Saturday, Dec. 01, 2007

Pediatric specialty group looks after region's kids

On Thursday, Glen Gorman and his daughter, Hannah, were in a medical office for the umpteenth time trying to find out what ails the 4-year-old.

The Oakdale girl is behind on her physical and mental growth, and doctors now think the root of the problem may be in her gastrointestinal tract.

She was waiting to see a gastroenterologist at the Modesto Pediatric Subspecialty Center, affiliated with Children's Hospital Central California near Madera. The McHenry Avenue center brings doctors to young patients in the Northern San Joaquin Valley, so the families don't have to make a 90-minute trip to the children's hospital.

"When we have to go to the hospital, it takes the whole day," said Gorman, a self-employed business consultant who has taken Hannah to various specialists in the past three years. "It costs me a lot of time and money every time we go there."

Hannah had a half-hour visit with Dr. Muslim Jami to talk about her "failure to thrive," which can be linked to acid reflux, infections, metabolic disorders or food intolerances. She will have to see the doctor again, but at least the follow-up exams can be done close to home.

The hospital's Specialty Medical Group serves about 3,000 patients at its Modesto office, which draws patients from Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties.

It provides medical attention to children in an area that doesn't have the population to support many locally based pediatric specialists. About 70 percent of the hospital's patients are in government-subsidized health programs such as Medi-Cal or Healthy Families, but the medical group also has contracts with the major insurers.

"We really want to expand into the north valley counties," said Micheline Golden, a spokeswoman for the children's hospital, which serves patients from Bakersfield to Stockton. "We have seen a lot of patient growth in the last few years and have seen a lot of patients from the north valley come to the hospital."

Nine specialists and new quarters

Nine pediatric specialists spend from one to eight days a month in the Modesto center. They include two gastroenterologists, a cardiologist, two endocrinologists, a pediatric surgeon, neurologist, orthopedic surgeon and urologist.

The center is used for initial evaluations, consultations and follow-up visits after surgery. Patients still have to travel to the Ma-dera hospital for major tests and surgery.

In October the specialty practice moved to new quarters in the medical office building at 1524 McHenry Avenue, giving it double the space for serving patients, Golden said. Lab and imaging services are available to patients in the same building.

The hospital's Specialty Medical Group has maintained a presence in Modesto for five years, but the previous office on Orangeburg Avenue was small and parking was limited. The move is part of the hospital's effort to expand services to children in the area.

One of the newest physicians is pediatric cardiologist John Coulson, who was with California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco. Recruiting physicians to the San Joaquin Valley can be difficult, but Coulson formerly worked with the heart surgery program at Children's Hospital Central California, whose heart surgeons are affiliated with Stanford University.

Coulson evaluates patients in the Modesto center every Thursday and Friday and has weekly hours at a Merced office.

Many of the children referred to him have heart murmurs. Most cases are not serious, but a small percentage of the children will require surgery, he said.