June 23, 2023
A Message for the Tufts Medicine Integrated Network physicians, Network leaders (Presidents, Administrators, and Medical Directors) and Network staff:
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Tufts Medicine Leadership Announcements |
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Tufts Medicine recently made two important leadership announcements: |
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Phil Okala will join Tufts Medicine on July 10 as our System Chief Operating Officer. Reporting to Mike Dandorph, President and CEO, Phil will be responsible for overseeing operations across Tufts Medicine, including all hospitals, home care and hospice, and our expanding ambulatory operations across eastern Massachusetts.
Phil will also be an important partner with all our clinical and administrative leaders as we evolve our service lines into more integrated business units across Tufts Medicine.
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Michael Tarnoff, MD, FACS, currently CEO of Tufts Medical Center, will assume the broader role of Tufts Medicine’s Chief Physician Executive (CPE) effective October 1, 2023. Also reporting Mike Dandorph, Dr. Tarnoff will oversee the continued expansion and integration of our growing Tufts Medicine physician enterprise as well as our clinical integration efforts across Tufts Medicine.
Dr. Tarnoff will also oversee clinical program affiliations and ventures with physicians, hospitals, and health systems in our region with which we partner.
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Click here to view the full announcement from Mike Dandorph. Click here to view a video and Q&A session with Mike Dandorph and Dr. Tarnoff.
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In case you missed it, last week's Tufts Medicine Connect newsletter featured a profile and Q&A with Emily Young, President of the Tufts Medicine Integrated Network, and her perspective on Why Representation Matters.
Click here to read the profile.
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Join the Tufts Medicine Pride Month Virtual Event |
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Tufts Medicine would like to recognize and thank Jennifer Sturtevant (she/her) from MelroseWakefield Hospital for being this year’s Pride Month leader and her commitment to ensuring Tufts Medicine was represented in several Pride events throughout the communities we serve. We also thank the many team members who volunteered throughout the month.
To wrap up Pride Month, join your colleagues for Tufts Medicine’s virtual event on Wednesday, June 28 from noon – 1 pm to discuss the importance of sexual orientation and gender identity data collection.
Reminder! You can download and display the Tufts Medicine Pride Month Zoom background here.
You can also check out our free LGBTQIA+ resources:
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Reminder: Please Update Email Signatures by Friday, July 7
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Please remember to update or confirm email signatures meet Tufts Medicine's brand standards by Friday, July 7.
Select the appropriate version and edit it to include only the fields included in the template, deleting any rows that do not apply to your role.
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All TMIN employees must include at least one phone number in their signature.
The elements included in the guidelines document are the only approved elements to be included in a Tufts Medicine email signature.
- Do not add any additional information, logos, taglines, etc.
- If you have any other elements in your current email signature, you must remove them.
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There has been a recent multinational outbreak of fungal meningitis among patients who had procedures under epidural anesthesia in Matamoros and Tamaulipas, Mexico. Two clinics, now closed, have been linked to the outbreak: River Side Surgical Center and Clinica K-3. Any patient who had procedures under epidural anesthesia in these clinics from January 1 to May 13, 2023, is to be considered potentially exposed, is at risk for fungal meningitis, and should undergo evaluation and testing regardless of the presence or absence of symptoms.
Patients who meet the above criteria are advised to go to their nearest emergency room right away. Because early treatment can be lifesaving, patients should be evaluated, including lumbar puncture, even if they have no symptoms.
More information about the outbreak can be found here and detailed evaluation guidelines can be found here.
Call Infectious Disease for any patient that presents with the above epidemiologic history. Infectious Disease will notify health authorities.
Patients should have the following CSF studies performed:
- Opening pressure
- Other routine CSF testing (e.g., color, cell counts [WBC with differential, RBC], protein, lactate, glucose)
- Bacterial, mycobacterial, and fungal stains and cultures
- Beta-d-glucan (Fungitell®)- this is a send-out test
- CSF for pan-fungal PCR testing- this is a send-out test
In addition, patients should have the following blood tests sent:
- Serum Beta-d-glucan (Fungitell®)
- Aspergillus galactomannan
Patients with symptoms or an abnormal CSF analysis should undergo MRI of the brain. Symptoms of fungal meningitis include fever, headache, stiff neck, nausea, vomiting, photophobia, and altered mental status.
Treatment of patients found to be infected will be closely managed by our Infectious Disease teams.
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for news about upcoming and previously recorded webinars.
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The Tufts Medicine Integrated Network is a distinctively different population health enterprise and value-based care contracting entity. It comprises 2,300 primary care and specialist physicians and advanced practice clinicians, working as Tufts Medicine employees or in private practice, delivering care in community and hospital settings. The Network’s purpose is to build healthier communities and to create healthy, rewarding experiences for our members and care teams. The Network was launched in July 2021 by building upon the legacies of two long-standing, high-performing organizations – Lowell General Physician Hospital Organization and New England Quality Care Alliance (NEQCA).
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