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Community Corner

National Doctors Day Offers Opportunity to Thank Those Providing Patient Care

By William T. Peruzzi, MD, SM, FCCM, AHS Chief Medical Officer

National Doctors Day is March 30, and there is no better time to thank each of the 800 physicians who form the backbone of Alameda Health System (AHS).

At AHS, our doctors provide a world-class patient and family centered system of care fulfilling our mission of “Caring, Healing, Teaching, Serving All.” They are committed to providing the diverse communities of the East Bay with high quality, affordable care that optimizes the health of all patients.

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At the four hospitals and four ambulatory wellness centers that comprise AHS, you will find physicians who are not just caregivers, but also teachers, leaders, and innovators. Last year, our doctors provided care for more than 310,000 outpatient visits, 14,000 inpatient visits and almost 95,000 emergency visits.

AHS physicians are teachers. Our residency programs are in high-demand: This year, we received 800 applications for our Emergency Medicine residency program, 1,400 for our Internal Medicine program and 550 for our General Surgery program.

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AHS physicians are innovators. It’s through the efforts of our physicians that AHS opened the HOPE Center, a complex care clinic serving patients who suffer with multiple chronic health conditions which are often compounded by psycho-social issues.

At Highland Hospital our doctors have worked diligently to reduce readmissions for high-risk patients. Since 2010, this has resulted in a 10 percent decrease in the number of 30-day readmissions and 20 percent fewer readmissions at 90 days.

In our acute rehabilitation facility, Fairmont physicians are pioneering new support technologies to help patients immobilized by spinal cord injury or stroke, move effectively again.

AHS physicians are leaders. Our doctors at John George Psychiatric Hospital have developed the “Alameda Model,” which reduces the length of boarding times for patients awaiting psychiatric care by more than 80 percent and serves as a nationwide model of care delivery.

AHS recently welcomed the 100 physicians of San Leandro Hospital to our family, and looks forward to the orthopedic and acute rehabilitation services that will be available to patients there.

Our doctors are not only making new discoveries and creating an environment focused on individualized care, but they also give back to the communities they serve. Many thanks to all the physician volunteers who manned the Highland Hospital medical tents at last week’s Oakland Running Festival.

As we navigate a new era of choice under the Affordable Care Act, AHS is providing quality, affordable care due in large measure to our physician partners.

On National Doctors Day, I am honored to say a heartfelt “thank you” to our compassionate, committed physicians. Our community will stay healthier and happier because of you.

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