The urology practice at Central Peninsula Hospital serves a broad regional population with limited access to specialty urologic care. With approximately 15 primary care physicians in the Soldotna-Kenai community generating referrals, the hospital is confident the incoming physician will have a full practice quickly. The current employed urologist, Dr. Katoff, has described it as a busy practice, noting that on the days he is in, he gets slammed. The incoming physician will step into that demand with full surgical access and a hospital committed to supporting a productive and growing service line.
| Detail | Description |
|---|---|
| Setting | Hospital-employed outpatient clinic plus surgical |
| Patient Population | Adult general urology; regional referrals from ~15 community PCPs |
| Call | 10 days per month; in-house |
| Robotic Surgery | da Vinci SI on-site; da Vinci XI upgrade planned; both to be retained |
| OR Access | 4 ORs plus procedure room and day surgery suite |
| EMR | Epic |
| APP Support | Potential general surgery APP crossover; not confirmed; see note below |
The hospital currently has a da Vinci SI robotic system and is actively pursuing an XI upgrade. Both systems will be retained once the upgrade is complete. The SI has been in use primarily by general surgeons, and the hospital leadership is eager to expand robotic utilization through the urology service line. A new general surgeon recently joined CPH directly out of residency with strong robotic training, which the hospital expects will increase overall robotic caseload. The incoming urologist will have open access to schedule robotic cases without competing with an established robotic block.
The hospital has made clear it is willing to invest in whatever additional equipment or technology a qualified urologist needs to build a successful practice.
Call is written into all new physician contracts at CPH as a mandatory 10-day-per-month commitment regardless of tenure or age. This is a new standardized policy across all specialties. The hospital's bylaw previously allowed physicians over 60 with 10 years on staff, or over 65, to opt out of call, but the CEO is moving to eliminate that exception in all new contracts to prevent coverage gaps.
With one or two employed urologists plus Dr. Katoff continuing in a reduced capacity, the call burden should remain manageable. The hospital noted that urology call is not typically heavy in the overnight sense; the team works to manage patients locally when possible and transfers cases to Anchorage only when necessary. Dr. Katoff has historically answered his phone even when not on call and assists when needed.
| Detail | Description |
|---|---|
| Call Frequency | 10 days per month per contract |
| Call Type | In-house urologic call |
| Coverage Philosophy | Manage locally first; transfer to Providence Anchorage when necessary |
| Air Transport | LifeMed rotor on-site; fixed-wing available at Kenai airport |
| Source | Detail |
|---|---|
| Community PCPs | ~15 physicians across Soldotna and Kenai generating urologic referrals |
| Family Practice | Major referral source |
| Internal Medicine | Major referral source |
| Self-referrals | Accepted |
| Regional draw | Kenai Peninsula residents without local urology access |
The practice currently operates with patchwork coverage from a winding-down employed physician and a part-time independent contractor. The backlog of patients without consistent access to a urologist creates immediate volume for anyone stepping into a permanent role.
No dedicated urology APPs are currently employed at CPH. The hospital indicated there are general surgery APPs on staff who may be willing to flex into urology support depending on case mix, but this has not been formally arranged. Candidates who want APP support should raise this as a requirement during negotiations, as the hospital has shown willingness to build out support structures for the right physician.
The hospital is prepared to support a full general urology scope of practice. While the exact procedure mix will develop based on the incoming physician's training and preferences, the following are expected to be part of regular practice:
The hospital noted it does not currently have strong urologic volume to the robot but expects the incoming physician to drive that growth. Leadership is not concerned about over-investing in robotic equipment given the right candidate.