Story by Terry Rustin
Estes Park Health has a new Chief of the Medical Staff, Dr. Jennifer McLellan. McLellan will serve as the voice of the doctors in advocating for quality medical care at the hospital.
“I’m really looking forward to working with all of our medical staff here, our physicians and our advanced practice providers,” she said.
McLellan, a general surgeon, has been with EPH since 2019. Although qualified to perform several advanced procedures that require sophisticated technology, she prefers to serve patients with common medical problems. “My passion is caring for patients in rural communities,” she said.” I grew up in a rural community, I like living in a rural community.”
From an early age, McLellan was drawn to the practice of medicine. She even worked as a nurse’s aide before going to medical school. She also liked to fix things and was good with her hands. Surgery was clearly the right field for her.
The success of a surgical procedure depends on more than the skill of the surgeon. Support staff inside the operating room, in the recovery room and on the hospital floor must work as an efficient team.
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals across the country struggled to keep up with the crisis, and EPH had to cope with staff shortages by employing temporary staff. “We’ve come to a point where we have a very stable staff,” said McLellan. “I’m very comfortable and confident with their skills.”
The Chief of Staff is the representative of the doctors, not an administrator, and does not make administrative decisions. However, EPH does not have a Medical Director or Chief Medical Officer. Therefore, it will be up to McLellan to work with the hospital administrators and to keep the Park Hospital District Board of Directors informed on medical staff issues.
A report to the Board by the medical staff typically includes measures of quality in medical and surgical care, such as the rate of infections acquired in the hospital, and complications following surgery. Those metrics have been looking very good, according to McLellan. “We perform safe, quality care here,” she said, “and that is our top priority, in surgery, and in all aspects of hospital care.”
One of the most important decisions the doctors at EPH must make is whether to treat a patient at EPH or to transfer the patient to a larger facility. “Some of the more complex surgeries shouldn’t be done at a small hospital,” McLellan said.” We refer those patients out.”
Surgeries routinely performed at EPH include appendectomies, gall bladder resections, and hernia repairs. Most of these procedures are done with the laparoscope, not by open surgery.
Certain medical services at EPH have been scaled back or eliminated in recent years. Perhaps most relevant to residents of Estes Park have been reductions in services for the elderly, including skilled nursing home care, hospice services and end of life care. McLellan and the other doctors at EPH have strived to provide those services on an individual basis.
“We have done our best as a physician group to make sure our patients are getting the care they need,” she said.
The Board of Directors of the Park Hospital District has been exploring an arrangement with a larger medical care system for several years. EPH has told the Estes Valley Voice that we ought to see those efforts produce results later this year. When that affiliation takes place, McLellan will face a new set of challenges. She will be ready for them.
The next meeting of the EPH board of directors is set for Jan. 29 at 5:30 p.m. in the Town Hall Board Room, 170 MacGregor Ave. The meeting is open to the public. To attend on the internet you must register, click here.
