Emergency Surgical Coverage – All Day, Every Day

May 6, 2010 (Dublin, GA) - Fairview Park Hospital, in partnership with Delphi Healthcare Partners, Inc., has initiated a program to provide Emergency Department patients with timely, high quality surgical care 24/7/365.  The program ensures the immediate availability of board certified general surgeons, (referred to as surgicalists or surgical hospitalists), who specialize in taking care of patients in need of surgical or GI consults.  Specifically, they are responsible for patients who come through the Emergency Department.

“We’ve seen a significant reduction in transfers from our Emergency Department,” says Allyson Jones, ED Nurse Director.  “Patients who normally would have been sent to Macon are now able to have their surgery or procedure done here, making it much more convenient for them and their families.”  Since the inception of the program on April 15th, more than *** patients have been seen through the Surgicalist Program.

Fairview Park Hospital is one of only two HCA facilities nationwide to offer such a program, and CEO Don Avery is extremely optimistic about what this means for our community.  “The surgicalist program is just another way for us to take care of our neighbors in Laurens County and surrounding communities,” says Avery.  “We want to ensure that we can provide people the excellent care they deserve right here and do so every day.”

Outside of providing hospital-based clinic follow-up care specifically for the patients they see, the Surgicalists do not operate a private practice in the community and thus do not compete with local physicians.  The continuous availability of the Surgicalists only enhances Fairview Park’s services to community physicians and patients, as consultations are always only minutes away. In addition, local general surgeons GI doctors no longer have to leave their scheduled office patients to respond to an emergency call.  Avery concludes, “It’s truly a win-win for everyone.  Patients are immediately receiving the best emergency care available, and physicians are able to focus on their private practice.”