News

PENTUCKET MEDICAL INVITES PUBLIC TO JOIN IN CELEBRATION OF
NEW RIVERWALK FACILITY
(6/16/08)

LAWRENCE - Pentucket Medical is invited the public to celebrate the opening of its magnificent new RiverWalk offices on Saturday June 14th from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Festivities included tours, speeches, a cookout and ribbon cutting. The Pentucket Medical staff was on hand to conduct tours of the entire facility. Pentucket Medical – RiverWalk replaces the office suite formerly located at Turnpike Street in North Andover.

“We wanted this occasion to be a true family event,” says Executive Director John Sarro. “We gave tours, Sue Tucker was there along with other leaders to help us cut the ribbon, and we had hot dogs, hamburgers, and refreshments.”

State Senator Susan Tucker presided over the noontime ribbon cutting ceremony that included the region’s political, community and business leaders.

Located at RiverWalk, the former Lawrence mill complex just off Route 495 in Lawrence, the new facility has been drawing rave reviews from staffers and patients alike since opening its doors on May 24th. According to Sarro, “Every aspect of the new 30,000 square foot building has been planned for the comfort and security of patients, from the relaxing waiting areas and vibrant color scheme, down to the cabinet design in the exam rooms. We wanted to create a unique environment; a great place to receive care and a great place to provide it."

PENTUCKET MEDICAL OPEN AT RIVERWALK
(5/27/08)

Pentucket Medical is thrilled to announce that we have relocated our North Andover offices to RiverWalk, the multi-million dollar office complex being developed by Sal Lupoli at 500 Merrimack Street in Lawrence. Our 35,000-square-foot, custom-built facility at RiverWalk is a showcase of patient-centered amenities, comfort and convenience (including a fast elevator), located just two minutes from Route 495 at Exit 44.

Please come to our Open House Saturday, June 14th from 11:00am to 3:00pm, which will feature tours of the new facility, refreshments, and a ribbon-cutting ceremony!

DIRECTIONS

From the South via Rt 495:
• Merge right onto ramp marked Exit 44-45. (Ramp merges onto the lower deck of bridge)
• Cross river bearing right into Exit 44
• Follow loop, following signs to Exit 44 (Merrimack Street.)
• Recross river to Exit 44. Bear right, down the ramp to Merrimack St.
• Turn right onto Merrimack St. and take an immediate right into the RiverWalk complex and follow signs to Pentucket Medical

From the North Via Rt 495:
• Exit Route 495 at Exit 44
• Cross river and bear right onto Exit 44
• Turn right at bottom of ramp
• Turn right into RiverWalk complex
• Follow signs to our building

From North Andover:
• Take Main Street north through downtown
• Turn left on Sutton Street and pass under Route 495.
• Turn right after highway into the RiverWalk complex and follow the signs to Pentucket Medical

NO MORE SLEEPLESS NIGHTS
(4/11/08)

Anyone who has ever had a biopsy performed can relate to the anxiety of waiting for results.  However, those who have had procedures at Merrimack Valley Endoscopy Center benefit from a rapid turnaround of results that some believe represents the future of excellent medical service. 

The approach is captured by a sign over the desk of Dr. Tom Fazio, which reads, simply “No More Sleepless Nights.” 

“I didn’t coin the phrase,” says Dr. Fazio, who said he heard it being used at Massachusetts General Hospital as a reference to an effort to “speed up the flow of information back to the patient”. 

“The classic pattern at the teaching hospitals,” he says, “has been for a biopsy to plod through a sequence of processes and people, so that information can often take weeks to emerge.  Meanwhile the poor patient is a nervous wreck, awaiting the results. Hence the reference to sleepless nights.”

At Merrimack Valley Endoscopy Center, there are no such delays.  In fact, according to Susan Curran, manager of the Center, “for most procedures, the primary care physician has the results before their patient leaves the building.” 

In cases in which a biopsy or other procedure is performed, she says, “the results are back to us, usually within 48 hours. “

“The wonderful thing about this place,” she adds, “is that if we find a mass in the colon or esophagus, the patient can have a CATscan the same day and leave with an appointment to see a surgeon.” 

More generally, Dr. Fazio sees lessening the uncertainty a patient experiences by shrinking the interval between test and delivering the result as a goal that can be shared by the entire Pentucket Medical organization. 

“Nearly all of us have known how tough it is to wait for a result,” he says.  “To the extent that we can get back more quickly with outcomes to our patients, we are serving them better and setting ourselves apart as a practice.  It’s just the right thing to do.”

PENTUCKET MEDICAL CARDIAC STRESS LAB WINS NATIONAL ACCREDITATION (4/7/08)

HAVERHILL – The Cardiac Stress Laboratory at Pentucket Medical has been awarded a three-year term of accreditation by the American College of Radiology (ACR.) 

“We thought it was very important to have our vascular lab accredited by the ACR to demonstrate our commitment to quality diagnostic services,” said Dr. Seth Bilazarian, a member of Pentucket Medical’s cardiology group. “This formal review process confirms that our staff and equipment functions at the highest level. We are very proud of this accomplishment and confident that we can serve the Merrimack Valley community for many years to come.”

The Cardiac Stress Laboratory, located within the 4th floor Pentucket cardiology offices at One Park Way in Haverhill, conducts Exercise and Nuclear Stress Testing, Echocardiography, Holter Monitoring and Loop Recording, as well as CT Angiography. 

CARDIOLOGY PROGRAM ON HAVERHILL COMMUNITY TV
FEATURES PENTUCKET MEDICAL CARDIOLOGISTS (3/29/08)

Dr. Seth Bilazarian and Dr. Sunny Srivastiava are co-hosting a cardiology program on Haverhill Community TV (public access channel 22) called Matters of the Heart. Upcoming shows include a program about Peripheral Arterial Disease on Tuesday April 15th at 8:30 pm, and another on Atrial Fibrillation that will air Wednesday April 23rd at 8:00 pm. For more information please see HCTV's online program schedule at http://haverhillcommunitytv.org/program_sched.html.

QUESTIONS ABOUT AVANDIA
Some Advice and Guidelines for Our Patients (5/23/07)

Many of you have probably already heard results of a study that will be published in the next few weeks in the New England Journal of Medicine. This study raised concerns about the use of Avandia, one of many medications that is used to treat patients with diabetes. The information has been in newspaper articles, on medical web sites and in the TV news.

This study was a meta-analysis or review of many published studies in which Avandia was used to treat diabetic patients. In this analysis, Avandia was associated with an increased risk of heart attacks and an increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease. This information has clearly brought about legitimate concern on the part of patients and medical care providers.

Our response at Pentucket Medical was to have an urgent meeting of primary care providers, endocrinologists and cardiovascular specialists to formulate points of advice for our patients. We have also contacted world-renowned specialists in this area.

Listed below are the chief points of information we would like to relay to our patients.

1. The information or data is not particularly strong regarding problems with Avandia. The studies that we reviewed in the meta-analysis were never intended to sort out the questions of whether Avandia caused any cardiac problems.
2. There were a very small number of cardiovascular events in these clinical trials. This weakens the findings because the small numbers leave too much room for error.
3. There are ongoing clinical trials that will provide us with much more detailed and stronger information about this medication.

What should you do if you are taking Avandia?

1. Please do not make any changes in your medications without consulting with your physician.
2. Please make arrangements to meet with the provider that helps manage your diabetes to discuss which medications are best for you.

DR. THOMAS FAZIO EXPLAINS NEW TECHNIQUE
TO ENSURE THAT COLONOSCOPY WILL BE PAIN-FREE (2/8/06)

• VIDEO: Dr. Thomas Fazio

> Click here to view older news items