Executive Notes

Medical Staff Updates Danbury/New Milford Hospitals

Sohel Islam, MD
Medical Staff President – Danbury/New Milford Hospitals

What is ‘leakage’ and why should I care?
One of the reasons I am proud to represent the Medical Staff of Danbury and New Milford is because of the amazing providers we have on our staff. Being involved in the credentialing process has allowed me to gain an understanding of the high level of education and training of many of our physicians. I am often pleasantly surprised that physicians who are qualified to practice anywhere choose to come to our community.

Leakage refers to the situation when patients go outside of their local medical community to undergo treatments that are available within their communities. There are many reasons why patients may choose to go to a medical facility further away. Some patients or their referring physicians may not be aware that a service is available in their community.

In other situations, there may be a perceived greater level of expertise at another institution. This perception may be a result of increased marketing or name recognition. In addition, some patients seek a second opinion for life-threatening diagnoses. I have noticed the phenomenon of leakage in my own patients when I ask about their medical histories. This trend goes across many specialties. I have also found that at times, patients are unaware of the expertise of many of the providers within our own medical staff. Robotic joint replacement and prostatectomy, advanced hepatobiliary surgery, peanut desensitization, and balloon sinuplasty are just some of the examples of advanced services available within our own community.

Why should we care if patients leave our community?
Patients typically prefer to stay close to their homes as long the quality of care rendered is equivalent. Having friends and family for support can make a stressful situation more comfortable. There is also less driving required for elderly or disabled patients if they are closer to their homes. It is also easier to access medical records when patients stay within our community. Furthermore, the perception of better expertise is often not supported by outcomes. Finally, the reimbursement dollars from patient care also stays within our area. These dollars can then be applied towards programs or capitol purchases which directly improve the health of our communities.

In an effort to increase awareness of advanced modalities available within our medical staff, we will be inviting providers to come to the General Medical Staff meetings to demonstrate these services. I encourage everyone to attend the meetings to gain a better understanding of what is available for our patients.

BACK TO EXECUTIVE NOTES

Click here to return to the top of the page