Kudos

Here are some physician KUDOS that were taken from Hot Comments during the past several months.

Path to a Brighter Future

As we approach the holiday season and the end of the year we are still facing many challenges. The number of COVID-positive cases in our community is still high. Our COVID inpatient census also continues to be high. A vast majority of the COVID-positive patients we are admitting are unvaccinated. I encourage you to continue to ask your patients to get the vaccine. And, now, during flu season, please encourage them to get the flu vaccine as well. During the previous flu season the county saw minimal hospitalized cases of the flu. We believe that was due to flu vaccination, and the habits of masking and hand washing/sanitizing adopted by so many in our community. We hope you will share that message with your patients as well.

Orthopaedics Continues to Thrive at Highland Hospital

Highland Hospital Orthopaedics has a reputation for world-class medical and surgical services and compassionate care in the comfort of a community hospital. A part of the robust and cohesive service line at UR Medicine Department of Orthopaedics & Physical Medicine, it continues to thrive. “This is the busiest time of the year for Orthopaedics,” said Catherine A. Humphrey, M.D., M.B.A., Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, who has been Chief of Orthopaedics at Highland since 2013. “We are still working to care for patients who put off treatments during the initial phases of the pandemic and we have some new developments to announce.”

State of the Art Robotic-Assisted Solution Now an Option for Orthopaedic Surgery at Highland

Highland is one of the first hospitals in the country to acquire The VELYS™ Robotic-Assisted Solution, indicated for use with the ATTUNE® Knee System for total knee arthroplasty. The next generation of robotics is made by DePuy Synthes, the orthopaedics company of Johnson & Johnson. Robotic knee surgery is the latest form of computer-guided surgery, which isn’t new at Highland. In fact it has been available for about 15 years here, according to Christopher Drinkwater, M.D., Highland Orthopaedic surgeon, part of the Adult Reconstructive Division at Highland within UR Medicine Department of Orthopaedics & Physical Performance.

Keely Dwyer-Matzky, M.D., M.S. is New ACMO for Patient Flow

Keely Dwyer-Matzky, M.D., M.S., Medical Director of Patient Flow at Highland, is also the new Associate Chief Medical Officer for Patient Flow and Capacity Management in the UR Medicine system. Dr. Dwyer-Matzky will initially focus on the hospital aspects of patient flow, where the most significant backups can occur. She will coordinate eRecord and IT changes with operations to improve the flow of patients in and out of the hospital, and she will help lead the BETTER Flow initiative. Over time, however, her role is expected to expand and to touch all aspects of URMC’s operations.