Two years ago, after a terrible rain storm, flood waters destroyed Yale Medical Group's Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation office in Milford. When the practice opened a new office in December, Judith Greenspan, 71, was there the first day. She'd had an elbow replacement, and was feeling some pain after shaking out a heavy winter comforter. She didn't want to travel out of town, but she did want a doctor with special expertise.
Carrie Swigart, MD, the specialist who had replaced Greenspan's elbow, was happy to see her. "The Milford office has been a thriving part of our practice for many years," says Dr. Swigart.
Patients' needs are changing
While many people think they must drive to New Haven to see a Yale specialist, the new office in Milford is one of more than 50 separate YMG locations in 27 different towns and cities throughout Connecticut, including Danbury, Greenwich, Fairfield, Bridgeport and New London—as well as in hospitals across the state. These facilities cover specialties ranging from obstetrics and gynecology to otolaryngology; from cardiology to cancer care.
"We see health care needs changing in Connecticut, and we've been making our own changes to meet those needs," says Karin Render, director of strategic planning for Yale Medical Group. "We opened some of our satellites because we've seen a gap in the services provided in a particular area of the state, or we see a density or aging of the local population."
Yale Medical Group's Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation service established its first satellite office more than 20 years ago, and now its 22 specialists see at least 40 percent of their outpatients in offices in Guilford, Middlebury, Milford and Shelton. To accommodate its own growing caseload, the Milford office increased its exam rooms from four in its previous building to nine in the new one, and added Yale-New Haven Hospital physical therapy and X-ray services.
Some patients travel to Milford from as far away as Shelton and Fairfield County because they want a Yale orthopaedist with expertise in such areas as fractures, hand or spine disorders, traumatic injuries and sports medicine. "It's not southern Connecticut, but it feels more accessible to people from southern Connecticut to come to Milford than it does to New Haven," Dr. Swigart says.
Convenience for ongoing care
Other offices outside New Haven benefit patients in different ways. The Yale Fertility Center in Westport provides convenience for patients maintaining a rigorous care regimen. "Fertility treatments often require many visits, so patients appreciate having an office that is as close to home for them as possible," says Ryan Martin, MD, fertility specialist and medical director of the center. Retrieval and transfer of embryos is still performed in a laboratory in New Haven, but otherwise the Westport office is a full-service site that includes egg donation and gestational surrogacy service.
"There is a large population of reproductive-age women in Fairfield County and eastern New York, many of whom delay childbearing as a result of educational or business pursuits, and those are sometimes the people who seek fertility care. We're already seeing couples who would otherwise go into New York City for this," Dr. Martin says.
Pediatric care closer to home
Yale-New Haven Children's Hospital (YNHCH) Pediatric Specialty Centers still provide services at the original location on the second floor of the YNHCH, with 14 examination rooms, diagnostic imaging, pulmonary function and cardiac testing, as well as phlebotomy services. However, many services are also available at an additional center at One Long Wharf, away from the downtown area, with free parking. In February, this location will be increase in size from 12 exam rooms to 22 exam rooms, plus testing areas for services such as allergy/immunology. A third YNHCH Pediatric Specialty Center opened in Norwalk over a year ago to make some of Yale's pediatric specialties available to families in Fairfield County.
Each pediatric center offers a different selection of specialties, and is staffed by nurses and patient care associates. Additionally, cardiology services are available in New London, Bridgeport and Waterbury, while other Yale pediatric specialists travel to YNHCH's Greenwich Hospital Campus to provide care in endocrinology, gastroenterology and hepatology, orthopaedics, and respiratory medicine.
Appointments can be made at any of the pediatric locations by calling the One-Call Center at 203-785-4081.
Adam Hittelman, MD, PhD, a pediatric urologist, says the Norwalk specialty center has worked well for many patients, in part because there are often different specialists on site who can consult with one another, as well as radiology services available on site. "Many of our patients have complicated problems, requiring them to see several physicians. We offer a multidisciplinary approach to our patient management, such as our pediatric nephrology-urology stone clinic, and parents appreciate knowing their child can see his or her doctors, have their studies performed, and leave with a management plan all within the same short visit," he says.
"Since families don't have to commute all the way up to New Haven to see a Yale specialist, they do not have to commit a full day to an office visit, so school-age children don't miss as much school and parents don't miss as much work," Dr. Hittelman adds.
To find a location
Not all Yale Medical Group practices have offices outside New Haven; however, patients who want to know whether they can obtain specialized medical care closer to home should always ask their doctor about the options. For help finding a specific office, you can also visit our Maps & Directions page.