Category: Valley Hospital

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Holy Name Medical Center, Valley Hospital sue to block ads for new tiered Horizon insurance plan

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DECEMBER 10, 2015, 3:15 PM    LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2015, 3:20 PM
BY LINDY WASHBURN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck and The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood opened a new front in the widening fight against the state’s largest insurer Thursday, with a lawsuit demanding that Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey halt further advertising of a new, tiered health plan because — by leaving their hospitals out of the preferred tier — it makes them look inferior.

Horizon breached its contract with the hospitals when it announced the new Omnia health plans in September, the lawsuit filed in state Superior Court in Hackensack by the two hospitals and five others said. The insurer was obligated to give the hospitals an opportunity to negotiate participation in the new plans, the suit said.

The Omnia plans, now being advertised widely, group hospitals into two tiers, and will allow patients to pay lower deductibles and co-insurance when they seek care from a preferred, or Tier 1, hospital. The plans are being sold to individuals, small businesses, state government employees and people who buy insurance through the federal Affordable Care Act for coverage starting Jan. 1. Premiums are 12 to 15 percent lower than for other Horizon plans.

“They’re using marketing that is misleading,” said Michael Furey, an attorney with Day Pitney who represents the seven hospital systems suing Horizon, saying that this damages the reputation of his clients. They’re “making the consumer think that somehow the Tier 1 hospitals are superior and the Tier 2 hospitals are inferior,” he said.

Horizon is the largest provider of health insurance in New Jersey, with more than 50 percent of the commercial market. In total, including Medicare, Medicaid, state and federal employee coverage, it provides insurance to 3.8 million people in the state.

In Bergen and Passaic counties, the Tier 1 network includes St. Joseph’s Healthcare System, with hospitals in Wayne and Paterson, and Hackensack University Medical Center and its affiliated hospitals — HackensackUMC at Pascack Valley in Westwood and Englewood Hospital and Medical Center.

Holy Name, Valley, and St. Mary’s General Hospital in Passaic are in Tier 2.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/holy-name-medical-center-valley-hospital-sue-to-block-ads-for-new-tiered-horizon-insurance-plan-1.1471869

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Fight over non-profit hospitals’ tax exemption looming

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DECEMBER 5, 2015 LAST UPDATED: SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2015, 1:21 AM
BY LINDY WASHBURN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

New Jersey’s non-profit hospitals may not pay property taxes, but they generate so many jobs, both directly and indirectly, that their economic activity contributes more than $1.4 billion to local and state tax revenues, a report commissioned by the state hospital association said Friday.

The industry is bracing for legislative action that might threaten the current exemption from property taxes in the wake of a precedent-setting Tax Court decision earlier this year involving Morristown Medical Center. State Senate leaders have said they plan to introduce legislation this month to clarify the standards for maintaining a property-tax exemption, to better reflect hospitals’ evolution into complex corporate enterprises since the tax code was written in 1913.

In Bergen and Passaic counties, the value of hospitals’ tax exempt properties is conservatively estimated at more than $700 million.

The report by EY (formerly Ernst & Young), commissioned by the New Jersey Hospital Association, details the economic and community benefits that non-profit hospitals provide. The 63 non-profit hospitals statewide employed 140,000 people, who received $8.3 billion in salaries and paid $674 million in state and local taxes in 2013, the report said. Hospital activities led indirectly to an additional 114,000 jobs statewide, and generated $777 million in additional taxes.

In North Jersey, those hospitals include Hackensack University Medical Center, Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck, Englewood Hospital and Medical Center, The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood and St. Joseph’s Healthcare System in Passaic County.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/nj-state-news/property-tax-fight-looming-1.1468111

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North Jersey towns reassess tax-exempt status for hospitals after key ruling

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NOVEMBER 23, 2015, 9:53 PM    LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2015, 6:42 AM
BY LINDY WASHBURN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

Around North Jersey, more than $700 million worth of property goes untaxed because it is owned by non-profit hospitals. That includes hospital campuses on nearly 90 acres in Ridgewood, Hackensack, Teaneck, Englewood, Paterson and Wayne. And it also includes hospital-related properties, such as portions of medical office buildings in Wayne and Paramus, parking garages in Hackensack and an assortment of lots in Paterson.

That property, and the potential revenue it could produce if it were assessed property taxes, is getting a close look by leaders of the state and local governments after a precedent-setting Tax Court decision and recent settlement in a case between Morristown and the non-profit Morristown Medical Center.

Judge Vito Bianco ruled that non-profit hospitals in the early 21st century are essentially legal fictions, with little in the way they operate to distinguish them from for-profit hospitals — and almost nothing in common with their beginnings as “charitable alms houses.”

https://www.northjersey.com/news/north-jersey-towns-reassess-tax-exempt-status-for-hospitals-after-key-ruling-1.1461487?page=all

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The Valley Hospital’s tax liability would be $4.5 million in Ridgewood if its main campus was not exempt

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N.J. towns may push hospitals to pay up; more could seek property tax deals with non-profits

NOVEMBER 11, 2015, 11:14 PM    LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2015, 11:22 PM
BY LINDY WASHBURN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

Cash-strapped local governments around the state may be looking at non-profit hospitals with new eyes, now that the non-profit Morristown Medical Center has agreed to pay its hometown $15.5 million over the next decade to settle demands for property taxes.

A judge in state tax court took away the hospital’s property-tax exemption in June, declaring that it operated more like a for-profit company than a charitable institution. Rather than appeal the decision, the hospital negotiated an agreement with the town, which was approved Tuesday night.

“Clearly, this is an open invitation for a number of towns,” Frank Ciesla, head of the health-law practice at Giordano, Halleran & Ciesla, said Wednesday. “I think you’re going to see a lot more in the way of litigation.”

Non-profit hospitals are among the largest landowners in some municipalities. Local governments could begin by assessing taxes on their property, leading to a series of appeals as hospitals seek to clarify their status, he said.

The Valley Hospital’s tax liability would be $4.5 million in Ridgewood if its main campus was not exempt, and $360,000 in Paramus, according to local records. (It already pays taxes on some other properties.) Hackensack University Medical Center reached a settlement this year of various tax issues that is to result in a $5.1 million payment to the city treasury over three years. Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck, Englewood Hospital and Medical Center and St. Joseph’s Healthcare System’s hospitals in Paterson and Wayne all are exempt from local property taxes.

Ridgewood Mayor Paul Aronsohn said that it hasn’t been possible to raise the issue of taxes — or a payment in lieu of taxes — with Valley during the last few years because of the hospital’s pending application for approval of its building plans.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/n-j-towns-may-push-hospitals-to-pay-up-more-could-seek-property-tax-deals-with-non-profits-1.1453139

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Valley Offers Free Screening For Lung Cancer Awareness Month

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November 11,2015

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Earlier this year, The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced that for eligible beneficiaries, annual screening for lung cancer with low-dose computed tomography will be covered as an additional preventive service. The announcement made by CMS corresponds with the recommendations made by The United States Preventive Services Task Force, a government panel. The recommendations and the screening guidelines apply to current heavy smokers and to those who have quit within the last 15 years and are between 55 to 80 years old.

November is lung cancer awareness month. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in men and women. An estimated 160,000 people die from lung cancer every year. Current and former smokers are at high risk for developing lung cancer. Many of these deaths could be prevented by following these screening guidelines, as studies have shown that treatment for lung cancer can be highly successful if the tumor is detected in its earliest stages, before there are any signs or symptoms of the disease.

The Valley Hospital is currently offering free, low-dose CT scans to those ages 55 to 80 who are eligible based on the screening guidelines. The test is painless and only takes about 15 or 20 minutes.

Request to be considered for a free screening online by clicking here, or call 201-634-5757.

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Valley Hospital : Illuminating the Roadmap to Easier Blood Draws

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November 5, 2015

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ,  Blood drawing for patients with hard-to-reach veins just became a lot easier and less painful at The Valley Hospital, thanks to a small hand-held device that lights up veins like a roadmap.  With the AccuVein illumination device, the need for multiple needle sticks to try to hit a good vein for a blood draw is a thing of the past.

Hemoglobin in the blood absorbs the infrared light of the device. When the device is held above the skin, veins appear noticeably different than the surrounding tissue. The vasculature shows up clearly on the skin’s surface, aiding in vein location to collect a blood sample or administer IV medications.

When a vein is reached on the first attempt, it is much more comfortable for the patient since they have significantly less pain and swelling, if any, during and after the draw.

“Patients at Valley, especially those with hard-to-reach veins, are happy about our use of the vein illuminator,” said David Rivera, Director of Cardiac Services at Valley Hospital’s Heart & Vascular Institute. “Several patients have commented that they have felt a lot more comfortable during blood draws and IV insertions with the vein illuminator because of not needing multiple sticks. Valley is proud to be the first Bergen County hospital to have a large-scale deployment of the AccuVein device.”

Very often, elderly patients and children have hard-to-reach veins that cause the procedure to be more painful.  Dehydration, obesity, certain medications, and drug abuse can also contribute to having hard-to-reach veins.

Ron Goldman, Chief Executive Officer of AccuVein, said, “The Valley Hospital is a recognized leader in patient safety and their large scale adoption of vein illumination is further evidence of their commitment to excellent patient care.”

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The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood joined more than 450 other hospitals in 70 health networks to settle charges of improper billing

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N.J. hospitals, health system settle improper billing claims, feds say
By Tim Darragh | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
October 30, 2015 at 4:30 PM, updated October 30, 2015 at 7:01 PM

Five New Jersey hospitals and a health system are among hundreds across the United States that settled charges they improperly billed Medicare for implanting cardiac defibrillators, the Justice Department said Friday.

Cooper Health System in Camden, Deborah Heart and Lung Center in Browns Mills, Hackensack University Medical Center, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick and The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood joined more than 450 other hospitals in 70 health networks to settle the charges. Catholic Health East, which operates in several states and includes St. Francis Medical Center in Trenton, St. Michael’s Medical Center in Newark and Lourdes Health System in Camden, also settled for some of the hospitals outside New Jersey in its chain.

In total, the health systems repaid the federal government more than $250 million to settle the charges, which cover operations going back years.

“While recognizing and respecting physician judgment, the department will hold accountable hospitals and health systems for procedures performed by physicians at their facilities that fail to comply with Medicare billing rules,” Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division, said in a news release. “We are confident that the settlements announced today will lead to increased compliance and result in significant savings to the Medicare program while protecting patient health.”

https://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2015/10/five_nj_hospitals_settle_improper_billing_claims_f.html

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Valley Health System invites men of all ages to a free Men’s Health Fair!

james dean

Please join us on Saturday, November 7, from 9 a.m. to noon at Jack Daniels Motors – Porsche, located at 335 Route 17 South in Upper Saddle River. Learn about men’s health and take advantage of free screenings and information centers, all while exploring the newest models on display at the largest Porsche dealer in the area. You may win the use of a Porsche for a weekend!

Attend two special presentations:
The Weekend Warrior – Joint Pain, at 9:30 a.m.; and Heart Disease at 11 a.m.

Screenings and information centers will include:

Cholesterol
Diabetes
PSA for Men ages 50 to 74
Pulmonary Function
Skin and Colon Cancer
Blood Pressure
Heart Health
Fitness
Prostate Health
Back Pain
Smoking Cessation
And much, much more!

Please call 1-877-283-2276 to register.

Hope to see you there!

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Ridgewood students get a glimpse of career option at Valley Hospital

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OCTOBER 29, 2015    LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2015, 10:04 AM
BY MATTHEW SCHNEIDER
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

Last week marked the beginning of the 10th year of the Ridgewood Academy for Health Professions (RAHP) program.

During the kickoff on Tuesday, 36 Ridgewood High School sophomores took a tour of Valley Hospital in order to get an idea of what goes on behind the scenes, and of what kind of work they would like to pursue as part of RAHP.

“This is their first exposure to RAHP,” said Maureen Curran, manager of media relations and communications at the hospital. “This shows them all of the different aspects of the program, which lets them choose what they want to continue with.”

The program takes RHS students interested in working in medical professions and gives them firsthand experience in that field.

“It definitely looks good on their college applications,” said Sandra Kunzle, the RHS liaison to RAHP. She added that the majority of RAHP students pursue degrees in pre-med or other healthcare-related fields.

RAHP was created in 2005 by Peter Diestel, executive vice president of Valley Hospital; Sheila Brogan of the Board of Education; and Bob Hutton, a former Board of Education member.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/education/students-get-glimpse-of-career-option-1.1444189

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Valley Physicians Well-Represented on NJ Monthly Top Doctors List

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October 21, 2015

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, New Jersey Monthly magazine has named 58 doctors from The Valley Hospital’s Medical staff to its 2015 “Top Doctors” list.

To compile their list, New Jersey Monthly commissioned an independent survey of every licensed doctor in New Jersey.  Each of the doctors was asked to vote for physicians he or she would choose to treat him or herself or a family member. The list names 647 doctors in 57 medical specialties.

Included on the “Top Doctors’ list are 58 members of Valley’s medical staff in a range of specialties, including cardiac electrophysiology, gynecologic oncology, hematology and oncology, maternal/fetal medicine, neonatology, obstetrics & gynecology, pediatrics, surgery and vascular surgery.

Valley physicians who were listed in the special issue of New Jersey Monthly magazine are:
Thomas Ahlborn, M.D., General Surgery; Mutahar Ahmed, M.D., Urology; Frederick Alexander, M.D.,Pediatric Surgery; Douglas Avella, M.D., Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery; Eric Avezzano, M.D.,Gastroenterology; Hooman Azmi, M.D., Neurosurgery; George Becker, M.D., Emergency Medicine;Jessica Blume, M.D., Allergy and Immunology; Neal Breit, M.D., Endocrinologist; Crystal Broussard, M.D., Gastroenterology and Internal Medicine; Cindy Chang, M.D., Allergy and Immunology; Daniel Char, M.D., Vascular Surgery; John Chuback, M.D., Cardiac Surgery; Jeff Chung, M.D., Rheumatology

Sameera Daud- Ahmad, M.D., Endocrinology; Mark Dombrowski, M.D., Family Practice; Frederick Fakharzadeh, M.D., Orthopedic Hand Surgery; Frank Ferraro, M.D., Plastic Surgery; Susan Flanzman, M.D., Internal Medicine; Gregory Gallina, M.D., Colon and Rectal Surgery ; Rajinder Gandhi, M.D.,Pediatric Surgery; Carol Glaubiger, M.D., Internal Medicine; Michele Gliksman, M.D., Gynecology;Edward Gold, M.D., Oncology Medical and Internal Medicine; Noah Goldman, M.D., Gynecologic Oncology; David Goldstein, M.D., Gastroenterology; Richard Goldstein, DPM, Podiatry; Lawrence Harrison, M.D., Surgical Oncology; Joel Jacowitz, M.D., Cardiology; George Kaptain, M.D.,Neurosurgery; David Konigsberg, M.D., Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery; Peter Lee, M.D., Pediatric Emergency Medicine

Bennett Leifer, M.D., Internal Medicine & Geriatric Medicine; Rafael Levin, M.D., Orthopedic Surgery;Joseph Licata, M.D., General Surgery; Frank Manginello, M.D., Pediatrics, Neonatology; Farshad Mansouri, M.D., Colon and Rectal Surgery; Zvi Marans, M.D., Pediatric Cardiology; Stephen Margulis, M.D., Gastroenterology; Monica Meyer, M.D., Obstetrics & Gynecology; Mary Ann Michelis, M.D.,Allergy & Immunology; Sessine Najjar, M.D., Internal Medicine; Joel Nizin, M.D., Colon and Rectal Surgery; Kumar Patel, M.D., Vascular Surgery; Rajnik Raab, M.D., Neurosurgery; Roger Rosenstein, M.D., Orthopedic Surgery and Hand Surgery

Steven Rosner, M.D., Rheumatology; Patrick Roth, M.D., Neurosurgery; Viral Shah, M.D.,Endocrinology and Internal Medicine; Leonard Silverstein, M.D., Allergy and Immunology; Carol Sotsky, M.D., Infectious Diseases; Gerald Sotsky, M.D., Cardiology; Jacques Tohme, M.D., Endocrinology and Internal Medicine; Roy Vingan, M.D., Neurosurgery; Howard Weizman, M.D., Nephrology and Internal Medicine; Ronald White, M.D., Colon and Rectal Surgery; Luis Zapiach, M.D., Plastic Surgery and Ophthalmic Plastic Surgery; Ira Zucker, M.D., Gastroenterology and Internal Medicine.

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Woman suing The Valley Hospital dies

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SEPTEMBER 12, 2015    LAST UPDATED: SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2015, 1:21 AM
BY LINDY WASHBURN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

A woman who sued The Valley Hospital, her doctors and the maker of a medical device that she claimed caused the spread of her cancer has died, just days after providing videotaped testimony to be used when her lawsuit comes to trial.

Viviana Ruscitto, a radiology administrator and the mother of a 2-year-old boy, was 43.

Ruscitto was diagnosed with metastatic leiomyosarcoma, a rare and aggressive cancer, a few weeks after undergoing surgery for uterine fibroids at the Ridgewood hospital last October.

During the minimally invasive procedure, a device known as a laparoscopic power morcellator was used to shred and grind the tissue to be removed so that the fragments could be sucked out through a small incision.

The morcellator’s spinning blade disperses particles from the shredded tissue throughout the abdomen and enables some cells to be absorbed and transported by the lymph system.

The federal Food and Drug Administration recently said that 1 in every 350 women who undergoes a hysterectomy for fibroids has a cancer that may not have been detected but would be spread through morcellation.

https://www.northjersey.com/counties/woman-suing-hospital-dies-1.1408599

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Judge rules Franklin Lakes parents must pay surprise out-of-network medical bill

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SEPTEMBER 4, 2015, 7:44 PM    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2015, 11:02 PM
BY LINDY WASHBURN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

In a lawsuit that illustrates how inescapable surprise medical bills can be, a judge in Bergen County has sided with an anesthesiology practice that did not accept a patient’s insurance for emergency services at The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood and sued the patient for payment.

The judge found that the bill was reasonable and that the doctor had no obligation to figure out — “at midnight” — whether the patient’s insurance would cover the anesthesia she needed to deliver her baby.

Brenda Cristiano, who lives in Franklin Lakes, chose the hospital and her obstetrician because they participated in her insurance plan, Cigna. But when she needed an emergency cesarean section to deliver GianLuca in October 2014, none of the anesthesiologists at the hospital accepted Cigna.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/judge-rules-franklin-lakes-parents-must-pay-surprise-out-of-network-medical-bill-1.1404150

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Valley’s Cardiac Surgery Program in the Top 1.2 Percent Nationally

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August 31,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood bog

Ridgewood NJ, Valley Hospital recognized for top quality in bypass, aortic valve surgery, and combined procedure:

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons has once again recognized The Valley Hospital’s cardiac surgery program with a three-star rating – its highest designation of quality and clinical excellence.  Of note, the program has been awarded a total of three (3) three-star ratings, an extremely rare distinction that puts Valley in the top 1.2 percent of hospitals nationwide.

This current designation recognizes Valley’s excellence in:

· coronary artery bypass surgery (from January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2014);
· aortic valve replacement surgery (from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2014); and
· performing a combination of  the two procedures (from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2014).

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) conferred this designation as part of a comprehensive rating system that compares the quality of cardiac surgery among hospitals across the country. Valley’s current STS designation of three-star ratings in all three categories has been achieved by only 1.2 percent of hospitals nationwide.

“Very few cardiac surgery programs have the privilege of receiving a distinctive triple three-star rating conferred by our peers in heart surgery,” says Alex Zapolanski, M.D., Director of Cardiac Surgery at Valley.  “This gold standard of quality care and clinical excellence is important to our patients and their families in their decision-making process of where to undergo the highest quality cardiac surgery.”

Valley is an affiliate of the Cleveland Clinic’s Heart & Vascular Institute.  To learn more about Valley’s cardiac surgery services or to view the latest Cardiac Surgery Outcomes Report, visitwww.valleyheartandvascular.com.

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Valley Hospital using EMT house calls to cut down on readmissions

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AUGUST 27, 2015, 9:39 PM    LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 2015, 11:07 PM
BY MARY JO LAYTON
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

An ambulance crew dispatched from The Valley Hospital headed out to a Ridgewood home, sirens silenced and the rig moving at normal speed. They were making a house call.

The patient was a 79-year-old man recovering from heart surgery, one of a select group the hospital has targeted in the last year to prevent costly readmissions and provide better care by delivering treatment to the front door.

The Valley team has made 34 such visits, arriving quietly and parking a discreet distance from a patient’s house to prevent panic at home or on the block. Only one patient had to be readmitted, a success rate that has encouraged officials to expand the service, said Lafe Bush, a paramedic and director of emergency services at Valley.

Dispatching the emergency crews is one of the more innovative and cost-effective strategies developed by hospitals across the state to cover critical gaps in treatment that result in readmissions and costly fines, experts said.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/valley-hospital-using-emt-house-calls-to-cut-down-on-readmissions-1.1399739