Regional Surgical Specialists establishes partnership with Mission Health

Press release

From Mission Health

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (Oct. 25, 2012) Mission Health is pleased to announce an affiliation with Regional Surgical Specialists, a superb surgical practice located in Asheville, N.C. This long-term partnership will enhance the practice’s ability to provide superior surgical care to the community of western North Carolina, recruit and retain new surgeons and enhance Mission Health’s ability to provide the full continuum of high quality care to its patients.

Located at 14 Medical Park Drive in Asheville, Regional Surgical Specialists was founded on the shared philosophy of its partners to treat their patients as they would their own families. Regional Surgical Specialists has seven board-certified surgeons, and has been providing superior surgical care for over 30 years. Its physicians are trained and highly experienced in providing even the most complex surgical care, close to home in western North Carolina.

“Regional Surgical Specialists is a highly regarded, successful and incredibly well trained group of physicians who have provided superior care for many years to community members at Mission Health, and it is a privilege to partner with them,” said Ronald A. Paulus, MD, President and CEO of Mission Health.

“This formal partnership strengthens our existing relationship with Regional Surgical Specialists, provides an opportunity to further enhance already outstanding surgical outcomes and is a key component in Mission Health‚s goal to ensure that well-integrated, patient-centered surgical care is always available to the residents of western North Carolina,” said Jill Hoggard Green, PhD, RN, President and COO of Mission Hospital.

“Mission Health has been a strong partner and we share a common vision of setting the standard for excellence in patient care,” said Pierre DeMatos, MD, Managing Director at Regional Surgical Specialists. “We are partnering with a health system that is nationally recognized and that has a common goal to improve the overall health and wellness of western North Carolina. Working together, we will have access to the additional resources of a well-run health system, which will only enhance our ability to deliver care to our patients.”

As a general surgery practice, Regional Surgical Specialists performs a broad range of surgical procedures, including abdominal, breast, colorectal, endocrine, hernia, oncology and bariatric surgeries. The practice also offers the most advanced treatments, including extensive experience in minimally invasive and advanced laparoscopic surgeries.

Mission Hospital‚s bariatric surgery program is designated as a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence® by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) and the Surgical Review Corporation®.

Regional Surgical Specialists will continue to see patients at its current office building. For more information about Regional Surgical Specialists, visit www.regional-surgical.com.

About Mission Health

Mission Health, based in Asheville, N.C., is the state‚s sixth-largest health system and the region‚s only not-for-profit, independent community hospital system governed and managed exclusively in western North Carolina. In 2012 Mission Health was named one of the nation‚s Top 15 Health Systems by Thomson Reuters the only health system in North Carolina to receive this recognition.

Mission Health, which traces its roots in the region back to 1885, operates five hospitals, numerous outpatient and surgery centers, and the region‚s only dedicated Level II trauma center. Its medical staff consists of more than 1,000 physicians and is certified in over 50 medical specialties and sub-specialties. Mission Health has seven Centers of Excellence: Cancer, Heart, Mission Children‚s Hospital, Neurosciences, Orthopedics, Trauma and Women‚s Health. Mission Hospital, located in Asheville, is the system‚s flagship hospital and is licensed for 730 beds. It is the regional referral center for tertiary and quaternary care and is the busiest surgical hospital in North Carolina. It also includes Mission Children‚s Hospital the region‚s only children‚s hospital. Other Mission Health member hospitals include Angel Medical Center in Franklin, Blue Ridge Regional Hospital in Spruce Pine, McDowell Hospital in Marion and Transylvania Regional Hospital in Brevard. With approximately 8,800 employees and 700 volunteers, Mission Health is dedicated to improving the health and wellness of the people of western North Carolina.