MDNews - Central New York

Meet the Surgeons Akbar F. Ahmed, MD, FACS Brian P. Anderson, MD, FACS Stephen L. Barker, MD Tammy J. Congelli, MD Kenneth A. Cooper, DO Jeffrey M. DeSimone, MD, FACS Thomas S. Hartzheim, MD, FACS Herbert E. Mendel, MD, FACS Benjamin Sadowitz, MD, FACS James E. Sartori, MD William E. Schu, MD " We differentiate ourselves by attracting excellent, high-quality, compassionate surgeons; by keeping up with the latest technological advances; and by our culture of putting patient care first. At Crouse, everything we do is motivated by what's best for the patient. Together, these features add up to a surgical program that we're very proud of." — SETH KRONENBERG, MD, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER AND CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER WITH CROUSE HEALTH appreciated the respect and collegiality they found at Crouse, while Crouse Health had long noted the excellent work of the Central New York Surgical Physicians. "First, their quality is excellent — that's the basis of everything," says Seth Kronenberg, MD, Chief Medical Officer and Chief Operating Officer with Crouse Health. "They are the highest- quality group of surgeons in the area. Everything they do is focused on patient care; as that is our focus, too, it makes collaboration an easy process. Our goal is to develop new programs and integrate new technology in alignment with our shared values." The relationship has been mutu- ally sustaining. While Central New York Surgical Physicians has provided Crouse with reliable, high-caliber general surgery, the hospital has responded by obtaining the latest imaging and surgical equipment, meaning the physicians can perform operations in the least invasive manner possible and offer an increasingly broad range of services to patients. IN AN ERA OF SPECIALIZATION, GENERALISTS MATTER Each surgeon of Central New York Surgical Physicians has his or her niche — bariatric surgery, biliary and pancreatic surgery, breast surgery, endocrine surgery, vein surgeries — but they all come from a generalist background. It's a rare model and one that offers benefits to patients and colleagues. "Many times, patients come to us with several overlapping conditions," Dr. Sartori says. "For example, a patient who needs gastrointestinal surgery may also require hernia repair. We can point the patient to someone in our office who can help them, avoiding fragmentation of care. We are aware of each other's strengths and can point patients to a surgeon in the same office who can help them." "Many patients would rather receive care in the same place," says Tammy J. Congelli, MD, genera l surgeon who specia lizes in breast surger y. "For instance, if a patient is seeing me for breast care and also has a gallblad- der attack, I can perform gallbladder surgery for her. It's nice for patients when their specia list surgeon ca n also perform other routine surgeries for them." S o m e t i m e s , s a y s B e n j a m i n Sadowitz, MD, general surgeon, the surgeons coordinate more closely, s c he du l i n g joi nt pr o c e du r e s for patients' convenience. "One patient needed a hernia cor- rected as well as work for varicose veins," he illustrates. "A colleague who specializes in venous procedures and I coordinated a surgery together. That way, the patient only had to schedule one hospital visit and go under anes- thesia once, which was much better for her." The versatility of the Central New York Surgical Physicians benefits the community in other ways, too. All surgeons take general surgery calls for Crouse Health, Dr. Sadowitz says. That means patients who arrive for emergency care will benefit from a board-certified surgeon at any time, day or night. And these Tammy J. Congelli, MD Seth Kronenberg, MD, Chief Medical Officer and Chief Operating Officer with Crouse Health Benjamin Sadowitz, MD M D N E W S . C O M /// M D N E W S C E N T R A L N E W Y O R K ■ 2 018 0 7

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