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September 30, 2021

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The Importance of a Surgicalist Talent Management Strategy

The Importance of a Surgicalist Talent Management Strategy 0

As a provider of surgicalist programs, SAMGI (Surgical Affiliates Management Group, Inc.) builds cohesive teams of high-performing, board-certified surgeons and advanced practice providers (APPs) that provide surgical care to hospitals from rural emergency and elective practices through busy Level II trauma centers. That makes it critical that we genuinely understand how to attract, identify, develop, engage, retain and deploy surgeons and advanced practitioners into a dedicated hospital setting.

Without giving away proprietary secrets, at the core of SAMGI’s methodologies is a talent management strategy that focuses on relationships and learning what is important to each surgeon and APP we meet. This helps align our business objectives and strategies with the talent necessary to support those of our client hospitals and create value for all parties. 

In providing our surgicalist programs to hospitals across the country, SAMGI implements planning methodologies to determine each program’s current and future surgeon and APP needs. We analyze supply and demand, current demographics, predictions for shortages or surpluses, and market and workplace trends for surgeons and APPs. Understanding these elements helps us focus on and prioritize our activities that include: 

  •                     Talent acquisition
  •                     Building talent pools
  •                     Succession planning
  •                     Leadership development
  •                     Career management
  •                     Lifelong learning
  •                     Deployment
  •                     Engagement
  •                     Retention

Monitoring our talent management activities is important to our understanding of what is working to attract, retain, and control the costs associated with talent processes.

In addition, we approach our talent management strategy with a blend of inclusive and exclusive approaches. This allows us to work with our surgeons and client hospitals to reach and acquire surgeons and APPs from the widest possible talent pools. Integral to this method is how SAMGI leadership partners with hospital leadership to ensure the active involvement of all stakeholders. This allows us to prioritize the different stages from talent acquisition through retention.

We use proprietary tools that help us research surgeon and APP candidates and their backgrounds who have ties to specific geographies and locations. This is essential to filling positions with the right candidates. For example, for openings in a rural location requiring a surgeon or APP to live in that town/city, we seek and identify professionals who can relate to that lifestyle and who will become long-term, valued partners with their client hospital.   

We also work with some hospitals wishing to find surgeons and APPs who can drive or fly to their locations, work for one or two weeks, and then return. This successful model supports surgeons and APPs who want the surgicalist work/life balance but are unable to relocate.  

It all boils down to our talent management team determining the best strategy for each client and location and using our unique tools and techniques—our “secret sauce”—to acquire the best candidates for partnerships between surgeons, hospitals, and SAMGI. It’s a proven methodology refined over 25 years that allows our client hospitals to provide consistent, high-quality care to the patients in their communities.  

 

Author:

Tammy D. Hager, MBA, CPRP, FABC
Executive Director of Recruitment and Privileging

July 23, 2021

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ArticlesCase Studies

NorthBay Hospital Continues to Buck the Trend with Outstanding Results from Surgical Hospitalist Program

NorthBay Hospital Continues to Buck the Trend with Outstanding Results from Surgical Hospitalist Program 0

NorthBay Medical Center, a 132-bed acute-care hospital in Fairfield, Calif., was recently lauded in Modern Healthcare for bucking a national trend: increasing its margins and operating success without affiliating or selling to a larger system. Operating margins improved from negative 2.1 percent in 2011, to .2 percent in 2012 and 6.3 percent in 2013. That article cites their key to this achievement as the hospital’s ability to keep its patients in Solano County for specialty services.

One compelling example of the success of this strategy is the hospital’s partnership with Surgical Affiliates Management Group, the leading surgical hospitalist organization in the United States, to create a solution to the challenge faced by many hospitals: consistent surgical coverage, 24/7.

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Kern Medical Looks to SAMGI to Expand General Surgery Services 0

Surgicalist program model conceived to respond to critical community needs

Sacramento, CA, July 14, 2021 – Kern Medical, a leading Central Valley healthcare organization, today announced it will expand its relationship with Sacramento-based SAMGI (Surgical Affiliates Management Group, Inc.) to include a comprehensive surgicalist program that will offer key general surgery services currently unavailable to the Kern community. Under the terms of the agreement, SAMGI board-certified surgical teams will provide vascular and various cancer surgeries along with state-of-the-art minimally invasive robotic surgeries. Additionally, SAMGI will work in conjunction with Kern Medical to develop and implement a much-needed surgical residency program. During its nearly 3-year tenure at Kern Medical, SAMGI has provided dedicated, in-house teams of board-certified trauma and acute care surgeons who deliver 24/7/365 surgical care to patients entering the Emergency Department. Additionally, SAMGI also offers a fully staffed follow-up clinic for post-discharge care to patients.

“As a public hospital deeply committed to serving the healthcare needs of the people of our community, we are keenly aware that they are under-served in a number of essential non-emergency surgical areas, “said Scott Thygerson, President of Hospital and Clinic Operations. “Consequently, patients must seek those services outside of their own community. By working with SAMGI, a valued, proven partner of ours, we will be providing important high-quality health services to our community, further affirming Kern Medical’s commitment to our population.”

“We are thrilled to be growing our partnership with Kern,” said SAMGI President and CEO Lynette Scherer, MD, FACS. “While we have earned a reputation and leadership position as the premier provider of emergency surgicalist programs, SAMGI has broad and deep experience in a host of general surgical areas. Our basic approach to surgeries is equally viable and powerful in general surgical venues. And I am especially excited about the role we will play as program director and teachers in helping develop Kern’s surgical residency program for new surgeons.”

“Core to SAMGI’s methodology is a systematic, personalized approach to care that we believe advances the practice of medicine,” added Thygerson. “It is a cornerstone to the SAMGI acute care surgical model that we look forward to their bringing to Kern’s residency program and, ultimately to our community.”

About Kern Medical

Kern Medical is a leading Central Valley health care organization, with a 222-bed hospital, a comprehensive offering of primary care and specialty clinics, and a large body of highly skilled doctors, nurses, technicians and other health-care providers. With the area’s only level II trauma center and teaching hospital, many of Kern’s services are unequaled in the region. Its volunteers, charitable foundation, and employees eagerly support its mission of health and safety.

About SAMGI

Surgical Affiliates Management Group, Inc. (SAMGI) is setting the standard for surgicalist programs. Founded in 1996, SAMGI is a leader in providing board-certified surgeons, healthcare providers and medical directors for in-house trauma, acute care, orthopedic, neurosurgery, urology and general surgery services for communities and hospital systems. Peer reviewed results published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons have demonstrated that SAMGI’s evidence-based, care standardized programs deliver long-term excellence in patient care and optimization of overall hospital performance by improving hospital workflow, efficiency and patient outcomes. Learn more at: www.samgi.com

For more information contact:

At Kern Medical Center

Sally Selby

Director, Marketing & Communications

sally.selby@kernmedical.com

(661) 859-6008

 

At SAMGI:

Chris Brown

Chief Sales Officer

Surgical Affiliates Management Group, Inc.

cbrown@samgi.com

(916) 621-6440

May 11, 2021

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Articles

The value of a Surgicalist

The value of a Surgicalist 0

Many of us — especially in small towns and rural areas — grew up experiencing the wait in a hospital Emergency Department, anxiously watching for the surgeon on call to finally arrive. It was frightening for us, added stress for a harried doctor who’d already had a full day of scheduled operations and office visits, and could lead to less-than-optimal outcomes.

But there’s a proven, better way to serve surgeons, patients and hospitals alike — a surgicalist program that’s well-prepared for the unpredictable volumes of patients that occur.

No more juggling

A surgicalist (or surgical hospitalist) is a highly skilled, board-certified or -eligible surgeon who provides trauma and/or acute or emergency surgical care in a dedicated hospital setting…creating the foundation of a surgicalist program. The surgicalist model enables surgeons to help design the work/life balance they want, without the hassles and stress of juggling an office practice with elective operations and time on call.

Surgicalists enjoy professional and personal benefits unsurpassed in the surgical field.

 

Surgicalists with SAMGI (Surgical Affiliates Management Group) work on a team of surgical partners to deliver 24/7/365 emergency general, orthopedic and neuro-surgical patient care. This is their sole focus — enabling emergency patients at surgical-staffed hospitals to undergo surgery without delays, improving clinical and patient satisfaction outcomes, and hospital performance.

Surgicalists focus on what they love, not what they loathe

Surgicalists focus their time and talents on their passion — delivering exceptional surgical care — without the administrative worries of being a profitable private practice.

For too many surgeons, years of balancing an elective practice with the demands of on-call hospital duties have taken a great toll…on their physical and emotional health and well-being, personal/family lives, career satisfaction and, ultimately, cause higher rates of burnout.

Surgicalists, however, enjoy professional and personal unsurpassed benefits that delivers a rewarding balance that the old surgical model of balancing on-call duties and elective cases simply doesn’t provide. Since they’re focused exclusively on acute care and trauma surgery, they have a lower risk of burnout and realize a more-rewarding work/life balance. With predictable, manageable schedules that allow for generous time off, they can have a much more-balanced life, while their client hospital enjoys a well-rested, highly motivated and skilled emergency surgical team.

More surgical time and patient care, fewer administrative hassles

Surgicalists who join one of SAMGI’s community-based practices have the freedom to concentrate on performing surgery and taking care of patients, while SAMGI handles the administrative details. For most surgeons who sign on to the surgicalist model, the opportunity to focus exclusively on surgery and related patient care is a game-changing benefit that boosts professional satisfaction by getting surgeons back to their passion.

SAMGI surgicalists recognize the value of our mission, evidence-based processes and support system, demonstrated by SAMGI’s surgeon-retention rate of 97.9% year over year…among the highest in the nation and the kind of stability and predictability our clients need and have come to expect.

Dedicated to quality standards and outcomes

With quality at the core of our shared mission, SAMGI surgicalists are motivated to make a significant professional contribution in one of our community-based practices. Our surgicalists serve on and are supported by teams of other highly qualified clinical professionals of experienced surgeons, nurse practitioners and physician assistants. Together, we provide services according to evidence-based medical protocols to help ensure smooth handoffs and the highest quality of surgical care.

Learn what SAMGI can do for your facility

Founded and managed by surgeons, SAMGI is setting the standard for surgicalist performance. We’re transforming the face of emergency surgical care with the integrated surgical coverage solutions hospitals need to succeed today. Our dedicated, highly trained, board-certified surgeon-led teams are on-duty 24/7/365 to deliver services from admission through convalescence, while our seamless program management helps ensure the highest performance. In fact, our proven, turnkey approach has earned peer-reviewed ROI while helping optimize performance, efficiency, revenues and — most important — quality of care and clinical outcomes.

 

Let’s talk about how we can help you meet your hospital’s emergency surgical performance needs. Email us at info@samgi.com or call (877) 440-9693.

Surgical Affiliates Management Group Appoints Glenn Koh, MD Chief Medical Officer 0

Sacramento, CA, February 11, 2021 — Surgical Affiliates Management Group, Inc. (SAMGI), the pioneer and leader in hospital surgicalist programs, today announced the appointment of Glenn Koh, MD as Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Koh earned his MBBS at the National University of Singapore and served his residency in the Drexel University Easton Hospital Program. He has been with SAMGI since 2015 and served in several capacities as a surgeon, Medical Director and Associate CMO, as well as President of Medical Staff and Trauma Medical Director at SAMGI client sites Sutter Health and Kern Medical. Prior to joining SAMGI, Dr. Koh held surgical leadership positions with Kaiser Permanente.

“In his new position, Glenn joins the SAMGI leadership group and will work to support our surgical teams with the tools they need to ensure our cohesive, evidence-driven approach continues to provide excellent patient care and delivers exceptional value to SAMGI’s client hospitals,” said SAMGI CEO Lynette Scherer, MD, FACS.

SAMGI has also announced the appointment of Tammy Hager, MBA as Executive Director of Physician Recruitment and Privileging. Ms. Hager comes to SAMGI from Medical Marketing Service where she focused on marketing and recruiting physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners. Prior to that, she was Executive Director of HR and Talent Selection for Mercy Health. Ms. Hager is a Fellow with both the Association for Advancing Physician and Provider Recruitment and the Advisory Board Company. She is  a Certified Medical Staff Recruiter by the American Academy of Medical Management and holds a Certificate in Professional Leadership from The Batten Leadership Institute at Hollins University. Ms. Hager earned her B.S. and MBA from Liberty University with an emphasis in healthcare management.

About SAMGI

Surgical Affiliates Management Group, Inc. (SAMGI) is setting the standard for surgicalist programs. Founded in 1996, SAMGI is a leader in providing board-certified surgeons, healthcare providers and medical directors for in-house trauma, acute care, orthopedic, neurosurgery, urology and general surgery services for communities and hospital systems. Peer reviewed results published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons have demonstrated that SAMGI’s evidence-based, care standardized programs deliver long-term excellence in patient care and optimization of overall hospital performance by improving hospital workflow, efficiency and patient outcomes. Learn more at: www.samgi.com

For more information contact:

Chris Brown

Chief Sales Officer

Surgical Affiliates Management Group, Inc.

cbrown@samgi.com

(916) 621-6440

Surgical Affiliates Management Group Names Chris Brown and Mike Manion to Lead Business Development Initiatives 0

Sacramento, CA., November 19, 2020 — Surgical Affiliates Management Group, Inc. (SAMGI), a leader in providing 24/7 emergency surgery care teams, today announced that Chris Brown has joined the company as Chief Sales Officer. Chris will be responsible for business development, marketing and seamless integration with SAMGI’s Operations Team. The company also announced that Michael Manion has joined the organization as its Director of Business Development. Mike will work directly with Chris and will focus on national business growth and solidifying channel ownership.

Chris Brown brings to SAMGI a proven record of achievement as a healthcare industry sales and marketing leader. During his career, he has served as vice president for start-ups, venture-backed and publicly traded companies including Zynex Medical, Safeop Surgical, Nuvasive/Impulse Monitoring, Intelistaff Healthcare and STERIS Corp/AMSCO. He currently serves as a board advisor to companies in the medical device, medical services and HIT spaces. Chris holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Mike  Manion comes to SAMGI with extensive sales experience in the surgicalist space. Prior to joining SAMGI, Mike spent the past 15 years working in business development roles at TeamHealth and Ob Hospitalist Group where he was responsible for pipeline development and driving sales. He has earned countless “High Achiever” sales awards including President’s Club honors in three consecutive years. Mike holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Southern Illinois University- Edwardsville.

“I am thrilled by the addition of such high caliber sales and marketing professionals to our team,” said SAMGI CEO Lynette Scherer, MD, FACS. “Present circumstances in healthcare along with continuing acceptance of the surgicalist model offer us not only significant growth opportunities but will also allow us to fill critical care needs for current and future hospital partners. Chris and Mike are the ideal tandem to meet the growing demand for our high quality, cost-effective trailblazing model.”

About SAMGI

Surgical Affiliates Management Group, Inc. (SAMGI) is the surgical hospitalist company. Founded in 1996, SAMGI is a leader in providing board-certified surgeons, healthcare providers, and medical directors for in-house trauma, acute care, orthopedic, neurosurgery, urology and general surgery services for communities and hospital systems. Peer reviewed results published Journal of the American College of Surgeons have demonstrated that SAMGI’s evidence-based, care standardized programs deliver long-term excellence in patient care and the ability to optimize overall hospital performance by improving hospital workflow, efficiency and patient outcomes. Learn more at: www.samgi.com

For more information contact:

Chris Brown

Chief Sales Officer

Surgical Affiliates Management Group, Inc.

cbrown@samgi.com

(916) 621-6440

SAMGI Statement – June 19, 2020 0

I have on more than one occasion started to draft a message to our group acknowledging that what happened to George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and many other black Americans is utterly intolerable in a civil society, and confirming that Surgical Affiliates supports and stands with the black community.

As a company committed to providing care to vulnerable patient populations – regardless of race or ethnicity – I believe it is important to vocally state our position and publicly affirm our intentions. So let me state the following without equivocation:

We stand for social equality and basic civil and human rights for all people but at this pivotal moment, reaffirm our commitment in support of those disproportionately persecuted simply due to the color of their skin.

Our group holds this truth as self-evident, and no type of racism will be tolerated here. We are committed to fostering a culture of inclusion and diversity, and we are specifically committed to ensuring our workforce remains diverse and sensitive to discrimination faced by our patients as well as our own employees.

Injury does not discriminate.

And as the leading American Surgicalist Group…neither do we.

We reaffirm our commitment to delivering compassionate and expert care to any patient regardless of race. And we reaffirm our commitment to a workforce that is similarly diverse. We support and endorse the ongoing effort to eliminate systemic racism and fully endorse social equality and tolerance for all.

Lynette A. Scherer, MD, FACS

Chief Executive Officer

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Leading the Industry with Expert, 24/7 Emergency Vascular Surgery Coverage 0

Vascular emergencies require a fast, expert response and precise treatment to ensure a positive outcome. In demand as never before, the skills of vascular surgeons are urgently needed to treat a range of vascular emergencies such as ischemic extremities, embolic events, ruptured aortic aneurysms, vascular trauma, and complications of long-standing vascular disease.

Surgical Affiliates is leading the industry to meet this critical and growing need with our  Vascular Surgery Program. This innovative program provides a dedicated, in-house team of experienced, board-certified vascular surgeons providing 24/7 care to patients requiring emergency vascular surgery entering your hospital’s ED as well as care for in-patient consults, transfers to the facility, and in-house vascular emergencies.

Our comprehensive program is anchored by a dedicated medical director overseeing a highly qualified team of experienced and vetted vascular surgeons providing coverage exclusively to your hospital while on duty. Also, our vascular surgeons appreciate the opportunity to provide on-duty, dedicated coverage with the option of maintaining an elective practice. Surgical Affiliates’ experienced vascular surgery teams implement evidence-based guidelines in delivering a systematic, personalized approach to care that is a hallmark of our surgicalist model.

The Vascular Surgery Program provides additional, meaningful benefits to your hospital that enhance patient care, improve outcomes, and elevate institutional performance:

  • Cohesion with local physicians
  • Experienced management services support for both the local practice and the hospital that alleviates administrative responsibilities from clinical teams
  • Improved ED response time and improved patient outcomes
  • Improved patient, nurse, physician and hospital administration satisfaction
  • A fully staffed follow-up clinic providing post-discharge care to patients on our service
  • Decreased length of stay and decreased readmission rates
  • Improved resource utilization

Surgical Affiliates’ Practice Management Team is comprised of experienced trauma and critical care nurse managers, EMS leaders and healthcare executives.  Our team works in close partnership with your hospital administration in maintaining high quality standards and efficient clinic operations with a continued focus on improving patient care.

All potential providers will be presented to your hospital’s administration for consideration and approval. Our staffing model provides 24/7/365 surgeon care with back-up coverage and mid-level provider support as needed.

September 26, 2019

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Press Releases

Surgical Affiliates and Banner Lassen Medical Center Announce Partnership to Enhance Orthopedic Surgical Care

Surgical Affiliates and Banner Lassen Medical Center Announce Partnership to Enhance Orthopedic Surgical Care 0

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Sept. 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Surgical Affiliates, a leading provider of emergency in-house trauma, orthopedic, neurosurgery and general surgical services for hospital systems, has announced its partnership with Banner Lassen Medical Center in Susanville, Calif. The partnership will enhance emergency orthopedic services at Banner Lassen by providing comprehensive, 24/7 emergency orthopedic surgical services.

Through its partnership with Surgical Affiliates, Banner Lassen Medical Center joins a growing number of hospitals nationwide implementing a surgical hospitalist model of care that ensures delivery of exceptional, round-the-clock emergency surgical services.

“We’re extremely pleased to once again be offering comprehensive orthopedic care in the community,” said Banner Lassen CEO Sandy Dugger. “Our new team of orthopedic surgeons will provide residents with convenient access to orthopedic medical appointments, consultations, planned surgeries and emergency surgeries at our hospital.”

Surgical Affiliates will provide an enhanced array of surgical services including a dedicated, on-duty team of board-certified orthopedic surgeons providing 24/7 emergency surgical care to patients entering the emergency room; this experienced team will also provide care for in-house orthopedic emergencies and  inpatient orthopedic consultations. In addition, a fully staffed follow-up clinic will offer post-discharge care to patients through their recovery. Patients will also have access to comprehensive outpatient orthopedic services at the Banner Health Clinic, provided by the highly credentialed team of surgeons.

“The exceptional group of leaders and providers at Banner Lassen has allowed us to implement our team in record time and speaks to their underlying commitment to this community – and to us as a partner – in delivering orthopedic surgery care to the Susanville community,” said Surgical Affiliates President and CEO Lynette Scherer, MD, FACS.

The experienced orthopedic team at Banner Lassen will implement evidenced-based guidelines in delivering a systematic, personalized approach to care that is a cornerstone of the Surgical Affiliates model. Additionally, Surgical Affiliates will support the orthopedic team with experienced management services to optimize workflow and alleviate administrative responsibilities from the clinical teams.

About Surgical Affiliates

Surgical Affiliates is a national leader in surgical hospitalist care with published, peer-reviewed results in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons that demonstrate how they benefit hospitals, clinicians, and patients by providing quality 24/7 emergency surgical care.  The team is comprised of a dynamic group of experienced, board-certified surgeons, healthcare providers, and medical directors. Programs offered provide strategic, structured surgical programs that encompass Acute Care, Trauma, Neurosurgery, and Orthopedics, and fuse with a hospital’s ICU, Emergency Department, and Medical Hospitalist Program to ensure quality of care and proper workflow throughout these departments. For more information, visit: www.samgi.com

About Banner Lassen Medical Center

Opened in 1883 as Lassen County Hospital, Banner Lassen Medical Center in Susanville, Calif., is a part of Banner Health, a nonprofit healthcare system with 28 hospitals in six states. Banner Lassen offers obstetrics, general surgery, orthopedic surgery, imaging services, rehabilitation services and emergency care.  In addition to the hospital campus, Banner also operates three clinics in the Susanville area. For more information, visit: www.BannerHealth.com/Lassen

 

September 24, 2019

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ArticlesCase Studies

McLaren Oakland Partners With Surgical Affiliates In Forging a Path For Continued Excellence

McLaren Oakland Partners With Surgical Affiliates In Forging a Path For Continued Excellence 0

Like other mid-sized hospitals across the U.S., McLaren Oakland, a 328-bed medical center in Pontiac, Michigan, was at a crossroads of how best to continue providing the highest level of emergency surgical coverage to patients. Serving the growing communities in greater Pontiac and Oakland County, McLaren Oakland, a Level II-verified trauma center and one of the country’s largest osteopathic teaching hospitals, wanted to ensure continued excellence in providing emergency surgical services to patients that would also help to differentiate their facility from other area providers. “Although we had a loosely affiliated group of excellent, committed surgeons providing trauma coverage for several years, it became important that we establish a cohesive, in-house trauma program that was accessible to patients 24/7,” says McLaren Oakland CMO and Vice President of Medical Affairs Steven Calkin, D.O.

Aware that Surgical Affiliates Management Group was providing acute care and trauma surgical services to McLaren Northern Michigan, one of 14 hospitals within the McLaren Health Care network, Dr. Calkin and McLaren Oakland President and CEO Margaret Dimond, Ph.D., began discussions with Surgical Affiliates to learn how the company could provide an in-house team of fellowship-trained acute care and trauma surgeons supported by Surgical Affiliates’ depth of expertise in emergency surgical care. “We began to envision what our trauma service could look like when handled by a professional team of surgeons dedicated to taking care of trauma and acute care surgical patients around the clock,” Dr. Calkin recalls. Based on these pivotal discussions with Surgical Affiliates President and CEO Lynette Scherer, M.D., FACS, and her colleagues, McLaren Oakland began a partnership with Surgical Affiliates to provide an enhanced array of surgical services to patients entering the Emergency Department, including 24/7 acute care and trauma services as well as a fully staffed follow-up clinic to provide post-discharge care to patients. 

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