ARH Middlesboro is proud to announce investment in a brand-new DaVinci Xi robot in its surgical center. The General Surgery program is one of the busiest in the region, with three current providers on staff. Any incoming GS can expect to ramp up quickly, as the practice favors a high-producer due to the call set up. Currently, it sits at 1:4 with an incoming Surgeon, but one physician, Dr. Robert Jeremy Wilmoth, only takes 10 days of call per month with no clinic time scheduled. So, any Surgeon can take the lions’ share of clinic time with 2 days in the OR, 2 days in clinic, and one flex day depending on the week. The other two providers, Dr. Peace-Jacobs and Dr. Thomas, make up the other call rotation. Dr. Thomas is reaching the twilight of his career and does not have surgical privileges on the robot. Dr. Peace-Jacobs is a high-performer, but also spends time closer to her home in Barbourville, another sister location. There is a chance she continues to phase out of the workload at Middlesboro to be closer to family in Barbourville, so any full-time General Surgeon can be expected to build up his or her practice quickly, with the support of Mike Slusher (CEO) and the rest of the administrative team.
The support staff is excellent, consisting of, at a minimum, 4 Nurses on staff to complement the surgical efforts and streamline the process for admissions and scheduling. The nurses we talked with were all forthcoming and extremely invested in the surgical program’s expansion.
The work schedule is relatively flexible, consisting of a start time around 8am, with patients in the door at 7:30am most days. An incoming surgeon can expect 2 days of OR work with 2 clinic days and a flexible third day depending on volumes from week to week.
ARH Harlan is nestled about 45 minutes North and East of its sister Middlesboro location and boasts a busy surgical practice due to the rate of catchment in its market share. An incoming General Surgeon can expect to be busy from day one, as seen below from our AdText detailing the practice. Drs. Jameel Butt and Hiral Amin have been very productive, to an annualized amount of 3,616 Outpatient Clinic visits in the calendar year for Dr. Butt, and 2,489 for Dr. Amin. Dr. Butt has over 30 years of experience in total, and 20+ of that in the Harlan ARH location, where he has carved out a high-producing career. His recent health issues have brought to light the need for another full-time General Surgeon, as he is still very productive, but ARH needs a succession plan in place.
Much like the Middlesboro practice, this will be bread and butter General Surgery, but without a robot. Practice-wise, a physician can expect a wide range of specialty procedures, including Acid Reflux (GERD) Surgery, Appendix Surgery, Breast surgery including mastectomy and lumpectomy, Colonoscopy, Colon, Rectal, Anal Surgery, Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD), Hemorrhoid Surgery, Hernia Repair, Skin lesions, lumps, bumps, Thyroid Surgery, Spleen Surgery and Wound Surgery.
Harlan also has surgeons working 2 days in the OR and 2 days in clinic with a flexible third day per week. There are 4 Operating Rooms with nursing support to assist with scheduling and admissions once the Hospitalist team handles initial admission. Harlan also has an Internal Medicine Program on site to assist with admissions, with 18-20 active residents from PGY1 to PGY3.