Kaiser update for Good Samaritan
By Dawn Anuszkiewicz, Good Samaritan President
Dear Good Samaritan Medical Staff:
Before I share the Kaiser update, as I prepare to step down from my role as president on Monday, Feb. 3, I want to express my gratitude for your dedication and exceptional care. Your commitment to our patients and the community has been inspiring. It has been an honor to work alongside such a talented and compassionate team.
I am confident that Good Samaritan will continue to thrive under your expertise and leadership. Thank you for your support and for making my tenure here a memorable and fulfilling experience.
Upcoming shifts from Kaiser Permanente
Last month, we shared information about changes to Orthopedics that Kaiser implemented at Good Samaritan, starting on Tuesday, Jan. 21, and will implement in February at Saint Joseph. You can read more about those changes, and other communications we have sent, by clicking here and using your iLogin.
Kaiser has notified us of additional changes that it plans to implement at the end of March. These changes consist of eliminating eight individual positions and/or programs related to infection prevention/infectious diseases and palliative services and will proceed on March 30 and 31.
We do not expect those changes to have much impact on our service lines, operations or practitioners. Intermountain Health will continue antimicrobial stewardship, infection prevention and control, infectious disease services and palliative care.
On Monday, March 31, Kaiser physicians also will end the provision of clinical services at Good Samaritan for their patients requiring pulmonary/critical care, behavioral health, general surgery, cardiology and emergent anesthesia care. GSH is excited for our existing medical staff to provide this care to all patients at our hospital. We will share the detailed service coverage plans in early February after executing the necessary contracts.
Progress on strategic growth and recruitment
A lot of exciting work is underway to expand our footprint, recruit physicians and shift volumes. These efforts will help ease our transition away from our prior reliance on Kaiser for a significant portion of our volumes and revenues. Thanks to the outstanding reputation for clinical excellence and top-quality patient care that you’ve built and maintained, medical providers are excited to work with us, and patients want to come to us for care.
I’m excited to announce that three highly respected and experienced cardiologists have signed on to join us as employed Intermountain Health physicians. All three doctors will be at our Heart and Vascular-Denver clinic and practice out of Saint Joseph.
Dr. Bridget Beck will start with us as a general cardiologist on Monday, April 7. She has more than 15 years of experience in the market.
Dr. Vijay Subbarao will start with us on Monday, April 14, as a general cardiologist. He has more than 20 years of experience in the market.
Dr. Sameer “Sam” Mehta will start with us on Monday, May 5, as an interventional cardiologist. He has more than 20 years of experience in the market.
This is in addition to the six neonatologists who announced their move to Intermountain Health in December. We are optimistic that Good Samaritan will have more of these outstanding new team-member announcements in the year ahead.
Please reach out to your CMO Dr. Liz Withers with any questions about Kaiser’s transition.
Thank you for your optimism and partnership as we respond to shifts in the market. Your dedication to our patients and this community is deeply appreciated.