there is still a great deal of artto the practice of medicine.
My thesis at the beginning was the examination of some of the ways wephysicians have maintained sanity in the midst of the current chaos inmedicine. I think the Night of the Arts and the many interests we haveoutside our professional lives are what continues to energize us. I thinkthese interests help us to practice better medicine. That night, we all hada wonderful time sharing our various interests and passions. We have hadexcellent feedback from everyone about how much fun this evening wasfor all involved. We hope to do it again, and I hope all of you who havespecial interests and did not participate this year, will consider doing sonext time. It is another thing our Berks County Medical Society is doingfor us. The camaraderie that evening was great. I’m sure that helps withsanity, too. The exhibits, demonstrations and performances weredelightful. I’m sure events like that evening, and the many outsideinterests we have in the arts as creators or collectors, and even theappreciation of chickens, all help us to maintain our sanity. At least Ithink I’m sane! ■
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Asituation I encounter on a pretty regularbasis working with affluent clients ishighly appreciated concentrated stock
holdings … whew, quite a mouth full. Simply, alarge portion of an investor’s wealth is tied up inone stock, and it’s at a very low cost basis. It rears itshead when I’m performing a comprehensive estate
planning analysis for clients, and to be frank, I have to approach thesubject with care and understanding. Investors with this “problem”…admittedly, an enviable one… have either accumulated shares over decades,earned them from their employer through stock option plans, or haveinherited them from a family member. The first thing I have tounderstand, regardless of how the shares were accumulated, is there arestrong feelings attached to them by the investor.
Regardless of how the investor has come to own this big “chunk” of stock,he or she is very much emotionally attached to them, and I guide myselfaccordingly. The shares have become a part of the investor’s “family,” ascomfortable as an “old pair of jeans” (to coin a favorite phrase from one ofmy colleagues), and he or she can’t imagine parting with a single share.Subsequently, although the investor understands the potential risks of sucha concentrated holding – price volatility, loss of capital and potentialunderperformance to the overall markets in the long term – he or shecannot get past the emotional aspects of owning the stock. The other“biggy:” TAXES.
When meeting with a client to broach the subject of his or her concentratedposition, I hear the inevitable: “If I sell, I’ll have to pay a lot of taxes.” “I’vebeen buying this stock for twenty years, and it’s always done well.” “Thisstock has been in our family since my grandparents. They loved thecompany. I can’t sell the stock.” “This stock has made me a lot of moneyover the years. I’m going to hold on and see how it does.” These are veryvalid feelings and understandable. But the fact remains, the potentialsignificant risk level of having 30 percent or more of an investor’s wealth inone stock is also very real. Thirty percent is the general rule of thumb I useto trigger a conversation with my client regarding divesting.
So, enough of the suspense. What are an investor’s legitimate options,right? Well, I’ll touch base on four options that are available to investors toreduce the risk concerning highly appreciated concentrated stock
positions. However, keep in mind, each investor is very unique and has hisor her own situation regarding taxes, cash flow, estate planning and thelike.
Sell the shares, pay the taxes: I can hear you cursing me all the way overhere. However, selling shares in a staggered manner over a number ofyears, starting with the highest cost basis shares, is one way to divest andcurb the tax pain. It reduces the tax burden in any one given year and maylend itself to selling some shares that actually have embedded losses tooffset some of the appreciated shares. A tailored, pre-determined strategyestablished first is the key to this strategy, accomplishing a positive-bias taxenvironment for the investor.
Hedging: This fun word conjures up all kinds of reactions from investors,but really is a straightforward concept. It’s a type of “insurance” againstlosses: Utilizing a carefully crafted strategy of buying put options andselling call options to “collar” (surround) the current price of the stockposition, an investor can protect against losses. With this strategy, theinvestor is not selling the stock, but taking out an “insurance policy”against adverse price movements using options. If the stock price falls, theoptions actually gain in value, offsetting the price decline on the stock.Side note, Uncle Sam steps in here, too. If the options make a profit, theinvestor has a short-term capital gain to report. Along the same lines is aPre Paid Forward Contract. Basically, an investor can receive today (usuallyupwards of 80 percent of the current value of the stock) a payment for hisor her stock, to be delivered sometime in the future. The investor usuallywill be able to participate in some additional upside potential appreciation(capped by the payor) before ultimate delivery.
Exchange Funds: This is not to be confused with Exchange Traded Fundsor ETFs. Generally established as Limited Liability Partnerships, these arepools of investors who have not bought into the fund but, rather, havetransferred their concentrated highly appreciated shares into the fund to beco-mingled, providing instant diversification (the fund will seek diversifiedinvestors to make sure there is appropriate diversification within the fund).There is no taxable event on the transfer, and a new cost basis is established– the fund’s. The downside is there is a seven-year lock up period, andwhen the investor cashes out, he or she will not receive the original stockshares. There are stipulations and specific nuances to each exchange fundand important details to consider when considering this type of vehicle.
continued on page 11
All Your Eggs in One Basket?By Cliff Short III, AWMA CPM, Vice President Wealth Management, Fulton Financial Advisors
10 July 1, 2007
Charitable Remainder Trusts: For those investors who have a favoritecharity and want to leave a legacy of giving...and not to mention apotentially handsome tax break while they’re still alive...a CharitableRemainder Trust (CRT) may be a very real consideration. Simply, theinvestor would gift his or her shares to the CRT, potentially receiving afavorable tax write off, and receive income from the CRT. When the“gifter” passes away, the remainder of the assets are used by the charity.Downside: The gift is irrevocable, and the amount of income the investorwill receive needs to be analyzed to make sure cash flows and income needsare met. Subsequently, the shares are generally (really, almost always) soldby the charity when the gift is received.
So, there are tools with pros and cons available to investors with highlyappreciated concentrated stock positions. Admittedly, I have onlyscratched the surface of each concept to give you a working knowledge ofsome of the most common approaches. The question is, as always, aftercareful analysis and significant financial exploration, which is the bestsolution for an investor? It’s a very personal, specific situation, wherecareful thought and a deep understanding for the investor’s feelings, wishesand needs are the compass.
Cliff Short III is Vice President of Wealth Management with Fulton FinancialAdvisors in Wyomissing, PA, providing tailored asset management andcomprehensive wealth management services to high net worth individuals,families, corporations and endowment funds. He is an Accredited AssetManagement Specialist, Accredited Wealth Management Advisor, a CharteredPortfolio Manager and holds a Financial Analyst designation. ■
All Your Eggs in One Basket?
continued from page 10
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Friday, May 25, 2007
Dr. Heller, president, called the meeting to order with the following officersin attendance: Doctors Ambarian, Dethoff, Heller, Kane, D. Kimball,Schlechter and Truex. Also in attendance was Mr. Bruce Weidman, BCMSexecutive director.
Reading & Approval of Minutes Dr. Heller asked for a motion to approvethe minutes from the April 27, 2007, Administrative Committee meeting.
A motion was made to approve the minutes as presented. The motion wasseconded, and the motion carried.
REPORTS OF OFFICERS
President’s Report
Dr. Heller reviewed the following topics:
Dr. Jim Goodyear, Candidate for the Office of PMS Vice President – Dr.Heller reported Dr. Jim Goodyear is running for the office of PMS vicepresident at the next PMS House of Delegates’ meeting. Dr. Heller statedDr. Goodyear has asked to be invited to speak about his candidacy at theJune 7, 2007, BCMS Executive Council meeting.
Action Step: The Committee agreed to invite Dr. Goodyear to speak at the June7th meeting and stated they wanted the meeting to be held in BVNAAuditorium One.
Dr. Kristen Sandel, BCMS Young Physician Section Representative – Dr.Heller announced Dr. Kristen Sandel has agreed to accept the position ofthe BCMS Young Physician Section Representative at the next PMS Houseof Delegates’ meeting.
Dr. Erin Lavin, Resident Representative, BCMS Executive Council – Dr.Heller stated Dr. Erin Lavin has agreed to accept the position of ResidentRepresentative on the BCMS Executive Council.
Action Step: The Committee asked Mr. Weidman to discuss Dr. Lavin’sappointment to the BCMS Executive Council with Dr. Baxter.
Practice Administrator – BCMS Executive Council – Dr. Heller statedMr. Dave O’Donnell has agreed to continue to serve on the BCMSExecutive Council through 2007.
Action Step: The Committee decided the members of the Executive Councilshould be asked for suggestions for a replacement for Mr. O’Donnell.
June 18th TRHMC InFoFair – Dr. Heller reported she will be representingBCMS at TRHMC Residents’ InFoFair from 4 to 5:30 p.m. on Monday,June 18, 2007.
Action Step: Dr. Kimball suggested BCMS letter openers be included in theResidents’ gift bags. Mr. Weidman will order the letter openers.
Mr. Weidman’s Performance Evaluation – Dr. Heller stated that she, aswell as Doctors Ambarian, Schlechter and Truex, met on Tuesday, May 22,2007, to conduct Mr. Weidman’s performance evaluation. Dr. Heller furtherstated the evaluations were completed by each of the physician leaders andgiven to Dr. Truex to compile. Dr. Truex will meet with Mr. Weidman after
the Administrative Committee meeting on Friday, May 25, 2007, to reviewthe results of the evaluation. Dr. Truex will prepare a report on this meeting.
A motion was made, seconded and carried to accept the President’s Report aspresented.
Secretary’s Report
Correspondence – Dr. Kane reviewed the following correspondence:• A memo from PMS soliciting nominations for the PMSCO board• A letter from the AMA regarding two new AMA publications : “Medicare
Advantage – Special Needs Plans” and “Medicare Advantage – Health PlanFunding and Physician Reimbursement”
• A news release from the Foundation of the Pennsylvania Medical Societystating the Foundation has received the PANO Seal of Excellence
• An email from Joseph O’Keefe, Esquire, attorney for Dr. Grider, regardinga notice of the class action lawsuit in Grider vs. KHPC, et al
The Committee asked Mr. Weidman to ask Mr. O’Keefe to write an article(signed by Dr. Grider) on the status of Grider vs. KHPC, et al.
The Committee also asked Mr. Weidman to have Mr. O’Keefe pay for anannouncement in the “Medical Record” about this class action suit.
Treasurer’s Report
April 2007 Financial Report
Dr. Dethoff presented and reviewed a Profit & Loss Report for April 2007, aYear to Date 2007 First Quarter Profit & Loss Report, and the previous yearcomparison Quarterly Profit & Loss.
Dr. Dethoff stated the Society’s finances are in good condition with nooutstanding problems.
Dr. Dethoff also presented a current statement of the Society’s financialaccounts:
April 2007 Profit & Loss
• Income $15,941• Expense $24,572
January – April 2007 January – April 2006
• Income $103,168 $85, 471• Expense $88,941 $67,074
Account Balances:
Leesport Bank Checking Account $80,013Leesport Bank Savings Account $14,691Educational Trust Fund Account $11,538Health Talk Account Balance $16,102
Total Assets $559,084
continued on page 17
July 1, 2007
Berks County Medical Society
EXECUTIVE COUNCIL MINUTES
Night of the Arts – Dr. Dethoff reviewed a Profit & Loss statement for the“Night of the Arts” and reported the event showed a profit of $6,379.41.
The Committee agreed the “Night of the Arts” was an outstanding successand a wonderful opportunity for fellowship. The Committee recommendeda similar event be held every year.
Dr. Dethoff stated he will convene a meeting of the “Night of the Arts”Planning Committee to begin planning an event for next year. Dr. Dethofffurther stated he will discuss the idea of an annual fellowship event at theSociety’s Fall Outing.
A motion was made, seconded and carried to file the Treasurer’s Report for audit.
REPORTS OF COMMITTEES
Access To Care Committee – Dr. Ambarian reviewed the minutes fromthe May 8, 2007, “Access To Care” Committee meeting.
Dr. Ambarian stated the Committee has been very active:
• Reviewed the Chamber’s survey on employers’ view of access to care inBerks County
• Researching the funding Berks County receives for Medicaid• Working with the hospitals to see how they can increase access• Meeting with the Berkshire Health Plan to determine if they can offer a
Medicaid HMO plan• Invite the ophthalmologists to discuss how they have successfully
managed seeing Medicaid patients
Health Talk – Dr. Kimball reviewed the current list of topics and guestsfor “Health Talk” through the end of June 2007, and he also reviewed adraft of the topics for July through December 2007. Dr. Kimball statedthat he will feature an “open forum” for one “Health Talk” program amonth beginning in July 2007.
Fall Outing – Dr. Ambarian reported this year’s Fall Outing will be heldon Wednesday, September 26, 2007, at the Golden Oaks Golf Club, anda barbeque will follow the golf tournament.
Membership Committee – Dr. Heller reviewed the minutes from theMay 17th meeting of the Membership Committee.
Dr. Heller stated the Membership Committee made the followingdecisions:
• Invite PMS to a Membership Committee meeting to discussmembership dues discounts for “groups” of physicians
• Target specific departments (i.e., Hospitalists, ER) for recruitment at thehospitals
• Plan a recruit reception at Dr. Heller’s house for resident physicians
Physician Advocacy Committee – Dr. Schlechter reviewed the plans forthe June 1st Legislative Breakfast as follows:
• Only state legislators have been invited to attend• Only legislators will be allowed to speak
• Dr. Heller will serve as Master of Ceremonies• Dr. Heller will make a positive statement about each legislator as she
introduces them• Physician members attending must ask their questions via an index card• Questions will focus on issues important to the public• Each legislator will be assigned a host
Dr. Schlechter reported the following physicians have agreed to serve ashosts:
• Dr. Truex – Representative Jim Cox• Dr. Dan Kimball – Representative Caltagirone• Dr. Heller – Representative Rohrer• Dr. Schlechter – Senator O’Pake
Mr. Weidman will recruit additional physician hosts for the June 1stLegislative Breakfast.
Executive Director’s Report
Endorsements – Mr. Weidman reviewed a listing of the products andservices endorsed by the Allegheny County Medical Society and thePennsylvania Medical Society. Mr. Weidman also presented the PMSpolicy on endorsements.
PMS Grassroots Delivery System – Mr. Weidman presented asurvey PMS is conducting on the Grassroots Delivery System oforganized medicine. Mr. Weidman reported BCMS was recognizedin this report in that BCMS membership has increased 14 percentsince 1991.
As there was no additional business to be discussed, the meetingadjourned at 8:15 a.m.
The next meeting of the BCMS Administrative Committee will beheld at 7 a.m. on Friday, June 29, 2007, in the BCMS board room.
Respectfully submitted,Brian R. Kane, MDSecretary, Berks County Medical Society ■
BCMS May Executive Council Minutes
continued from page 16
17July 1, 2007
SAVE THE DATEWednesday, September 26, 2007
◆BCMS Fall Outing
◆Golden Oaks Golf Club
◆Barbeque following the
golf tournament.
The Alliance, a non-profit group made up of physician spouses, is a dynamicgroup of individuals committed to improving health care and promotingmedical education in Berks County. For the past 15 years, we have organizeda yearly health project in the spring geared toward increasing awareness andeducating individuals about an important health care issue. This year’sproject, led by chairperson Lisa Banco, was “Health in Balance: CurrentTopics in Adolescent Mental Health.” The project was held at the BVNAbuilding on April 27, 2007. More and more popular each year, we had over85 attendees, including school nurses, guidance counselors and parents. Wewould like to thank Johanna Kelly, MD, a local pediatrician, Robin Altman,MD, a local child psychiatrist, and James Huber, PhD, a local licensedmarriage and family therapist, for taking time out of their busy schedules toprovide excellent presentations for our project. Also, many thanks tocommittee members Patty Amin, Lisa Geyer, Lynnie Gregor, RhondaHanley, Diana Kleiner and Kalpa Solanki.
On May 10th, we installed our new officers for 2007 – 2008. Dee DeeBurke did a fabulous job planning the luncheon at the Chat-A-While Inn.The new officers are:President. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Laurie WaxlerPresident Elect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Beverly PattilloV.P. of Membership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kelly O’SheaV.P. of Health Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lisa Banco
Treasurer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sandi AbrahamRecording Secretary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Deb CordesDirectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kalpa Solanki and Lynnie GregorEach year, the Alliance takes a portion of the funds raised through our annualfundraiser, the Holiday Card, and takes great pride in providing scholarshipsto Berks County residents seeking degrees within the field of health care.This year, we had 34 applicants and will be distributing seven $1000scholarships in June. Many thanks to Wendy Ertel, Mary Lou Wagner andToni Calata for managing this daunting task.
Through that same fundraiser, under the guidance of Carrie Latman, ourphilanthropy chairperson, we were also able to distribute funds to thefollowing organizations: the AMA Foundation, the United DisabilitiesServices for Aaron’s Acres, Berks Visiting Nurses for Health Watch, BreastCancer Support Services for comfort bags, and the Pediatric Unit at SJMCfor pull-ups, pacifiers and other things not supplied by the hospital.
Over the summer, our newly formed “Membership Committee” will becalling members to thank them for their continued support of the Allianceand using this opportunity to poll our members to see how we can bettermeet the needs of our membership. We will also be starting a play group inthe fall under the organizational skills of Elizabeth Kann and Claire Polinsky.
The Alliance is always open to new members and will be hosting our annualNew Member Coffee in September. If you are a physician spouse and haveinterest in meeting new people and promoting wellness in our community,please contact Laurie Waxler at 610-376-6122, or simply call the MedicalSociety Office for more information. ■
18 July 1, 2007
UpdateAlliance
Laurie Waxler, President
The Reading Hospital Regional Heart Center has introduced many
firsts in heart care to Berks County. Our cardiac surgery program offers
a full complement of surgical interventions – from coronary artery
bypass, valve replacement and repair, and congenital cardiac repairs,
to groundbreaking off-pump coronary bypass, surgical ablation for
atrial fibrillation, and laser transmyocardial revascularization.
We also offer comprehensive treatment for congestive heart failure,
including surgical ventricular remodeling procedures. Our surgical
program provides patients with the advantage of a multidisciplinary
team of cardiologists, electrophysiologists, interventional radiologists,
vascular surgeons, clinical nurse specialists, dietitians, physical
therapists, and social workers – all in one location.
From the first EKG to open heart surgery to drug-eluting stents,
TO LEARN MORE, call 610-988-5000, and schedule aHealthy Heart Lunch and Learn.
A cardiac surgeon, cardiologist, and other
healthy-heart experts will come to your
practice to talk with you and your staff
about the services available through the
Regional Heart Center. Each presentation
is tailored to meet your schedule, and
includes a heart-healthy lunch!
Marshall M. Feaster, III, MDChief, Section of Cardiothoracic Surgery
When the heartof your patient requires the best possible care
July 1, 2007 19
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