You'll join a carefully curated team where experience meets efficiency, creating an environment where both patient care and physician satisfaction thrive. The current ENT department reflects the thoughtful approach IU Health takes to building sustainable practices – each team member brings unique strengths that complement the whole, ensuring you'll have the support needed to focus on delivering excellent clinical care while building your practice.
Dr. Timothy Capero serves as the department chair and embodies the collaborative leadership style that defines this practice. With 18 years at IU Health Arnett, he brings the stability and institutional knowledge that helps new physicians navigate both clinical challenges and system processes. His approach to mentorship is hands-on yet respectful of autonomy – he's the colleague who will share insights about efficient workflow while respecting your individual practice style. Currently maintaining a robust practice with 2,055 patient encounters and 645 surgeries annually, Dr. Capero demonstrates the productivity potential while modeling sustainable practice patterns.
Dr. Don Henson represents the kind of physician every department hopes to attract – so committed to excellent patient care that he returned from retirement to help during the department's transition. Working approximately 15–20 hours weekly, Dr. Henson achieved a remarkable 120th percentile productivity, demonstrating both his efficiency and the robust patient demand. His willingness to mentor younger physicians and share decades of ENT experience creates an invaluable learning environment. Trained at Tulane like Dr. Capero, he brings both technical expertise and the wisdom that comes from treating thousands of patients throughout his career.
The nursing team represents one of this practice's greatest strengths – experienced professionals who understand both the clinical demands of ENT care and the importance of creating efficient workflows that support physician productivity. Your dedicated medical assistant will quickly learn your preferences and anticipate your needs, creating the kind of seamless partnership that makes busy days manageable and enjoyable.
The two nurse practitioners, Tara and Marlene, bring different strengths that complement the physician team perfectly. Tara's exceptional productivity (3,873 patient encounters in 2024) demonstrates her efficiency and commitment, while Marlene's more deliberate approach with 30-minute appointments shows the flexibility to adapt scheduling to different practice styles. Both handle routine follow-ups expertly, allowing physicians to focus on complex cases and surgical procedures.
What sets this team apart is their genuine commitment to collaborative care and mutual support. Unlike environments where physicians feel isolated or competitive, this group operates with shared goals and complementary strengths. The weekly case discussions and informal consultations create continuous learning opportunities while ensuring optimal patient outcomes.
The practice maintains a 1.5 medical assistant to physician ratio goal, ensuring adequate support even during busy periods. The shared triage system means no physician faces overwhelming urgent calls alone, and the established protocols for complex cases ensure smooth patient flow and appropriate care escalation.
Your ENT team operates within IU Health's larger integrated model, providing access to specialists across all major disciplines. The robust primary care network (approximately 105–110 providers) generates consistent referrals, while the hospitalist program provides excellent inpatient support for the rare cases requiring admission. This integration means you'll practice as part of a comprehensive healthcare delivery system rather than an isolated specialty service. You can explore ENT providers in Lafayette here.
The current staffing model is designed to support both individual growth and departmental expansion. As patient volumes continue increasing, the team structure allows for natural evolution – whether that means additional physician recruitment, expanded nursing support, or development of subspecialty services based on physician interests and community needs.
This team environment strikes the perfect balance between independence and support, allowing you to practice medicine the way you trained while providing the resources and collaboration that make complex cases manageable and routine days efficient.