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The medical practice of Kerry Simon, MD, an office with deep community roots, will become part of Spectrum Health Ludington Hospital (SHLH) effective July 14. As with other family practices that have joined the hospital and the Spectrum Health system, the office will officially be known as Spectrum Health Ludington Hospital Family Medicine.
The agreement was signed Monday evening by Dr. Simon and hospital President Mark Vipperman. Hospital officials said the action is part of a growing trend for physicians and their practices to become part of a larger medical organization, rather than function as independent entities.
For Dr. Simon, the decision is part of a transition to retirement from his practice, which he purchased from Dr. William Sutter in April, 2000. Dr. Sutter had operated the practice in downtown Ludington for 40 years.
As part of the change, an experienced physician assistant will join the practice and a new physician will be recruited to lead the office.
Sonya Camilli has started seeing patients in conjunction with Dr. Simon. She comes to Ludington from the hospital’s family medicine office in Hart, where she served since June 2nd as that hospital-owned facility was joined with the Pentwater office of Dr. Allan Nelson.
Dr. Simon will remain as the supervising physician of his practice until another doctor is appointed to lead the office. Practice manager Scottie Engblade will remain in her role, as will the rest of the office staff.
“We welcome the addition of Dr. Simon’s practice to the hospital’s operations,” said Drew Dostal, vice president of operations for SHLH. “We see this type of integration as a growing trend in medicine today and will continue to work with physicians who wish to integrate their practices with the hospital. Such arrangements provide additional resources and support for the doctors and their staffs to handle the increasingly complex requirements of operating a medical practice.
“We are communicating this change to the patients long served by Dr. Simon, assuring them of continuity in their medical care through the office and the hospital,” added Dostal. “Coming into Spectrum Health, named as one of the top 15 health systems in the country, should provide patients with peace of mind that the excellent care they’ve received with Dr. Simon will continue well into the future.”
In his announcement to the hospital staff, Vipperman indicated that once Dr. Simon retires from family medicine, he plans to focus on a different area of medicine that he has been involved in and passionate about for some time—addiction medicine.
The newest of the hospital’s family medicine offices is located at 220 S. James St. in Ludington. The phone number is 231/843-3700.
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