Berkshire Surgical Associates Joins BHS Physician Practice Group

PITTSFIELD — Berkshire Health Systems and Berkshire Surgical Associates have announced that Berkshire Surgical has joined the Berkshire Health Systems physician practice group, a venture that will ensure the ability to provide surgical services throughout the Berkshires.

The change was effective at the start of 2015, when Berkshire Surgical Associates formally became Berkshire Surgical Services of BHS. The surgeons affiliated with the practice include Drs. Michael Cohn, Eugene Curletti, Michael DiSiena, José Heisecke, Andrew Lederman, Christian Galvez, Wilfred Carney, and George Veinoglou.

This partnership helps to further strengthen the surgical program across Berkshire Health Systems and improves access to care by facilitating coverage in North, Central, and Southern Berkshire county. With the support of BHS, Berkshire Surgical will open a new office in Northern Berkshire County in the near future to respond to community need for surgical consultation.

Berkshire Surgical previously had a North Adams office when the former North Adams Regional Hospital was in operation. The practice will also continue to operate its offices in Pittsfield and Great Barrington. Berkshire Surgical Services provides general surgery, as well as vascular, thoracic, bariatric, and surgical oncology care, and will provide care across the county.

The surgeons utilize the state-of-the-art operating rooms at Berkshire Medical Center, Fairview Hospital, and the Crane Center for Ambulatory Surgery. Changes in healthcare policy and in the health-insurance reimbursement system have challenged the old model of private physician practices, which was a major factor in prompting Berkshire Surgical’s partnership with BHS. At the same time, healthcare systems like BHS are increasingly relied upon to ensure access to critical services for the community.

“Berkshire Surgical Services will continue to provide comprehensive surgical services to the whole community for the long term through this new partnership with Berkshire Health Systems,” said Curletti. “The complexity in healthcare is increasing under healthcare reform, and physician practices are faced with significant challenges to adapt. The ability to continually invest in technology and to recruit new surgeons is threatened by the reality of these changes. This past model of care doesn’t work anymore. By being a part of the BHS physician group, we are now able to focus on patient care, and BHS provides the support we need to grow and practice state-of-the-art surgery countywide. We greatly appreciate the leadership role Berkshire Health Systems is taking in working with us to ensure our patients continued access to care.”

Added David Phelps, president and CEO of Berkshire Health Systems, “with the precarious state of the health-insurance reimbursement system, BHS has taken on an increasing role in helping to stabilize physician practices in order to guarantee that our community has continued access to these essential services. This partnership will help to retain the wealth of experience of our skilled surgeons while also improving the ability to recruit new physicians to meet our community’s surgical care needs. Berkshire Health Systems’ financial position has allowed us to continue to invest in our people, our facilities, and our technology, and this investment in surgical services is important for our community.”

Berkshire Surgical Services is accepting new patients, and can be reached by calling its Pittsfield office at (413) 445-6420 or its Great Barrington office at (413) 644-6499.