Doc Talk with Monument Health

It's May, which means it's Skin Cancer Awareness Month, and we're bringing back one of our most important episodes. This is a replay of Episode 92.Dr. Christopher Gasbarre, a board-certified dermatologist and Fellow of the American College of Mohs Surgery, joins us to talk about skin cancer, how to protect yourself, and the Mohs procedure, a highly effective technique for removing skin cancer. If you missed it the first time around, now's a good time to catch up.

Luke J. Hushagen, M.D., Internal Medicine Physician at Mt. Rushmore Road Clinic debuts on the Doc Talk podcast to discuss the Rapid City Medical Center Merger with Monument Health. Dr. Hushagen has an established practice in Rapid City and he intends to make the transition as smooth as possible for his patients. He’s eager to continue collaborating with local colleagues while having the continuity of care that working with Monument Health can provide.Listen in to hear Dr. Hushagen’s take on why this is a positive change for patients, who will still get the best care possible. 

Cervical cancer often goes undetected simply because the patient had never been screened before. Keely Ulmer, M.D., Gynecologic Oncologist at Monument Health's Cancer Care Institute is aiming to change that, especially for rural and native people. Dr. Ulmer joins Mark Houston to talk about what kinds of cancer are most common for women and how she’s working towards improving access to care. Increasing HPV vaccination rates and removing systemic barriers that prevent access reduce cancer deaths dramatically. With these goals in mind, Dr. Ulmer joined the Walking Forward program which aims to help rural get people screened for cancers, especially cervical cancer. 

When you are hospitalized, it’s likely that a Hospitalist will be the “quarterback” physician of your care team. Matthew Werpy, D.O., is a Hospitalist andMedical Director for Hospital Medicine at Rapid City and Spearfish Hospitals. In this episode, Dr. Werpy shares his background and training. He outlines how the relatively recent specialty of hospitalist came to be and how they function at Monument Health. As the fastest growing specialty in the United States, hospitalists must have a broad medical knowledge so they can treat any number of the illnesses they encounter. This is especially important in rural areas because of the comparative lack of specialists. Hospitalists must also be able to gain the trust of a patient quickly through individual connection, especially with those who may be unfamiliar with the recent introduction of these physicians to inpatient care.

In this episode of Doc Talk, Chaston Ellis, D.O., Psychiatrist at Behavioral Health in Rapid City, speaks on Monument Health’s efforts to increase access to psychiatric treatment and mental health care in the Black Hills. Dr. Ellis shares a bit about his background and motivations for pursuing psychiatry and gives perspective on how social media might be complicating anxiety disorders, while simultaneously helping to destigmatize mental health care. The most important message Dr. Ellis would like to share is that mental health care is now more accessible in the area than it has ever been before and that simply showing up and staying optimistic is one of the biggest steps you can take toward improvement.

“Palliative care is always available,” says Jennifer Eitingon, M.D., fellowship-trained Palliative Care Physician at Home Health and Hospice in Rapid City. Dr. Eitingon joins host Mark Houston to explain how palliative care is a specialty and not just a part of hospice care. In treating patients experiencing life-limiting conditions, Dr. Eitingon helps to improve quality of life through pain management, psychosocial support and advanced directives. Dr. Eitingon details why she switched her medical focus from surgery to palliative care and how patients’ spiritual and ethical beliefs must be considered in her work.

Alan Langnas, D.O., Chief, Division of Transplant Surgery at Nebraska Medicine, discusses how his transplant team serves patients across a multi-state region that includes the Black Hills. Major medical advances like improvements in organ‑preservation technology and First-Person legislation have helped make organ donation safer and more reliable. However, there remains a need for organ donation.Dr. Langnas describes the Nebraska Medicine/Monument Health partnership and how it improves access by allowing patients in the Black Hills to receive advanced transplant care close to home. He emphasizes the program’s focus on personalized, state‑of‑the‑art care, strong communication and a compassionate patient experience throughout the transplant journey.

Some Primary Care Physicians are trained specifically in Pediatrics to treat babies and kids; some are trained in Family Medicine to treat adolescents and adults. Med-Peds doctors like Marissa Copas Weaver, M.D., an Internal Medicine - Pediatrics Physician and Eammon Grosek, M.D., a Primary Care and Internal Medicine Physician, both of Rapid City Clinic, Flormann Street, have specific training to care for all ages, including babies.  In this episode, the doctors explain their specific training and why being a Med-Peds physician is slightly different than the typical Family Medicine provider. They touch on the few things that are outside of their scope of practice and the importance of trust between a Med-Peds doctor and the families that they treat. Tune in to learn more about this rare and interesting combination of skills and find out why Dr. Copas Weaver or Dr. Grosek might be the right fit for your family.

Did you know that there are around 100 different surgeries for bunions? In this informative, interactive episode, recorded live at the Matthews Art Center in Spearfish, Colin Zdenek, DPM, FACFAS, fellowship-trained Foot and Ankle Surgeon and Podiatrist at Spearfish Clinic, North 10th Street, discusses why bunions happen and how finding the right kind of shoe can be one of the most helpful treatments.Ankle instability and arthritis, which can be caused by a history of sprained ankles, are treatable with physical therapy and sometimes with steroid injections. However, the solution for older patients may be a total ankle-replacement (implant or fusion) procedure, called arthroscopy. Dr. Zdenek talks through what the procedure entails and how long the recovery takes. “The time to get surgery is when you stop doing the things you enjoy doing,” says Dr. Zdenek.Dr. Zdenek also covers flat feet and how to identify it in kids, who are usually unaware that they have it and so, overcompensate for it. Since it is a deformity, basic treatments are usually orthotics and management strategies. If pain persists, however, surgery is an option. Other topics include plantar fasciitis, fibroma and the best way to keep your feet free of pain and healthy.