Pittsburgh, PA (October 13, 2009) – Sixty West Penn Allegheny Health System physicians have been named to the Consumers’ Checkbook third edition Guide to Top Doctors, a database available to help consumers find physician-recommended specialists within their communities.

To compile the Guide to Top Doctors, Consumers’ Checkbook surveyed approximately 340,000 physicians in the nation’s 50 largest metropolitan areas. Physicians surveyed are asked to note the physicians they would refer their family and friends to in 35 specialty fields. The Guide to Top Doctors database contains more than 23,000 doctors who were mentioned most often by their peers.

Consumers’ Checkbook (www.checkbook.org) is a nonprofit consumer information and service resource, founded in 1974 with funding from the U.S. Office of Consumer Affairs. Consumers’ Checkbook aims to provide consumers with information to help them get high quality services and products at the best possible prices.

The following West Penn Allegheny Health System physicians were recognized in the third edition Guide to Top Doctors:

• Cardiac Surgery: George Magovern, MD; Daniel Benckart, MD; Michael Culig, MD
• Cardiology: Donal Warde, MD; Tony Farah, MD
• Dermatology: Judith Small, MD; Melanie Cost, MD
• Emergency Medicine: Fred Harchelroad, MD; David Natali, MD; David Rottinghaus, MD
• Endocrinology: Murray Gordon, MD; Wayne Evron, MD
• Family Practice: LaDonna Fuge, MD;
• Gastroenterology: Paul Lebovitz, MD
• General Surgery: Charles Cobb, MD; Donald Atkinson, MD; Joseph Young, MD; Howard Semins, MD
• Hematology/Oncology: Larisa Greenberg, MD; Jane Raymond, MD; Joel Spero, MD
• Infectious Disease: Robert Volosky, MD
• Internal Medicine: Gerald Rossman, MD; Scott Vargo, MD; Marc Itskowitz, MD
• Nephrology: David Levenson
• Neurological Surgery: Parviz Baghai, MD; Jonathan Bradley Bellotte, MD
• Neurology: Jon Brillman, MD; Lara Kunschner, MD; Ronald Berk, MD; James Valeriano, MD
• Obstetrics/Gynecology: Eugene Scioscia, MD; Ronald Thomas, MD
• Ophthalmology: Thierry Verstraeten, MD; Gary Condon, MD
• Orthopaedics: Yram Groff, MD; Mark Baratz, MD; Nicholas Sotereanos, MD; Mark Sangimino, MD
• Otorhinolaryngology: James Blaugrund, MD
• Pain Medicine: Jack Kabazie, MD
• Pathology: Jan Silverman, MD
• Plastic Surgery: Michael White, MD; Frederick Heckler, MD
• Psychiatry: Swami Nathan, MD
• Pulmonary Diseases: Antonios Zikos, MD; Peter Kaplan, MD; Brian Carlin, MD; Paul Fiehler, MD
• Radiology/Diagnostic: Melanie Fukui, MD; Anthony Lupetin, MD
• Radiology/Therapeutic: Paul Kiproff, MD; Andrew Ku, MD; Gordon McLean, MD
• Rehabilitation: Barbara Swann, MD
• Thoracic Surgery: Robert Keenan, MD; Richard Maley, MD
• Urology: Jeffrey Cohen, MD; Ralph Miller, MD