New Hospitalist On the Job

salineriverchronicle.com had the opportunity to sit down recently with Dr. Chad Simpson, the newly hired Hospitalist for Bradley County Medical Center.  Dr. Simpson is known to many in the Warren area as a result of having worked in the ER.  His new full time duties will have him treating patients once they are admitted into BCMC.

As previously reported, the BCMC Board has voted to hire two hospitalist who will work to staff the local hospital at all times.  This means when a patient is placed into Bradley County Medical Center by a family doctor or other physician, the hospitalist will then take over treatment and provide medical services throughout the patient's stay at BCMC.  This does not mean the family doctor cannot visit the patient and the admitting doctor will be kept informed as to the patient's status and condition, as well as the type treatment received.  This will allow local family practice doctors to spend more time in their clinics and enhance patient care.

Plans are to reinstate the Intensive Care Unit ( ICU ) in the hospital.  This will allow the BCMC to keep more seriously ill patients locally and limit the number that have to be transfered to other hospitals in Pine Bluff or Little Rock.

Dr. Simpson is a native of Harrison, Arkansas and attended the University of Arkansas, American University Medcial School and interned at UAMS in Texarkana.  Efforts are ongoing to hire a second hospitalist to join Dr. Simpson.  He told SRC he is excited to be in this new job and looks forward to working with the local medical community.