St. Francis Prepares for Next Century of Service

By Kim Gronniger

By Kim Gronniger

St. Francis Health Center, which next year celebrates its 100th anniversary of providing health care services to northeast Kansans has been adding physicians, planning for a new hospital and expanding its digital imaging capabilities to better serve small communities throughout the region.

Physician expansion

Since May 2006, St. Francis has added 16 physicians and other affiliated health care professionals to increase primary care, hospitalist and specialty coverage in preparation for a new hospital to be built on the former Menninger campus at S.W. 6th and Wanamaker Road.

Currently, St. Francis employs 41 physicians through affiliations with its hospitalist program and clinics devoted to cancer care, cardiothoracic surgery, endocrinology, family medicine, internal medicine, neurosurgery, obstetrics and gynecology, podiatry, rheumatology and sports medicine in Topeka and surrounding communities.

On Jan. 1, St. Francis welcomed its newest practice, Neurosurgical Associates PA, comprising Dr. John Ebeling, Dr. David Fritz and six staff members.

In September, St. Francis acquired the primary care practice of Kansas Medical Clinic, including its offices at Hunter’s Ridge in North Topeka and in the Tallgrass Surgical Center building near the health park site.

Expanding the St. Francis Hospitalist Program has been a key initiative, said Mike Schrader, St. Francis president and chief executive officer.

“We have worked very hard in the past year to grow this program so we can provide 24-hour coverage to assist admitting physicians,” he said. “We understand their need for high-quality care for the patients they are entrusting to St. Francis and also their desire to be kept informed about that care.”

Health park prep

The Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System purchased 132 acres last June for the St. Francis Health Park. Schrader estimates about 40 acres will be used for hospital and outpatient buildings while the remaining acreage will be available for compatible businesses.

St. Francis intends to submit a plan later this year to city planners to begin the approval process for demolishing former Menninger buildings, except the clock tower building and the Theron Sims law office building.

Planning for the new hospital and outpatient buildings that could be built on the campus is still in its earliest stages, Schrader said.

“We’re taking our time because we’re planning for the next 50 years, not just the next five,” he said. “Twenty years ago, a person having a hip replaced spent two to three weeks in a hospital. Now they spend three or four days. Ten years ago, few hospitals provided weight-loss surgeries, and now that is an important and growing part of our business at St. Francis through our Turning Point partnership with Tallgrass Surgical Specialists.

“With our da Vinci surgical robot, patients have shorter hospital stays and quicker recoveries. Numerous factors need to be considered before we solidify our vision.”

Schrader is enthusiastic about the economic impact the health park’s development could have in positioning Topeka as a regional health and wellness resource.

“With the recreational plans the state’s Wildlife and Parks Department has for the property adjacent to ours and ongoing River Hill development, the area will be a destination point not only for health care but also for exercise and entertainment,” Schrader said. “We’re confident entrepreneurs and established companies will find opportunities on the acreage surrounding our hospital footprint to offer assisted living, an upscale eatery with a healthy focus, a medical equipment supplier – the possibilities are abundant.”

Mobile imaging

Since 1999, St. Francis has established partnerships with 20 clinics and hospitals in northeast and central Kansas to provide patients with a full-range of imaging services including cardiac, bone, gall bladder, lung and renal scans. A new coach equipped with a state-of-the art gamma camera now offers several amenities for patients undergoing procedures, including satellite radio and plasma TVs with DVD players.

“St. Francis Health Center is the only hospital in the region to offer a full complement of imaging services,” said Brent Wilkins, supervisor of radiology services at St. Francis Health Center, noting that all scans require a physician referral. “By using our mobile service, physicians can keep high-quality patient care in their hometowns and have interpretations of results done locally, and that’s a key component of our mission.”

Kim Gronniger is administrative director of marketing and communications

for St. Francis Health Center.

(c) 2008 Topeka Capital Journal. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.