In addition to continually investing in new and enhanced technology, Milford Regional is dedicated to bringing the best and brightest physicians to our community. New highly skilled primary care physicians and specialists have allowed Milford Regional to expand services in FY 2018, bringing quality healthcare even closer to our patients and their families. Exceptional additions both at Milford Regional Medical Center and Milford Regional Physician Group exemplify how our physicians continue to lead the way in local healthcare.
Milford Regional Physician Receives Prestigious Award
In FY 2018, Jeff Hopkins, MD, medical director of Milford Regional’s emergency department, was awarded the esteemed Vanguard Award by the Massachusetts College of Emergency Physicians (MACEP) at their annual meeting held at the Massachusetts Medical Society headquarters in Waltham. This prestigious award is given to an emergency physician only on the rare occasions when MACEP feels there is a recipient who has exemplified “Outstanding Contributions to the Profession of Emergency Medicine.” Dr. Hopkins now joins the ranks of distinguished award recipients, including Milford Regional’s Dr. Kate Burke, who received the award in 2001. MACEP is an organization representing approximately 1000 emergency physicians in the state, dedicated to advancing excellence in emergency care and advocating for patients and the health of our communities.
Pictured Above Dr. Jeff Hopkins is honored to be presented with the prestigious Vanguard Award by Dr. Melisa Lai-Becker, emergency physician and 2017-2018 President of MACEP. Dr. Hopkins was president of MACEP from 2016-2017.
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New Milford Regional Medical Center Physicians
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Milford Regional Medical Staff Recognitions & Awards
Jeffrey Dietz, MD Boston Magazine Top Doctors 2018/2019
Peter F Orio III, DO, MS “America’s Top Doctors” by Castle Connolly and Boston Magazine for 2018/ 2019
William Tosches, MD Chairman, General Neurology Section; American Academy of Neurology
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Milford Regional Physician Group
Looking forward to a united future together as a thriving healthcare system, the Milford Regional Board of Trustees approved Tri-County Medical Associates’ name change to Milford Regional Physician Group (MRPG) in FY 2017. As Tri-County Medical practices adopted their new Milford Regional Physician Group practice names in FY 2018, the new signage bolstered Milford Regional healthcare system’s presence in on our 20-plus town service area through the evidence of a shared identity. The three Urgent Care Centers are now known as Milford Regional Urgent Care and new physicians have expanded services throughout our region. Here is a recap of the activities of this esteemed group of medical professionals…
PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIANS
Primary Care physicians are a patient’s first point of contact for diagnosis of a health concern. These doctors are dedicated to prevention of illness through regular physical exams, as well as continuing care of a variety of medical conditions. Primary Care physicians include those practicing Internal Medicine, Family Practice and Pediatrics, Adolescent and Young Adult Health.
New Primary Care Providers Devon Alvaro, NP, started at the Center for Adolescent & Young Adult Health in October 2017. In August, Dr. Vidya Dixit and Dr. Margaret Preissler joined Franklin Primary Care and Franklin Pediatric & Adolescent Care respectively. Dr. Kevin Jillson began seeing patients at Hopkinton Internal Medicine & Pediatrics in September; he also has training in Sports Medicine and will be working alongside Dr. Brian Schneider at a new practice, Hopkinton Sports Medicine.
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SPECIALISTS
Specialists are physicians who have dedicated their residency and advanced training to a specific area of study. They are qualified to assist patients through treatment of specific health conditions. Milford Regional Physician Group has welcomed several new specialists to the community in FY 2018.
Otolaryngology (Ears, Nose & Throat) Dr. Louis Petcu joined Milford Ear, Nose & Throat Surgery in December 2017, followed by Dr. Eric Carniol in September.
Obstetrics & Gynecology Milford Regional’s obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN) service expanded with the addition of Dr. Kelly Bowen to Caring for Women, as well as Dr. Mary Simpson and Dr. Leonard DiGiovanni in the laborist program. Dr. DiGiovanni was also named the Chief of OB/GYN at Milford Regional.
Urology Dr. Matthew Ingham joined Urology Associates of Milford in July. Dr. Ingham specializes in Urologic Oncology and works at Dana-Farber in addition to this Milford practice.
Pulmonary Lung, Allergy & Sleep Specialists welcomed Dr. Ryan Shipe, as well as Lisa Malloy, NP.
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HOSPITAL-BASED PHYSICIANS / PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS / NURSE PRACTITIONERS
A hospital-based physician (or hospitalist) is a primary care physician who assumes responsibility for the observation and treatment of a hospitalized patient, communicates with the patient’s private physician and returns him/her to that doctor’s care upon discharge from the hospital. A physician’s assistant (PA) may diagnose illness, develop and manage treatment plans and prescribe medications under a physician’s supervision. A nurse practitioner (NP) is a registered nurse who, like a PA, has continued training to earn a master’s or doctorate degree in a specialty area.
Hospitalists The hospitalist program at Milford Regional Medical Center is now fully staffed with the addition of six providers: Tzvi Bluestone, MD; Barjinder Dharbanga, MD; Komal Patel, MD; Deepa Ratwani, MD; Young Kevin Xia, MD; and Larissa Costa, NP.
Surgical Physician Assistants Milford Regional Medical Center’s Surgical PA program expanded with the addition of new providers: Armenag Antranigian, PA; Joseph Moisan, PA; Stephanie Laurer, PA; Brett Ritenour, PA; and Hailey Barker, PA.
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URGENT CARE
A category of walk-in clinic focused on the delivery of ambulatory care in a dedicated medical facility outside of a traditional emergency department. Urgent care centers primarily treat injuries or illnesses requiring immediate care, but not serious enough to require an emergency department visit.
Milford Regional Urgent Care Dr. Mark Fitzgerald began working in Urgent Care in October 2017. More recently, MRPG has added providers in preparation for the planned new urgent care site in Franklin: Peter Scheinfein, MD; Afsaneh Lomax, NP; Bart Nelson, PA, and Jennifer Rekrut, NP.
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Honors Abound for Milford Regional Physician Group Practices
Patient-Centered Medical Homes A number of Milford Regional Physician Group primary care sites were recognized this year by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) as Patient-Centered Medical Homes (PCMH): Community Pediatrics of Medway, Community Pediatrics of Milford, Franklin Pediatrics & Adolescent Care and the Center for Adolescent & Young Adult Health. A PCMH certification is given when the primary care physician’s team cares for patients in a “whole person approach,” proactively managing their care and reminding them about important health screenings. Primary Care offices are evaluated on an extensive set of criteria in order to obtain this certification.
Reader’s Choice Awards Franklin Primary Care and Hopkinton Family Practice were awarded Reader’s Choice Regional Gold Awards in 2018, the highest honor provided through Community Newspaper Company’s annual readers’ survey. Franklin Pediatric & Adolescent Care, as well as Milford Regional Urgent Care in Hopkinton, earned Reader’s Choice Regional Silver Awards. A number of other sites and individual physicians also received recognition.
Success on Quality Measures Milford Regional Physician Group continues to excel in quality. MRPG practices regularly monitor performance on quality measures designed by NCQA as a gauge for clinical performance. MRPG’s results on these measures ranks among the highest in the Partners Healthcare network. MRPG physicians and their teams make every effort to ensure that patients get the screening they need and manage their care in a way that achieves positive health outcomes.
Harvard Pilgrim Honor Roll Milford Regional Physician Group was, once again, named to the Harvard Pilgrim Honor Roll. Harvard Pilgrim selects Honor Roll practices based on points earned on 15 quality measures across three domains of clinical care affecting both adult and pediatric patients: acute, chronic and preventative care.
High Marks on Patient Experience Survey Milford Regional Physician Group is also rated highly by patients in the Massachusetts Health Quality Partners (MHQP) annual patient experience survey. A total of 94% of adult patients and 99% of pediatric patients report that they would be willing to recommend their MRPG physician to family and friends, both of which exceed the state mean. This measure is a true testament to the positive experience patients have at our sites.
Preparation for New Electronic Medical Record Throughout this year, Milford Regional Physician Group has engaged in preparatory activities for the move to Epic, a new electronic medical record (EMR) and billing system. Detailed planning has been designed to ensure a smooth transition for our providers, staff and patients. Milford Regional Medical Center has also been involved in this process, replicating interfaces to share information between hospital systems and MRPG’s electronic medical record. The new system will be live in March 2019.
MRPG Joins Partners HealthCare Choice ACO The state of Massachusetts adapted the delivery of Medicaid coverage this year, offering different plan options through the creation of 17 accountable care organizations (ACOs). Milford Regional Physician Group participates in Partners HealthCare Choice ACO and has expanded its population health management programs to meet the needs of Medicaid patients. MRPG offers the Collaborative Care Program, which embeds a Support Specialist in MRPG primary care offices to assist the physicians in managing patients with behavioral health issues. MRPG has also increased support of social services needs with an additional Social Worker and a Community Health Worker.
Breaking Ground on New Site Milford Regional Physician Group has begun construction of a new building in Franklin, which will house Franklin Family Practice, Franklin Primary Care, Franklin Pediatric & Adolescent Care, and Franklin Rheumatology. In addition to these practices, the facility will offer Milford Regional Medical Center diagnostic imaging, (including radiology, ultrasound and 3D mammography), as well as laboratory services onsite. The building is scheduled to open in Spring 2019.
Milford Regional 2018 Report to the Community 