Page 6 - SonoraRegional

6

  Healthy Living • www.sonoramedicalcenter.org

onora Regional Medical Center is committed to providing our patients with access to high-quality care. Partnering with us to attain this goal are 120 active medical staff members.

We are fortunate to have such a highly skilled and diverse group of physicians representing more specialty services than most rural medical centers of our size can offer. Most physicians on staff are board-certifed in their specialties.

Medical staff matters

Recruiting physicians to serve our community is an important focus of our three-year Strategic Plan. Due to the national shortage of physicians in many health care specialties, physi-cian recruitment is highly competi-tive. Nationally, up to 70 percent of physicians who relocate to a com-munity where they have no strong ties will end up leaving within the frst two years.

The Medical Center budgets

more than $1 million annually to recruit physicians to the area and help them establish their medi-cal practices. Building a successful practice is important to keeping physicians beyond their hospital-guaranteed, one-year contract. We also work hard to recruit physi-cians who will enjoy living in our beautiful community and will put down family roots.

However, as a normal course of business, the Medical Center loses fve to six physicians annually.

For example, in 2010, three of our longtime physicians—William Birtwhistle, MD; Frank Whitney, MD; and Rus-sell Hoenes, MD, retired, and the Medical Center lost Warren Borgquist, MD, to an untimely death. It’s important that these vacancies be flled.

A warm welcome

We are pleased to announce that Sheila Hodgson, MD, a general surgeon, joined our medical staff in early June. A new orthopedic surgeon will be arriving in the

months ahead. In the meantime, we continue our recruitment ef-forts to bring a new pulmonologist, a neurologist and a gastrointestinal specialist here to serve you. The addition of the new physi-cians will mean changes in some of the physician practices. We are working with doctors to expand some practices and reduce or eliminate others.

Like many businesses in a slow economy, the Medical Center is being forced to tighten its belt. In addition, Rajnish Birla, MD, and William Zachow, DO, chose not to stay in the area after the comple-tion of their contracts. For these reasons, Richard Behymer, MD, has moved to Greenley Primary Care, joining Amy Gregory, DO. The Twain Harte Family Medical Center has closed, saving the Medical Center $120,000 annually. Patients of  Dr. Behymer can continue to see him at Greenley Primary Care. Recruiting physicians remains a high priority for Sonora Regional Medical Center, and retaining our physicians is an even higher priority.

FOR MORE INFO

Need a physician? Visit www.sonoramedicalcenter.org

and click on “Find a Doctor.”

S

The Medical Center budgets more than $1 million annually to recruit physicians to the area and to help establish their medical practices.