|
New Emergency Care Specialists Provide High-Quality Care to Area Families
Community Hospital Watervliet has contracted with Southwestern Michigan Emergency Services, P.C. to provide emergency medical specialists in the Emergency Department. This new partnership, which began December 1, 2009, is a move by Community Hospital Watervliet to improve care and increase satisfaction for Emergency Department patients.
“This new partnership gives us an opportunity to improve our quality of care for the people in the Tri-City area,” says Ray Cruse, CEO of Community Hospital Watervliet. “Southwestern Michigan Emergency Services is known for the quality of their emergency care, so this partnership will benefit our patients and their families.”
All 41 emergency medicine specialists with Southwestern Michigan Emergency Services, P.C. are either board certified in emergency medicine or are board eligible, which means they are in the process of completing their certification. To become board-certified, doctors must:
-
finish a three- or four-year residency
-
pass board certification exams
-
fulfill continuing education requirements
According to the American Board of Medical Specialties, which certifies doctors in 24 specialties, this certification shows that doctors:
-
have achieved a certain level of knowledge and competency
-
are up-to-date on the latest changes in their field
-
can manage care as comprehensively as possible
“I encourage people to seek board-certified doctors, because I believe higher standards for doctors means better care for patients,” says Mark Kerschner, M.D., FACEP, of Southwestern Michigan Emergency Services, P.C., and medical director of the Emergency Department, Community Hospital Watervliet. “Along with having board certified and board eligible doctors, we are in the process of making several improvements. These include reducing the time it takes for ED patients to see a doctor and reducing the total time patients spend in the ED.”
According to Dr. Kerschner, physicians with Southwestern Michigan Emergency Services, P.C. will carefully coordinate patient care with members of the hospital medical staff and primary care doctors to support the continuum of care for patients.
CHW New Emergency Care Specialists, Page 2 of 2
In addition, Dr. Kerschner and his partners are working on ways to improve relationships with area emergency medical service professionals. For example, Dr. Kerschner serves on the Berrien County Medical Control Board, which oversees emergency medical service operations for that county.
Along with Community Hospital Watervliet, Southwestern Michigan Emergency Services, P.C. staffs emergency departments at Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo, Bronson LakeView Hospital in Paw Paw, Allegan General Hospital and Oaklawn Hospital in Marshall. They have been providing emergency care since 1969.
Community Hospital Watervliet, located at 400 Medical Park Drive, is a not-for-profit community hospital serving the Tri-City area, which includes Watervliet, Coloma and Hartford. With 58 licensed beds, it offers premier medical services with caring, compassion and a wholehearted commitment to patients’ well-being. Along with providing overall medical care, it offers orthopedic services, including a dedicated joint unit; an inpatient rehabilitation unit accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities; outpatient rehabilitation services which include a warm-water pool; surgical services; an emergency department; occupational health services and nutrition services.
To learn more, visit www.swmes.com.
|