There were few visible changes at Chickamauga Family Practice when management of Hutcheson Medical Center was assumed by Erlanger Health System in May 2011.
Patients – about 7,900 during the past year – continued to visit the office located across U.S. Highway 27 from Shaw Industries SI plant just as they had since doctors first opened their doors 13 years ago.
From left, Hutcheson board member David Ashburn; Chickamauga Family Practice care providers Gary Smith and Paul Ballinger; Chris Moore, M.D., chief medical officer for Erlanger at Hutcheson; Hutcheson Board chairman Corky Jewell; Kim Plant, the hospital’s director of physician operations; Stacey Kaufmann, the hospital’s administrator of physician services; and John Culpepper, Hutcheson board member.“This is an amazing clinic,” staff member Paul Ballinger said. “The staff is fantastic and knows everyone in the community.”
From its earliest days, Chickamauga Family Practice has been – and continues to be – affiliated with the Fort Oglethorpe-based hospital.
What has changed is due to a combination of tumultuous weather and a rebranding of all Hutcheson facilities.