At Bon Secours Richmond, our physicians often receive recognition for being at the top of their fields. All board certified in their specialties, our physicians provide quality and compassionate care to patients in our practices, hospitals and specialized care facilities. We congratulate their successes and celebrate with them their achievements in offering "good help" to their communities and patients.

Below are just a few of Bon Secours Medical Group's successes thanks to its talented physicians.

Dr. Marc Katz is leading the way in robotic heart surgery
Dr. Marc R. Katz, a leading cardiothoracic surgeon, is a pioneer in the field of robotic heart surgery. Katz and his team at Bon Secours St. Mary's Hospital were one of the first in the nation to use the C-Port Flex A system and the Intuitive Surgical's da Vinci robot to perform a totally endoscopic coronary artery bypass.

During the minimally invasive, closed-chest bypass procedure he guided the da Vinci® Surgical System to perform precise movements through fingertip-size incisions in the chest area, similar to the procedures for minimally invasive abdominal surgery. Conventional "open heart" coronary artery graft bypass surgeries are performed by cutting the sternum.

Following the successful completion of the closed-chest bypass procedure, Dr. Katz said, "Minimally-invasive bypass surgeries produce better patient outcomes, and substantially reduce pain and trauma and provide a quicker return to normal functionality for the patient." More information on Dr. Katz's robotic procedures can be found at www.roboticheartsurgery.info.

A member of Cardiac Surgical Specialists, Dr. Katz has also performed almost 200 heart transplants during the course of his career, including the first dual heart-kidney transplant in the eastern United States.

Dr. Steven Spence named Family Physician of the Year
Dr. Steven N. Spence, director of the Blackstone Family Practice, was the Virginia Academy of Family Physician's 2007 Physician of the Year, an award presented to physicians who "serve their community with compassionate, comprehensive and caring medical service on a continuing basis."

Dr. Spence received his medical degree from the University of Virginia and completed his residency at the Medical College of Virginia Riverside Family Practice in Newport News. He is board certified in Family Practice.

Dr. James Cane is nationally recognized for laparoscopic surgeries
Dr. James Cane, a pioneer in laparoscopic surgeries, is nationally recognized for his training to other physicians on groundbreaking procedures for women.

He performed the first laparoscopically assisted vaginal hysterectomy in Virginia in 1990 and is an expert in his field. His minimally invasive procedures result in less recovery time, less scarring and less pain.

Dr. Cane is board certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology and received his medical degree at Howard University. He is a Fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Dr. Kohli named in Anthem's quality report
Dr. Ravinder Kohli recently achieved top scores in Anthem's Quality Physician Performance Program (Q-P3) for Cardiology for the period July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2008. Dr. Kohli's group exceeded many of the indicators set forth by Anthem Insurance's new groundbreaking program to improve patient care.

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Virginia recently received the 2008 John M. Eisenberg Patient Safety and Quality Award from the National Quality Forum and the Joint Commission for their Q-P3 program.

Dr. Kohli is an intervention cardiologist with Cardiology Associates of Central Virginia.