Dr. Steve Kitchen Discusses Women's Health Professional's Expanding Services
Thursday, September 2nd, 2010
More than 50 percent of physicians in the United States today are employed by hospitals, large health care systems or large physician-owned practices, according to Steve Kitchen M.D., a physician at Women’s Health Professional (WHP) in Albany. That’s a big change from the independent physician that historically provided most of the health care delivered in the United States.
“It’s difficult to predict how health care service delivery will evolve going forward, but I think we will see more consolidation of health care services,” Kitchen said.
That trend means health care delivery will move away from small practices like WHP, which is owned and operated by three physicians and a nurse practitioner/midwife. In response, WHP has made a commitment to offer a wide array of state-of-the-art women’s health care services in a personal, caring environment.
Partnering more
One way WHP has expanded its array of services is through partnerships. For example, WHP is now affiliated with a well-known infertility group called the Florida Institute of Reproductive Medicine. Twice a month, professionals from the Institute provide infertility services in the WHP office.
“Now couples in Albany can receive the latest infertility services available without traveling to Atlanta or Jacksonville,” Kitchen said.
In addition, the physicians of WHP – Paul Smurda, M.D., Thomas Talley, M.D. and Kitchen – are the first and only da Vinci© Robot-certified gynecological surgeons in southwest Georgia. Working with Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital, which recently acquired a da Vinci© system, the WHP physicians are able to offer minimally invasive surgeries to patients. Benefits include fewer, smaller incisions and faster recovery times.
According to Talley, “WHP has reached a point where 85 percent of our hysterectomies are now accomplished with minimally invasive techniques.”
An attractive area for health care providers
Although young health care recruits may tend to choose to work in larger metro areas such as Atlanta, Kitchen believes Albany offers many positives for health care providers.
“We have strong hospitals that are willing to invest resources to bring top quality health care to the citizens of southwest Georgia,” Kitchen said.
According to Kitchen, “virtually all the medical specialties are represented here.”
While much uncertainty remains around the future of health care in the United States, health care providers in Albany – including WHP – have demonstrated their commitment to work together to deliver health care in the safest, most cost effective and efficient way possible.
“I think we’ll see more health care providers working in concert going forward,” Kitchen said.
For more information on WHP, visit www.whpnet.com or call 229-883-4555.
