Providing affordable, quality health care in an uncertain economic environment will continue to be the primary focus of Brunswick Novant Medical Center, the hospital’s new president Shelbourn Stevens said.

Hospitals and other health care providers “have been given a national and local imperative to deliver the best care possible and to make our healthcare services more affordable,” Stevens said in an email response questions about his new job and the facility he oversees.

Stevens, who has worked for Novant Health for more than 20 years, was named president of
the Brunswick County hospital in June.

He had served as the interim president since March, when prior hospital president Denise Mihal took on expanded responsibilities within the Winston-Salem based Novant Health system.

Looking at the challenge in the context of the recent Supreme Court decision upholding President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act, Stevens said the administration’s attempt to overhaul the system “was a response to the question of how to best provide health coverage for more Americans and how to reform a fragmented system of care.

“Few laws are perfect, though, and the Affordable Care Act is no exception. That being said, the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the law does improve access to health care services,” Stevens said.

“As health care providers, we support the expansion of health coverage because it creates better access to medical care.”

Stevens said Brunswick Novant’s committed staff would help the hospital remain strong and viable through any changes in the current changing health care environment. He said the hospital was also well positioned as part of the Novant Health’s not-for-profit health system.

“As part of Novant, we benefit from not only the buying power of a large organization, but also the expertise that can be shared across the organization,” he said.

Brunswick Novant remains competitive in the area market, even as New Hanover Regional Medical Center and its affiliates make inroads into Brunswick County.

“When Brunswick Community Hospital first joined Novant Health in 2006, we had a hospital with great physicians, nurses and staff.  Our first priority was to ensure we were offering excellent quality care and service,” Stevens said.

The next step in the process “was fulfilling our promise to the community by bringing more patient beds to the county.

“We met this promise by building a new facility so that Brunswick County residents would truly have a state-of-the-art hospital to call their own. Now, with the new facility, we are seeing more and more local residents choosing to stay close to home for their medical care,” Stevens said, referring to the new hospital that opened last summer.

Stevens is bullish about the future of Brunswick Novant and new initiatives planned there.

“We are currently constructing a new 10,000-square-foot medical office building on the campus of Brunswick Novant Medical Center, which is set to open by the end of 2012,” he said. “Thus far, two physician practices, Brunswick Women’s Center and Brunswick Surgical Associates, are committed to opening offices in this new facility.”

Additional shell space is available to house additional practices, he said.

“We are also in the process of bringing our physical therapy services and cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation services into the hospital,” Stevens said.

“They are currently located in a suite next to the former hospital but will be moving to our new campus within the next several months.”

One priority is to ensure services are convenient for patients, he said.

“We believe both of these changes will provide better access for our patients. In addition, we’ve added night and weekend hours for several services, such as mammography, so that we can be more available for our community at the times that are best for them,” Stevens said.

Specialists join NHRMC Physician Group

Three new specialty practices joined the New Hanover Regional Medical Center Physician Group on June 30, hospital spokeswoman Erin Balzotti said in a news release.

Hanover Medical Specialists is a multi-specialty practice with cardiology, gastroenterology and hematology/oncology.

The 15 physicians and six mid-level providers will be transitioning into individual practices and joining the hospital’s Physician Group, Balzotti said.

The practices will be known as Cape Fear Cancer Specialists-NHRMC Physician Group,
Hanover Cardiology-NHRMC Physician Group and Hanover Gastroenterology-NHRMC Physician Group.

Each practice will focus on its specialty “with the added advantage of being linked to New Hanover Regional Medical Center’s systems for more seamless care,” Balzotti said.

“By joining this large network, each practice will benefit from access to business support resources offered by the NHRMC Physician Group, including medical office technology, quality resources, information technology and contract negotiations,” she said.

Wilmington Health adds service lines

Wilmington Health will expand its service lines with the addition of oncology/hematology and rheumatology at its office at 1202 Medical Center Drive.

Oncologist/hematologist Dr. Justin Markow and rheumatologist Dr. Ronald L. George are slated to begin accepting patients on July 30.

Oncology and hematology involves the diagnosis and treatment of tumors and blood disorders.
Rheumatology provides diagnosis and treatment of inflammation, swelling and pain of the joints,
bones and muscles. Conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis and lupus are often treated by a rheumatologist.

Coastal Women’s Care now open

Dr. Fazil Mohamed recently opened Coastal Women’s Care at 1721 Allens Lane, Suite 102 in Wilmington.

Mohamed is board-certified in obstetrics and gynecology and has been practicing medicine for more than 10 years. Mohamed offers a variety of in-office procedures and accepts most insurance plans, including Medicare and Medicaid.

SEAHEC holds graduation ceremony

South East Area Health Education Center [SEAHEC] held graduation ceremonies June 22 for the latest group of physicians completing medical residency programs at New Hanover Regional.
The graduating group of 17 doctors was from the family medicine, internal medicine, obstetricsand gynecology and general surgery programs. SEAHEC has trained medical residents for 40 years through a partnership with New Hanover Regional and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine.

 “Medical residents provide a valuable service to the local community, especially to the underinsured and indigent populations,” SEAHEC spokeswoman Lindsay Fletcher said in a news release.