Karla Clubine, CEO of Pershing Health System (PHS) in Brookfield announced the launch of their new Hospitalist program starting in mid-September. PHS is partnering with the Rural Physician’s Group (RPG) who will be providing the hospitalists. Clubine explains, “Hospitalists are physicians who reside in the hospital and specialize in the care of patients during hospitalization. This new program will be a tremendous asset to our community as we will be able to keep more patients local with high quality, continuity of care.” She continues to say that “RPG specializes in helping rural health facilities and understands the needs of the small communities in which they serve.”
The Rural Physician’s Group is an expansive physician network of rural-focused hospitalists, general surgeons, and Advanced Practice Providers. RPG’s model of residing within the hospital around the clock allows the physicians to be more accessible to meet with family members, follow-up on patient testing, and communicate with nursing staff. The hospitalists will coordinate care directly with a patient’s primary care provider so when the patient is discharged from the hospital, appropriate follow-up care can promptly take place.
Clubine states, “Our new, in-house, 24/7 hospitalist model will allow PHS to provide more consistent, accessible service, and allow us to care for more patients locally, reducing the need for patients to be transferred away from home to more urban or tertiary care sites. The on-call hospitalist provider will also be readily available to speak with patients and families upon request.”
Clubine and PHS department directors met with representatives from the Rural Physician’s Group last week. They were introduced to Dr. Madhuresh Kumar, who will be RPG’s Chief Hospitalist for PHS and the first of four hospitalists to join PHS. Dr. Kumar stated that he was RPG’s Regional Medical Director for the Midwest and Southeast regions of the United States. Dr Kumar explained, “Now, I am practicing rural hospital medicine in Missouri and Kansas area.” He further expressed, “I am so happy to have the opportunity to serve as RPG’s Chief Hospitalist for Pershing Health System.”
Dr. Kumar attended medical school and completed his internal medicine residency at Louisiana State University Health Center Shreveport. Prior to joining RPG, Dr. Kumar practiced hospital medicine and administration in southern Florida for 20 years. Dr. Kumar states, “I value my role in providing personalized support for my patients, colleagues and communities in the rural inpatient setting, and I’m passionate about advocating for access to modern healthcare in these underserved areas.”
Clubine shared, “We look forward to working with Dr. Kumar to bring this exceptional program to PHS and further serve the healthcare needs of our community.”
Pictured: Dr. Madhuresh Kumar, Rural Physician’s Group Chief Hospitalist for PHS and Karla Clubine, CEO of Pershing Health System
