By Clyde Noel

El Camino Hospital’s new Chief of Staff Dr. Saul Eisenstat said he enjoys working at El Camino because of the quality of the nursing staff.

“When we (doctors) leave the hospital we know the patient will get the best possible care from the nursing staff,” Eisenstat said. “The nurses live with the patient 24 hours a day. If we couldn’t trust them when we return to our offices, it would not be enjoyable working there.”

Eisenstat has practiced medicine at El Camino Hospital for 30 years. This long tenure provides an insight into the problems facing the hospital. Eisenstat recognizes that the chief of staff depends on the entire team to maintain El Camino’s standards.

In his words, a hospital is a piece of real estate comprising the physical plant - the administration that runs the hospital each day, the nurses and the medical staff. In addition to the hospitalwide medical executive council, each department staffs an executive board.

The responsibilities of the chief of staff include the quality of care provided at the hospital, oversight of the medical staff, utilization review and attention to the bottom line.

“Every doctor needs complete credentials to work at El Camino,” Eisenstat said. “We check on their training, their degrees, license and prior experience.”

Another responsibility is peer review. If there is a complaint, the review board makes sure the quality of care was as good as it could possibly have been. The board considers complaints from nurses, physicians or patients.

Physicians review each other in a formal process. Every two years, staff members must reapply for privileges and provide evidence of their medical education and competency in their specialty.

“If there is a complaint, a form (QRR) is filled out, and the complaint goes to the director of quality assurance,” Eisenstat said. “Most complaints are solved by letter, but they also go to various departments for review.”

El Camino Hospital differs from Stanford Hospital because there are no interns or residents working there. That puts more responsibility on the nurses, who keep in close contact with the physicians.

“When we get a call from the nurses at the hospital, we know it is important,” Eisenstat said.

There is a constant focus on the patient-doctor relationship. When a doctor takes the Hippocratic Oath, he or she commits to an allegiance to the patient, which includes confidentiality.

Eisenstat is also involved with physician recruitment. “We are trying to bring doctors who have special skills to the community and actively working on ideas of new technology within medical centers,” Eisenstat said.

“There are a lot of changes in the delivery of medical care that is driven by insurance company reimbursement. We are still committed to continue with the highest quality care for the benefit of the patient.”

El Camino was the first hospital in the country to have a computerized medical information system initiated in the 1970s. Keeping up with evolving technology, Eisenstat said the hospital is currently updating to the latest state-of-the-art system available.

“As physicians, we continue to work closely with the administration to make the community proud it has El Camino Hospital,” Eisenstat said.