Recent Recognition and Milestones for BCH Departments and Staff

Boulder Community Health’s greatest strength is our inclusive family of physicians, employees and volunteers who share a deep commitment to our vision and mission. Recently, several departments and individuals at BCH received national recognition in their respective fields.

“These accomplishments reflect our staff’s shared commitment to providing the great care our community expects and deserves,” says Rob Vissers, MD, BCH President and CEO. “It’s rewarding to see how our work positively impacts the lives of people in the communities we serve. We continue to achieve extraordinary things even in the most challenging circumstances.”

BCH is honored to share the following accomplishments for 2021:

• BCH Imaging Facilities Designated Diagnostic Imaging Centers of Excellence: The American College of Radiology (ACR) re-designated several BCH imaging facilities as a Diagnostic Imaging Center of Excellence® (DICOE), giving patients assurance that they are receiving the highest quality and safety for imaging services. The DICOE program, which represents the pinnacle of medical imaging care, is an achievement that goes beyond accreditation to recognize best-quality imaging practices and diagnostic care. BCH is the only health care system north of Denver to achieve DICOE. Read more about this prestigious designation here.
• BCH Receives Three Awards from the American Heart Association for Quality Stroke Care: Stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the U.S, with nearly 795,000 people suffering a new or repeated stroke each year. Our stroke care program earned three awards from the American Heart Association including:
  • GoldPlus Get with The Guidelines®-Stroke Quality Achievement Award: Get with the Guidelines-Stroke recognizes BCH’s commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines for the best possible chance of survival and recovery following a stroke.
  • Target Stroke Elite Honor Roll Award: BCH was recognized for meeting quality measures developed to most efficiently administer patients the gold standard of treatment – an IV medicine that can dissolve a stroke-causing clot.
  • Target Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll award: BCH was awarded this distinction for the way our organization improved the quality of patient care through awareness, detection and management of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease risk factors by educating and empowering patients with evidence-based information and tools. Learn more about these awards here.
• BCH Primary Care Clinics Received National Recognition as Patient-Centered Medical Homes
  We are pleased to announce that all nine eligible BCH-owned-and-operated primary care clinics received national recognition and were recertified and as patient-centered medical homes from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. All BCH primary care clinics offer Live Better, a more personal and coordinated approach to medical care guided by the patient-centered medical care philosophy that puts patients at the forefront of care and builds better relationships between patients and their clinical care teams. Read more about BCH primary care clinics and our philosophy of care here.
• BCH Earns “Most Wired” Designation for Second Consecutive Year: BCH’s continued investment in information technology to improve patient care and safety during the COVID-19 pandemic has again received important national recognition. Digital transformation of core and advanced technologies at Foothills Hospital and our physician clinics resulted in “Most Wired” designation from the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME). Along with an increased focus on digital technologies to improve patient care, information management and security were of critical importance and a focal point of BCH’s exceptional IT team. There were 36,674 organizations represented in the 2021 survey, with less than 2% receiving Most Wired designation. Read more about how BCH’s continued investment in information technology is improving patient care and safety here.
• Michael Jefferies, BCH VP & Chief Information Officer, was named the Nonprofit/Public Sector winner of the 2021 Colorado CIO of the Year ORBIE Awards, which recognizes technology executives for leadership, innovation and excellence. Under Jefferies’ leadership, BCH is now in the top 5% of all health care organizations globally with regards to advanced adoption of technology in health care. Read more here.
• Amie Meditz, MD - infectious diseases specialist - and Heather Bright Hoffmeyer, MD - obstetrician-gynecologist - were selected as BizWest “Notable Women in Health Care” honorees for “leading their teams through the COVID-19 crisis.” This much-deserved recognition highlights how vital they have been to the care of their patients – those suffering from COVID-19 and pregnant women and their babies - during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more here.
• Jackie Attlesey-Pries, BCH VP of Nursing & Operations, was named a 2021 Boulder Chamber “Women Who Light the Community” award winner for her tireless efforts in safeguarding the Boulder Valley community against COVID-19, providing leadership and guidance, and incorporating the latest and best practices into our care model. Jackie’s critical contributions to the community, in the time of a public health crisis, made her truly deserving of this honor. Read more here.
• Gloria Gonzalez-Engle and Mark Meyer: BizWest Health Care Heroes: BizWest revived its Health Care Heroes program to honor individuals and organizations who have been on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic and who go above and beyond to support the health care needs of our communities. Two members of the BCH family — nursing assistant and patient-care assistant Gloria Gonzalez-Engle and volunteer Mark Meyer — received awards for being Health Care Heroes. Read more about Gloria and Mark here.

In addition to these recognitions, we are also pleased to share several important milestones for BCH:

• Boulder Heart’s Daniel O’Hair, MD – board-certified cardio-thoracic surgeon – recently completed his 500th robotics surgery case. Dr. O’Hair, who performed his first da Vinci robotic-assisted surgery in Sept. 2001, is one of the nation’s leading experts and Colorado’s most experienced cardiac surgeon in Robotic-Assisted Mitral Valve Repair. In addition to almost 25 years in the operating room and cardiac catheterization lab, Dr. O’Hair is also a global proctor for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), meaning he teaches other cardiologists to perform this innovative procedure. His work has been widely published, including in the New England Journal of Medicine. To learn more about Dr. O’Hair and mitral valve repair visit here. Watch Dr. O’Hair’s most recent lecture on “Latest Treatments for Mitral Valve Disease” here.
• Kara Beasley, DO – highly experienced and respected board-certified neurosurgeon – recently performed her 100^th MR-Guided Focused Ultrasound treatment. BCH’s Foothills Hospital is the only medical facility in Colorado performing this revolutionary treatment for essential tremor and one of only six locations world-wide to reach this 100-case milestone. Dr. Beasley’s patients, who have traveled to Boulder from 40 states for this incision-free procedure, have shown an immediate and significant reduction in tremor, resulting in improvement in performing daily activities such as eating, drinking and writing, with minimal complications. Congratulations to Dr. Beasley, her dedicated team and her remarkable patients who are back doing what they love, with greater quality of life. Learn more here and watch our video about Dr. Beasley’s 100^th procedure here.
• BCH COVID Vaccine Clinic Surpasses 100,000 Doses: Vaccination against COVID-19 remains the primary tool for ending the ongoing pandemic. This time last year, our BCH COVID Vaccine Clinic team was in the final stages of preparation to begin rolling out vaccination for COVID-19 to our community. To date, the clinic has administered an impressive 100,000 doses of vaccine. For more information on COVID vaccination at BCH, visit bch.org/covidvaccine.

Looking Ahead to 2022: BCH Turns 100

On April 19, 2022, BCH will celebrate its centennial anniversary. Since 1922, we’ve grown from a single not-for-profit hospital to a regional health care system with locations throughout Boulder and Broomfield counties. We’ve grown alongside our community with a mission to provide our community with the highest value health care in an innovative, patient-centered environment.

Plans are underway to acknowledge this amazing milestone throughout the upcoming year. There is much more to come as we enter our 100^th year of caring for our community.