PR Log - Apr 20, 2012 - San Jose, CA - The Cardiovascular Department of Good Samaritan Hospital is pleased to announce the election of cardiologist Felix Lee as chairman of the Cardiac and Vascular Services Department and vascular surgeon Dr. Polyxene Kokinos as vice-chairman.  As Chairman, Dr. Lee will also participate in the Medical Executive Committee, which meets to help review and establish policy to help govern the entire medical staff.  Vice-Chairman Dr. Kokinos also serves as a member of the Credentialing and Quality Assurance Committees.  

Departmental executive boards such as these are not uncommon to hospitals, especially given the burgeoning emphasis on high-quality patient care in the U.S. health system.  Though the meetings are conducted by professionals in private, their implications trickle down to each patient seeking care at that hospital.  The purview of the Cardiac and Vascular Services committees ranges from reviewing the outcome of past hospital cases to devising improvement strategies related to the patient care administered by the department.  The goal, after all, is to systematically assess the department’s functioning and enforce change, if need be, to ensure the best possible patient experience.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention name cardiovascular disease as the leading cause of death in the United States, stating that, “One in every three deaths is from heart disease and stroke, equal to 2,200 deaths per day”.  Possible causes of heart disease include tobacco use, high sodium and trans fat intake, stress, and diabetes, to name only a few.  With such risk and such fatal consequences of heart disease burdening families and communities in the United States, strides are being made to raise awareness and improve patient outcomes at all levels of health care.  This movement is becoming increasingly evident at the level of hospital administration.

At Good Samaritan Hospital, the Cardiovascular Services Department constitutes one of the most influential departments of the institution and is staffed by diagnostic and interventional cardiologists, vascular surgeons, and cardiothoracic surgeons.  Under the new leadership of Dr. Lee and Dr. Kokinos, who have each been serving in Northern California for over ten years, the department aims to contribute to the nationwide movement to decrease the burden of heart disease through patient education and a continuous effort to provide excellent patient care.

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