The new physician assistant at St. Rose Family Medicine (SRFM) & Urgent Care is bringing three decades of experience to the job, and has also made it possible to extend hours at the family-practice clinic.
Bill Simon, a native Kansan, started seeing Urgent Care patients recently. However, he soon will be dividing his time between that job and other responsibilities in family medicine.
Previously, SRFM was open Monday through Thursday, but now Friday has been added; hours each day are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Urgent Care is available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week, 365 days a year.
“I have just been here a few weeks,” Simon said. “But I am already impressed with the St. Rose staff, equipment and services. Everyone is very well trained and they provide a warm, caring atmosphere.
“We are dedicated to providing excellent health care,” he added. “And St. Rose is giving us the tools to do so. It is great that the hours have been extended so we can provide even more services.”
Simon noted that St. Rose is unique in that the lab and radiology department are just short walks away from SRFM and Urgent Care.
“Most Urgent Care centers and family-practice clinics don’t offer this top-level service,” he said. “In other places, they have to send you off someplace else to get your lab tests or an x-ray. Of course, not every test can be done right away but most can.”
In his role as P.A., Simon sees patients independently but Stan Hatesohl, M.D., reviews his medical charts.
“A physician assistant works under the supervision of a physician, so I am an extension of Dr. Hatesohl,” Simon explained. “We are all a team here at St. Rose.”
In addition to Dr. Hatesohl, Simon’s colleagues include two other physician assistants – Ed Habash and Charise Oelger. All providers at SRFM are accepting new patients.
“If someone comes into Urgent Care and doesn’t have a regular doctor, they can make a follow-up appointment with us,” Simon said. “Our patients often appreciate this convenience; a continuity of care is important for their well-being.”
Simon, who was raised in Wichita, earned a bachelor’s in biology at Sterling College in 1976. He is a 1981 graduate of Wichita State University, with a degree in health science - major area of physician assistant.
His most recent P.A. position was at Mountain Medical Center in Buena Vista, Co. Prior to that he served as P.A. at College Family Care Center in Overland Park and Kansas Cardiology in Wichita. He has been on medical missions in Guatemala, Ecuador and Haiti.
“My wife, Lynn, and I wanted to return to Kansas to be closer to family in Hutchinson and Wichita,” Simon said, noting he has four stepchildren.
St. Rose is part of Centura Health, which connects individuals and families across western Kansas and Colorado with more than 6,000 physicians, 15 hospitals, seven senior-living communities, physician practices and clinics, and home-care and hospice services.