Published: May 29, 2007 04:34 pm      

LCRH Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Michael Citak

Somerset — Bridging the gap…

That is the task for Dr. Michael Citak as Chief Medical Officer (CMO) at Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital.

Citak works as the go-between for doctors and other administrators at the hospital, as he understands the physician’s side more clearly than other administrators may.

“I just saw a need for doctors to be involved in decision-making at the hospital,” said Citak of his choice to take the position. “It just makes sense. ...

“A lot of my job is to bridge the gap between clinical physicians and administrators,” added Citak.

Citak began as CMO of the hospital just over six months ago, in July 2006.

What is so different about this administrative position is that it is filled by a practicing physician — one who understands physicians’ language and needs.

“Often a physician will have a certain request of a facility and how we do things, and I can facilitate a lot of things doctors need,” said Citak. “One of my goals is to get the tools the doctors need to carry out their mission.”

He said by doing this, the hospital can create an environment to practice the type of medicine it needs to practice.

Citak took the newly-created position after completing his MBA at the University of Tennessee, which specializes in physician executives.

However, he said what started his interest in the administrative side of hospital life was when he was elected chief of staff in 2002. He enjoyed the leadership position.

“When you practice clinical medicine as a physician, you make an impact on the community one patient at a time,” said Citak. “I began to realize I could influence policy, the quality of care, and multiple systems so the whole system could operate better, and take care of many patients at one time.

“The biggest difference that’s noticeable, though, is that, with one patient at a time, there is very rapid feedback, and when you’re trying to influence policy or a system, it’s much slower and sometimes a little harder to measure.”

Citak said last year he worked with physicians to bring requests for the 2007 budget to the financial department and LCRH CEO Jeff Seraphine.

As far as goals in the coming year and beyond, Citak has several that he hopes to accomplish in his position.

“One of my biggest goals is to try to help raise quality levels as a whole,” said Citak.

He plans to help doctors by organizing more standard practice guidelines and by helping develop their individual programs and practices in a multi-disciplinary approach, working one-on-one with doctors. He also hopes to hold full medical staff meetings to talk about items which pertain to every doctor on staff.

He will be looking into expanding certain programs, such as having a breast center and a heart failure clinic where patients with those needs can obtain all procedures in one place.

Citak will also be looking to help staff meet quality standards. He plans to help physicians understand what they are looking for as far as National Quality Improvement Goals and Health Grades surveys.

Citak said the National Quality Improvement Goals compares Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital with the state and nation on specific items. One of the things they judge is whether a heart attack patient who is a smoker is given smoking cessation classes or advice before leaving the hospital. That item is one they will look at more closely. In the most recent results, LCRH only scored 88 percent. The goal was 95 to 100 percent. When standards are not met, Dr. Citak will look closer to see what should be done differently.

Another goal Citak has for the staff is to improve medical staff communications and interactions, as well as primary care and specialist interactions. A long-term goal of his is becoming more sophisticated with the hospital’s communication system and with how staff interact with data.

As a physician working toward these goals, Dr. Citak says other physicians and nurses communicate ideas and needs to him that they may not communicate to someone else because he is still working with them.

“I can communicate by just being there,” said Citak.

Citak added that having a CMO at a hospital the size of Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital is rare. He believes having the position at Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital is a good fit because it helps administration and staff relations, and is an example of the growth going on at the hospital.

Citak grew up in Chicago, attended medical school at Vanderbilt University, did a five-year residency in Louisville. He was a surgeon in the Air Force for four years before coming to Somerset as a surgeon in 1996. n