Covering 2 hospitals with almost 200 beds, 2 ICUs, two emergency rooms, general and vascular surgery and a wound care center required the efficiency of integrated computer systems, billing system, and the co-operation of dedicated surgeons.

Private practice surgeons in the area boycotted hospitals and services at their whim, so that the Surgical Hospitalist program was often the only resource for all three HMOs in Sonoma County, uninured and underinsured patients, and patients who whose speicialist (such as urologists) were boycotting at the time.

Between 3 and 5 surgeons, often rotating from smaller regional hospitals, integrated the services under Dr. Kosakowski’s direction.

I was pleased to have been a part of this service for a few years.