Healthy You: United Regional Physician Group adds additional surgeons to its team
When it comes to medical procedures, many patients would prefer to have little to no surgery at all, but if you find yourself needing a surgical procedure, then know that United Regional Health Care System has top-notch surgeons who can take care of you right here in Wichita Falls instead of having to travel to the Metroplex or further.
As of this week, Dr. Christal Hames, along with her colleagues Dr. Brett May, Dr. Christopher Finnell, and Dr. Kevin Thomas, has joined United Regional Physician Group, the employed physician group of United Regional Health Care System. Dr. Hames said this transition shouldn’t change the type of care their patients receive, but will enhance access to it.
“I’m hoping that it will be a much more collaborative and efficient approach to patient care. It is very streamlined in our system. We all have access to the same computer charting. The patients will have access to that exact same information, all from one place,” Dr. Hames said.
While also making scheduling appointments easier for current and new patients.
“Our hope is that it will reduce wait times, especially for people with potential cancer or oncology issues, to where they have more, faster access to us. There’s patient scheduling online, and it will all be in one place. So they can kind of know when all of their appointments are. And because people with this, you know, complicated care, sometimes it’s really confusing to have so many different physicians and so many different appointments. And we’re hoping to make that better for patients,” Dr. Hames said.
Dr. Brett May said that although they’ll be under a different name, new and existing patients will still receive the same level of top-notch care for general surgeries.
“We do a lot of surgery on contents within the abdomen. This includes the digestive system, such as the stomach, small intestine, colon, or large intestine. The rectum, the gallbladder. Appendix. So, lots of things in the abdomen that we address. We also have one surgeon that, does bariatric surgery, a weight loss surgery. He does a lot of anti-reflux surgery. Also includes hernia surgery. So, hernias of the abdominal wall, the inguinal area, most of these operations we perform, minimally invasive, with robotic surgery or laparoscopic surgery,” Dr. May said.
Dr. May said not only do the procedures they perform save you time by keeping you here in Wichita Falls, but they can also save you big, financially in the long run.
“An example that, you know, the closest place that somebody would go to for surgery would be two hours away. That’s a two-hour trip. They’re a two hour trip back 1 to 2 hours there. So that’s a 4- to 6-hour trip. If they go for surgery, they have to go see the surgeon at least once before the surgery, maybe more. They have to make that trip for the surgery. And so then they’re traveling home when they’re not feeling well, maybe nauseated, and then they have to go back and see the surgery or the surgeon and the surgical team, at least once, maybe twice afterwards. So that’s a lot of time, a lot of expense,” Dr. May said.
And save you stress knowing that these surgeons, who have been providing excellent medical care in our community for years, will be doing so now, just with an all-star team through United Regional Physician Group.
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