Keene, N.H.-based Cheshire Medical Center, an affiliate of Lebanon, N.H.-based Dartmouth Health, has added three new orthopedic surgeons, doubling the size of the department, according to a Feb. 26 report from The Keene Sentinel.
Vivek Venugopal, MD, Mia Qin, MD, and Charles Qin, MD, joined the system in the fall, increasing the number of surgeons from three to six.
The new hires come as two orthopedic surgeons recently retired from Cheshire and the local population continues to get older, increasing demand for orthopedic procedures.
Cheshire County has the sixth-highest proportion of residents 65 and older out of the state’s 10 counties, at just over 20%, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Seven months into the 2023 and 2024 fiscal year, Cheshire orthopedic surgeons have seen 1,750 more appointments than the same time during the prior fiscal year.
The orthopedic department also has increased its number of new patients seen by 152% over the same period, according to the report.
With more surgeons on staff, Cheshire will be able to treat patients faster, scheduling 75% of new patients within two days.
Additionally, the system will not have to transfer as many patients to outside facilities for treatment.