Nathan Littauer Receives ISO 9001 Certification

Nathan Littauer Receives ISO 9001 Certification

GLOVERSVILLE, NY – Nathan Littauer Hospital & Nursing Home has been awarded by DNV full certification to the ISO 9001 Quality Management System, for the scope of acute care hospital provider of medical and surgical inpatient and outpatient services. The certification encompasses not only the hospital, but also Nathan Littauer’s eleven primary and specialty care centers. Initially certified in early January of 2019, Nathan Littauer has now received full certification valid from May 10th, 2024, to January 18th, 2027.

Nathan Littauer’s ISO 9001 Certification from DNV.

According to DNV’s website, ISO 9001 Certification of Quality Management System(s) demonstrates an organization’s commitment to consistency, continual improvement, and customer satisfaction.

“Nathan Littauer is dedicated to providing the safest and most effective healthcare services possible,” says Nathan Littauer Hospital President and CEO Sean Fadale, FACHE. “ISO 9001 certification not only reflects our resolve but helps to empower it. ISO 9001 Certification is suited to the complex, people-intensive challenges of running a healthcare organization, and our certification helps prove our commitment to quality healthcare services.”

ISO 9001 is the most widely accepted quality management system in use around the world and is quickly gaining acceptance among US healthcare providers as a foundation for their quality and patient safety programs.

“Nathan Littauer Hospital and Nursing Home has worked hard to achieve this certification, and they have done so with unwavering commitment from their top leadership to make their hospital the best it can be,” says Kelly Proctor, President of DNV Healthcare USA Inc. “ISO 9001 certification isn’t just an award or trophy for something you’ve done, it’s public evidence that you are at the top of your game with an obvious plan in place to make excellence an everyday objective.”

“ISO 9001 Certification helps staff create clear and consistent processes of patient care and ensure that progress is constantly being made toward specific quality objectives,” adds Nathan Littauer Director of Performance Improvement Christine Waghorn. “Externally, it tells the public, as well as insurers and regulatory agencies, that the hospital is not only talking about quality, but is pursuing it with discipline and transparency.”

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About Nathan Littauer

Nathan Littauer Hospital and Nursing Home is a full-service, 74-bed acute care hospital with an 84-bed skilled nursing home. Since 1894, Nathan Littauer has provided safe, high-quality health and wellness services with a focus on securing appropriate new technologies for people residing in Upstate New York. Over the years, the hospital has expanded its services in order to offer health care that is comprehensive, accessible, and relevant to the needs of the communities they serve.  More information can be found by visiting www.nlh.org. 

New Providers Join Gastroenterology Team at Littauer

GLOVERSVILLE, NY Nathan Littauer Hospital and Nursing Home is proud to announce the addition of two providers to its Gastroenterology Team. These gastroenterologists will strengthen the hospital’s commitment to providing needed, comprehensive, and specialized medical services to the community.

The expansion of Littauer’s Gastroenterology team includes the arrival of Zainul-Abideen Syed, MD, FACG, and Hadi Minhas, MD. With extensive backgrounds in diagnosing and treating gastrointestinal disorders. Drs. Syed and Minhas will contribute to the hospital’s already robust Gastroenterology Team of Shri Verma, MD, Laura Caserta, FNP, Jill Hoffman, RPA, and Jeremy Lombardoni, CRNA, and David Cohen, MD. Their compassionate approach to patient care will complement the hospital’s reputation as a center of excellence for gastrointestinal health.

“We are thrilled to welcome these exceptional providers to our Gastroenterology Team,” says Nathan Littauer Vice President of Business Development and Executive Director of the Nathan Littauer Foundation Geoffrey Peck. “Dr. Syed and Dr. Minhas make fine additions, ones which strengthen our ability to address the unique healthcare needs of our community – ensuring that our patients receive personalized care.”

Dr. Syed and Dr. Minhas are embracing the opportunity to become integral members of Nathan Littauer’s medical provider team, aligning their values with the hospital’s patient-centered care philosophy.

These additions to the Gastroenterology Team mark another step forward in its ongoing commitment to delivering exceptional medical care, and in growing with its community.

More information and how to schedule an appointment with the new Gastroenterology providers or call (518) 752-5275 for the main GI appointment desk.

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About Nathan Littauer

Nathan Littauer Hospital and Nursing Home is a full-service, 74-bed acute care hospital with an 84-bed skilled nursing home. Since 1894, Nathan Littauer has provided safe, high-quality health and wellness services with a focus on securing appropriate new technologies for people residing in Upstate New York. Over the years, the hospital has expanded its services in order to offer health care that is comprehensive, accessible, and relevant to the needs of the communities they serve.  More information can be found by visiting www.nlh.org.

History and Health Care

A New Primary Care Center in Caroga Lake

GLOVERSVILLE, NY – Caroga is a town steeped in history. According to the town’s comprehensive plan, the roaring 20s marked an increase of commercial activity, complete with swelling summer populations. After the establishment of the Caroga campgrounds, many developments would take place, further increasing the population of the town.

In 1992, the town acquired the old Wheelerville School, which was originally constructed in 1856. Soon after, the town opened: municipal offices, a courtroom, a public meeting space, with a medical clinic for the public. It wasn’t until late 2005, when Nathan Littauer Hospital & Nursing Home would lease a portion of the municipal building, would the area finally welcome their first primary care office.

Thursday, September 24, 2020, began Caroga Lake’s newest historic milestone.

From left: Building architect, Fred Franko; with Hyman Hayes Associates, Vice President of Population Health and Executive Director of the Nathan Littauer Foundation, Geoffrey Peck, former President and CEO of Nathan Littauer Hospital & Nursing Home, Laurence E. Kelly, Supervisor of Town of Caroga, Scott Horton, Caroga Lake PCC Coordinator, Betsy Oathout, and Caroga Town Clerk, Linda Gilbert, break ground for the new Caroga Lake Primary Care Center.

Nathan Littauer Hospital & Nursing Home proudly announced to the Town of Caroga Lake; the construction of a new, modern primary care center. The new center is approximately 1,350 square feet of space, and will be next to Caroga’s Town Hall, where the original primary care center was housed. A groundbreaking ceremony marked the expansion of primary care in Caroga with: the building architect, Fred Franko; with Hyman Hayes Associates, former President and CEO of Nathan Littauer Hospital & Nursing Home, Laurence E. Kelly, Vice President of Population Health and Executive Director of the Nathan Littauer Foundation, Geoffrey Peck, and the Supervisor of the Town of Caroga, Scott Horton.

“It is exciting to work with Nathan Littauer Hospital & Nursing Home in our commitment to the community,” said Horton. “We appreciate Nathan Littauer Hospital and everything they have done for the area. This new Caroga Lake Primary Care Center is a boon, and it shows that the area of our town continues to grow. In turn, so is its need for great healthcare services.”

 “We continue to expand our services we provide in the Adirondack area, and we look forward to meeting new patients,” says Alison Townsend, Physician Assistant with Nathan Littauer. “We provide an invaluable service to the community members here, and I think our patients are really grateful for that. There’s a lot of history here. I am incredibly impressed with Nathan Littauer’s ability to expand healthcare services, so they are more accessible for people in the region.”

Nathan Littauer’s Nursing Home Has New Guidance for Visitation

Click on the link below for more information on the organization’s guidelines for visitation:

A Few Questions With Sean Fadale, Littauer’s New President and CEO

Littauer’s new President and CEO, Sean Fadale, walking into Littauer’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

Starting this October, Sean Fadale will take his seat in the CEO’s office at Nathan Littauer Hospital & Nursing Home — and be just about 15 feet away from the intensive care unit.

That proximity is a physical sign of one of the ways rural hospitals can be different from the sprawling the medical complexes in more urban areas.

Fadale’s career to this point has included several stops at organizations similar to Nathan Littauer, a 74-bed acute care hospital and 84-bed skilled nursing home in Gloversville. Most recently, he was president and CEO of Community Memorial Hospital in Hamilton.

Justin Dawes, a reporter with The Albany Business Review, spoke with Fadale about the role of rural hospitals and some of his main priorities during this time.

Q: Why have you dedicated so much time to smaller, rural hospitals?

A: I’ve spent the bulk of my career in rural health care. It is something that I have a great affinity for. There’s an opportunity at small organizations to be nimble, to be able to change course and trim our sails as necessary. The other thing I enjoy about it is that as a leader of the organization, I’m close to the employees and I’m close to the patients.

Health care is a tough business, and that’s the reality of it — health care is a business. Knowing that each year we’re going to be reimbursed a little bit less for what we do and everything’s going to cost us a little bit more, we have to make sure that we are making the best decisions with the resources we have and still produce the best outcomes for our patients, at a low cost.

Q: How important would you say the role of a rural hospital is to the community it serves?

A: Without the hospital and our primary care centers, there may be people without local access to care. I think something that is critically important for rural health care organizations is that we’re a major employer in the area. So we are an economic engine for the community because we are a primary employer.

Q: The White House recently issued an executive order on “improving rural health and telehealth access.” What are your initial thoughts on that and on telehealth in general?

A: There are many organizations that need the legislative help, that need funding to be viable organizations for the future because COVID-19 has really wreaked havoc on organizations across New York state. So any legislative support from the New York state or federal governments will be usually beneficial.

Telemedicine is something that’s going to be very important for organizations across the country, especially for rural health care. Telemedicine is another access point for our patients. It is absolutely something we have to continue to explore. When you look at rural health care, one of the things that you quickly realize is that transportation becomes an enormous issue.

Q: What do you think your first move will be as Nathan Littauer continues to navigate the pandemic?

A: For any organization, we have to make sure we have the best policies and procedures in place to keep our staff and our patients healthy; that we have enough PPE to handle a potential second wave or third wave; and that we are ready to tackle flu season when it comes. There may be things we need to figure out, but from everything that I’ve seen, they’re doing a great job here caring for their patients and caring for their staff.

Click here to read Littauer’s announcement of Sean Fadale as the organization’s new President and CEO.