E36: Saving a Dying Hospital with Dr. Manu Kaushik

What happens when a rural hospital loses its only surgeon and faces closure?

 

Host Dr. Randy Lehman welcomes Dr. Manu Kaushik, who stepped in to save a dying critical access hospital in Greenville, Alabama. After 40 years of service, the hospital's longtime surgeon retired, COVID hit, and the OR shut down completely - threatening the entire community's access to care. 

 

Dr. Kaushik shares his incredible journey of rebuilding surgical services from scratch, training staff, fixing broken equipment, and literally buying his own instruments to keep patients from having to travel hours for basic care. 

 

They dive deep into his innovative modified Smead-Jones hernia repair technique, discuss IPOM and component separation procedures, explore the transition from laparoscopic to robotic surgery, and cover everything from inguinal repairs to emergency trauma management.

 

Tune in for an inspiring episode filled with practical surgical techniques and unforgettable stories from the frontlines of rural healthcare.

 

0:00 Intro

1:54 Dr. Kaushik's Background

6:43 Why Rural Surgery Is Special to You

11:00 How I Do It: Ventral Hernia Repair

20:22 How I Do It: Smead-Jones Stitch

28:23 How I Do It: IPOM Technique

35:13 How I Do It: Robotic Inguinal Focus

43:51 How I Do It: Mesh Placement in Hernia Repair

55:48 Financial corner

1:06:06 Classic Rural Surgery Stories

1:23:18 Resources for the Busy Rural Surgeon

Resources Mentioned

 

🌐 American College of Surgeons (ACS) Rural Trauma Development Course: https://www.facs.org/quality-programs/trauma/education/

 

🌐 ACS Stop the Bleed Program: https://www.stopthebleed.org/

 

🌐 ACS Rural Surgery Resources: https://www.facs.org/for-medical-professionals/education/programs/so-you-want-to-be-a-surgeon/section-iii-surgical-specialties/rural-surgery-program/

 

🌐 MGMA (Medical Group Management Association) Data: https://www.mgma.com/mgmadata