The only neurosurgeon on the island, Maui (Hawaii) Memorial Medical Center's Thomas Rogers, MD, has been unable to treat patients for the past few months due to health concerns, Maui News reports.
Here are five insights:
1. Dr. Rogers operates a private practice on the island. He has been sending patients who need immediate treatment to Queen's Medical Center in Honolulu.
2. For the past 20 years, Dr. Rogers has worked on call 24/7, performing thousands of spinal surgeries and hundreds of brain surgeries. At Maui Memorial Medical Center, Dr. Rogers reviews all head trauma injuries and sees more than 1,000 patients across the state.
3. Kaiser Permanente-affiliated Maui Health System, parent of Maui Memorial Medical Center, is conducting interviews to hire two neurosurgeons. The health system has plans to compensate a neurosurgeon to open a private practice and then affiliate with the hospital in the following years.
4. Many of the neurological cases on Maui Memorial Medical Center are noninvasive. The hospital transfers few patients to Oahu to receive care from neurohospitalists and a community neurologist.
5. While hiring neurosurgeons to join the hospital, Maui Health System is looking to reduce its number of temporary traveler staff from 200 to approximately 80 employees.