MDNews - Central New York

the hearing aids are fitted. Children age 4 to 18 are eligible. "There is a growing number of hard-of- hearing youth in our community who cannot afford hearing aids and who need support to maintain them as they grow," says Debra Chaiken, Aurora of Central New York's Executive Director. As children grow, they need multiple ear molds and fittings to accommodate their changing hearing needs. "Most insurance plans do not cover the cost of hearing aids throughout the life span," Chaiken says. "Our Hearing Aid Program for Youth is modeled on an already successful program delivered by Aurora and Hear 2 Learn for seniors in our community. We are grateful to the Gifford Foundation for enabling us to extend this service to our local young people." EXCELLUS BCBS CEO TO RETIRE David Klein, the Chief Executive Officer of Excellus BlueCross BlueShield and its parent corporation for the past nine years, recently announced he will retire at the end of 2012 after 40 years in the health insurance industry. "I'm proud to have helped build, and then to have had the privilege to lead, the largest and most successful nonprofit health plan in upstate New York," Klein says. "As an organization, we've remained true to our mission of providing as many people as possible with access to qual- ity health care at an affordable price. I'm proud to say our company continues to improve the quality of life in the communi- ties we serve." Under Klein's leadership, the corporation has enjoyed financial stability and growth. In 2007, he spearheaded a strategic invest- ment to transform and improve the health plan's operations through business process standardization, systems conversion and administrative cost containment. "Our goal has always been to inno- vate," Klein says. "We have partnered with doctors and hospitals to enhance the vitality and efficiency of the health care system. As a result, health insurance here costs significantly less than the national average, and we are consistently ranked among the nation's best health plans." According to a 2010 benefit-to-benefit PPO price comparison, the national average family premium was about 30% higher than that of Excellus BlueCross BlueShield. FSLH RECEIVES GOLD PLUS AWARD FOR STROKE PROGRAM Faxton St. Luke's Healthcare (FSLH) INTERNIST ASSOCIATES CLINICAL LAB Your Local Connection for Quality, Convenient Lab Services You expect timely, accurate results for patient lab work. We deliver… n n The area's only fully automated, integrated lab service Sharp focus on quality results and reporting n Local testing and courier service n Rapid turnaround (24 hours for most test results) n No appointment needed. Convenient hours n Expert, customer service-focused staff n Services for pediatric and geriatric patients n Confidential reporting INTERNIST ASSOCIATES 739 Irving Avenue | Syracuse, NY 13210 | 315/479-5070 x6603 INDEPENDENTLY OWNED OPEN TO THE PUBLIC recently received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association's Get With The Guidelines Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award, recognizing FSLH's commit- ment to and success in implementing excellent care for stroke patients ac- cording to evidence-based guidelines. To receive the award, FSLH achieved 85% or higher adherence to all Get With The Guidelines–Stroke achievement indicators for two or more consecutive 12-month intervals and achieved 75% or higher compliance with six of 10 Get With The Guidelines–Stroke quality measures, which are reporting initia- tives used to measure quality of care. The Get With The Guidelines–Stroke program utilizes the "teachable mo- ment" principle, focusing on providing education during the time soon after a patient has a stroke, when he or she is most likely to listen to and follow guidance from health care profession- als. Studies demonstrate that patients who are taught how to manage their risk factors while still in the hospital reduce their risk of a second heart at- tack or stroke. For more information on the Get With The Guidelines program, visit www.heart.org/quality. ■ Patient Service Centers 5 Convenient SYRACUSE ...... 479-5070 x6603 739 Irving Ave., Suite 350 (across from Crouse Hospital) SYRACUSE ........... 234-7331 600 East Genesee St., Suite 131 EAST SYRACUSE ....... 579-0200 5800 Heritage Landing Dr., Suite F MANLIUS ............ 682-6600 102 West Seneca St., Suite 100 LIVERPOOL ........... 622-9950 Clay Medical Center, Suite 104 Proudly affiliated with Crouse Hospital ALL INSURANCES ACCEPTED MDNEWS.COM ■ MD NEWS Central New York | 21

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