Despite a successful 2017, the Bristol Hospital Multi-Specialty Group continues to focus on meeting the needs of the community by adding new providers and improving the access to care for patients throughout the Greater Bristol Community.
The physician practice of Bristol Hospital and Health Care Group has experienced significant growth since 2013 according to Executive Director Edward Henry, MHA, who joined the Multi-Specialty Group last year.
“In 2013, the Multi-Specialty Group had 61 providers on its roster with 91 employees who worked in locations throughout our market area,” Henry said. “Currently we have 100 providers and 148 employees in 26 locations. That’s extraordinar y growth in just five years.”
The providers of the Multi-Specialty Group include doctors, physician assistants and advanced practice nurses. Despite the obstacles that affect all Connecticut hospitals and health systems—such as the state hospital tax and numerous reductions in reimbursement— the Multi-Specialty Group had 131,734 physician office visits in Fiscal Year 2017, as compared to 124,197 visits in Fiscal year 2016.
“It’s a difficult time in health care but we cannot lose sight of our vision which is to meet the needs of our community and make the safe and high-quality care of our providers easily accessible to them,” Henry said. Last year, the Multi-Specialty Group opened a new office at 35 Pearl St. in New Britain in a practice that was the former home of orthopedic surgeon Jeffrey Steckler, MD, who joined the Multi-Specialty Group last spring. Dr. Steckler still treats patients in the New Britain office, but other specialists in orthopedics, sports medicine and obstetrics/gynecology see patients there as well.
Late last summer, the MultiSpecialty Group opened a new office at 61 Bradley St in Bristol. The Bradley Street location is home to internal medicine physician John Frazier, MD, who relocated from his 123 Maple St. office, as well as internal medicine physician Nandini Menon, MD, who joined the medical staff of the MultiSpecialty Group in August. N e u r o l o g i s t Cara Pittari, MD, also is based at the Bradley Street location.
Henry said his team also identified a need for services in Southington and thus in December, the Bristol Hospital Multi-Specialty Group at Southington office opened. The new office is located at 98 Main St. In addition to primary care physicians, patients can be seen by numerous specialists including those in behavioral health, general surgery, pulmonary medicine, sports medicine and urology.
There was no shortage of recruiting new physicians last year as well. In addition to Dr Steckler and Dr. Menon, hematologist/oncologist Robert Black, MD and urologist Kai Hammerich, MD, who serves as the medical director of urologic robotic procedures, joined the Multi-Specialty Group. In January, geriatric psychiatrist Genevieve Henry, MD, joined the Multi-Specialty Group. Dr. Henry is the medical director of the Bristol Hospital’s new Senior Behavioral Health Unit which opened last month.
“All our new physicians have impressive backgrounds and training,” Henry said. “Physician recruitment is very competitive and all these providers had numerous opportunities available to them including positions at larger, academic institutions. But they chose Bristol because they want to be in a community hospital setting where they can make an immediate impact on the patient population.”
Henry added that a new neurologist joining the MultiSpecialty Group is on the horizon for 2018 and there is still a need to recruit additional primary care providers as well.
Additionally, there is Bristol Hospital’s new Ambulatory Care Center, which is part of the Centre Square project in downtown Bristol. The 60,000-square-foot, three-story building will house numerous specialties of the Multi-Specialty Group as well as dedicated space for laboratory, and physical and occupational therapy, The Ambulatory Care Center is scheduled to be completed in 2019.
“There is so much collaboration between all specialists, that the opportunity to have everyone under one roof will result in a seamless delivery of care to our patients,” Henry said.