One Home, Many Benefits: General Surgery, Gastroenterology Share Spacious New Offices in $2 Million Renovation at UH Parma
A $2 million investment in the renovation of a beautiful new University Hospitals Parma Medical Center office suite to house both General Surgery and UH Digestive Health Institute specialists streamlines care for patients and improves efficiencies for physicians and staff.
“It's a genius idea to put surgery and GI doctors together," said Melinda Lakatos, BSN, RN, Nurse Manager of the Coronary Care Unit Stepdown. “Our physicians consult with each other all the time on the floors. Now the patient doesn't have to go to several locations for appointments."
Patients now have the benefit of seeing two specialists in one stop, making it easier to schedule appointments and procedures with different physicians. For example, a gastroenterologist can easily refer a patient to a surgeon, sometimes offering same-day appointments. Similarly, a general surgeon can schedule a procedure such as a colonoscopy with a gastroenterologist while the patient is in the office, notes Gastroenterologist Dany Raad, MD.
“This is a great opportunity to allow for coordination of care in both the medical and surgical approach to the GI tract," said Richard Ungvarsky, MD, a general surgeon who also performs bariatric procedures. A connecting door to the neighboring Bariatric Surgery, Metabolic & Nutrition Center allows him to easily see patients in both suites. This center for both metabolic and surgical weight loss options provides medically supervised weight loss options and leading-edge surgery options for long-term weight loss, including minimally invasive procedures.
In the General Surgery/Digestive Health Institute suite, physicians find that sharing the same office space results in improved communication between physicians on complex cases, says Dr. Raad. General surgery has seven exam rooms, and GI has five larger rooms, with a common waiting room and check-in for patients.
The eight physicians now located in Suite 309 are:
- Varun Kapur, MD – General Surgery
- Unni Kumar, MD – Gastroenterology
- Christopher Linz, MD – Gastroenterology
- David Linz, MD – General Surgery
- Dany Raad, MD – Gastroenterology
- Patrick Renner, MD – General Surgery
- Richard Ungvarsky, MD – General Surgery
- Plakkat Velayudhan, MD – Gastroenterology
To reach General Surgery, call 440-886-1247. To reach UH Digestive Health Institute gastroenterologists, call 440-886-5558.