Step into a Family Medicine practice purposefully designed to combine clinical excellence with physician satisfaction. At Jeff Davis Hospital's outpatient clinic, you'll experience a refreshing approach to primary care—one where quality patient interactions take precedence over production metrics, and where your clinical judgment is respected and valued.
Patient Encounters: Your daily schedule includes approximately 25 patients, thoughtfully spaced to allow for thorough assessment and meaningful conversation. This volume stands in stark contrast to the 30-40 patients often expected in metropolitan practices, allowing you to practice medicine with the attention to detail that originally drew you to the profession.
Patient Demographics: Your practice will focus primarily on adults and geriatric patients ages 16 and up, a population offering rich clinical diversity from managing young adults with acute needs to addressing the complex care coordination of elderly patients with multiple chronic conditions. With a separate pediatric clinic serving younger patients, you can concentrate your expertise on this adult population while maintaining a balanced practice.
Clinical Variety: Experience the intellectual satisfaction of true primary care medicine, where each day brings a different mix of preventive care, chronic disease management, acute illness, and office-based procedures. From managing diabetes and hypertension to diagnosing unusual presentations, your clinical skills will be regularly engaged across the full spectrum of Family Medicine.
Procedures & Skills Utilization: Maintain and expand your procedural skills through regular opportunities to perform office-based procedures including suturing, mole removal, joint injections, and other "bread and butter" primary care interventions. Physicians comfortable with these basic procedures find ample opportunity to incorporate them into regular practice.
Electronic Medical Record: The Azalea EMR system supports efficient documentation and care coordination without dominating the patient encounter. The system is optimized for outpatient primary care, with templates and workflows designed to minimize administrative burden while ensuring thorough documentation.
Clinical Support: Work alongside experienced nursing staff and medical assistants who remain with patients throughout their visit, handling initial assessment, vital signs, medication reconciliation, and patient education. Many staff members have served the community for years, bringing valuable insights about patients and their needs.
Referral Networks: Develop collaborative relationships with specialists at Jeff Davis Hospital and affiliated regional medical centers. Well-established referral patterns exist for patients needing cardiology, oncology, orthopedics, and other specialty services, with options at South Coffee Regional (40 miles south) and Meadows Memorial (40 miles north).
Payor Mix: The diverse payor mix—including Medicare/Medicaid (primary), commercial insurance (25-27%), and self-pay (8%)—creates a financially sustainable practice while allowing you to serve patients across all socioeconomic groups, including those with significant healthcare needs and limited access.
While your primary responsibilities center on outpatient care, your connection to Jeff Davis Hospital provides important clinical resources and optional opportunities to expand your practice scope if desired.
Diagnostic Resources: Enjoy ready access to the hospital's laboratory and imaging services, with results typically available the same day for urgent needs. This integration eliminates the frustrating delays often experienced in disconnected outpatient practices.
Inpatient Continuity: For patients requiring hospitalization, the hospital's dedicated hospitalist service ensures seamless transitions of care. You'll receive regular updates on your hospitalized patients and can easily coordinate with the hospitalist team regarding discharge planning and follow-up care.
Optional Hospitalist Opportunities: For physicians interested in maintaining inpatient skills or supplementing their income, weekend hospitalist shifts are available. These shifts run from Friday 5pm through Monday 7am, with rounds on Saturday and Sunday mornings and call availability throughout the weekend. This completely optional responsibility comes with additional compensation above your base salary.
Hospital Environment: Jeff Davis Hospital maintains 25 beds including 4 ICU beds, with an average daily census of 15-18 patients. This manageable inpatient volume creates a calm, controlled environment for those choosing to participate in hospital care.
Procedural Opportunities: While not required, physicians with experience in procedures such as chest tubes have opportunities to utilize these skills if they choose to participate in inpatient care. The hospital welcomes and values procedural skills without making them mandatory.
ICU Coverage: The hospital's ICU is primarily managed by the dedicated hospitalist team, but physicians with appropriate experience and interest can participate in ICU care if desired. This opt-in approach allows you to define the scope of your practice based on your interests and expertise.
Emergency Support: The hospital's 24/7 emergency department provides a safety net for your patients requiring urgent care outside office hours. The ED physicians maintain collegial relationships with primary care providers, ensuring appropriate follow-up for patients seen in the emergency setting.
Specialized Care Access: For patients requiring tertiary care, Jeff Davis Hospital maintains transfer relationships with Level I facilities in Savannah (2 hours away) and regional medical centers including South Coffee Regional and Meadows Memorial (both approximately 40 miles away), which offer specialized services including cardiac care and oncology.
The clinical environment at Jeff Davis Hospital offers that increasingly rare combination in modern healthcare—the opportunity to practice comprehensive primary care medicine with appropriate resources and support, while maintaining the clinical autonomy that allows you to truly serve as your patients' physician rather than simply a provider fulfilling system requirements. For physicians who value building meaningful patient relationships while practicing medicine at the top of their training, this clinical setting offers a deeply satisfying professional home.