Recruitment & Retention of Physicians
Pullman Regional Hospital is dedicated to assuring local access to needed medical services. In 2008, the community was in danger of losing general surgery, ear/nose/ throat care (ENT) and pediatric care. This potential crisis to our healthcare community was due to many different events, but knowing that the quality of the hospital is dependent on the quality of the providers, Pullman Regional Hospital Administration stepped up and took action.
In collaboration with the other two local hospitals, co-ownership of the surgical practice was established. Additionally, Pullman Regional Hospital also stepped in to manage the ENT and pediatrics practices. Also, because mental health care remains one of the highest medical needs in Whitman County, Pullman Regional Hospital joined with Washington State University and Palouse River Counseling services to enhance availability of psychiatric and mental health care.
Total cost of these services annually to Pullman Regional Hospital is more than $500,000.
The story does not end here though. Nationwide, there is a shortage of physicians and healthcare providers. This is especially true in rural America. One of the biggest frustrations with the medical system is the wait time to see a doctor. At Pullman Regional Hospital, we recognize this concern and are working to bring more providers to the area by helping area practices recruit new physicians. For new physicians moving into the area, the hospital guarantees a level of income for the first two years until they have established their practice.
The cost of this service exceeds $250,000 per year.
Help Us Continue to Recruit & Retain Quality Physicians
Richard Caggiano, M.D., Pullman Regional Hospital Chief Medical Officer, retired
Dr. Richard Caggiano organized and led the emergency medical group at Pullman Regional Hospital in 1998, establishing a notable standard of excellence by insisting on hiring only board-certified or certification-eligible emergency physicians and retaining them. Dr. Caggiano’s hiring track record boasts a perfect 100% retention rate for emergency department physicians; not a single one of his hires has left the hospital. During Dr. Caggiano’s 12-year tenure as emergency department director, the number of emergency department visits grew from 5,000 to 10,000 per year, with an average wait time of less than 15 minutes and a total length of stay of less than 2.5 hours.
From 2010 to 2015, Dr. Caggiano served as chief medical officer at Pullman Regional Hospital. He was responsible for oversight of medical staff relations and quality of care issues, in addition to facilitating the Physician Leadership Council. He also is the recipient of the Health Care Professional Silver Award by Seattle Business magazine’s annual Leaders in Health Care.
Read more about why Dr. Caggiano and Karen Karpman give in support of physician recruitment and retention.
Stephen Hall, M.D., Palouse Medical Family Medicine & Obstetrical Care Physician
Dr. Stephen Hall is a busy family medicine physician at Palouse Medical. In addition to delivering babies, running the free clinic every Tuesday night, and seeing an average of more than 3,000 patients a year at his practice, he is also the associate director of the local WWAMI program (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, Idaho medical education and training program affiliated with University of Washington’s Medical School). He teaches a course on rural medicine and oversees medical students’ job shadowing physicians. The number of primary care physicians choosing to practice in rural settings is continuing to decrease. Dr. Hall says his goal is to encourage new doctors to consider primary care careers in rural settings. “I want to give them a great experience in this area and introduce them to primary care, the way medicine used to be and can be,” he said. “My hope is it excites some of them to come back and practice here.”
Edwin Tingstad, M.D., Inland Orthopaedics Team Physician and Orthopaedic Surgeon
Dr. Ed Tingstad was one of the first orthopaedic surgeons to heed the call to help in 2010 when Haiti was rocked by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake. An estimated three million people were affected by the quake. Dr. Tingstad felt a compulsion to apply his skills as an orthopaedic surgeon and spent weeks away from his busy practice, Inland Orthopaedics, assisting with the humanitarian aid effort in Haiti.
Dr. Tingstad also serves as the team physician and orthopaedic surgeon for the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics at Washington State University and is a clinical instructor for the WWAMI program. He is a nationally recognized physician in his field and has made numerous presentations at professional societies on orthopaedic medicine. His tenure in the community and serving on the Pullman Regional Hospital medical staff exceeds 15 years with efforts supporting physician recruitment and retention.
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