Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/704061
SPINE PROGRAM B I DMC or t h op e d i c s pi n e s u r ge on A nd rew W h ite, M D, says t hat wh i le BID-Milton Hospita l has a lways been a leader in delivering community ca re, access to specia lt y a nd subspecia lt y ca re was, in some cases, limited. "Milton provided great ser vices, had a n excellent g roup of physicia ns, a nd wa s a conven ient place for patients, but the depth a nd breadth of ser vices here were rea l ly r ipe for a dd it iona l subspecia lt y ca re," he says. "I a m able to bring my specia lized backg round, a nd it is ver y g ratif y ing for me to be able to ta ke ca re of patients here from soup to nuts. " Patients rea l ly li ke t his hospita l, trust the doctors, and enjoy the person- a lized ca re a nd the relationships they build with their providers." Patient Steve Davis, who under went spine surger y at BID-Milton, was ini- tia lly a fra id to have his operation but was later so pleased with the outcome t h at he recom mended D r. W h it e t o his nephew. " My on ly reg ret i s not hav i n g t he surger y yea rs ago," he says. " The sta ff was wonder ful, from Dr. W hite to the nurses. I was able to ask questions, a nd I a m ver y happy with the outcome." D r. W h it e c r e d it s t he s uc c e s s of the BID-Milton Spine Prog ra m to the multidisciplina r y approach to ca re the tea m has adopted. " Ta k i ng ca re of spi ne problems is a lways multidisciplina r y," he explains. " We have specia lists in neurolog y a nd pa i n m a n a gement . BI D -M i lt on h a s a lways been suppor tive of subspecia lty surgeons coming here a nd delivering h i g h le ve l s of c a r e , a nd one of t he ways we do that is by establishing the Surgica l Physician Assistants Program. We've hired a nd tra ined some rea l ly ta lented PA s who a re working in the hospita l 24/7 helping to ta ke ca re of surg ica l patients." PAs a lso respond to the clinica l needs of patients whi le surgeons a re in the OR or seeing patients in their off ices. " We a lso have a ver y strong hospita l- ist prog ra m where we have a tea m of hospita lsts in the building who are a lso pa r t of t he fa cu lt y of BI DMC so t he evidence-ba sed ca re is the sa me ca re that is delivered at the medica l center," Dr. Yeats says. " W hen you look at suppor ting pro- grams, whether spine surgery or genera l surger y, the grow th in that surger y a nd the confidence of the surgeons and of the BIDMC orthopedic spine surgeon Andrew White, MD, in Milton with medical assistant Brittany Dillon (left) and administrative assistant Valerie Martinez (right) M D N E W S .C O M /// M D N E W S S O U T H O F B O S T O N ■ 2 016 1 1