Geisinger Providers Honored as ‘Most Caring’

DANVILLE, Pa. – More than 140 Geisinger caregivers were honored for being named “the best” by the patients they serve.

Geisinger recognized providers –  including physicians, physician assistants and certified registered nurse practitioners –  for ranking in the top 10 percent in patient experience nationally at the health system’s annual Top Patient Experience Clinicians Awards Dinner.

“The providers that were honored truly embody our Geisinger values,” said Jaewon Ryu, M.D., J.D., Geisinger interim president and CEO. “These individuals come to work every day and deliver the highest quality and most compassionate care. We’re proud to have these individuals caring for the patients in our communities.”

Among the 146 clinicians honored, three were spotlighted for exemplary work – receiving Geisinger awards for going above and beyond when it comes to compassionate patient care.

Mary F. Callahan, M.D., family medicine physician, Geisinger Port Matlida, and W. Fred Hess, D.O., orthopedic surgeon, Geisinger Medical Center, received the Victor J. Marks Award for best Primary Care and Outpatient Specialty physician, respectively. The award was established in 2002 to honor Dr. Victor Marks, who served as Geisinger’s interim CEO from 2000 to 2001, and his commitment to making patients the primary focus of the health system. Recipients of the award are identified by patients as “the best of our best.”

Jennifer M. Aebli, certified physician assistant, Geisinger Scranton, received the Christina Appleman Award, given to Geisinger’s advanced practitioner achieving the highest overall care provider score on the patient satisfaction survey. The award is named in honor of Christina Appleman, certified registered nurse practitioner, and is given to the advanced practitioner for achieving the highest overall care provider section score for the system.

Providers were identified for the honor by results of patient satisfaction surveys. Clinicians were compared to more than 89,000 providers throughout the country that use Press Ganey surveys.

Locally, the 90^th percentile Geisinger winners are as follows:

 

Central region

Christina Appleman, CRNP, Obstetrics/Gynecology

Michael Ashton, M.D., Family medicine

Thomas Balz, M.D., Internal medicine

Maria Bermudez, M.D., Nephrology

Christopher Berry, PA-C, Neurological surgery

Thomas Bitterly, M.D., Plastic surgery

Rochelle Blue, PA-C, Orthopedic surgery

Judith Bianchi Bowser, O.D., Ophthalmology

Ion Dan Bucaloiu, M.D., Nephrology

Greg Burke, M.D., Internal medicine

John Burns, M.D., Gastroenterology

Luann Byerly, PA-C, Plastic surgery

Ronald Byerly, PA-C, Internal medicine

Michelle Cornacchia, M.D., Internal medicine

Benjamin Darhun, M.D., Family medicine

Anju (Sonia) Dayal, M.D., Internal medicine

Lindsay Eisler, M.D., Otolaryngology

Jill Elliott, PA-C, Family medicine

Halle Ellison, M.D., General surgery

Lauren Fabian, PA-C, Gastroenterology

Christine Gallagher, O.D., Ophthalmology

Jennifer Gallo, PA-C, Plastic surgery

William Gianfagna, M.D., Pediatrics

Christopher Good, D.O., Cardiovascular disease

Sherry Gordner, CRNP, Family medicine

Michael Halupa, DDS, Dental medicine

Ashley Hashuga, CRNP, Gastroenterology

Fred Hess, M.D., Orthopedic surgery, Spine injury

Lynn Hunter, CRNP, Obstetrics/Gynecology

Patricia Kane, D.O., Pediatrics

Christian Kauffman, M.D., Plastic surgery

Susannah Kisvarday, M.D., Internal medicine

Benjamin Kuhn, D.O., Pediatric gastroenterology

Rosemary Leeming, M.D., General surgery

Jenna Lindenmuth, PA-C, Orthopedic surgery, Sports medicine

Kevin Long, M.D., Colon and rectal surgery

Kelly Longenberger Warunek, PA-C, Urgent care

Victor James Marks, M.D., Dermatology

Michele Maroon, M.D., Dermatology

John Matunis, PA-C, Medical oncology

Timothy Mccloskey, D.O. Allergy and immunology

Shannon McShea, PA-C, Gastroenterology

Robert Meloy, M.D., Internal medicine

Karen Mettler, CRNP, Orthopedic surgery, sports medicine

1. Fred Miller, M.D., Dermatology

Donna Milligan, PA-C, Otolaryngology

William Mirenda, M.D., Pediatric orthopedic surgery

Christen Mowad, M.D., Dermatology

Thad Neidrick, CRNP, Vascular surgery

Elyssa Johnson, PA-C, Family medicine

Jess Oren, M.D., Cardiovascular disease

Matthew Palmer, M.D., Dermatology

Rajiv Panikkar, M.D., Medical oncology

Ann Patterson, PA-C, Orthopedic surgery, hand surgery

Amy Patynski, PA-C, Orthopedic surgery, spine surgery

John Arthur Pellegrino, M.D., Family medicine

Lauren Peters, PA-C, Orthopedic surgery

Mary Petrick, M.D., Dermatology

John Quick, M.D., Anesthesiology

Marylou Rainone, D.O., General surgery

Katherine Raker, CNM, Obstetrics/Gyneology

David Rolston, M.D., Internal medicine

Dana Rubin, PA-C, Plastic surgery

Elizabeth Scott, CRNP, Cardiovascular disease

Nicholas Sebes, M.D, Dermatology

Mark Seeley, M.D., Orthopedic surgery

Keith Shalongo, O.D., Ophthalmology

Ashlee Smith, D.O., Gynecological oncology

Dennis Smith, M.D., Cardiovascular disease

Christopher Still, D. O., Gastroenterology

Randle Storm, M.D., Cardiovascular disease

Kristina Thornburg, D.O., General surgery

Dennis Torretti, M.D., Rheumatology

David Troutman, DPM, Podiatry

Monisa Wagner, PA-C, Pediatric neurology

Diana Whitebread, PA-C, Family medicine

 

Northeast region

Christian Adonizio, M.D., Medical oncology

Jennifer Aebli, PA-C, Orthopedic surgery

Joseph Bannon, M.D., General surgery

Barry Bernstein, DPM, Podiatry

Stephanie Cabello, M.D., Internal medicine

Brooke Casey, PA-C, Plastic surgery

Jose Castillo, M.D., Medical oncology

Stacy Conway, O.D., Ophthalmology

Karla Dalious, PA-C, Urgent care

Kelly Dalton, O.D., Ophthalmology

Jean Torello Denion, PA-C, Urgent care

Kathleen Ercolani, CRNP, Urgent care

Seth Fisher, M.D., Cardiovascular disease

Harsh Gandhi, M.D., Medical oncology

Sean George, D.O., Cardiovascular disease

Christopher Holtz, D.O., Pediatrics

Ryan Horsley, D.O., General surgery

Megan Kelly, PA-C, Urgent care

James Klena, M.D., Thoracic surgery

Kimberly Kovalick, D.O., Family medicine

Michael Kovalick, D.O., Family medicine

Gerald Lacey, PA-C, Cardiovascular disease

Anja Landis, M.D., Family medicine

Melissa Laporte, CRNP, Endocrinology

Kara Levandoski, PA-C, Cardiovascular disease

Jessica Manzolillo, PA-C, Urgent care

Richard Martin, M.D., Family medicine

Vernon Mascarenhas, M.D., Cardiovascular disease

William Mclaughlin, D.O., Ophthalmology

Erin Miller, D.O., General surgery

Kathleen Noss, D.O., Pediatrics

Hans Olsen, M.D., Orthopedic surgery, sports medicine

Lauren Polanin, PA-C, Urgent care

Kerri Portanova, PA-C, Urgent care

John Prater, M.D., Family medicine

Kimberly Reed, PA-C, Gastroenterology

Jamian Ryan, D.O., Pediatrics

Maria Alexies Samonte, M.D, Pediatrics

Justin Tunis, M.D., Orthopedic surgery, sports medicine

Daniel Upton, M.D., Ophthalmology

Sarah Vidumsky, PA-C, Urgent care

Gehred Wetzel, D.O., Obstetrics/Gynecology

Diane Whitcomb, CRNP, Urgent care

Mary Wolf, PA-C, Medical oncology

Christopher Yusko, D.O., Internal medicine

Lisa Zimmerman, PA-C, Gastroenterology

 

Southcentral region

Anthony Arlotti, M.D., Pediatrics

Christina Basonic, CRNP, Cardiovascular

David Kann, M.D., Cardiovascular disease

Christine Myers, CRNP, Endocrinology

Kelli Scurfield, PA-C, General surgery

John Snoke, D.O., Family medicine

Angela Soto Hamlin, M.D., General surgery

Jennifer Still, M.D., Pediatrics

Melissa Wolfe, PA-C, Neurology

 

West region

Gregory Anderson, M.D., General surgery

Jacquelyn Borst, PA-C, Urgent care

Paul Brahmakulam, M.D., Pediatrics

Mary Callahan, M.D., Family medicine

Mona Duncan, M.D., General surgery

Joanna Gunnett, CRNP, Pulmonary disease

Sheldon Henry, M.D., Cardiovascular disease

Stacy Klepeiss, M.D., Dermatology

Jennifer Koberna, CRNP, Pediatrics

Kimberly Manganaro, M.D., Family medicine

Deanna Martin, PA-C, Pediatrics

Brett Oesterling, M.D., Family medicine

Heather Rimmey, PA-C, Otolaryngology

Lorraine Rosamilia, M.D., Dermatology

Abbey Solt, PA-C, Family medicine

 

About Geisinger

One of the nation’s most innovative health services organizations, Geisinger serves more than 1.5 million patients in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The system includes 13 hospital campuses, a nearly 600,000-member health plan, two research centers and the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine. Geisinger is known for its focus on caring and innovative programs including the ProvenCare^® best-practice approach to maximize quality, safety and value; ProvenHealth Navigator^® advanced medical home; Springboard Health^® population health program to improve the health of an entire community; ProvenExperience™ to provide refunds to patients unhappy with their care experience; and Geisinger’s MyCode^® Community Health Initiative, the largest healthcare system-based precision health project in the world. With more than 215,000 volunteer participants enrolled, MyCode is conducting extensive research and returning medically actionable results to participants. A physician-led organization, with approximately 32,000 employees and more than 1,800 employed physicians, Geisinger leverages an estimated $12.7 billion positive annual impact on the Pennsylvania and New Jersey economies. Repeatedly recognized nationally for integration, quality and service, Geisinger has a long-standing commitment to patient care, medical education, research and community service. For more information, visit geisinger.org or connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.