Internal Medicine and Pediatrics service expands in E'town - Elizabethtown News Enterprise

Last last month, Baptist Health Medical Group opened its second internal medicine and pediatrics clinic in Eliza­beth­town to meet the region's growing demand for pediatric, adult and geriatric care.

The new clinic is at 596 Westport Road.

According to the news release, two internal medicine and pediatric physicians – Dr. Doug Ansert and Dr. Thomas VanHoose – will practice at the new clinic.

The release said Ansert will be transitioning from the Radcliff location and his patients will have the option to stay at the existing location or follow him to Elizabethtown.

VanHoose is a new Baptist Health Medical Group physician who specializes in internal medicine and pediatrics and has received national board certification in pediatrics and is board eligible for internal medicine, the release said. He will be accepting new pediatric, adult and geriatric patients.

"Baptist Health Medical Group is committed to providing the whole spectrum of care to Central Kentucky patients, and the uniqueness of the Internal Medicine and Pediatrics service line makes it a great option for the entire family," Assistant Vice President of Baptist Health Medical Group Sheila Smallwood said in the release. "To have one physician who understands the medical issues impacting an entire family allows for cohesive care of common illnesses and chronic care that warrants long-term treatment."

The new clinic expansion comes after nearly six years of growth in the Internal Medicine and Pediatrics clinic including its relocation in May 2017 to a cutting-edge, fully-equipped clinic at the Nature Trail Medical Plaza on Joe Prather Highway in Radcliff, the release said.

"As our region grows, so grows Baptist Health Hardin," Smallwood said. "Pediatric and family care demand continues to grow in our region and our expansion brings top physicians and providers and high-demand services together for the whole family, in a new location convenient to Elizabethtown and surrounding counties."

Internal medicine specializes in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of adult medical conditions while pediatrics manages healthcare for infants, children and adolescents.

Dr. Matthew Stiles, medical director of the Baptist Health Hardin Medical Group, said the Internal Medicine and Pediatrics practice is one of only a handful of such practices in Kentucky.

"Being board certified in both medicine and pediatrics gives Dr. Ansert and Dr. VanHoose a very special skill set," Stiles said in the release. "This dual certification means they can care for patients at all stages of life and for entire families in one practice."