Phoebe Professional Affairs Committee recommends new staff, approves charter

ALBANY — While the cycle of bringing new physicians into the fold at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital continues, its Professional Affairs Committee adopted a charter.

Three physicians are listed on the hospital’s most recent credentials report as potential medical staff members, including internist Dr. Ryan Monti, neurologist Dr. Jason Soriano and internist Dr. Victor Urbieta Caceres. Soriano is practicing in telemedicine, while Careres is listed as locum tenens — which means he is temporarily filling in for someone else.

Three potential affiliate staff members, or mid-level providers, are being considered to come in under the sponsorship of surgeon Dr. Anastasios Polimenakos: Brent Shafer, Alicia Borrow and Theodora “Shelly” Highsmith. Rhonda Haynes, a nurse practitioner in critical care, is switching sponsorship from Dr. Deidra Lawson to Dr. Jyotir Mehta.

Four resignations were noted on the credentials report released at the committee’s meeting on Monday. They were pediatrician Dr. Nicole Hinds, and anesthesiology affiliate staff members Leigh Wenslow, Ted Smith and Gabriele Permanente.

Chief Medical Officer Dr. Steve Kitchen added that a delineation of privileges is also under consideration for pediatric care.

Dawn Benson, senior vice president and general counsel at Phoebe, presented the charter, which outlines for the committee its purpose, duties and responsibilities, organization and membership, and authority. Benson said it was taken from the bylaws and was drafted to provide a guide for best governing practice.

“The committees’s purpose is to serve as the liaison between the medical staff and the board and shall represent the board with regard to applications for medical staff membership, including appointment and reappointment,” the charter states.

The duties listed also include making recommendations on medical-related policy, overseeing the effectiveness of the credentialing process, recommending corrective action, supporting development of physician leaders, and reporting on matters of quality and safety. It also notes that the chair of the committee, with the consent of the Phoebe Putney Health System’s Board of Directors, can appoint a member of the medical staff’s quality council to be an ex-officio non-voting member of the committee.

Joe Austin, the health system’s COO, updated the committee on a DNV GL Healthcare survey that took place at the hospital three weeks ago.

The COO said there were “very few” concerns identified and that surveyors remarked on how clean the hospital was.

“We probably had the best survey we have had in 10-15 years,” Austin said.

The credentials report presented to the committee on Monday went before Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital’s Medical Executive Committee on Oct. 3 and the hospital’s Credentials Committee on Sept. 25. The committee recommended it for approval to the hospital’s board, which usually meets on the first Wednesday of the month.