NW Wyoming News

Dr. Robert Neuwirth, MD, who has seen patients at CCH for 15 years, recently assumed a new role as CCH’s Chief of Staff on January 1, 2023. Dr. Neuwirth was also recently a recipient of the American College of Physicians (ACP) Hospitalist Award for Wyoming. No stranger to the Chief of Staff role, Dr. Neuwirth previously served in the position at another hospital in Florida earlier in his career. Dr. Neuwirth knows how vital the role of Chief of Staff is and the impact it can have on the medical community and, most notably, on the community’s patients.

“Being Chief of Staff carries with it many responsibilities,” said Dr. Neuwirth. “I would like to heal rifts in the medical community here [Campbell County]. My goal is to ensure we are best meeting the needs of our employed and our independent physicians so that we can best meet the needs of our patient population.”

Dr. Neuwirth grew up in New York City, completed his medical training in the Dominican Republic, and completed his residency in the Bronx. Before joining CCH in 2008, Dr. Neuwirth served at other hospitals and in private practice. Earlier in his career, Dr. Neuwirth would assist family practice physicians with admitting and caring for their patients who required hospitalization. In many ways, Dr. Neuwirth was a hospitalist before hospitalists existed. Typically a primary care provider would admit and care for their patients whenever they required hospitalization. As healthcare delivery in the United States grew and evolved, primary care providers were stretched thin, and some physicians began to specialize in taking care of hospitalized patients. Nowadays, it is rare to find a hospital that does not employ trained hospitalists who spend their time taking care of hospitalized patients.

When Dr. Neuwirth joined Campbell County Health in 2008, there was no hospitalist program in place, but certainly a need for one. With Campbell County Medical Group (CCMG) Operations Director Lonnie Schell, Dr. Neuwirth established CCH’s hospitalist program, which is thriving to this day. Hospitalist programs play a significant role in keeping patients local and avoiding transfers to more extensive and distant facilities.

“Without our hospitalist program, we wouldn’t be able to keep our patients here close to home,” said Dr. Neuwirth. “And so we provide a critical service, and we provide it very well with exceptional patient care.”

Dr. Neuwirth’s accomplished career, combined with his efforts to start CCH’s hospitalist program, resulted in his election as a Fellow of the American College of Physicians. Most recently, Dr. Neuwirth received the ACP Wyoming Chapter Hospitalist Award.

“It was very gratifying to receive an award for being a hospitalist in Wyoming from a group like the ACP,” said Dr. Neuwirth. “I lived through all the progressions of hospitalist programs across the United States, and I’ve worked in various hospitalist programs. Honestly, I believe we have an excellent program here in Campbell County.”

CCH is honored to have a provider as dedicated and experienced as Dr. Neuwirth serving our community with Excellence Every Day.

“Dr. Neuwirth not only embodies Excellence Every Day - he creates it,” said CCH CEO Matt Shahan, “Just like he created the CCH hospitalist program all those years ago.”

Original source can be found here.