Primary Care, Nantucket, Part 3…

NCH

After two somewhat damning posts on the state of Primary Care on Nantucket, I think it is only right for me to post on what is right.

We are lucky to have a staff of physicians and healthcare providers that are invested in the island, and good at what they do. In Drs. Butterworth, Koehm, Lepore, and Pearl, we have a group of physicians who have years of experience in medicine and, more importantly, small-isolated-island medicine. (I only left Dr. Steinmuller off of this list because I have yet to have the opportunity to talk with her or get to know her.) These doctors know what they know (and know well what is best addressed elsewhere, regardless of the inconvenience of getting there), and have adapted to the environment of managing the health of their patients within the constraints of the time available and the difficulties of small-town life.

Further, the hospital is staffed, for the most part, with a core group of islanders who are practiced in island medicine, good at what they do, and motivated to care for their neighbors, specifically, the nurses and the talented PAs that staff the ER.

I feel like these folks are all in the trenches, battling not only the wide array of illness and injuries that walk in the door, but the legion of changes in the delivery of healthcare that really makes it almost impossible for a place like Nantucket Cottage Hospital to keep their doors open. Look around New England; you will not find another hospital (or community health system) like Nantucket. By all accounts, we should have an ER and a helipad and nothing more. And yet, we all know, that would not do.

So, in spite of the financial and regulatory pressures of healthcare delivery, we are making it because of our smarts, adaptability, and personnel. And, for that, we are lucky. That has to be the hardest piece of the puzzle to put in place.

These are all the reasons why a recent Patient Satisfaction survey listed NCH as #10 (out of 176 in New England) in satisfaction. You can see the results here (scroll through to #10). Specifically, the survey said that NCH posted “…the highest communication scores in the Top 20, 93% of Nantucket Cottage’s patients said that their doctor always communicated well with them. Also, 88% of patients said they always received help with then asked–also the highest rating in the Top 20.” I’m proud to be a part of that.

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