Here’s how Sutter Health will invest millions to bring doctors closer to California patients
It’s a multimillion-dollar capital investment aimed at expanding access to Sutter’s medical teams.
“Part of this is (related to) population increases,” said Thomas, in his first interview with The Bee since taking the reins as Sutter’s chief executive officer. “But frankly, Sutter has a great reputation. Our physicians have a great reputation, and people want to come see us. “
This demand is driving not only this boom in new access points, Thomas said, but it’s also what is behind
Sutter recently welcomed 86 medical residents to its graduate medical education training program at its
So far, about 43% of physicians from the training program have been hired into Sutter practices.
In total, Sutter now has 200 residents training in
That effort recently received a boost from a federal grant to develop a residency program in obstetrics and gynecology at Sutter Roseville in partnership with
“We are growing medical education not just in
Thomas said Sutter wants to be considered the best place for doctors, nurses and others to practice, whether it’s in urban, suburban or rural areas. That will ensure the company can recruit the providers it needs to offer the best, most accessible care to Sutter’s more than 3.3 million patients.
As Sutter makes its push into expanding access points, the company will evaluate which services best fit the needs of patients near its ambulatory care centers, Thomas said.
Services patients can expect to find
Talking about what patients can expect, Thomas pointed to two projects conceived before the current expansion plan. At a north Natomas ambulatory care center, a dermatologist works alongside primary care doctors. That location, which expanded into a building at
In exurbs or more rural areas of
In the
The purpose of some centers will be bringing primary care doctors and medical services closer to patients, he said, while others will offer outpatient surgery options, cancer infusion and radiation therapy, or medical specialists practicing in combination with primary care providers.
Often, Thomas said, such outpatient centers can provide care in a more cost-efficient way than hospitals can.
“You’re seeing joint replacement in patients that are healthy, and many of those are done on an outpatient or 23-hour overnight stays,” Thomas said. “I think you’re seeing more surgery like that ... and other less invasive surgery that’s being done outpatient because that hospitalization time is just not required, and the ability to go home (the) same day is continuing to grow and expand.”
Thomas said the company will issue new bonds to pay for the expansion and he expects healthy demand from investors seeking a safe investment. Sutter’s long-term bond portfolio has been highly rated, he said, with Fitch Ratings reporting last year that it had given the company an ‘A’ for its stable outlook.
The company also had solid earnings on its business operations last year, Thomas said. It posted an operating profit of
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