Huron Regional Medical Center

Summer 2014

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continued from page 1 2 welloneconnection w w w . h u r o n r e g i o n a l . o r g Akash Tagga rse, MD SURGERY For Colorectal Cancer From the CEO Door No. 1 or Door No. 2? When it comes to colorectal cancer, prevention is the best medicine, according to John Robert, MD, FACS, a general surgeon at HRMC Physicians Clinic. He recommends that people with no family history of colorectal cancer begin regular colonoscopy screenings at age 50, and people with a family history of colon cancer or a personal history of colon polyps should be screened every four to five years. "Colorectal cancer is a dangerous yet highly preventable disease," Dr. Robert says. "Almost all colorectal cancer can be avoided with routine colonoscopies. By the time symptoms are noticeable, the cancer is already established and it's too late for prevention." To make an appointment for a colonoscopy with Dr. Robert, call (605) 353-7660. PREVENTING Colorectal Cancer Olympus UPD-3 ScopeGuide image courtesy of Olympus Medical Systems Corp. David Dick Welcome to the first edition of this quarterly column, in which HRMC's CEO David Dick ponders the state of healthcare and how it impacts you, as a resident of the communities we serve. Your input is welcomed via email at info@huronregional.org. Do you remember that TV game show where contestants who picked the right door won a valuable prize, but a wrong door led to a gag prize? As citizens of a rural community, we must make sure what is behind our healthcare door continues to be valued. Rural and urban life are different in many ways, and both choices have their value. Yes, it might be easier to get a ride in an urban environment by calling a taxi. On the other hand, in a rural area, if you need a ride, you can just call a neighbor. If you're a rural citizen who becomes ill and needs to be hospitalized, you call your family doctor, who admits you to the hospital, sees you while you're there and provides follow-up care. The urban citizen might have a different experience. He or she might see a doctor at the urgent care center, then a provider at the ER and then a hospital doctor for admission. While in the hospital, several other doctors might be seen, and when it comes time for discharge, he or she is asked, "Is there a family doctor you want to follow up with?" Here's another difference: On average, $3,882 is paid for a Medicare patient in a rural hospital, while $7,879 is paid for a Medicare patient in an urban hospital.* Now, I am not totally sure why there is disparity, but there is, in fact, a difference. As healthcare reforms continue to unfold, our unique rural lifestyle needs to be better understood by rural and urban leaders alike. The efficiencies and positive outcomes of our rural healthcare systems are a reflection of our primary care physicians' knowledge of how to keep us healthy. We can't allow there to be a large disparity between the value of what is behind door No. 1 and door No. 2. The rural healthcare door must be valuable to rural citizens, just as the urban healthcare door must have value for the citizens who choose it. We are not two types of citizens – we are all the same, just with unique differences. Different, I am told, does not have to mean better or worse. David Dick President and CEO Huron Regional Medical Center *Source: Findings Brief, December 2013, NC Rural Health Research Program Looking Forward Dr. Robert credits Sass' determination and positive attitude for her recovery. "Mrs. Sass has done very well," Dr. Robert says. "This is a very big surgery. She is just a fighter, a trouper." "I thank God for all the doctors, nurses and home health staff," Sass says. "Dr. Robert has been absolutely wonderful." Today, Sass is back spending her days with her family and working in her garden. "The last time I saw Betty, she looked refreshed and very hopeful about the future," Dr. Taggarse says. "She was back on her feet, and her entire outlook was very bright."

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