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++++++++++++++++++ + + ++++++++++++++++++ LOCAL NEWS +++ +++ ST. JOSEPH'S ANNOUNCES NEW APPOINTMENTS St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center has appointed Michael A. Spurchise as Director of Enterprise and Ambulatory Systems. In this newly created role, Spurchise will be responsible for providing strategic direction and oversight of supporting information technologies and processes necessary to integrate St. Joseph's network of services. Spurchise has 30 years of health care IT experience, including strategic planning for large efforts such as health information exchange, public health and Y2K. Most recently, he led a technical team in the implementation and rollout of HealtheConnections, the Regional Health Information Organization (RHIO) of Central New York, of which St. Joseph's is a part. A resident of Oswego, Spurchise holds a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics/education from the State University of New York at Oneonta. Lowell A. Seifter, J.D., has been appointed to the position of general counsel, a newly established role for the organization. This position will help consolidate and reduce the cost of legal services and better align legal and corporate compliance services. Seifter most recently was a senior member of the Board of Managers for Green & Seifter, Attorneys, PLLC. His primary practice areas have included 20 | Central New York MD NEWS ■ MDNEWS.COM business transactions, commercial real estate and health care. His specific health care experience includes arbitration on managed-care disputes, insurance contract disputes, Medicare disputes, physician peer review disputes, hospital/patient disputes, labor and employment conflicts, and partnership disputes and dissolution. Lowell has participated on numerous arbitration panels, often in the role of panel chair, as well as having served as sole arbitrator. He is a registered arbitrator with the American Health Lawyers Association. Seifter has been an adjunct professor and a guest lecturer at the Syracuse University College of Law and has lectured for the New York State Bar Association, the National Business Institute, the Environmental Business Association of New York State and other professional organizations. He has also taught health law for the SUNY Binghamton MBA Program. A resident of DeWitt, Seifter holds a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Juris Doctor degree from Syracuse University and its College of Law. He is also a certified public accountant. ONEIDA HEALTHCARE ACQUIRES DA VINCI SI SURGICAL SYSTEM Oneida Healthcare has acquired the da Vinci Si Surgical System. "This advanced level of technology takes surgery beyond the limits of the human hand, and this acquisition complements our goal of extending minimally invasive surgery to the broadest possible base of patients," says Oneida Healthcare President and CEO Gene Morreale. "Our new surgical suite was designed with this kind of technology in mind, and this [approximately $2 million] investment will help us provide the best possible outcomes for our patients and surgeons," he adds. Morreale also notes that Oneida Healthcare's da Vinci system is the only one between Syracuse and Albany and will be available to physicians and patients in Madison and Oneida counties, as well as the Utica-Rome area and the entire Mohawk Valley region. Dr. Alberto Del Pino of the Oneida Surgical Group explains that so-called "robotic" surgery can be used for a multitude of GYN and general surgical procedures, including his specialty, colorectal surgery. "[The da Vinci Si] has several unique features designed to provide additional clinical benefits and efficiency in the operating room, many of which translate to patient benefits," he says. He cites several major benefits, including enhanced 3-D, high-definition vision of the operative field with up to 10 times magnification, superior visual clarity of tissue and anatomy, and surgical dexterity and precision far greater than See Page 22