Butler Health System | Health Link | Summer 2020

Clarion Hospital, which recently joined Butler Health System (BHS), brings a long and rich tradition of teaching and education. Since 1989, it has had accredited programs in family medi- cine and transitional year residencies—and has the distinction of being the only family medi- cine residency in the U.S. with a 100% medical boards pass rate on the first attempt. Clarion Hospital serves as a training ground for third- and fourth-year medical students, offering mul- tiple rotations from all major medical schools and serving as a core site for Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine. Recruiting and retaining first-class physicians This history of educating physicians was a key attraction for Butler Health System in pursuing the partnership. “We believe that graduate medical education is one component missing from our organization which will better position BHS for the future,” says Ken DeFurio, BHS President and CEO. “We anticipate providing enhanced access to specialty rotations while training our next genera- tion of providers.” Throughout our history, “we have trained over 68 family medicine residents, many of whom have stayed to provide care to our local communities, with nearly 30% joining the hospital’s medical staff for some period of time post -graduation” says Michael Hoh, DO, the current designated institu- tional officer and program director. Currently, there are 12 program graduates within BHS alone. “It has effectively served as a ‘pipeline’ for recruitment of talented physician provid- ers dedicated to the local community, which are often difficult to recruit in more rural settings” says Steven Davis, Clarion Hospital President. A selective program Rural hospitals are often attractive to prospec- tive residents because they are not competing with residents of other programs for hands-on experience in specialty services. This is sometimes referred to as an unopposed program, and it can lead to a more well-rounded clinician in caring for patients post-graduation. “We never have a problem filling our slots (16 in total) and have been able to select from among thousands of applicants each year,” says Dr. Hoh. Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 1715 Pittsburgh, PA 1 Hospital Way, Butler, PA 16001-4670 RESIDENCIES AND TRAINING Clarion Hospital shapes the future of care Clarion Hospital has the distinction of being the only family medicine residency in the U.S. with a 100% medical boards pass rate on the first attempt. 100 % CLARION HOSPITAL WELCOMES NEW RESIDENTS From left, Mohieddin Kebab, MD; Alex Smaracheck, DO; Amanda Kilburn, DO; Hany Zekry, DO; and Allan Probert, MD. Your online guide to nding highly trained doctors, the latest treatments, cutting-edge technology, trustworthy health information, community events and more. ButlerHealthSystem. org Follow us to nd out about the latest BHS news and events!