Robert Wachter, MD, MHM, has been named to the board of directors and chair of the quality committee for IPC: The Hospitalist Company, based in North Hollywood, Calif. Dr. Wachter currently serves as director of the division of hospital medicine and associate chair of the department of medicine at the University of California at San Francisco. A well-known and respected authority on quality and safety, he was recognized with the John M. Eisenberg Award for excellence in patient safety in 2004. He also pens the Wachter’s World blog at www.wachtersworld.com.
Raffi Hodikian, MD, a hospitalist and longtime member of SHM, was named the 2013 Physician of the Year at Foothill Presbyterian Hospital in Glendora, Calif. “Not only was this the greatest honor of my career, but I thought it further reaffirmed the vital role hospitalists play in our community hospitals,” Dr. Hodikian said of the award.
Kimberly A. Bell, MD, is the new associate vice president of hospital medicine for Franciscan Health System (FHS) in Tacoma, Wash. In her new role, Dr. Bell will oversee hospitalist services at five of FHS’ seven area hospitals. FHS employs nearly 100 hospital medicine providers, including physicians and physician extenders.
Felix T. Cabrera, MD, has been named associate medical director at Guam Memorial Hospital (GMH) in Tamuning, Guam, after working as a hospitalist at GMH for more than two years. In his new role, Dr. Cabrera hopes to improve the technological infrastructure within the hospital. He will continue with his regular hospitalist rounds and private practice at International Health Providers Medical Group in Dededo, Guam. GMH is a 158-bed acute-care facility and the only hospital dedicated to civilian care on the island.
Troy Martin, MD, has been appointed chief medical officer for Questcare Hospitalists, based in Dallas. Dr. Martin comes to the Questcare executive team from the Medical Center of McKinney in McKinney, Texas, where he served as medical director of Questcare’s hospitalist program.