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SAGES white paper on the current state of community practice surgeons: re-discovering the value of our community practice surgeons

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Abstract

Background

The Community Practice (CP) surgeon is the first point of access to surgical care globally and performs the majority of procedures in the USA. CP surgeons include those of various practice models, locations and communities, education and training, and much more. It is a diverse group that drives quality, access to care, research, and innovation. The SAGES CP Committee was formed to better define the role and highlight the contribution of the CP surgeon, as well as advocate for the position of CP surgeons in our society.

Methods

In 2018, a survey was distributed to the SAGES membership asking members to self-identify as either a Community Surgeon or Academic Surgeon.

Results

The majority (71%) of SAGES members surveyed self-identified as “Community Surgeons.” This was in stark contrast to the distribution of Community versus Academic Surgeons in SAGES leadership (25% versus 75%, respectively).

Conclusion

By better defining the characteristics and role of the CP, SAGES will be better informed on how to effectively engage with this large group within the society and increase its representation within the leadership. The CP Committee met on a biannual basis over a period of two years focusing on assessing their role in the SAGES organization. The committee members created the following initial goals: (1) define in a broad sense the characteristics of a CP Surgeon, (2) discuss and characterize the value of the CP surgeons, (3) highlight past and future areas of contributions of the group, and (4) delineate ways to engage and represent this subgroup. This manuscript is a culmination of the work of this committee while also serving as a way to support the initiatives and direction of SAGES leadership.

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Acknowledgements

SAGES Community Practice Committee.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Christiana Care Health System, 501 West 14th Street, Wilmington, DE, 19802, USA

    Caitlin Halbert

  2. Southern New Hampshire Weight Management, 17 Riverside Street, Suite 200, Nashua, NH, 03062, USA

    Robert Catania

  3. The New England Hernia Center, 817 Merrimack Street, Lowell, MA, 01854, USA

    David Earle

  4. Morristown Medical Center, 100 Madison Avenue, Morristown, NJ, 07960, USA

    Igor Elyash

  5. Bariatric and Metabolic Specialists, 5100 West 110th Street, Suite 110, Overland Park, KS, 66211, USA

    Nicole Fearing

  6. El Centro Regional Medical Center, 1415 Ross Avenue, El Centro, CA, 92243, USA

    Seung Gwon

  7. Capital Regional Medical Center and Capital Regional Surgical Associates, 2626 Care Drive, Suite 206, Tallahassee, FL, 32308, USA

    Rohan Joseph

  8. University of Oklahoma, 800 Stanton L Young Boulevard, Suite 9000, Oklahoma City, OK, 73117, USA

    Fernando Mier

  9. Owen Drive Surgical Clinic, 513 Owen Drive, Fayetteville, NC, 28304, USA

    Andrew Morfesi

  10. Precision Surgical Specialists of Lowell, 21 Village Square, Chelmsford, MA, 01824, USA

    Roy Shen

  11. Waterbury Hospital, 64 Robbins Street, Waterbury, CT, 06708, USA

    Daniel Slack

  12. Beverly Hills Hernia Center, 450 North Roxbury Drive, Beverly Hills, CA, 90210, USA

    Shirin Towfigh

  13. Surgical Specialists, PA, 4013 North Ridge Road, Unit 210, Wichita, KS, 67205, USA

    Jarvis Walters

  14. Surgical Associates of Neenah, S.C., 100 Theda Clark Medical Plaza, Suite 400, Neenah, WI, 54956, USA

    Kevin Wasco

  15. Community Care Physicians, PC, 713 Troy-Schenectady Road, Latham, NY, 12110, USA

    Debbie Youngelman

Authors
  1. Caitlin Halbert
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  2. Robert Catania
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  3. David Earle
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  4. Igor Elyash
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  5. Nicole Fearing
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  6. Seung Gwon
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  7. Rohan Joseph
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  8. Fernando Mier
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  9. Andrew Morfesi
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  10. Roy Shen
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  11. Daniel Slack
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  12. Shirin Towfigh
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  13. Jarvis Walters
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  14. Kevin Wasco
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  15. Debbie Youngelman
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Caitlin Halbert.

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Disclosures

The contributing authors, Drs. Halbert, Catania, Earle, Elyash, Fearing, Gwon, Joseph, Mier, Morfesi, Shen, Slack, Towfigh, Walters, Wasco, and Youngelman, have nothing to disclose.

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Halbert, C., Catania, R., Earle, D. et al. SAGES white paper on the current state of community practice surgeons: re-discovering the value of our community practice surgeons. Surg Endosc 36, 3677–3685 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00464-022-09204-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00464-022-09204-y

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