Press Releases
Please give a warm welcome to our newest physician at our Sunrise location, Dr. Stacy Merrifield.
Sound Family Medicine’s Newest Physician Focuses on Family Practice and Obstetrics
Sound Family Medicine’s Bonney Lake Clinic Welcomes Dr. Komarow
Sound Family Medicine’s Bonney Lake Clinic Welcomes Daren Mealer, M.D.
As Community Grows, so Does Sound Family Medicine’s Sunrise clinic.
Qualis Health Recognizes Organizations Improving Quality of Healthcare
News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 17, 2010
Please give a warm welcome to our newest physician at our Sunrise location, Dr. Stacy Merrifield.
Stacy Merrifield, DO has joined the staff of Sound Family Medicine at the Sunrise clinic. Dr. Merrifield is a graduate of the University of Washington. She then went on to receive her medical degree from Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed her family medicine residency, at Tacoma Family Medicine. Dr. Merrifield provides a wide range of acute, chronic and preventive medical care as well as comprehensive obstetric services. She also offers patients osteopathic manipulation, a full-body system of hands-on techniques to help alleviate pain, restore function, and promote health and well-being. Sound Family Medicine is Eastern Pierce County’s largest private medical group.
News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 1, 2010
Dr. Kevin Martin is the newest member to join the staff of Sound Family Medicine at the Bonney Lake clinic.
Born and raised in California, Dr. Martin earned his bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of California at Davis. He then went on to attend medical school at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland where he successfully completed an accelerated residency in Family Practice at University Hospitals of Cleveland. He spearheaded AFMC’s efforts in the first Washington State Diabetes Breakthrough Collaborative, and continues to have a strong interest in the management of chronic disease in primary care. Dr. Martin is Board Certified by the American Board of Family Medicine. He was named as a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians in 2006 and his primary areas of practice are maternity care, osteopathic manipulation, medical hypnosis, and colposcopy. Sound Family Medicine is Eastern Pierce County’s largest private medical group.
News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 28, 2008
Sound Family Medicine’s Newest Physician
Focuses on Family Practice and Obstetrics
Sound Family Medicine’s newest physician, Dr. Daniel Wells, offers
families and expectant mothers another outstanding provider to choose
from at the Hartland Medical Center office.
The fact that Dr. Wells is a member of the Gold Humanism Honor Society
says a lot about him. The GHHS emphasizes qualities such as compassion,
character and a relentless focus on what’s best for their patients.
Members are nominated by fellow doctors based on the question: If you
were to choose one of your colleagues to be your doctor, who would it
be? Also a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians and the
American Medical Association, he is the recent recipient of the Teachers
of Family Medicine, Resident Teacher Award.
Dr. Wells explains his philosophy: “As a physician, I am focused on
whole person care. I seek to put my patients first, as an advocate and a
guide, providing them with the information they need to navigate the
maze of modern medicine.”
“My wife will be the first to tell you, I love what I do,” Dr. Wells
adds, listing his strong interests as Pediatrics, Geriatrics,
Obstetrics, therapeutic counseling, and office procedures. “Basically,
just about everything!” he says with a smile.
The reasons that Dr. Wells cites for choosing to join Sound Family
Medicine say a lot about our practice. The community is “lovely”, and
the clinic’s innovative use of technology is a definite plus. But Dr.
Wells says it came down to a connection he felt with SFM: “I was mostly
impressed that this is a group of doctors still practicing the kind of
medicine that emphasizes the importance of long-term relationships with
patients.”
Dr. Wells joined Sound Family Medicine on the completion of his
residency training in Northern California with Sutter Health. This
follows pre-med coursework with degree in psychology at Brigham Young
University and medical school in Southern California at UC Irvine,
School of Medicine.
Dr. Wells joins a cadre of 29 health care providers available at SFM’s
three Pierce County clinics to meet a variety of patient needs and
preferences, including physicians, certified physicians’ assistants, and
nurse practitioners. 11 of those providers accept obstetric patients.
Dr. Wells will be seeing patients at the Sound Family Medicine Hartland
/ Puyallup clinic, 3908 10th Street SE, Puyallup. Patients can schedule
an appointment with Dr. Wells by calling 253-848-5951.
News Release
Sound Family Medicine
For more information, contact
Julie Wright at 253-848-5951
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 17, 2008
Sound Family Medicine’s Bonney Lake Clinic Welcomes Dr. Komarow
Sound Family Medicine’s (SFM’s) newest physician, Dr. Julie Komarow, has come full-circle in bringing her practice to SFM’s Bonney Lake Clinic. She began her career in family medicine 21 years ago with Everett Family Practice Center. After the closure of EFPC in 2001, she found herself working for a corporate owned clinic in Covington for the past five years.
The opportunity to join SFM, and return to an environment in which the bottom line is excellent patient care, proved irresistible. “I wanted to go back to a physician owned and run practice, providing full-spectrum family medicine – that’s where I came from and where I belong,” Dr. Komarow emphasizes.
With Sound Family Medicine, Dr. Komarow will provide family and hospital medicine, with a special emphasis on obstetrics and preventive care. As a breast cancer survivor, Dr. Komarow has a personal perspective on the value of heading off problems before they become serious.
The daughter of an Air Force pilot, she inherited a love for speed and has given it an outlet competing in sprint and endurance races with local and national sports car clubs. She has driven BMWs and Porsches in races all over the US. “Just don’t call me ‘Camaro’, she says, semi-jokingly. “I’m a German car kind of woman.” (Her name is pronounced ‘Comma-Row’.)
At the opposite end of the speed and noise spectrum, she and her husband also own six llamas, who behave more like big dogs than livestock. Smart and affectionate, each has its own personality. She adds that the llamas ride nonchalantly in the family van when heading out on a camping/hiking trip.
Dr. Komarow grew up all over the U.S., but has lived in the Pacific Northwest since high school. She knew that Washington state was where she wanted to live and practice medicine. “Family medicine specialists are much appreciated in Washington’s medical community,” Dr. Komarow says, and the partnership between primary care providers and specialists provides patients with care that’s both efficient and effective. The respect other physicians hold for Dr. Komarow is evident in the fact that, for the last 15+ years, she has represented the state as a trustee for the Washington State Medical Association and as a delegate to the American Medical Association.
Dr. Komarow looks forward to serving her existing patients, as well as new patients, in the Bonney Lake area part time beginning in March, transitioning to full time in June.
January 14, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:Julie Wright at 253-848-5951
Nine Sound Family Medicine Physicians Receive National Recognition for Providing Quality Diabetes Care
Puyallup, WA – The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) and the American Diabetes Association (ADA) have announced that nine physicians with Sound Family Medicine, Eastern Pierce County’s largest private medical group, have received recognition from the Diabetes Physician Recognition Program for providing quality care to their patients with diabetes. Those physicians are: Edward Pullen, MD; Marc Aversa, MD; Darin Blackburn, MD; Tammy D'Souza, DO; Nancy Grubb, MD; Jennifer Knowles, MD; Donald Sinden, DO; Kevin Taggart, MD; and Christopher Young, MD.
“I am exceptionally proud to have nearly all of our providers as NCQA recognized for our diabetes care,” Dr. Pullen, SFM Medical Director, said. “We are the only large group in Pierce County to have this recognition, and one of the first groups in Washington. It says a lot about the commitment of our doctors, and support of our whole staff to accomplish this.”
The Diabetes Physician Recognition Program (DPRP) was designed to improve the quality of care that patients with diabetes receive by recognizing physicians who deliver quality diabetes care, and by motivating other physicians to document and improve their delivery of diabetes care. To receive recognition, which is valid for three years, the clinic submitted data that demonstrates performance that meets the program’s key diabetes care measures, including eye exams, blood pressure tests, nutrition therapy and patient satisfaction. When people with diabetes receive quality care as outlined by these measures, they are less likely to suffer complications.
“Diabetes is one disease for which preventive care and good disease management has conclusively been shown to result fewer complications, fewer hospitalizations, and reduced health care costs for the patient,” Dr. Pullen notes. “If you have diabetes, you are saving not only the cost of medical care, but the pain and anguish of medical procedures and conditions that include serious vision problems, dialysis, heart attacks, infections and even amputations.”
“For a person with diabetes, the right physician can make the difference between living with diabetes as opposed to suffering from diabetes,” says Larry C. Deeb, MD, President, Medicine & Science, American Diabetes Association. “Physicians who earn recognition through the Diabetes Physician Recognition Program have an established track record of providing excellent diabetes care. The list of (DPRP) recognized doctors is the first place to look if you or a loved one has been diagnosed with diabetes.”
There are five major areas of diabetes care that can reduce complication rates, and which are the focus of Sound Family Medicine’s health care providers. “For many patients, surprisingly, control of blood sugars may not be the most important,” Dr. Aversa points out. What is important?
1. Blood pressure control. A person with diabetes needs to maintain lower pressure than those without. What is considered upper normal blood pressure for most of us can, for a diabetic, lead to complications, including kidney failure and dialysis, heart attacks, and disease of the arteries to the legs and feet. The official goal blood pressure for a diabetic is less than 130/80.
2. Cholesterol control. For SFM patients with diabetes, the doctors work aggressively to lower the LDL (bad) cholesterol, which reduces the risks of heart and artery disease. The LDL goal in diabetics is less than 70. A statin type medication is very often needed to achieve this.
3. Blood sugar control. Blood sugar control in type 2 diabetes can be very challenging. Weight loss, diet, and exercise are key. In addition, oral medications and, at times, insulin are needed.
4. Eliminating tobacco use. If a diabetic smokes, the risk of heart attack, peripheral artery disease leading to leg ulcers, infection, and amputation are greatly increased. Quitting smoking is critical for people with diabetes.
5. Monitoring for and management of complications. Getting annual professional dilated eye exams to look for early diabetic eye disease at a time when treatment can prevent progression to blindness is important. Annual urine tests should be done to look for protein leakage, a sign of early diabetic kidney injury.
The most important thing for patients to remember is to schedule regular office visits. Every three months is the standard of care set by most experts. To find out if your physician has been recognized by the Diabetes Physician Recognition Program, or for further information, please visit www.ncga.org/dprp or call 202-955-1721.
About Diabetes: Diabetes is a serious disease that affects the body’s ability to produce or respond properly to insulin, a hormone that allows blood sugar to enter the cells of the body and be used for energy. An estimated 16 million Americans have diabetes. It is the sixth-leading cause of death by disease in the United States and it has no cure.
About the National Committee for Quality Assurance: NCQA is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations and recognizes physicians in key clinical areas.
About the American Diabetes Association: The ADA is the nation’s leading voluntary health organization supporting diabetes research, information and advocacy. Founded in 1940, the association has offices in every region of the country, providing services to more than 800 communities.
November 28, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sound Family Medicine’s Bonney Lake Clinic
Welcomes Daren Mealer, M.D.
Sound Family Medicine’s newest health care provider is scheduled to start at SFM’s Bonney Lake clinic December 3. For the past three years, Dr. Daren Mealer has practiced at the Air Force Academy Hospital near Colorado Springs, Colorado and earned his medical degree from Southwest University.
Although he was raised in Austin, Texas, Dr. Mealer says that it was on his first visit to the Puget Sound area as an ROTC midshipman during college that he knew he wanted to call the Northwest home. The laid-back attitude and eclectic style of the Northwest reminded him of Austin, he says, but the mountains and rivers offered new vistas for the road biking, kayaking and rock climbing enthusiast.
Dr. Mealer earned two undergraduate degrees and has served in two branches of the military, which took him to the Middle East during the first Gulf War and twice more in the past three years.
Dr. Mealer provides obstetric care, geriatric care and just about everything in between. Although he is a board certified family physician, he has also worked in Internal Medicine, Pediatric, and Emergency Services.
Dr. Mealer enjoys forming partnerships with his patients and their families in a comprehensive approach to medical care. He says, “I enjoy the art of medicine, in talking with my patients, in explaining therapeutic options, and in fostering plans for healthy lifestyle changes at any stage in life.”
In addition to outdoor activities, Dr. Mealer makes time to participate in medical missions, read, and promotes educational opportunities for children. For an appointment, call 253-848-5951.
October 22, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
As Community Grows, so Does Sound Family Medicine’s Sunrise clinic.
With the tremendous growth taking place south of Puyallup, it’s no surprise that Sound Family Medicine’s Sunrise Medical Campus office is adding another doctor to meet the demand for SFM’s high standards for patient care. The arrival of Mohit (pronounced Moheet) Mahajan, MD, who joins the clinic at the end of October, means Sunrise patients will be able to see a doctor more quickly and will have a greater selection of appointment times, including evening appointments.
Like many other physicians at Sound Family Medicine, Dr. Mahajan moved to the Puget Sound area to become part of the Sound Family Medicine group of health care providers. However, he’s traveled a bit further than most, having grown up in a northern region of India, in the foothills of the Himalayan Mountains.
After completing his education and earning his medical degree in India, Dr. Mahajan spent five years in Texas, getting to know U.S. medical systems and life in the United States, as well as working to earn his U.S. Board Certification. He arrived in Yakima in 2004 to complete a three-year residency with Central Washington Family Medicine, a program that’s affiliated with the University of Washington.
The climate, the mountains, the ambience and even the apple trees reminded Dr. Mahajan of home back in India and it wasn’t long before he decided to make this part of the U.S. his home away from home. His wife, Monika, is attending dentistry school in Chicago. When she finishes school next May, she’ll join him in Puyallup.
Dr. Mahajan prefers to practice holistic medicine, getting to know his patients and their families on a more personal level, in order to better understand other factors that may influence their health. He is an advocate of providing patient education, and encouraging patients to participate in decision making in their health care. Not only does this philosophy fit well with that of Sound Family Medicine’s other doctors, Dr. Mahajan’s training and skill level are of the caliber the practice demands of its providers.
Mahajan enjoys spending time with family, traveling with family and watching movies, time permitting. He is fluent in the Hindi, Punjabi, and Urdu languages, as well as speaking English beautifully. He recently commented, “I feel blessed to be a part of Sound Family Medicine and my wife and I look forward to becoming members of this community and starting our own family here.”
People interested in becoming his patient may call 253-848-5951 for an appointment to meet Dr. Mahajan. He’s accepting new patients, except for OB patients, and is available for appointments beginning October 29, 2007
July 28, 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Qualis Health, Steve McLean, 206-366-3371,
stevemc@qualishealth.org Qualis Health Recognizes Organizations Improving Quality of Healthcare
July 20, 2006 -- SEATTLE – Qualis Health presented
five local healthcare organizations with the 2005 Award
of Excellence in Healthcare Quality during its annual
“Transformational Strategies for Quality Improvement in
Healthcare” conference on Tuesday. The awards are given
by the healthcare quality improvement organization to
facilities that have demonstrated innovation in
achieving measurable improvements in healthcare quality.
Winners of the 2005 awards were Children’s Hospital and
Regional Medical Center, of Seattle; Northwest Kidney
Centers, of Seattle; Sound Family Medicine, of
Puyallup; Providence Hospice & Home Care, of Everett and
Swedish Physicians, of Seattle.
“The accomplishments achieved by these organizations
were meaningful and important to patients," said
Jonathan Sugarman MD, MPH, president and CEO of Qualis
Health, who presented the awards. “The improvements
required considerable effort, a collective and sustained
commitment to change and the vision to collaborate
around a shared goal. Qualis Health is pleased to
recognize these organizations for achieving measurable
change and impacting the health of the communities they
serve.”
Winners were selected by an independent panel based on
objective measurement of clinical outcomes and
improvement data over the previous year.
Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center,
a 250-bed facility ranked as one of the top children’s
hospitals in the nation, serves as the pediatric
referral center for Alaska, Idaho, Montana and
Washington state. Qualis Health awarded the
Seattle-based organization the 2005 Award of Excellence
in Healthcare Quality for measurable improvements made
in its Parenteral Nutrition (PN) program. While
PN programs are used by hospitals to coordinate complex
prescription orders, they are often associated with
incidences of medication error. Applying lean, a
performance improvement methodology designed to increase
staff productivity, Children’s Hospital and Regional
Medical Center standardized and improved their PN
ordering system and created a model designed to reduce
the risk for medication errors. Accepting the award was
Polly Lenssen, RD, CD, MS, manager, Clinical Nutrition,
and Lizabeth Postetter, RN, BSN, manager, IV Team and
Acute Care Float Pool.
A critical function of dialysis treatments for kidney
patients is removal of unhealthy levels of acid from the
body. Because of their loss of kidney function, dialysis
patients develop metabolic acidosis. This is a condition
characterized by a disruption in the body's acid-base
balance, which can cause severe health complications or
death if not corrected several times per week by
dialysis. Effectiveness of the dialysis treatment in
correcting this problem is based on the kind of
equipment, dialysis technique, dialysis solutions and
dialysis treatment prescription employed.
Seattle's non-profit Northwest Kidney Centers,
the largest provider of dialysis services in the Pacific
Northwest, was presented with the 2005 Award of
Excellence in Healthcare Quality. The organization
received this award for improvements made in dialysis
care in addressing underlying issues in optimizing
correction of metabolic acidosis. In 2002, after
identifying potential causes of suboptimal correction
and the introduction of new equipment into two
facilities, the organization, which serves more than
1,200 patients, implemented a program that progressively
improved the overall degree of acidosis correction
organization-wide.
The award was accepted by Dr. John Stivelman, chief
medical officer, Northwest Kidney Centers, and associate
professor of Medicine, Division of Nephrology,
University of Washington School of Medicine.
Sound Family Medicine, a private, single-specialty
family practice based in Puyallup, was recognized with
the 2005 Award of Excellence in Healthcare Quality for
their adoption and use of health information technology
to improve the quality of care for hypertension
patients. Nationwide, electronic medical record (EMR)
systems are being adopted by hospitals and smaller
practices to improve care, reduce inefficiency and
address healthcare costs. As an early adopter of this
new technology, in 1997 Sound Family Medicine began
using an electronic medical record system. In 2005, use
of the database in their EMR coupled with process
changes allowed SFM providers to more effectively track
and prescribe treatments for patients with high blood
pressure. Within a four-month period, the practice
managed to decrease the percentage of patients with
uncontrolled diastolic hypertension. Through use of the
EMR, the practice was able, to realize improved
tracking, communication and follow through in patient
care. Sound Family Medicine Medical Director, Edward
Pullen, MD and Julie Wright, chief operations officer
accepted the award.
Providence Hospice & Home Care of Snohomish County,
a non-profit agency based in Everett, earned the 2005
Award of Excellence in Healthcare Quality for
improvements made in wound care for patients.
Recognizing that advances in technology presented an
opportunity to make comprehensive improvements in wound
care for pressure ulcers, diabetic ulcers and surgical
wounds, the organization embarked on a program to
identify barriers to providing effective wound care,
establish standardized practice protocols, develop a
full time wound care specialist position and adopt
technological, scientific and evidence-based “best
practices.” From 2003 to 2005, the organization’s
improved wound care resulted in fewer wound treatment
visits, decreased complications, enhanced documentation
and analysis to prevent wounds as well as the full
adoption of the Braden scale, used by the industry to
better predict pressure ulcer risk in patients. Teri
Berger, RN, wound specialist of Home Care and Pat
O’Maley-Lanphear, Quality Management coordinator,
accepted the award.
The wide-ranging care provided by Providence Hospice and
Home Care includes the service of physicians, registered
nurses, medical social workers, rehabilitation
therapists, home health aides, chaplains and volunteers.
The collaboration and teamwork that is demonstrated by
these qualified individuals provides a comprehensive and
caring medical experience for patients who receive care
in their home. Providence Home Care has been serving the
home health care needs of Snohomish County and Camano
Island since 1986.
In recognition of the efforts to build upon their
quality diabetes care, Swedish Physicians received the 2005 Award of Excellence in Healthcare
Quality. Consisting of 12 primary care clinics and more
than 80 board certified physicians and registered
nurses, Swedish Physicians sought to expand their
grassroots diabetes care program in early 2005 by
integrating and sharing medical best practices, driving
continued adoption of the chronic care model (an
integrated approach to improving care for chronic
diseases such as diabetes) and building a diabetes
clinical information system framework to improve patient
care. Due to the changes implemented, many improvements
were made across the Swedish Physician system, including
increased participation by patients in creating their
own treatment plans (self-management), better blood
pressure readings, improved cholesterol tests and more.
The award was accepted by Warren Fein, MD, medical
director at Swedish Physicians.
About Qualis Health
Qualis Health is dedicated to improving the quality of
healthcare delivery and health outcomes for individuals
and populations across the nation. In operation since
1974, the non-profit, healthcare quality improvement
organization (QIO) is headquartered in Seattle,
Washington and has offices in Alaska, Idaho and
California.
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January 23, 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
GE Healthcare, Ana Perez, 262-337-0108, ana.m.perez@ge.com
Innovative use of electronic medical records to improve patient’s health wins national award for Sound Family Medicine.
WAUKESHA, WISC, January 10, 2006— GE Healthcare announced today that it has awarded Sound Family Medicine (SFM), a medical practice located in Puyallup, Washington, the prestigious Excellence Award in Quality Improvement for 2005. The award was presented for use of GE’s Centricity Digital Health Record System for reporting and monitoring to improve diastolic blood pressure control in hypertensive patients. GE Healthcare gives only two awards each year, one for patient care improvement, and the second for clinical research.
Last summer, SFM analyzed how well it
was treating patients with high blood pressure readings compared to
other clinics across the nation. SFM was among the top tier in
controlling their hypertensive patient’s systolic (top) readings, but
was rated average in terms of controlling patient’s diastolic (bottom)
readings.
After determining that they could do more for their patients with
hypertension, SFM used the Centricity system to search for patients with
recent diastolic readings above recommended guidelines in order to
improve their quality of care. The clinic was able to follow up with
these patients and provide advice to help their patients achieve better
blood pressure control. The practice reduced its number of hypertensive
patients with suboptimal diastolic blood pressure control by 20 percent.
SFM implemented the GE Centricity system eight years ago, and now uses the system to allow its three locations to function with one integrated medical record. Care providers at any of the three sites can immediately access a patient’s full record whether the patient is seeing his usual doctor, or a different provider at any of the SFM offices.
The traditional system of charting and recording a patient’s symptoms, diagnoses and treatments in a paper file makes it difficult for physicians to easily access records to assess whether a patient may benefit from being asked to come in for better disease control. Using the digital health record physicians more easily search the database for patients who will benefit from additional care.
SFM also participates in the Medical Quality Improvement Consortium (MQIC) a nation-wide collaborative group of over 3,500 physicians using the GE Centricity Digital Health Record System focused on measuring and improving patient care. MQIC allows the practice to compare their own record of outcomes with other health care providers, and to translate their findings into better patient care. About Sound Family Medicine
Consisting of three clinics in the rapidly growing Eastern Pierce County, SFM offers primary health care for 27,000 patients yearly. SFM is known for:
• Offering innovative services like a walk-in clinic and appointments on weekends and after regular business hours.
• Providing patients a choice of a variety of health care providers.
• Making health care more easily accessible, with online test results and appointment scheduling.
Sound Family Medicine continues to seek new and better ways to serve its patients.
About GE Healthcare
This branch of GE is partnering with U.S. medical providers to enable the digital, wireless and paperless delivery of healthcare. With America’s health records expected to be fully electronic by 2014, GE’s information technologies are helping providers lower costs, prevent errors and ensure consistent, quality health care for every patient.