Monday, March 7, 2016
Greenwich Hospital has appointed Michael J. Franco, MD, as medical director of the Medical Surgical Intensive Care Unit (MSICU) and Respiratory Care Services in a move that enhances patient care.
Dr. Franco has served as medical director of the MSICU since 2004. Under his tenure, the MSICU has expanded to accommodate a growing number of critically ill patients. Last year, in collaboration with Yale New Haven Health System, Greenwich added the InSight Tele-ICU, which allows critical care intensivists to assist in managing patients overnight from a remote location.
In his new expanded role, Dr. Franco will oversee inpatient and outpatient respiratory care services at Greenwich Hospital. Among other things, respiratory therapists are responsible for the ventilators used to support critically ill patients in the MSICU. Outpatient respiratory care services are provided by the hospital’s Pulmonary Physiology Laboratory.
"Dr. Franco has been a Greenwich Hospital clinical leader in intensive care for 11 years and a major educator of our academic medicine residency, nursing and respiratory therapy programs. His care and empathetic approach to patients is exemplary," said Spike Lipschutz, MD, senior vice president of medical services and chief medical officer.
“I’m very excited about my new role,” said Franco. “The MSICU and respiratory care teams work closely together. Having one medical director will further enhance our ability to provide patients with comprehensive and coordinated high-quality care.”
A graduate of the University of Texas Medical School, Dr. Franco completed a fellowship in pulmonary medicine at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center. He began teaching pulmonary medicine to medical residents at Greenwich Hospital in 1997 and joined the hospital's medical staff in 2000.
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