Facey facts

Fall 2009

Seasonal Flu Shot Clinics & H1N1 flu Info Facey Flu Shot Clinics

Facey’s annual vaccination clinics for the seasonal flu are back! These two Saturday events are open to the public and the vaccination is free of charge. Please wear a short sleeved shirt or blouse in order for us to give you the flu vaccine. “Drive-through” flu shots will be available to patients who are disabled. Please make sure your disabled placard is visible to our staff.

Facts About The H1N1 Flu

2009 H1N1 (referred to as swine flu early on) is an influenza virus causing illness in people. The virus is thought to spread in the same way as seasonal flu does, from person to person through coughing or sneezing.

Mission Hills, Northridge & Porter Ranch Patients

Most people who have become ill with this virus have recovered without requiring medical treatment. The symptoms of H1N1 include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue.

Santa Clarita Patients

Illness with the H1N1 virus has ranged from mild (for the vast majority of people) to severe. Some people infected with the virus have also reported diarrhea and vomiting.

Saturday, October 10 8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Facey Mission Hills - 11211 Sepulveda Blvd Mission Hills, CA 91345 Saturday, October 24 TENTATIVE* 8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Facey Valencia II - 25775 McBean Pkwy (adjacent to Henry Mayo Hospital) Valencia, CA 91355 *The CDC is controlling the release of seasonal flu vaccine. Please call us at (818) 837-5832 for updates and news of any date changes.

Who Should Get the Seasonal Flu Vaccine This Season? Anyone who wants to reduce their chances of getting the flu can get vaccinated. However, the CDC recommends that certain people should get vaccinated each year:

• Children aged 6 months up to their 19th birthday • Pregnant women • People 50 years of age and older • People of any age with certain chronic medical conditions • People who live in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities • People who live with or care for those at high risk for complications from flu • Household contacts and out of home caregivers of children less than 6 months of age.

One thing that appears to be different from seasonal influenza is that adults over age 64 do not yet appear to be at increased risk of H1N1-related complications thus far. About 70% of those hospitalized with the H1N1 virus had one or more medical conditions that place people at “high risk” of serious flu-related complications. This includes pregnancy, diabetes, heart disease, asthma and kidney disease. The H1N1 flu vaccine is expected to be available in the fall. Facey has already ordered H1N1 vaccine; however, there is no guarantee on the quantities we will receive. We will post updates on availability of the H1N1 vaccine on our web site and on the flu shot hot line. We will do telephone outreach to contact patients who should receive the H1N1 vaccine on a priority basis once we receive the vaccine. Facey will be following the CDC’s Advisory Committee guidelines recommending that certain groups of the population receive the H1N1 vaccine when it becomes available.

CDC Says “Take 3” Steps to Fight Influenza

1: Take time to get a flu vaccine. Vaccination is the first and most important step in protecting against influenza. The seasonal flu vaccine protects against strains that research suggests will be the most common. 2: Take everyday preventative actions. Cover your mouth & nose with a tissue when you sneeze. Wash your hands often with soap and water. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth; germs spread easily this way. Try to avoid close contact with sick people 3: Know what to do if you get sick. Mild viral infections are common and are no cause for concern. H1N1 causes a high fever and muscle aches that are not seen with the common cold. If you have mild symptoms, rest at home, drink fluids and take an anti-inflammatory medication. If you have concerns or symptoms of H1N1, you should contact your Facey primary care provider as soon as possible. There is a treatment for H1N1 available that can reduce the duration of symptoms. However, most people usually get better on their own.

Internet Resources for H1N1 http://www.flu.gov/ http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/ http://www.aap.org/advocacy/ releases/may09swineflu.htm http://publichealth.lacounty. gov/acd/Diseases/swine.htm

We will provide flu updates, including vaccine availability, on www.facey.com and our flu hot line at (818) 837-5832.

Facey Continues to Expand Services Facey Medical Group’s commitment to providing our patients with innovative and convenient care continues in 2009 with many changes at a number of our clinics. Here are some of the highlights:

New Porter Ranch Office This Fall, Facey will open the doors of a new 29,000 square foot office in Porter Ranch that will feature several improvements over the existing clinic, including expanded parking! Doctors Russo, Kwon, Landers, Falkowski and Chien will all move to the new facility by the end of the year. They will also be joined by our new family practice physician, Dr. Serda Gurses, and Dr. Michael Nelson, who currently practices out of our Mission Hills location. Orthopedic surgery and urology specialists will join the primary care team to provide convenient access to care that goes beyond general medicine. And of course, the clinic will also feature on-site lab and radiology.

New Valencia III Office Facey continues to expand its presence in the growing community of Valencia with the opening of a second specialty office on the campus of Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital. This office will host dermatology, otolaryngology (ENT), skin disorders and urology.

Mission Hills Oncology Expansion & Remodel Our oncology department in Mission Hills recently underwent an expansion and renovation to provide patients with a more comfortable experience during consultations and chemotherapy treatments.

Mission Hills Urgent Care Renovation our Urgent Care Center received a visual update this summer that included new furnishings, paint and flooring designed to create a more pleasant space. 2| Fall 2009

Televox Phone Reminder System This Spring, Facey began rolling out an appointment reminder system that automatically calls patients two days before they are scheduled to see their primary care provider (PCP). The service, which is provided by Televox, has already improved access to care because patients now have the opportunity to reschedule or cancel appointments during the call. This fall, we will extend the reminder system to include specialist visits.

Facey Recognized For Excellence by California Association of Physician Groups (CAPG) The California Association of Physician Groups (CAPG) recently recognized Facey as one of 20 elite “4-Star” medical groups in California’s 2009 Standard of Excellence program, which measures continued improvements in four key areas: care management, health information technology, accountability and transparency and patient-centered care. CAPG created this rating system to provide current and reliable information to government, insurance companies, employers, and individuals on best practices that are working in California. 85 medical groups caring for 10.5 million Californians participated in the survey.

Fuji Synapse Digital Radiology System After 2 years of planning, Facey’s digital radiology system is up and running at all of our offices! We no longer handle, transport, or store new radiology studies on film. High-resolution digital images are immediately stored in a patient’s electronic medical record. The new system handles ultrasound, x-ray, mammography, bone density and fluoroscopy. Turnaround times on radiology studies used to take days, but now they can be read in minutes! Physicians can call the radiologist and receive a preliminary report while patients are still in the exam room.



Meet Our Newest MDs Canyon Country & Mission Hills Danny Kim, MD Ophthalmology

Dr. Kim grew up in Los Angeles and is happy to return home after spending the last several years in the Midwest furthering his education. He performed his internal medicine residency at County-USC Hospital before moving on to Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland to study ophthalmology. Dr. Kim recently finished a glaucoma fellowship at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

Mission Hills & Valencia III

Jerome Dickman, MD Otolaryngology (ENT) Dr. Dickman provided care to San Fernando Valley residents in private practice for over 40 years before joining Facey’s otolaryngology team. He graduated from the USC School of Medicine and is an associate clinical professor emeritus at the USC Department of Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery.

Porter Ranch

Serda Gurses, MD Family Medicine Dr. Gurses is a graduate of the American University of the Caribbean and comes to Facey straight from her residency at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital in Albany, Georgia. In addition to her schooling, Dr. Gurses completed a cardiology rotation at Northridge Hospital Medical Center and is currently doing endocrinology and allergy rotations as well. She speaks English, Turkish, Armenian and medical Spanish.

Valencia I

Gregory Castillo, MD Family Medicine Dr. Castillo graduated from the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine. He performed family practice (Harbor UCLA) and OB-Gyn (Michigan State) residencies and has also studied dermatology & sports medicine. Dr. Castillo speaks English and Spanish fluently.

Northridge

Arousha Davatgarzadeh, MD Internal Medicine

Dr. Lewis comes to Facey from an urgent care center in Pasadena. His training began at the American University of the Caribbean Medical School and took him to the Cleveland Clinic for his residency program. In addition to practicing medicine, Dr. Lewis is also a musician, carpenter and voice-over artist.

Dr. Davatgarzadeh is a Board Certified physician who graduated from the Shiraz University of Medical Sciences in Iran. After his residency at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York, he studied pain management and integrative medicine through fellowships at the Memorial Sloan-Keating Cancer Center in New York, NY. Dr. Davatgarzadeh speaks both English and Farsi fluently.

Michael Lewis, MD Family Medicine

Valencia II

Charles Young, MD Orthopedic Surgery

Charles Young is a graduate of UCLA Medical School who recently completed a fellowship in orthopedic sports medicine at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. He has performed several research studies related to knee surgery and rehabilitation and is an avid swimmer.

Porter Ranch

Adam Dietz, MD Orthopedic Surgery

Dr. Dietz specializes in sports medicine and comes to Facey from the Santa Monica Orthopaedic Group. He graduated from George Washington University School of Medicine in 2003 and served as chief resident at the University of Maryland Medical Center during his residency.

Hospitalists

Fawwaz Humayun, MD

Dr. Humayun comes to Facey from Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, where he worked for three years after finishing his residency at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Ann Arbor. While at Mercy he received the Resident of the Year Research Award in 2006.

Pharnuk Suthipinijtham, DO

Dr. Suthipinijtham recently completed his residency at County-USC Medical Center in Los Angeles. He graduated from the Western University of Health Science in Pomona. While there, he volunteered at the Montclair Medical Community Health Clinic. He speaks English, conversational Thai and some Spanish.

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Our Commitment To You and Your Care Facey Medical Group is a caring and innovative team dedicated to enthusiastically improving the quality of life and health of the people we serve. We believe that you, as our patient, have certain rights: 1) You have the right to receive appropriate access to treatment. 2) You have the right to know the names and responsibilities of all health care professionals caring for you. 3) You have the right to be treated with respect, recognition of your dignity and right to privacy. 4) You have the right to receive treatment that is appropriate and consistent with your medical needs. 5) You have the right to receive information about Facey Medical Group, its services, practitioners and providers, and members’ rights and responsibilities. 6) You have the right to participate with practitioners in decision-making regarding your health care. 7) You have the right to candid discussion of appropriate or medically necessary treatment options for your condition regardless of cost or benefit coverage. 8) You have the right to voice complaints or appeals about Facey Medical Group or the care provided.

9) You have the right to receive clear and complete information about your condition and care, including explanations of procedures, tests, treatments and alternatives (including risks and benefits), in order to give informed consent or refuse treatment. 10) You have the right to receive a timely response to any reasonable service request. 11) You have the right to confidential handling of all communications and medical information maintained at Facey, as provided by law and professional medical ethics. 12) You have the right to be represented by parents, guardians, family members or other conservators if you are unable to fully participate in your treatment decisions. These rights will apply to them as well. 13) You have the right to make recommendations regarding Facey’s member rights & responsibilities policy. 14) You have the right to access services & information in an alternative format and in any language that is prevalent among Facey patients.

We also believe that you, as our patient, have certain responsibilities when receiving care from Facey Medical Group: 1) You have the responsibility to be accurate and thorough when providing information about your medical history that Facey and its practitioners need in order to care for you. 2) You have the responsibility to ask for clarification about any aspect of your care which you do not fully understand and to participate in developing mutually agreed upon treatment goals.

Fall 2009

3) You have the responsibility to follow the agreed upon plans and instructions for your care. 4) You have the responsibility to notify your health care provider if you notice any change in your health. 5) You have the responsibility to extend reasonable courtesy toward all health care providers during the treatment process.

Questions? If you have any questions about or wish to file a grievance regarding these policies, please contact one of our Patient Liaisons: Canyon Country (661) 250-5203 Copper Hill (661) 513-2175 Mission Hills (818) 837-5672 Northridge (818) 734-3642 Porter Ranch (818) 837-5786 San Gabriel (626) 943-3250 Valencia I (661) 222-2608 Valencia II & III (661) 424-8808

PATIENT

To make class reservations, call:

Medicare Open Enrollment is Coming!

Advance Directives Program Teaching People How To Plan Ahead For Treatment

New Healthier Living Class Teaches How to Become More Socially & Physically Active

In 2009 Facey began a program to introduce more people to advance directives. Advance directives are written instructions regarding the medical care you wish to receive when you are unable to give your informed consent to treatment.

This year Facey introduced a new series of six classes designed by Stanford University for people who have an ongoing health problem (such as diabetes, depression or congestive heart failure) or are family/friends of someone with an ongoing health problem.

1-866-837-5605

EDUCATION news Fall brings the start of the annual Medicare Open Enrollment Period (OEP). It will run from November 15 – December 31 in 2009. During this time, Medicare eligible recipients are able to make changes to their health and prescription drug coverage. Facey supports our Medicare-eligible patients during this time by holding several sales meetings which also include an informative health lecture. These meetings are free and we invite you to attend. Bring a friend or two as non Facey patients are welcome. Your Facey team will be able to advise you of the different options available as well as what Medicare will offer. We will also have a representative from one of the Medicare Advantage plans attending. Facey accepts the following MAPD (HMO) plans: Blue Shield 65+, Health Net, SCAN and AARP/Secure Horizons. We also accept Medicare as well as most Medicare supplement plans and Medi/Medi. Please plan on joining us so that you are able to make an informed decision regarding your health care needs. Call 818-837-5755 for upcoming dates or to make a reservation.

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With advance directives, you can name someone to make these decisions for you, as well as specify what kinds of treatment you desire or wish to withhold. A copy of them is usually kept at your doctor’s office and at any nearby hospitals. Facey’s class on preparing advance directives explains how to create them and what information should be included. Attendees will also learn little-known facts about who can authorize treatment when there are no advance directives in place. To register or learn about other upcoming class dates and times, please call us at (818) 837-5605.

Upcoming Class Dates September 22 10:00a - 12:00p in Mission Hills October 28 6:30p - 8:30p in Mission Hills

To see a complete schedule of upcoming classes, visit us online at www.facey.com/education

The six-week workshop covers many subjects, including how to: • Cope with “the blues,” frustrations and worries • Reduce fatigue, anxiety and pain • Communicate better with your doctors, friends and family • Set goals and problem solve to make positive changes • Eat better and stick to a healthy diet • Better manage health problems to lessen the impact on your life This highly informative course is free of charge to Facey patients and their families. The program consists of six consecutive weekly classes lasting 2 K hours each. As an added bonus, participants receive a free relaxation CD.

Upcoming Class Dates September/October Series Mission Hills - 1:00 to 3:30 p.m. 9/23, 9/30, 10/7, 10/14, 10/21, 10/28

Our class schedules are subject to change!

Please visit us online for a complete list of upcoming classes along with the most current location, date and time information at: www.facey.com/education

LOCATIONS MISSION HILLS Primary, Specialty and Urgent Care: 11211 Sepulveda Blvd. Mission Hills, CA 91345 (818) 365-9531 Mission Hills Urgent Care Hours: Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. Saturday, Sunday & Holidays 8:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.

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Facey facts Fall 2009

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The Women’s Center, Physical Therapy, Behavioral Medicine and Patient Education: 11165 Sepulveda Blvd. Mission Hills, CA 91345 NORTHRIDGE 18460 Roscoe Blvd. Northridge, CA 91324 (818) 734-3600 Porter Ranch 11177 Tampa Ave. Northridge, CA 91326 (818) 837-5715 Valencia I 26357 McBean Pkwy. Valencia, CA 91355 (661) 222-2600 Valencia I Urgent Care Hours: Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. Saturday, Sunday & Holidays 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Valencia II 25775 McBean Pkwy. Valencia, CA 91355 (661) 255-6802 Valencia III 23929 McBean Pkwy, #200 Valencia, CA 91355 (661) 255-6802 Canyon Country 17909 W. Soledad Canyon Rd. Canyon Country, CA 91351 (661) 250-5200 Copper Hill 27924 Seco Canyon Rd. Santa Clarita, CA 91350 (661) 513-2100 San Gabriel 207 S. Santa Anita St. San Gabriel, CA 91776 (626) 576-0800 For specific services and physicians at each location visit: w w w. fac e y.co m

Facey Facts is produced by Facey’s Communications & Marketing Department. You can reach us by calling (818) 837-5755.

Facey Utilization Management Policy

Facey Medical Group will disclose a list of contracting providers to HMO members, upon request. Utilization Management (UM) policies, procedures, medical clinical guidelines and criteria are disseminated to patients and practitioners upon request. The materials provided to you are the guidelines used by the medical group to authorize, modify or deny care for persons with similar illnesses or conditions. These medical guidelines and/or criteria do not constitute the standard of care. Specific care and treatment may vary depending on the individual need and benefits covered under your contract. All UM decisions are based on appropriateness of care and service. Facey Medical Group/Foundation does not compensate practitioners for individual denials, nor do we offer incentives to encourage denials. Facey Medical Group/ Foundation does not have financial incentives that would encourage decisions which would impact under/over-utilization of care, service or available member benefits. For questions or concerns that are Utilization Management related only, patients can call our UM department collect at (818) 837-5660.

Facey Anti-Discrimination Policy Facey Medical Group’s provision of health services is not influenced by member race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, age, mental or physical disability or medical condition, sexual orientation, claims experience, medical history, evidence of insurability (including conditions out of acts of domestic violence), genetic information, or source of payment. Compliance with this anti-discrimination policy will be monitored by the Corporate Compliance Officer and the Medical Director.