Hospital Expanding Residency Program
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowGood Samaritan Hospital in Vincennes is joining a program that will increase the number of residency students at its medical campus. The initiative is a collaboration among three southern Indiana hospitals and will begin in 2017. June 25, 2014
News Release
VINCENNES, Ind. – In collaboration with three local hospitals, Good Samaritan Hospital has agreed to enter a consortium to receive post-graduate residency students. Starting July 2017, Good Samaritan will receive five residency students every year for three years in either Family Practice or Internal Medicine. In addition, Good Samaritan Hospital has the opportunity to receive up to 5 residency students in Psychiatry, resulting in up to 30 residency students training at Good Samaritan. Good Samaritan Hospital will have the opportunity to become a “home base” for one or two specialties where residents will be able to have outpatient clinics and assist with the growing shortage of primary care physicians.
“In many rural areas and recently seen in southwestern Indiana, there is a physician shortage among hospitals, particularly in primary care,” states Dr. Charles Hedde, Chief Medical Officer.
“Having medical students complete their residency at Good Samaritan Hospital not only provides extended medical care to our community and southwestern Indiana, but those students are more likely to establish a practice in the area.” “Most residents will come from Indiana University School of Medicine and Marian University, but the opportunity is available to all medical school graduates across the country,” adds Dr. Hedde.
According to a presentation given to the board by Dr. Steven G. Becker, Director and Associate Dean at the Indiana University School of Medicine at the Evansville Campus, participating in this program will increase Good Samaritan Hospital’s opportunity to attract private and public funding at all levels and hospitals with residency programs show improved quality of care.
“This is a great opportunity for our hospital and community,” states Rob McLin, President and CEO. “Having residents at Good Samaritan Hospital not only helps with physician recruitment, but it also allows us to provide care to more community members who may be having trouble finding a physician. This opportunity also allows our physicians and the students to learn from each other and ultimately provide improved patient care.” It will cost Good Samaritan $250,000 per year for 4 years to participate in this consortium with St. Mary's, Deaconess, both located in Evansville, Indiana, and Jasper Memorial. Fundraising efforts will be in place to provide financial support for this program. However, this $1 million investment is expected to result in a $3.5 million per year return to Good Samaritan Hospital after five years. “It is our goal to receive enough reimbursement to make this a self-sustained program after the first initial year of fundraising,” adds McLin.
If approved, Good Samaritan Hospital will be the “home base” of Internal Medicine or Family Practice physicians in order to attract more students of this specialty to the Vincennes area.
“Before a medical resident student is placed at a certain hospital, they go through a interview process where the student and the committee express their top locations where the residency will take place,” states Dr. Hedde. “Knowing that these residents preferred to practice in a rural area like Vincennes, Indiana, increases the likelihood of them staying and establishing a medical practice here in our community.”
There will be numerous meetings and additional agreements made between universities and the hospitals participating in the consortium over the next three years. Good Samaritan Hospital's BEACON project will be complete by this time and the new building will be a great location for residents and hospital physicians to interact and learn from each other in a state-of-the-art facility in 2017.
ABOUT GOOD SAMARITAN HOSPITAL
Good Samaritan Hospital, Knox County's largest employer, is licensed for 239 in-house patients. Annually, Good Samaritan Hospital has more than 440,000 outpatient visits and an additional 35,000 plus visits to its emergency room. The hospital offers a wide scope of medical services. From thoracic surgery to the birth of a baby, this growing health care provider balances quality patient care with preventive education to fulfill its mission. Consistently ranked in the top 10 percent in the nation in patient satisfaction, Good Samaritan Hospital provides a superb level of care while maintaining fiscal integrity and expanding facilities to meet the needs of the community. For more information, visit www.gshvin.org.
Source: Good Samaritan Hospital