(Cushing, Okla.) The Cushing Chamber of Commerce quarterly “Women in Business” meeting was held in the Auxiliary Education Room of Hillcrest Hospital on Wednesday at noon. Over 30 women were in attendance to enjoy a meal provided by Hillcrest Hospital Cushing and hear from two of HHC’s newest doctors – General Surgeon Gary Cole, DO and OB/GYN James Buchinger, MD.
Women in Business chairperson Terri Blevins thanked guests and the doctors for attending prior to turning it over to HHC Marketing Director Kerri Marks.
Marks introduced Dr. Buchinger and Dr. Cole and allowed ample time for each to tell a little bit about themselves before answering questions from the audience.
Dr. Buchinger,49, is coming to Cushing from Edmond. He has been married for 20 years and has two children ages 13 and 11.
His reason for moving to Cushing? “I’d been working at two to four different hospitals in the Edmond area and was super busy,” he explained. “It had gotten to where I didn’t feel I could contribute to patients the way I wanted.”
Dr. Buchinger considers himself to be a facilitator as well as a good listener. “I like to listen to my patients,” he said. “I like to take the time to talk to them and make sure they understand their treatment and the options they may have.”
He said he is excited about moving to Cushing and becoming a part of the Hillcrest Hospital Cushing team. “You do a really good job here in supporting each other,” he continued. “I like that.”Prior to accepting the position, Dr. Buchinger said he’d had the opportunity to meet Tina Peterson, whom he found to be very “dedicated” to her patients and work as Women’s Service Manager and Acute Care Services Manager at HHC. (see more about Tina by clicking here: www.hillcrestcushing.com/news) Along with meeting HHC Adminstrator Kevin Hawk, he met Dr. Randy Grellner and Dr. Tracey Pyles which left him with a “good feeling” about coming to Cushing.
Aside from the “normal” OB/Gyn duties, Dr. Buchinger also has experience with use of the daVinci surgical robot system (see info here: www.davincisurgery.com) – something he would like to one day see at HHC.
“I’m really looking forward to being a stable force of whatever is already here,” Dr. Buchinger concluded.
Dr. Buchinger will begin his duties full time starting Oct. 1, 2014.
Dr. Gary Cole came to Cushing after being involved in the healthcare industry for many years – not all of which were spent as a surgeon.
After completing high school, Dr. Cole was a member of a rodeo team and attended OSU veterinarian school where he earned a bachelor’s degreee in Biological Science. He admits that training, along with his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree and Master of Business Administration degree, makes his background a little more diverse than many surgeons.
“I think it [the diversity] has given me more confidence when counseling patients,” Dr. Cole said. “And the business degree helps me with the business side of things such as insurance and being a manager.”
However, taking care of his patients and performing surgery are what he loves the most.
“I wish that was all I had to do,” he said, admitting paperwork and the business aspect are “a given” in today’s healthcare world.
On the personal side – Dr. Cole is married and has one daughter, a fourth grader who is interested in saving endangered animals before they become extinct.
“I’m very proud of her,” he said.
Dr. Cole finished his residency in general surgery at OSU Medical Center in Tulsa earlier this year and joined Utica Park Clinic in Cushing July 28th. He is currently welcoming new patients and accepts most insurance plans. His office is located on the campus of Hillcrest Hospital Cushing at 1102 E. Second Street in Cushing. Appointments can be set by calling 918-225-3006 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m, Monday through Friday.
Women in Business meetings are held quarterly by the Cushing Chamber of Commerce.
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