NEW ALBANY — Thanks to economic growth in Southern Indiana and mergers with other local doctor’s offices, Physicians' Medical Center in New Albany has grown substantially since the medical company opened in 2008.
PMC, a doctor-owned business in Kentucky and Southern Indiana, celebrated 21,000-square feet in additions to its formerly 30,000-square foot Reas Lane surgical and gastroenterology facility on Monday with a ribbon cutting ceremony attended by state and local leaders.
The $7 million expansion, which added two operating rooms, eight more rooms for observation, pre-op and post-anesthesia care services, additional sterile processing and sterile supply services and more space to the lobby, was completed in August after 16 months of work.
David Dresner, one of the doctor-owners of Physicians’ Medical Center, said that the expansion means the company is more capable of delivering health care to the community, and that more physicians will be able to buy into the company.
Patient volumes at PMC have been growing year after year, said Dennis Medley, the company’s administrator and CEO. Last year, the company served over 21,000.
Medley believes that the Ohio River Bridges Project and other types of growth in Southern Indiana have contributed to the increase in patients, as well as mergers with existing doctor’s offices including two which occurred in 2012: one with Gastroenterology of Southern Indiana and the other with Louisville Orthopaedic Clinic.
Besides its Reas Lane facility, PMC has a regional lab, a pain management center, medical offices, a general surgery clinic and three urgent care centers throughout Kentucky and Southern Indiana with plans to open another one in New Albany in January.
Possibly as soon as next year, Medley also hopes to start a phase two of construction on PMC’s main campus. It would potentially add some ancillary services, such as imaging to the facility, as well as consolidate some of PMC’s current off-campus operations, including its medical business office, lab, pain management center and general surgery clinic.
A new PMC facility near River Ridge is also a potential future project for the company.
Physicians Medical Center was originally founded by a group of around 19 physicians, mostly from Floyd County. Now, 56 doctors own the company.
PMC’s doctors are able to operate at the efficiency the want, Medley said: They manage their costs while still pushing for quality patient care.
That, along with PMC’s smaller size (it doesn’t include an emergency room among other things), means the company provides quality care, while still managing to be less expensive for patients.
Dresner said he enjoys being an owner of his own medical practice.
“I like being responsible for my successes and my failures, and it’s up to us to make it work,” he said. “So I don’t have to depend on larger hospital corporations that own where I’m working. This is all us.”