General surgeon back on call at GVH

Recruiting a second, part-time surgeon

A general surgeon is back on call for the Gunnison Valley Hospital Emergency Department (ED). Through a series of meetings, the hospital and general surgeon Dr. John Bishop have come to an agreement over the best way to provide on-call consultations for patients in the ED.

 
Dr. Bishop had resigned from providing on-call services in September after contract negotiations between the two parties failed to result in an agreement over financial compensation. The impasse temporarily left ED physicians without general surgery consultations, and resulted in three patients being flown out of the valley for care.
But according to new CEO Rob Santilli, during recent meetings with Dr. Bishop, “We had a very productive discussion and agreed that the right step forward is to recruit a second, part-time general surgeon to serve the valley.”
Through their discussions, GVH and Dr. Bishop have identified several scenarios that could fill that need, including the addition of a partner to Dr. Bishop’s practice; working with a regional surgical practice; or recruiting a part-time surgeon as an employee of the hospital. In either scenario, the part-time surgeon would collaborate with Dr. Bishop to provide on-call services for the ED.
According to Santilli, Dr. Bishop has agreed to return to on-call status for one month as GVH recruits a part-time surgeon. The partners will work together closely in the recruitment of the new surgeon, with regular meetings planned between the two. Santilli said that hospital medical staff will also be informed throughout the process.
“The patients and families we serve have benefited by having Dr. Bishop in Gunnison for the last nine years. I look forward to working with him to enhance general surgery services to meet the needs of our community in the years to come,” Santilli said.