Career Pulse

Khan Joins Staff of Hillcrest Family Health

PITTSFIELD — Berkshire Health Systems has announced the appointment of Dr. Mehernosh Khan to the medical staff of Berkshire Medical Center and the physician staff of Hillcrest Family Health. Khan is accepting new patients in need of primary-care services and joins Drs. Alesia Churyla, Robert Davenport, and Christopher Trancynger in providing care to patients throughout the county at Hillcrest Family Health, 631-B North Street, Pittsfield.

Khan comes to the Berkshires from Monroeville, Pa., where he most recently served as medical director of Jade Wellness Center and had previously served at Forbes Regional Hospital, Golden Mile Medical Center, the Allegheny Medical Practice Network, and elsewhere.

He is board-certified in family-practice medicine and geriatric medicine and received his medical degree from Grant Medical College, University of Bombay, India. He completed his residency in family practice at Monsour Medical Center, Hershey University, Pennsylvania.

Dr. Khan also holds a doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine and provides conventional and alternative (holistic) medicine services. For an appointment with Khan or one of his colleagues, call Hillcrest Family Health at (413) 499-2051.

Amherst Medical Associates Welcomes Kupferschmid

AMHERST — Dr. Seth Kupferschmid has joined primary-care physician Dr. Denise Spence at Amherst Medical Associates at 100 University Dr. Kupferschmid has spent the past eight years caring for patients at Cooley Dickinson Hospital as a member of the hospital-based physician team. Now he’s making the switch to providing care to patients in a community practice. Kupferschmid, an internist with more than 15 years of experience, looks forward to building relationships with adults who seek a proactive, experienced primary-care physician.

Kupferschmid received his medical degree from Mount Sinai School of Medicine and completed his residency in internal medicine and pediatrics. He earned board certification, an added measure of a physician’s expertise in a particular specialty, from the American Board of Internal Medicine. Prior to joining Cooley Dickinson’s hospitalist program, Kupferschmid was a primary-care physician at a community health center in Springfield.

As an advocate for wellness and prevention, Kupferschmid is also skilled at managing the care of patients who are living with multiple conditions, such as heart disease and diabetes. He replaces Dr. Richard Wu, internal medicine physician, who began seeing patients at Deerfield Internal Medicine in November. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call Amherst Medical Associates at (413) 549-7080.

Adelman Tapped to Direct Physician Health Services

WALTHAM — Dr. Steven Adelman, director of Behavioral Health and Addiction Medicine at Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates, has been named director of Physician Health Services (PHS), a nonprofit corporation founded by the Mass. Medical Society that provides confidential consultation and support to physicians, residents, and medical students facing behavioral, mental, or physical health concerns.

He succeeds Dr. Luis Sanchez, who announced in April he will retire from that position in early 2013 after 14 years of service to the organization.

Adelman’s appointment, effective March 18, 2013, was announced by Dr. Edward Khantzian, president and chairman of the board of directors of Physician Health Services, a practicing psychiatrist, and a clinical professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

“We are excited to have Dr. Adelman join us, as his wealth of knowledge and experience in the field of behavioral health and addiction medicine will help us maintain the high standard of excellence and national recognition in the field of physician health for which our organization has become known,” said Khantzian. “We welcome him and look forward to his stewardship of Physician Health Services.”

Adelman added, “I am fortunate to have been chosen for this position, and I regard this as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I look forward with enthusiasm to continuing the excellent work of PHS in caring for our colleagues facing serious health issues.”

Board-certified in psychiatry and addiction psychiatry, Adelman is a founding trustee of Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates, where he manages a staff of 130 mental health professionals and where he has practiced for nearly 20 years.

A graduate of Harvard College and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Adelman completed his internship, residency, and chief residency at McLean Hospital and was a fellow in addiction medicine at UMass Memorial Medical Center.

He is currently a clinical associate professor of Psychiatry at UMass Medical School, where he was the director of Outpatient Psychiatry and the primary psychiatrist on the Physicians’ Health Committee. He has also served as an addiction consultant to the National Institute of Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse, as well as a number of healthcare organizations, law firms, and sports franchises.

AHA, MHA Name Neal Health Care Champion

SPRINGFIELD — The American Hospital Assoc. (AHA) and the Mass. Hospital Assoc. (MHA) recently presented U.S. Rep. Richard Neal with the Health Care Champion Award for his outstanding contributions to healthcare public policy.

“This award recognizes Rep. Neal for his leadership on critical issues for hospitals and the patients they serve,” said Rich Umbdenstock, AHA’s president and CEO. “He is very cognizant of the key role that hospitals play in their communities, particularly the unique role that teaching hospitals serve in educating and training the nation’s future physicians.”

According to Umbdenstock, Neal has repeatedly led efforts in the House to scale back large proposed cuts to Medicare and Medicaid programs, which are important to ensuring that patients have access to vital hospital services. He is currently working to continue the Medicare Dependent Hospital program, which is vital to rural hospitals. He has worked to ensure that all hospitals in his district, including rural, rehabilitation, teaching and community hospitals, have the resources they need to care for all patients. Neal also led the House effort to eliminate a provision in the Affordable Care Act that created a commission empowered to establish reimbursement rates for the Medicare program.

The award was presented at the Springfield courthouse. Hospitals represented at the event included Baystate Medical Center, Mercy Hospital, Holyoke Hospital, Noble Hospital, Berkshire Medical Center, Fairview Hospital, Wing Memorial Hospital, Harrington Memorial Hospital, and Cooley Dickinson Hospital.

“Rep. Neal is very hands-on in his support for hospitals,” said MHA President and CEO Lynn Nicholas. “He makes sure our hospitals’ positions and concerns receive the attention they need and deserve in Congress. Rep. Neal took a leading role to help defeat a proposal to cut hospital evaluation and management payments, which would have reduced already-inadequate hospital reimbursements by more than 71{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5} for 10 of the most common outpatient procedures. His advocacy on this issue alone saved Massachusetts hospitals nearly $658 million over 10 years.”

Neal is a member of the House Committee on Ways and Means.

Wingate Heathcare Recognizes Employees

WESTERN MASS. — Wingate Healthcare recently thanked its most outstanding employees with awards at its yearly company picnic. Recipients where selected through a variety of evaluation factors, such as performance, attitude, attendance, and dedication.

Recognized as Employees of the Year from Wingate’s six Western Mass. skilled-nursing facilities are: East Longmeadow, Shannon McMahon; Hampden, Deborah Sanderson; South Hadley, Phyllis Tripp; Springfield, Miguel Martinez; West Springfield, Liz Croteau; and Wilbraham, Marianna Kierkla.

Recognized as Employees of Distinction are: East Longmeadow, Saint Jean Saintilus and Nitza Del Valle; Hampden, Kathleen Calcasola and Kathleen Page; South Hadley, Kathy Guenther and Jane Legarda; Springfield, Eric Bullard and Shelia Ross; West Springfield, Rebecca Roberts and Lidia Rudenko; and Wilbraham, Heather Marini and Kelly McAllister.

In addition to providing specialized short- and long-term rehabilitation services at these six local nursing homes, Wingate Healthcare operates skilled-nursing and assisted-living facilities in Eastern Mass. and Upstate New York, most featuring a Center of Excellence to meet specific needs such as memory impairment, stroke, cardiac or orthopedic rehabilitation, or wound care.