There’s little doubt that health care as a whole in the United States is experiencing a crisis of faith at the moment. Forces from polarizing political currents to frosty economic climates to the evolution of technology in our society are forcing their way into the methods by which we seek and receive care from our doctors and specialists. That kind of uncertainty and change can make it difficult to know exactly where to turn.
Enter Nanticoke Health Services and its unified Physician Network, which brings together physicians of all sorts and specialties to form a single cohesive unit built to prevent, treat and care for almost any medical ailment that could befoul you.
“We have to go to great lengths so that our community has the doctors that they both need and deserve,” said Tom Brown, the senior vice president for Nanticoke Health Services and the president for the Nanticoke Physician Network. “Nanticoke has built what we call the Nanticoke Physician Network of physicians we employ in specialties that the community needs. There’s a physician shortage throughout the country, so we have to go out there and find qualified and appropriate practitioners who would find this area appealing. We’ve been fortunate in that we’ve employed a lot of great physicians.”
The Nanticoke Physician Network is a part of Nanticoke Health Services that also includes Memorial Hospital as well as LifeCare at Lofland Park in Seaford, Delaware.
Brown says one of the challenges unique to this area is the aging population that requires a growing number of different specialists.
“It’s not a highly populated area, so we’re not going to have multiple specialists in each area, so we have to go out and find well-qualified broad-based physicians who are willing to treat a variety of patients,” Brown stated. “Our focus is making sure we’re bringing the best physicians we can to our community, and we’ve been very fortunate in that area.”
Of particular interest in the Nanticoke Physician Network is the ability to provide women with access to care.
“Right now we have a number of female physicians we’ve been able to attract who have an interest in women’s issues,” Brown asserted. “We have a new female urologist who just joined us, and she brings a great perspective on women’s health issues.”
The urologist in question is Dr. Elizabeth Kornfield.
“The Nanticoke Physician Network is very well positioned to treat women for all aspects of women’s health issues,” Kornfield said. “The Network allows for integrated care between primary care doctors and specialists; information is shared between physicians allowing for better understanding of the entire patient. Access to care is vital for maintaining health as well as for treating urgent problems so that they do not turn into something worse.”
“We have been focusing on bringing in physicians, both male and female, who really do bring a unique perspective on women’s health issues,” Brown added. “We were very fortunate to have a gynecologist here who’s been doing laparoscopic hysterectomies for well over 12 years. In addition, we’ve recruited other physicians who understand women’s needs and know how to address the needs, not just for the female patients, but also for the family members—both the husband and the kids.
“A lot of the health issues that affect women are often ignored. You hear a lot about men and heart disease, but heart disease is a growing problem among women. Same thing with diabetes. Even things like sleep disorders—you often hear about men and snoring and sleep issues, but women also have these issues that come along. We have a physician here who’s a sleep specialist who, again, brings that unique perspective.”
Aside from Kornfield, other notable new members of the Network include General Surgeon Dr. Christine Hannaway and Endocrinologist Dr. Francisco Padilla. These physicians complement physicians like Obstetrician/Gynecologist Dr. Abha Gupta and Internal Medicine Specialist Dr. Lynn Romano, who have served the community for several years.
“In an area that has a high rate of diabetes [Dr. Padilla] certainly is very much needed,” Brown stressed. “People had to travel quite a distance to see an Endocrinologist before he came here.
“Everybody is aware that diabetes is on the rise and appearing more and more among younger people. That brings with it a lot of complications, so you’re looking to help folks both control the factors that lead to diabetes, and if they do have diabetes to keep it under control. An endocrinologist plays a huge role in that. Once a person is diagnosed with diabetes, the endocrinologist can help them control their diabetes and mitigate a lot of the ramifications of having diabetes so it doesn’t lead to worse things.”
One of the most interesting aspects of the Network is the way it uses technology to help physicians in various disciplines communicate with each other.
“It’s 40 different physicians,” Brown expounded. “Some are based in the hospital—some are primary care; some are specialists—but they’re all tied together with a common electronic medical record. They all tie together by sharing information about patients and referrals—trying to give patients a seamless feel to their care. If you’re a patient in the Network, every time you go to a different doctor within the network you won’t have to reregister or show your driver’s license or insurance card; they’ll all be right there, so you’ll be able to have easy access to care.
“The technology is still developing, but all the physicians have access to a common electronic medical record, and they’re able to easily share information about patients and make referrals or check treatment plans with the other physicians who might have initiated it. So, the care is coordinated. You won’t have to answer the question, ‘what medications are you taking?’ The physician can look at those medications without relying on the patient’s memory.”
Providing easy access to health care, for everyone in the area, is the pinnacle of what the Nanticoke Physician Network strives to achieve. Very few people have the necessary time between their work and family life to properly coordinate their own health care system anymore. What’s more, coordination becomes all the more important as we get older and increase our need to see multiple physicians.
Said Brown, “With hectic lifestyles, to be able to go to one place and one Network and not have to worry about finding a pediatrician for the kids, a primary care for my husband, a Gynecologist for myself, it’s not an easy thing. At Nanticoke, you become a part of this network and all those physicians are available to you.
“We want to make Nanticoke the medical home for our patients; all their care is delivered here, through this Network.
“When I came here ten years ago, a lot of people were still driving across the bridge to see specialists, and now more and more they’re able to get it here. What we offer are some of the best-trained, most professional physicians in the area. We’re asking people to choose Nanticoke, but we have to give them a reason to choose Nanticoke. Our reason is we have the best network of physicians one could find. I think it’s important that folks recognize what a great resource they have here with this wide variety of specialists available to them.”
For more information or to find a
Nanticoke physician, call 1-877-NHS-4DOCS
Written By: Josh Davis
The Nanticoke
Physician Network