Prestigious national honor now includes 144 Aurora Medical Group physicians

MILWAUKEE, Wis. -- An additional 27 Aurora Medical Group physicians have been recognized by the Diabetes Physician Recognition Program for providing quality care to patients with diabetes. This recognition comes from the National Committee for Quality Assurance and the American Diabetes Association.

There are currently 144 Aurora physicians who have received this recognition. Aurora is among the national leaders in terms of number of physicians who have achieved this level of recognition for work with diabetic patients.

The Diabetes Physician Recognition Program is designed to improve the care patients with diabetes receive by recognizing physicians who deliver quality diabetes care, and by motivating other physicians to document and improve their delivery of such care.

The Aurora physicians most recently honored are:

• Renato Azueta and Jolanta Pentala, both of Aurora Health Center, West Allis
• Jean Switala, Aurora Health Center, Mayfair
• Paul Zuzick and Pam Bamrah, both of Aurora Wilkinson Clinic, Oconomowoc
• Radu Pirvanescu, Aurora Health Center, Hartford
• Jennifer George, Aurora Health Center, Jackson
• Scot Wilfong, Aurora Medical Group, Port Washington
• Mian Muhammad, Aurora Health Center, West Bend
• Steven Blaha and Jeffrey Kent, both of Aurora Medical Group, Oshkosh
• Andrea Gavin, Chanda Kapur, Scott Peschke, George Poullette, Mark Sharon and Dharmesh Murthy, all of Aurora Health Center, Plymouth
• Curtis Hancock and Brian DeMaster, Aurora Sheboygan Clinic
• Michael Sergi, Aurora Health Center, Fond du Lac
• Katarzyna Zaremba of Aurora Burlington Clinic
• Diana Davis of Aurora Health Center, Kenosha
• Alok Srivastava, Aurora Health Center, Waterford
• Joseph Paukner, Aurora Health Center, Kenosha (22nd St.)
• Kristin Cassidy of Aurora Health Center, Twin Lakes
• Antoo Alby, Aurora Health Center, Kenosha
  Pablo Bozovich, Aurora Health Center, Marinette-Menominee

"The National Committee for Quality Assurance recognition demonstrates our physicians' willingness to take the steps needed to ensure excellent care," said Bruce Van Cleave, MD, Aurora chief medical officer. "This would include collecting and recording the right data, and following a consistent system of care so that the best care is performed each and every time. It is a way to help ensure that our patients with diabetes receive better access, better service and better results," he added.

To receive the recognition, which is valid for three years, physicians submitted data that demonstrates performance that meets key diabetes care measures. These include careful control of blood sugar, cholesterol, blood pressure, and regular diabetic eye and feet exams. When people with diabetes receive quality care as outlined by these measures, they are less likely to suffer complications such as heart attacks, stroke, blindness, kidney disease and amputations.

"For a person with diabetes, the right physician can make the difference between living with diabetes as opposed to suffering from diabetes," said Larry C. Deeb, MD, President of medicine and science at the American Diabetes Association.

About the National Committee for Quality Assurance
The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations and recognizes physicians in key clinical areas. NCQA's Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set is the most widely used performance measurement tool in health care. NCQA is committed to providing health care quality information through the Web, media and data licensing agreements in order to help consumers, employers and others make more informed health care choices.

About the American Diabetes Association
The American Diabetes Association is the nation's leading voluntary health organization supporting diabetes research, information and advocacy. Founded in 1940, the Association has offices in every region of the country, providing services to more than 800 communities.

About Aurora Health Care
Aurora Health Care is a not-for-profit Wisconsin health care provider and a nationally recognized leader in efforts to improve the quality of health care. Aurora offers services at sites in more than 90 communities throughout eastern Wisconsin.

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Contact: Sue Pierman
414-647-6432
sue.pierman@aurora.org