Good Manners & Good Medicine

Congratulations to Dr. Myron Luthringer, the latest recipient of the STAR award, presented to members of the Community General Hospital medical staff who demonstrate sensitivity, thoughtfulness, appreciation, and respect (“STAR”).

I have written before about our STAR doctors and how good medicine includes good manners:

Being kind and respectful is not merely good citizenship. These are the attributes of individuals who build positive relationships with other members of the caring team. This can aid communications at all levels. Better communications help reduce risks for patients – and reduced risks mean better patient safety.

According to his nomination, Dr. Luthringer of Advanced OB-GYN “always takes the extra step to make sure that his patients are comforted in the OR. He does this by staying in the room by the patient’s side with his hand resting on theirs until they are under anesthesia. He is also…willing to pitch in & help the OR staff & treats everyone in the OR with respect.”

That’s Dr. Luthringer in the photo above (at right) with Dr. Fred Goldberg, Vice President & Chief Medical Officer at Community General Hospital. For more about Dr. Luthringer, see the video in which he speaks about his experience with the daVinci surgical robot.

Dr. Luthringer joins other recent STAR doctors: Dr. Richard Zogby, a spine surgeon with Syracuse Orthopedic Specialists (below, left), and Dr. David Simon, an internist with FamilyCare Medical Group, PC (below, right with Dr. Goldberg).

An earlier posting discussed STAR doctors Joseph T. Barry, MD, an internist and geriatrician with Preservative Medicine Associates, PLLC; Daniel Dombroski, MD, a general surgeon, who practices in Physicians Office Building – North; and James Watts, MD, a pulmonologist with FamilyCare Medical Group, PC.

If you would like to recognize a STAR doctor at Community General Hospital, nomination forms are available in the Medical Affairs office (first floor, west wing) and on Community’s intranet.