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Press Release
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AEGIS HONORS BILL SHILLEY, THE FIRST OMBUDSMAN IN THE FIELD OF OPIATE ADDICTION TREATMENT
5/10/2006 - Canoga Park, California – On Wednesday, May 10th, 2006, representatives from Aegis Medical Systems, Inc., Nationwide Medical Group, Inc., Aegis Institute, Inc., and the Patient Advisory and Advocacy Group, all came out to honor Bill Shilley for his dedication and commitment to Aegis’ patients across 26 treatment centers throughout California, since January of 2003.
Mr. Shilley is considered the first Ombudsman in the field of Medication Assisted Treatment. The Ombudsman serves as an independent, neutral and confidential resource for anyone with healthcare, customer service or human resource concerns involving Aegis. The primary objective of the Ombudsman is to resolve conflict, research complaints and concerns, advocate for patient’s rights, as well as to help educate patients, their families and the community.
Dr. George Girgis, Chief Medical Director for Aegis, stated, “Sometimes patients may not feel comfortable with addressing issues with their own clinicians, and therefore, the Ombudsman is filling an extremely important function, where patients can confidently go to an independent third party to mitigate problems.”
Udi Barkai, President and C.E.O., expressed his appreciation to Bill Shilley and the enormous respect he has obtained over the last 3 years, from both patients, as well as staff members. He further stated, “I hope other providers will follow Aegis’ initiative and allow their patients and staff to benefit from such an important amenity.”
Steve Maulhardt, Vice President, also added, “Although PR plays a secondary role here, the Ombudsman is adding a lot of value to Aegis’ reputation among county officials, as well as state legislators. This is more evident in light of the fact that other NTP providers do not have such an office.”
Pete Petit, Director of Quality Assurance and Licensing, has thanked Bill Shilley for helping with his department in the resolution of patient complaints. Before the Ombudsman office was established, all patient complaints were directed to Quality Assurance or the office of the General Counsel, although neither one of these departments were structured to handle customer service related matters.
Simultaneous to his service as Ombudsman, Mr. Shilley is also the Department Chair of Addictive Disorders Studies at Oxnard College, and a full-time senior professor. Prior to his professorship in 1989, Mr. Shilley also served as Treatment Specialist for the Ventura County Department of Alcohol and Drug Program; was a board member in the California Association of Alcohol and Drug Educators (CAADE); and a consultant for the Southwest Addiction Technology Transfer Center at UCSD, just to name a few.
For further information on Aegis Medical Systems, Inc. or the Ombudsman, please visit www.aegismed.com or www.ombudsman.com, respectively.
Aegis Medical Systems, Inc. operates the largest chain of narcotic treatment programs in California. Headquartered in Canoga Park, Aegis has 26 clinics throughout the state serving over 5,500 patients per day. For the last five years, Aegis has been pursuing a proactive agenda geared towards raising clinical standards and regulatory compliance, through reinforcement of its unique philosophy and organizational culture. Aegis’ 2003 Budget allocated significant resources to the following: training of its 300 employees; development of new and more effective treatment policies, protocols and procedures; participation in pharmaceutical and behavioral research studies with other leading institutions as well as expansion of its Scope of Practice to address various medical, mental and socio-economic needs of its patients. The Aegis Family of Corporations includes Aegis Medical Systems, Inc., Aegis Institute, Inc. (a non-profit organization), and Nationwide Medical Group, Inc. (a professional corporation).
Contact Person(s):
Loanne Rudinger
Aegis Medical Systems, Inc.
(818) 206-0360
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