Health & Fitness DCH Health System CEO Touts New Hires For Medical Staff Here’s a look at the long list of new names hired to the medical staff at DCH and why hospital leadership hopes for a positive impact. Reply
(DCH Health System )
TUSCALOOSA, AL — DCH Health System has an abundance of new names and faces in its medical staff, with hospital leadership saying the new hires will work toward the overall goal of improving care and the perception of care for the west Alabama provider.
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Katrina Keefer, CEO of DCH Health System, told Patch when considering the list of new hires, what stands out the most is the new energy to complement the experience of the hospital system’s existing medical staff.
And in the conversations with those new hires, Keefer says hospital leaders have gained a wealth of knowledge relating to the needs of its different individual medical practices. “Our team has been working hard to support them where they are because each practice is really in a different place,” she explained. “And we want to ensure the new physicians coming into the market that are DCH supported or employed, that it doesn’t mean I want to compete with our independent physicians. But I do want to ensure the ongoing coverage of sub-specialist and specialist care that should be expected in a great community health system.”
For Keefer and the sweeping changes she has implemented across DCH Health System’s footprint, she said the ultimate goal is to earn the trust of the community. This will be done, she said, by being more innovative and comprehensive in the hospital’s approach to care. ALSO READ | ‘Accelerating Change’: Keefer Reflects On First Year As CEO Of DCH
“Think of the impact that a person with recently diagnosed cancer can benefit from having a multidisciplinary team agreeing on that care path moving forward, together with the patient and their family in one appointment,” she said. “We need to ensure we eliminate nights where our patients and family can’t sleep because they are worried about cancer and that they don’t have a clear plan because they still have three other doctors to see.” One of the first names mentioned by the CEO was Dr. Melanie Rose — a vascular surgeon who holds a UAB faculty appointment to practice full-time in Tuscaloosa.
“She splits calls with our longtime dedicated independent cardiovascular surgeon Dr. Ford Simpson,” Keefer said. “Their practices complement one another and we want Dr. Simpson to practice for as long as he wants, but we will have an additional vascular surgeon in our community.” What’s more, Keefer said four of the system’s general surgeons have moved to full-time employment with the hospital system — Dr. Tyler Eads, Dr. Josh Argo, Dr. Andy Harrell and Dr. Payden Wallace. These surgeons will also be joined by Dr. David Roy, who comes to DCH from Dothan. “It’s been difficult to think about these kinds of programs when we didn’t have enough physicians’ hands to accommodate the patients we have,” she said. “All of this is possible because of relationships and it’s just been so fulfilling to be a part of these kinds of discussions and see the success. ”
Here’s a look at the other noted physicians joining DCH Health System, along with their start dates. DCH employed • Dr. John Kast (Neurosurgeon) – June 5, 2023
• Dr. Mohabe Vinson (Urologist) – July 17, 2023
• Dr. David Roy (General surgeon) – Aug. 14, 2023
• Dr. David Dean (Cardiothoracic surgeon) – Oct. 2, 2023
• Dr. Nick Erickson (Neurosurgeon) – August 2024
DCH Health System CEO Touts New Hires For Medical Staff
