Dr. Louis A Civitarese, D.O. Selected to CCHIT Panel

Dr. Louis A. Civitarese, D.O. was selected to the fourteen member workgroup responsible for developing criteria and test scripts for certifying electronic health record (EHR) products used in physician offices - large and small - where most Americans get their care. The Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT) is an independent, non-profit organization commisioned by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that focuses on certifying different types of electronic health records and their networks. Their work helps to promote the adoption of healthcare technology that can improve the quality of care patients receive which can ultimately result in a decrease in consumer healthcare costs.

http://www.cchit.org

CCHIT Mission Statement:

"Our mission is to accelerate the adoption of health information technology by creating an efficient, credible and sustainable certification program."

PPCP Nuclear Cardiology Testing Center - Uniontown Receives Accreditation by American College of Radiology

Preferred Primary Care Physician's Nuclear Cardiology Testing Center in Uniontown, Pennsylvania has been awarded a full three-year term of accreditation in nuclear medicine as the result of a recent survey by the American College of Radiology (ACR).

The ACR awards accreditation to facilities for the achievement of high practice standards. Evaluations are conducted by board-certified physicians and medical physicists who are experts in the field. They assess the qualifications of the personnel and the adequacy of facility equipment. The surveyors report their findings to the ACR Committee on Accreditation, which subsequently provides the practice with a comprehensive report of findings.

The ACR is a national organization serving more than 32,000 diagnostic and interventional radiologists, radiation oncologists, and nuclear medicine and medical physicists with programs focusing on the practice of medical imaging and radiation oncology and the delivery of comprehensive healthcare services.

For more information on this or other PPCP outpatient centers, go to http://www.ppcp.org/specialties.html.

National Committee for Quality Assurance Recognizes PPCP Physicians for Quality Patient Care

The National Commitee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) recently recognized the following physicians who have qualified for certification in their quality accreditation programs:

Physician Practice Connections(PPC)

• Dr. Barry Austin, DO
• Dr. Richard Cook, MD
• Dr. Anthony Iannamorelli, MD
• Dr. Donald Kushner, MD
• Dr. Joseph Labuda, MD
• Dr. Raman Purighalla, MD

NCQA's evaluation program, Physician Practice Connections, recognizes physician practices that use information systematically to enhance the quality of patient care.

Diabetes Physician Recognition Program (DPRP)

• Dr. Nate Bennett, MD
• Dr. John Bobby, DO
• Dr. Frank A Civitarese, DO
• Dr. Louis A Civitarese, DO
• Dr. Richard A Cook, MD
• Dr. David Garretson, DO
• Dr. Joseph Labuda, MD
• Dr. Bryce Palchick, MD
• Dr. Uma Purighalla, MD
• Dr. Shari Rozen, MD
• Dr. John Yaros, MD

The Diabetes Physician Recognition Program, cosponsored by the American Diabetes Association, assesses physicians on their performance on measures of diabetic care for adults and pediatrics

Heart Stroke Recognition Program (HSRP)

• Dr. Nate Bennett, MD

The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association (AHA/ASA) and NCQA created this program to recognize the quality of care provided by physicians for persons who have cardiovascular disease or who have had a stroke.

Preferred Primary Care Physicians Echocardiography Laboratories Receive ICAEL Accreditation

To detect many types of cardiovascular disease, physicians commonly use a diagnostic test known as echocardiography. This simple, non-invasive test has become one of the standard diagnostic tools for physicians with an estimated 10 million studies performed annually in the United States. Echocardiography is a complex imaging technique that relies on highly trained staff and physicians to perform the examination and interpret the results.

With so many tests being performed each year, the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Echocardiography Laboratories (ICAEL) was established to develop and monitor uniform quality standards. The ICAEL developed an accreditation program that is designed to evaluate the quality and skill of the technical and physician staff as well as the implementation of ongoing quality processes.

Preferred Primary Care Physicians (PPCP) recently applied for and was granted full accreditation by ICAEL. In fact, PPCP was one of the first one thousand laboratories in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico to be recognized by the ICAEL for its commitment to high quality cardiology testing services. To learn more about echocardiography or the accredited PPCP laboratories, please feel free to talk with your physician or download our patient brochure:

South Hills
Uniontown